Thirty years ago — 1991

Three employees were honored at the recent OBSERVER Christmas party held at the Sheraton Harborfront Inn. Tina Reilly of Dunkirk, an advertising representative, was named the “Employee of the Year.” Lowell Whitehead, a Fredonia resident, was honored upon his retirement. He had been a composing room employee, who began on July 15, 1952. He retired April 26, 1991. Also retiring was Irene Koch, who had been the Gowanda Bureau chief since Sept. 10, 1980.

Forty years ago — 1981

Wear red ribbons to demonstrate “empathy for Poles during this tense situation” is the request being made of western New Yorkers as the Kremlin is ready to send Soviet troops into Poland to help restore order. Martha Bialaszewski, pictured on the front page, was one of the first to wear a red ribbon in the Dunkirk-Fredonia area. The color red was chosen to represent the colors in the Polish flag, Solidarity, the Polish labor workers union and the season of Christmas.

Fifty years ago — 1971

The Buffalo Bills’ worst season recently concluded with a 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills’ record is 1-13.