A Look Back, April 2

50 Years Ago

■Terming capital punishment as “barbaric,” State Sen. John Olver, D-Amherst, was one of 15 senators Wednesday who voted to sustain Gov. Francis Sargent’s veto of a bill that would have reinstated the death penalty for nine categories of murder. Olver said that he does not believe that threat of a death penalty serves as a deterrent to crime.

■Peter Revson, the famous automobile racer who was killed in an automobile accident one week ago and buried Thursday, was a former student at Williston Academy. Archibald Hepsworth, former dean of students at the academy, remembers Revson as a good student and an exceptional school citizen.

25 Years Ago

■The Northampton High School project got a boost last week from the city’s art council, which has donated $5,000 for public art in the renovated building. The money will be added to $25,000 already earmarked for public art under project plans.

■The Downtown Historic District Study Committee has produced a window to the architectural diversity of Main and surrounding streets. The “Design Guidelines for the Central Business District” is intended to provide a recipe for developers considering new construction or renovation downtown.

10 Years Ago

■After six months as temporary chief at White Brook Middle School, former health teacher Meredith Balise has been named permanent principal. Balise, who lives in Wilbraham, is a 12-year veteran of the district. She had been a health teacher at White Brook since 2002 and formerly led the city school employees’ union.

■After two hours of debate, the Northampton School Committee voted 8-2 Tuesday to offer the job of city schools superintendent to John A. Provost of Easthampton, beginning July 1. Provost, 42, who has been superintendent of the North Brookfield public schools in rural Worcester County since 2011, was the committee’s choice over two other finalists for the position.