Yesterday …

10 years ago – May 16, 1992

(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

VEAZIE – Bill Soule builds model railroads and Barbara Burbank makes corn husk dolls. They’re not your traditional artists. But for two days this week, the 170 students at the John R. Graham School in Veazie got a taste of these art forms, as well as some of the more traditional art fields such as painting and pottery. Held for the past half dozen years, the Artfest program is part of the school’s curriculum.

Donning blue and white overalls and an engineer’s cap, Soule brought his interest in model and full-scale railroads to the Veazie classroom. Soule, an associate mathematics professor at the University of Maine, grew up with the old locomotives and, while he doesn’t consider himself an artist, he has a lot of enthusiasm for railroads.

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BANGOR – The St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary presented pledges of $30,000 to Sister Mary Norberta, hospital president, at the auxiliary’s annual meeting May 12.

The money will be used to buy new remote monitoring equipment for the emergency room. The new Spacelabs monitoring system is the latest equipment for monitoring vital signs such as heart rhythm, blood pressure, pulse and oxygen percentage in the bloodstream, at the bedside and the nurse’s station.

25 years ago – May 16, 1977

ORONO – Freshman right-hander John Dixon of Portland hurled a no-hitter for five and a third innings and helped pace the University of Maine Black Bears to a victory in their final home game of the season Saturday at Mahaney Diamond, 5-3, over Colby College.

Dixon stopped Colby cold for five-plus innings as his mates were building a 5-0 edge for him. Dixon is now 2-1 on the season and the Bears were 23-8 after the win, prior to their split Sunday against Massachusetts.

50 years ago – May 16, 1952

ORONO – The Maine Teachers Association will ask the 1953 Legislature for a scale of minimum salaries for teachers ranging from $1,600 to $3,600 a year, its executive secretary said today. The scale is now $1,500 to $1,800.

Clyde Russell told the Women’s Education Council the MTA will seek $1,600 to $3,600 a year, depending on education, with automatic $100 increases to $3,200 for teachers with bachelor’s degrees, and $3,600 for those with master’s degrees.

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ORONO – More than 4,000 students from about 50 Maine secondary schools will take part in the Eastern Maine Music Festival, which will be held at the University of Maine on Saturday, May 17.

Approximately 1,300 band members from 36 schools, 2,400 glee club members from 36 schools, and 550 orchestra members from 12 schools will be in attendance. The Festival Parade will form at 11:45 a.m. The reviewing stand will be in front of Stevens Hall.

100 years ago – May 16, 1902

ORONO – For some time past, Orono’s reputation as a hunting ground has been somewhat on the wane. Last fall, however, several deer and a moose were seen within the village bounds, and many townsmen and college boys turned out, rifle in hand, to bring down the big game. And now comes news of a strenuous elephant hunt in staid old Orono, a story that would make good reading even in faraway India, where elephant hunts are of almost daily occurrence.

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OLD TOWN – As a result of the Republican caucuses held in the several ward rooms on Thursday night, Old Town will send to the county convention eight delegates favorable to the nomination of I.B. Wood for sheriff, and two who will support L.W. Gilmar for that office. The Wood delegates, two from each ward, were elected in every ward but ward three.

Compiled by Mark Haskell