ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 28, 1995 TAG: 9512280011
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
10 years ago (1985)
Dec. 3: A Staunton judge lets stand the state health commissioner's ruling in favor of Lewis-Gale Hospital's plan to build a $3.7 million radiation therapy center. Roanoke Memorial Hospital had sued to have the commissioner's approval reversed on the grounds that the Lewis-Gale Center would take away patients from Roanoke Memorial's cancer center.
Dec. 5: Tom Rosenberry, a Salem firefighter, writes a book, "Stirring the Ashes," about firefighters. Using fictitious names for the men at No. 2 Station on Electric Road, he said his book was written to set the record straight about firefighters. The original title was "What the Hell Am I Doing Here?''
Dec. 7: The Famous Lunch restaurant, a Roanoke City Market fixture that boasted of serving "The BEST Hotdogs in Town," closes after 26 years. Anastasios Angelidis, the restaurant's owner, won't discuss the closing.
Dec. 10: Lakeside Amusement Park manager Wayne Saunders announces that the facility, which was damaged in the November flood, will reopen in the spring with $600,000 worth of improvements, including an indoor theater, a Treasure Island area and new Kiddieland rides.
25 years ago (1970)
Dec. 1: Gov. Linwood Holton participates in ceremonies dedicating Roanoke's municipal building. During the dedication ceremony, Roanoke also receives a U.S. Treasury Department award for exceeding its goal of new bond savers by 39 percent.
Dec. 9: John T. Sayers, who was portraying Santa Claus at Crossroads Mall, and three small children escape unhurt after a fire starts near the base of Santa's sleigh. The hides of two stuffed reindeer are burned off and several trees are damaged before two automatic ceiling sprinklers extinguish the fire.
Dec. 15: A predawn blaze destroys the historic Botetourt County Courthouse in Fincastle. Twenty-eight fire trucks and about 100 firefighters from 12 fire companies labor unsuccessfully to stop the fire that began in a back furnace room in the basement of the courthouse. Treasurer's records and Circuit Court records, including deeds and wills, were spared because they were in fireproof vaults. Records in the commissioner of revenue's office, however, were lost.
50 years ago (1945)
Dec. 2: Robert B. Jennings, who opened Roanoke's first furniture store in 1888, dies at his home at the age of 78.
Dec. 15: Meeting in the Lynchburg Armory, Democrats nominate Roanoke Hustings Court Judge J. Lindsay Almond Jr. as their candidate in the upcoming 6th District special congressional election to fill the seat being vacated by Rep. Clifton A. Woodrum. Almond defeats Republican rival George A. Revercomb Jr. of Covington in January 1946.
Dec. 18: Despite a heavy blanket of snow, the Roanoke post office receives and sends a record 379,683 pieces of mail. The total, says postmistress Virginia K. Wright, surpasses an earlier record set a year ago by more than 5,000.
The next day, the post office handles 415,448 pieces of mail.
Dec. 23: Mail is delivered on a Sunday. Postmistress Virginia K. Wright later says the Sunday delivery was necessary to get out all the mail that had accumulated over the weekend.
Dec. 31: Ground is broken in front of Hotel Roanoke for a well to furnish water for the air-conditioning units in the new wing.
Past Tense is a monthly feature compiled by Melvin E. Matthews Jr. to help readers recall events in the Roanoke Valley. Information is gathered from past issues of the newspaper.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 linesby CNB