A Look Back, Nov. 8

By JIM BRIDGMAN

For the Gazette

Published: 11-07-2024 11:01 PM

50 Years Ago

■A Florence woman, educated at Northampton High School and at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital, is now serving as the director of critical care in the California hospital which is treating former President Richard Nixon. Connie Hamilton, 39, whose parents still live at 14 Middle St. in Florence, has responsibility for the nurses who tend Nixon.

■A Los Angeles conglomerate which owns 57 subsidiary companies around the nation has purchased Chartpak in Leeds for an undisclosed amount of cash. The Times Mirror Co., acquired Chartpak from Avery Products Corp.

25 Years Ago

■Nearly a week after a municipal election, voters in Northampton on Monday are being invited to help re-enact the vote 75 years ago that sent Calvin Coolidge to Washington. Officials with the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Room in Forbes Library will conduct a mock election, complete with ballots that are replicas of the 1924 versions.

■The Northampton Council on Aging is launching a program to link JFK Middle School students with elderly people in need of help around the house. The arrangement, called Odd Jobs, is designed to match older residents with students willing to perform chores, with the two parties themselves working out pay and hours.

10 Years Ago

■Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts International have been officially awarded the state’s first two resort casino licenses, following unanimous votes Thursday by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. MGM is building an $800 million resort in Springfield. Wynn is developing a $1.6 billion plan for the waterfront in Everett, a city bordering Boston.

■After more than 25 years in Northampton, the Distinguished Young Women of Greater Easthampton competition is moving back to its roots in Easthampton. On Sunday, 16 girls from Hampshire Regional and Easthampton High School will sing, dance, answer questions, and show off other talents on the stage of Easthampton High School auditorium. The show has been moved from its longtime home at the Academy of Music in Northampton.