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75 years ago
From the Greensboro Daily News, Feb. 27-March 5, 1936
Ed Johnson of Roanoke, Va., president of Rotary International, spoke to a gathering of Rotarians and Rotary Anns at the community building in Leaksville, telling them about his election to Rotary’s highest position in Mexico City last July and his many experiences since then.

He urged them to attend the 57th district conference in May and also suggested some plan to attend the international convention in Atlantic City in June.

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The 39th anniversary of the founding of the Parent-Teacher Association was observed by the Burton Grove school association, with Mrs. D.E. Coltraine of Greensboro, president of the northwestern PTA district, as speaker.
 
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Eleven divorces were granted as the spring term of Rockingham Superior Court began in Wentworth with Judge J.H. Clement presiding. One divorce case was declared a mistrial.

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The Senior Study Club, meeting in the Community Club house in Leaksville, heard Mrs. Skidmore Harris deliver an informative paper on the “Homes of the Washingtons.” 

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Miss Elizabeth Taylor has given up, at least for the time being, her job as statistician of the Bi-State League after being taken ill and ordered by her doctor to take a rest.

J.I. Wells, league president, is to find a substitute statistician before the league begins its 1936 season.

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Cecil-Russell Drug Co., cigarettes, $1.15 carton.

50 years ago
From the Greensboro Daily News, Feb. 27-March 5, 1966
Voters in Madison and Mayodan will decide April 4 whether to approve a supplemental school tax of 20 cents per $100 valuation.

A committee for better schools headed by J.P. Carter, has been formed to explain the tax to voters and to stir their interest in it. The committee is composed of school officials, members of the two town boards and civic and service club leaders.

The committee is recommending the tax money be used to: reduce the classroom size to reduce the teacher caseload; raise the salaries of teachers to improve the quality of teaching in every classroom; and employ a full-time librarian, industrial arts instructor and guidance counselor.
 
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A total of 1,135 persons were examined in a glaucoma clinic at the Leaksville Armory,  under the sponsorship of the Lions Clubs of Rockingham County.

Twenty positive cases were discovered according to doctors conducting the clinic and an additional 35 borderline cases were found.

A total of 43 persons were referred to their own doctors for further examination.

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Mrs. Mabel Burnett and Mrs. Maude Ferver observed a total of 140 years of life between them. They are twins living on Hawthorne Drive. Mrs. Burnett is the retired executive director of Chinqua-Penn Council of Girl Scouts.

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Reidsville’s first Roman Catholic church, to be called The Church of the Holy Infant, will be built at U.S. 29A and 29 Bypass South. The building will house a chapel and classrooms for religious instruction.

The history of Roman Catholic worship services in Reidsville goes back 20 years, beginning in a funeral home chapel and changing later to city hall where Mass was observed on Sunday and a school of religion was conducted on Wednesday nights.

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Reidsville High took Mount Airy into two overtimes before falling by a score of 36-34 to the Granite Bears, who extended their 46-game winning streak. In a game played in High Point, the Reidsville Lions did at least make it to the finals of the Western 3-A Conference tournament before being nipped by Mount Airy.

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Walgreens offers bags of 25 cigars for 88 cents.

25 years ago
From the Greensboro News & Record, Feb. 27-March 5, 1986
Cindy Ann Kemp, 23, of Route 2, Ruffin, was killed when fire swept through a house in downtown Boone, that she rented along with four other Appalachian State University students.

One other student, John Charles Rose of Shelby, was killed while two others escaped unharmed; a fifth roommate was not home at the time.

Miss Kemp was the 1980 homecoming queen at Rockingham County Senior High School and was a member of the homecoming court at Appalachian State.

She was a senior majoring in office management.

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Eden’s Smith River water filtration plant was shut down for the fourth consecutive day because of discolored water in Smith River, a problem that has plagued town officials for decades.

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Rita Adams Broadnax, 28, of Madison was killed when her car skidded on an ice-covered bridge south of Eden and slammed into an oncoming van.

Her husband, George Leon Broadnax, 25, was in stable condition at Morehead Hospital. Reynolds M. Biggs, 50, driver of the van, was in stable condition at Morehead.

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Rockingham County’s Department of Social Services, hoped to put its  three separate offices in one building — the Hertz-Penske building just south of Eden — but the county commissioners declined to go along with the idea. The commissioners agreed consolidation would be good but this should be in Wentworth where other county agencies are located.

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Reidsville’s male and female basketball teams were eliminated from the 4-A sectional tournament, with North Forsyth boys thumping Reidsville 73-51 and North Forsyth’s girls’ team beating Reidsville girls 58-44.

10 years ago
From the Greensboro News & Record, Feb. 27-March 5, 2001
The financially troubled Chinqua-Penn Plantation has promoted Judy Burris, 55, to president, succeeding Heather Casselberry, who resigned in December and moved to Charlotte.

Burris has been at Chinqua-Penn since March 1998 and most recently served as vice president of operations.

As president, she will have the tough task of overseeing the day-to-day operations at Chinqua-Penn.

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Frontier Spinning Mills announced plans to invest $20 million in the coming year in new machinery and renovation at its two Rockingham County plants but the Sanford-based company is seeking $272,210 in incentives from the county and Mayodan.

As part of the deal, Frontier pledges to maintain its 550 county employees for at least five years.

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The Madison Center, a former Unifi office building turned commercial center, is now open and is attracting some attention.

The center’s first tenant was the Madison Post Office.

Center part-owner and manager Pateric Zimmer said he has sent out eight lease proposals and has had one lease signed.

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Reidsville Mayor Jay Donecker wants the city to consider ways of preserving The Block, a once thriving downtown black commercial hub of stores, bakeries, barber shops, beauty shops, grocery and restaurants.

The area used to draw hundreds, but in recent years it has deteriorated, with the city having to demolish Slade Pool Hall on East Morehead and Market streets because its roof collapsed, sending brick and mortar onto the sidewalk below.

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The state may reduce its revenue to county agencies by nearly $1 million, and this prospect has the agencies looking for ways to cut expenses without affecting their services to the public. The county commissioners have asked all county agencies to identify 2.5 percent of their budgets for possible cutbacks.