Fifty years ago in 1966, things were certainly different than they are today. Work was going on at a new Bell telephone system that was located on Wallace Road (or Alabama Hwy. 41), north of Brewton. Miles of wires were strung out all over the building and the photographs looked as if they could never be made useful, but I guess they knew what they were doing. The building itself was to be climate controlled and seems as if it was really be an up-to-date facility.

Not long ago I was looking at some old newspapers and noticed the telephone number of the funeral home located on Henderson Street next to the courthouse. The number was listed as being 46. Now you know that was long ago with a number like that.

Wayne Gillis, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Luther Gillis was elected the chaplain of his fraternity at the University of Alabama.

I don’t remember Wayne, but I surely do remember Luther and Josephine Gillis. We knew them from church and they were really nice people.

An announcement was made that the Atmore City School System was to be closed and the schools incorporated into the Escambia County School System. The change was to be made on June 30, 1966.

There was a photograph in the newspaper showing all of the young ladies who were participating in the “Miss Beauvoir” beauty contest at Jefferson Davis Junior College. Do they still do that?

T.R. Miller High School was holding their science fair under the directing of teacher, Lida McDowell. Later on I noticed that Randal Andrews won the fair with his display of a wireless telephone.

T. Texas Tyler, a country and western singer and song-writer, who had become a minister, was expected to speak at the First Assembly of God Church.

Do any of you remember him? I thought he sounded familiar so I looked him up with the help of Google. He was most famous for the recording of “The Deck of Cards” in which he talked (no singing) about the World War II soldier who explained how he used his deck of cards as his Bible on the battlefield. I remember that one well, but I don’t know of anything else he wrote. I don’t know if he wrote “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It,” but it was listed as one of his hits.

Roland Gibson, a graduate of W.S. Neal High School, signed a contract with the Houston Astros.

I did not know this, but many of you probably did. I wonder how his career played out.

Preparations were under way to build a new fire department. The plans were to build it on the corner of Douglas Avenue and West Jackson Street.

Well, I guess we all know that did not happen. I think there may have been some problems having it too close to the schools.

Lastly, the A&P grocery store advertised that strawberries were 39 cents a pint and one pound of Eight O’Clock coffee was 63 cents. That is almost unbelievable.