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 published in the Florida Times-Union 50 years ago this week. These items were compiled by Staff Writer Max Marbut from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives.
• Jacksonville Naval Air Station began serving as a training base for Military Air Transport Service (MATS) pilots. “We picked Jacksonville chiefly because of its unbeatable combination of weather and facilities,” said Lt. Cmdr. A.G. Gilmore, MATS assistant operations officer. MATS was headquartered at McGuire Air Force Base in Trenton, N.J. but air traffic near New York City and many days of less than favorable weather there made it difficult for pilots to train.
• The County Commission authorized advertisements for bids on new 1958 and 1959 model automobiles for the Duval County Patrol. County Patrol Chief William F. Johnston had requested six cars to add to the fleet of 30 already on the road. He said the cars were needed to “cope with the increasing policing problem of the county.”
• City Councilman Clyde C. Cannon, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, announced there would be 10 days of hearings on the proposed 1959 City budget. The first session was scheduled to be held “in the air-conditioned City Commission meeting room.” On Sept. 23 the Commission passed along to the Council a proposed budget totaling $64,563,063.60, an increase of almost $9 million over the 1958 budget.
• The Northeast Florida Alumni Chapter of the Virginia Military Institute elected William Bostwick as its president at a dinner meeting held at the River Club. Also elected were Col. Paul D. Troxler, vice president and Emmett R. Langley III secretary-treasurer. Plans were also made for a large delegation to attend the Oct. 18 VMI vs. University of Tampa football game at Tampa.
• Bill Gibbs, an actor with the Little Theatre of Jacksonville for 10 years, was named Best Actor for the 1957-58 season. He was recognized for his role as a Sakini in “Teahouse of the August Moon.” Marion Connor was chosen Best Actress for her performance as Blanche in “Streetcar Named Desire.” Best Supporting Actress honors went to Dorothy Portnoy for her work as The Empress in “Anastasia” and John Tacey was selected Best Supporting Actor for his role as Lord Frobisher in “Jane.” Backstage honors were given to Esther Mae Blankenbeckler and Bob Kornegay.
• It was announced the Atlantic Coast Railroad would break ground Oct. 16 for its new 17-story waterfront headquarters building (now the CSX Building).
• The Jacksonville Secretarial School at 304 N. Main St. could train “men or women 19 to 50” to be an IBM keypunch operator. Described as “The most fascinating machine a person could operate,” those trained on IBM’s new device could earn as much as $70 per week.