Community News
Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 28, 1971 The Parsons Urban Renewal Agency made its first sales of cleared land for redevelopment. One parcel was purchased by Sengpiehl Furniture Co. for a major addition to its store at 1906 Main. The other buyer was the city of Parsons. It bought ground on which a new parking lot had been constructed in the 1800 block of Broadway. The Sengpiehl firm planned to begi...
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These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 27, 1971 The Bureau of Child Research, a division of the University of Kansas, had a staff of 61 people in research at the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center. The number was almost twice that involved in January before new federal research grants totaling more than $800,000 were received. The bureau employed 34 people at the Parsons hospital early in the year...
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Holiday plans under way in Parsons
Downtown Parsons is getting ready for the Christmas holidays with a busy schedule of activities beginning with a Holiday Open House on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5, featuring many downtown stores open for extended hours on each day, some offering goodies and previews of gift ideas and special pricing on others. Volunteers from the community are being sought to assist in decorating Main Street on Saturday morning Nov. 19, according to Pete...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 26, 1971 The Kansas Army Ammunition Plant stood high among munitions facilities in the country and had earned a place as “one of the key operations in our total defense posture,” Rep. Joe Skubitz, 5th District congressman, said. Skubitz keynoted a 30th anniversary observance at the plant that was attended by more than 500 people. The congressman was on a program with...
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Country singer comes to Parsons
A country singer who was nominated for a Grammy will perform in Parsons next month. The Labette County Tourism Bureau and Parsons Municipal Auditorium will present "An Evening with Billy Dean" at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18. Dean will perform all of his hits in an intimate acoustical setting at the Municipal Auditorium. Dean’s versatility as an entertainer has garnered him more than two decades of hits and numerous awards. In 1988 he was exposed to a na...
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New LCMHS staff
Labette Center for Mental Health Services (LCMHS) announced that Robin Rogers, MSN, FNP-C, ANP-C, RN, has been hired as a contracting provider to serve the medication needs of its adult population. Born in Joplin, Rogers attended school in Cherokee County through the ninth grade. In August 1970 she moved to Dennis, where she completed school and attended Labette Community College upon graduation. Rogers lives in Baxter Springs with her husb...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 25, 1971 A mobile gallery containing 15 original works by Pablo Picasso, the century’s most famous artist, and eight by contemporaries in surrealism would set up in Parsons the following day. The gallery from the Wichita Art Museum would be in Parsons for three days at Parsons High School and at the Parsons Municipal Building. The theme of the visit by the semi-trail...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 22-23, 1971 Monday night store hours in Parsons beginning Nov. 22 were approved at a meeting of retailers and service outlets. Stores would be open 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each Monday and Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on other days. Christmas shopping hours would begin on Dec. 13, with stores remaining open until 8:30 p.m. each night until Christmas Eve. The Parso...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 21, 1971 The Parsons Housing Authority appointed a new executive director, although business operations basically would remain unchanged. Authority members discussed possible conflicts of interest within its organization during a luncheon at Don Divine’s Restaurant with a representative for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Marguerite Westfall, bu...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 20, 1971 The first trainees for sewing machine operator jobs guaranteed at Fred Ronald Manufacturing Co. at 1901 Southern completed a two-week course. All five were employed at the plant. Company officials planned to hire 50 graduates from the program. Location for the classes was a 15,000-square-foot plant addition completed by the company, and instruction was by Vi...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 19, 1971 Orchard Park residents asked the Parsons City Commission for city water service. Oren Gray, Parsons lawyer, represented the group and asked that the city either provide water lines, allow residents to connect their own lines to city water or permit the area to join a rural water district. Commissioners said the city’s policy was not to extend water lines out...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 18, 1971 A downtown parking lot in Parsons west of the Kansas Power & Light Co. building was opened. The lot in the 1800 block of Broadway contained 38 meters for one and two hours, Paul Freeberg, city engineer, said. LaForge & Budd Construction Co. of Parsons built the lot that was financed by the city as part of its obligation on the downtown urban renewal project....
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 15-16, 1971 Plans for a retirement and skilled nursing care facility to be known as the Parsons Presbyterian Manor and costing at least $500,000 were made public. The project, containing accommodations for 50 to 90 people at the outset and built on a 10-acre tract under option in the Prairie West addition at the northwest edge of Parsons, had been under discussion in...
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Tips on improving living spaces
By Colleen Surridge Parsons Sun Working through almost two decades as a self-employed contractor, John Williamson, owner of Williamson’s General Contracting in Parsons, has had many occasions where he’s been able to work with clients on improving their living space. “From projects that embrace simply painting a room to a complete redesign of living areas, there are seldom greater delights than the satisfaction of knowing a job has been comple...
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Family wants to recreate house
Peter Dobelbower of Edmond, Okla., and his siblings want to recreate a piece of Parsons history. The Dobelbowers’ grandparents, Anna and John “Pete” Dunlap, lived in a two-story home at 1711 Belmont, which has since been razed. Dobelbower said he and his siblings spent many hours at that house, sleeping in its closed in, second-story porch and exploring its rooms. The Dunlaps and other family members worked for the Katy Railroad. Dobelbower r...
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Parsons businesses offer do-it-yourselfers options
By Colleen Surridge Parsons Sun Walking through Parsons Ace Hardware, you might do a double take seeing displays of tool sets designed with pink or floral patterns on their handles, obviously designed to appeal to women. Tool companies marketing to women is indicative of not only their willingness to take on home maintenance and repairs, but homeowners in general showing a greater willingness to tackle the task of home improvement and mainten...
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Edwards, Thompson
Bill and Linda Neal of Mansfield, Texas, formerly of Parsons, and Wendal Edwards of Canton, Texas, announce the engagement of their daughter, Carolyn Clover “CeCe” Edwards, to Dakota Joe Thompson of Arlington, Texas, son of Lisa Moewe Thompson of Euless, Texas, and the late Joe R. Thompson. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of the late Earl and Mary Clover, Wayland Edwards of Canton, Texas, and the late Nancy Edwards, and Natalie Lattimore ...
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Whites celebrate 50th
Fred and Patsy White will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception hosted by their children and grandchildren from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Oswego Assembly of God Church Family Life Center, Fourth and Depot. Freddie White and Patsy Coble were married on Oct. 29, 1961, at Assembly of God Church in Oswego.   The couple made their home together on their farm in rural Oswego. The reception will be hosted by the couple’s sons, Fr...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 14, 1971 Students at the Edna Attendance Center moved into their new building. Each class member carried his or her own materials and desk to the building that was complete except for the kitchen. L.D. Curran, superintendent, said the district board met with officials from Shields Construction Co. of Oswego and with building architect W.I. Fisher of Wichita to inspec...
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Our Past
These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Oct. 13, 1971 Construction of an addition to the Parsons Clinic was underway, and completion was set for about Feb. 1. The addition to the clinic’s building at 1509 Main would contain two suites of new doctors which the clinic expected to add to its staff. Each of the suites would have three rooms, one for consultation and two for patient examination. A waiting room betwe...
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