50 years ago
DECEMBER 2, 1954
The most devastating fire in Marion's recent history Wednesday evening completely gutted one of the city's largest downtown business buildings, the YMCA Building, owned by C.B. Wheeler, and located at the west end of the Main Street bridge. The building and all its contents are a total loss, with only the ornate stone walls, which made it a well-known landmark, left standing Wednesday night. The building housed M&H Recreation Parlor, the entire office of Dr. R.R. Melton, the second-floor apartment of Mr. and Mrs. John Suffield, and the office of a seismograph group of oil exploration men.
Marion business houses generally will be open every Thursday evening as well as Saturday evening until Christmas, according to a plan decided upon at the last regular Chamber of Commerce meeting. Then they will close at their regular hours on Christmas Eve. These added hours are provided for the convenience of patrons who find evening shopping more suited to their work hours.
Miss Vera Remmers, daughter of Mrs. Rosa Remmers, became the bride of Mr. John Wooldridge, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wooldridge Sr., November 21 in a ceremony at the home of the bride's mother. Rev. Clarence Born read the double ring ceremony in the presence of the immediate families of the bride and bridegroom.
The official recorded rainfall in Marion during the month of November was a "trace" which is hardly enough to record at all. It was the driest November on record beating 1943 when we had .01 inches. And the only drier month was October 1952, when the rainfall wasn't even a trace, just plain zero.
Brownie Girls Scout of Troop 60 meet every Tuesday at Bown Corby school They proudly are wearing new Brownie uniforms. Troop members included Belita Winchester, Beverly Christensen, Margaret Weber, Shirley Johnston, Jeral Whitlock, Barbara Christensen, Coralie Crawford, Neva Kelsey, Patty Bledsoe, Barbara Helmer, Jackie Sue Evans, and Melody Thompson.
