100 years ago, 1918

The Poland Spring unit of the Red Cross has been one of the most active and diligent in Maine. Its shipments of late have been as follows: Shipment of Feb. 19th, 39 sweaters, 100 pairs hand-made socks, 5 pairs wristlets, 2 afghans, 3620 surgical sponges, 245 head bandages, 198 slings, 100 surgical shirts, 48 pairs pajamas, 24 eye bandages, 2 hot water bottle covers, 108 crinoline bandages.

50 years ago, 1968

An estimated 800 persons, most of them Bates College students and few faculty members, but many non-college residents, attended a memorial service this morning at the college chapel for Dr. Martin Luther King, assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, yesterday. Bates President Dr. Thomas Hedley Reynolds told his audience that Dr. King’s sole purpose in life was to achieve “equal dignity of mankind before God.” This same principle was the founding block of this country, Dr. Reynolds said.

25 years ago, 1993

More than 20 Edward Little High School students cheered the auburn City Council’s unanimous vote Monday to transfer $15,000 in federal funds to the ELF Woods project to repave the walking path and put in benches. The students three weeks ago had asked the council to endorse their master plan for the area known as the Snake Trail and councilors said then they would try to find ways to make the plan a reality. Jessica Lavoie, one of the students who worked on the plan, said several committees of students have been set up to oversee and implement the plan. “Our intent is to put our volunteer workforce into action to serve our school and our community,” Lavoie said. The plan calls for developing cross-country trails, mountain bike trails and an obstacle course over the next three years in the woods.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be corrected.