ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996 TAG: 9605160113
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-7 EDITION: METRO
Ten Years Ago (1986)
May 13: Michael Cullop-Muncy, the only full-time teacher in the Roanoke city schools' Program for Adolescent Pregnancy, is dropped from her position as a budget-cutting move by the school administration. Though acknowledging the magnitude of the problem, Roanoke School Superintendent Frank Tota says it isn't just in the schools' province. "We have to look at social agencies and the community in picking up things we can't handle," he said.
May 15: The master plan for the Blue Ridge Zoological Park, a $60 million development proposed on 400 acres in eastern Roanoke County, is unveiled. The zoo, meant to replace Mill Mountain Zoo, is to feature naturalistic exhibits and recall the journeys of Lewis and Clark across North America and David Livingstone across southern Africa. The zoo is to be the centerpiece of the Explore project, a $112 million tourist attraction.
May 30: Bo Cam Trieu, who came to the United States from Vietnam in 1980, is valedictorian of William Fleming High School's graduating class with an A-plus average, a scholarship winner from MIT, and one of only two Virginia students selected to attend the National Youth Science Camp this summer. "He's a great role model for all the refugee kids," said one Roanoke teacher.
May 30: Huntingdon, a 160-year-old residence called the oldest "fine" house remaining in Roanoke or Roanoke County, is damaged by a blaze discovered about 9:15 a.m. in the southeast corner living room. The damage is reported to be at least $30,000. The structure, for which Huntington Boulevard Northeast was named, was finished in the early 1820s, yet one of the present owners says he understands that construction began about 1812.
25 Years Ago (1971)
May 1: Roanoke is one of the stops for the Norfolk and Western Railway No. 4 - the Pocahontas - during its final Cincinnati to Norfolk run. NW Executive Vice President Robert Claytor is at the train's throttle as he eases her out of the station. NW President John P. Fishwick is also aboard. The Pocahontas isn't part of Amtrak, and is being retired from service.
May 6: The Double T. Corp. announces plans for the development and construction of Tanglewood Mall, the largest shopping center in Southwest Virginia. The mall will be built on a 55-acre tract on Virginia 419, just south of its intersection with U.S. 220, south of Roanoke. Most of the 60 or more stores occupying the mall are expected to open by Christmas 1972. An official says the center will create 1,100 permanent jobs and that a six-lane highway will be built in front of it.
May 17: Hollins College professor Richard H. W. Dillard - poet, Ph.D., Phi Beta Kappa, respected critic, and son of former Roanoke Mayor Benton 0. Dillard - has another claim to fame: He co-wrote "Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster," described as "the awfulest, and possibly the funniest, horror movie." "It [the film] makes no sense whatsoever," Dillard says, "which is why it's so good for the early show. They can insert ads anywhere without breaking the continuity because there is no continuity." His total earnings from the film: $50.
May 28: Roanoke Judge Ernest Ballou orders convicted rapist Frank Jimmy Snider moved from death row to the Richmond jail. Snider's death sentence had already been vacated. Snider would have spent 15 years - the longest time on death row in America - had he remained there until June 29. A Roanoke jury originally convicted him for the 1956 rape of a 9-year-old girl. Snider was never released from prison and died of natural causes.
50 Years Ago (1946)
May 1: A Roanoke bakery has reduced production of hot dog rolls and hamburger buns by about 20 percent through ceasing to make them for sales in grocery stores. Production of rolls and buns for restaurants will continue. The bakery's action comes at a time when shipments of wheat to combat hunger in Europe have caused a flour shortage.
May 25: Facing an imminent food shortage arising from the nationwide railroad strike, Roanoke housewives besiege food stores for groceries and canned goods, completely stripping some shelves by early afternoon. Officials of grocery chains report that their warehouses hold enough groceries to fill stores for several days. "We don't feel any alarm yet," one official said.
PAST TENSE is a monthly feature compiled by Melvin E. Matthews Jr. from past issues of the paper to help readers recall past events in the Roanoke Valley.
LENGTH: Medium: 77 linesby CNB