<p>Ossamus Hitch Methvin pulled his hat lower on his brow, shielding his eyes from glare. His wife, Margaret, huddled next to him on the wagon, keeping their two little boys tucked close.</p>
As Longview continues its sesquicentennial celebration, one particular program aims to involve the community’s children.
Feb. 25, 1956: Southwestern Gas and Electric Co. said a new 75,000-kilowatt generating unit at Lake Cherokee was set to begin operations. It operated at about half-load pending delivery of transformers, which were delayed. When in full operation with other units already in place, Knox Lee would be the largest plant in Southwestern’s system.
Feb. 24, 1977: Dust storms that reminded some Longview residents of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s left as much as 2 inches of dust on top of cars in some parts of town. The dust-carrying winds were no help to firefighters who had battled grass fires for t…
Feb. 23, 1939: Nearly 100 parents and schoolchildren turned out for a meeting at the Campus Ward School to plan organization of a Boy Scout Cub pack. An explanation of the program was given by Harry Hyams and his Kiwanis Club committee, which is organizing cub packs in Longview.
<p>Two years of planning culminated Saturday night in a party that drew between 1,200 and 1,300 guests to celebrate Longview’s 150<sup>th</sup> birthday.</p>
Feb. 22, 1978: Former California governor and presidential candidate Ronald Reagan campaigned in Longview, stumping for District 4 congressional candidate Frank Glenn of Flint. Reagan sidestepped questions about whether he’d be a candidate for president again in 1980.
Feb. 21, 1936: A March 17 election was set to decide whether a $100,000 airport would be built in Gregg County. Unexplained was Kilgore’s last-minute action for a fight on the election after initially appearing before the Commissioners Court in support of the plan.
Feb. 20, 1970: Texas International Airlines announced six daily roundtrips to Dallas, including three with a 40-passenger Convair 600 jetliner, would begin March 1. The new schedule between Longview and Love Field would “provide a variety of convenient commuter schedules.”
Feb. 19, 1950: The new Pinewood School, located in the Pinewood Park addition in South Longview, had a Sunday afternoon open house after its first week in operation. It had opened Monday with 225 students and eight teachers, relieving crowding in other ward schools.