50 Years Ago
From the Herald and Democrat in 1969
"West Siloam Springs," Okla., as an incorporated town was awaiting ONLY the approval of Delaware County Commissioner's vote.
Cherokee Hills R.C. & D. Executive Committee; Cherokee Area Chamber of Commerce; Rural Conservation District executives; and "Green Country" executives had all pledged their support for the proposed town.
Voters in the proposed townsite, adjoining the west city limits of Siloam Springs, Ark., approved incorporation the previous week by a 35-11 margin. Several residents who were away for the long 4th of July holiday missed the vote, but had previously signified their wholehearted support of the plan.
R.C. Wilkerson, chairman, with Julius and Johnny Roberts as members, were selected as a temporary board to divide the town into wards and to set a date for the election of officials.
Mr. Wilkerson said 142 people live within the approximate 918 acres comprising the townsite.
30 Years Ago
From the Herald-Democrat in 1989
Siloam Springs School Superintendent Burton Elliott was tapped by the state board of education to be the director of general education.
His appointment came as a surprise, Elliott said.
"I had no reason to believe I was going to be involved in this," he said from Little Rock.
Elliott said he had been notified in June that the board was interested in him as director of general education, but it wasn't until the previous weekend that it became apparent that he had a shot at the top education job in the state.
After meeting for two hours in a closed-door session, the board unanimously picked Elliott for the position over the other finalist, James Staggs, superintendent of the Bald Knob School District. After the board's decision Elliott was promptly confirmed by Gov. Bill Clinton.
Elliott replaced Ruth Steele, who had been recently named superintendent of the Little Rock School District.
"This is the only position I would consider leaving Siloam (Springs) for," Elliott said, adding that it was a great honor to be chosen for the $67,470-a-year job.
Elliott began teaching and coaching in Siloam Springs in 1954 and became superintendent in 1977.
10 Years Ago
From the Herald-Leader in 2009
The blacktop lot at the Franklin Electric plant looked emptier.
Nearly 180 employees were laid off from the Siloam Springs plant.
The Bluffton, Ind.,-based company announced in December it would lay off 200 employees from the plant.
The jobs would be relocated to a facility in Mexico.
Twenty of the 200 layoffs occurred in May or June, said John Haines, vice president and chief financial officer for Franklin Electric.
The plant here remained open with 50 employees.
No plans had been made to close the plant, Haines said.
But this is not say it won't happen, he said.
The employees who remained at the plant would continue to make motor parts for the company's products, he said.
Community on 07/17/2019