50 Years Ago

■Citing instances of deterioration of the downtown area, Wilfred Spencer Jr. of Northampton’s Historical Commission said the commission last night discussed the possibility of declaring the downtown an historical district. A committee under the direction of Harvey Finison was appointed to pursue the subject, which will entail an inventory, the preparations of maps, and a public hearing on the proposed district.

■New members of the Board of Directors for the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce were elected at the chamber’s recent annual meeting. They are Peter DeRose of the Daily Hampshire Gazette; Terrance Schreiner of Pro-Brush Division, Vistron Corp.; Stanley Shermeta of Danrich Realty and Trust Co.; William Gonski Jr., attorney; and Henry M. DeTurck of Cahill and Hodges.

25 Years Ago

■Shannon O’Brien of Easthampton took the oath of office for treasurer and receiver general of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Wednesday at the Statehouse in Boston. Gov. Paul Cellucci noted that the hour-long ceremony was historic, marking the first time two women were serving in statewide office. The other is Cellucci’s lieutenant governor, Jane Swift.

<sbull value="sbull"><text xmlns="urn:schemas-teradp-com:gn4tera"></text></sbull>Engineers are trying to devise a plan to widen the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Bridge while saving all the art deco eagles on the bridge’s pylons. In the process, advertisements of bids for the two-year, $12 million project have been delayed, jeopardizing the start of the project this spring.

10 Years Ago

■A longtime health administrator from eastern Massachusetts has been chosen to lead Cooley Dickinson Health Care as it undergoes a radical shift in how it looks after patients. Joanne Marqusee, 57, of Lexington, will take over March 31 as president and CEO of the health system.

<sbull value="sbull"><text xmlns="urn:schemas-teradp-com:gn4tera"></text></sbull>A restaurant featuring organic, local products, with a menu that includes breads, fruit smoothies, and coffees, is likely coming to downtown Amherst. The Works Bakery Café is proposed for the vacant street-level storefront inside the Tucker-Taft Building at 48 North Pleasant St.