Yesterday …

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(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – Aug. 14, 1993

Usually the police battle the bad guys.

Usually the firefighters battle blazes.

But Friday night Bangor’s two public safety departments battled each other on the baseball diamond.

It was the cops who went down in flames, losing 8-6 in a charity event at Bangor’s Mansfield Complex that will allow the Child Abuse Council and the Pine Tree Burn Foundation to split proceeds of $1,100. The event, dubbed Guns and Hoses, was the first time the two departments had squared off in a baseball contest. The organizers hope it won’t be the last.

“We always play softball against these guys once a year,” just for fun, said firefighter John Higgins, who with his colleague Troy Lare decided to take that a step farther and proposed the charity game.

Police Officer Ed Potter helped organized his Court Street colleagues. Wight’s Sporting Goods was tapped to donate the balls. Husson College and the Bangor West Little League contributed other equipment.

“On our part, it’s fun,” Potter said in the dugout during the game. “But the purpose behind it is the charities.”

As many foul balls landed outside the stadium as in, it seemed, and one of the first made contact with a car windshield, prompting a bystander to caution someone else who parked there later. A fire engine that was standing by diverted some of the attention from the game when it went screaming off on a call.

25 years ago – Aug. 14, 1973

A few sixth-graders at the State Street School, Brewer, have told one teacher, Mrs. G. Elizabeth Roberts, that they’re “getting tired of all this freedom in the classroom.”

On this encouraging note for the future, Mrs. Roberts has chosen to retire. After 25 years as both teacher and principal, equal in years to the school building’s age, she has decided “to do the little things one doesn’t have time for when teaching a full schedule.”

A native of Brewer, Mrs. Roberts is the wife of Frank Roberts and daughter of Mrs. Eva Jordan, a resident of the Orono nursing home. The couple’s sons are William of Brewer and Frank J. of Mobile, Ala. Mrs. Roberts’ brother is Corydon Jordan of Hampden.

During her tenure, Mrs. Jordan has seen discipline become an increasing school problem, especially among children of problem parents, she says. But person-to-person talks with some of the older children at State Street School have revealed a turning point. Some children, she comments, have asked not to be placed in rooms where teachers permit “all this freedom.” They protest they are going to school to learn.

50 years ago – Aug. 14, 1953

For the past two weeks the Military Air Transport Service had been moving tactical units of the Strategic Fighter Wing based at Dow AFB and some of the Air Base Group supporting personnel to the Far East, according to an announcement made by Capt. Richard Morton, public information officer.

The Strategic Air Wing is being sent on three months rotational TDY training, according to Morton. This move, he said, is in keeping with the policy of the Strategic Air Command to provide overseas training for personnel of its combat units.

Morton said it was expected that when training finished, the Strategic Fighter Wing units would return to Dow.

100 years ago – Aug. 14, 1903

BANGOR – A genuine novelty in the way of entertainment is promised the people in the ball game of Saturday at Maplewood when the star Bloomer Girls’ team of Chicago will play a local team. The Bloomer Girls can play ball, and the local aggregation are a bit shaky about winning out.

On Wednesday, the team played at Camden to 1,500 people, and were beaten by the close score of 9 to 7 by the local team.

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Of the 520 school superintendents in Maine, 58 are women. Augusta, Hallowell, Brewer, Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle and Milo have women superintendents. In the smaller towns, women hold office in Lovell, Easton, Abbot, Alna, Alton, Amherst, Benton, Bradley, Bristol, Caswell Plantation, Dayton, Criehaven, Cranberry Isles. Detroit, Drew Plantation, Eastbrook, Franklin, Gilead, Greenbush, Greenfield, Greenvale Plantation, Lincolnville, Linneus, Madrid, Mapleton, Mason, Mattamiscontis, Medway, Monson, Moscow, No. 21 Plantation, Orient, Orrington, Perkins, Plymouth, Prospect, Robbinston, Roque Bluff, Roxbury, St. Albans, St. John, Scarborough, Searsport, Winn, Veazie, Pittston, Rangeley and Newfield.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin

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The barber shop of George A. Abbott on State Street has bucked the mandate of the local barbers’ union and is keeping open Friday afternoons. The union card had been taken from the shop and the three barbers under Mr. Abbott suspended from the union. Mr. Abbott says that the union didn’t act in any way fairly, and for that reason he is going to see if he can struggle ahead without its aid. He has a perfect understanding with his employees and they were willing to stick by him, even at the cost of their suspension under a heavy fine from the organization.

The affair is creating no end of a whirlwind in union circles and it was stated Thursday morning that an attempt would be made to boycott the Abbott shop. Several businessmen have been informed that if they continue to shave at the shop, they will lose all union patronage. Mr. Abbott says, however, that his trade is increasing rather than decreasing.

Mr. Abbott says that if the union had been fair at the start as to closing Friday afternoons, he would be willing to shut up shop. But he was ordered abruptly to close and was given no chance to state a position, which he says is peculiar regarding demands of patrons. His barbers agreed with him and so the shop has been kept open.

A delegation from the local union stood opposite the shop last Friday afternoon, watching everybody who went in. They are anxious to see the shop closed and harmony restored among the employing barbers and the employees.

The members of the barbers’ union say that the request to close Friday afternoons is a just one, and one to which no other shop objected. Every other shop in Bangor will be closed Friday afternoons during the summer and will retain the union card.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin