Avoyelles Pages Past
By Donna Culotta
90 Years Ago
From our August 8, 1936 editions
Superintendent Cliffe Laborde was presented a silver service in recognition of outstanding work in Knights of Columbus activities.
The Cottonport and Plaucheville Landreneau cotton gins were completely renovated.
Harvey Fiels, Public Service Commissioner visited Marksville.
Rapides Sheriff U.T. Downs announced that the operation of slot machines would no longer be permitted in his parish.
80 Years Ago
From our August 10, 1946 editions
LSU Dean Major Fred Frey announced that the 4-H Short Course would be cancelled due to the polio threat.
Teska’s Tavern, south of Marksville, opened for business.
Eleanor M. Keller of Bunkie received her college degree from LSU, ceremonies taking place in The Greek.
The Hamburg Mill went into full operation.
J.A.R. Peart of Alexandria, better known to friends in Bunkie as the representative of the New York Life Insurance Company, attended a national sales meeting in Pennsylvania.
70 Years Ago
From our August 11, 1956 editions
Leonard Gauthier was installed as the Grand Knight of the Bayou des Glaises Knights of Columbus.
Herbert J. Guillory was appointed a new member of the Farmers Home Administration County Committee.
Marksville service stations adopted a new price schedule: car wash-$1.50, tire repair-$.75, grease job-$1.00 and Quaker State oil-$.50 a quart.
Mollie and Lelie Roy, both of Marksville, attended the University of Colorado summer session.
60 Years Ago
From our August 11, 1966 editions
National Woodmen of the World President W.H. Martin was the guest speaker at the Hessmer Camp.
Garland Desselle, Roy Dupont and Diana Laborde made the McNeese State College honor roll.
Janelle C. Rachal of Mansura was initiated into the LSU Chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Claude Stone killed a huge diamondback rattler with a shovel near the Bunkie water tower in Cheneyville. The snake had seven rattles and was over six feet long.
Lewis J. Gremillion of Simmesport won the John Companus Holm Award for “dedicated service to the Weather Bureau as a river and rainfall observer for 37 years.”
The Scallan Motor’s team captured first place in the bowling tournament held at the Avoyelles Bowlarama Lanes in Mansura.
Motor vehicle fees went up to $3.50.
50 Years Ago
From our August 12, 1976 editions
Mr. Sam Eyner of Hessmer received the Woodman of the World Honor Award.
Students from Avoyelles Parish at La. Tech who received their degrees were Margaret Ann Phillips, Woodfin Mark Voinche, Bruce Keith Cain and Billie Rose Boolsby.
Steve Bordelon, Marc Bordelon, Robert Eddy, Brent Bordelon and Ben Daranda attended Louisiana Boys’ State.
Bruce and Randy Mitchell of Moreauville attended Camp ASCCA ( Alabama’s Special Camp for Children and Adults) in Alabama.
Margaret Ann Phillips of Bunkie received her degree from La. Tech during the summer quarter.
Carl Gremillion won a bicentennial trip to Washington, D.C.
40 Years Ago
From our August 14, 1986 editions
The school board’s executive committee appointed a sub-committee to study parishwide consolidation for the future.
Avoyelles Superintendent of Education Ronald Mayeux resigned.
Sue Eakin of Bunkie was given the Educator of the Year Award by the Louisiana Preservation Alliance for her preservation work on local and statewide projects.
Attorney Angelo Piazza cited the city of Marksville with illegally dumping raw sewage in Bayou Pierite, which was a health hazard and conducive to disease.
Norma Jeansonne Manuel, a resident of Avoyelles Parish and a science teacher at Peabody High School, was among 50 science teachers in Louisiana selected to participate in a week-long Honors Symposium at LSU.
30 Years Ago
From our August 8, 1996 editions
The Avoyelles Big League baseball team won the state championship. Players were: Brian Bordelon, Randy Bordelon. Robert Bordelon, Curt Couvillion, Jamie Deshautelle, Chip Filipi, Kemp Flook, Willie Garner, Brandon Gullot, Reginald Harvey, Jamie Jeansonne, Shane Kelly, Trenton Lamartiniere, Bradley McCoy and James Reed.
The judicial race between Judge Mike Johnson and Carol Aymond took a strange twist when Aymond filed an harassment suit against Johnson. Aymond said Johnson drove by him while he was campaigning and yelled that Johnson was coming to get Aymond.
The Marksville Weekly News endorsed Jeanette Knoll in her bid for a State Supreme Court seat.
20 Years Ago
From our August 10, 2006 editions
The school board discussed closing Bunkie Middle School but no action was taken. They did appoint Delores Rabalais as principal of Riverside Elementary in Simmesport and Mary Wilson as principal of Bunkie High.
The Hessmer village council voted against video poker in its town limits saying the town’s share of revenue did not justify possible changes in the town’s character.
Two new businesses located in Bunkie: KA Western Connection, the only western store in the parish and overnight photo processing by local photographer Karen McCoy.
Charles Bonnette of Marksville received his Purple Heart after a 52 year wait. Bonnette served in Korea and reached the rank of Sgt. !st Class in nine months. He was wounded three times but always returned to the front lines.
10 Years Ago
From our August 11, 2016 editions
Dr. Donna Breen donated the property when the “Welcome to Marksville” sign on the south end of town had to be moved because of the highway construction.
Details of the sexual harassment suit filed by Officer Myra Fontenot against Bunkie Chief of Police Bobby Corner were made public and printed in the local paper.
The school board filled all the teacher shortage slots with the return of retired teachers who re-entered the school system.
A petition drive began for a new form of parish government: Home Rule Charter (HRC). A solid 10% of voters was needed to have the police jury to either appoint a HRC Commission or call an election to allow voters to choose the commissioners.
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