HOMETOWN HISTORY, May 25, 2012

100 Years Ago
All arrangements have been completed for the big event of next Monday and Tuesday evenings at the Oneonta Theatre, when the City Club of Oneonta, assisted by other first-class talent and under the direction of Mr. Dolan, will give a grand Minstrel entertainment. Manager Dolan has had 15 years of experience in the work and his firm conviction is that the Oneonta Minstrel show will be by all odds the finest in his long string of successes.
He brings with him a full complement of costumes, electrical effects and stage settings, and something far beyond the ordinary is confidently predicted. The program will be a varied one and there will be some novel features introducing well- known local characters in new roles, and an evening of mirth and amusement is assured all. The grand parade to take place each noon at 12 o’clock is in charge of M.G. Keenan, who will select his assistants and will give something in the line of novelty as street parades go. Upon the program are many well-known citizens prominent in business circles, and the best male voices in the city will contribute to the solo numbers, while there will be mirth producers numberless with original sketches and pantomime numbers. End men of ability as joke artists have consented to appear.
May 1912

80 Years Ago
The attitude of the Methodist Episcopal Church toward divorce was liberalized tonight when the general conference sanctioned as grounds for dissolution “vicious conditions which through mental or physical cruelty or physical peril” invalidate the marriage vow. The change from adultery as the sole grounds, only the second change in almost a century and a half, was approved in the face of weak opposition.
The dissenters had urged the conference to follow other denominations in adopting more stringent regulations and “to go back to the New Testament” for guidance on divorce. G. Bormley Oxnam, president of DePauw University, replied to the dissenters with the statement that “the church was deluding itself if it believed regulations would hinder divorces.” “Legislation won’t prevent divorce,” he said. “Education will.” The conference also deleted from the burial service the phrase “ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” and from the marriage service the phrase “with my worldly goods I thee endow,” and from the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper the word “wine” in every instance except the prayer of consecration.
May 1932
60 Years Ago
One of the largest non-dinner gatherings in Elkdom took place Wednesday when the first monthly meeting was held in the new Oneonta Elks Club building on Chestnut Street. Ronald Bree, chairman of the parade committee, said that 14 fire companies and 10 bands had indicated they would participate in the parade which will form at 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday. The formation will be on Walnut Street with the parade winding down Walnut to Maple, down Maple to Main, on down Main to Chestnut and stopping in front of the new building, where a band concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. The parade starts at 7 p.m. Oneonta’s mayor, Roger G. Hughes will officially open the building to the public at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, beginning a week of Elk festivities dedicated to the building described as “the most beautiful on the eastern seaboard.”
May 1952

40 Years Ago
Economy and ecology were the reasons cited by a Town of Oneonta study committee in support of a proposed ordinance that would require the separation of paper from other garbage. Questions about the ordinance were aired at a Tuesday night meeting at the Town Hall. The ordinance would require that all newspapers, magazines and all like paper materials be separated from other trash. The same ordinance would prohibit collectors from delivering trash with paper to the town’s landfill site. Because the City of Oneonta and the Town of Oneonta are partners in the landfill site, the Town ordinance would make it illegal for trash collectors in the city to deposit paper trash at the landfill. Members of the “Garbage Committee” as they call themselves say that 50 percent of the material coming into the landfill is recyclable. Eliminating paper from the landfill will extend the life of the site. The committee believes that charitable groups will become local recyclers of paper trash that cannot be deposited in the landfill and will use the opportunity to raise funds by turning it over to larger paper recyclers for a profit.
May 1972

30 Years Ago
After nearly five hours of debate, the New York State Senate gave final legislative approval Thursday to a pair of proposals to clean up or curb the disposal of throwaway containers. The Senate, by a vote of 34-22, passed the so-called “Bottle Bill,” a measure first conceived in 1972 to require a nickel deposit on every beverage can and bottle sold in the state. At the same time, the Republican-controlled house voted 39-17 to approve a “total litter control” proposal backed by segments of the beverage industry and organized labor. It would put a nickel tax on every case of beverages and earmark the money for organized litter cleanup and recycling programs.
May 1982

20 Years Ago
Author Sindiwe Magona was the featured speaker at Hartwick College commencement ceremonies on Sunday. As a native of South Africa, Magona has experienced firsthand the racial discrimination of Apartheid. Although she now lives in the U.S., the struggle to overcome racial prejudice is still a part of her daily life. She points out that while racism here is not condoned by law, it is also true that “you cannot legislate against people’s prejudices.”
May 1992

10 Years Ago
According to government sources, tobacco companies are spending more than ever on advertising and promotion, despite court-imposed restrictions. Increasingly they are using in-store promotions – paying store owners for prime shelf space and offering giveaways – to sell their products, a Federal Trade Commission report found. The industry spent $9.5 billion on advertising and promotions in 2000, the last year for which figures were available. The total was 16 percent higher than the previous year.
May 2002