Fifty years ago – May 1958

Charles F. Monnier, executive vice president of the Kansas City Power & Light Co., was named president of the six-county Greater Kansas City Council on Alcoholism. Other members of the executive committee are James T. Britt, T. Hall Collinson, Wylie Craig, R.N. Evjen, Cliff J. Kaney, John B. Rust, W. Capen Shank, Glen C. Speakman, John B. Spence, John Thornberry, Joseph M. Welsh and Herbert B. Wiggs. General objectives of the Council on Alcoholism are “to increase public understanding of alcoholism, its nature and treatment.”

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Gilbert Temple, who has been superintendent of schools at Grain Valley for the past two years, has been employed as assistant superintendent of the R-1 District. He will be in charge of elementary education and will direct a training program for teachers. He will begin his duties July 1. Other new teachers at the R-1 faculty include Walter Marsh, who will succeed Sam Doutt as athletic director; Roger Morris of Butler, who will be physical director for grade schools; and Mrs. Isabelle Clark of Grain Valley, who will teach vocational home economics, succeeding Mrs. Linda Yarrington.

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Jackie Lee Roberts son of Mrs. Marguerite Worthington, 12916 E. 33rd St., is home on a 14-day leave, after completing nine weeks recruit training in San Diego. Jackie will report aboard the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Los Angeles for duty. The ship is due to leave in the near future for a period of duty in or around Japan. Jackie attended William Chrisman High School Unit II, prior to enlisting in the Navy last January.

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Apostle Clarence L. Wheaton, a minister for the Church of Christ Temple for 46 years, and Mrs. Wheaton, his constant companion and helper for 43 years, have spent the last year in preparation for their most important missionary assignment, to the Holy Land. The couple expects to leave here in mid-June and will sail for a southern U.S. port on an Israeli freighter for Haifa, Israel, for a three-year assignment for their church. Like all of their previous missionary appointments, the Holy Land will mean pioneering for the church in a strange land. The church has done no previous work there.

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The Examiner and staff members won awards in the Missouri Press Association’s annual newspaper contest. A story written by Miss Sue Gentry on the dedication ceremonies at the Truman Library July 6, 1957, won first place in Best News Story category. Second place went to the Examiner for the Greatest Typographical Improvement over a year’s period. Third place and an honorable mention went to Paul Renshaw, staff photographer, for pictures entered in the Best Feature Picture classification.

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Independence motorists, telling their service station operator to “fill ’er up,” found they were paying more per gallon of gasoline in the majority of cases. A spot check of stations indicated that a gallon of ethyl at a so-called major gas company station is 31.9 cents and regular is 27.9 cents, up five cents. A dealer said it is not true that oil companies dictate the retail price of gasoline. They may suggests a retail price, but it is up to the dealer, he said.

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An unusually large crowd greeted the first showing in Independence of the Academy Award winning picture, “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” at the Granada. The picture is appearing in Independence through next Tuesday at the Granada, and from Wednesday through Saturday at the Englewood Theatre.

Jillayne Ritchie compiles the 50 Years Ago column.