HOMETOWN HISTORY, JANUARY 3, 2014

125 Years Ago
The Local News – The colored ball last Thursday evening was largely attended by white people who were interested spectators until a late hour. The dancers were not as numerous as expected, although Norwich, Delhi and other towns were represented. The ball was orderly and well-arranged.
John McCard, the good-natured young stonecutter who was arrested by Detective Moore on suspicion of being the murderer of two sheriffs out in Idaho Territory, was released on Saturday by order of Judge Nelson, before whom he was brought on a writ of habeas corpus. McCard was dead broke when arrested, and could not telegraph for facts to prove an alibi. But, after he had reposed in the lock-up for two or three days, others did so for him. The answer soon came that he was working in Kingston, Pennsylvania at the time of the crime of which he was suspected was committed.
January 1889

100 Years Ago
Like a ray of brightest sunshine in a dark alley came the members of the Salvation Army Wednesday to those whose prospect for a Merry Christmas was indeed small; and they did not come empty-handed. A capacious basket simply overflowing with Christmas cheer was the gift of these tireless workers to those who, in many cases, had scant promise of a holiday feast. Over 60 of the baskets were distributed, and in every case to some family where there was need indeed.
School Hygiene – Should lunches be provided by the public schools? Shall the open-air classroom replace the closed room? Should school janitors be trained sanitarians? Do we need dental clinics for all school children? These are a few of many phases of health supervision discussed pro and con in a bulletin on school hygiene just issued by the United States Bureau of Education. In another bulletin issued by the bureau, Henry S. Curtis declares that every city school building should have at least one full block of ground, whether the block is the usual city block of two or three acres, or one of ten acres as in Salt Lake City, Utah. The high school needs at least 10 acres, he asserts. As for the country school, it ought never to have less than three acres of play space, and could profitably make use of 10 acres, provided the grass is kept mowed.
January 1914

80 Years Ago
Dr. Charles W. Letizell, President of Hartwick College, welcomed the members of the faculty and student body of the institution at the opening Chapel exercises of 1934 held at the college building yesterday morning. “I trust,” he said, “that you have all had a happy and delightful Christmas season, and I wish you a happy and successful new year. I pledge you the best that is in me that this may be the most successful year in the history of the college. I think that one of the emotions that ought to be in each of our hearts as we go into the New Year is a feeling of dissatisfaction. There are, there can be, but few who are truly satisfied with the accomplishments in the past year. If there are any, I feel sorry for them, for theirs is a miserable plight. We should always remember that no matter how well we do a thing, it could have been done better. By trying to attain that better standard, the product which results from our toil will be much nearer perfection.”
January 1934

60 Years Ago
President Eisenhower solemnly assured the American people tonight that “every legitimate means” is being used to maintain the “nation’s prosperity” and will continue to be used “as necessary.” But, the President said, he does not intend to deal in “pie-in-the-sky promises to all, or in bribes to a few, nor in threats to any.” In a nationwide television-radio talk, Eisenhower hit out at “self-appointed peddlers of gloom and doom” and said his administration will not tolerate a “boom and bust” America, dependent on war or threats of war for prosperity.
January 1954

30 Years Ago
The U.S. dollar reached new heights in hectic trading Wednesday against the currencies of France, Italy, Norway and Finland, a posted a ten-year high against the once-mighty West German mark. The Federal Reserve Board said its measure of the dollar weighted on the basis of international trade with ten nations, climbed nearly two percent in the first two trading days of 1984 to match its all-time high. The only currency to gain ground on the dollar was the Japanese yen. As the dollar rose, the price of gold fell, winding up the day at $377 a troy ounce, off $1.50 from the late bid Tuesday, and far below its peak of $875 an ounce in January 1980.
January 1984

20 Years Ago
Contributions to the United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties reached an all-time high during the 1993 fundraising campaign which netted a record-breaking $333,412. “The support from United Way volunteers and the many people who contributed demonstrates a strong sense of community. People care about each other and that makes this area a good place to live,” Mary Ellen Duncan, campaign chairwoman, said. Beating the $290,000 goal by more than $40,000 was the result of increased contributions from employee campaigns, new donors and more money raised at special events, according to Kathy Lindberg, the chapter’s executive director.
January 1994

10 Years Ago
City Police Chief John Donadio requested five to seven more officers at an Oneonta Board of Public Safety meeting, but Sean Farrell, Seventh Ward alderman and board chair, said the $300,000 to $500,000 price tag was too expensive. Donadio wants to establish a crimes prevention unit that patrols where known drug dealers operate. Beside the crime prevention unit, Donadio wants to add a patrol officer that would allow him to increase the detective division’s size. Farrell said that request might win approval. “I’d love to have 10 more police officers and 10 more firemen, but we need to keep a balance,” Farrell said. “A significant part of the city’s budget goes to police and fire already.”
January 2004