Bound Volumes, Hometown History

April 10, 2025

110 YEARS AGO

About fifty girls were present at the Woman’s Club Saturday afternoon for the organization of a “Little Mothers League” for instruction in the duties of mothers designed to make them helpful to their mothers and capable when older grown. The organization of the League was undertaken by the Girls’ Welfare Committee of the club of which Mrs. Edson J. Farley is chairman. The class selected Miss Mildred Thurston as President and Miss Mabel Phelps as Secretary. The instruction of the class will be under the direction of an honorary president and an assistant. The first regular session of the class will on Saturday next at 3 o’clock. All girls over 10 years of age who are interested are invited to be present and join.

April 1915

90 YEARS AGO

Radio is credited with having done more to help police apprehend criminals that almost any one other modern scientific development. On Monday, station W8XDI of the Oneonta Police Department started broadcasting operations. The two-way radio-telephone service will increase the efficiency of the local department as it will permit constant communication between police headquarters and prowl cars patrolling in the city. A sending and receiving set has been installed in each prowl car. Call letters for the cars will be W8XDJ and W8XDK. There are seven tubes in the car units while the transmitter in headquarters is equipped with 10 tubes. A vertical antenna will be erected atop the municipal building. Only a few cities in the country possess the two-way service which police officials claim is powerful enough to send and receive messages within a seven-mile radius.

April 1935

70 YEARS AGO

Fashion—Petticoat fever rages higher than ever before. Never before has there been such a sea of swirling nylons, crisp, embroidered cottons, and triple-tiered lace and taffeta novelties. These frothy, flirtatious petti-skirts make every woman wearer feel just a little more feminine, a little more “femme fatale.” Hence, today’s wardrobes blossom with not one petticoat, but three and five and even more when the budget permits. The slim, boyish fashion silhouette that followed WW I finished petticoats for many years. Rustling skirts became a memory and straight-line princess slips moved into favor. It wasn’t until 1947 when Dior popularized the “New Look” that interest was revived in petticoats. This interest in petticoats has mounted each season since until now, in 1955, the tempestuous petticoat, gayer, prettier, and madder than ever, tops the list of feminine fashion.

April 1955

40 YEARS AGO

The Corning Glass Works in Oneonta has established an apprenticeship program to train workers in a new trade developed as a byproduct of automation. Earlier this month company officials awarded the first three program graduates with journeymen plastic molder certificates. The three graduates are Robert Simonds of Oneonta, Kenneth Gray of Milford, and William Curtis of Laurens. The program is the first of its kind in the state. The Oneonta plant is the only Corning Glass facility that manufactures plastic products.

April 1985

20 YEARS AGO

With presidents and kings looking on, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square sang, applauded and chanted for the church to declare John Paul II a saint as the pope was laid to rest Friday in an unprecedented gathering of the mighty and the meek. John Paul, who spread his message of peace to all corners of the planet, was buried among his predecessors back to the Apostle Peter.

April 2005