Turning Back the Pages

100 years ago — May 1923

Roy Van Deusen was summoned to appear before Justice Tuttle on Tuesday by Officer Preston on charge of driving without an operator’s license. The fines and cost amounted to $20.27. Roy had expected to take out a license the following morning, but made the mistake of taking his car out a few hours too soon.

A.S. Martin is having a new brick chimney and fireplace added to the north side of his house on Main Street.

The mountains were white with snow this morning and overcoats were once more in evidence. Chicago may have some funny weather but it has nothing on us at present.

50 years ago — May 1973

The State of Connecticut, pledged to preserve the Berkshire Division tracks of the Penn Central from New Milford to Canaan, apparently has plans to build a half million dollar railroad bridge in Kent.

Author James Thomas Flexner of West Cornwall and New York City was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize citation this week for his four-volume biography of George Washington. The final work, “George Washington: Anguish and Farewell (1793-1799),” was published by Little, Brown and Co. last November. It received the National Book Award in April.

Mark Dickinson of The Hotchkiss School and Kim Fracaro of Housatonic Valley Regional High School have won first and second places, respectively, in the fourth annual Mark Van Doren Poetry Contest. The contest is open to students in area private and public secondary schools.

Judson Philips of Canaan, who has just celebrated his golden anniversary as a writer of mystery novels, was presented the Grand Master award last week by the Mystery Writers of America. The presentation was made Friday during the annual dinner at the Essex House in New York City.

Over 70 bags of litter were cleared from Canaan’s streets and parking lots Saturday by 25 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who took part in the Keep America Beautiful program.

25 years ago — May 1998

In almost every one of the last 500 issues of The Lakeville Journal, Tim Fitzmaurice’s by-line has been over at least one front page article. Most recently he has also been a weekly presence in Compass with his sharply written movie reviews. Now Tim is leaving the Journal to write screenplays for Miramax and to help manage The Moviehouse in Millerton. He will continue to live on Main Street in Lakeville.

Dr. Malcolm M. Brown of Sharon has spent 17 years on the town’s Sewer and Water Commission and is about to step down. To honor him for that long record of service, the town and commission will dedicate the new water filtration plant  to the longtime volunteer on May 30 at 2 p.m. at Town Hall.

Will the person who took four doll heads from the doorway of a Falls Village home please return them. No questions will be asked. The owner had them ready to give to a youngster when they disappeared from in front of her door.

These items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible.