rrMEDFORD (OREGON) NAIL TlirBtJNZ
Sunday. December 30, 1338
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Talent Project, Floods
Also Get High Ratings
'The 1956 genem election was
selected unanimously aa the top
local news story this year by
members of the Mail Tribune's
newsroom. It was the only story
toGreccive a unanimous rating.
The general election Nov. 6
included office races on the
state, county and city lev Is. as
weij a various measures, includ
ing -Medfords capital improve-
ment program, the latter itself
Cp.'a'cd among the top 10 Local
t'rir.a of the year,
ietii Project
Six of the nine newsroom staff
members picked the Talent proj
t as te second top story, while
II other three rated it third.
Early In the year, S2, 400. 000 was
authorised to start the project,
rid in !ate summer and early
fih actual construction got under
way.
Last' February's floods, the
threat, of floods early this fall,
and continuing interest shown
lif w-nie form of flood control for
the Rogue river basin wes rated
second by three members of the
X.lvs stff, while five rated the
qO cflood story third and one fourth.
fmSt anient Program
Medford's capital Improve
ment program was. rated the
fT'h ranked story nf- the year
bv five staff meuibers. one rated
it third, and one each fifth, sixth
and seventh. The program in
cludes an arterial street program,
) G,r imPrvement and extension
of sanitary ana stnrm.seweri.
Interest shown in location of
Highway 99 freeway' through
ctlie Rofftia valley was rated the
iJ'Jo rankinjf story by six staff
jrembers. Two rated it sixth and
q on eighth.
Variety Noted
O Staff members varied consid
erably In rating other top local
news stories of the year.
One picked annexations to
Melford as fifth among im
portance, while three rated it
txih, ene seventh, two eighth
nd two 10th. The annexations
Gwere the eoutheast area, Ken-rood-Grandiew,
and attempts to
aftnex the Berrydale area north
of Medford in addition to smaller
annexations whirh required no
election since 100 per cent of
th property owners requested
annexation.
Rogue Valley Memorial hos
pital's fund raising campaign and
'art of construction was rated
fourth by one staff member,
txth by two, eighth by three
nd ?0th by one. The. national
park service's Mission 68 pro
iram, which will provide $4,000,
'flOO worth of improvements at
Crater Lak National park dur
irg the next 10 years, received
eight votes for ratings in the top
10. One staff member placed
it fifth, one sixth, two seventh,
q two ninth and two 10th. .
O Othetr Storiei
c Other news stories which re-
G feived votes for rating in the
top 10 included the Billy Junior
JNunn murder case. Vice Presi
dent R'ehard Nixon's visit to
Oledford. expansion programs by
J'oLumbia Utilities company and
the" Pacific Telephone and Tele
graph company, expansion of
facilities at Southern Oregon col
lege, annexations and :onsoliria
Ct.Ora to the Medford school dis
trict, the foggy weather, the city
retaining a planning consultant,
and th try of two Medford
y Boy Seut. injured In a fall down
O" bluft along the lower Rogne
q river area. ;
The story which was rated as
the most interesting, but not
C?rcesarily the one which 'will
I'ave an effect on the develop
ment of southern Oregon, was
r
uic siury aooui ir.e btumbo fam
ily closing a section of Highway
99 north of Grants Pass.
Ratings Vary
Five staff members rated the
Stumbo story as the most inter
esting, while four others rated
the story about the Boy Scouts
being injured along the lower
Rogue as the most interesting.
The story about Medford High
school boys appearing at school
one day in Bermuda shorts, and
the porcupine eradication contest
in Jackson county received al
most the same number of votes
for the third most interesting
story of the year.
Other stories which received
votes for being among the most
interesting of the year were shots
for polio and the foggy weather.
. JANUARY
1 Interior department approves
contract for Link river dam op
eration . . . Barneburg hill site
chosen for Rogue Valley Manor
j retirement home . . . Mrs.
I Blanche Lyman, administrator
of Jackson county welfare de-
l partment, discharged by the
; state commission . : . Walter
Hoffbuhr, 507 Holly St., Med
ford, elected secretary-manager
of Talent Irrigation district . . .
E. C. Ferguson, 64. managing
editor of the Mail Tribune since
1928, dies . . . Rogue Valley Me
morial hospital campaign starts
. . . Fire destroys mill at Talent
Saw Mills, Inc. . . . Flood damage
to Rogue River National forest
installations estimated at S62,
000 . . . Dr. Lloyd L. Sanders,
Medford dentist, dies of heart
attack . . . Support for control of
Rogue basin flooding is demon
strated . . . President Eisenhower
asks nearly S3,000,000 for proj
ects in Jackson county; $2,400,
000 is for Talent project . . .
