May 23

May 23, 1894: Outlaw Bill Dalton and gang members Jim Wallace, Jim Nite and Judd Nite rode into Longview and robbed the First National Bank. The gunfight that followed at Fredonia and Bank streets was one of the Old West’s biggest, with 200 shots fired…

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May 22

May 22, 1961: It was R.G. LeTourneau Appreciation Day as the industrialist returned from New York, where he received the International Progress Award from the American Society of Tool and Manufacturing Engineers. “The great honor which you have receive…

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May 21

May 21, 1991: In its first major action, the newly organized County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit arrested more than 45 suspects in Gregg, Upshur and Smith counties on charges of delivering cocaine. The busts were made by 25 officers of the Gregg Cou…

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May 20

May 20, 1971: The names of some who made it possible were memorialized at the dedication of McWhorter Park. Bleachers near James Gibson Field were packed as Mayor Lois K. Jackson read names on a memorial plaque. Among them were city commissioners, park…

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May 19

May 19, 1955: The president and other executives of Trailmobile Inc. were welcomed after buying a building to begin manufacturing operations in the city. Longview News and Journal Publisher Carl Estes hosted a reception attended by R.G. LeTourneau, H.H…

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May 18

May 18, 1948: A $10,000 loan was made to Gregg County to hire an architect and consultant to design and plan a county hospital. The loan was co-signed by Carl L. Estes, publisher of the Longview News and Journal, and Roy H. Laird, mayor of Kilgore.

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May 17

May 17, 2005: Longview entertainer Neal McCoy was named the humanitarian of the year by the Academy of Country Music for raising more than $3 million through his East Texas Angel Network. The award financed construction of Neal McCoy Playground in Spri…

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May 16

May 16, 1972: A $13.26 million federal order received by the Marathon LeTourneau Co. would lead to a substantial employment increase. The order, for 156,000 metal parts for 750-pound bombs, would enable the company to add a night shift and operate at f…

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May 15

May 15, 1943: An election was conducted to determine if Spring Hill Common School District No. 12 should become an independent school district, and for election of seven trustees, up from three. They were C.C. Clemens, S.C. Rundell, R.L. Magrill, J.W. …

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May 14

May 14, 1974: Metroflight Airlines began service between Longview, Tyler and Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport after receiving temporary certification for operations from the Texas Aeronautics Commission a day earlier in Austin. The certification was …

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