PAGE4 THE POST EDITORIAL Sunday, December 16, 2007 | MOMENTS IN TIME The History Channel * On Dec. 18,1620, passengers on the British ship Mayflower come ashore at Plymouth, Mass., to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony. That winter of 1620-21 was brutal, and by spring, 50 of the original 102 Mayflower passengers were dead. ® On Dec. 16, 181, in the Mississippi River Valley near New Madrid, Mo., an earthquake of an estimated 8.6 magnitude on the Richter scale slams the region. The quake raised and lowered parts of the Mississippi Valley by as much as 15 feet and changed the course of the Mississippi River. ¢ On Dec. 23,1888, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe depression, cuts off the lower part of his left ear with a razor while staying in Arles, France. He later documented the event in a painting titled Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. ® On Dec. 22,1939, two express trains collide in Magdeburg, Ger- many, killing 132 people. The accident was probably due to the fact that the country’s best rail engineers had all been conscripted into the military. ® On Dec. 20,1957, rock-and-roll star Elvis Presley receives his draft notice for the U.S. Army. Fans sent tens of thousands of letters asking for him to be spared, but Elvis would have none of it. He was sworn in as an Army private in Memphis, Tenn., on March 24,1958. ® On Dec. 17,1963, the U.S. Congress passes the Clean Air Act, a sweeping set of laws designed to protect the environment from air pollution. It was the first legislation to place pollution controls on the automobile industry. * On Dec. 21,1975, in Vienna, Austria, Carlos the Jackal leads a raid on a meeting of oil ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, killing three people and taking 63 people hos- tage. OPEC did not hold another summit for 25 years. * On Dec. 19,1998, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. After the trial the following February, during which he was acquitted on both counts, Clinton said he was “profoundly sorry.” STRANGE BUT TRUE e Earlier this year -- on Nov. 20, to be exact -- those who make such observances celebrated the feast day of St. Edmund the Martyr. Not familiar with him? As we're near the height of flu season, it might be wise to remember that St. Edmund the Martyr is the patron saint of pandemics. * |t was American lawyer Clarence Darrow, famous for defending John T. Scopes in the so-called Monkey Trial in 1925, who made the following observation: “When | was a boy | was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it.” * Famously flamboyant country singer and songwriter Dolly Par- ton once entered a Dolly Parton look-alike contest -- and she lost. e According to travel experts, the top cities worldwide that tourists want to visit are, in order: Paris, Rome and San Francisco. * The first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16,1945, near Alamagordo, N.M. More than 60 years later, the substance at ground zero is still too radioactive to touch. * When the movie “Grizzly Adams” was filmed, the grizzly bear that played the title role was paid $9,000 a day, plus an extra $15,000 for performing its own stunts. e In order to help those famously large sumo wrestlers put on weight, trainers have them stop eating breakfast. * |t's been reported that singer Sting doesn’t use deodorant. In fact, after interviewing him for a concert once, the journalists nick- named him “Stink.” = ae SUBMITTED PHOTO Shown at the Back Mountain Memorial Library with Oma (Louis ten Haaft of Holland) are, from left, are Emily Crawford with her sister, Rebecca, on her lap; Monique Pritchard and her daughter, Alyssa; and Shane Frank. Standing, Abigail Crawford, Oma, Railyn Frank, Twila Kaplanski and her son, John; Lisa Woodruff and her daughter, Dallas. ‘Oma’ sings in Dutch When storyhour volunteer Mo- “stroop waffles” (Dutch cookies) MAN & BEAST Tiffany is a 10-year-old Pomera- nian who is the best friend of her owners, Mary Jane and Russell Bullock, of Second Street in Tunk- hannock. Tiffany likes to go to nursing homes and have her pic- ture taken. She also likes to open her Christmas gifts with her paws. SHARE YOUR PET PICTURES WITH OTHER READERS Who's your best friend? If your very best friend in the whole wide world is your pet, we want to know about it. Send us a picture of your pet - whether it be a lovable puppy, a slimy iguana or a parrot with an extensive vocabulary - and we'll share it with readers of The Dallas Post. Tell us your name and address, your pet's name, his or her age, his or her breed and anything else you'd like everyone to know about your pet. Be sure to include your telephone number in the event we have ques, tions. Send everything to “Man and Beast, c/o The Dallas Post, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 or e-mail the picture to us at news@mydallas- post.com. If you send a picture and would like to have it returned, be sure to in- clude a self-addressed/stamped envelope. We'll publish the pictures in the order in which we receive them. Holiday Open House at library Parties, presents and possibly the busiest time of the year are all indications that we are in the midst of the holiday season! The board of directors and staff at the Back