Published in the Columbia Missourian
The Columbia Board of Education's work session Thursday morning moved the district forward in a number of important tasks: facilities planning, a technology initiative; and an audit committee.
The board will hold a public forum in January on the long-range facilities plan. The date for the meeting will be set at the board's December meeting.
Currently, the long-range plan eliminates the junior high school level in Columbia. Eighth-graders will be moved to middle schools and ninth-graders will be moved to high schools.
Kim Harding, Gentry Middle School principal, said a committee of middle school principals will convene next week with parents and district administration officials to examine the plan further. Because the committee has not met yet, the direction the discussion will take is unclear. However, the district concern about classroom space is almost sure to surface.
Under the plan, Smithton Middle School, which has about 940 students, would add an eighth-grade population of nearly 400.
Smithton Principal Wanda Brown-Cox is concerned about the number of trailers at her school and others in the district. She wants the students to have enough space, no matter what school they attend.
"I think it's a district concern more than a Smithton concern," she said.
The board continues to seek input from the public on the plan.
"We hope to encourage attendance from both students and other members of the community," said Harris Cooper, board president. "We want to make sure all the folks who will be affected by the plan have the opportunity to speak with us about it."
In other business:
The district administration got the go-ahead to apply for a five-year, $7.5 million competitive technology grant.
Board member Elton Fay asked board members to consider information that discussed the creation of audit committees.
Friday, November 21, 1997
Tuesday, November 18, 1997
Old theater experiences occupy special place in memory
Published in the Columbia Missourian
Old theaters just won't die. Memories of one-screen movie houses stay around forever, it seems, in our minds and hearts.
Smiley Herrin was a ticket taker in the 1930s at the Hall Theater at 100 S. Ninth St. That job and playing with the university band paid his way through college.
Going to the movies now different, he said.
Sometimes he doesn't even see a ticket taker in the theater. "A lot of them aren't around anymore," he said.
Herrin remembers two specific differences between the Hall and cinemas today: segregation and a lack of air conditioning.
Thirty seats up next to the projection booth were the only place black moviegoers were allowed to sit, Herrin said.
The air-conditioning system was hand-built to add comfort to the theater, which was constructed without one. Homer Woods, the theater's manager, set up the system. Large fans blew air over ice and out into the theater through vents beside the orchestra pit.
"It was a home-made outfit but it worked pretty good," Herrin said.
The theater had three shows a day, Herrin said. There was a matinee and two showings at night. Eventually the theater added a show at midnight on Saturdays.
Herrin's favorite film from those days was a Nelson Eddy and Jeannette McDonald film in the mid-1920s.
Highlights from Columbia's theater history:
1915: Construction on the Hall Theater began. It opened at 100 S. Ninth St. the following year.
From 1971 to 1978, it was used by the University Singers. In 1993, developer Max Gillard moved his Bermuda Gold jewelry store to the site. The following year, the Saint Louis Bread Co. opened in the same location.
1921: The future Uptown Theater - then called The Cozy - opened at 1010 E. Broadway. It was closed in 1986 to make room for office space.
1926: The Varsity Theater opened at 17 N. Ninth St. After closing in 1978, in 1988 it was open for five and a half months as the Comic Book Club. In 1990, the Blue Note moved to the site from its original location on Business Loop 70 East.
1928: The Missouri Theatre opened with the future Bob Hope on stage beside the future Radio City Rockettes. In 1978, the theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1988, it opened as the home of the Missouri Symphony Society.
1966: The Cinema Theater opened as the most modern theater in Columbia.
1967: The Forum Theater opened as a single-screen theater. In 1992, it was expanded to include eight screens.
1972: The Campus Twin opened at 1102 E. Broadway. In 1994, the theater began showing specialty and art films. A permit was granted for the construction of the Jerry Lewis Theater. The following year, Lewis withdrew his association with the theater. It was renamed the Biscayne III. Under new management in 1976, the theater focused on family movies. In 1992 the emphasis changed again, as it opened as a cut-rate theater.
1985: Construction began on the Mall 4 Theatres, which opened late in the year.
Old theaters just won't die. Memories of one-screen movie houses stay around forever, it seems, in our minds and hearts.
Smiley Herrin was a ticket taker in the 1930s at the Hall Theater at 100 S. Ninth St. That job and playing with the university band paid his way through college.
Going to the movies now different, he said.
Sometimes he doesn't even see a ticket taker in the theater. "A lot of them aren't around anymore," he said.
Herrin remembers two specific differences between the Hall and cinemas today: segregation and a lack of air conditioning.
Thirty seats up next to the projection booth were the only place black moviegoers were allowed to sit, Herrin said.
The air-conditioning system was hand-built to add comfort to the theater, which was constructed without one. Homer Woods, the theater's manager, set up the system. Large fans blew air over ice and out into the theater through vents beside the orchestra pit.
"It was a home-made outfit but it worked pretty good," Herrin said.
The theater had three shows a day, Herrin said. There was a matinee and two showings at night. Eventually the theater added a show at midnight on Saturdays.
Herrin's favorite film from those days was a Nelson Eddy and Jeannette McDonald film in the mid-1920s.
Highlights from Columbia's theater history:
1915: Construction on the Hall Theater began. It opened at 100 S. Ninth St. the following year.
From 1971 to 1978, it was used by the University Singers. In 1993, developer Max Gillard moved his Bermuda Gold jewelry store to the site. The following year, the Saint Louis Bread Co. opened in the same location.
1921: The future Uptown Theater - then called The Cozy - opened at 1010 E. Broadway. It was closed in 1986 to make room for office space.
1926: The Varsity Theater opened at 17 N. Ninth St. After closing in 1978, in 1988 it was open for five and a half months as the Comic Book Club. In 1990, the Blue Note moved to the site from its original location on Business Loop 70 East.
1928: The Missouri Theatre opened with the future Bob Hope on stage beside the future Radio City Rockettes. In 1978, the theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1988, it opened as the home of the Missouri Symphony Society.
1966: The Cinema Theater opened as the most modern theater in Columbia.
1967: The Forum Theater opened as a single-screen theater. In 1992, it was expanded to include eight screens.
1972: The Campus Twin opened at 1102 E. Broadway. In 1994, the theater began showing specialty and art films. A permit was granted for the construction of the Jerry Lewis Theater. The following year, Lewis withdrew his association with the theater. It was renamed the Biscayne III. Under new management in 1976, the theater focused on family movies. In 1992 the emphasis changed again, as it opened as a cut-rate theater.
1985: Construction began on the Mall 4 Theatres, which opened late in the year.
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