Residents southeast of Medford
vote to join city . . . New east
side fire station planning au
thorized . . . Keith Gildesgard
and Robert Allen, of the Med
ford police department, and
George Milligan, chairman and
founder of Mercy Flights, hon
ored at Safety council dinner . . .
Non-profit corporation formed
for flood control in the Rogue
basin . . . John Pletsch elected
president of county planning
commission . . . Richard L. Hen
selman wins Distinguished Serv
ice Award . . . County assessor's
office disclaims any error in
computing tax rates this year . . .
Final estimate on flood damage
in Jackson county, $914,495, sent
to state, federal agencies.
FEBRUARY
Murder - suicide results In
death of James Frank Denham,
45, and his wife Bessie May, 47
. . . President sends to congress
$381,500 improvement program
for Crater Lake National park
. . . Donations to Rogue Valley
Memorial hospital fund exceed
goal . . . Douglas McKay en
dorses Rogue flood control sur
vey . . . District attorney op
poses motion to dismiss five re
maining indictments against
Hugh D'Autremont . . . Ten-year
through-street program in Med
ford presented to city council . . .
John S. Hawkins. 80, of Camp
White, and Mark Eugene Smith.
7, Gold Hill, killed in separate
traffic accidents . . . James L.
Pullman appointed administra
tor, of Jackson County Public
Welfare department . . . City
planning commission appoints
committee to study zoning in
southeast Medford area . . .
Aieaiora scnooi board approves
payment of $11,875 for future
high school site . . . Nathan
Douthit, Crater High school stu
dent, and Nancy McKeown of
Medford High school, candidates
7
BOY SCOUTS INJURED
Returned to Medio rd
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SOUTHERN PACIFIC HEARING
Capacity Crowd Hears Testimony
pj(PI!!FW'rT-T : TW)
4 f. $ I
F rTi . 1 ri m pri i
for Elks Foundation scholarship
award . . . County court declares
emergency from flood . . . Mayor
Earl Miller calls for early im
provement of city's storm sewer
system . . . More than 6 inches
of snow closes several schools
and causes power shortages . . .
Josephine and Jackson counties
apply for federal financial aid in
repairing flood damages.
MARCH
Curtis Neshelm named state
forestry department district war
den for southwest Oregon dis
trict at Medford . . . Seven pro
posals for legislation on Med
ford fringe area problems pre
sented to state legislative inter
im committee . . . Record break
ing snowfall blankets Medford
. . . Mrs. Sarah Bevins Wing cele
brates her 103rd birthday in
Ashland . . . Pedestrian killed
when struck by car on Highway
99 near Talent junction . . .
Lloyd Wilson Burley, 58, Eagle
Point, and William Curtis Mor
ris. 25, route 2. box 733, Central
Point, killed in three-car colli
sion on Crater Lake highway
. . . Council abandons plan for
charter amendment creating as
sessment districts in the city . . .
Robert G. Fowler, Jackson cnun
ty assessor, dies . ... Medford
Mail Tribune observes 50th an
niversary . . . Extended area toll
free dialing service and estab
lishment of a Phoenix-Talent ex
change approved by public utili
ties commissioner . . . About 350,
000 board feet of timber and dry
kiln unit destroyed by fire at
BILLY JUNIOR NUNN TRIAL
Convicted of Murder
Double Dee Lumber company at
Tolo Diamond L. Flynn. 59.
former Medford mayor and past
president of the League of Ore
Eon Cities, dies unexpectedly...
Bids for construction of new
Medford armory opened . . . 25.
808 people register in county to
vote in primary.
APRIL
David Dunn. 14, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Fred Dunn, 2444 Biddle
rd., fatally injured by falling
rock along Bear creek . . . About
30 Medford High school boys
wear Bermuda shorts to school
. . . Mrs. E. A. (Beulah) Faber.
49. Central Point, killed in auto
collision on Salem bypass . . .
