This week in Wills Point History Friday, Feb. 26, 1960

Dick Senter was elected president of the Rotary Club for the year 1960-61. He will take over his duties on July 1, along with the other new officers. Jim Burden was elected vice-president, Ralph McLeod was re-elected secretary-treasurer, and R.M. Hooks was chosen director. Serving with Mr. Hooks will be F.M. Hollandsworth and W.T. Russell, holdover directors. In the absence of C.D. Cates, program chairman, R.K. Crow was introduced as special speaker by Roy Curtis.

Open house of the local schools Thursday night, March 3, will highlight Public Schools Week to be observed by the Wills Point schools, Feb. 28-March 4.  All departments of the schools will be open for visitation where the students work will be on display. Parents and friends are invited to attend and visit with the teachers and students in each of the rooms and see their work.

The Van Zandt Dairy Association will hold its first quarterly meeting in Canton, Monday, Feb. 29, according to Alf Foster, president of the association. Charlie Davis, entomologist, and Shannon Carpenter, dairy specialist, will be on the program, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the county courtroom. At noon, R.E. Herrin Feed and Seed Co. of Wills Point will be host to the dairymen for luncheon at the Service Café. L.R. Williams, assistant manager of the North Texas Production Association, will be the guest speaker at the luncheon. His subject will be “Marketing Milk in the North Texas Area.

Proclamation: Whereas the World Day of Prayer has been designated on an international, interdenominational interracial basis to join the people of the world together in the furtherance of the doctrine: “Labourers Together with God,” I, W.H. Wingo, Jr., Mayor of Will Point, do hereby proclaim Friday, March 4, 1960, the World Day of Prayer. Signed, W.H. Wingo, Jr., Mayor.

Miss Carolyn Mayfield, Wills Point F.F.A. Sweetheart, participated in the annual area sweetheart contest held in Texarkana at the Texarkana College auditorium Tuesday. Miss Mayfield, the daughter of Mrs. John D. Mayfield, is a Wills Point high school senior, president of the band, drum major, and is song leader for the young people’s Sunday School department of the First Baptist Church. Sweethearts from 92 schools participated in the contest, which will be highlight of the Area F.F.A. convention.

The Future Farmer Chapter of Wills Point has two boys applying for Lone Star Farmer. They are David Adams, and Wannie Sprague. These two boys have completed two years of Vocational Agriculture.

Mr. and Mrs. Albert H. Berry, Jr., of Houston announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Phyllis Edna to Gordon Russell Wynne, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon R. Wynne. The wedding will be solemnized on Friday. April 4, in the First Methodist Church in Houston. Miss Berry received her schooling at St. Johns and the University of Texas. She has been a duchess in the Tyler Rose Festival and in 1956 was presented as a debutante. Mr. Wynne attended Culver Military Academy and graduated from the University of Texas with a B.A. and Law degree. (See newspaper for complete article and picture.)

Mr. and Mrs. Boyd Davis, Route 4, Wills Point, announces the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Janice to Pvt. Raymond Ray Weatherford on March 19. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond D. Weatherford, Route 1, Greenville. Miss Davis is a 1959 graduate of Wills Point High School and is now employed as secretary for the First Baptist Church, Wills Point. Pvt. Weatherford is a 1959 graduate of Lone Oak high school and is now serving in the United States Army at Fort Sill, Okla. The couple plan to make their home at Fort Sill, Okla. (See newspaper for picture.)

On Wednesday Feb. 17, the Wednesday Book Club was entertained at home of Mrs. D.L. Bateman with Mrs. Seth Walton as co-hostess. The nominating committee, Mrs. Tommye Sadler, Mrs. Seth Walton and Mrs. D.L. Bateman reported the officers for 1960-61; Mrs. W.O. Hullum, president; Mrs. W.H. Wingo, Jr. vice -president; Mrs. George Boswell, secretary and Mrs. J.E. Deen, treasurer.

The Wills Point F.F.A. was organized in 1931. When first started a total of 30 boys were enrolled in Vocational Agriculture. Jess J. Shaw was the first Wills Point advisor and kept the position for eight years.  He was the first Vocational Agriculture teacher in the county. The Wills Point Chamber of Commerce sponsored this organization when it first started (See newspaper for complete article.)

Funeral services for Mrs. Ernest W. Conn were held in the First Baptist Church of Wills Point Saturday morning, Feb. 20. Rev. Herbert Garrett, Jr. pastor, and Rev. Robert Kalb, pastor of Russell Memorial Methodist Church, conducted the service. Interment was in Haven of Memories. Rena Pauline Martin, daughter of T.R. and Patsy Martin was born in Copeland, Aug. 14, 1898. She was married to Ernest W. Conn, Jan. 18, 1918 and to this union five sons were born. The eldest, little John Thomas, preceded her in death. (See newspaper for complete obituary and names of survivors.)

These articles have been extracted from original copies of the Wills Point Chronicle and may be viewed on microfilm at the Van Zandt County Library of Genealogy and Local History, located in the courthouse annex in Canton.