Other Times
100 Years Ago – 1918: Regulation of the jitneys to protect the public and also the law-abiding jitneurs was recommended to City Council today by A.V. Phillips, president of the Chester Jitney Association, who asked permission to park the jitneys as far west as Market Square, after the Delaware County National Bank is closed.
75 Years Ago – 1943:
A Broomall Street man was charged with using his car to convey number slips from Chester to Philadelphia and a West Third Street resident was charged with using his car to deliver slips to a city man who operates a tailor shop on West Third Street. The arrests were part of the state police and county detectives continued drive to clean up gambling in the west end of Chester.
50 Years Ago – 1968: It took Richard Nixon only 15 minutes to hug his first child. That may be a new Delaware County record. It happened in Upper Darby Saturday morning as the Nixon motorcade made an “unscheduled stop” – to avoid driving through the center of the Msgr. Bonner High School band standing in the middle of 69th Street and West Chester Pike. The stop probably saved him the Catholic vote. Nixon held the boy for two or three minutes while telling the crowd, “This is it. This is the big one. We’re on our way and with your help we’ll win.”
25 Years Ago – 1993: Chester is serving as a training ground for National Guard troopers who will clean and seal abandoned houses used by drug dealers or users in Philadelphia and Newark, N.J., said Councilman Charles McLaughlin. “As long as they need to train people, they’re going to send them down here,” said McLaughlin, the director of public safety. “They have everything here they need to train for.” About 60 houses have been sealed in Chester.
10 Years Ago – 2008: The crowd at the courthouse for Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin looked like the outfield at Citizens Bank Park. Sometimes literally. In a show of unity in wearing red, many folks turned out for the rally on Veterans Square at Front Street in T-shirts and hats sporting the Phillies’ logo. “I’ve never seen any candidate in person, and I’m excited to be here and support McCain,” said Karl Mason, 23, of Havertown. “I had the day off and thought I’d come. I expect to hear good, conservative politics and some digs at Obama and Biden. Hopefully, there will be some specifics on policies.”