df1967

Miss Stephanie Longino
1967 Dairy Festival Queen

"Pretty Girls to Share Spotlight
With Cows" Was Featured Headline
of 1967 Dairy Festival Event

by: Bobby McDonald

Things were booming in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County as the community poised to pay tribute to the Hopkins County Dairy Industry, in May of 1967. The City of Sulphur Springs had just held a Grand Opening for the new Water Treatment Plant and the City Council was "hearing pleas" to annex three tracts of land on the northwest side of the city, located at the Municipal Airport, Loop 301, and the Century Lake supply area. The Council was also working with Martin Springs Water Supply Corporation on joint water piping on the Southeastern edge of the city and considering raising the speed limits from 45 to 60 miles per hour on the I-30 frontage roads, as they were at only 30 mph.

And, it was both Mike King and Linda Richey that had been awarded "Safe Driving" Certificates by the Traveler's Club. The certificates were issued by Hopkins County Sheriff Delphia Leewright and City Police Officer Caldwell Choate.

Tommy Worsham and Jennifer Oppenheim, with averages of 97.82 and 97.31, had been named Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the Sulphur Springs High School 1967 Graduating Class. And, "oil" was the buzz word around the county as new discoveries had been made at Nelta, Como, and Reilly Springs, where residents were already thinking about the money to be had from the "black gold."

1967 Dairy Festival Queen Stephanie Longino is shown atop her Queen's float, as she rode in the
1968 parade, as Queen. The colorful float had been constructed by her parents, Dr. Joe and Joan Longino,
as well as help from friends and family members.

However, it was the "white gold" of Hopkins County that was more stable at the time, when North Texas dairymen had delivered a record volume of milk in April of 1967, to local processing plants. The net price received by dairy farmers reflected $5.30 per cwt with a 3.5% butterfat, and the area had a 56.9% Class I utilization. Dairy farmers were receiving a premium for their milk because of the record high class one pricing.

The Echo Publishing Company had just conducted an Open House as they moved into their new facilities, located on Church Street, and were "touting" their highly specialized publishing equipment that included a "teletypesetter,"that operated a Linotype machine from punched tape, and photo-offset printing. However, they had secured the parking spaces at First United Methodist Church, as their own parking lot had not been completed because of intense rainfall in the area, for the month of April. Records indicated that 17.25 inches of rain had fallen in Hopkins County, during the last 15 days of April, in 1967, and creeks, lakes and other basins were at flood stages.

Larry Owens had been selected as the Outstanding Student in the VICA Program at Sulphur Springs High School for 1967 and Junior Track Star, Larry Jordan, had placed second in 3-A Competion at the Texas State Track Meet in Austin.

Stephanie Longino, sponsored by the Junior Waverly Club, rode this float entitled
"In the Evening By the Moonlight," in the 1967 parade.

Heavy rains had temporarily slowed construction on the huge building that was being built on Interstate-30, to house the Hollywood Brands, Inc., but once the weather dried, construction would continue. William Hutchinson, of Pasadena, California, was moving to Sulphur Springs to accept the position as Superintendent of the Hollywood Brands plant.

Carother's Brothers, on the square, was encouraging both young men and adult males to "make an investment in their wardrobe," where they had men's permanent press suits, on sale for only $45.00.

Big H Drive-In was advertising their "tasty and tantalizing" chicken basket, that came with a medium drink and French fries for only $1.45. And, ironically (you'd never guess), a study from Detroit, Michigan, revealed that "boys liked mini-skirts." The study had been conducted by polling young men at the Michigan State Fair.

Peggy Harbor, complementing the theme of Southern Melodies, rode this float entitled, "Land of Milk
and Honey," and was sponsored by the B&PW Club.

And, speaking of polls, Bill Bradford, owner of the local radio station, had conducted his own poll at the weekly Sulphur Springs Lions Club Meeting, where he asked members for their opinions on pending legislation in state government. Most of the local Lions opposed the issue of "liquor-by-the-drink" and most favored a four-year term limit on the Governor and other state elected officials. In another question, the Lions voted 34 to 1 "in favor" of giving College and University officials the right to expell students who participated in walkouts, unauthorized demonstrations, and similar acts on campuses. Lions Club members also approved by a 25 to 10 margin to raise the age of obtaining a driver's license from 16 to 18, unless one had taken a Driver's Education Course.

