YESTERDAY …
10 years ago — Oct. 23, 2004
(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)
BANGOR — Jews have been living in America for almost 200 years before any made their way to Bangor shortly after the Civil War. By then, the descendents of the 23 men women and children who landed in new Amsterdam, now my Manhattan, had made an indelible mark on American history.
This year, Jews throughout the country are marking 350 years of Judaism in America. In recognition, the Jewish community Council and Bangor will sponsor a series of events over the next eight months designed to celebrate the first Jewish settlement in North America. Films, lectures and to traveling exhibitions are on the bill.
“Builders of America: The Jewish Heritage” and “Women of Valor” will be displayed at the Bangor music Museum and Center for History, 6 State St.
ORONO — the University of Maine on Friday celebrated the opening of its $16,000,000 Engineering and Science Research Building. Supported by funding passed by Maine voters in 2002, the building has laboratories and offices for the Department of electrical and computer engineering and the University of Maine College of Engineering and Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology.
the 51,000-square- foot building is connected to the former Barrows Hall, the original home of LASST.
another highlight of the event was the dedication of the buildings Arthur St. John Hill Auditorium. Hill was a professor in the electrical and computer engineering department between 1918 in 1949.
25 years ago —Oct. 23, 1989
HAMPDEN — if you see a couple walking around town wearing “I survived the Quake of 1989” T-shirts, that would be Rick and C.J, O’Connor of Hampden.
Although the O’Connor’s likely were planning to bring a souvenir home from their trip to California last week, chances are it wasn’t going to be proof that they had lived to the nation second deadliest earthquake.
While in San Francisco for a conference O’Connor was attending, the couple toured the Napa Valley wineries. Tuesday afternoon they decided to hang around for a bit and sample wine and cheese before heading back over the Golden Gate Bridge to the city.
then it hit.
Telephone poles began to put back-and-forth, cable snapped, and then, as suddenly as it began the earthquake stopped, leaving a trail of devastation.
BANGOR — the Mean Nurses Association has named Bangor nurse Terry Lee Brown bear Staff Nurse of the Year, an award given to a staff nurse who “consistently demonstrates outstanding performance in nursing practice.”
Brown is a staff nurse at the main Head Trauma Center in Bangor, and was formerly a nurse at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in the rehabilitation unit.
50 years ago — Oct. 23, 1964
BREWER — While millions of Americans are eagerly consuming news of their athletes’ feats in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Bob Hawkes of Brewer is busy preparing for his own competition in that Japanese city.
Hawkes will be taking part in the international Stoke-Mandville Games, the paraplegic olympics, for the fifth straight year beginning Nov. 9 in Tokyo.
Contributions of many friends and followers in Eastern Maine have made it possible for Hawkes to leave for Hawaii and then go on to the games, which will take place near the Olympic Village and in the official Olympic swimming pool.
Hawkes isn’t sure at this point what events you will be entered in, but whatever the events, the Brewer man is sure to pick up his share of medals. In the 1960 games Hawkes won gold medals in basketball and the breaststroke, and in 1961 he picked up a gold medal in the breaststroke and in 1962 he was a gold medalist in the backstroke.
The director of the Bangor Regional speech and Hearing Center, Hawkes is quite busy during the week and doesn’t get much of a chance to practice, but on weekends he drills steadily in his backyard and at the Bangor YMCA swimming pool.
BANGOR — All Bangor dogs who don’t like the mailman are about to get their comeuppance. Milk areas have now been equipped with a dog repellent sprayed from an aerosol can both the size of a large marking pencil. The spray has been tested extensively by the United States postal department and is harmless, according to postal officials. The effects of the spray, which is aimed at dogs eyes snapped are gone in from 10 to 15 minutes, leaving just a yellowish stain which is easily washed off.
The new spray called “Holt” is composed of 13 percnet of extract of cayenne pepper and 85 percent mineral oil.
100 years ago — Oct. 23, 1914
EAST CORINTH — A fire has destroyed a section of East Corinth, laying flat the role of stores on one side of the street, also several dwellings. The total losses estimated at about $40,000.
The fire started from a kerosene stove used to heat water to wash dishes in the ice cream parlor connected with the waiting room of the Titcomb building.
J. M. Ames opened the door of the waiting room and was greeted with a rush of flames. He closed the door and went for fire extinguishers, but hardly arrived on the scene again before the flames a shooting through the roof.
Then by a strong wind the flames licked up one building after another so rapidly that only a portion of the contents could be saved. The Farrar garage and a hot fire and explosion of gasoline assisted in the general spread.
Postmaster Durand save most of the mail and outfit and set up business in the town hall. The fire was confined to one side of the street although at times the general conflagration was threatened.
Help was asked from Bangor and a steamer with 2,000 feet of hose and 20 men in charge of District Chief LeBarrow, was sent out, but there was no water within reach and but little assistance could be rendered.
The people of the village and vicinity worked hard and save much adjoining property this is the third fire that is visited East Corinth within the last 25 years.
BANGOR — The Bangor Band, at its first pop concert of the season next Friday night, will give the first local hearing of Sousa’s latest March, “The Lambs.”the march has all the characteristic qualities that have one for its composer the title of March King. It possesses that stirring rhythm and a wealth of melody that only a Sousa march seems to have, and there is a unique scheme of theme development makes it distinctive.
Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin