125 Years Ago

The Northfield News

June 18, 1885 3 cents a copy/ $1.50 a year

Geo. H Richmond, editor

C. J. Alger is soon to start a Democratic paper at Burlington to be called the Independent. Mr. Alger is rich and we suppose can afford to keep a pet elephant.

•

The celebrated horse "Jim" owned by George Hoyt, and once the property of Newport liverymen has finished his work. He was an admirable carriage horse and it is estimated that during his life time he earned $20,000.

•

The recapitulation of the public debt statement shows the total debt on June 1st with interest: $1,891,108,999.98; total cash in treasury available for reduction of the debt and redemption of the United States notes, $366,624,966.74; total public debt less available cash items, $1,524,484,033.24. Reduction of debt during the month of May, $3,350,833.63

100 Years Ago

The Northfield News

June 14, 1910 3 cents a copy/$1.25 year

Fred N. Whitney, editor

The recommendation of the Carnegie Foundation report that the smaller medical colleges be abolished and that "Harvard and Yale be developed, rather than to maintain several more or less imperfect schools," is about as impractical an idea as was ever promulgated by theorists. If such a course was adopted, the medical department of the University of Vermont would be cut off, something that would be almost a disaster to the state. This institution has turned out a splendid lot of graduates in years past, and those men, as a whole are faithfully and conscientiously doing the needed and necessary work of a noble profession. (UVM) President Buckham is quite capable of defending this department of his institution of which Vermont is justly proud.

•

The Thaw family have come into the limelight again. Alice, who recently secured a divorce from the Earl of Yarmouth, has succeeded in getting back the half million dollars' income she gave the English flapdoodle, called a nobleman, for marrying her. Of course it is all put in nice language, but that seems to be really what it amounted to.

75 Years Ago NEWS AND ADVERTISERJune

13, 1935

5 cents a copy, $2 a year

John E. Mazuzan, editor

To the editor: ...I think that most conscientious citizens will admit that there is an actual need of a hospital here in Northfield... Several thousand dollars are expended annually by our residents for hospital services, so why not keep that money here in town among our own people? Now is the best time to take constructive action when the V.E.R.A. will furnish the labor, thus helping our unemployed. We would have to furnish the materials and equip it but this is not an insurmountable barrier. I am reliably told that there is a fund consisting of several thousand dollars that could be made available for the project...in addition there is the Dr. Mayo Memorial Fund; though it is small. Contributions from a few of our leading citizens would help swell the total. Then the various civic and fraternal clubs might help furnish a room, if not entirely, then partly. Perhaps the ladies' organizations of the various churches would help in this work; at least they could help in making bedding, gowns, towels, etc. The hospital would not have to be large or pretentious. A nine or ten bed hospital would be ample. By keeping the size small the cost could be kept down because it is the overhead that runs into money. E. M. GOYETTE, M.D.

•

I read with interest Mr. A.H. Cook's letter in you paper advocating a hospital for Northfield, and I am in hearty sympathy with his general idea...I am very strongly inclined to think that it will be far better to start with what we already have and encourage its development to meet the needs of the town. Mrs. Cordelia Delary has for some years been developing a nursing home, which is already equipped to offer some of the minor facilities of a hospital, and which could be expanded to render such service as needed to make a fresh beginning. To build up a hospital that will supply all the facilities that might be demanded would be far more of a task than Northfield could well undertake...To make fuller use of the facilities that we already have and so make possible their enlargement to meet our needs would seem a more sensible course than to start afresh and duplicate those facilities unnecessarily. FRANCIS R. NITCHIE

50 Years Ago NEWS AND ADVERTISER

June 16, 1960

5 cents a copy, $2 a year

John E. Mazuzan, editor

General Harmon, who has been president of Norwich University since May, 1950, revealed to the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees Saturday that he plans to remain as the university's head "a minimum of one year and probably two more years," as a result of his action last fall in successfully recommending to the board the abolition of fraternities at Norwich. "I had definitely planned to retire in June this year after completing ten years in office as president," he said. "However, since deciding to take up the fraternity problem and carry through with it, I feel that I should stay in order to get the new system of class clubs in complete operation." By June of 1962, he added, "I feel that I could leave Norwich and have most of my objectives at least in plain view for my successor." General Harmon suggested to the board the appointment of a committee to search for a new president, and he declared his willingness to stand aside at any time to make way for a suitable candidate.

25 Years Ago

NORTHFIELD NEWS

June 20, 1985 25 cents a copy, $2 a year

Erik Nelson, editor

The Washington County South Supervisory School Board acted illegally in putting Dr. Joseph Ciotti on administrative leave according to Assistant Secretary of State Paul Gillies...Gillies stated that "the action placing the Superintendent on leave is a formal action and must be made within an open meeting." Gillies went on to state that placing the Superintendent on leave without doing it within an open meeting invalidated the leave of absence...In a statement made by Secretary of State James Douglas, he asserted that "any action taken by the board must be made in open session." Beth Rosenberg of the

Vermont League of Cities and Towns also offered the position of Douglas and Gillies stating that "All decisions must be made within the context of a public meeting."