Turning Back the Pages

100 years ago — May 1923

Mr. Treat entertained eight fellow ministers at luncheon on Monday.

Perhaps you may have noticed the great prevalence of the tent caterpillar. The wild cherry and other bushes are literally covered with webs and thus in turn will soon communicate still further to regular fruit trees. Everyone should get busy destroying the pest by burning out the tents or some other equally effective method. It is time to do it now before greater damage results.

Mr. Merrill G. Fenn is enjoying a week’s vacation from his duties as repair man of the local office of the S. N. E. Telephone Co.

For Sale - 1 Piano Player at a bargain, in good condition with 50 Rolls. Must be sold at once. Telephone 51-5.

Extensive repairs are being made to the fence along the frontage of Dr. Simmons’ property.

50 years ago — May 1973

Receipt of a check from Anthony J. Peters has completed contributions to the town for the purchase of the former Children’s Colony property on Long Pond. The purchase price was $160,000 with $100,000 donated by Mr. Peters and the remainder by an anonymous benefactor.

Caroline Wakefield, director of guidance at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, was recently honored by the Berkshire Business and Professional Women. She was presented with the club’s 1973 Women of the Year award.

Dr. Elbert Gross, president of Music Mountain Inc. in Falls Village, has been notified by the Mobil Travel Guide director that the Berkshire Quartet concerts will be listed this season.

As Kent residents angrily protested the impending demise of their local A&P store, the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. announced this week that the Canaan A&P store will close June 9. Regional sales director James Anderson said the small size of the store made it impossible for the company to create enough volume to justify the store’s continued existence.

The Bureau of Aeronautics will no longer issue licenses for the operation of aircraft at the Lime Rock race track.

State Police Sgt. Victor Keilty has been given a new state-level assignment by Police Commissioner Cleveland Fuessenich. The commissioner this week named Sgt. Keilty as assistant coordinator of resident state troopers. Sergeant Keilty, a longtime Canaan resident, was until two weeks ago acting commander of Troop B at Canaan Barracks. He was succeeded in that post by Lt. James Shay.

25 years ago — May 1998

An anonymous donor has offered to match dollar for dollar any contributions to the defibrillator fund by June 30. The donor has offered to match any contribution up to $5,000. Last February, the Falls Village Ambulance Service began its fundraising effort with an awards ceremony to celebrate the two people who were saved last year. One of the people was saved by a defibrillator.

James E. Sok, president and chief executive officer of Sharon Hospital, announced his resignation from the hospital Friday, effective May 31. The move comes after weeks of reports that Mr. Sok was under mounting pressure to resign and that the medical staff had taken a vote of “no confidence” to the board of trustees. Michael Gallacher, former CEO of Manchester Memorial Hospital, has been appointed to take his place effective June 1.

These items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible.