The Biedenharn Family Opens Monroe’s Coca Cola Plant

The last picture I will share of the Mac Ward collection, is one showing Mr. Ward interviewing the Biedenharn family for the grand opening of the Monroe Coca Cola plant in 1968. Only Representative Otto Passman is identified. He is the man on the far left. Mac Ward is the dark haired man, second from … Continue reading The Biedenharn Family Opens Monroe’s Coca Cola Plant

The First American in Space Makes a Stop in Monroe

Here is another photo from the Mac Ward collection, showing Mr. Ward interviewing the great astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. in Monroe. I found a newspaper article that stated he stopped in Monroe with his family on the way to Houston, TX where they were moving! The stop happened July 29, 1962, a little over … Continue reading The First American in Space Makes a Stop in Monroe

Mac Ward, Claire Chennault and Whiting Willauer

This picture was found in the collection of Mac Ward, housed in the Special Collections Department. Mac was a beloved fixture of KNOE News for many years. https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/oplib-pho%3A746 The man on the far left remains unidentified. The man on the far right, Whiting Willauer, was a cofounder (with Chennault) of the Civil Air Transport (CAT) … Continue reading Mac Ward, Claire Chennault and Whiting Willauer

The Monroe Country Club, Circa 1913

Australia comes through again! This time, with two exterior shots of the Monroe Country Club. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-150289157/view https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-150289352/view I have posted in the past links to some interior shots of this building also found in Australia. What brought this to mind, is that in January, my boss Cyndy brought down a file she found in Special … Continue reading The Monroe Country Club, Circa 1913

The Negro Motorist Green-Book – 1940

Lets say you were an African-American living in the United States decades before the Civil Rights movement. You wanted to take your family on vacation out of state, but didn't know what businesses were safe to stay at. You couldn't just walk into any hotel and ask for a room! This little guide became a … Continue reading The Negro Motorist Green-Book – 1940

A Proposed New Building For the Monroe Academy

Wouldn't this have been a gorgeous building? This was published in the Monroe News Star back in 1913. Professor Foster and the trustees of the Monroe Academy were looking to expand the school space and the following conceptual drawing was made. It never happened to my knowledge. Ten years later, Monroe Colored High School would … Continue reading A Proposed New Building For the Monroe Academy