Ever wonder 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 vast differences. The following are some of the top stories printed in The Florida Times-Union 50 years ago this week. These items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives.
• John Edward Pace, who had been the City Auditor for 38 years, died unexpectedly at a local hospital. He became a City employee in Jan. 1906 and his coworkers recalled that Pace was called on to work a straight 24 hours on his first day in the Auditing Department. It was also noted that during his 52 years of service he rarely took a vacation.
Two days after Pace’s death, John W. Hollister, who had been Assistant City Auditor since 1948, was appointed to fill the vacancy. It was noted that in 1931 Hollister installed the department’s first mechanical bookkeeping machine and also designed the forms for it. In 1947, he was responsible for the installation of the department’s first electronic punch card record system for electric and water bills, payroll and paychecks.
• Two members of the bench won unopposed Democratic party nominations for the Sept. 9 primary and knew they would not face a Republican opponent in the November general election. They were Judge A. Lloyd Layton of the Criminal Court of Record and Judge Marion W. Gooding of the Juvenile Court.
• The City Council Motor Transportation Committee denied an application to operate a new bus service between Jacksonville and the “beach communities.” Committee chair Ralph N. Walter made the motion to deny the permit, “should the applicant not desire to withdraw his application.” The action was followed immediately by a protestation from Council member John P. King and a pledge by the applicant, Harry L. Morris Sr., that he would continue efforts to provide the bus service. Walter, in a prepared statement that was distributed to reporters at the meeting, requested Morris to withdraw the application, “on the ground that it appears the City of Jacksonville is going to find it necessary to request permissive legislation to operate all buses within the city and to neighboring communities in the field now occupied by the Jacksonville Coach Company.”
• A “bandit” wielding a .38 caliber pistol held up Phil’s Liquor Store on Atlantic Blvd. County investigators said Philip Newfield told them a large amount of cash was stolen from him at gunpoint about 9:30 p.m. Monday. The victim said he had drawn a large amount of cash from the bank that day to cash customers’ paychecks. County patrolmen W. J. Philips and G. W. McKettrick were cruising in the vicinity of the store five minutes before the robbery when they received a call to investigate a traffic mishap at Fort Caroline and St. Johns Bluff roads but when they arrived, the officers found no trace of an accident. Lt. W. T. Thomas, who supervised the robbery investigation, said he believed the accident call was made to lure his men from the area.
• The Duval County Port and Industrial Authority joined with the City of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce to oppose an application by the City of Tampa to reduce its freight rates there. Chamber officials pointed out Jacksonville had a rate advantage over Tampa due to the freight charges fixed for South Atlantic and Gulf ports. Joseph B. Mallard, chair of the authority, advised the commissioners that U.S. Rep. Charles Bennett had pledged his aid in securing a $25,000 appropriation for a harbor survey preliminary to deepening the channel in the St. Johns River from 34 to 42 feet.
• Ol’ Pete, a renegade alligator that long-time residents had seen on the Trout River for 30 years, was killed. The 600-pound, 11-foot reptile was shot by Donald Cole of Dinsmore near the Bowie Anderson Farm on Bowie Road. Pete’s carcass, scarred by the many bullets pumped into him over the years by Dinsmore farmers, was dragged ashore with a tractor. It was reported that despite his scarcity of teeth (he had only eight) Pete’s food had switched from fish to livestock and he had in fact lumbered off with a calf a few weeks before his demise.