Flashback: Tracking NRV history

RT file 1987 “The Volvo White Truck Corp.’s New River Valley plant in Dublin turned out a special truck Thursday [Dec. 3, 1987 ; the 75,000th produced since the factory made its first one in June 1975.”"

-“Bad news has not hurt applications to Virginia Tech, outgoing President William Lavery told a Roanoke audience Thursday.”
-“A new computer software program designed by Virginia Tech engineers to develop tests to detect failures in a microchip before a manufacturer builds it may provide the United States with a renewed competitive edge in the microelectronics industry.”
-“At what point would Division I Radford, its season expectations swelled by a conference championship prognostication, squish its Division III pest of a guest Monday night? Never. The Highlanders (3-1) sweated out a 65-56 win over Greensboro College…”

1962
(50 years ago)

-“Nearly perfect weather assured an excellent turnout for Santa Claus when he visited here [Blacksburg] Saturday as one of the features in the annual Christmas parade.”
-“Virginia Tech’s miraculous Gobblers, getting an All-American performance from Kentucky boy Lee Melear, became the first team in history to beat an Adolph Rupp-coached Kentucky team in a basketball season opener.”
-“The Virginia Tech, weekly student tabloid of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, will expand to a 12-page offset paper Jan.11.”
-“A 20-year-old Floyd county man was arrested in a clothes trunk at a girl friend’s house Sunday night and is being held in the Roanoke jail in connection with a break-in at Christiansburg.”
-“With greetings from the New Frontier [from President Kennedy] and predictions of new educational dimensions, Radford College Friday morning officially launched its 50th session anniversary.”

1937
(75 years ago)

-“Some extreme cruelties are described by Corporal L. E. Coburn, of this place [Narrows], to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Coburn. Corporal Coburn is with the Second Marine Brigade in Shanghai.”
-“Defying superstition, Willard Lorton, of Radford, yesterday made his solo flight safely at Loving airport and became the 13th pupil of Bayne Grubb, local instructor, to take the air alone.”
-“The police department, sponsoring Pulaski’s empty stocking fund, today announced that unless there was a large increase in donations it would be impossible to provide Christmas cheer for all of the town and county’s needy children…”
-“A Beta club was formed this week at Willis Agricultural high school with 13 members.”
-“The Christmas shopping season will be officially opened in Pulaski Tuesday night when Santa Claus will arrive here by airplane and spend the evening in the business section.”
-“A temperature of one degree below zero was recorded at Mountain Lake Biological Station Tuesday morning when Southwest Virginia experienced its coldest weather of the season.”

1912
(100 years ago)

-“The new Riner bank building is completed, and today was the opening day…”
-“Mrs. W. S. Best, the successful principal of Elliston school, and one of her able assistants, Miss Laura Marrow, attended the teachers’ association at Richmond last week.”
-“We had a pure, white Thanksgiving [at White Gate].”
-“The [Radford] Music Club held one of its enjoyable concerts, Saturday, in the club hall.”
“With ample facilities for handling the considerable amount of freight and express that comes or goes from here each day and comfortable accommodations for the traveling public the new depot of the Norfolk and Western railway at Blacksburg is now completed and in use.”

-Compiled by Roanoke Times librarian Belinda Harris

Leave a Reply Cancel reply