A Look Back, Dec. 8

50 Years Ago

• Human Services Secretary Lucy Benson of Amherst was expected to announce her resignation today, according to sources in the administration. Mrs. Benson, whose term has been marked by controversy, indicated recently that she is unhappy with cuts approved by Gov. Michael Dukakis in the human services area.
• Thornton Wilder, author of Our Town and Hello Dolly and a Pulitzer Prize winning master of literary innovation, is dead of a heart attack at age 78. He was the brother of Janet Wilder Dakin of Amherst and was a frequent visitor to the town.

25 Years Ago

• National Evaluation Systems, a 28-year-old company specializing in creating, administering and scoring hundreds of teacher certification tests in 12 states, has an agreement to buy a 14.7-acre parcel north of the Mass Ventures building in Hadley and expects to break ground on a 102,000-square-foot building next summer. Occupancy is planned for the summer of 2002.
• A task force composed of Northampton and Hatfield residents will disband following The Home Depot’s recent decision to cancel plans for a store on their borders, in favor of one in Hadley. A Home Depot spokesman said the company opted to open a store in Hadley because it will be able to start planning that store immediately, while it would have faced indefinite delays in Hatfield.

10 Years Ago

• Jaime Caron, a Northampton resident and longtime Department of Children and Families employee, has been selected to lead a central regional office the agency is reestablishing in January. Caron has served as acting regional director of the western region since earlier this year, overseeing the region s nine area offices.
• The 74th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor was commemorated Monday with a wreath-throwing ceremony at the Pearl Harbor Veterans Memorial Bridge in Easthampton. Mayors Karen Cadieux of Easthampton and David Narkewicz of Northampton issued proclamations of a day of remembrance for the day which will live in infamy, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt said after the attack.

The post A Look Back, Dec. 8 appeared first on Daily Hampshire Gazette.