JU tuition to increase 50 percent, judge denies dismissal of obscenity case
Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville half a century 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 headlines then and today. As interesting as the similarities may be, so are the differences. These are some of the top stories from the week of Nov. 23-29, 1959. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• Bids on the rental of 36 new cars for the Duval County Patrol were received by the County Commission. Apparent low bidder on the 1960 vehicles, pending a study of the offers, was made by American Auto Rentals, Inc. The company offered to supply the County’s choice of three different “popular-priced” cars for $80 per car per month plus 7.9 cents per mile. Calculated at the estimated 1,300,000 total miles put on all the cars in a year it would cost the County about $147,000.
Another bid was submitted by Gordon Thompson Chevrolet Company which bid $74.50 per car per month plus 9.9 cents per mile for a total of $161,000.
The commission awarded a contract to Lynch-Davidson Motors for two 3/4-ton pickup trucks for the County Playground Department on a low bid of $2,529 each. Miller Electric Company submitted the apparent low bid for a softball diamond lighting system at Joe Hammond Park.
Quinn R. Barton Company was apparent low bid on a tractor for the playground department $2,226 and Duval Motor Company was low with a bid of $1,993 for a car for an assistant County engineer. It was noted that since no engineer had been hired the bid would be held in abeyance.
• The Jacksonville Beach Advisory Planning Board held a joint meeting with the City Council and adopted a resolution calling for the establishment of an “Oceanfront Improvement Commission.” The group’s principal task would be to recommend a solution to the unsightly boardwalk problem at Jacksonville Beach.
Besides the members of the board and Council members participating in the session only 16 other people attended. It was noted there was considerable discussion about the need for improving the waterfront, but little mention of how to go about accomplishing it.
• Jacksonville University students were notified of a tuition increase of 50 percent that would become effective in September, 1960. The boost would push tuition fees from $450 per year to $675 per year. Tuition for part-time students taking less than 14 semester hours would be $25 per semester hour, an increase of $10 per hour. University President Franklyn Johnson called attention to the rising cost of operating the school and providing more books, more instructors and increased counseling. At the time, the university was in the midst of a drive to achieve full accreditation of its upper division.
• Eighteen young lawyers were admitted to practice in U.S. District Court. Twelve were from Jacksonville: Robert Judson Boylson, Thomas S. Biggs Jr., George Archie McKendree, James L. Ade, John Edward Houser, James E. Moore Jr., T Edward Austin Jr., Harry Katz Jr., John Wright Mooers, Richard E. Deane, Leonard Whitman Thomas and Howard B. Pearl. The admissions to practice in the federal court were granted in a brief ceremony before U.S. District Judge Bryan Simpson.
• The State won another round in its suit to have 26 periodicals declared obscene when a motion to dismiss the suit, based upon the County solicitor’s failure to include the names of the publishers as defendants, was denied by Circuit Judge William Maness.
Defense attorney Arthur Gutman said the publishers should be included since they stood to lose if the magazines were declared obscene. The only defendant named in the action was Jacob Rachleff, operator of Jake’s Newsstand at 116 Julia St.
Maness observed in denying the motion that the publishers “at their own peril” bring the magazines into the state under Florida laws. He suggested that they intervene in the suit if they felt their rights were being prejudiced.
Final arguments in the case would be presented Dec. 16 and Maness said he would “apply the yardstick” of whether the dominant theme of the magazines was prurience. He said his test would be whether the publications, taken as a whole in the light of community standards, were designed to arouse prurient interest.
Gutman objected that he had only a “one-adjective allegation, that of obscenity” to defend against. He claimed that was wholly insufficient, but was not able to carry the point.
Assistant County Solicitor Hans Tanzler, representing the state, said the contention of the county solicitor was the magazines, taken in their entirety were obscene and the best allegation of that was the periodicals themselves already entered in the court records.
• The Salvation Army’s annual drive for Christmas funds began with ceremonies at the organization’s “Mile of Dimes” board at the corner of Laura and Adams streets. The 1959 goal, said Lt. Col. Harold E. Stout, divisional commander, was $20,000. He said he hoped to realize $9,000 from people who inserted dimes in the board and nine traditional red kettles set up on street corners Downtown. The other $11,000 was anticipated from a letter appeal.
He also said the funds would be “used for a complete program aimed at providing a happy Christmas” for about 12,000 needy and unfortunate persons. Salvation Army workers were planning to provide Christmas dinners for 700 families, gifts for 3,700 people in hospitals and other institutions, parties for the aged and toys and clothing for children.
• A trap set up to snare an extortionist failed to net the suspect.
Lt. J.E. Danson, Deputy Sheriff Doug Vanderbilt and Patrolman Ben Collins spent most of Sunday evening setting a trap intended for a man who attempted to extort the receipts from the night manager of a supermarket in Cedar Hills.
The manager, Al Anderson, told police he received a telephone call from an unidentified man who threatened to kill his family if he did not leave the receipts in a bag at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and Old Middleburg Road. Anderson’s family also received a threatening phone call.
The extortionist gave Anderson details of the store’s operation and said he knew approximately how much money was on hand at the time of the call.
Anderson closed the store about 7:45 p.m. and was picked up by his wife. Collins was hiding in the rear seat of the car. They drove to the intersection and left a bag filled with scraps of paper. Surveillance was called off hours later when the suspect failed to appear to collect the bag.
• Police also arrested a man and his wife on charges of white slavery. George Gus Grouches, 35, a bartender, and his wife, Doris Adele Grouches, 34, were charged with operating for purposes of prostitution in various hotels in the city. Grouches was also charged with transporting his his wife from Houston to Jacksonville for purposes of prostitution. Detectives Albert Johns and Robert Foye arrested the pair in a Downtown hotel.
• Among the less serious crimes committed, police were seeking a thief with bulging pockets. L.J. Wilson, owner of the H&S Billiards Parlor at 216 W. Forsyth St. said his business had been burglarized of $53 in change, including 3,000 pennies.
What was described as an “educated burglar” broke into a car in the 1600 block of Pearl Street. The vehicle’s owner, W.A. Nagle, told officers the only thing stolen was a slide rule valued at $23.18.
• The Jacksonville Post Office issued a call for temporary employees to augment regular postal forces during the holiday mailing rush. About 750 temporary employees were needed, said acting Postmaster Huber Hurst.
He also said only men would be employed because of the “arduous nature of the work.” It was also noted that military veterans seeking the “usual preference accorded them” were required to bring proof of honorable discharge when they applied for the jobs.