The Enterprise-Tocsin is both excited and grateful to announce that Charlotte Buchanan has agreed to dive into the pages of the past of The E-T and tell some of the history of Sunflower County.
Each week, Buchanan will take one story in particular and expound on it. Enjoy!
JANUARY 1919
100 Years Ago
Mrs. R. S. Johnson was united in marriage to Mr. W. G. Anderson in the parlor of the Cowan Hotel in Greenville with Rev. Charles McGehee officiating. She is one of Indianola’s finest and best ladies.
JANUARY 1969
50 Years Ago
The Indianola Indians defeated Inverness High School 47/42 with Richard Duease being high scorer with 22 points.
Eleven Sunflower County students made the Dean’s List at Mississippi State University. Reggie H. Boone, Jr., Henry Wilson Ray, Jr., Mrs. Paula Carr Thompson Sue Carroll Word, and Jimmy Bell.
JANUARY 1994
25 Years Ago
For the second time in six months, the Indianola City Officials had to reimburse a citizen money which was stolen from the Indianola Police Department. Mayor James Hutcherson told aldermen that $200 belonging to Willie Beckworth had been taken. Interim Police Chief Jack Sessums said there was no way of proving what really was confiscated because of “sloppy work” by some of the officers.
Indianola Area Planning Commission Chairman, Opie Little resigned his position at the last meeting. Elmo Hickingbottom was named temporary chairman and Emily Smith was named assistant chairman.
Morris Lewis, Jr. one of Indianola’s longtime leaders died last Saturday. He was former head of Lewis Grocer Company and Supervalu and leaves a legacy of achievement.
JANUARY 2003
16 Years ago
Trey and Megan Donahoe, Ty Smith, Anna Claire Sykes, and Morgan McDowell will be among the youngsters exhibiting their livestock at the 61st annual Livestock Show this Saturday.
Elizabeth Cooper Prichard died January 25, 2004 at the South Sunflower County Hospital. She was the widow of Waldemar Landry Prichard of Inverness
Duease’s Storied High School Basketball Career
Fifty years ago, Richard Duease was a star basketball player for the Indianola Indians. He was the high scorer in Indianola High School’s win over arch rival Inverness High School Last year, he went down in sports history books as the high school coach with the most wins ever in Mississippi. The road to the honor wasn’t always easy.
“I was six hours away from receiving a degree in business from Mississippi State University. I was sitting in a classroom and admitted to myself, this isn’t for me. I got up and walked out and later graduated with a degree in physical education,” Duease said.
His family owned two department stores in Indianola at the time and he was expected to come home to work with his parents.
“I begged them to let me try being a basketball coach for one year and then I would come home to work,” he said.
That never happened. Duease went on to win 11 high school basketball championships, nine as a boys’ coach and two as a girls’ coach.
He was named Coach of the Year 22 times during his career
Duease said he does have one regret about his basketball life.
“When I was a senior in high school, the school systems were in turmoil. It was the year of integration. I transferred to Indianola Academy at the beginning of the second semester. They already had their basketball team in place and the transfers were not allowed to play. I really wanted to stay at Indianola High School and finish my senior year and play basketball,” he said.
When asked if he remembered the win over Inverness High School when he was the high scorer, he chuckled and said, “I always tended to remember the losses rather than the wins”.
