A Look Back: Feb. 5

50 Years Ago

■Because of the many letters received calling attention to the good service rendered by Denise Sincage, she has been named the Newsgirl of the Month and has been awarded the savings bond which goes with the honor. Denise, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sincage Jr., lives on Old South Street and attends Hawley Junior High School where she is a ninth-grade student.

■The first Amherst College Black Alumni Weekend will be held from Friday through Sunday at the college. “The alumni of the college who are black represent an untapped source of counsel and advice for us now at the college,” explains Richard Ammons, a senior from New York.

25 Years Ago

■Gov. Paul Cellucci says he will cut $4.6 million from his proposed budget for the University of Massachusetts unless university trustees rescind an increase in mandatory fees. The $4.6 million equals what the fee increase will cost students if trustees let that increase stand, Cellucci said Wednesday.

■Students at the Jackson Street School will get help from adult volunteers in dealing with school, family, and social issues under a new mentoring program. A grant awarded to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County will fund the Juvenile Mentoring Program for Jackson Street students in Grades 2 through 5.

10 Years Ago

■The owner of Bird’s Store in Florence plans to convert a dormant lot at the corner of Main and Maple streets into a retail and office building, a move that many hope will breathe new life into one of the village’s most prominent sites. Gaurang Patel, who owns the 100 Main St. site that once housed an Exxon Mobil gas station, is searching for tenants to occupy the two-story building.

■Hadley Police Chief Dennis J. Hukowicz died Sunday after being on sick leave since November. Hukowicz, 61, had been the town’s full-time police chief since 1993 and a member of the force for nearly 39 years prior to going on leave.