Ample water supplies for irriga
tion this season, heavy run-off
predicted . . . Residents of Med
ford. Oak Grove and West Side
school districts approve consoli
dation . . . Study of 1956-57 pre
liminary general fund budget
totaling $610,158 for city starts
. . . American Steel Warehouse
company, Portland, purchases
Woodbury Lorenz Industrial sup
ply, Medford . . . Circulation of
petition calling for recall of may
or, councilmen starts In Talent
. . . Harry D. McNair, Ashland
fire chief, dies in Portland . . .
Three-year-old Connie Jean
Hanscom, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Don Hanscom. Central
Point, selected pear blossom fes
tival queen . . . Mrs. Eleanor
Roosevelt Is guest speaker at
sixth annual Roosevelt Memorial
dinner here . . . Public hearing
starts on Southern Pacific pas
senger service abandonment in
southern Oregon . . . H. D. Chris
tensen, 29 Richmond ave., Med
ford. appointed Jackson County
Welfare commission chairman,
succeeds A. S. V. Carpenter . . .
Medford school district budget
totaling $1,922,437.11 approved
by budget committee . . . Ken
neth Douglas Moore, 6-yar-old
son of Mr. and Mrs. Dwight V.
Moore, Prospect, killed when
run over by a school bus east of
Prospect . . . Body of Alvin Wil
liam Eacret, 14, Klamath Falls,
found near Tub Springs State
park.
MAY
Sheriff Howard Gault hurt In
car accident . . . Billy Junor
Nunn, 27, Klamath Falls, ar
rested in Alturas. Calif., in con
nection with murder of Alvin
Wiliiam Eacret . . . Medford
budget committee recommends
submission of a S60.000 off-street j
parking program to voters . . .
Petitions seek competing rail
road services here . . . Medford
budget committee increases by
S630 the proposed salary for an
administrative assistant for city
manager . . . Medford planning
commission recommends to city
council that Gene-see route rath-: killed in airliner collision in
, er than Hillcrest route be fa- j Grand Canyon . . . Rogue River
j vored for proposed freeway in j dynamite blast breaks store win
I this area . . . Frank P. Farrell j dows . . . 5618,158 general city
resigns as city attorney after 27 J fund budget approved . . . Eight
'years . . . Housa appropriations hurt in accident on Butts Falls
committee approves funds for
Talent project . . . $208,000 for
building fish screens at Savage
Rapids dam cleared by house of
representatives . . . Several hun
dred Shriner's hold spring cere
monial in Medford . . . Sam
Hersh named campaign chair
man for United Medford Cru
sade . . . Mrs. Alex (Ruth) Spar
row, long-time resident of Jack
son county and well-known civic
leader, dies . . . Billy Junior
Nunn attempts escape from coun
ty jail . . . Medford budget com
mittee approves city's general
fund for fiscal year . . . Billy
Junior Nunn pleads innocent to
first degree murder charges . . .
William A. Gates. 78, president
of the Groceteria Super Food
markets, dies in Palm Springs
hospital . . . More than $3,000,
000 for Jackson county irriga
tion, reclamation and fish screen
ing jobs is contained in the ad
ministration's public works bill
passed by the house . . .
JUNE
County budget committee ap
proves $2,636,818.47 budget for
fiscal year 19o6-57 . . . Diplomas
presented 270 graduating seniors
at Medford High school . . .-Two
Medford Boy Scouts, Ben Blach
ly and Tom Turpin, Injured in
fall from a bluff near the mouth
of Silver creek ... A total of
64,328.000 will be spent at Cra
ter Lake National park under
10-year "Mission 66" program
. . . William Edwards, Medford,
takes sweepstakes award in Na
tional Catfish Derby here . . .
Mrs. Lucille Brock, chief obser
vor for the Medford Ground Ob
servor Corps, honored . . . Jack
son county expected to have a
surplus of $638,147 at the end of
the current fiscal year . . . Med
ford city council tentatively ap
proves 10-year $1,656,100 ar
terial street program . . . Total
levy of 51,404,257.38 for the year
1956-57 approved by county ru
ral school board . . . Leslie J.
Gibson, 48, and Ernest Heaton,
44. killed in sawmill, logging
accidents in county . . . State
game commission signs option to
purchase 160 acres of land in
the Camp White area for a pub
lic hunting area . . . Andrew
Hawver, chief appraiser in the
personal property department of
the Jackson county assessor's of
fice, a-nnounces resignation . . .
About 150 Medford residents at
tend open house at the new east
side fire station . . . Columbia
Utilities Company plans inaugur
ation of direct long distance dial
ing in near future.
