Have you ever wondered what stories made headlines in Jacksonville 50 years ago? It may have been a different era of history, culture and politics, but there are often parallels between the kind of stories that made the news in 1958 and today. As interesting as the similarities may be, so are the differences. These are some of the top stories published in the Florida Times-Union 50 years ago this week. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• County Commissioner Joseph Millard Sr. proposed changing the law to permit more latitude in awarding contracts to someone other than the lowest qualified bidder. The suggestion came following a conflict among the commissioners over letting bids for four heavy equipment contracts. Midway through the meeting Commissioner Julian Warren moved that a contract be awarded to the second-lowest bidder on a bulldozer. In explaining his action, Warren said local companies which are county taxpayers should all be given a share of the county’s business. The motion to buy the local company’s equipment was seconded by Commissioner Joe Burnett, but the motion failed as Mallard and Commissioners C. Ray Greene and Joe Hammond voted for the lowest bid. Greene said there was no reason to change the bidding system because, “We are saving the taxpayers money” and added, “Duval County has the reputation of getting the lowest bids on machinery in the state.”
• A poll of merchandising executives revealed sales at Jacksonville’s retail stores were at “record levels.” An (unnamed) department store manager reported, “This is my 33rd year in the retail business and this is the biggest thing I’ve ever seen.” He also said the highest-priced merchandise was moving first and he expected when the holiday shopping season was over “We’ll be 10 percent ahead of last year’s sales.”
• Jacobs Jewelers at Laura and Adams was offering a set of fine china “by one of America’s leading makers” in a choice of six patterns. The 96-piece set included service for 12 plus serving pieces and a teapot for $59.95, even though the dinnerware was made to sell for $150. It was pointed out, “This china has very slight imperfections, however the defects are so small as to be hardly perceptible.”
• A veteran Downtown businessman who was known for telling people, “If anyone wants to rob me, they’ll have to kill me,” was found dead in his store at 520 W. Adams St. Jeweler Ira C. Faircloth had been shot twice in a holdup at his store. His body was discovered by his daughter when she went there because she hadn’t heard from her father. Three safes in the rear of the store were looted and an undisclosed amount of cash was also missing. Faircloth was no stranger to attempted armed robbery. Several previous incidents were reported including a time a man tried to rob the jeweler at knifepoint. Faircloth “put a bullet in the man” and captured him single-handedly. In another instance, Faircloth struggled with a robber armed with a gun. When the assailant tried to escape, “Faircloth pegged five shots at the fleeing figure and hit him three times.” The bandit staggered bleeding across the street and collapsed, then spent four months in a hospital recovering before he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime. A published plea for information from people who had been in the vicinity when the crime occurred netted a dozen suspects, said Homicide Lt. R.B. Whittington.
• Allocation of 1,300 federally-insured new home mortgages for people who had been displaced by expressway construction projects was announced. The loans were limited to new construction and were “tailored for medium to low income families” and had a maximum amount of $9,000 with terms up to 40 years. City and Federal Housing Administration officials were to have lunch at the Mayflower Hotel with developers and bankers to decide how to distribute the mortgages.
• A $625 supplemental appropriation for road beautification on Roosevelt Boulevard was approved by the Duval County Budget Commission. Mrs. Ward. N. Seawright, president of the Garden Club of Jacksonville, said countywide beautification coordinated by the club would begin in January. It was noted the approval “was the result of a plea made to the County Commission Dec. 8 by a delegation representing Ortega area garden circles headed by Mrs. R. Malcolm Fortson.”
• The Jacksonville Dog Fanciers Association announced it would hold its 22nd all-breed dog and obedience trials Jan. 11 at the National Guard Armory at Market and State streets. It was noted that local classes, in which only dogs owned by residents of Duval County, would be held as part of the show and “special ribbons and trophies” would be awarded.