Seven young ladies were vying for the 1967 Hopkins County Dairy Festival Queen. They included: Nancy Neumann, sponsored by the Rotary Club, doing a vocal number to "I Enjoy Being a Girl; Stephanie Longino, sponsored by the Junior Waverly Club, with a vocal presentation of "Peace By Peace; Peggy Harbor, sponsored by the B&PW Club, presenting a comedy skit entitled "Take Me Out to the Ballgame;" Margaret Prim, sponsored by the Waverly Club, presenting a talent presentation of vocals and a guitar number to "Where Have All the Flowers Gone;" Suanne Shockey, sponsored by the Lions Club, giving a narrative called "My Mother's Little Lady and My Father's Little Son;" Linda Ramey, sponsored by the Mother's Culture Club, and doing a pantomime entitled "Milk'em in the Morning, Feed'em in the Evening;" and Carol Strickland, sponsored by the Dial Study Club, reciting excerpts from "O Ye Jigs and Juleps."

Carol Strickland, sponsored by the Dial Study Club, won the Dairy Festival Float Competition in 1967, with this
three-car train, that featured milk cans in the "flat" car. It depicted the musical "Casey Jones, and had the
conveyance hid beneath the locomotive engine. Strickland rode in the red caboose of the train and waved
to people on the streets of Sulphur Springs.

The floats were described as "some of the most beautiful to ever appear in the Dairy Festival," as they made their way through Sulphur Springs, on Thursday evening of Dairy Festival Week. Theme for the Festival was "Southern Melodies or Songs of the South" and Peggy Harbor rode a float entitled "Land of Milk and Honey." Nancy Neumann rode a float entitled "The Robert E. Lee," and Carol Strickland rode a float featuring "Casey Jones," the train conductor. Suanne Shockey rode a float entitled "Dixie," and Margaret Prim's float depicted "Beautiful Dreamer." Stephanie Longino's float portrayed the theme "In the Evening by the Moonlight," and Linda Ramey's conveyance was entitled "Mighty Lak-A-Rose." Strickland's float that was made in the shape of a train built by the Dial Study Club, featured her as the conductor, and took top honors. Second prize was won by the Rotary Club entry, ridden by Nancy Neumann. The Rev. Roy Martin, pastor of the First Christian Church in Denton, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Talent and Beauty Night of Dairy Festival.

The "three-unit, self-motorized" train float, ridden by Miss Strickland was the "talk of the town," as it had "raised the bar," for future entries. The entry featured a locomotive engine, flat car with milk cans, and a bright red caboose.

Serving on the 1967 Dairy Festival Talent and Beauty Committee included chairman Mrs. Ronald Terry, and members Mrs. Verdon Graves, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Herschler, Rawlings Lemon, Sam Wright, Kenneth Powers, Mrs. Billy Hager, and Mr. & Mrs. Buel Berry. Mrs. Billy Birdsong served as the pageant pianist and lighting was under the direction of Steve Whitworth.

This "Dixie" float was built by the Sulphur Springs Lions Club and ridden by Suanne Shockey in
the 1967 parade.

Miss Stephanie Longino was crowned 1967 Hopkins County Dairy Festival Queen, by retiring Queen Judy Gillis, before a large crowd. Longino was the daughter of Dr. Joe and Joan Longino. She also received the award for selling the most Dairy Festival Tickets. Ten visiting duchesses from area towns were introduced and Miss Linda Ramey, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. J.R. Ramey was named first-runner-up in the competition. Miss Margaret Prim was named second-runner-up in the pageant. Miss Prim won the Talent portion of the program and Miss Suanne Shockey won the beauty and poise section of the contest.

The week of Dairy Festival 1967, reflected a headline of "Deposits Soared to a New Record Mark," in local banks for the first quarter of the year. Combined deposits in the three local banks totaled $25,882,771.00 on April 25th, despite the seasonal withdrawls for tax payments and other related expenses. The deposit total was over 2 million dollars above the closing figures for 1966, with most of this being attributed to additional agricultural revenue, chiefly from the dairy sector. Banks in Sulphur Springs included the City National Bank, the State Bank, and Peoples National Bank. Sulphur Springs State Bank was advertising a 4% rate on savings account earnings.

Miss Linda Ramey rode this float depicting the musical "Mighty Lak-A-Rose," and was
sponsored by the Mother's Culture Club. It was also pulled by a completely covered conveyance.
Reports are that Billy Hager, husband of Mother's Club member, Lynda Hager, was the driver and was
almost asphixiated while negotiating through the parade.

Of course, the War in Vietnam was on everyone's mind. Vice-President Hubert Humphrey had just returned from a trip to visit with the Pope, at the Vatican, regarding the war, and local young men were reporting for duty in the armed services, almost weekly. National news stories reflected an increase in American casualties in the war, as 234 Americans had been killed in action, the week of the Hopkins County Dairy Festival, a number that had only been surpassed once before, six weeks earlier. A total of 1,748 Americans had been wounded in battle the same week in May '67.

