IN 1977 – Some farmers from Douglas and Jefferson counties paraded their tractors through downtown Lawrence as a prelude to a meeting with American Agriculture Movement representatives here. A number of area farmers earlier had refused to take part in a statewide protest, or strike, as some called it, against farm conditions and prevailing prices.

A 50-year-old man identified as a Lawrence-area resident was being held here in the slaying of Vanera Smith, 84, found in her home at 823 Ky. on Nov. 8. She had been beaten to death.

IN 1962 – Local real estate agents said they had mixed reactions to a Douglas County plan to hire an outside professional firm for a total reappraisal of local property. Some said they had serious doubts that outsiders could do as good a job as people already plugged into local values. Officials said they wanted to go “outside” to eliminate “cronyism” by local workers.

Dolan Ellis, former Baker University student, was “making it big” in the entertainment field as a member of the popular New Christy Minstrels group. Later, Ellis branched out on his own and became a popular entertainer in the Scottsdale, Ariz., area. He was an accomplished guitarist as well as a well-known vocalist.

IN 1902 – From the Lawrence Daily World of Dec. 19, 1902: “Prof. E.C. Franklin yesterday accepted the position of associate professor of organic chemistry at Leland Stanford University, his term of service to begin next August. This makes the third professor the university has lost in one year and it also makes the third who has gone to Stanford. Prof. Franklin is one of the ablest men on the hill and the ablest in his special line to be found. He is getting $2,000 per year now and the new job will pay $3,000.”