HOMETOWN HISTORY, August 31, 2012

125 Years Ago
The Local News – The state factory inspector paid Oneonta a visit on Tuesday and Wednesday. Fire escapes and swing doors were ordered in several places, and in one case, a boy under the age of 13 years was ordered out of a cigar factory. The inspector left stating that he should be back before long to see that his orders had been duly complied with.
The Guy table company will turn out 10,000 tables this year and is establishing a reputation such that it could find a ready market for many times that number. Beyond doubt the capacity will be shortly increased and buildings specially adapted to the business provided. The new location will probably be in the neighborhood of the chair factory.
August 1887

100 Years Ago
C.D. Townsend, while motoring near Davenport Center Saturday last, observed what looked to be a roll of bills at the roadside, and although at first inclined to believe that it was a roll of advertising matter in design like Uncle Sam’s bank notes, he stopped the car to investigate. He found that the bills were genuine and were rolled tightly with a rubber band about them. There was about $30 in money and some $50 more in checks inside the roll. The checks were made payable to Mr. Beardsley, the flour and feed merchant at Davenport Center, who it was ascertained later had lost the roll. It is fortunate for Mr. Beardsley that the money was not picked up by one of the numerous tramps now making their way to the hop yards of this section.
August 1912

80 Years Ago
Cavallaro di Moneanrano, Italy – Prof. Auguste Piccard and Max Cosyns, both a little bit shaky, came back to earth from the stratosphere today after having ascended to the highest altitude ever reached by man – more than 10 miles. “We are very well satisfied with our flight,” the professor said, while hundreds of gaping farmers stood about staring at men who had been far above the rain and clouds in a little aluminum ball attached to a balloon. Their altitude was 16,700 meters, or 54,776 feet. Prof. Picard, 48 years old, lean, his head crowned by a shaggy mass of hair, and his 25-year-old assistant, took off at 5:06 o’clock this morning at Dubendorf on the other side of the Alps in Switzerland. They were in the air about 12 hours. The Belgian scientist’s first thought after his aluminum ball had bumped against a stubble field in this tiny village was for the safety of his balloon. That taken care of, he said: “Where is a telephone? I want to phone my wife in Zurich?”
August 1932

60 Years Ago
Oneonta’s Family Service Association yesterday issued an appeal for used school clothing for children as a result of numerous requests for such wearing apparel. “With the high cost of living many parents are finding it very difficult to buy shoes, pants, T-shirts and other clothing for their children to go to school with,” said Mrs. Frank G. Sherman, Family Service Association Director. “If you put yourself in the place of a mother with four or five children whose husband has a limited income, you can see that clothing would be very acceptable,” she said. Youngsters needing such clothing range in age from five to fourteen. Persons wishing to contribute may phone 3169-J or visit the Community House, 17 Ford Avenue between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
August 1952

40 Years Ago
With a new sanitary landfill and problems with the city’s glass recycling project, many are urging a change to returnable bottles as an alternative. But the returnables are not readily available in Oneonta supermarkets for several reasons. In three of the four major Oneonta supermarkets – Victory, Grand Union and Loblaw’s, Canada Dry soda is sold in returnable bottles. In at least two of those stores the Canada Dry is a top-selling product. Stores, however, do not want to carry more than one brand of returnable bottles because of the sorting that would be necessary. Jamesway is the only store that carries no returnable bottle products. All stores say they would certainly consider selling other soft drinks in deposit bottles if the public demanded it. The returnable bottles are available from nearly all beverage companies, but the companies say the deposit bottles are not wanted by the grocery stores. Edward Morehouse, manager of the Jamesway store says his store does not carry returnables because to do so would require extra manpower and bookkeeping.
August 1972

30 Years Ago
Nearly $1,000 was raised Saturday at the Dairy Queen on Chestnut Street to help cancer research. Joan Lutz, owner of the ice cream parlor said approximately $800 was raised in ice cream sales on Saturday and donations were still coming in on Sunday. Mrs. Lutz and her husband Al Sayers Lutz, agreed to donate all of their store’s proceeds from 4:30 to 11 p.m. on Saturday to help fund cancer research by a Bassett Healthcare doctor. The Lutzes’ 17-year-old son Steven is one of Dr. Pedro de Alacron’s 15 patients. Dr. de Alacron and Dr. Eric Mazur are studying leukemia patients to determine why they develop anemia. They hope to have their studies completed in a few years. “We were very pleased,” Mrs. Lutz said. “We appreciate everything everyone did. Some people just waited all day until they knew it was 4:40 p.m.,” Mrs. Lutz said. The Lutzes annually donate part of their store’s receipts to a charity.
August 1982

10 Years Ago
Hartwick College’s incoming class boasts 109 National Honor Society inductees, 103 captains of varsity sports, 160 community volunteers and 16 presidents of student government. Hartwick’s 417 freshmen and transfer students include a professional sharpshooter, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, a beauty pageant winner, a bagpipe player and a Junior Olympics kayaker. “The class before us is one of the most academically talented classes this college has ever seen,” Dean of Admissions Susan Dileno told students, faculty and parents gathered in Dewar Hall’s Agora for the college’s opening convocation.
August 2002