Other Times
100 Years Ago – 1918: Those who attend the 9 o’clock services at St. Michael’s Church on Thanksgiving Day will witness a ceremony never before seen in this neighborhood and, in fact, seldom presented in churches in America. The exercises will take the form of a military solemn high Mass, in which three priests will officiate, and soldiers of Companies C and D, United States Guards, stationed at both the Sun and Chester Shipyards, will participate.
75 Years Ago – 1943: Mrs. Joe Louis, the former Marva Trotter, will be the guest of honor at the opening of the Art Center in Lamokin Village on Sunday. The arts and crafts classes, offered for residents of Lamokin Village and neighboring communities, will be given by teachers under the direction of Dr. Boris Blai, Dean of Tyler School of Fine Arts, Temple University. Guest speakers will include Elmer Stoner, cartoonist who draws “Superman;” Allan Freelon, arts supervisor, Philadelphia Board of Education; and Dr. Blai.
50 Years Ago – 1968: The Chester School Board voted Monday night to purchase the former Chester hospital property and build a new high school there. The 17-acre site will be purchased from the Crozer Medical Center for $575,000. The property will extend from Ninth Street, between Barclay and Penn streets, to Interstate 95 and Chester Creek.
25 Years Ago – 1993: State Rep. Bill Adolph, R-165 of Springfield, is on the warpath against what he calls a “blatant attempt” by House Democrats to “rip off suburban taxpayers.” The legislation that has aroused Adolph’s ire calls for payment of the state’s share of school employees’ pension costs for new employees according to the school subsidy formula. The formula is based on relative personal income and property values, which means poor districts like Chester get far greater state aid than richer districts like Radnor and Springfield. The state currently pays
50 percent of all school pension costs regardless of a district’s wealth.
10 Years Ago – 2008: Penn-Delco School District officials hope the results of an operational review made public Monday night will help the school district move forward from past scandals and avoid future problems. The district’s operations have been under scrutiny since the
2007 arrests of a former superintendent and school board president for their roles as secret beneficiaries of a contract with Quick Start. The report concludes that there is no proof to suggest any recurrence of “prior incidents of misconduct,” but it recommends significant changes, including a “weak control environment.”