A Look Back, March 5

50 Years Ago

■Mary McColgan, wife of former Rep. Edward McColgan, was elected yesterday to the Ward 4 City Council seat that her husband once held. Mrs. McColgan, a Democrat who ran without opposition in yesterday’s special election, will take the council seat vacated by Rep. William P Nagle Jr., when he resigned to join the Legislature in January.

■The Trustees of the Smith Charities have announced that the charity marriage gift of $50 has been increased to $100. The charity was founded in 1848, based on the will of Oliver Smith. The trustees disperse funds from the will to brides, widows, nurses and tradesmen who are needy.

25 Years Ago

■It will be more costly to have a heavy pedal foot near the Jackson Street and Ryan Road schools, after the City Council on Thursday night passed laws creating two new school zones. That means the speed limit near the elementary schools will drop to 20 mph when children are commuting to and from school.

■Days shy of the United Nations International Women’s Day, the Zonta Club of Northampton will be honoring a local woman tomorrow with its Woman of Power Award. The recipient is Dr. Claire Manwell, 93-year-old retired pediatrician from Northampton. “She is an inspiration to other women, as she has spent her life helping others,” said Zonta’s president, Jennifer H. Luddy.

10 Years Ago

■The owner of the Hangar Pub and Grill in Amherst is taking over all operations at the nearby Amherst Brewing Co., including food preparation, customer service and beer brewing. Hangar owner Harold Tramazzo said Wednesday that he intends to keep Amherst Brewing moving forward as changes are made to the menu and the eating areas in the restaurant.

■Forbes Library has begun a search for a new writer in residence, now that novelist and poet Susan Stinson, who served five years in the position, will be leaving in June. Lisa Downing, Forbes’ assistant director, said Stinson “will be a tough act to follow.”