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SNAP Back In Time takes a look back at newsmakers from yesteryear.

Friday, Jan. 2, 1981

Weather

The year 1980 continued the cooler-than-average trend which had been noted for several years.

The average temperature was 58.70 degrees, which was slightly higher than the previous two years. The average high temperature was 69.96 degrees, with the average low reading 46.39 degrees. The temperature extremes ranged from a low of 5 degrees March 3 to a high of 103 July 16.

Comparison

The recap for 1980 from The SNAP was somewhat similar to that of 2020: “Unfortunately for many, 1980 was not the best of years, and many were not sorry to see it leave.”

Pageant

Amanda Claire Yandle of Albemarle was crowned Nation’s “Wee Miss” Most Beautiful Majorette at George Wythe Auditorium in Wytheville, Virginia in the annual national pageant competition sponsored by the National Majorette Association.

She was required to model in a party dress and majorette costume. The winner was selected for natural beauty, poise, projection and modeling ability by five judges.

Amanda, who celebrated her sixth birthday Dec. 13, was accompanied by her parents, Jim and Virginia Yandle, her sister, Amie, and her friend, Cris Studley. She was in kindergarten at Endy Elementary School.

Friday, Dec. 31, 1965

Church Completed

The congregation of South Stanly Baptist Church used its new sanctuary for the first time Dec. 26. It would seat 256 people. It began as a mission sponsored by Bethlehem Baptist Church in May 1962 and formally organized into a church in December 1964.

Australia

Two Alcoa Badin Works families would leave in mid-January for a year of temporary duty at Alcoa’s Point Henry Smelting Works in Australia. The employees were G. Chad Efird of Endy and Eddie J. Parker of Richfield. Both were potroom shift foremen.

Safety

The year 1966 would mark the beginning of safety inspection for motor vehicles in Stanly County and through North Carolina. The inspection law was scheduled to go into effect Feb. 15 and before the end of the year all motor vehicles would be inspected. Inspections would be made at approved private garages and the fee would be $1.50 per vehicle.

Bank

The First National Bank would begin construction in mid-January on a new branch banking facility in East Albemarle.

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1981

Cannon

Cannon Mills Company, which operated 19 manufacturing plants in 11 communities in North and South Carolina, including Wiscassett Mills Company in Albemarle, announced it expected to be purchased for $380 million by a small group of private investors from New York.

Roads

Ken Thomas, director of Emergency Medical Services, was scheduled to meet with county commissioners Monday night to ask approval of an application for state funds to assist with the county’s road naming project.

It was hoped that assistance would be available through the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. The planned called for naming of all secondary roads in the county and the installment at all intersections of road name signs. Following this, all residences and businesses along the roads would be assigned address numbers.

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 1966

First Baby

Charles Edward Eudy was Stanly’s first baby of 1966. He was born to Mr. and Mrs. Claude Ernest Eudy of New London at 1:25 a.m. Sunday, two months earlier than expected, weighing in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces. Attending physician was Dr. Joseph Ross.

Big Lick

Rev. James Pressley, a native of Union County, had accepted a call to become pastor of Big Lick Baptist Church.

1965 In Review

1965 would be remembered as one of progress and prosperity in Stanly County.

Albemarle had embarked upon a new policy to improve downtown conditions. The first municipal parking lot had been opened.

A number of industrial plants had been constructed by Ware Knitters, Blain Hosiery Mill and Federal Pacific Electrical Company. Substantial expansions had been reported by Jefferies Southern Processors, Inc., E.J. Snyder Company, Austin Knitting Mills, Stanly Knitting Mills and Cassie Cotillion.

Jan. 5, 1951

First Baby

At the hospital the SNAP photographer had tried tickling the feet of the brand new 1951 baby, Mary Ellen Palmer, to get her to smile for a picture. But Mary Ellen just yawned in the arms of nurse Georgie Alexander while her mother, Francis Palmer, looked proudly on for the front page photo.

Friday, Jan. 9, 1981

Cannon

William E. “Bill” Frye, who was director of vocational education for the last 18 months, was named maintenance supervisor for Stanly County Schools Wednesday at the board’s January meeting. He had been in the SCS system for nearly 18 years, beginning in 1962 as a teacher of industrial arts at South Stanly. He had also taught vocational education at South, served as assistant principal there and as principal at Millingport Elementary.

Bridge

Back in September 1929, George Griffin was an employee helping construct a steel bridge across Rocky River to connect Stanly and Union counties. Before construction was completed, he laid some timbers across a section of the bridge and drove his Ford Model T pickup across it. On Wednesday, Griffin, now 79, drove his late model pickup across the bridge, thus making him the first and last person to cross the bridge, as a new bridge had recently been completed. This was one of the last remaining steel bridges in the state.

Friday, Jan. 7, 1966

Post Office

The Post Office Department had awarded a contract for a new post office in Albemarle. It would be located on South First Street.