Flashback: Tracking NRV history

This 1905 photo shows a student snowball battle on the Virginia Tech Drillfield. | The Roanoke Times file

1988
(25 years ago)
- “For the 11th time in 22 games, Virginia Tech’s starting guards outscored the rest of their teammates.”
- “A group is asking the town [Blacksburg] to become a sister city with a locality in war-torn Nicaragua to ‘try to build a bridge of understanding’ and show the Central Americans ‘how democracy works.’ ”
- “Now let us praise famous wrestling programs. Dean Underwood’s Christiansburg program is as close as anybody anytime soon will get to a grappling dynasty around here. Nobody would even bother to debate that anymore.”
- “Scratch one football coaching vacancy in the Roanoke Valley District. Joel Hicks announced Saturday night that he has had a change of heart and will return for a 10th year this fall as the head coach at Pulaski County.”

1963
(50 years ago)
- “Virginia Tech hit Richmond like a big runaway truck except just about twice as hard. The Hokies ran off 16 consecutive points right at the beginning and made a holocaust of the battle between Southern Conference rivals 90-72.”
- “Pulaski County residents Monday night appeared on the brink of success in a whirlwind campaign to raise $250,000 that will turn ‘Project Decision’ into ‘Project Decided.’ ”
- “Virginia Tech’s undefeated freshman basketball team went over the 100 mark for the seventh time this year here Tuesday night, whipping Wake Forest, 104-94.”
- “Don Oakes, 255-pound former Philadelphia Eagles and Virginia Tech tackle, has been signed to an American Football League contract, the Boston Patriots announced Thursday.”

1938
(75 years ago)
- “Operation of the Radford Weaving Mill, a unit of Burlington Mills, Inc., will begin Monday.”
- “Beginning May 1 a new lighting rate becomes effective in this city [Radford], a reduction of about fifteen and one-half per cent.”
- “Winning all events except the 100 and 200 yard free style events, Staunton Military Academy’s classy array of swimmers defeated the Virginia Tech first year tankmen here today, 52 to 14.”
- “How do squirrels spend bitter, windy days? Sleeping soundly, is the guess of Munsey Friend and Riley Christley, who caught two napping while getting firewood recently [in Draper].”
- “Twenty-five gallons of bootleg whiskey was reported confiscated early today by State Trooper T. W. Carter and H. H. Tucker after a five-mile chase near Snowville.”

1913
(100 years ago)
- “The Trinity Methodist Episcopal church [in Ellett] is nearing completion. It will be dedicated in June.”
n “In a fast and snappy game of basket ball V. P. I. defeated Roanoke College here this afternoon by a score of 46 to 18.”
- “Two of the largest stone crushers in the State of Virginia will be in operation here [Pembroke] about May 1, employing from 300 to 400 men.”
- “Thursday night from 7 to 10 o’clock, the literary hall, of Ellett, was the scene of a large banquet in honor of the young ladies of the town, chaperoned by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bonham.”
- “A bold highway robbery was committed here last night on one of the principal streets [in Pulaski], at about half-past eleven o’clock.”
- “If society lovers in Blacksburg have had cause to complain of the social inactivities of the past few weeks, they may rest assured that now all dullness will be dispelled by the interest that centers in an approaching function.”
- “Thermometers, like opinions, vary, but a comparison of several that are regarded absolutely reliable by their owners, show that the lowest temperature of the winter was reached this week.”

-Compiled by Roanoke Times librarian Belinda Harris

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