Army Land bid and patrol upheaval top 55 News
Old Man 1955 reflects on Lawton Oklahoma events including the Army bid to expand Fort Sill firing ranges for national security and related patrol upheavals, capturing a year of local stirring news and mixed fortunes as the New Year nears.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lawton
Oklahoma
Army
Fort Sill
Interior
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Congress
Oklahoma Highway Patrol
Comanche County
Faxon
Bud Williamson
Norman Carroll
Williamson
Mac Q. Williamson
Jim Lookabaugh
Julius Cox
Norman Holt
C. T. Raley
Raley
State Senate
Yule Rush Cuts Gloom and Prospects for 1956 Rise
Lawton merchants report a strong December and an overall upbeat 1955, with department stores holding steady and many predicting higher total sales than 1954. Clothing, home furnishings, small appliances, and toys drove Christmas demand, though some lines faced tightened margins and stock shortages.
Farm Outlook Brightens for Southwest Oklahoma Farmers
A two week survey of farm conditions across southwest Oklahoma finds a slightly brighter outlook than last year. Economists note that while conditions will not fully relieve farmers, average crops should improve 1956. A bumper cotton crop and more subsoil moisture are the main changes since December 1954, though acreages under cultivation remain small due to federal cutbacks. Some farms posted record per acre yields, but several farmers quit the fight. Tillman County reported 2,419,000 bushels of wheat and strong cotton yields.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Oklahoma
Tillman County
Larrance to Miss Service Pageant in 1956 Easter Show
Fred Larrance Sr. will miss the 31st annual Wichita Mountains Easter Sunrise Service at Holy City on April 1 but will attend in spirit. The longtime Pageant leader leaves Lawton January 15 for a world cruise, marking his second absence since the event began. He retires from the Pageant board after decades of service, saying the group needs fresh leadership while continuing to support Pageant work.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bill Crawford
Fred Larrance Sr
Wichita Mountains
Holy City
Larrance
Rocky City
Mt. Roosevelt
Wichitas
Lawton
John Keathley
New Blood
Soviet Premier Bulganin seeks new Geneva summit
Bulganin signals possible future summit if major obstacles are overcome and urges continuation of the Geneva spirit. He notes no retreat from Soviet positions and contrasts a tougher line with the earlier Geneva stance as Khrushchev and Bulganin had criticized Western leaders. Page 2.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mowcow
Nicolai Bulganin
Geneva
Bulganin
Telenews
Hearst Metrozone News
Foreign Ministry
Moscow Radio
Nikita Khrushchev
Communist Party
Eisenhower
Eden
Lee Bulganin
Mobile Home Plant Contract Is Signed
Negotiations concluded with a contract for a Mobile homes manufacturing plant in Lawton, Exall English of Greater Lawton Inc announced. Officials from Town and Country Mfg Co attended the signing at the Hotel Lawtonian. A stock drive followed a breakfast rally, with a $100,000 goal to be reached by Jan 7. Six teen captains with five members each target $1,000 per man, totaling $6,000 per team. About $63,000 is needed to build four structures on the new industrial site. The plant will hire over 100 workers. Greater Lawton will buy land from the city and hold title until purchase option. Construction is to start immediately, with Harvey House coordinating. Greater Lawton has about $12,000 in cash pledges.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lawton
Exall English
Greater Lawton, Inc
H. S. Neely
Bill Norris
Fort Worth
Tex
Town and Country Mfg. Co
Hotel
Lawtonian
C. R. Ellsworth
Committee For Industrial Promotion
Harvey House
Lawton Home Builders Association
Lawton's Top Ten 1955 News Highlights
Lawton Constitution staff picks the era’s top stories. Fort Sill land battle stalls in Congress and Interior. Highway Patrol shakeup and Williamson hearing. Nugent court martial acquittal at Fort Sill. southwest floods boost Lake Lawtonka. Ellsworth wins mayoral race while council members selected. Armory and McMahon auditorium construction with new buildings. Hotel Lawtonian opens. council-manager government defeated. Nigernan acquitted in bootlegger killing. Fort Sill named Artillery and Guided Missile Center with first missile units ordered and large construction programs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lawton
Lawton Constitution Press
Fort Sill
Congressional
Interior Department
Highway Patrol
Williamson
Senate
Nugent
Southwest
Comanche
Waurika
Lawtonka
C. R. Ellsworth
Arnold White
Blunt Zorger
E. C. Parks
McMahon Auditorium
Constitution Plant
Lawtonian
Jack Shaw
Lawton Construction Looks for a Steady 1956 Outlook
Lawton builders expect 1956 to be a steady year with about the same home activity as 1955. Major new projects include Cameron College gymnasium plant and Comanche County Free Fairgrounds facilities with bids by W C Shelton Co. The Aggie gym bid came in at 347,500 and Cameron’s plant around 375,000. Local projects hinge on levy funds and completion of the five mill levy proceeds. The 3,000,000 Southwestern Bell dial telephone system building is a long planned 1956 highlight but not a new project. Six industry figures offered cautious optimism for Lawton’s construction and homebuilding trends in the year ahead.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ted Ralston
Lawton
Comanche County Free Fairgrounds
19Th and
Cameron College
Cameron
W. C. Shelton Construction Co
Aggie
Stillwater
Shelton
Lewis Haydock
The
Free Fair Board
Southwestern Bell Dial Telephone System
Lawton Fans Cheer Sooner Parade in Miami Night
Thousands of Oklahoma supporters joined the Orange Bowl parade in Miami on New Year's Eve. Gov and Mrs Raymond Gary sat with the crowd as Sooner players rested ahead of Monday’s big Maryland showdown. Many fans arrived Saturday and settled in hotels and homes along the Florida coast.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carter Bradley
Miami
Fla
Oklahoma
Raymond Gary
Maryland
Boyd Gunning
Sooner
Sooners
Pace
Shinto Temple Wall Collapse Kills Ninety at New Year Rite
At Yahiko Shinto shrine in northern Japan a six foot stone wall collapsed during New Year prayers. About 30,000 worshippers were packed inside. Ninety people were killed and scores more injured as panic and crush injuries followed the collapse. Police and rescue teams worked to pull worshippers from rubble and aid the injured. Kyodo reports priests in ceremonial robes distributed mochi as the crowd surged forward.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tokyo
UPA
Yahiko
Kyodo
City to Observe Holiday Monday Observance of a legal holiday
Loyd Lowry of the Chamber of Commerce announces all city stores and businesses will close on Monday as New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday. Post office service will be limited with no deliveries to city streets, but mail will reach city boxes. Cameron College and Lawton Public Schools resume classes Tuesday after the long Christmas break.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Loyd Lowry
Chamber of Commerce Retail Committee
Cameron College
Lawton Public School
Also Mentioned on This Page
By Lawdis Gandy
Tom Sharrock
Lyes
Red
Khrushchev
United Press
National Safety Council
California
New York
Ohio
Safety Council
Lawtonians
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