SNAP Back In Time looks back on the creators of news from the past.
Friday, January 2, 1981
Climate
1980 continued the cooler-than-average trend observed for several years.
The average temperature was 58.70 degrees, slightly higher than in the previous two years. The average high temperature was 69.96 degrees, with a low average reading of 46.39 degrees. Temperature extremes ranged from a low of 5 degrees on March 3 to a high of 103 on July 16.
Comparation
The 1980 SNAP recap was somewhat similar to that of 2020: “Unfortunately for many, 1980 was not the best of years and many were not sorry to see him go.”
Pageant
Amanda Claire Yandle, from Albemarle, was crowned the nation’s most beautiful “little Miss” Majorette at the George Wythe Auditorium in Wytheville, Virginia, at the annual national contest sponsored by the National Majorette Association.
She was forced to walk in a majorette party dress and costume. The winner was selected for natural beauty, posture, projection and modeling skills by five judges.
Amanda, who celebrated her sixth birthday on December 13, was accompanied by her parents, Jim and Virginia Yandle, her sister Amie and her friend Cris Studley. She was in kindergarten at Endy Elementary School.
Friday, December 31, 1965
Completed Church
The South Stanly Baptist Church congregation used its new sanctuary for the first time on December 26. It would accommodate 256 people. It began as a mission sponsored by the Bethlehem Baptist Church in May 1962 and formally organized in a church in December 1964.
Australia
Two families from Alcoa Badin Works would leave in mid-January for a year of temporary service at Alcoa’s Point Henry Smelting Works, Australia. The employees were G. Chad Efird of Endy and Eddie J. Parker of Richfield. Both were in charge of shifts in the vat room.
Safety
The year 1966 marked the beginning of the safety inspection for motor vehicles in Stanly County and North Carolina. The inspection law was scheduled to go into effect on February 15 and before the end of the year all motor vehicles would be inspected. Inspections would be carried out in approved private garages and the fee would be $ 1.50 per vehicle.
Bank
First National Bank would begin construction in mid-January for a new bank branch in East Albemarle.
Tuesday, January 6, 1981
Cannon
The Cannon Mills Company, which operated 19 factories in 11 communities in North and South Carolina, including the Wiscassett Mills Company in Albemarle, announced that it expected to be bought for $ 380 million by a small group of private investors in New York.
Roads
Ken Thomas, director of Emergency Medical Services, was scheduled to meet with county commissioners on Monday night to ask for approval of a request for state funds to assist in the county road nomenclature project.
Assistance was expected to be available through the Governor’s Road Safety Program. The plan envisaged the naming of all secondary roads in the county and the installation at all intersections of road nameplates. Then, all households and businesses along the roads would receive address numbers.
Tuesday, January 4, 1966
First baby
Charles Edward Eudy was Stanly’s first child in 1966. He was born to Mr. and Mrs. Claude Ernest Eudy of New London at 1:25 am Sunday, two months ahead of schedule, weighing 3 pounds and 10 ounces. The attending physician was Dr. Joseph Ross.
Big Lick
Rev. James Pressley, a native of Union County, accepted the call to become pastor of Big Lick Baptist Church.
1965 under review
1965 would be remembered as a year of progress and prosperity in Stanly County.
Albemarle embarked on a new policy to improve downtown conditions. The first municipal parking lot was opened.
A number of industrial plants were built by Ware Knitters, Blain Hosiery Mill and Federal Pacific Electrical Company. Substantial expansions have been reported by Jefferies Southern Processors, Inc., EJ Snyder Company, Austin Knitting Mills, Stanly Knitting Mills and Cassie Cotillion.
January 5, 1951
First baby
At the hospital, the SNAP photographer tried to tickle the feet of the new 1951 baby, Mary Ellen Palmer, to make her smile for a photo. But Mary Ellen just yawned in Nurse Georgie Alexander’s arms while her mother, Francis Palmer, looked proudly at the photo on the front page.
Friday, January 9, 1981
Cannon
William E. “Bill” Frye, who has been director of vocational education for the past 18 months, was appointed maintenance supervisor for Stanly County Schools on Wednesday at the January board meeting. He had been on the SCS system for almost 18 years, starting in 1962 as a professor of industrial arts at South Stanly. He also taught vocational education at South, served as an assistant director there and as a director at Millingport Elementary.
bridge
In September 1929, George Griffin was an employee who helped build a steel bridge across the Rocky River to connect Stanly and Union counties. Before construction was completed, he placed some wood on a section of the bridge and drove his Ford Model T pickup over it. On Wednesday, Griffin, now 79, drove his latest model pickup across the bridge, thus becoming the first and last person to cross the bridge, as a new bridge had recently been completed. This was one of the last remaining steel bridges in the state.
Friday, January 7, 1966
Mail agency
The Post Office had awarded a contract for a new post office in Albemarle. It would be located on South First Street.