Yesterday…

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10 years ago – Jan. 23, 1993

(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

BANGOR – A tiny town in El Salvador soon will be the recipient of a much-needed truck, courtesy of Bangor, its sister city in Maine.

The truck, a 1982 Mercedes diesel flatbed donated by a group of Bangor area people, will provide essential transportation for the 350 residents of Carrasque, El Salvador, and will carry necessary supplies for the village.

On Saturday, the Bangor-El Salvador Sister City Truck Project will celebrate the success of its statewide campaign to raise $10,000 to purchase the 14-foot-long vehicle.

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BANGOR – For more than a decade, children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities have been mainstreamed into public schools. That doesn’t mean less need for the United Cerebral Palsy Center.

“In the past three years, we’ve had an increase of 76 percent in referrals,” said Sharon Mishou, who took over as executive director last January after Ruth Shook’s retirement. Shook had run the program for more than 33 years.

The monthly clinic now sees eight or nine children, she said, rather than the previous average of four or five. The children have cerebral palsy – any of a variety of motor disorders caused by damage to the central nervous system before or during birth.

The center also offers evaluation, infant development and a preschool program. So United Cerebral Palsy of Northeastern Maine can use every penny it will raise during the telethon this weekend.

25 years ago – Jan. 23, 1978

BANGOR – Probably most people, when asked, would say that the Bangor Rehabilitation Center works only with handicapped persons, particularly the mentally handicapped, to give them skills so they can get jobs. But an older woman who recently found herself in desperate need of a job after the death of her husband wouldn’t say that that’s all the rehabilitation center does.

What the center did for her was to find out what kind of work she might be interested in doing, find out what her aptitudes and physical abilities were and then match these to jobs available in this area. She is now happily employed as an electronics assembler.

“We here at the Bangor Rehabilitation Center have a [vocational evaluation] program that is equal to or better than anywhere else in the country,” said Ernest Karhu, director of that program. He recently joined the staff at the center.

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50 years ago – Jan. 23, 1953

BANGOR – It has been moving day for the Bangor Historical Society for the past week as more than 20,000 items have been transferred from the historical room at the Bangor Public Library to the GAR Memorial Home on Union Street where a public museum is being set up. Now the process of unpacking and reassembling the thousands of items of historical interest is going forward and when all are placed an open house will be held to inaugurate the museum.

Among the most active workers in the setting up of the museum is Justice Raymond Fellows, who has served as president of the historical society for the past 20 years.

Many of the items of the historical society will be shown to the public for the first time as lack of space prevented their display at the library and they have been stored in the basement for many years. Justice Fellows wants Bangoreans to search their attics for historical items, which will add to the story of Bangor through the years. He suggests pictures of early settlers, pictures of Bangor in the long ago, furniture of early days, letters, manuscripts, and records, which will depict the city as it was in the early days.

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BANGOR – Miss Catherine Falvey, assistant deputy of Civil Defense in the Boston area, was the principal speaker Thursday at a public Civil Defense meeting at the Bangor city hall. More than 100 persons were present.

Miss Falvey covered all phases of Civil Defense organization and operation. She declared that federal money cannot go into the construction of bomb shelters at the expense of military needs, since there simply isn’t enough money to go around.

However, she said, bomb shelters by themselves are virtually useless and the will and determination of the people, acting as individuals and in organized groups, is the greatest hope for the defense of America. Properly trained and organized, she said, American civilians could resist any force that an enemy might throw against the nation.

Other speakers were General Spaulding Bisbee of Augusta, state Civil Defense director, and William Mitchell of Bangor, county director.

General Bisbee gave an eye-witness account of an atomic bomb explosion, which he described as the “most dreadful sight imaginable.” He praised the state and local CD organization.

An interesting feature of the meeting was a demonstration by the local Civil Defense Emergency Radio Corps. Members of the unit showed how they could establish an emergency communications system in case of an air raid.

100 years ago – Jan. 23, 1903

BANGOR – In the handsome dining hall of the Windsor Hotel Thursday night, 60 members of the Bangor city government and a few guests assembled at a banquet tendered to Mayor Engel by the city government, the happy occasion having been arranged by Alderman Frank O. Youngs of ward 5, with complete success in every detail. The tables were attractively laid, excellent music was furnished by six pieces of Pullen’s orchestra and many bright speeches followed.

Toward the close of the banquet, Alderman Youngs, in a graceful speech on behalf of city government, presented to Mayor Engel a crayon portrait of the mayor, finely executed at the studio of J.F. Gerrity. Mayor Engel responded fittingly, and in concluding he made an announcement that surprised his hearers that he would not accept a renomination for mayor.

Compiled by Matt Poliquin

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BANGOR – Bangor is to be invaded by a small army of men within the week, so the employment agents and others who are in a position to know state.

The chopping season in the lumber woods is over and the operators are preparing to let a large number of the men go and it is from these camps that the invading force will come. They will be uniformed in sweaters of all colors, Mackinaw jackets, leggins and rubbers and moccasins. Their beards will be, when they first reach town, of many days growth, while their hair will fall in long ringlets down around their shoulders. For some time after they arrive the barber shops along Exchange Street and Front Street will be kept busy mowing off these luxuriant locks and scraping the weather-beaten faces and then the owners will visit the clothier and appear out an almost different man.

The first detachment of the great army of axemen now in the woods of Maine will be followed by others until practically all the choppers are out and only those remain in the woods who are engaged in landing logs out of the woods to the landings on the shores of the streams, rivers and lakes. They will remain until the work is completed or the lack of snow makes it impossible to continue work longer.

Compiled by Matt Poliquin

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ORONO – More than 70 candidates are expected to turn out Monday for preseason workouts as the University of Maine varsity baseball program swings back into action.

Head coach John Winkin, beginning his fourth season at UM, and assistant coach Jack Taylor will conduct an accelerated camp that will include 16 lettermen from last year’s 24-11 team, led by co-captains Russ Quetti and Billy Hughes.

The Black Bears will open the campaign March 25 with an exhibition game at California- Riverside, the defending Division Two national champions. Their first-game opponents are one of seven quality teams Maine must face in the prestigious Riverside Tournament beginning March 27.

“Right now, looking at the teams in the tournament, pre-season training is our opportunity to get in shape and catch up to the teams that will soon open their seasons,” says Winkin, who has won 379 of 643 games during his 24 years of college coaching.