Jan. 20

1925

City Health Official R.M. Wilson reminded the public that the law require everyone who received any dairy product must thoroughly wash and sterilize the bottles or jars it came in before returning them to the dairy company. Failure to do so was a violation punishable by a $5 fine on each dirty bottle. It also was illegal to use milk, cream and ice cream receptacles for any other purpose.

1950

Though Patrick Henry Elementary School opened on Jan. 3, its cafeteria didn’t get finished and opened until Jan. 20. Lunch plates were sold for 25 cents.

Dan A. Greene of Globman’s department store was named Outstanding Young Man by the Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce), and he was awarded the club’s Distinguished Service Key. Greene was the commander of Pannill Post, American Legion; captain of the drive for funds for a new Boy Scout Camp; co-chair of the past autumn’s Emergency Polio Drive; served a role with the Veterans Hospital in Roanoke; instituted an Americanization program through the local schools; was the local chair of the National Conference of Christians and Jews; chair of the Inter-Faith committee of B’nai B’rith’ and was a co-chair of the Arrangements committee of National Day of Prayer. He also was an Elk, a Shriner, a Scottish Rite Mason, a director for Civic Council and on the Civic Music association. He belonged to Ohev Zion Synagugue, the Retail Merchants association, the Forty and Eight and Forst Park Country Club.

1961

Construction on the Stanleytown Community Recreation Center had been just completed and the center was scheduled to open on April 29. J.C. Akins was the director.

1975

Stanley W. Bowles Corporation’s advertisement read: Good construction firm reputations are the result of two factors: The first is good people. Both ours and our customer’s. … If you’re thinking about building, call us. When we lay your plans on the table, you’ll know what you’re getting into. Our reputation guarantees it.”

2000

In the General Assembly, Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Collinsville, gave a presentation about MHC’s economic woes due to thousands of people laid off from work from textile jobs, illustrating his point by holding up the Jan. 14, 2000, Martinsville Bulletin, which had pictures of more than 1,000 people in line for a job fair at the Armory. He, Del. Barnie K. Day, D-Meadows of Dan, and Sen. W. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Ridgeway planned to host a meeting the following Saturday at the Henry County Administration Building, joined by other legislators who want to hear about the economic situation in Southside due to plant closings.

Cecil Byrd, 55, was shot to death by robbers in his home in Mozambique, Africa. He was a former area resident who had been a missionary in Africa for at least 25 years.

— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.