Hometown History

May 25, 2023

135 Years Ago
The Local News – An order for steel rails for the Oneonta Street Railway Company has been placed with the Johnston Steel Rail Co. of Johnstown, PA. The rails are expected here in about three weeks. The capital stock of the street railroad company is $20,000, not $15,000, as stated last week. Reuben Reynolds and Fred Wilcox are among the largest stockholders.
The Guy Table Company has changed its name to the Oneonta Table Company. This was decided upon some weeks ago but the legal requirements have just been complied with.
Taylor’s “Wizard King” combination opened at The Metropolitan on Tuesday evening and is drawing good house. Mr. Taylor performs many truly wonderful feats of legerdemain, and the exhibition is well worth seeing.

May 1888

110 Years Ago
Local – Earl V. Fritts, the local aviator has an engagement to give flights at Rensselaer Park at Troy on Memorial Day and he is making arrangements to move his biplane to that city for the event. Mr. Fritts has a Thomas machine and not a Curtiss as stated in an earlier article. For this machine he recently ordered a Maxi motor of 100 horse power, which will probably be used entirely upon the biplane, although it is designed more particularly for racing events in which he expects to participate during the summer.
In a game Saturday last at Warwick, Damaschke, a former Oneonta star on the baseball diamond, was credited by the official scorer with three singles and a double and with four runs for the Warwick team, of which he is a member. The game was against the fast O. & W. team.

May 1913

90 Years Ago
Chancellor Adolf Hitler in his eagerly awaited pronouncement before his Reichstag, trumpeted Germany’s demand for equality in armaments, accepted President Roosevelt’s proposals for world peace, and announced Germany’s readiness to cooperate with other nations in guaranteeing international security and tranquility. “There is but one great task before the world, namely to secure the peace of the world,” the Nazi chieftain asserted in an address which, while stoutly reaffirming Germany’s “right to live” on equal terms with other peoples, was marked by obvious moderation. “Germany is not thinking of aggression, but of security,” the chancellor declared in announcing that his country is ready to join “every solemn non-aggression pact.” Germany, he said, will go as far as any other country in disarming. “Germany would dissolve her entire military establishment,” he said, “and destroy what little armaments are left, if neighboring countries did likewise.”

May 1933

70 Years Ago
Medical history was made here yesterday when Oneonta doctors at Fox Hospital removed an opened safety pin from the throat of a two-year-old boy, Gary Borden, son of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas K. Borden, 11 East End Avenue. It was the first time that this type of operation, a bronchoscopy, had ever been performed in Oneonta. Previously, similarly afflicted patients had to be sent elsewhere, usually by plane to Philadelphia. Forty-five minutes after the boy had swallowed the pin, it was out. The actual operation took less than one minute, thanks to a long metal tube called a bronchoscope. The tube was inserted down the boy’s windpipe and special instruments were manipulated through the tube to grab the pin, which had become lodged in his throat. The pin was rotated so that the point, instead of facing upward into the throat tissue, was turned downward and pulled out still opened. There were no harmful after-effects.

May 1953

40 Years Ago
The profile of an abortion patient has changed little in the two-year period since the Southern Tier Women’s Services opened in May 1981. Patients are still likely to be young, unmarried and pregnant for the first time according to Margaret R. Johnston, administrator. However, this year a greater percentage of patients were over 21 and already had children, she said. Last year, 58.2 percent were under age 21 (924 of 1,588 patients; this year 55 percent were under 21 (996 of 1,812 patients. Last year 29 percent of patients had at least one child (460). This year 33 percent had at least one child (597). The statistics were provided as the Southern Tier Women’s Services marked its second anniversary. More than 3,400 abortions have been performed in the office of Salomon Epstein, M.D. since the office opened amid controversy in May 1981. “Even after 10 years of legal abortion in the United States, and two years of availability locally, the right to choose abortion is still being threatened,” said Mrs. Johnston. “Both legislative action and emotional propaganda continually impact on the woman who wants to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. We think it is important to vigorously oppose all efforts that threaten the availability of safe and legal abortion.”

May 1983

30 Years Ago
The State University College at Oneonta will be graduating about 1,590 students Saturday, in a commencement ceremony set to begin at noon. Civil rights advocate and alumnus Caryl Stern LaRosa, director of A World of Difference Institute of the Anti-Defamation League will be the keynote speaker for SUCO’s graduation. LaRosa, who graduated from SUCO in 1978, has worked with corporations, small businesses and academic communities in developing appreciation for ethnic diversity.

May 1993

20 Years Ago
Doug Decker has joined the Chesser Realty firm. A lifelong resident of Oneonta and an avid musician, Decker has shared stages with George Jones, Collin Raye, Confederate Railroad, Ray Stevens and the Lovin’ Spoonful, Chesser officials said. He has also appeared in movies and sitcoms including “According to Jim,” “Suddenly Susan,” “The Norm Show,” and “A League of Their Own.” He has been on local radio since 1987. Decker is half of the morning “Mix Fits” on Mix 103.9 WSRK. He is married to Michele and they have a son, Taylor. Also joining the Chesser firm is Ginger Volpe who brings 13 years of residential and commercial leasing and management experience. Ginger’s background has broadened her knowledge in construction, building codes, and property market valuation. Volpe and her husband Fred own and operate a quarter horse farm on 30 acres in Oneonta.

May 2003