YESTERDAY …
10 years ago — April 30, 2005
(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)
BANGOR — Laurence Milder is much more than a rabbi, according to one his congregants.
“He’s a human dynamo. He’s here, he’s there, he’s everywhere,” said Dr. Edward Harrow, a Bangor physician and founding member of Congregation Beth El.
As of July, however, Milder’s “everywhere” will no longer be northern and Down East Maine.
The spiritual leader of the only Reform synagogue north of Augusta for the past 11 years will move this summer to Westborough, Massachusetts, where he will become Rabbi for Congregation B’Nai Shalom.
In addition to his role as spiritual leader, Milder is known in folk music circles as “The Singing Rabbi.” And accomplished guitarist, he studied with champion flat picking guitarist Orrin Star.
BANGOR — The spring and summer will be abuzz with activity on the Husson College campus with work crews putting the finishing touches on The Commons, a $7 million, 40,000-square-foot building that will serve the educational and student service needs of the growing campus.
The Commons will offer a bright, modern and welcoming space to campus visitors. Large glass doors will serve as the entrance, leading into a glass atrium that will extend to the third story of the building.
ORONO — The University of Maine broke ground on a $25 million student recreation center, which university leaders hope will be a beacon to students for years to come. The project was nearly four years in the making.
The 86,000-square-foot facility, which is the most expensive single project in the school’s history, is expected to open by the fall of 2007.
The $25 million price tag will be paid for through a mandatory fee to all students, but no one will be assessed fees until the center is operational, said Associate Dean of Students Kenda Scheele.
25 years ago — April 30, 1990
BANGOR — The Anah Temple Shrine Circus at the Bangor Auditorium ended with what one Shriner called a weekend filled with good show crowds.
The circus was one of many weekend activities in Bangor to provide money for charitable causes or support for international relations.
Among the events, along with the circus taking place in Bangor, was the March of Dimes WalkAmerica program, a high school carwash competition, the Terry Fox Run and the Great Lite Beer Maineiacs 10K Run.
Clyde Reynolds, chairman of the Anah Temple, said that while no one had to be turned away, the auditorium was nearly full for the seven weekend shows. Crowd capacity for the events was estimated at 6,000 per show.
BANGOR — It has been almost 20 years since “Kelly Girls” filled temporary jobs in U.S. workplaces. Changing social values made their name obsolete, but the company they work for is stronger than ever.
Kelly Services Inc. was founded in 1946 and has grown into an organization with 950 offices and 580,000 employees.
Linette M. Poirer manages Kelly’s Bangor operation, which opened in 1985. She says that Bangor has been a good location for the Michigan-based company.
The service provided by Kelly became increasingly attractive as personnel costs, especially benefits, skyrocketed. Instead of hiring employees to fill in during vacations, medical leaves and unusually busy periods, many companies now call a temporary help agency such as Kelly.
50 years ago — April 30, 1965
BANGOR — W.T. Grants downtown store announced the opening of its new drapery hardware display.
The display is the newest and most modern of its kind. It is designed to help the customer in making her selection as easily as possible. It also enables salespeople to check and order merchandise more easily to maintain a complete assortment of items at all times.
Mrs. Madeline Ford, department manager, and Mrs. Mary Hewey, her assistant, will be more than pleased to help customers with any problems they may have with drapes, color schemes or the hanging of the drapes.
BANGOR — A 58-year-old line foreman in the city of Bangor’s electrical department, who headed a four-man crew through some of this area’s severest storms and modernization work, was named the most valuable municipal employee for the year 1964.
The name of the recipient of the city’s biggest honor, James W. Hodgins, was withheld until the final moment of the city’s fifth annual employee’s banquet.
Some 225 employees and guests of the city attended the affair at the Dow Air Force Base Noncommissioned Officers Club, guests of the base’s provost marshal.
Hodgins headed the team that converted the city’s fire alarm system and modernized the street light system. The results of the latter is that instead of the major loss of street lighting in case of storm of other damage, now only pockets of lighting loss are experienced.
100 years ago — April 30, 1915
OLD TOWN — Two women from Bradley went to Great Works stream, a distance of about two miles, to look after a motorboat which it recently had been anchored there, had a thrilling experience.
They arrived at their destination and proceeded to get in the canoe which they were to paddle out to the boat in. Finding the canoe securely locked and no way of breaking the lock, they turned to a small canoe which lay nearby. They put it in the water and were seated, already to start out, when over went the canoe, throwing both in the water.
A man passing by came to their assistance. They righted the canoe and undaunted by the experience got into the canoe again, paddled out to the boat, bailed it out, returned to shore and drove home in their wet clothes none the worse for the experience.
ORONO — The Rev. J. B. Lyman, pastor of the Congregational Church, has been of great assistance to the civic committee of the Woman’s Club in preparing the attractive, catchy signs that have been placed on all the delivery wagons of the town. The signs are Clean Up, Sweep Up, Rake Up, Paint Up, etc.
BANGOR — Bangor unexpectedly comes in for a treat in the way of a talk on one of America’s most famous men, Luther Burbank. The illustrated talk will be delivered by Frederick Boegle of Santa Rosa, California.
The illustrations will consist of natural color photographic reproductions of Burbank’s great plant wonders, the Californian being universally known as the world’s great creator of new flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin