May 15

By Holly Kozelsky and Pat Pion

100 Years ago – 1924

John G. Eggleston of Fontaine was put under arrest on a warrant charging him with the murder of his wife, Nancy G. Eggleston.  Information  through the investigation had revealed points including: three days before her disappearance, Mrs. Eggleston had told people she was having trouble with her husband and suspected he might do her harm; and before her disappearance, Mr. Eggleston had taken love letters to his wife, one of which was signed by J.P. Simpson, to his attorney.  

75 years ago – 1949

The Spring Ceremonial of Rajah Temple, Dokkies, of Roanoke, was held in Martinsville The committee was made of O.F. Thomasson, G.W. Branham, A.C. Kalbaugh and B.D. Whitlow. The program opened with a Dokkie dance at the Pythian Castle hall the night before, with music by Paul Zimmerman and his orchestra. The Rajah Temple’s uniformed degree team and band arrived early in the morning Saturday to give a concert at the Henry County Courthouse at 5 p.m., followed by a Ceremonial at 7:30 p.m. at the high school gymnasium.

1960

Patricia Stillwell was chosen as May Queen for the annual May Procession at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. All the children of the parish participated in the procession. Ms. Stillwell crowned the Virgin during the ceremony.

Irene Hedgecock, Fieldale High School sophomore and honor student, won first place, a $50 savings bond, in the Piedmont area highway safety essay contest sponsored by the Virginia Optometric Association; she would go on to compete at the state level as participants showed their awareness of characteristics of a good driver. As a freshman, she also won the American Legion Award for outstanding achievement in all areas and racked up many honors throughout her high school career.

50 years ago – 1974

Beauty pageants … The Stroller newspaper column noted that Mrs. Stella Spencer had lost her list of 35 girls whose parents wanted them entered into the Little Miss Martinsville contest, so she was asking those people to get in contact with her. Meanwhile, Bobby Young had won the title “Miss County Dump” at the Oak Level Ruritan Club’s mock beauty pageant.

25 years ago – 1999

Pluma announced that it filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. John Wigodsky had just been named its new president. The company had lost $36 million in 1998.

— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin accessed on microfilm at the Martinsville Branch Library.