Published: January 03, 2009 12:07 pm            

LOOKING BACK: 1984: Bookstores report unprecedented demand for copies of Orwell’s ‘1984’

TERRE HAUTE — Dorothy Jerse looks back at local history from 10, 25 and 50 years ago as reported in the Tribune and Tribune-Star.



1999

n Freezing rain covering up to 13 inches of wet snow caused “almost everything” to be canceled or postponed.

n Laughner’s Cafeteria, 125 E. Davis Ave., served its last meal on New Year's Eve. The location was to become the home of a new Staples Inc. office supply superstore.

n For the second straight year and the third time in this decade, Larry Bird, former Indiana State University basketball star and currently successful NBA Pacers coach, topped the list of Wabash Valley 1998 sports stories. Bird was named NBA Coach of the Year and had led the Pacers into a franchise record of 58 victories.

n Merchants National Bank opened a new banking center on U.S. 41 South in front of Super Kmart.

n Doug and Angie Lemond opened Danny’s Monogramming at 1210 Wabash Ave.

n Dianne Burpo, West Vigo Elementary School teacher, was Vigo County School Corp.’s first teacher to achieve National Board Certification.

n Menards in Plaza North shopping center celebrated its grand opening. The store employed more than 190 workers.

1984

n Donald Weger at Union Hospital and Logan Firer at Terre Haute Regional Hospital were the first babies born in Terre Haute in 1984.

n Campbell’s Book Store and Readmore downtown and Waldenbooks and B. Dalton Bookseller in Honey Creek Square reported an unprecedented demand for copies of George Orwell’s book “1984,” first published in 1948.

n Vigo County Sheriff Andrew T. Atelski assigned a deputy to the courthouse at the request of local judges for more security. Deputy Frank E. Shahadey was the first officer working this new assignment.

n Terre Haute Mayor P. Pete Chalos returned to his gubernatorial campaign with stops scheduled at Brazil, Indianapolis, South Bend, Elkhart and Fort Wayne.

n Fire gutted the former Dump Truck Inc. warehouse, 3303 Fort Harrison Road. An absence of fire hydrants caused firefighters to rely on water brought in by volunteer units from Fontanet, Sandcut, Burnett and North Terre Haute.

n Walter Kindrick, plant manager at Pfizer Inc., was appointed to the Area Plan Commission. Earl Rodgers was the commission president.

1959

n Three thousand vehicle owners turned out for the opening rush to purchase the new Indiana blue-on-gold license plates for 1959 at the Terre Haute automobile license bureaus at 728 Cherry St. and 100 S. 12th St.

n It was standing-room only at the opening of the Tribune-Star four-day Flair Cooking School at the Grand Theatre.

n The Ideal Furniture Store, 228 Wabash Ave. across from the courthouse, was going out of business.

n A one-week open house featured the “first lifetime aluminum home” by National Homes at Edgewood Subdivision in Brazil and Springwood Subdivision north of Terre Haute. No down payment was required for a VA loan.

n Wilbur Keko was named manager of the Terre Haute plant of Commercial Solvents Corp.

n Terre Haute City Councilman Oren J. Myrtle planned to introduce an amending ordinance that would, if approved, make Sixth Street one-way south and Seventh Street one-way north.

n John K. Lemry, plant manager of Columbia Records Inc. in Terre Haute, announced an 80,000-square-foot addition to be constructed at the Fruitridge Avenue plant.

        

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