JULY
County budget approved,
raises given to six elected of
ficials and 20 other county em
ployees . . . Porcupine eradica
tion contest starts . . . Stephen
Robert Bishop. 19. Jacksonville.
rd. . . . Biggest D'Anjou crop in
several years expected . . .
County road workers on 40-hour
week . . . Response to polio vac
cination campaign gratifying . . .
Scattered hail, power failures re
ported . . . Forest receipts total
$1,753,273.75 from O and C land
. . . Scouts spend night in woods
at Camp McLoughlin . . . Robert
Boyer state Democratic central
committee head . . . Fire covers
70 acres of brush, grass in Tolo
. . . 72 participate in Civil Air
Patrol simulated air resuce here
. . . Warren James Ellis, 13,
Butte Falls, dies of accidental
hanging . . . City traffic ordin
ance amendments adopted . . -Mosquito
spraying in progress
. . . Fire hazard said serious
. . . CD exercise starts . . .Cen
tral Point boy drowns; Ashland
man dies in crash . . . Richard
Krupp resigns as Central Point
rural fire chief . . . Tax valua
tion ratio reduced 7 per cent . . .
Billy Nunn found guilty of first
degree murder . . . County ends
fiscal year with $2,908,779.
AUGUST
bhakesperean festival opens
In Ashland . . . Record low 44
degrees reported . . . Rogue Val
ley hospital construction starts
GILBERT GUTJAHR
City Manager's Assistant
. . . SP opens defense in pas
senger case . . . Direct toll dial
ing starts . . . Damage from last
winter's flood estimated at $4.
048.500 . . . Frederick Thomas
Hearn, 17. Ashland drowns at
Emigrant lake . . . Rogue River
roundup starts . . . Stumbos block
Highway 99 near Glendale . .
City planning consultants hired
. . . Detention home building
postponed . . . Gilbert J. Gut
jahr starts as assistant city man
ager . . . Mrs. Susanne Garrett,
85, Rogue River, dies in High
way 230 crash . . . Motion for
new trial in Nunn case denied
. . . Wondeland group urges re
location of Crater Lake highway
. . . Bartlett harvest expected
bumper crop . . . Clifford Han
sen leaves Crater Lake Area Boy
r t i
i j Ill-Ji i '
ffWi --k i lit
Scout council . . . Local people
feted in Forks of Salmon . . .
Lightning storm starts fures . . .
4-H, FFA fair begins . . . Den
mark exchange student arrives
. . Valley storm hits pears,
starts fires . . . Carolyn Mae
Hedges, 3. Medford accidentally
electrocuted . . . Central Point
rural fire district officers and
volunteer firemen quit . . . Tal
ent project approved by irriga
tion -district water users . . .'
Crews bruig 20-acre fire under
control . . . McAllister appointed
to state supreme court . . . In
fant temporarily gone from home
. . Carl McMillan guilty of
drunken driving in fatal car ac
cident . . . Jackson county gets
second highest BLM remittance
in statet . . . Pear crop in "good
shape" despite storm damage
. Interior secretary speaks al
GOP jamboree . . . Prison es
capees fly here ui stolen plan.
SEPTEMBER
Population figure on signs
near city limits to change . . .
Harvest of D'Anjou pears under
way . . . Dcadwood tunnel con
tract awarded . . . More money
expected for county this year
. . . Two new directors named in
Central Point rural fire district
. . . Republicans outnumber
Democrats by 2,598 . . . Open
ing of new schools In District
william McAllister
Supreme Court Justice
6C postponed ... Robert Boyer
resigns as county Democratic
head . . . Student totals up six
per cent in Medford school sys
tem . . . Youngster steals, scat
ters Central Point mail . . . Third
polio case reported . . . Crater
Lake lodge, dining room close
. . . Medford has wettest year . . .
Motorist robbed, car stolen by
hitchhiker . . . Two youths ac
cused of Jacksonville blast . . .
Two apartments damaged in
blaze . . . Henry Owens quits
TID board ... Big SOC expan
sion set . . . Fourth polio case
reported . . . Larry Sheehan new
Democratic central committee
head . . . Supreme court grants
execution stay for James Nor
man Jensen . . . Air mail service
in 30th anniversary observed in
Medford . . . United Fund drive
starts . . . Opinion may change
registration set-up . . . Man suf
fers burns rescuing children.. . .
