Flashback: tracking NRV history

The Roanoke Times file 1928 “The Cadet cheering section in Miles Stadium forms a VP monogram with their white shirts.”

1987
(25 years ago)
-“Moviegoers dressed in velvet, satin, glitter and tall hats milled around the lobby, greeting each other with big hugs… This was the Blacksburg premiere of ‘Dirty Dancing’ Friday at the Lyric Theater.”
-“Donald Dedmon, the father of modern Radford University, bragged a little about his kid Friday. Actually, he bragged a lot.”
-“Two conclusions can be drawn from Pulaski County’s 56-8 mauling of Anacostia of Washington, D. C. in the season opener for both schools Friday night. The Cougars could not possibly be as great as they appeared, and the Indians couldn’t be that awful.”
-“After being wiped out by a 1984 fire, Paraguayan-born Luke Staengl and his young, dedicated troop of alternative fuel pioneers are ready to start distilling ethanol full time again [in Floyd County].”

1962
(50 years ago)
-“Narrows hasn’t lost a game since the New River District has been in operation, consequently, the Green Wave has won two straight football championships.”
-“Piedmont Airlines has scheduled Oct. 1 as the date for its initial night flights at New River Valley airport here [Dublin].”
-“Major programs in English and history and political science leading to the bachelor of science degree will be offered at Virginia Polytechnic Institute beginning this September…”
-“The state’s highest court Friday ruled against Ricky, the Giles County dog under a death sentence for sheep killing, but it was obvious the fight to save his life would go on.”
-“For the second straight day, Virginia Tech footballers accomplished quite a bit in their morning workout but the afternoon session was cut short due to unusually high temperature.”
-“The hearts of children are always the biggest. A group of Pulaski children added testimony to that statement this week with their efforts to help a family of six which was hospitalized here as result of a car accident here since last Saturday.”

1937
(75 years ago)
-“The state highway department announced this afternoon that route 100 south of Allisonia was covered by water due to recent heavy rains and could not be used.”
-“The largest number of students ever to make all ‘A’s’ on their work at Radford college was announced by Registrar J. P. Whitt…”
-“Franklin Hiltzheimer today became the youngest player ever to wear the Country club golf title of this city [Pulaski] …The new champion is just past his 17th birthday…”
-“Rainfall so far in August has been officially registered at 9.02 inches on the weather bureau’s equipment on the V. P. I. campus…”
-“The hunting season on squirrels will open on September 1 and many nimrods are applying to the [Giles] county clerk for hunting licenses.”
-“James Monroe Givens, one of the four surviving Confederate veterans in Giles county. Mr. Givens will be 90 years old in October.”

1912
(100 years ago)
-“It is rumored that the Radford Water Power Company is in the process of changing hands.”
-“Mr. H. B. Henson was forced to spend the night in Roanoke last week. His train left him, or rather a train that belongs to the railroad company left him. It went hard with him to spend a night out of dear old Elliston.”
-“After enjoying life to its fullest measure for about a week in Pulaski one J. H. Buchanan, giving Bluefield as his residence, came to a sudden grief yesterday morning for the passing of checks to pay his bills which came back marked ‘no account.’ “
-“The first issue of the Radford news, the newspaper published by Mr. Maginnis, former editor of the advance, is quite a success and is considered the best paper in town.”

-Compiled by Roanoke Times librarian Belinda Harris

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