Community News
Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. April 2, 1973 City officials were notified that the federal Economic Development Administration had approved an additional $10,450 for a contract involving construction in Parsons’ south industrial park. Paul Freeberg, acting city manager, said that Parsons city commissioners would confirm the change order at a regular meeting. The total contract price would be $99,235.20...
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Schools
PTK inducts students The Phi Theta Kappa honor society at Labette Community College inducted 34 new members into the Tau Theta Chapter on Tuesday. Students are invited to join the international honor society of the two-year college, Phi Theta Kappa, if they have completed 12 hours and earned at least a 3.5 grade point average. The honor society provides activities and services based on its four hallmarks of scholarship, leadership, service and...
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Clubs & Organizations
Parsons Rotary Parsons Rotary Club president Gary Goodnight opened Thursday’s meeting. Rick Tucker offered the prayer, Glenn Fischer led the Four-Way Test and Pledge of Allegiance, and Hal Redford led the song. Jeff Perez of Tank Connection was a guest. Rotarian of the Day Steve Kosman introduced guest speaker Mark Turnbull, director of regional strategies for Joplin Regional Partnership. Turnbull said the organization includes counties from t...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 30-31, 1973 Chetopa teachers received the lowest average salary in Kansas, according to a report by the Kansas Department of Education. Chetopa teachers earned an average of $6,377 annually, $1,958 less than the state average of $8,335 for the 1971-72 school year. According to the report, Parsons teachers earned an average of $8,084 or about $250 less than the avera...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 29, 1973 Six superior ratings were won by members of the Elementary and Junior Musical Art Clubs of Parsons at the Kansas Federation of Music Clubs southeast district junior music festival in Independence. Manuel Lane, Cheri Holdridge, Michelle Lane and Charlotte Carter won superior ratings in piano solos. A superior was received by Laura Jean Seaton for a junior pi...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 27, 1973 A dog control ordinance less restrictive than a leash law was adopted by Parsons city commissioners at a special meeting. Commissioners also approved a referendum on a leash law as an advisory vote to be conducted April 3. Applause from a group of about 20 people followed a unanimous vote by the commission. Leon Ginn, Parsons mayor, said the commission was ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 26, 1973 Parsons High School speech and drama students received six I ratings at a district tournament in Independence. A one-act play, “The Last Curtain,” with Richard Crooks, Linda Holdridge, Mary Anne Flanders, Janet Lindemann, Mike Pound and Jim Finch, was rated I. The top rating also went to Roy Vore for informative speech and oratory, to Larry Williams for ora...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 23-24, 1973 A limited smoking policy that would become effective immediately at Labette County Medical Center was adopted by trustees. Jerry Lilley, hospital administrator, said trustees voted to curtail smoking on the second and third floors of the hospital that contained patient rooms. Smoking would be permitted in visitor waiting areas, public restrooms and perso...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 21, 1973 Zoning that would permit construction of an estimated $70,000 tractor supply store was approved by the Parsons Planning Commission. Zoning from single-family residential to service commercial was changed by the commission on the petition of Maurice Borklund, developer of the Reinhart Subdivision at the east edge of the city. The vote was 6-1 with Gerald Fin...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 20, 1973 More than 30 people crowded into a Parsons City Commission meeting to express strong support for a dog leash law in the city. The volatile discussion continued about two hours, ranging from personal experiences with dogs loose in the city to criticism of the commission for not having passed a leash law. Commissioners took no formal action but indicated they...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 19, 1973 Parsons became the capital of Kansas Class 3A high school teams, thanks to its Vikings’ 52-41 triumph at Emporia over Shawnee Heights of Tecumseh. It was the Vikings’ first such triumph in 34 state tourney attempts. Trailing twice by 12 points, the Vikings roared back against Shawnee Heights. Swept aside the two previous days were Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 16-17, 1973 Casting for “Dark of the Moon,” the next presentation of the Labette Community Players, had been completed. Richard Crooks was cast in the role of the conjure man and Jack Rowland cast as Mr. Summey. D. Warren Hyde would play Mr. Atkins, and Chris Limes would be Floyd Allen. Carleton Johnson would portray Mr. Bergen and Dale Miller would be Burt Dinwitt....
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Churches
Wesley plans events The chancel choir will present a cantata, “Upon This Rock” by Pepper Choplin, at both worship services on Palm Sunday, March 24, at Wesley United Methodist Church. Jamie Burke directs the choir. Worship services will be at 8:30 and 10:40 a.m. at the church located at 500 Leawood. Wesley will host the Lenten breakfast sponsored by the Parsons Ministerial Association at 7 a.m. March 26. Joe, Jamie and Aaron Burke will provide...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 15, 1973 Street signs that used primarily symbols instead of words to convey traffic signals were installed at several Parsons intersections, Michael Bushnell, city public works director, said. The signs eventually would be erected all over the nation as a uniform traffic control. The color and size differed from former signs, Bushnell said, adding that symbols had ...
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Clubs
Parsons Rotary The Parsons Rotary Club met on Thursday. President-elect George Knox opened the meeting. Jon Siebrasse offered the prayer, James McCarty led the Four-Way Test and Pledge of Allegiance, and Hal Redford led the song. Guests were Larry Goldsmith and Doug Stacey. Rotarian of the Day Gary Pollmiller presented a program on the Rotary dictionary project. Heavily involved in the project since its inception, Pollmiller said that Parsons ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 14, 1973 Parsons High School’s persistent Vikings — denied 33 times — were just about ready to make their 34th attempt to win a state high school basketball title. It was with an air of confidence that coach Darrell “Nick” Divine and his team headed for the Class 3A tourney at Emporia and a clash with Wichita Kapaun-Mount Carmel. Divine said his feelings concerning ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 13, 1973 Equipment from the Labette County Sheriff’s Office in Parsons was moved to 22nd and Main from its former location on the third floor of the Parsons Municipal Building. Sheriff Carl Cloke said the move would be completed in a day. He would begin regular hours in the Parsons office from 9 a.m. to about noon and in the Oswego office from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. da...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 12, 1973 Derrel Gofourth, Parsons High School’s All-American linebacker, signed a Big Eight Conference football letter of intent to attend Oklahoma State University at Stillwater. Present for the signing of the 6-foot, 210-pound standout was Hugh McCrabb, an assistant defensive coach for the Cowboys. The signing ceremony was at the home of his stepfather and mother,...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 9-10, 1973 A tornado bounced along a jagged 20-mile route from Galesburg to Erie to Walnut, causing extensive property damage the previous night, but no major injuries. The storm destroyed three mobile homes and numerous farm sheds and damaged the elementary school and Shaw Manufacturing Co. plant in Galesburg. The possibility of a new league banning out-of-state pl...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. March 8, 1973 Unofficial maps presented to the House Roads and Highway Committee showed that a proposed Southeast Kansas turnpike would cross Labette County on an east-west alignment about eight miles south of Parsons, two miles north of Altamont and three miles north of Oswego. That information came from Rep. David Miller, D-Parsons, a member of the committee who said he...
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