As the Northeast Texas Dairy Show got underway, during Dairy Festival Week, show officials were expecting over 400 entries. However, the numbers far surpassed the expectations and the show committee ran out of ribbons for exhibitors of the over 500 animals, promising to "mail ribbons to exhibitors, when they were ordered and arrived." The Show opened on Friday, May 12th, with headlines reading "Tie-Space in Barns Filled With Animals." Every available space in the local show barn was filled, with animals being tied outside to trailers and in make-shift stalls, as the Dairy Show had found exhibitors from as far away as Ft. Worth, Dallas, Lancaster, Springtown, Windthorst, and other major dairy areas of the state. Cecil Tucker, local Holstein Breeder, served as President of the Northeast Texas Dairy and Livestock Association in 1967. Wade Fowler was Vice-President and Geral Kennedy served as secretary. Directors of the Association included: Carroll Nichols, W.D. Lemon, Sterling Beckham, J.W. "Red" Ferrell, Earnest Bailey, Billy Anderson, Billy Jack Allen, Curtis Walker, Dale Campbell, Paul Herschler, Leard Johnson, Bishop Curry, Harrison W. Grays, Lester Flora, Louie Woodall, James Warren, Billy Joe Clayton, Clifton Alexander, Penny Black, Buell Berry, Murray Dawson, Robert Van Winkle, Wiley Williamson, Harlan West, S.T. Garrison, Ted Hickerson, Jim Shockey, T.D. Harness, Judson Perkins, and Assistant County Agent, David Powell.

Miss Margaret Prim rode this "Beautiful Dreamer" float, and was sponsored by the Waverly Club
in the 1967 Dairy Festival Parade. That's David DuPriest that is the Confederate soldier and Margaret
tells she had to "bribe" him to get him to ride "shotgun," on her float. DuPriest would later serve as
Chairman of the Dairy Festival Board, possibly thanks to Margaret's prodding!

Judging for the 1967 Show began at 9:00 a.m., with the Junior and Open Jersey Division, as cattle were paraded before Dr. C.L. Norton, Judge and Head of the Dairy Science Department at Kansas State University. Norton praised the quality of the cattle presented in the show and began with awarding a purple ribbon, the highest honor to be bestowed on an animal, to a Jersey Female, owned by Richard Benson, of Como. The Aged Cow was named Grand Champion Jersey Female of the Show, mid-morning on Friday. Other Jersey female winners included Grover Sellers, Clifford Buchanan of Decatur, J.B. McQueen, and Koon Jersey Farm. In the Jersey Bull Division winners included: Curtis Voorheese of Arbala. In the Junior Jersey Show winners included Randy Koon, Jana Koon, Karmon Koon, and David Arnold.

In the Other Breeds Junior Division, winners included Rodney Alexander, Dwight Alexander, and Billy Fouse. In the Ayrshire Show, Bill Grimes of Pickton won the Bull Show and Female winners included: Cathy Elliott, Sheila Bearden, and Pat Bearden. Grand Champion Ayrshire Female was won by a two-year old cow, shown by Sheila Bearden of Miller Grove.

This float, shown traveling the parade route, going west on Connally Street, depicted the theme of
"Robert E. Lee," and was ridden by Nancy Neumann, sponsored by the Rotary Club.

The trend of the Hopkins County Dairy Industry was reflected in the Northeast Texas Dairy Show for the first time, as the Holstein entries in the show out-numbered the Jersey entries. Winners in the Holstein Show included PRW Farms and Cecil Tucker of Sulphur Springs, Richard Watson, Joe Singletary of Texarkana, and Dr. David Smokler of Lancaster. Smokler showed the Grand Champion Holstein Female in the Open Show and Sammy Hearne, a 4-Her from the Arbala 4-H Club, showed the Junior Show Champion. Jerry Rhodes of Sulphur Springs won Grand Champion Holstein Bull honors. In one young Holstein heifer class, there were 62 entries, with animals being circled two and three deep in the chain-link fenced arena. Times were great for dairy cattle in Hopkins County.

Meanwhile, the Mission Theater was showing a Sonny and Cher movie, entitled "Good Times," and the Hi-Vue Drive-In had a double-feature of "Women of the Historic Planet" and Herman's Hermits in "Hold On," a musical that reflected the popular group's songs. Another group, "The Monkees" were causing "quite a stir" as one of the band members, Davy Jones, had been drafted. Protests by young girls across the nation reflected them carrying signs that read "If Davy Goes We Go Too!"

"Yards and yards of yellow ruffles...." that was the description of
Stephanie Longino's formal and parasol that she wore on her
float, in the 1967 Dairy Festival.

Rhonda Adair was featured as the Past Worthy Master of the Rainbows For Girls organization and Mrs. Delma Nichols was the Mother Advisor. Krogers, who had recently opened in Spring Village Shopping Center, was advertising their "Country Club" Ice Cream for only 29 cents a half-gallon, as a "Dairy Show Special." Gibson's Discount Center was featuring a 20" lawn mower, with a Briggs & Stratton Engine, for only $32.87, and motor oil for 17 cents a quart. Steele's Shoe Store was advertising their "Beauty Mist" Seamless stockings for only 79 cents a pair. The Western Store was advertising a 5,000 BTU Air Conditioner, window unit, for only $98.00 and an Electric Ice Cream Freezer for just $8.87.

