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Herewith a few highlights (?) from the most recent three and a half or so decades of the soon-to-be 45-year-old magazine you’re reading.
April, 1984: “Just ask Thalhimer’s, which is now part of Carter-Hawley-Hale. Or ask Miller and Rhoads, which is owned by Allied. You just don’t see multi-billion-dollar corporations investing in something that isn’t needed or isn’t going to work.” —Valley View developer Henry Faison, speaking to me as part of “The Coming of Valley View: Bazaar Supreme of the Appalachians,” about if the 1985 arrival of the center might result in the over-malling of Roanoke.
April, 1985: “Our decision to marry took a great deal of thinking and talking through. We wanted a commitment for a lifetime. This is my last and best marriage.” —Debbie Reynolds in a phone interview about her marriage to Roanoke developer Richard Hamlett, on which she soon soured and which ended in divorce in 1996.
October, 1986: “The only way to get from this side of 419 to the other is to have been born over there.” —Roanoke County resident Gerard Bijwaard, speaking to the county planning commission about needs for improvement to the Tanglewood area.
April, 1987: “In the summer of 1986, Rigo Lopez struck out on his own. Scouting the streets of major metros in North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, he found a sympathetic ear in Roanoke. A real estate broker here told him Roanokers would appreciate a truly authentic Mexican restaurant.” —Gary Winker, writing about the opening of (the first) El Rodeo, on Williamson Road.
December, 1988: “Statistics Will Tell You Anything Award: In two surveys released in the fall, Psychology Today found Roanoke to be the 12th most stressful city in the U.S., while a Zero Population Growth survey found Roanoke the 10th least stressful.”
January, 1989: “The dumpster behind the Texas Tavern will be designated an EPA Superfund Site. And, recognizing the extreme growth potential of the History Museum. E.T. will donate his mother’s wedding gown.” —Mitchell Bowden, executive director of the Roanoke Valley History Museum, as a part of “Predictions ‘89.”
March, 1990: “The most developed interchange along I-81, which runs from east-central Tennessee to the Canadian border? Try Exit 44 in Botetourt County, where county commissioners and big business clash over things like the 132-foot Hardee’s sign.” —Priscilla Richardson, writing about the congestion and bottlenecks at what is now Exit 150.
March, 1991: “I’d like to make Victory Stadium the Super Bowl of these Saturday night bull rings, such as mine in Franklin County.” —Franklin County race promotor Whitey Taylor, on why he should be allowed to hold car races in Victory Stadium.
April, 1993: “Virginia Tech is still in Blacksburg . . . Richard Morgan is now playing pick-up ball in Duluth . . . North Carolina is still wherever it is too . . . John Crotty says the best benches in the NBA are in Houston: ‘No splinters and a nice little contour for your butt.’ . . Ralph Sampson is thinking of going to Duluth to see if he can pick up some minutes as a back-up center.” —“Mind-Numbing College Minutiea,” April Fools’ parody of Doug Doughty’s still-going-strong “College Notes” columns.
March, 1994: “Certainly not Robin Reed again—howsabout Bob Goodlatte?” —Roanoke Mayor David Bowers’ personal pick for Best Local Sex Symbol—Male.
November, 1995: “Best Place to Dine with Your Mom. Platinum: The Roanoker. Gold: The Homeplace. Silver: The Regency Room.” —Result in 1995 Best Restaurants Reader Poll.
January, 1996: “Wasn’t that brilliant?” —Greenways coordinator Helen Smithers, speaking in Helen Barranger’s “Greenways: Here They Come at Last” about Roanoke County’s installation of a greenway in Garst Mill Park as a part of new sewer installation.
January, 1997: “Beth Macy. Wife, mother, journalist and twice-weekly rising star columnist for The Roanoke Times, who captures the sweet details of life and circles them with the magic of clean crisp prose.” —Norma Lugar, writing in her piece “100 Contemporary Names You Need to Know,” about the current best-selling author.
... for the rest of this story and more from our November/December 2017 issue, Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!