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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 13, 1972 A team of General Accounting Office auditors began an investigation at the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant east of Parsons, part of an inquiry resulting from a request made by U.S. Sen. James Pearson of Kansas to determine the basis on which the Army chose KAAP for closing in mid-March. Jan. 13, 1982 A Valley Center man was seeking Parsons investors in a propo...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 12, 1972 An increase of 4.9 percent in funds but a reduction of four in personnel were recommended in 1973 fiscal year funds for the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center by Gov. Robert Docking to the new Kansas Legislature. The total operating budget as submitted by the governor was $4,148,284 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, a gain of $203,907 over the co...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 11, 1972 Creation of a Big Brother program in Parsons was announced following an organization meeting. Billy Hutson, administrator of the Katy Employees’ Hospital, was elected president. Lewis Hevel, Joe Carson and Michael Harrison were selected as vice presidents. Thomas Muninger would serve as treasurer. An executive director, George Carson of Parsons, would work o...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 10, 1972 Parsons Cold Storage fired a 3,164 to capture the team crown in the 1972 men’s city bowling tournament at Tower Bowl. Second in the field of 39 teams was L&L Construction of Altamont with a 3,137. Third was Abshier Insurance at 3,108. The champions totaled 986-959-981—2,916 with 248 pins handicap. Morris Eakins, single champion in 1965 and the team’s cleanup...
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Trotnic, Zwahlen
Brett and Leona Trotnic of Oswego announce the engagement of their daughter, Deja Denae Trotnic, to Jimmy Lee Zwahlen, both of rural Oswego.  He is the son of Mike and Tonya Zwahlen of rural Oswego. The bride-elect is a 2009 Oswego High School graduate.  She will graduate from the physical therapist assistant program at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Miami, Okla., in May. The future groom is a 2003 Labette County High School graduate. He r...
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Vitt, McCoy
Dan and Susan Vitt of St. Paul announce the engagement of their daughter, Julie Vitt, to Michael D. McCoy, son of Michael W. and Anne McCoy of Grand Island, Neb., and David and Geri Hickerson of Wichita. The bride-elect received a bachelor of science degree from Wichita State University. She is studying veterinary medicine at Kansas State University in Manhattan. She is the granddaughter of Don and Naomi Bradshaw, the late Ellen Bradshaw and t...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 7-8, 1972 Purchase of a 10-acre site for a Parsons Presbyterian Manor was announced. The project at the start would be a 75-bed combined retirement and skilled nursing home. The Rev. Donald Parnell, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, said that land in the Prairie West addition at the northwest edge of Parsons had been acquired from its owners. Final plans for const...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 6, 1972 Major crimes in Parsons continued to decrease in 1971 while minor offenses such as vandalism and petty larceny showed a slight increase, according to an annual report released by Harry Tims, chief of police. The number of arrests showed a marked drop to the previous year’s total of 481, which was 80 fewer than the 561 recorded in 1970. Only 54 cases of grand ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 5, 1972 A job training program would begin in Parsons in late February, covering 120 people for jobs in the new plant of Power-Flame Division Inc. The 76,600-square-foot plant was under construction. It was scheduled to begin production by April 15. Sixty individuals would be trained in fabrication procedures, 20 in electrical wiring and 40 in assembly production. Pa...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 4, 1972 A total of 164,749 people lived within a 40-mile radius of Parsons. The figure within a 30-mile radius was 103,342. Both figures included the population of Parsons itself. The Parsons Urban Renewal Agency compiled the figures for presentation to various firms interested in redevelopment in the downtown urban renewal area, Michael McDowell, executive director,...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Jan. 3, 1972 Leasing of industrial space and facilities at the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant east of Parsons was in prospect, Lt. Col. Hugh Rogers Jr., commanding officer, said. The president of one firm visited the plant to inspect possible space and would return during the week to look at two buildings, one of them believed suitable for its requirements. The firm would e...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 31, 1971 Consolidation of Brown-Davidson Corp., which had a manufacturing plant in Parsons, and Glas-Tec Inc. into a single corporation under the latter’s name was announced. There would be no change in operations in Parsons, Charlie Mowery of Altamont, Brown-Davidson plant manager, said. Only the name would be changed. Both companies were subsidiaries of Riblet Prod...
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Jacquinot, Stevenson
Steve and Penny Jacquinot of Parsons announce the engagement of their daughter, Molly Jacquinot of Lawrence, to Jeff Stevenson of Wichita, the son of Jan Stevenson of Coffeyville and the late Ron Stevenson. The bride-elect graduated from Parsons High School in 2007. She graduated from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, this year with a degree in elementary education. She is an intern at Pinckney Elementary School, Lawrence, and is working on ...
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These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 30, 1971 Visiting restrictions were put into effect at Labette County Medical Center in Parsons as a precaution against a high incidence of viral-type illness in the area. Jerry Lilley, administrator of the medical center, said visiting would be limited to immediate families of patients until the situation improved. Billy Hutson, administrator of the Katy Employees’ ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 29, 1971 The Katy Railroad planned to occupy a new office building in its Parsons yards by Jan. 17, B.R. Bishop of Dallas, vice president of operations, said. The structure was being completed near the Katy’s Crawford Avenue crossing. It was a one-story structure of metal construction. Offices of the railroad in Parsons would be centered in the new building. Those mo...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 28, 1971 A thief stole an 18-pound can of survival crackers from the Parsons civil defense storage area at the city water plant located at 1630 Lincoln. Citizens needn’t worry, however, because there were plenty more survival crackers among the civil defense supplies in case of a nuclear attack. Joe Lackey, water production supervisor, discovered the can missing and ...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 24, 1971 The Parsons High School basketball team, the third-place finisher in the state 3A tournament during 1970-71, held the No. position in its class in the Topeka Daily Capital’s first weekly rankings of the season with a record of five victories and no defeats. The holiday season became doubly nice for Parsons-area teams with the ranking of Cherryvale as No. 6 i...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 23, 1971 An investigation by the General Accounting Office, an independent federal agency, of the projected closing of the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant was asked by U.S. Sen. James Pearson, R-Kan. Pearson specifically asked the GAO, widely known as a watchdog of the government, to review ammunition production costs on which the Army claimed to have based its decision...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 22, 1971 A single, six-school super-community college district was under discussion in Southeast Kansas. Labette County would be part of the district, as well as those areas supporting two-year schools in Chanute, Iola, Coffeyville, Independence and Fort Scott. The single district, if formed, and special state legislation probably would be necessary to accomplish a c...
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These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Dec. 21, 1971 Combination of the city park department and the Parsons Recreation Commission was approved by city commissioners during their regular meeting. Arvon Phillips, recreation commission director, would coordinate recreation programs and park maintenance as supervisor of the joint department. He would be responsible to the city manager, Will Tschudy. Phillips woul...
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