100 Years Ago: 1921

Urged to Immediate action by the narrow escape from death of several of Auburn’s young people, Friday evening, arrangements were made by the Auburn city government Saturday morning to instruct the police to strictly enforce the ruling relative to the prohibition of coasting on Goff Hill. Though no formal meeting was held, the City Manager reached each member of the council by telephone and they were unanimous in urging that this dangerous practice be stopped at once.

50 Years Ago: 1971

A program on Brazil was  presented before members of the Auburn Senior Citizens group Wednesday afternoon by Mrs. Marjorie Hammond. She taught a missionary school in Central Brazil for four years. Mrs. Hammond described the manner of life in Brazil, their eating habits and industries. She showed miniature replicas of articles used there. During vacations, she traveled through other parts of Brazil. She was able to  spend a week on the coast on the beautiful Johnson Estate, once owned by the owners of Johnson Wax, who procured wax from that area for use in their products. Synthetic wax is now used. The estate is now used as a vacation area for missionaries.

25 Years Ago: 1996

Speaking before one of the largest gatherings in the 108 year history of the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, Gov. Angus King told area business loaders he was excited about the state’s future and the role business will need to play to see his vision through. King wove a number of anecdotes around several themes of his speech, most of which dealt with ways in which the state can attract new business while retaining what it already has. The governor also painted an optimistic picture for the state’s economic growth. “The trend is up, I think, because Maine has what the country wants in the 21st century,” King said. “We are perfectly situated to grow. In fact, I predict that in five, maybe 10 years, at meetings like this people are going to be sitting around talking about how to control growth. You may not believe that, but I think that’s going to happen,” the governor added, “because I think Maine is the most prosperous and exciting place in the  country to live. We have the lowest crime rate in the nation. It’s part of the quality of life.”

The material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.