Days Gone By
100 YEARS AGO, 1923 » Engaged in replacing a punctured tire on his employer’s automobile early this morning, Thomas T. Kinna, 40, a widely-known real estate salesman of Kirklyn, Upper Darby, dropped dead. He was married and has one child. With Daniel F. Ryan, a realtor of Kirklyn, Kinna was returning from a meeting. About the same time that the automobile ran out of gas, a puncture developed. Ryan volunteered to go for gasoline and Kinna set about replacing the tire. When Ryan returned the salesman was lying dead on the road. It is believed the undue exertion occasioned by adjusting the tire superinduced a heart attack. Kinna resided in Kirklyn for the last two years, at 40 Linden Ave., and was well liked. His widow was prostrated when informed of his death.
75 YEARS AGO, 1948 » Delaware County continued its unbroken record of Republicanism on Tuesday by giving the Dewey-Warren ticket a majority of 36,557 votes. Approximately 152,517 votes were cast in the county for all Presidential candidates, compared with 144,000 in 1944. The city of Chester, stronghold of the McClure Republican organization, gave the Democrat presidential ticket a majority for the fourth consecutive Presidential election.
50 YEARS AGO, 1973 » From the AP, Harrisburg — A class of third-graders in Highland Park School of Upper Darby says it is time for the state to adopt an official state bug. The Delaware County youngsters recommend the firefly. “They are like pretty twinkle lights at night,” said the nominating letter, released by the Department of State on Friday. “They use their lights to get a mate and have babies.” A crayon portrait of the insect was enclosed.
25 YEARS AGO, 1998 » The Chester Rotary Club honored three businesses for their cash contributions to the organization. Bill Atlee of the Chester
Water Authority, Diane Lord of First Union Bank and Steve Simmons of American Ref-Fuel were presented plaques recognizing their companies’ donations to the club’s annual golf tournament. The three companies donated a total of $6,000, which will be allocated to Rotary Club charities.
10 YEARS AGO, 2013 » The line of seven buses pulled off Sproul Road into the parking lot of St. Kevin Church in Springfield at 6:51 p.m. Saturday as hundreds of people cheered and waved flags to thank the World War II veterans inside for their military service decades ago. The trip was organized by the non-profit Honor Flight Philadelphia, which arranges trips for veterans to Washington, D.C., complete with motorcycle escorts, enormous American flags hanging from raised firetruck ladders and a red carpet entrance to a red, white and blue bedecked dinner.