Thirty years ago — 1993

Despite a local healthy sales climate, a 30-year staple of the local business community will begin to close its doors in less than 90 days. The Sears Catalog Store, located at 35 Water St. in the village of Fredonia, found itself in the middle of a nationwide restructuring of the company that will lead to massive changes in the nation’s third largest retail chain. “It was a total surprise,” store owner Thomas Murphy said.

Forty years ago — 1983

The New York State Education Department has just approved an undergraduate degree for recombinant gene technology at Fredonia State University College. State officials noted Fredonia’s program is the state’s first at the baccalaureate level to be specifically aimed at genetic engineering.

Fifty years ago — 1973

All of the Chautauqua County Grape Belt has been certified as a protected agricultural district, Commissioner of Environmental Conservation Henry L. Diamond said today.