Mountain Memorial Library would like to wish you a very happy holiday season and welcome everyone to our Holiday Open House on Wednesday and Thursday, Decem- ber 19 and 20. Stop by and enjoy light re- freshments, as well as the sound of holiday music! Yes, it’s the only time of the year that brary! we actually play easy-listening holiday CDs for our visitors to listen to here in the library. (And, if you enjoy these CDs, we just might let you borrow one!) Automatic entrance doors When visiting the library, be sure to pause a moment and notice something new at our entrance. We have recently installed auto- matic entrance doors to make the library more accessible for the benefit of our hand- icapped patrons. Handmade decorations Immediately inside these doors, you will also notice an assortment of beautiful, holi- day floral arrangements, including wreaths, swags and centerpieces. These one-of-a-kind decorations are handmade here at the li- brary by a creative volunteer. She and a few other Santa’s “elves” have also prepared a ho- liday sale corner including tree ornaments, plates, dolls and winter-themed collectibles. Be sure to check out these bargains and re- member all proceeds go directly to your Li- Half-price Christmas items Don’t forget to also visit our Slightly Read Bookshop downstairs to check out the great selection of holiday books and greeting cards. For one week only, from December 17- 22, all Christmas inventory will be half- price! From holiday cookbooks to great win-....(1/2 hour in length) ffered at either 10 ter reading, the bookshop offers the best bar-* am. or 11 a.m. on Tuesdays. Story times for ; year olds (45 minutes to an hour in “length) are held from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. or 11 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays. They are also held from 10 to 11 a.m. on Thursdays. For more information on any of the above activities, please call the library at 67 9 gains in the Back Mountain! - The bookshop will be open during its reg- ular hours (from 1 to 7 p.m. on Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays) through December 22. It will then be closed for two Storyhour registration weeks and will re-open on Saturday, Jan. 5. Holiday hours The Back Mountain Memorial Library will be closed on both Monday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) and Tuesday, Dec. 25, to celebrate Christmas and on Monday, Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve) and Tuesday, Jan. 1, to cel- ebrate New Year’s Day. % Parents are reminded that the registration for the Winter/Spring Storyhours will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 3. You may ei- ther stop by the library or call on that day to register your child for the story times which will begin the week of February 4 and end the week of March 17. Toddler Circle times nique Pritchard learned that her parents, Gerry and Louis ten Haaft, would be visiting from Holland for three weeks, she asked her mother to come with her to storyhour and surprise the children. She asked the children to call her mother “Oma,” mean- ing grandmother. The ten Haafts hail from Zeist, Holland. It took the couple eight hours to fly from the Netherlands to the Philadelphia Airport where Pritchard and her daugh- ter, Alyssa, picked them up be- fore driving to Dallas. The grand- parents brought with them some and lots of black licorice, a favor- ite of the Dutch. Oma talked to the children about the customs of Holland, spoke and sang in Dutch to the delight of the children and even let them try on her wooden shoes. She instructed the chil- dren how to play “Zakdoekje Leg- gen” which is a version of our “duck, duck, goose” pre-school game. She then read them the story of Donald and Daisy Duck who tour Holland and pointed out the main attractions such as the windmills, the tulips and the delicious cheese products. Richard L. Connor PUBLISHER The Dallas Post TIMES©LEADER Community Newspaper Group 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18711 ® 570-970-7440 news@mydallaspost.com Matt Smith ADVERTISING Dotty Martin EDITOR 20 YEARS AGO The Child Development Classes at the Dallas Senior High School are developing pro- jects and activities for the Nurs- ery School to be conducted by them in conjunction with their studies. The program will be of- fered to par- ents of chil- dren, ages 3 and 4 years, who reside School District. The King- ston Town- ship Board of Supervisors adopt- ed an ordinance requiring a per- mit for all driveways in the ONLY YESTERDAY ' Township which are to be con- nected to Township roadways. The new ordinance is not retro- active and will pertain only to new driveway construction. Res- idents wishing to resurface an existing driveway will, however, be required. Harold Groff, chairman of the telecommunications technology program at Penn State Wilkes- Barre, has been named to fill the first ever Bell of PA telecommu- nications faculty fellowship. Groff, an assistant professor of telecommunications, is the first faculty member at a Penn State Commonwealth campus to re- ceive a fellowship honor. As part of his Bell Fellowship duties, Groff will co-chair the first ever Bell of PA Telecommunications Symposium, a statewide gather- ing of business and industry leaders. 