Did you know?
First, here’s a clarification.
I’d written on May 9 that the military publication Stars and Stripes (Pacific Edition) had first published a 1991 story about a seven-foot tall plastic Elby’s Big Boy statue that had been “kidnapped” from the top of a Fayette County restaurant and hauled it away on a truck.
As it turns out, I was wrong.
According to John Roll, Jr. of Uniontown, who was an eyewitness to the activities surrounding the “kidnapping,” the statue had actually been mounted on the ground outside of the entrance of the restaurant.
Roll, in an email, also told me that, “the statue was not put into a truck, but was shoved, feet first, into the trunk of a car. It fell out of the car in front of my house on New Salem Road, which woke me up.”
Roll says he watched as the thieves put the statue back into the trunk, with its head bouncing off the road as they drove off.
Roll added, “The next morning, my wife and I pulled out onto New Salem Road and we noticed the marks left by the head of the statue as it dragged down the road. We followed the skid marks to Duck Hollow Road where we found the Big Boy behind the USX Building and called the police. “
Roll says for his detective work, he got two complimentary meals as a reward from that Elby’s.
A few days ago, after I wrote about Uniontown’s Sandy Stephens gaining enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame, I thought it might be interesting to look back at January of 1962 – the month that Stephens (and Uniontown’s Bill Munsey) enjoyed their greatest accomplishment – a victory in the Rose Bowl.
Here goes.
January 2nd – The Uniontown Evening Standard – “Uniontown Pair Plays Major Roles in 21-3 Triumph by Gophers over UCLA in Classic,” is the headline for the story that chronicled their exploits the day before.
January 3rd – Uniontown’s Ernie Davis “Mr. All-Everything” is selected as the back of the year in the Associated Press year end poll.
At the top of that sports page, there was another bold Morning 无毛视频 headline that read:
“Uniont…, Uh, Minnesota Wins Rose Bowl”
January 5th – “Nephew, 16, Surrenders to Officers,” was the front page story about a teenager who admitted to killing his 48 year-old uncle in Fairchance.
January 8th – It was reported that there were about the same number of automobile accidents in Uniontown during 1961 (258) as there were during the previous year (260).
The same report showed there were two traffic deaths in 1961, compared to one in 1960.
January 10th – There was a large front page picture of the future star of the television’s Partridge Family – Smithton’s Shirley Jones with her new baby Patrick William Cassidy, who was born on Jan. 4.
January 11th – There was an ad in the Morning 无毛视频 letting Fayette County teenagers know that “Twist Around the Clock” starring Chubby Checker was showing at Uniontown’s State Theatre.
On the same day, a G.C. Murphy’s ad told pet lovers about how “Those beautifully colored young male birds (canaries) are guaranteed to be singers.”
It was part of Murphy’s “Bonus Bargains” that you could take home a canary for merely $3.66.
Jan. 12 – Uniontown Mayor J. Watson Sembower suspends two police officers (one of whom will eventually become chief of police and a city councilman) upon the recommendation of Police Chief James Mahoney.
There had been an allegation that the officers shot seven times at a woman while she was sitting in her car.
Jan. 16 – “Winter Here Again; Light Snow,” is the headline at the top of front page of the Morning 无毛视频.
The thermometer could drop into the mid-20’s, which doesn’t seem to phase hundreds of people who were pictured at the brand new North Pole ice skating rink on page two.
Nearly the entire page is devoted to ads and the story about the new rink on Mill Street that was scheduled for its grand opening the following day.
For those people who’d never ice skated before, one of the new owners of the rink claimed, “there is no such thing as weak ankles.”
Friday, Jan. 19 – The State Theatre runs an ad for the “fun-fun-fun” show scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 1:30.
There would be four cartoons, a showing of “The Flower Drum Song” (which another State Theatre ad proclaims was “The Most Anticipated Motion Picture of our Time”).
That Sunday show also featured an onstage Twist contest for “prizes-prizes-prizes.” All of that “fun-fun-fun” only cost children 35 cents, and adults 85 cents.
Jan. 23 – Plans were announced for the upcoming public forum at the Lafayette Post 51, American Legion home, for civil defense preparedness.
Mayor Sembower, who was also the City Civil Defense director claimed, “Many of our leaders believe that Civil Defense, if properly participated by Americans, can be and is a deterrent to war.”
Jan. 25 – “Local Man Gaining Film Prominence” is the front page headline about Uniontown’s 23-year-old budding writer and director Saul Swimmer.
He’d co-written the upcoming feature film “Without Each Other.”
Swimmer would eventually gain worldwide fame for directing the 1972 film “The Concert for Bangladesh,” which served as a benefit for UNICEF, and was organized by Beatle George Harrison, along with Ravi Shankar.
Swimmer also co-produced the Beatles 1970 documentary “Let it Be.”
He died in March of 2007.
Jan. 29th – The first month of 1962 was ending just like it began.
Uniontown’s Sandy Stephens, it was reported, had received his Big Ten Most Valuable Player silver football, before his cheering home fans, at halftime of a University of Minnesota versus Ohio State basketball game.
Edward A. Owens can be reached by email at freedoms@bellatlantic.net
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