14,388 students enrolled in coun
ty schools . . . 31.087 voters reg
istered . . . McAllister resigns :
from law firm here . . . SP hear
ings end . . . work starts on
bowling lane addition . . Look
outs taken from national forest
posts . . . SOC enrollment in
creases reported . . . Health edu
cator quits . . . County employee
fatally injured on Dead Indian
rd. . . . John Mannelly tarts as
assistant in BLM office . . . Main
peach varieties harvested . . .
Safe taken from feed store . ; .
Transient found dead near thea
ter
OCTOBER
Jacksonville home destroyed
by fire . . . Parole, probation
office expands . . . Buildings,
equipment destroyed in blaze
at orchard . . . Annexation
elections called In Berrydale,
Grandview-Kenwood districts . . .
Clerk, court reach impasse, on
registration booth . . Femily
homeless after-second fire in less
than month . . . Frederick Sr
Anderson, 50, Medford, killed in
STUDENTS IN BERMUDAS
Among the Most Interesting News
Landis
accident . . . Body of Melvin
Claire Humphrey, 71, Jackson
ville, found in creek near Jack
sonville . . . Two health depart
ment employees quit . . . Au
topsy called in death of Med
ford man in city jail . . . Donna
Timber Products dry ki de
stroyed . . . O. H. Bengtson for
district attorney uditei move
starts . . . Robert Le Skinner,
5, Talsnt, ft tally shot in accident
. . . Sn. Wayne Morse talks
here . . . Earthquake ,emblors
reported . . . North e'rance,
rim road closed ta Crater Lake c
. . . dLt. Paul E. Morgan suffe
slight heart attatfc . . . Reclamg-O u
tion bureau announces nine con
struction jobs, including some itO
Talent proiect . . . U S. Seri Al
bert Gore (D-Tenn. talks Tiere
. . . Sacred itart hospital fuUy
accredited . . . Gov. Eliflp Smith
visits . . oTacoma man. 'tharlei
Clark, hired as san.ariiSi . . Q
Construction stay ts on Phoenix
cilysewer sytpm . . . SearcftJ
ends for Copper residftit, Jnes
Kcnnady . . . Sen. Richard $.'eu
IXTgerDre.) talks here . . .
Hcarmg frn fod coifrol held
. . . Carl Everett Weimr, 47.
formerly of Camp Vjjhite. found
dead in alley . . .0Bear Creek
route for freeway favored at
hearing . . . Rainfall i sftirm
totale 1.62 inches . . . Vice Pres
ident Richard Tixon spen q
nfght in Medford . . . Candi
dates fair draws r?ig crowd . . .
Two indies of rain reported in
storm . . . Boar CrerK wall
watershed plait under w." . . . ,
Jonas T. Davis, founder 6Davis
Transfer company, dies . . . Til-
ler-Trall road open (afterSijrie.
NOVEMBER 0
Cattle 0 raitec? fronj, along)
Rogue; heavyrain thrt eases
. . . Central Point boy held for
damaging majl boxes .o . High
way commission to stugv east
side freeway route 0 . . Pedes
trian killed on Fronst. .9. John0
Snider elected -mayor; DjUo
crats take most tuntjj ofnees;
fluoridation deflated . . Peti
tion signed protesting freeway
in Medford limits P. . Large un
employment increase rCs u 1 1 1
from strms. . . Berrydale resi
dents make second attempt tCQ
annex ... Dr. Chtrles T. Swee
ney, dies . . . Fog ilanketscSfed
ford . . . Gift fruit opad-Ong in
full swing . . . Mary Pat Lucy
named new extension agent . . .
Airport zorffng rule adoption
recommended ... 24 witnesses
heard at hearing on Rogue flood
control . . . Girls' Comnfcnity
JON SNIDER,
ITewcMectford Mayor
o o
club building contractors named
. t . Two ;snen aestftl alutg u
burglary . . . Eejpr Creek nk
projeeV, completed . . . Opposi
tion too witWrwal of land
voiced by mining itjjerests . . .
Thanksgiving day" services sched
uled at churches . . . lrtake
citizenship oaths 0. .9 Hearing
on property rezdnlng in south
east Medford cailed . . . Instal
lation of Christmr decorations
starts . . . "Withdrawal of land
in Cascades "asked o. - Dcag
volume in building (jncreases . . .
Jaycees sponsor decoration con- p
test
Srtyen contractors bid
on Howard Prairie dam job . . .
Eugene K Peters leaves for
project in Washington, D C. . . .
Better thaS average pear crop
o
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