I never kept a journal or photo album, so I have little to go on other than vague recollections of Fredonia 50-odd years ago. They come to mind like faded photographs of various settings around the village. Sometimes the images are audible, like in the auditorium of the Campus School, or tactile, like the hundreds of pieces of dried gum under a lunch counter at a magazine shop, or the taste of a root beer soda, or the thick aroma of Red Wing cooking ketchup, or of concord grapes on a chilly, damp day in October.

The population of Fredonia was about 11,000 in the early 1970s. Today it is about 9,300. Despite the fact that there are 1700 fewer Fredonians today, traffic seems more like a city, with frequent downtown congestion and a dodge-em car feeding frenzy on route sixty by the fast food joints.

Back then, three newspapers (Courier Express, Buffalo News, and Dunkirk OBSERVER) along with three TV channels (ABC, NBC, and CBS) were the main sources of daily news. Papers were delivered by “paper boys” who learned tricks of folding and tucking and tossing, along with the art of being polite to customers.

WDOE was the home radio station. While never famous for its big news stories or eclectic taste in pop music, it offered kudos to local folks who had accomplished something notable.

Today, despite the cynical attitude of many residents, the OBSERVER and WDOE remain reliable sources of local news. While their purviews are mainly parochial, they serve to educate citizens about the important sociopolitical issues and business interests of the community.

In the late ’60’s and early ’70s there were numerous local small business owners. Aldrich, St. George, Drayo, Mancuso, Hunter, Briggs, Pucci, Golden, McEntarfer, Kurgan, Barnes, DeJohn, Favata, Leone, Mangus, Chimera, Beck, Patti, Dickenson, Pagano, Whipple, Civiletto, Yerico, Doino, Joy, and many more whom I can’t recall – those were family names of businesses with a definite stake in the local enterprise.

Precious few of those businesses exist today, and it is understandable that many older folks wax nostalgic about those days when stores were within walking distance and folks knew each other by name and/or reputation. A culture of community has been usurped by big box and chain enterprises.

Regarding architecture and housing, with a restored White Inn, along with the refurbished Opera House, Fredonia will have reclaimed historical significance. Yet, while many of the magnificent old homes in the historic sections remain well managed, an overall deterioration is evident in the middle class areas, even as developers have invested lavishly in the southwest part of town.

In the early ’70s Fredonia State College was a hotbed for political activism. Students mobilized with a higher level of awareness regarding social class inequalities and the VietNam war. Today, it is unclear what motivates them as they slouch over their devices and travel willy-nilly through the internet.

Fredonia’s High school graduating classes averaged around 135 then. This year about 110 seniors will graduate. The course work and requirements have not changed significantly, though the learning methods and processes have. There is ongoing debate regarding the effects of computer dependency, but it is certain that there is no turning back.

Regarding athletics, there are several factors to consider. Training methods back then were primitive compared to today’s hi tech workout apparati. Pushups, pullups, situps, rope climbing, outdoor running (the Hill!), weight lifting – that was what we did. Yet I think this made us tougher. I certainly believe that athletes like John Bilinski, Dan Moore, Bruce Carter, Butch Wallace, Bruce Haight. Rick St.George, Doug Coon, Greg Follet, Joe Sorci and Bill Coughlin coached by Ferd Larson and Rog Moore would beat the pants off any of today’s Fredonia teams, either at the recently proposed $30 million Fredonia “sports complex” or on the old Orange bowl and Chestnut Street cinder fields.

But more important is the amazing growth of girl’s athletic programs. From zero back in the day to a full slate of soccer, flag football, basketball, and softball, and more, girl power has arrived, not only in Fredonia, but across the country. That is a welcome change.

Pete Howard, a teacher, musician, writer and house painter, lives in Dunkirk.