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75 YEARS AGO
From the Greensboro Daily News, Nov. 28-Dec.4, 1935
The 25th anniversary of the Rev. William J. Gordon’s pastorate at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Spray was marked by two communal services at St. Luke’s.

The morning service saw St. Andrews Church of the Epiphany meeting with St. Luke’s, and the afternoon service brought together all the churches and community organizations in the Leaksville-Spray area. This meeting was presided over by Luther Hodges.

The Rev. Gordon has been pastor of his church longer than any other pastor in the area. He came to St. Luke’s in 1910 when it had only six members but St. Luke’s growth since then has led to the building of a bigger church in 1926 at a cost of $19,000.

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The Reidsville tobacco market reopened Monday after taking two days off for Thanksgiving. Common grades dominated and kept the average below $20, but prices paid still were better than offered earlier in the year.

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Leaksville churches celebrated Thanksgiving with special services. First Baptist of Leaksville met at 7 o’clock in the morning, and the Church of the Epiphany met Wednesday evening.

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The Mayoday Rainbow Assembly took in three new members: Helen Cook, Ruby Gray and Alma Jordan. Following the initiation, Worthy Associate Advisor Irene Matthews presented Elizabeth Whitbeck with a present, recognizing her impending marriage.

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Mrs. B.P. Parker was reelected president of the Women’s Missionary Society in Leaksville at a meeting held at First Baptist Church.

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Women’s fur-trimmed coats: $38.

50 YEARS AGO
From the Greensboro Daily News, Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 1960
The Tri-Cities staged a Christmas parade that many observers agreed was the best ever, with more than 80 floats, 17 bands, more than 30 beauty queens and Santa Claus.

For several hours, the parade weaved its way through Leaksville, Spray and Draper. The crowd was estimated at 20,000 and they had beautiful weather to watch the parade.

Among the beauty queens in the parade were Carol Jester, a freshman at Woman’s College in Greensboro and the reigning Miss Leaksville, who was crowned Holiday Jubilee Queen of the Tri-Cities, and Miss Becky Powell, 18, a senior at Morehead High, who was declared Merchants Queen.

A banquet at Meadow Green followed the parade, with Miss North Carolina and her court of attendants as special guests.
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Christmas lights are up in Reidsville, festooned over two long blocks of Scales Street and two blocks each of crossing streets Settle, Gilmer and Morehead. Also, a Christmas star has been placed in an arbor over Scales Street.

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Gov. Luther Hodges, who was a textile industrialist in the Tri-Cities before going into politics, was tapped by President-elect John F. Kennedy, to be his secretary of commerce. Hodges told a gathering of newsmen at the Kennedy compound in Palm Beach, Fla., he was concerned about the state of the economy under the outgoing Republican administration.

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Funeral services for Navy Radioman 3 C. William Jordan Reece were held Sunday at First Christian Church in Leaksville. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Reece of Leaksville and a 1957 graduate of Morehead High School, Radioman Reece was killed last week in an auto accident in Morocco, North Africa.

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Williamsburg was pronounced winner of the community development contest in a seven-county region.

Miss Temple Prince, chairman of the Williamsburg Community Development Association, accepted a $150 check and noted that there are 204 families in the Williamsburg community and all are members of the association.
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Women’s all-wool coats: $49.

25 YEARS AGO
From the Greensboro News & Record, Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 1985
Chinqua Penn Plantation opened this week for public tours with its Christmas decorations up. These include a 13-foot Fraser fir strung with 800 lights and covered by scores of ornaments. The tree is in the main living room under the cathedral-like ceiling.

Also among the decorations are hand-made wreaths and garlands, and more than 800 poinsettias in the mansion and greenhouse.

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Clark Turner, traffic manager at American Tobacco Co., was elected Reidsville’s new mayor, a unanimous choice of the five-member board. He was the top vote-getter in the recent municipal election, winning his third term.

Laura Felts, community relations director for Annie Penn Hospital, was elected mayor pro tem.

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Stoneville Mayor Bill Crews has been elected president of the Rockingham County League of Local Governments, edging out Eden Mayor Lawrence W. Cox Jr. on a 14-13 vote. Cox was chosen vice president by acclamation.

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A state grant of $981,914 for water and sewer improvements will be split among the county’s governments, with Reidsville and Eden each getting $190,000, Madison $50,000, Mayodan $175,000, Stoneville $274,500, and county government $101,914.

Mayodan and Stoneville will pool their grants to pay half the cost of constructing a water line from Mayodan to Stoneville.

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GSX Services, a hazardous waste management firm, plans about $1 million in improvements to its Reidsville operation.

These include constructing a container building to house trailers loaded with hazardous waste, building a larger, covered loading dock and installing a drum decanting system.

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Women’s raccoon jackets: $249 to $399.

10 YEARS AGO
From Greensboro News & Record, Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2000
The county commissioners gave school officials approval to spend $1.23 million for design and renovation costs to three schools and to buy land for a new school in the southwest part of the county.

The design and renovation will be done at Dillard Primary, New Vision Intermediary and Western Rockingham Middle School. The new school will be located on a 44-acre tract at Sardis Church Road and Sardis Church Loop Road.

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The United Way of Rockingham County is extending its 2000 campaign through Jan 31. So far, $936,000 has been raised, this being 70 percent of the $1.375 million goal. United Way supports 27 agencies in the county.

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Hospice of Rockingham County and Hospice of Stokes County are working together on plans for a flea market and auction sale to be held in March at Mayodan. The money raised will be used to build residential centers.

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Mayodan Town Council and the county commissioners have agreed to $874,000 in incentives for an industrial/residential project north of Mayodan.

The incentives were sought by Winston-Salem-based Compass.

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Rockingham County has received two grants totaling more than $5,000 for its Smart Start program.

The grants come from Wachovia and First Union National Bank and will be used to upgrade the office of the Rockingham County Partnership for Children on N.C. 87 in Wentworth.