Bound Volumes, Hometown History
March 5, 2026
135 YEARS AGO
The current number of the Hartwick Seminary Monthly contains public announcement of the fact that Rev. James Pitcher had formally tendered his resignation as principal of that institution. Professor Pitcher, who entered the school as pupil twenty-seven years ago, has been a member of the faculty for twenty years and principal for nineteen. In that time he has seen the endowment fund grow from $20,000 to about $70,000 and the endowed professorships from one to four, with a corresponding increase in attendance and public favor. For all these evidences of prosperity the institution is indebted in a large degree to Professor Pitcher. Mr. Pitcher, who has purchased the Manchester Place, a few rods below the academy buildings, proposes for the present to make it his home. Early next summer he will set about the erection of a suitable residence for himself and family.
March 1891
70 YEARS AGO
The University of Alabama’s trustees “permanently expelled” Negro coed Autherine Lucy on disciplinary grounds at a secret meeting last night. The action came within hours after U.S. District Court Judge H. Hobart Grooms ordered the 26-year-old former school teacher readmitted to the Tuscaloosa campus by Monday. Miss Lucy, the first Negro ever enrolled at the 125-year-old school was suspended February 6 after three days of rioting by students and “outsiders” over her presence. In Montgomery, the Alabama House of Representatives adopted a resolution to establish a legislative committee to determine if the National Association of Colored People is communist controlled. Under the terms of the resolution, which now goes to the Alabama Senate, Miss Lucy would be subpoenaed as a witness. Her legal battle to enter the university has been backed by the NAACP. The Alabama Senate meanwhile shouted unanimous approval of a resolution asking for federal funds to transplant Negroes from Alabama to regions where “they are needed or wanted outside the South.”
March 1956
50 YEARS AGO
Bovina Center – The Delaware County Holstein Club gathered to pay tribute to Preble King Pin-up Girl, a fouryear- old cow owned by Bill and Mary Inman and family. Pin-up girl holds the 305 butterfat record in New York State and the nation for a junior four-year-old. She also holds the winning 365 D butterfat record for New York State. That record is 25,570 pounds of milk with a 4.9 percent test and 1,241 pounds of fat in 310 days. Mr. Inman spoke briefly about the cow and her management. For six months she maintained at least 100 pounds of milk per day for six months.
The Otsego County 4-H Division and the Otsego County Tractor Dealer’s Association will sponsor a 4-H Tractor Safety Certification program in March. The program provides the training necessary to drive a tractor and/or operate machinery. To qualify for certification, a youth must attend all meetings, present a 4-H demonstration, complete the 4-H tractor book and pass both written and driving examinations.
March 1976
40 YEARS AGO
Gasoline prices in the local region have dropped below the $1 barrier for the first time in more than five years. Pump prices that had been $1.25 to $1.30 a gallon or more last year now are hovering near or below $1 a gallon. Prices have fallen rapidly in the past few weeks, following a drastic decrease in the price of crude oil. According to predictions from some in the petroleum industry, gas prices will continue falling for a while, but at a slower rate. Five years ago, just before the Arab oil embargo, the same gasoline was selling for 46.9 cents a gallon. On average, nationwide, gasoline prices fell 4 cents a gallon during the month of January.
March 1986
