Other Times

100 Years Ago – 1918: The Golden Anniversary of Larkin Lodge, No. 78, Knights of Pythias, was celebrated by more than 300 of the members, their wives, families and friends at a banquet and entertainment on Saturday night at Odd Fellow’s Temple. Following an elaborate menu, the Eddystone Choral Society, composed of 16 trained voices, open the entertainment feature of the anniversary.

75 Years Ago – 1943: The first ocean-going vessel ever to be constructed by all Black shipbuilders, the S.S. Marine Eagle, will be launched May 10 from a way in the No. 4 yard of the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. Mrs. Rachel Stevenson, quiet, poplar, gray-haired matron of the Sun office for close to 23 years, has been selected for the honor of christening the big tanker. She will be the second black woman in the history of Atlantic Coast shipbuilding to sponsor an ocean-going vessel.

50 Years Ago – 1968: Pennsylvania Military College will celebrate Mother’s Day on May 12 with the traditional presentation of floral pieces by cadets to their mothers. The Lt. John Lance Geoghegan Memorial Award will be presented to a member of the PMC Corps of Cadets “who has developed the greatest interest and involvement in solving the problems of his fellow man – social, moral and ethical.” Lt. Geoghegan, a 1963 graduate, was the second PMC alumnus to be killed in the Vietnamese conflict.

25 Years Ago – 1993: Yesterday’s celebration of Polish Constitution Day in Chester’s 1724 courthouse also served as a forum to protest the planned closing of St. Hedwig’s Roman Catholic Church by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. “Closing St. Hedwig’s is denying that the Polish heritage exists,” said Michael Blichasz, president of the Polish American Congress in Philadelphia. Blichasz said only 40 percent of parishioners are from Chester and the remainder drive up to 20 miles or more to attend worship or activities.

10 Years Ago – 2008: Slot machine gambling in Pennsylvania has paid off for Ridley School District residents in the form of school tax relief. In presenting the district’s 2008-09 proposed budget Monday night, Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Ignatuk said, although the budget of $80,871,676 calls for an increase in the tax millage, the net result is a decrease in the average residential property tax bill of $33.