Community News
Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 25, 1973 Expenditures of $553,000 were planned for its Parsons exchange by Southwestern Bell telephone Co., the firm’s district manager said. The investment primarily would be for a start on a rural telephone improvement program that would provide maximum four-party lines to more than 500 eight-party subscribers, Robert Trusdale of Parsons, district Southwestern Bell...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 24, 1973 “Lil Abner,” a comedy play based on the comic strip by Al Capp, would be presented as an all-school play at Parsons Junior High School. Major parts would be taken by Jane Willson as Daisy Mae, David Hibbs as Lil Abner, Kim Tschudy and Kemper Johnson as Mammy and Pappy Yokum. Other actors would be Troy Rye as Earthquake McGoon, Lisa Allen as General Bull Moos...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 23, 1973 Fred Braun Jr., a Parsons manufacturer, was the first candidate to file for the board of Labette Community Junior College. Residents from throughout the county were eligible for the vacancies created by expiring terms of Gilbert Cole of Chetopa, John Schmoker of Oswego and Maurice Wyckoff of Altamont. Braun, president of TecTank Inc., was a member of the Par...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 22, 1973 Rick Smith captured singles and all-events crowns in the 1973 Parsons men’s city bowling tournament at Tower Bowl. Bob Hill and Roger Moore claimed doubles and Larry Wetherell scratch all-events. Smith cut loose in singles with a scratch 237-662 that, combined with a handicap of 100 pins, game him a 762 — highest winning mark since a 770 by Clifford Dixon in...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 19-20, 1973 Rebuilding of some Parsons streets would be necessary because of damage caused by ice and snow, Michael Bushnell, city public works director, said. He said the city would have to rip up and rebuild several streets in the spring and that streets were damaged all over town. City officials had said recently acquired federal revenue sharing funds would be use...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 17, 1973 Jim Gaskell, coordinator for the See-Kan Resource Conservation and Development Project, said it was likely construction of a new Altamont lake was feasible. The results of a new feasibility study would be presented to the city of Altamont. The proposed lake would be on Hackberry Creek in the general vicinity of the existing Altamont city lake 3 1/2 miles sou...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 16, 1973 City commissioners surprised Will Tschudy, departing city manager, with a valued relic of Parsons for his new Olathe home. An old mahogany roll-top desk from the office of L.R. Engel, fire chief, was presented to Tschudy at his last regular commission meeting. Commissioners said another desk would be provided for Engel. Engel said the desk probably was part ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 15, 1973 Rufus Jones and Omar Atlas headed a professional wrestling card in Parsons. The first pro mat card to be staged here in many years was at the Parsons Municipal Building. Jones was holder of half of the North American tag team championship. He was scheduled to team with Pat O’Connor against Mike Boyette and Mickey Doyle. The main event sent Atlas, the holder ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 12-13, 1973 Nine existing positions were restored, three new ones were added and three others were transferred to the fiscal 1974 budget proposed by Gov. Robert Docking for the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center. The net change would increase authorized positions in the following fiscal year to 441 at the hospital, Earl Vore, business manager, said. That was ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 11, 1973 A new home for Parsons Lodge 117, AF&AM, moved another step toward reality when a contract was awarded at an open meeting of the Masonic body. The contract, let to Shields Construction Co. of Oswego, called for an immediate start on remodeling of a building the lodge owned at 1 Parsons Plaza and completion in late summer. Jan. 11, 1983 Boeing Military Airpl...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 8, 1973 The Katy Railroad opened 1973 by putting 10 new diesel locomotives into service, and they in turn emphasized a new color scheme that had been adopted as standard for its motive power. All new 2,250-horsepower Electro Motive general purpose diesel units had been placed in service. The basic color was green, with yellow stripes, giving the locomotives maximum v...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 4, 1973 Passengers on Frontier Airlines flights out of Tri-City Airport would be subject to searches including thorough examination of all carry-on items and a body scan by a metal detector beginning the following day. A flight attendant would scan all persons with a hand-operated Electro-Search device. The search was in response to an order of the Federal Aviation A...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 3, 1973 Telephone and electrical disruptions, toppled trees and limbs and from 2 to 3 inches of snow in Labette and Neosho counties were among the byproducts of an eastern Kansas storm. The storm’s opening chapter was freezing rain followed by snow at about 8:30 a.m. and subsiding at noon. Rain plus the season’s sixth snow in the area combined for moisture totaling 1...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 2, 1973 A new office building for Parsons District Schools completed and furnished during the Christmas vacation was opened at 2900 Southern. C.G. Reitemeier, school superintendent, said employees also would begin to move into a vocational education building constructed at Parsons High School. Staff offices, a conference room and machine room plus a warehouse were lo...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 29-30, 1972 Eight men would be added to the force of the Katy Railroad diesel locomotive shops in Parsons. Reginald Whitman, the Katy president, disclosed the addition during an interview by telephone from his office in Dallas. The expansion would push to 146 the force’s size in Parsons. The payroll had been at 138 since April. Prior to April 1, it had been 158. The ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 28, 1972 Only installation of purple-cushioned seats remained to be completed for metamorphosis of the Labette Community Junior College auditorium into a “little theater.” The conversion from a 500-seat auditorium to a 268-seat theater cost about $117,000 and began in the spring. A color scheme of magenta and purple had been coordinated with other remodeling projects...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 27, 1972 A postal halt was included in the national mourning observance for the late President Harry S. Truman. David Tipppet, Parsons postmaster, said information on the postal curtailment was received from the sectional center post office in Independence. Post offices would be closed, and no city, rural or window service would be provided. Other services would be o...
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Schools
Harris wins bee Altamont Grade School had its geography bee on Dec. 12. Thirty students in grades four through eight qualified to participate in the geography bee. At the end of seven preliminary rounds, 10 students remained for the final round. After three rounds of questions, the two finalists emerged, seventh-grader Miranda Bath and sixth-grader Kyle Harris. Harris answered more questions correctly in the finals and was crowned the Altamont...
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Clubs
Parsons Rotary The Parsons Rotary Club met on Thursday. President Gary Goodnight opened the meeting. Gary Wall offered a prayer, Matt Atteberry led the pledge and Four-Way Test, and Hal Redford led the song. Rotarian of the Day Lucas Nodine introduced Labette County Assistant Attorney Stephen Jones. Jones said the shooting in Newtown, Conn., changed his thoughts about solutions to the problems that created the massacre that left 26 dead at San...
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These new names are in the news
Logan Michael Whitaker is the name chosen by Danae and Chad Whitaker of Dennis for their son born Dec. 10 at Labette Health. Grandparents are Dave and Mary Whitaker of Mound Valley and Michael and Stephanie Carter of Parsons. Great-grandparents are Lois Whitaker of Mound Valley, Stephen and Gayle Baird of Parsons and Mike and Shirley Carter of Oswego. ——— Liam Thomas Jones joins two brothers, Gabe and Gavin Nash, in the family of Natae Nash an...
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