(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – May 24, 1997

ORONO – A pledge by Bangor writers Stephen and Tabitha King to give $1 million a year to their alma mater for the next four years did more to lift spirits at the University of Maine than any other recent event.

The gift, which will be used to hire arts and humanities professors and to fund $1,000 scholarships for students, is one of several factors helping give UM’s sagging image a boost this spring.

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BANGOR – A battle of epic proportions is shaping up near the Bangor Mall, where the nation’s leading home improvement center, Home Depot, is constructing a major retail outlet within spitting distance of its rival, Home Quarters.

While the competition between the two retailers likely will be a boon for consumers, the arrival of Home Depot will shake up further the area’s highly competitive market for building supplies.

The new Home Depot will top the neighboring Home Quarters in size with a 115,000-square-foot warehouse facility compared to HQ’s 86,000-square-foot store.

25 years ago – May 24, 1982

BANGOR – Members of the Bangor Center Corp. endorsed the “dream” of putting an ice rink and winter garden in the downtown. The concepts were proposed by the American City Corp., a Maryland consulting firm.

“Does anyone think this is too wild a dream?” asked Doug Brown, president of the Bangor Center Corp.

“I see nothing wrong with having a dream,” said Barbara McKernan. “If we don’t have something like this, what is our attraction?”

The unspoken consensus seemed to be that American City Corp. should plan for the rink and garden complex at the rear of Freese’s if consideration is given to inclusion of parking on the site as well.

The estimated cost of a covered skating rink is $2-2.5 million. The winter garden would cost $3-4 million, an American City Corp. spokesman said.

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BANGOR – Bangor city councilors met with the school committee to discuss a $450,000-$800,000 cut from the school budget.

Councilors and committee members agreed that the order would require dismissing teachers and dismantling programs. Councilor Paul Zendzian speculated that as many as 60 teachers would have to be dismissed to effect the $800,000 cut.

50 years ago – May 24, 1957

BANGOR – The YMCA building fund campaign received a $30,000 shot in the arm when 275 campaign workers showed up at the last report luncheon of the drive.

The day’s contributions raised the total to $115,850. This leaves the Y short $72,311 of the $188,162 necessary to finish the construction of an indoor community swimming pool and a new gymnasium.

The report luncheon at the Bangor House was believed to be by veteran observers the largest attended fund drive report luncheon ever held in Bangor. Campaign workers overflowed the banquet room and spilled out into the corridors. Extra waitresses, bell boys, desk clerks, managers, assistant managers, newspapermen and campaigners pitched in to set up another dining site in the General Grant Room. The hotel was expecting 200, but 275 workers showed up “to finish the job.”

The women still lead the men in the amount of money turned in. Mrs. Donald Grant is the leading team captain with $1,919 and her division led by Mrs. Anna Clarke who has raised $6,218. Their section, led by Edward I. Connor, has raised a grand total of $12,859 of which the women raised $8,137.

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BANGOR – The Bangor public works department will swing into action with all men and equipment necessary to bring the citywide “Operation Clean Up” to a successful conclusion.

Director of Public Works Roger W. Merrill in preparing his plans for the actual pick-up said that seven large dump trucks and one of the large rubbish trucks will be assigned to the residential sections in a concerted effort to make Bangor a cleaner place.

This is a good time to rid your property of tree limbs, bushes, shrubbery, old timber, boards and shingles, broken cement, bricks and pieces of masonry, pipe, plumbing fixtures and old metal, mattresses, bed springs and old furniture.

100 years ago – May 24, 1907

BANGOR – Rents of every kind have been scarce in Bangor the past four years, but it was never as difficult to secure one as now. The situation, long serious, has become critical, and yet, according to prominent real estate dealers, there appear to be no immediate prospects of relief.

In this city with a population of 25,000-27,000, a large proportion of the families occupy separate houses, and each house usually has a plot of land around it. This spreads the city out to an unreasonable extent, makes it necessary to erect new dwellings on or near the outskirts – practically all the sites near the business section being already taken – and accounts in great measure for the difficulty in securing rents.

“Were 400 new houses erected here tomorrow,” said a real estate dealer, “every one of them could be disposed of by sale or lease within a week. Why, between West Bangor and the Seaport road I know of several families who are actually living in tents. While over in Brewer, a man and his child occupy a hencoop. The man pays $5 a month for it and thinks himself lucky. Houses which, a few years ago, the owner would have had difficulty in disposing of for $2,000, now are selling for $3,000 – a 50 percent increase.”

“How do you account for the great demand for housing,” this reporter asked.

“Well, for one thing there is our school system. We have as good schools as can be found in any city of our size in New England and people throughout this section of the state are not slow to recognize that fact. Many people, even in remote parts of the country seem to have heard of Bangor and know a surprising amount about it. I think it is safe to say that of every five people who move to our state, four of them come directly to Bangor.”

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NEWBURGH – I.A. Whitney has added to his collection of horses a handsome, young Vassar mare.

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PROSPECT FERRY – Mr. and Mrs. G.I. Wescott are home from Vermont, where they have been the past few years. Mr. Wescott will have a barn built. George Grindle will do the work.

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WINTERPORT – Howard lodge and the F. and A.M. held a special meeting in the lodge rooms May 17. Four candidates received degrees. Masonic lodges in Bucksport, Hampden and Dixmont were invited and a goodly number from each lodge was present making a total of about 80.

The banquet consisting of turkey, pastry, oranges, bananas and cigars was served in the dining hall. The dining hall presented a very different aspect than in the past since it has been sheathed on the ceiling with North Carolina pine.

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BUCKSPORT – N.W. Ladd was the lucky man Wednesday, taking three large salmon in his weir on Verona.

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OLD TOWN – O.B. Fernandez, who is in charge of the preparations for the fourth of July celebration, announced that he had completed arrangements for bringing two or more motor boats to this city on the day of the celebration to race. Another feature of the celebration will be in the parade. Mr. Fernandez intends to have 50 young ladies ride horses in the parade. No expense will be spared to make the celebration the greatest thing of its kind that has ever been held in this city, and if it isn’t more than 40 below zero on the fourth, a fine baseball game may be seen at Webster Park.

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BUCKSPORT – During the ball game between the E.M.C. seminary nine and the Maine Classical Institute of Pittsfield, Mrs. Bragdon, mother of seminary president Frederick E. Bragdon, was standing behind the catcher’s stand leaning against the netting which formed the back fence of the diamond. A foul ball hit the wire, bounding off, and struck Mrs. Bragdon in the face, breaking her glasses and cutting her face quite badly. Earnest hopes are entertained that the injury to the eye may not prove of a serious nature.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin