20 years ago…
October 27, 2005
DENNARD FARM SUPPLY TO MOVE CENTURY-OLD FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS
Over 100 years of tradition will be leaving downtown Whitesboro sometime next year when the new Dennard Farm Supply Store is completed.
Originally founded in the early 1890s by R. E. Dennard, the first store was built in downtown Sadler just south of where the grocery store is located today.
The store moved from Sadler to downtown Whitesboro in the 1940s. While there, the store offered groceries, feed, lawn and garden items and baby chicks and eggs.
The new store, which will feature 30,000 square feet of air conditioned space, will house just about everything Dennard Farm Supply has to offer. The 200x150 feet store will feature 12 feet sidewalls and much more.
The new store, which is currently under construction, will be located on US 377 just north of Meador Funeral Home, is expected to be open April 1.
HAYES PRIMARY SCHOOL RECEIVES AWARDS
School officials, teachers, parents, community members and about 30 students gathered together to attend a special awards ceremony last Tuesday at Hayes Primary School.
The campus received two awards with both a state and national recognition for its unique architectural design.
The school was one of 50 in Texas to receive the Texas Association of School Boards Architecture Award based on value, design, innovation and educational appropriateness.
Hayes Primary School was also one of 18 schools in the nation to receive an Impact on Learning Award from the national magazine, School Planning and Management. The award was based on the school’s ability to solve a real-world problem dealing with design, engineering and technology.
30 years ago…
November 2, 1995
DEDICATION OF NEW COLLINSVILLE SCHOOL SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY
A formal dedication ceremony to celebrate the opening of Collinsville’s new high school will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the facility cafetorium.
Student Council President Eric Montoya will serve as Master of Ceremonies, while High School Principal Mark Henry will welcome spectators to the event.
Tours of the facility will be conducted by members of the teaching staff immediately following the program.
LOCAL MAN RECEIVES CERTIFICATE
The Edmund Terrill Chapter #34 of the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution presented a certificate of appreciation to George Clinton McDonnell of Whitesboro. The certificate was in appreciation for his support in helping Robert King, a Whitesboro resident, collect aluminum cans.
The certificate was presented by District vice-president Delbert Taylor and Robert King.
The project, known as the Robert King Scholarship Fund, was started several years back by King to create a scholarship fund for area high school students who plan to further their education.
40 years ago…
October 31, 1985
WILLIS BRIDGE 25TH ANNIVERSARY NOTED
Twenty-five years ago this week, 5,000 people gathered along U.S. Highway 377 north of Whitesboro to witness ribbon-cutting ceremonies of Willis Bridge.
The 5,425-foot, $4 million bridge not only spans Lake Texoma, linking together two states and points beyond, but it opened a new dimension in trade for Whitesboro and other areas.
The ceremony, which took place Oct. 30, 1960, was performed by former Gov. Raymond Gary of Oklahoma and Texas High Commission Chairman Herbert C. Petry Jr.
When the Red River gave way to the construction of Lake Texoma in the 1940s, Elliott sold the ferry and for approximately 15 years, people along the local areas of Texomaland had no connection routes unless they traveled to Gainesville or Denison to cross the water.
While the bridge opened a new avenue of growth for Texas and Oklahoma, the progress left behind historical memories of Red River and a ferryboat that shuttled people, vehicles, animals and commodities across the water for numerous years.
The ferryboat, operated by the late “Big Doc” Elliott, even once ferried the notorious Bonnie and Clyde across the Red River.
While the Red River gave birth to Lake Texoma, Lake Texoma gave way to the Willis Bridge, a structure that once again brought transportation hope after the ferry closed.
The bridge required 300,000 manhours of toil and labor during a 34-month time span.
It took time to pour 12,364 cubic yards of concrete and to weld 10.5 million pounds of structural steel. The two-lane roadway width is 28 feet, with four-foot walkways on each side.
Although approximately two-thirds of the bridge lies in Texas, the structure was designed by the Oklahoma State Highway Department.
60 years ago…
October 28, 1965
ADDITION COMPLETED AT COLLINSVILLE CARE HOME
Capacity of the Collinsville Care Home will be increasing from 30 patients to 47 as a result of a new addition to the nursing home, being completed this week.
The home was first opened on August 8, two years ago. The number of patients increased rapidly and the home was filled to capacity.
Last July, there were 68 applications received by the home, and it was following this that it was decided to increase the capacity of the institution.
The recent addition is connected with the original building on the south. The new facility consists of two wards, one for men and one for women, four semi-private rooms with bath, and one private room for isolation cases, also with bath, and which also has an outside entrance.
91ST BIRTHDAY IS OBSERVED
Mrs. Sam Barnes celebrated her 91st birthday Saturday.
Mrs. Barnes came to Texas from Missouri with her parents when she was a year old.
She married Sam T. Barnes on Dec. 21, 1892. He died in 1930. Four of their five children are still living. Mrs. Barnes has eight grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
She has been a member of the Church of Christ for 73 years.