Days Gone By
100 YEARS AGO, 1924 » Rev. W.J.L. Hughes, former pastor of Saint Daniels’ M.E. Church, fourth and Edwards streets, who has been transferred to the John Welsey M.E. Church, West Philadelphia, will occupy the pulpit of his new charge, Sunday for the first time. Mr. Hughes was stationed at the Ninth Ward church for seven years and made improvements totaling more than $16,000, including the building of two wing structures to the edifice. A new choir gallery was also built. Rev. L.S. Moore, of Dover, Delaware, who has been appointed to take Rev. Hughes’ place, will deliver his first sermon Sunday.
75 YEARS AGO, 1949 » The Watkins Bill to place an additional judge on the Delaware County common pleas bench, at $14,000 a year in salary, was passed finally by the senate on Monday and sent to the house for concurrence. Since the first move for a fourth judge was taken by Judge
William r. Toal, who opened discussion with Thomas Weidemann, Haverford Township McClure leader, and McClure himself, it has been said that the judgeship was being created to “take care of” Arthur P. Bretherick, Philadelphia lawyer and chairman of the county political organization.
50 YEARS AGO, 1974 » Saturday will be the deciding day for the 13th annual Delaware County Daily Times Spelling Bee. The 93 school champions competing against each other will be at the starting line at 8 a.m. in Springfield Junior High School Auditorium on Woodland Avenue, Springfield. When it’s all finished, five winners will be selected with the first place winner scheduled to represent this area in the National Spelling Bee at the Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C. June 3 to 7.
25 YEARS AGO, 1999 » The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program recently honored two Upper Darby High students for their volunteer service. Rory Shallis received the statelevel Certificate of Excellence honor for his involvement with Habitat for Humanity in 1998. Nghi Ma was recognized at the local level for his exemplary service in volunteerism.
10 YEARS AGO, 2014 » After 25 years of investigating, educating and occasionally prosecuting as a humane officer for the Delaware County SPCA, Bill Vernon is calling it a career. At least as a full-timer. “It’s rewarding work and as long as you look at it that way it never seemed like work to me,” said the 66-year-old Vernon. A Delaware County native and resident of Ridley Township, Vernon investigated more than 12,000 animal cruelty cases during his time with the SPCA, which included a stint as interim manager in 2006 and 2007.