■A capacity crowd of St. John Cantius Church members and friends bade farewell and extended their congratulations in an informal testimonial to the Rev. Richard S. Sniezyk, Sunday, at the Parish Center on Phillips Place. The Right Rev. Christopher Weldon has assigned him to the Cathedral High School faculty in Springfield, with residence at Christ the King rectory in Ludlow.
■Two doctors from Northampton have been named charter diplomates of the American Board of Family Practice as a result of passing a certification examination administered by the American Board of Family Practice. To achieve diplomate status, Drs. Donald B. Rogers and Donald H. Sprecker, through a two-day written examination, proved their ability in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, preventative medicine and other traditional specialties.
■Sixty people who ate at a conference held last week at the Inn at Northampton became ill, prompting an investigation by the city’s Board of Health. The symptoms of those who got sick have been mostly gastrointestinal, including cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. None of the 60 required hospitalization.
■The Look Park Children’s Entertainment Series, a popular summer attraction, is well underway, and has invited Northampton Police Officer Albert St. Onge and McGruff the Crime Dog of the Northampton D.A.R.E. Program to some of its shows next month. St. Onge and McGruff will speak with children and distribute literature.
■A pair of Smith College-owned houses on Belmont Avenue have earned a reprieve from the wrecking ball — at least for the time being. The Historical Commission on Monday delayed the college’s request to demolish 21 Belmont, an occupied multi-family apartment building, and 27 Belmont, a vacant home that most recently was used as faculty office space.
■Jerome Liebling, a man whose stark portrayal of American life over a half-century of photographs and films won him legions of admirers around the globe, died at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton on Wednesday. He was 87. One of the first professors at Hampshire College, Liebling founded the school’s photograph and film program.