20 years ago

January 1989

• U.S. Senator Albert Gore Jr. was to hold an opening meeting in Lafayette on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 5.

• Porsche Cars North America, Inc., had recently promoted former Lafayette resident Richard S. Ford to the position of Vice President, Vehicle Sales and Operations.

• The Lafayette City Council rejected all five bids received on a new backhoe Jan. 2 when it was discovered that a technicality in the bid specifications eliminated all the Ford machines from the bidding.

• Macon County’s two major banking institutions showed combined assets of $172,925,007.13 at the close of business on Dec. 31, 1988, according to a recently-released report by Citizens Bank and Macon Bank and Trust Company.

• The Red Boiling Springs City Council had recently voted to apply for a grant of $1,070,000 from the Tennessee Industrial Infrastructure Program to help construct sewers in the city.

• Macon County’s 1988 Fairest of the Fair Miss Lee Ann Bilbrey was to compete Jan. 19 for the title of Tennessee’s Fairest of the Fairs in Nashville.

• Macon County High School held its Fall Sports Banquet on Saturday night, Jan. 14.

• The Macon County Board of Education bought 131.9 acres of property from Mr. and Mrs. Billy Frank Celsor of Hartsville at a price of $263,000 for land which was to be the eastside sight of a new Macon County High School.

30 years ago

January 1979

• Jerry Mack Hoskins became on Jan. 2 the first blind auctioneer in the state of Tennessee. Billy Barnfield of Lafayette Real Estate helped Hoskins get his apprentice auctioneer’s license.

• Aubrey L. (Doc) West, long time Lafayette businessman and former member of the state legislature, passed away.

• Tuck’s Ready Mix Concrete Company was sold to Garrott Bros. Continuous Mix of Gallatin.

• Lafayette City Council voted to take bids on an elevated roof for Lafayette City Hall.

• James W. Chamberlain was named to the advisory council for the Joe L. Evins Library Foundation.

• A photo by Barry Shrum of Lafayette was chosen to represent Tennessee in the National 4-H Photo Exhibit Contest.

• Named to the Dean’s List at Vol State College were Penny Glover, Brenda Oliver, Dawn Swaffer and Richard Tomlin.

• Susan Driver received her degree from Middle Tennessee State University.

38 years ago

January 1971

• Berlin Doss, president of Macon Farm Bureau, presented their fourth annual agricultural scholarship to Jessie Driver and Joey Holland.

• The first baby of the year born at Lafayette’s Smith-Chitwood hospital was Shane Mark Holland, son of James and Janet Holland of Route 2, Lafayette. The baby arrived Jan. 1 and weighed seven pounds, eight ounces.

• The 1c sales tax in Macon County, which was in its second year, brought in a total of $116,070.09 during 1970, which was more than the previous year, when a total of $106,049.20 was collected locally.

• Miss Georgia Patterson of Red Boiling Springs had been invited to serve as a hostess for portion of an Open House at the Governor’s Mansion as part of Gov. Winfield Dunn’s Inaugural weekend.

• Lafayette Postmaster G.W. Hauskins had been notified by the Memphis Regional Post Office that, effective Jan. 23, 1971, the six rural routes at Lafayette were to be consolidated into five routes, as there was no longer to be a rural route No. 6.

• The Lafayette I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 491 installed officers for 1971 at their regular meeting, including the installment of Philip Harper as Noble Grand.

• A cake walk was to be held Friday night, Jan. 15, at the Country Music Barn just off the public square on Red Boiling Springs Road.

• Glenn Gregory had been selected to be the head coach of the Macon County High School football team. An assistant coach at the school for the three previous seasons, Gregory was to take over for former head coach Dean Fisher, who resigned to take the head coaching position at Haywood High in Brownsville, Tenn., a position Fisher quickly resigned from.