Backward Glances: The death of a sitting Roanoke mayor and some good advice from 1906

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120 years ago

President Roosevelt has again placed himself in an awkward attitude before the public by his compromise on the rate bill. More and more the Leader’s long-time estimate of the White House occupant as a blustering, erratic politician is being confirmed.

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The closing exercises of the Roanoke Normal College for the session 1905-6, which was a most prosperous one, were witnessed with pleasure by large audiences of citizens and visitors.

Monday at 11 a.m. Rev. George B Stoves delivered the annual address at Wedowee College. It was a masterly effort on a timely subject, and the occasion was highly enjoyed.

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In these days of strife between political parties we must remember that after all we are just a band of brothers here on earth, traveling from the cradle to the grave. We live side by side, and our children attend the same school and after the smoke of battle has cleared away, we will still be friends and neighbors. Let the bitter things go unsaid. At best, life is short, and we get it out in full measure of sorrow. Let us in our little city live as one big, good natured family.

100 years ago

The City of Roanoke mourns the loss of its chief executive. Mayor Leon Jones passed from this world to that which lies beyond at four o’clock Sunday Morning, May 16. Only six hours before that time he had arrived home from a long, painful and fruitless journey to Baltimore, accompanied by his wife and sister-in-law, Mrs. A.L. Jones, in a final effort to secure relief from the malady that held him in its relentless grasp. A kindly providence granted the desire of his heart to be at home and with his loved ones when the final hour should come. He was conscious and conversed with those around him. There is comfort in these thoughts and also in the fact that he was relieved thus early of the suffering which bore him down and which he endured with so much fortitude.

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The bungalow furnished by the W.A. Handley Manufacturing Company at No. 9 Knight Avenue is being used by the ladies’ clubs of the city as an exhibit of what could be done in the way of building and furnishing a modern home, under the “Better Homes” movement inaugurated recently throughout the United State. The home was the mecca for many people last Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. During that time 1,000 people registered at the home. The house was kept open afternoon and night. Men, women, and children from town and country passed through the rooms, each department being exquisitely finished and furnished.

80 years ago

In Tallapoosa County on Tuesday, May 21, the voters rejected overwhelmingly the proposition to legalize liquor sales in the county. On the basis of returns from 15 of the 18 boxes, the vote was 2,748 votes against legalization to 1,731 for legalization. Nineteen out of 30 boxes in Crenshaw County gave the wets a slight lead, 1,058 to 1,022. Crenshaw is dry at present but has been a wet county in previous years. On May 7^th two counties, Talladega and Bibb, voted to remain in the dry column.

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From the Office of the Colored County Agent: A county-wide farm meeting will be held in Roanoke in the auditorium of the old city hall at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, May 25. Expedient methods and means of meeting present and future food demands will be the theme of the program. County Agent JR Parrish, Mayor WB Ford, of Roanoke, and Superintendent IG Hendon are among the county officials who will appear on the program. District Agent WB Hill, TR Agnew, state 4-H Club agent for Negro boys and District Agent MF Myhand of Tuskegee Institute, will participate in the program. J. Kitchen, Negro county agent for Lee County, and Miss WE Callins, Negro home demonstration agent for Lee County, will assist with the program.

60 years ago

Captain JB Cain, commanding officer of the USS Yorktown, congratulated Lt. Commander Harold K. Traylor of Air Anti-Submarine Squadron 23 after Traylor piloted the aircraft that made the 112,000^th landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier Yorktown, which is currently deployed in the Western Pacific. The historic event took place April 22, 1966. As a member of VS-23 Traylor is flying a Grumman S2E “Tracker” aircraft, the most advanced version of a carrier-based anti-submarine unit. Traylor is the son of Mr. and Mrs. WB Traylor of Heflin, formerly of Wedowee, where Traylor grew up as a boy.

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The Post Office Department designates a week in May each year when patron on rural, city motorized, and box delivery star routes are encouraged to examine and improve where necessary the appearance of their mailboxes. The week of May 16-21 has been selected this year. The purpose of the week is to encourage patrons to provide mailboxes which are designed to protect mail from the weather, and which are neat in appearance, conveniently located and safe to use.

40 years ago

The death of a LaGrange youth on West Point Lake two weeks ago brought the death toll on that body of water to 58 over the past 12 years. This stands in sharp contrast to the record of no fatalities from recreational use of Harris Reservoir, or Lake Wedowee, during its three years of existence. The potential for tragedy is ever present, however, says Conservation Enforcement officer Larry Colley. “There have been no fatalities relating to water safety on Lake Wedowee,” Colley said. “This was rumored to be one of the most dangerous lakes when the water was first backed up because of its depth. But it has proven so far to be a safe lake, and we intend to keep it that way.”

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The Wedowee Town Council voted to initiate a system of curbside garbage pickup at its regular meeting Monday night. By requiring Wedowee residents to place their garbage on the curbside, the council hopes to eliminate the costly waste of time looking for the refuse in the yard and around the houses as has been done in the past.

20 years ago

Roanoke’s water system went out Monday night, but due to creativity and teamwork, water was quickly provided, according to Mayor Spec Bonner. “We dodged a bullet. We didn’t have a fire out there. We pumped water for the town all night using a fire truck,” he said. Randall Boyd, operations supervisor with the city’s utilities board said, “It all started yesterday afternoon around 2:45 p.m. when calls about low water pressure started coming in.” The motors had gone down at the filter plant on Highway 22 below the hospital when, it was his understanding, pulp-wooders cutting trees hit a line. That caused a power surge that burned a line in two. The short sent low voltage to the water plant, causing the transformers to the pump to burn up.