10 years ago – Oct. 3, 1992

(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

BANGOR – Nearly four months after voters approved the jobs bond, work has started on public building projects in Bangor.

“There’s going to be a lot of construction activity through next spring, which is important because it’s traditionally the slack time in the trades,” Kenneth Gibb, director of community and economic development, said Friday morning.

Last spring, backers of the bond sold it to voters as a way to create jobs quickly. The package contained $79 million of bonds; $28 million of it was earmarked by the state for municipal projects. Many of the local projects have had slow startups.

The state selected five projects in Bangor for funding.

25 years ago – Oct. 3, 1977

BANGOR – The promotions of five faculty and staff members at Eastern Maine Vocational Technical Institute to replace staffers who have either retired or resigned to accept other positions have been announced by Francis Sprague, director of EMVTI.

James H. Tobin Jr., of Dexter; Nathaniel J. Crowley Jr., of Hampden; Warren Southworth of Searsport; John A. Wood of Brewer; and Charles L. Sansom Jr., of Brewer have all received promotions, according to Sprague.

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BANGOR – Hundreds of trees lining boulevard-like sidewalks, pots of flowers everywhere, winter gardens, sidewalk cafes, enclosed tennis courts and a new shopping facility by the Kenduskeag: Could this be downtown Bangor in a few years?

It might be. Thursday night downtown merchants took the first formal steps to implement such suggestions, which were proposed by the New York consulting firm of Alexander, Heller and Haserot, by setting up a Local Development Corporation.

John Heller, partner in the consulting firm, suggested that this be a priority item for the LDC, and he brought someone with him from New York whom he thought would be good for the job.

50 years ago – Oct. 3, 1952

ORONO – With about 2,850 students already enrolled at the University of Maine for the fall semester, officials said today that the total would exceed 2,900 when students taking the two-year agricultural program register on Oct. 30. About 276 of the students are veterans of World War II, and 82 are veterans of the Korean War.

This is the 85th year that classes have been held at Maine’s state university. The institution opened Sept. 21, 1868, with 12 students.

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Two Bangor men had a close brush with death about 1 p.m. yesterday when the motorcycle they were riding was in collision with an automobile at York and Boyd streets.

The men were rushed to Eastern Maine General Hospital following the spectacular crash between the motorcycle they were riding and a car, Bangor police said.

Hospital officials reported last night that one man suffered a chest injury and a lacerated foot, while the other received a head injury. Neither of them was on the danger list.

Police said the driver of the car received a bruised hand.

100 years ago – Oct. 3, 1902

The new four-masted schooner Samuel W. Hathaway was successfully launched from the yard of E.&I.K. Stetson in Brewer Thursday morning at 10:50 o’clock.

It was as pretty a launch as has ever been made in the Penobscot in the vicinity of Bangor and the new vessel starts in on her career under the most auspicious circumstances. The craft was gracefully christened by Miss B. Kent, daughter of Capt. A.L. Kent, the master of the vessel, who sprinkled 10 dozen asters over the prow as it dropped from the ways into the river.

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A clothesline thief is operating with vigor in the vicinity of Fern Street. How long it has been going on, nobody seems to know.

There have been no losses reported to the police, and as far as could be learned Thursday, the first pillagings occurred early Thursday morning. An alarm was given at that time, however, Patrolman Perkins – who lives next door to the house which was first robbed – and Patrolman Crowley made a search for the man but could not find him.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin