ONE YEAR AGO

O'Hara Chandler, a member of the Diboll High School graduating class of 1926, celebrates his 100th birthday with family and friends at the home Martha and George Chandler.

The recent University Interscholastic League realignment moves Diboll High School from District 20-3A to District 18-3A along with Huntington, Carthage, Center, Rusk and Jasper. The district will also include Hudson and Pollok Central for basketball.

Lufkin Boys Select Soccer team wins the Cy-Fair Valentine Classic soccer tournament. Team members include Bobby Bowman, Alex Grimaldo, Antoine Bravo, Scott Bailey, Leo Rodriquez, Javy Escobedo, Ivan Escobedo, R.J. Jacildo, Miguel Rivera, Kendall Cole, Austin Dubose, Jeff Slusher, Fabian Reyes, Carlos Castro and Coaches Jose Escobedo and Carolyn Dubose. The select team is made up of members from Diboll, Lufkin, Hudson and Central schools.

The Ellen Trout Zoo, "The Wildest Place in Town," announce the return of Blackbuck antelopes and a new male African Lion to the zoo.

Diboll High School Mock Trial team wins first at regional and will advance to state competition. This will mark the second time at state but the first time in the history of Diboll High School for its students to place first. Team members include Rachel Oates, Jonathan Coleman, Esteban Gonzales, Carlos Palomo, Francisco Salas, Jorge Ojeda and Stephy Corres.

FIVE YEARS AGO

The removal of a pedestrian footbridge spanning White Oak Creek in the Carter Drive area spark calls from homeowners in the neighborhood to replace it "before a kid gets hurt really bad," says the wife of one councilman. Home owners state the bridge needs to be replaced to allow for students to access the junior high campus safely.

Woodland Heights Medical Center in Lufkin names new marketing team. The team will include Yana Pounders Bullock, director of marketing; Connie Kennedy, director of community services; and Laura Yakovsky, marketing representative.

Texas Forestry Museum in Lufkin opens two new exhibits, "Plants of the Lewis & Clark Expedition" and "On the Map: The Evolution of Mapping."

Diboll High School basketball standout Jermichael Finley scores 35 and 40 points in leading Diboll to big wins over Jasper and Newton as the Lumberjacks of Coach Kevin Hurley improve to 28-1 season and 10-1 district record.

Angelina College adopts new tuition rate for in-district students and out-of-district students. There is an increase of $4 per semester hour for in-district students and the new increase for out-of-district students will be $8 per semester hour. The new rates will raise revenue for AC by approximately $600,000.

TEN YEARS AGO

Angelina County commissioners authorize the purchase of 11 new patrol cars and an inmate transport van for the county sheriff's department. The sheriff's department auctions off 33 vehicles that had been seized by the county in drug interdictions and other cases.

Diboll artist/sculptor Jim Ligon exhibits his historic sculptures depicting Buffalo Soldiers on horseback at the Diboll T.L.L. Temple Memorial Library as part of Black History Month.

Amy Alaine St. Ama of Diboll weds Jerry Michael Cobb of Diboll in afternoon ceremony held at the First United Methodist Church in Diboll officiated by the Rev. Ross Poteet.

Crockett Bulldogs basketball squad outguns Diboll Lumberjacks 97-92 in district action that puts Diboll 6-6 in league play and damages the Jacks hopes for the playoffs.

Twenty-four students of J.D.'s ATA Black Belt Academy compete in regional tournament held in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Some winners from the tournament include Jimmie Woodard, first in forms/third in sparring; Hollis Darby, second in forms/second in sparring; Anthony Rice, third in forms/first in sparring; Benjamin Emerson, first in forms/third in sparring; Angie Bentley, first in forms/first in sparring and Jacob Luman, first in forms/first in sparring.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

A new 2-½ -ton, four-wheel drive truck is purchased by the city of Diboll for use by the Diboll Volunteer Fire Department. It will be used for fighting grass fires and also back up other equipment on house fires and in rescue work.

Henry B. Fox, syndicated humor columnist for newspapers around the country dies at 78. His column, called locally "The Stovall Creek Philosopher," appeared in The Free Press for more than 30 years.

More than 30,000 pine trees on the Neches District of the Davy Crockett National Forest have died, presumably killed by the drought.

Lufkin city commissioners approve $266,858 budget cut to meet demands of January's property tax rollback. Every city service will be hit.

Temple-Inland Inc. announce its board of directors adopted a Shareholder Rights Plan in which preferred stock purchase rights will be distributed as a dividend at the rate of one right for each common share held as of the close of business.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

A Southern Pacific freight train slams into a Corrigan- Camden school bus at a downtown crossing, injuring five students seriously enough for hospitalization and slightly injuring 21 other students and the driver.

Diboll school trustees meet in special session to review 52 applications they received for the job of head coach and athletic director for Diboll High School.

Lufkin High School Panthers basketball team wins District 14-4A championship by defeating Tyler Lee 60- 59. The Panthers will advance to challenge either Plano or Lake Highlands for the bi-district title.

Employees of lumber dealers across the United States attend a wood products seminar hosted by the Temple Division of Temple-Eastex. The dealers toured all Temple plants and made a bus tour to some Temple-Eastex forests.

Local author Bill Fewell, best known as a humorist whose work has appeared in area newspapers, publishes his first full length novel, "The Captain's Rose." Fewell is a retired merchant seaman who now works for Temple Industries in Diboll. Fewell states that his novel is "basically a love story with Cinderella overtures."