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 differences may be, so are the similarities. These are some of the top stories from this week in 1960. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• A week after the municipal coliseum was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, Jacksonville became part of sports history when the Eastern Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers defeated the New York Rovers 3-1 in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 8,609 in the new $3 million covered arena. It was the first professional ice hockey game ever played in Florida, breaking what was called at the time the “Sun Barrier.”
It was noted that “Floridians long accustomed to the rugged contact of Southeastern Conference football” were expected to “go for the icy sport in a big way.”
The game was also expected to be the city’s first step toward having its own EHL team.
• A ruling by Circuit Judge William H. Maness declaring 20 magazines sold at a local newsstand to be obscene was affirmed unanimously by the 1st District Court of Appeal.
County Solicitor Lacy Mahon Jr. said he would call on City police and the sheriff’s office to make arrests of purveyors of material of the same nature declared obscene by Maness.
Arthur Gutman, the attorney representing magazine interests, said he was considering petitioning the Florida Supreme Court for review.
“What I am concerned with here is protection from invasion of freedom of the press,” said Gutman.
• Businessman Van Etten Bent was elected president of the Meninak Club of Jacksonville to succeed William E. Scheu.
William G. Colmery was elected treasurer of the club. Seven new directors were also elected: Irvin Woods, Louis Aichel, Herbert F. Underwood, Hubert Mehaffey, Phillip S. May Jr., George J. Ellis and Arch J. Cassidy.
Sharing the spotlight with the new officers at the club’s weekly luncheon at the Mayflower Hotel were the principals, coaches and band directors of Duval County high schools.
Plans were outlined for the 28th annual Meninak charity football game to be played in the Gator Bowl that week by Robert E. Lee and Terry Parker high schools. Caroline Day, supervisor of music for the county school system, said that nine high school bands would be on the field for pre-game and halftime activities.
It was also announced that the speaker at the following week’s luncheon would be City Commissioner Louis H. Ritter, who would discuss the expansion of Jacksonville’s city limits.
• The head of a bill collection agency was ordered held under $5,000 bond on grand larceny charges by Justice of the Peace Dorcas Drake.
John Victor Brown, who used the alias James D. Bradstreet, was taken into custody in a Downtown hotel on a complaint filed by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kay of 209 Ninth Ave. N. in Jacksonville Beach, said Chief County Criminal Investigator J.C. Patrick.
Brown was charged with larceny of $2,500 from Kay and was also awaiting trial in St. Petersburg on charges of misrepresentation.
According to Patrick, Kay met Brown at the hotel in answer to an advertisement concerning an investment. Brown said he was forming a firm called Credit Guild of America Inc., which would sell subscriptions to merchants for $39.50 each to guarantee collections of 25 percent on delinquent accounts.
Brown offered Kay the position of office manager if he would show good faith by investing $2,500 in the venture. Kay was promised a monthly salary of $400.
Kay gave Brown a check for $1,000 and a 90-day promissory note for the remaining $1,500. Kay said Brown authorized him to purchase office furniture and open the business at 430 W. Monroe St.
Checking on Brown, Kay was referred to the Tampa Chamber of Commerce, which in turn referred him to Tampa police.
Kay consulted Patrick, who with Deputies J.L. Suber and R.W. Grant arrested Brown after he hedged on returning Kay’s money.
• The Jacksonville Beach City Council voted to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages on Christmas Day and to allow sales to continue until 4 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
The amendment to the ordinance required vendors to halt the sale of intoxicants at 2 a.m. Dec. 25, the regular daily closing time. Sales of whiskey, beer, wine or other spirits could not resume until 7 a.m. Dec. 26 when that date fell on any day other than Sunday. If Dec. 26 was a Sunday, sales could not resume until the regular opening time of 2 p.m.