30 YEARS AGO Daniel Meeker of Kunkle Mo- tors was honored for 20 years of business at a recent National meeting and new Model Intro- duction for dealers of the Swed- ish Saab automobiles, at Stan- ford, Connecticut. Brenda Yascur was crowned Queen of the Lake-Lehman Se- nior High School Christmas dance last week at the high school. Lake-Lehman Junior-Senior High School students achieved scores in the National Develop- ment Tests which placed them in the top ten per cent of students throughout t he nation. Some of the high-scoring students in- cluded Susan Havrilla, Beth Crumley, Valerie Jachimowicz and Pamela Adams. 40 YEARS AGO Mr. Ted Meixell, Dallas, will be honored by the Girard Invest- ment Company at a dinner today at the Bellvue Stratford in Phila- delphia. Mr. Meixell will mark his 25th anniversary with the company. Is the party host responsible for his guests getting home safe- ly? This question has prompted a holiday safety campaign, “First a Friend..Then a Host” launched today by the Wyoming Valley Motor Club. “We would prefer that party goers not drink and drive, but we must be real- istic — many do,” said Charles Spitale, Assistant Manager and Safety Director, “Therefore this campaign is approaching the problem through the host who provides the drinks. A family of eight on the Leh- man Outlet Road lost almost ev- erything in a fire which swept their home Friday morning, leaving very little but the con- crete block walls. Two members of the Silvic family were at home, but escaped safely. 50 YEARS AGO First steps in an attempt to or- ganize a Back Mountain Police Association were taken Monday night when representative po- lice officers met at the Kingston Township Building on Carver- ton Road to discuss the proposal. The organization will have as its goals closer official and personal associations between all police officers; elevation of police stan- 5 dards; adoption of humane ef- forts in the enforcement of law; adoption of pension, relief and civil service laws and an attempt to devise and suggest ways for a more uniform police system in the Back Mountain area. Construction of the Back Mountain area’s first big shop- ping center will start immediate- ly on five acres of ground oppo- site Evans Rexall Drug Store, Shavertown. The Back Moun- tain Shopping Center, being built by Edward Eyerman, Jr. and his partner Henry Fine, will include an air-conditioned Acme Super Market and nine other stores similarly air conditioned and all connected by an all- weather canopy convenient for shoppers. Mrs. Joseph Bedner, West Dal- las, painfully injured two fingers of her right hand the day after she won first prize for the Greens Show at Grace Episcopal Church. A garage door dropped on her hand as she was about to leave the home of her sister, Mrs. Wilbur C. Manning of Shrine View, for the second and final day of the show. The crushed fin- ger wounds required a number of stitches. Mrs. Bedner’s mantel decora- tion of fruit and seasonal ever- greens was adjudged the best ex- hibit in the annual Greens Show. 60 YEARS AGO Donald J. Evans was elected president of the Dallas Town- ship School Board. Newly elected officers of King- ston Township Veterans Associ- ation are Robert Considine, pres- ident; William Johnson, vice president; Thomas Ayre, secre- tary; and Henry Kann, treasurer. Directors for two years are John Fink, Al Morris and Hugh Ridall, Jr. Director for one year is Paul Gallagher. Professor James R. Martin act- ed as toastmaster at the turkey dinner given by Mothers to Foot- ball Boys at Kingston Township tor High School. Coach Ted Martz gave a brief talk and presented the awards and Clinton Smith was elected captain for this year. The program consisted of col- ored moving pictures of the Tunkhannock game and group singing led by Alfred M. Camp, accompanied by Wilma Hess. Mrs. James Martin was chair- man of the banquet. 70 YEARS AGO Mrs. J. Irving Roe of Shrine View has charge of Christmas Seal sales in Dallas Borough. Mrs. Albert Groblewski is in charge of the sale in Trucksville. Money from the seals will be used by the Wyoming Valley Tu- berculosis Society in its cam- paign against tuberculosis. Santa Claus himself will reign over activities at Dallas Town- ship High School tomorrow ag. ternoon when Dallas ull Woman's Club holds its secon: annual Christmas Party for un- derprivileged children of this section. The committee which is planning the affair, headed by Leona Smith, includes Jane O’Kane, Doris Carey, Laura Rothery, Pauline Mummaw, Margaret Lynn, Ethel Stolarick, Viola Morrett, Mildred Devens, Alberta Hofmeister, Peg Shultz, Jean Richards, Louise Hislop, Myra Carln and Sarah Schmerer. An operetta, “The Busy Christmas King” will be given at a meeting of the Dallas Parent- Teacher Association Monday night in the high school auditori- um. Miss Ruth Mae Hazel and Miss Ruth Carbaugh, first grade teachers, will direct the produc- tion. Miss Evelyn Van Antwerp will have charge of carol singing and Mildred Kitchen will play a piano solo. Information for “Only Yester- day” is taken from past issues The Dallas Post, which is vears old. The information is printed here exactly as it ap- peared in the newspaper years ago.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers