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Retrospective

Retrospective

Thirty years ago — 1993 The Friends of the Dunkirk Free Library is a new organization formed to supplement activities and responsibilities of the library staff and to stimulate interest in, and support of, the library among area residents. The officers are: John Mancuso, president; Joan Dill, vice president; Doug Fenton, secretary; and Risha Formanowicz, treasurer. Forty years ago — 1983 No one knows for certain who labeled South Dayton the home of the littlest world’s fair, but the term came into being a number of years ago as the result of the fire department’s annual ...

Retrospective

Thirty years ago — 1993 Former Book Nook employee Wendy Corsi Staub has realized her lifelong ambition of writing a book and seeing it published. Titled “Summer Lightning,” the book is a young adult supernatural thriller (Harper Collins Paperbacks). It has arrived at the bookstore in the D & F Plaza and the Dunkirk native has returned here for an autograph session and a 10-day visit with her family. The daughter of Reginald and Francella Corsi, Wendy credits her parents for inspiring her at an early age. Forty years ago — 1983 The Chautauqua County government administration ...

Retrospective

Thirty years ago — 1993 Edna Harter of Lily Dale has returned to her home after being hospitalized after an electrifying experience this past weekend. During a recent thunderstorm, Mrs. Harter, who is 78, put her hand on a water faucet as she was brushing her teeth. A bolt of lightning hit a tree near her home, traveled through the roots, then through the ground water to the water pipes and up to the faucet. She couldn’t let go of the faucet and she felt like her whole body was electric as the power kept building and building. Her ankles felt like they were surrounded by flames and ...

Retrospective

Thirty years ago — 1993 It didn’t take that long for an unwanted family on Lafayette Avenue in Dunkirk to be run out of the neighborhood. The unlikely residents — a family of beavers — received less than a friendly welcome when they decided to build a dam across the end of a drainage pipe on the street. After their home was torn down twice by Dunkirk’s animal control officer Bob Meyer, the beavers finally took the hint and left. No one has seen them since and it’s being speculated that the beavers probably just decided to make their dam home somewhere else. Forty years ago ...

Retrospective

Thirty years ago — 1993 Lorraine Wilson is literally closing the books on a 32-year career as bookkeeper for the town of Westfield, reporting to the Westfield town supervisor. Her official duties also included serving as deputy town tax clerk, tax collector and court clerk to the town justice. Besides the many official hats she wore, Lorraine served as matron for the State Police when its barracks was located in Westfield. Forty years ago — 1983 Mrs. James R. (Helen M. Waite) Burlett of Fredonia was recently granted membership in the Society of Mayflower Descendants. Her ...

Retrospective

Thirty years ago — 1993 In an OBSERVER photo, Matthew Pelletter of Silver Creek shows off an antique coffeemaker made by his father Louis, a tinsmith, back in 1901. Using his expertise, Louis constructed two percolators out of tin, one for himself and theother for his boss. Other than those two, no coffeemaker of this kind exists. The tin percolator was actually utilized in the old days, but has since been tucked away as part of the family’s history. Matthew brought it to the recent family reunion. Forty years ago — 1983 The winners of the Fredonia Farm Festival Little Miss ...