AND JANUARY 1957
THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WERE TAKEN FROM THE TRI CITIES DAILY FOR THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER 1956 AND JANUARY 1957
All telephone users in the Tri Cities area began using Dial Telephones today (12/1) as the telephone system changed from a manual service to a dial service. Remember the numbers changed to EV(evergreen) 2-1741. Many businesses in the area listed their new numbers on an advertisement page in the paper. Wow, now we are wireless.
On 12/1, Joe Vengrouski came home from school to find a steer in his front yard. Pauline, his mother, won a “jingle” contest, and a steer was delivered from El Paso, Tx to Joe who lived on Annapolis Ave. It was a good thing that there was a fence around Joe’s house, because the article said that the steer was afraid of dogs. What happened to the steer?
12/2, Auburn slaughtered Alabama 34 to 7 in the Iron Bowl.
12/2, Love Me Tender, the first of many movies by Elvis opened in the Shoals area at the Shoals and Tuscumbian Theatres.
12/6, Dale Williams was selected to the All TVC football team. Later Dale was also selected to the 2nd team All-State team as a tackle. Dale signed a football scholarship to play at Georgia Tech under Bobby Dodd.
12/7, the SHS basketball team lost their first game of the season. Rogers beat them 50 to 49. Senior players were James Buettner, Gerald Ingle, Dale Williams, John Riddle, Keith Collier, Wilson Morris, John Rogers, and Kenneth Sockwell.
Betty Heath had her picture in the paper on 12/7 after having been selected as DAR Good Citizenship Girl of the year for SHS. Others listed as receiving votes were Laura Dodds and Glenda Ramsey.
The best selling book in November of 1956 was “Peyton Place” by Grace Metallious. What a sensation this caused at the time. This book would be considered very tame in this day and time.
The Chief of Police for the City of Sheffield, Bob Price resigned after serving the city for 19 years.
Tommy Van Sandt, of Tommy’s Turntable on WJOI took out an ad in the paper and wished all of his listeners a Merry Christmas.
On 12/21, the SHS basketball team won the 1st Annual Colbert Co. Basketball Tournament by beating Colbert Co 56 to 41. John Rogers, who scored 9 points in the game was pictured receiving the trophy. Other scorers were, Morris 6; Ingle 7; Buettner 2; Williams 11; and Riddle 9.
On a personal note, on Christmas Day 1956, Frank Vetters who had been an only child for 17 years became a brother as (Christmas) Carol Ellen Vetters was born at the Colbert County Hospital. What a proud day for the Vetters family.
The year end bowl season was not nearly as crowded as it is now with our bowls every night for a week. Georgia Tech beat Pittsburgh in the Gator Bowl, Baylor beat Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl, Colorado beat Clemson in the Orange Bowl and Iowa beat Oregon State in the Rose Bowl.
On 12/31, the NFL season ended with the New York Giants beating the Chicago Bears by a score of 41 to 7. Despite this loss, Harlon Hill was still a unanimous choice for the All-Pro Team. Our Super Bowl is now a month later in Feb.
In the January 2, 1957 paper, Dale Williams was pictured while he was fouling (shades of his football days) a Rogers player as again SHS lost to Rogers.
Sad note on 1/14, Humphrey Bogart died at age 56 to cancer.
Remember “live” TV? On 1/14, the paper said that despite being very ill, Red Skelton was going to do his show live that night.
On 1/26, the Officers of the Sheffield Sub Deb Club were pictured. Officers were Pat Gibbons, treasurer; Mary Ann Douthitt, Vice President; and Dottie Cochran, Secretary.
The SHS basketball team won 59 to 58 over Coffee in the opener of the TVC Tournament. What a win. Scorers were Ingle 12, Riddle 10, Williams 10, Rogers 13. John Riddle had his picture in the paper in action during the game.
As the TVC tournament continued, SHS beat Moulton to reach the Semi-finals. Scorers were Ingle 11, Riddle 7, Morris 2, Buettner 9, Williams 6 and Rogers 10.
A note here, it is a real shame that Gerald Ingle is not still with us to reflect back on his glory days as a Sheffield athelete.