Maddox Motor Company, located at 1217 S. Broadway, was inviting folks to drop-by and register to win a free trip to the Bahama Islands, as they looked at the new Plymouth Fury. And, Price Ford Sales, still located on Jefferson Street, was offering car shoppers a family vacation package that included a free weeks use of a 1967 Ford and $50.00 expense money, just for stopping by and registering, no purchase necessary. Does anyone remember who won the above vacations?

In Loving Memory of
Stephanie Longino Davidson
1967 Dairy Festival Queen
February 25, 1950 - July 4, 2000

The Classified Ads reflected that both Wayne Hinton and Doyle Woods had received new loads of springing Holstein Heifers and they were priced at $325.00 each. Group discounts could be had, when someone bought 10 or more head. C.E. Wingo and Son, Northeast Texas Farmers Coop, and Koons Feed Store were all found advertising dairy feeds, fertilizer, seed, and farm supplies for the local dairy farmer.

And, the "Crime Report" reflected that four motorists had been issued citations in Sulphur Springs, the weekend of Dairy Festival, one for running a stop sign, one for running a red light, and two for speeding. And, City Police were reporting the vandalism of local phone booths. Three phone booths on South Broadway and one on Main Street had been vandalized, with all the dimes removed!

Quicky Foods was advertising a six-pack of cokes for 25 cents and a six-pack of Pepsi for only 15 cents, with your bottles. A Kraft Macaroni and Cheese dinner was 14 cents, pancake mix 27 cents for a two-pound box, and 4 rolls of toilet tissue could be purchased for only 27 cents. Chicken Pot Pies were five for $1.00, with Pork Chops at 59 cents a pound, bacon at 49 cents a pound, and Chuck roast was only 39 cents a pound. Whole fryers were 25 cents a pound and 10 pounds of sugar was a mere 69 cents.

A "shadow" is cast on the Hopkins County Dairy Festival for 1967 as Dairy Festival Queen Stephanie Longino Davidson passed away on July 4, 2000, making her the first deceased Dairy Festival Queen.

Stephanie's parents, Dr. & Mrs. Joe Longino present the Stephanie Longino Davidson Scholarship in her memory, annually to the talent winner of the Hopkins County Dairy Festival Competition.

Stephanie's most cherished activity was horseback riding. She was also a voracious reader, and was very involved in school activities. At home, she learned to cook and sew at a very early age and enjoyed helping her mother, Joan, with special creative endeavors. Following high school graduation, Stephanie attended and graduated from Texas Tech University. She later married and enjoyed traveling in Europe, serving as President of the Officer's Wives Club, and managed to travel to Russia.

Once back in the states, in the Washington D.C. area, Stephanie worked in real estate, which led her into interior design, allowing her to use fully her many artistic and creative talents. She obtained a Master's Degree in Art from George Washington University and subsequently taught that subject at the elementary school level in Alexandria, Virginia. Stephanie always had a quest for knowledge and would take courses in anything that interested her. Her other hobbies included gardening, needlework, swimming, and entertaining.

Stephanie's parents, Dr. Joe and Joan, continue to live in Sulphur Springs where Joan was a longtime member of the Hopkins County Dairy Festival Board, and even managed to "hook" Dr. Joe on some of the many, many projects the Dairy Festival would get involved with! Both were delightful people to work with on the many projects undertaken by the board.

The Sulphur Springs FFA Chapter Herd at the Northeast Texas Dairy Show in 1967 or 1968. In the background
is the Old Show Barn. Left to right are: Donnis Rushin, Randy Koon, James Jones, Robert Newsom, Larry Knotts,
and Johnny Flowers.

Editors Note: I served for approximately 15 years on the Hopkins County Dairy Festival Board with Joan Longino and she was always the "driving force" on the board. It never mattered what project she was asked to do, she always gave it 110% and did it well, as she managed to recruit all of us to help her paint, collect tickets, design sets, and make certain that the "show" went on! I treasure my time spent on the board with Miss Joan!

And, 1967 marked the first Northeast Texas Dairy Show that I can really remember. I remember attending the show as a junior 4-H member, where the Arbala 4-H Club exhibited cattle and we won the Good Housekeeping Award for our exhibit in the "crowded" show barn, located in Buford Park, across the street from where the Professional Ag Workers Building now sits. The crowded conditions in the Old Show Barn was the "spark" that began the collection of money and the talk that eventually led to the construction of the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center in Sulphur Springs.

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