■Mrs. John Rowbotham, of 36 Williston Ave., Easthampton, celebrated her 80th birthday yesterday by agilely diving off the springboard at the Hampshire Regional YMCA to the delight of spectators assembled for the event. Mrs. Rowbotham regularly drives to the “Y” with her friend, Mrs. James Steeves, also of Easthampton — who celebrated her 76th birthday Jan. 4 — for their weekly “plunge” at the pool.
■William Cashin House, a new dormitory on Eastern Lane in the Northeast section of the University of Massachusetts, will open officially Jan. 24. Mrs. Emilie Rugg and Mrs. Regina Korpela are the heads of residence.
■A nonprofit film group is attempting to lay the groundwork for a new owner to purchase and operate the darkened Calvin Theatre. The Northampton Film Associates Inc., the organization that held the city’s first film fest last fall, plans to describe — at a press conference next week — a new effort to preserve the 71-year-old theater for live performances and movies.
■The City of Northampton has received the Margaret Sanger Award for exemplary leadership from the Family Planning Council of Western Massachusetts. The award was to be presented this afternoon at the council’s 23rd annual staff celebration, held at the Hotel Northampton.
■With the need now gone, an estimated 40 checks are being put in the mail today to reimburse donors to the arson reward fund run by Northampton Rotary Club in the wake of last year’s arson fires. Established by Mayor Clare Higgins and administered by the Northampton Rotary Club, the fund is being dissolved, having “served its purpose,” according to Rotary Club officials.
■Already a health care staple for veterans in western Massachusetts, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds will expand its territory later this year to include the central part of the state. The move is part of a reorganization plan designed to enhance and expand services, improve access and eliminate long trips for veterans who live in the state’s five western counties.