Look Back ... to the departure of a local rabbi, 1999

July 23, 1949: The date fell on a Saturday during a 12-year period (1940-52) when The Star didn’t publish on that day of the week.

July 23, 1999, in The Star: Rabbi Fred Raskind, who has been associated with Temple Beth-El in Anniston for 11 years as a part-time rabbi, has taken a position as a full-time rabbi in Vero Beach, Fla., at Temple Beth Shalom. Raskind has been an Atlanta resident, commuting to Anniston for weekend services. About 50 families attend Temple Beth-El, which is not large enough for a full-time rabbi. Also this date: Gene Bussey, a former high school basketball star at Oxford who later did a bit of coaching in the Calhoun County School System, officially retires as principal of Weaver High School on Aug. 1. Bussey has been Weaver’s principal since 1977. But he’s not staying retired. Starting Aug. 1, he will be on staff at Faith Christian, where he will assume duties in several roles in the school’s athletic department, as well as teaching physical education at the elementary school level.