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 by Staff Writer Max Marbut from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives.
• The Council for Decency in Literature and Other Entertainment Media opened a drive against “objectionable” literature and motion pictures in Duval County. Mayor Haydon Burns, County Solicitor Lacy Mahon Jr., Sheriff Dale Carson, Juvenile Court Judge Marion W. Gooding and U.S. District Attorney E. Coleman Madsen pledged their support to the campaign. The five officials expressed concern that the interpretation of the word “obscene” would provide the greatest difficulty. “What is obscene to one jury may not be to another,” commented Mahon. Madsen said the material displayed at newsstands was mild compared to what he referred to as “the underground stuff.” He also said, “Such material is of the vilest, most depraved kind nd the hardest to do something about from the standpoint of the federal government. The stuff is bootlegged in and we are limited in our prosecution.”
• With the holiday shopping season about to begin, Florida National Bank was encouraging people to sign up for its new “Charge Plan Card” that was valid at more than 700 establishments in Duval County. The plan allowed customers to present their card instead of cash for purchases and at the end of the month receive a single bill for all transactions. If the balance was paid within 30 days, there was no service charge.
• The importance of the U.S. Navy’s development of nuclear propulsion for its vessels was outlined to members of the South Jacksonville Rotary Club. Rear Adm. John Hayward, assistant chief of naval operations for research and development, was the principal speaker on a program that emphasized the observance of Veterans Day.
• David Crichton, British consul at Miami, addressed the English-Speaking Union at the group’s meeting at the Florida Yacht Club. He said economic interdependence and the exchange of ideas among the free nations of the world would “do more than rockets and bombs to impress favorably peoples under Communist influence.”
• The City Commission was concerned about what was described as “deplorable conditions” of the football turf and scoreboard at the Gator Bowl (now Jacksonville Municipal Stadium). On motion of Commissioner Lou Ritter, the body voted to send a letter to the City’s Recreation Board asking that immediate steps be taken to put the field in good playing shape by resodding it before the University of Florida vs. University of Miami game on Nov. 29. “The lights on the scoreboard should also be put in the proper shape so spectators can read the clock and other data,” said Ritter.
• One of the tuba players in the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra noticed his instrument was broken just minutes before a youth concert was to begin in the Duval County Armory. Symphony Conductor Dr. James Christian Pfohl dispatched another tuba player, Louis Rivetti, to Andrew Jackson High School to see if a tuba could be borrowed for the performance since the instrument provided important background for guest artist Gerson Yessin’s performance of “Rhapsody in Blue.” Rivetti missed most of the concert but toward the end, he ran the length of the hall carrying a sousaphone and took the stage along with Yessin just in time for the finale.
• The State Baptist Convention announced it would construct a new headquarters building on the west side of Hendricks Avenue between Gary and Nira streets. Designed by Jacksonville architects W. Kenyon Drake and Associates, the cost of the four-story office building was estimated to be $500,000.
• According to Jack L. Johnson, psychiatric social worker at the Duval Medical Center, only 14 percent of the people in the county were completely free of any mental or emotional disturbances. “Not only does a mental disorder affect conditions in a patient’s home, by bringing about an atmosphere that is strained and emotionally charged it can also affect the earning power of income providers to such an extent that the family may become dependent on community support,” he said.
• The City Commission ordered the dismissal of two policemen, F.W. Crews and W.H. Massey, following an 11-hour administrative trial. The pair was found to be guilty of damaging outdoor telephone booths and stealing money from one of them during their off-duty hours.