(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – Sept. 8, 1995

LEVANT – The appearance of the Goodwin brothers – five Levant men who are all U.S. service veterans – for the rededication of the Levant Honor Roll is a highlight of the annual Old Home Days Festival.

The four older brothers – Chalmers, Forest, Jesse and Norman – served in World War II. Chalmers was in North Africa through V-E Day, earning five battle stars; Jesse was in Italy until V-E Day; and Norman received the Purple Heart for being wounded in France in 1944.

Forest was reported killed in action, but was a prisoner of war for 15 months before escaping to the Allies’ lines, where he learned the war was over.

The youngest brother, Fuller, served in the Navy during the 1950s.

After their military service, all five Goodwins returned to Levant to live.

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HERMON – It seemed only a matter of time before Ellsworth would sneak a shot past Hermon goalie Sean Smith en route to another schoolboy soccer victory.

But Ellsworth did not capitalize on its numerous first-half chances. That came back to haunt the Eagles as early second-half goals by Ken Peterson and Andy Henderson 1:20 apart enabled the Hawks to snap Ellsworth’s 30-game regular season unbeaten streak, 2-0.

“At halftime, Coach [Don Erb] said a lot of us were just watching the ball and one of us had to step up and want the ball every time,” said Hermon midfielder Mike Lane. “And pretty much the whole team stepped up and took that role.”

25 years ago – Sept. 8, 1980

BRADLEY – In August, a family practice physician from Kansas became the first doctor to establish a medical practice in this riverside community of 1,100 people. Dr. Maile Roper is as happy to be in Bradley as the town is to have her.

“I wanted to pick a place where I could live the rest of my life, where I could put down my roots,” said the new physician. The choice of a location was narrowed somewhat by the fact that Dr. Roper, the recipient of a government scholarship in medical school, was required to put in some time in an area where there is a physician shortage. Up until her arrival, Bradley was one of three such areas in Penobscot County.

Dr. Roper found Bradley the perfect place to establish a rural family practice. A widow with three children, she also found a good place to live. She purchased a 120-year-old home on Main Street with enough space for an office. She intends to stay.

Affiliated with the James A. Taylor Osteopathic Hospital in Bangor, she is usually at the hospital weekday mornings for patient visits. She also makes house calls.

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BANGOR – With the 31-foot statue of Paul Bunyan on Main Street bidding visitors welcome at the entrance of Bass Park, the second annual Paul Bunyan Logging Days got under way for two days of logging competition for professional loggers and the seminovice.

Sponsored by the Bangor Jaycees, for the benefit of community charities, professional loggers from the northeastern states and Canada competed in seven categories for the title of Northeast Logging Champion and an opportunity to be sponsored to compete later in the fall in the national championships in North Carolina against logging champions from divisional shows across the United States.

Every summer, as the log drives ended, loggers would head for Bangor. Concentrated in the area known as Hell’s Half-Acre, loggers would kick up their heels after a long, hard winter. The tales of these woodsmen are chronicled for posterity, but the stories of these hardy men recount that after bouts of drinking, brawling and spending their money, they vowed to leave Bangor, never to return again, and they didn’t … until the next year.

50 years ago – Sept 8, 1955

BANGOR – Public and parochial schools in Bangor and Brewer were filled to capacity as more than 8,400 pupils, the largest registration in the schools’ history, began the new school year.

The increase of nearly 400 pupils over last year’s registration in the two cities taxed many schools to the utmost, and new classrooms were opened in both public and parochial schools.

The elementary schools felt the increase most, as the new crop of youngsters began the most important phase of their young lives: formal education. The end is not yet in sight since Bangor’s public schools expect 200 more students to enter before the end of the month.

An extra room was opened at the Abraham Lincoln School for the sixth-grade class, and a new third-grade room was opened at the Fruit Street School. At Garland Street Junior High School, some classes have 35 students.

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BANGOR – The lunch bucket brigade will be out in force when Operation Landscape gets under way at the new auditorium.

Norbert X. Dowd, executive secretary of the Bangor Chamber of Commerce, sponsors of the project landscape the grounds of the auditorium through a public “bee,” set the date for Sunday.

Dowd said that free coffee will be served to all workers, and suggested that they bring their lunches, as well as a rake and a shovel.

Directing the work will be City Engineer James MacLeod and Ora Black of the Volpe Construction Company. “Straw bosses” will be Chamber president Stanley Leen; Leo Mouradian, president of the Merchants’ Bureau; and Jack Flynn, president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce; Council Chairman Arnold Veague; City Manager Joseph R. Coupal Jr.; and Chairman of the Recreation District trustees Robert N. Haskell.

Col. Robert Leighton, commanding officer of Dow Air Force Base, said that he, his officers and several airmen will be on hand to help out.

“Anyone who lives in Bangor is invited to join the landscaping bee,” Dowd said.

Dowd credited Donald McGary with the original idea for Operation Landscape, which will involve distribution of 3,500 yards of loam, 900 pounds of seed and four tons of fertilizer.

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BANGOR – The first house being moved from Nason Avenue to make room for the new highway necessitated by Dow’s expansion is the former home of Mrs. Dorothy Lowell and Mrs. Madeline Shaw of 18 Nason Ave., which was sold by the state to Ernest Nason. The house will be moved to 36 Mildred Ave. The house is one of five in this section that are being moved to other areas before Oct. 12.

100 years ago – Sept. 8, 1905

OLD TOWN – The home of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hamilton in Middle Street was the scene on Wednesday afternoon of a very pretty wedding, where the marriage of their daughter, Lois Margaret, to Ralph Prentiss Brown of Greenville took place before the immediate families and a few intimate friends. At half after four the bridal procession entered to the strains of the Lohengrin wedding march chanted by the church choir of which the bride has for seven years been a member. They were met under an arch of evergreen by the officiating clergyman, the Rev. F.A. Snow of the Baptist church, who used the ceremony of the double rings.

The attendants were Miss Lula Brown of this city who was becomingly gowned in pink and carried pink sweet peas, and B.F. Brown of Greenville, the groom’s brother.

The bride was daintily attired in white muslin over white silk and carried a bouquet of white and lavender sweet peas. Her veil was fastened with white sweet peas.

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WINTERPORT – A crew is at work rebuilding the bridge at Bald Hill Cove. Nearly all the new planks have been laid, the old ones having been broken by teams carrying the stone crusher and other apparatus. Much money and time is used every year in repairing this bridge and it would seem far cheaper in the end for the town to build a steel structure which would stand for perhaps 25 years without any expensive repairs.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin