Forum Flashbacks: May 7-13
MARYVILLE DAILY FORUM, MAY 13, 2001
25 YEARS AGO: Working Is Not So Hard – Sheri Stratings’ fourth-grade class at Horace Mann School recently spent the day working in all aspects of employment at Maryville’s Hy-Vee. The exercise took place as a culminating activity of an economic study unit. Pictured working at the grocery check-out area (l to r) are Laurel Bellamy (left) and Will Goodspeed. Hy-Vee employee Halie Weigel (right) was their mentor.
50 years ago
Maryville Daily Forum, May 11, 1976
Liquor Discipline Embroils R-VII Board
… Lyle Oliver, high school principal, brought four students home from the senior trip early because empty liquor bottles had been found in the students’ room.
As at last month’s meeting, a group of concerned parents met with the board members and school administrators because they felt school administrators’ actions were incorrect.
Oliver, who was one of the supervisors of the senior trip, explained what had taken place at the Kirkwood Lodge last weekend. The first morning of their stay, the Lodge authorities reported to Oliver that the bedspreads were missing in one of the rooms. The students occupying the room stated there were no spreads in the room when they took occupancy. Oliver said he accepted the students’ explanation and no action was taken, however, the Lodge was paid for the spreads.
On the following morning, the Lodge authorities advised Oliver that three empty whiskey bottles had been found in a drawer in the same room by a maid. Oliver stated he questioned the four students and got little cooperation. He said the students would only state they had found the bottles in the room and felt they had been left there by unknown students from another school who had been in their room.
Oliver further stated the students admitted drinking may have taken place in the room by students from another school, however, none of the four Nodaway-Holt students admitted participating in any drinking. When Oliver was questioned by parents, he stated he could not see signs that the Nodaway-Holt students were drinking. Oliver said he asked the Nodaway-Holt students to identify the other students, however, he said they could not or would not do so.
The Nodaway-Holt students said the students from the other school were loading their buses and they could not identify them in the approximately 15 minutes they had before the other buses departed.
Oliver brought the four students home Friday, a day before the end of the senior trip, and as punishment suspended them from school on the day of the awards assembly and the prom.
The dissent between the parents and the administration stemmed not so much from whether the students should be punished for having empty liquor bottles in their room, but as to how severe the punishment should be. The parents felt their sons were being punished strictly on circumstantial evidence and that no evidence had been shown that any of the four Nodaway-Holt students had participated in any drinking. The parents also felt the students had suffered enough punishment and humiliation by being brought home early from their senior trip. They also stated they felt the community residents thought their sons had been brought home drunk, not merely because empty liquor bottles had been found in their rooms.
The parents asked the board members to consider reducing the punishment, however, after discussing the matter in private, the board, represented by Eldon Troth, board president, stated they felt under the circumstances they should stand behind Oliver on his decision on the punishment. “Each of us would have handled it differently,” said Troth, and he continued, “however, Lyle has been educated in this line.” “I also do not think any two educated people would come out with the same solution,” he finished.
75 years ago
Maryville Daily Forum, May 8, 1951
Slips and Quips
An urgent call for a veterinarian was sent in to Rock Port by a farmer whose prize cow was ill. Due to poor rural phone facilities, the telephone operator contacted an M. D. for the “rush call.”
The doctor, not knowing exactly what the trouble was, took his bag of instruments, something for a heart attack, and his new nurse from Omaha.
After driving 25 miles on country roads, the two were greeted by “Got a mighty sick cow in the barn.”
Upon realizing the mistake, the doctor jokingly told his horrified city nurse to go out and take its temperature.
Things eventually turned out all right, though, as the doctor, knowing his “cowology,” was able to treat the sick animal and collect a fee for his call from the haggard farmer.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The 50- and 75-year flashbacks are courtesy of the Missouri Digital Newspaper Project from the State Historical Society of Missouri, accessible at shsmo.newspapers.com.
