A pedestrian was carried over 20 yards after be- ing struck by a car, and survived with remarkably mild injuries. Other headlines on this date include party planning for Butler County’s centennial and a visit from Gov. Kit Bond.
100 years ago
June 14, 1924
• Missouri’s collective ears are ringing — a survey by the U.S. Department of Commerce revealed over 2 million telephones have been added to residences and businesses over the last five years, and almost 40,000 of them were in Missouri.
The national number of telephones increased from 11,716,520 in 1917 to 134,347,395 in 1922, a 22% increase that outstripped population growth by a factor of three. In the same time period, Missouri went from 511,246 phones to 550,980.
75 years ago
June 14, 1949
• A Poplar Bluff man was struck, carried and thrown 72 feet by a car yesterday, but survived with moderate injuries.
Ray Berry, 24, was crossing Highway 60 near Palmer Slough and stepped into the path of a 1948 Dodge. The car hit Berry and kept going, bringing Berry with it for more than 20 yards until he was thrown off the shoulder. The driver, Hoyt McDaniel of Poplar Bluff, stopped.
McDaniel and one of Berry’s brothers rushed him to Poplar Bluff Hospital, where he was treated for a broken ankle and possible concussion.
• The Centennial Executive Board praised the Junior Chamber of Commerce for its outsized role in party planning.
The Jaycees are “about the smallest civic organization in the city,” according to the Daily American Republic, but are contributing greatly to plans for Butler County’s 100th birthday celebration. Members have laid out plans for a queen contest and two dances with live bands.
50 years ago
June 14, 1974
• Missouri Gov. Christopher “Kit” Bond visited Poplar Bluff for the first time since his election in 1972. He flew in to Poplar Bluff Municipal Airport at 4:30 p.m. yesterday in between stops to other communities like Van Buren, Ellington and Kennett. In his 25-minute press conference at the airport, Bond expressed support for the Watergate investigation, opined on the “serious philosophical questions” of a soft drink sales tax, and announced his intentions to curb government spending.
When asked if he would run again, Bond said he first faced “another two and a half tough years as governor.”
“I plan to do my best in the job I’ve got and closer to the end of the term start considering whether or not I’ll seek a second term,” he continued.