The story of the death of Lester Hurley and the resulting investigations, grand jury recommendation, and changes in the Medford city police department was the top local story of 1953, in the opinion of Mail Tribune news staff writers.
    The story was given a total of 79 out of a possible 80 points and was rated first on all but one ballot, receiving a second-place vote on that one.
    The story of Lester W. Hurley, a 62-year-old disabled Navy veteran living at Camp White, started in July when he died in the Camp White infirmary after spending 41 hours in the Medford city jail without medical attention.
Changes Recommended, Champlin Named Chief
    It continued through investigations by the district attorney and the grand jury, which recommended changes in the city police department administration, to an investigation by Howard Bobbitt, Portland attorney and former FBI man. Following submission of Bobbitt's report, the city council appointed Clatous McCredie, police chief for 27 years, as assistant city superintendent, and named Lt. Charles Champlin as police chief.
    Second on the "story of the year" list was new highway projects in Jackson County. These include completion of a new four-lane highway between Medford and Ashland, start of work on the Jacksonville Hill highway, completion of the Gold Hill bypass on Highway 99, and awarding of contracts for four-lane highway between Medford and Central Point and the Blackwell Hill bypass. It [i.e., the story] received a total of 55 votes.
    Third on the list was a story most of which occurred thousands of miles from the Rogue Valley. It was the story of Dick Applegate, former Medford resident and one-time Mail Tribune staff member, who was taken prisoner by Chinese communists as he left Hong Kong on what he had hoped would be the fulfillment of a life's ambition--a trip around the world on his own yacht. Applegate is still being held in a communist prison. That story received 50 points.
    Close behind was the story of weather control operations in the Rogue Valley, which received 49 points. It included Sunshine, Inc. fog dispersal, hail prevention, cloud seeding to bring about more snowfall and Moisture Conservation League studies in rainmaking projects.
    The fifth-place story, which received 34 points, was the damaging floods which hit the Rogue and Applegate valleys during the year. Sixth with 31 points was the start of television in southern Oregon.
Tie for Eighth
    Seven[th], with 24 points, was completion of numerous projects at the Medford municipal airport and dedication of the new union terminal building. Tied for eight, with 17 points each, were invalidation of many mining claims in the Prospect-Union Creek area and Jackson County's record-breaking low forest fire season.
    Tenth was announcement of plans and approval of a $1,600,000 bond issue for construction of two new Medford public schools.
    Other top stories which received consideration were the return of three Rogue Valley prisoners of war from Korean POW camps, numerous large property sales in the Camp White area and other parts of Jackson County, disputes over construction of an east side fire station in Medford, start of liquor by the glass sales, sale of Front Street property to the First National Bank of Portland and to a group of Medford businessmen, the large number of outstanding speakers who visited the Medford area, 13 conventions which attracted 13,000 people to Medford during the year, start of the Jackson County Child Guidance Clinic Association, expansion of county soil conservation districts, and an increase in local employment.
    Here is a month-by-month summary of the more important local news events of 1953, as taken from the pages of The Mail Tribune.

Last revised February 20, 2010