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© Copyright 2003 EPICS TCHA Team at Purdue University, All Rights Reserved.
Bert and June Loeb gave the Purdue Research Foundation $1 million, and on Feb. 15, Bert Loeb retired from his long career in retailing.
Three Lafayette men died in a private plane crash into Lake Pontchartrain in fog near New Orleans, La.: pilot Thomas Smith, 24; James P. Dickerson, 28; and William A. Landes, 19.
American Legion Post 11, organized in 1920, took over the Club Avalon building and grounds in a valley east of South Ninth Street for its new and larger Legion Home.
Plans were announced for a merger of the Clarks Hill and Stockwell schools, with the upper six grades going to Stockwell.
Sunnyside Junior High School was dedicated.
Dr. Arett C. Arnett, long-time Lafayette physician and surgeon and co-founder of the Arnett-Crockett Clinic, died at 72.
Lafayette's first city-owned public parking lot opened with 30 spaces at the northeast corner of Ninth and Main streets. More off-street parking for the crowded downtown area was being planned by Lafayette Parking, Inc.
A 77-year-old Soldiers Home resident died of injuries after his car hit a pole off North River Road. This ended West Lafayette's record of 1,222 days without a traffic fatality.
Salk polio vaccine having been approved, plans were announced to inject 5,500 Tippecanoe school children starting on April 18.
National Homes Corporation offered Lafayette public schools a six-room prefabricated school with kindergarten and office if the school board would acquire land and pay set-up costs. This led to opening on Sept. 6 of Edgelea School in south Lafayette, in the Edgelea Subdivision where home-building began in 1954. It was believed to be the nation's first prefabricated school. On Aug. 5, Brown Rubber Company donated 210 soft plastic seats for Edgelea classrooms.
Jesse C. Andrew, Sr., West Point farmer and state legislator, died at 66.
In primary elections, West Lafayette Democrats nominated Ruth Steer, the city's first woman mayoral candidate. She defeated Dr. Paul Risk 264-143. In Lafayette, a Republican race for an at-large City Council nomination, after a recount, showed 2,163 votes each for Keith Schilling and M.M. Goodnight. On June 13 the Republican City Committee nominated Schilling 60-45.
Voters in Perry and Sheffield townships defeated a plan to merge their public schools 556 to 333.
Bishop John G. Bennett announced closing of St. Francis High School for Girls effective June 1. The building would be used for the School of Nursing at St. Elizabeth Hospital. Plans also were announced for construction of a co-educational Catholic high school by 1957. In operation 27 years, St. Francis had a student body of 140. Between September and Nov. 11, a drive raised pledges to finance the $1 million high school, to be called Central Catholic.
Rea Magnet Wire Company, based in Fort Wayne, Ind., announced plans to build a plant on Lafayette's southeast side.
Lafayette Life Insurance Company announced plans to build a home office at 18th Street and Earl Avenue [later renamed Teal Road] on 20 acres once part of Shambaugh Airport.
Republican Kenneth R. Snyder defeated Democrat John B. Hudson for mayor in Lafayette 6,388 to 6,195. In West Lafayette, Republican Fred L. Willis topped Ruth Steer 2,126 to 1,362.
Purdue football coach "Stu" Holcomb resigned to become athletic director at Northwestern University. Purdue named assistant coach Jack Mollenkopf to succeed Holcomb.
Duncan Electric Company sold 30 acres on Elmwood Avenue to Vinton Homes Inc., handler of commercial property for Price & Price Inc. Construction of Market Square Shopping Center on the site soon began.
Lafayette's U.S. District Court opened on the second floor of the Federal Building with Judge W. Lynn Parkinson presiding.