50 YEARS AGO
May 21 - 29, 1958
The Browntown School enjoyed their last picnic.  Those attending were Jeanie Garfield, Durene Pennington, Twila Perry, Donna Defore, Kim Pennington, Chuck Defore, and Mike Walker.
The first official meeting of the Augusta Teen-Age Traffic Safety Association was held.
H.G. Hutcheson, Gazette managing editor, announced the sale of his one-fifth interest in the Gazette Publishing Co.  They buyer was D.J. “Jack” Zerbe, publisher of the Winfield, Iowa Beacon since 1939.

40 YEARS AGO
May 22 - 30, 1968
The group counseling program at Augusta High School was cited by the Kansas State Department of Education and National Office of Education as one of the outstanding programs in the nation.
Fred W. Burr, 5th District Highway Commissioner, announced that Augusta would definitely have a four-lane highway east to Pickrell Corner within 4 to 5 years.
Two hundred eighty-one people attended the opening day of the season at the city pool.

30 YEARS AGO
May 19 - 29, 1978
Noah Morris, chairman of the board for Augusta Prairie State Bank, was recognized for 50 years of distinguished banking service.
Amos Williams, pastor of Augusta’s First Church of the Nazarene, was going to retire after 14 years of service in Augusta.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for new additions were held at Garfield and Lincoln Elementary schools.

20 YEARS AGO
May 23 - 31, 1988
AHS seniors Jennifer Hillier and Gus Garcia were honored as Oriole Athletes of the Year.  Hillier was planning to attend Kansas State and Garcia planned to attend Butler County Community College.
Crews were working at the old Mobil Refinery dismantling the thermal catalytic cracking unit (THC).  The “cat cracker” was an Augusta landmark.
To avoid public confusion between the fire siren and the “take cover” storm warning siren, the City would no longer sound the public siren when firemen were dispatched to fire alarms in the community.

10 YEARS AGO
May 22 - 30, 1998
Former resident and teacher, Mary Van Scyoc was in town for a book signing for her newly released book, “A Lifetime of Chances,” which chronicled her unique family history.
Augusta’s baseball team was headed to the State tournament in Manhattan and the track team had qualified for the State Track Meet in Hesston.
Augustans from all walks of life got themselves “arrested” for a good cause when they participated in Cardiac Arrest, a fundraiser for the American Heart Association.