Our next 'Throwback' feature takes us to this same week in year 1970.  Our local junior college, just 7 years in existence at the time, went by the name of William Lowndes Yancy State Junior College.  By order of the Alabama state board of education on February 26 of that year, the name became Faulkner Junior College.

The school was named for James H. Faulkner, a major driver behind the push for a local college and the state's ultimate locating of that campus in Bay Minette.  Faulkner was also a leader of the Public Education Board, which helped raise funds for the initial campus buildings.

James H. Faulkner moved to Bay Minette in 1936 to serve as publisher of The Baldwin Times.  By 1970, he was still co-publisher and co-owner of the 'Times' and the Foley Onlooker. Both newspapers continue publishing to this day as part of our Gulf Coast Newspapers group, including plenty of coverage of "Faulkner State", as we call the college today.   (The Baldwin Times began local publication in 1890.  Our other venerable newspaper, The Courier, began publication in 1894 in Fairhope . . .  and we're thrilled those two papers remain integral mastheads of our media group. Today, the group also includes The Independent, The Islander and our group news website GulfCoastNewsToday.com)

Alabama began its community college system in 1963, the year in which Faulkner/Yancy was founded.  By 1970 there were eight buildings on the 100-acre Bay Minette campus, and enrollment was 4th highest among the state's 17 junior colleges.

Today, Faulkner's campus is a vibrant centerpiece of the community, with state-of-the-art science labs and multi-media facilities, performing arts and intercollegiate sports venues, along with branch campuses in Fairhope and Gulf Shores.

Also covered in our papers during this week of 1970, the Foley Lions basketball team was returning for its second consecutive appearance in the state championship tournament.  The Lions boys team would play in Tuscaloosa, at Memorial Coliseum on the University of Alabama campus.  After turning in a 21-5 record on the '69-70 season, the Lions lost by 23 to the defending state champs from Parker High in the tournament's opening round.

A 1969 Ford Mustang Hardtop was advertised from Moyer Ford that week for $2,495. A '68 F-100 pickup was $1,495. A 24-inch Huffy riding mower cost $155; the 22-inch push model was $59.99.  A 40-gallon water heater set you back $91.95.  On the dinner table in February of 1970, Grade-A fryer chickens cost 29 cents a pound, ground beef was 59 cents per pound, and USDA chuck roast was 54 cents a pound.  Bell peppers cost 10 cents each . . . a twelve-pack of dinner rolls was 24 cents . . . and a box of Kraft macaroni & cheese was 19 cents.

(Throwback Thursday is a weekly feature on GulfCoastNewsToday.com featuring local news events, as covered during the same week in history by Gulf Coast Newspapers)