On this date in ...

Mrs. Consetto Lombardo, 51, of Van Tromp Street, had been missing for more than a week from her home with the police uncovering no leads, when her daughter Ramona had a dream that her mother was in the house. Ramona got out of bed and grabbed a flashlight, searching the entire house until she finally got to the attic, where she found her mother crouched in a corner beneath the rafters, covered in soot and plaster and groaning incoherently. Police were called and were able to bring Mrs. Lombardo downstairs and onto a bed, but her husband refused to let her go to the hospital. It was then that family members explained that the woman had become “slightly demented” since the beginning of the war because she believed her 26-year-old son who had served with the Italian army was killed in action, despite overwhelming proof that he was still very much alive and healthy. 1969: The day before schools were to open, superintendent of Albany schools James T.hepinstall welcomed 64 new teachers and urged the 800 Albany public school teachers at the convocation to double their time to listen to the 11,500 students in the system during the school year. He added that one of the most challenging problems of the day in urban education was how to teach two races to live together in peace. The board of education session that followed approved continuation of a state-funded project for improved student achievement and approved the establishment of a pupil services center to be manned by a guidance counselor at Philip Livinston Junior High School.

Want to read more about the Capital Region’s past? Have any memories or thoughts about how our history relates to today’s events? See http://blog. timesunion.com/ history/