100 years ago: 1919

Six young women, all in their early twenties, shivered upon the steps of the Lewiston telephone exchange at nine o’clock this morning. Four were pickets stationed by the striking operators; the other two were after jobs. For two minutes, perhaps longer, they stood there and argued — the pickets expostulating and the fair “strike breakers” smiling but obdurate. A bitterly cold wind, sweeping thru the square, took all romance out of the thing; the pickets shivered. Finally, the “strike breakers” got inside and Miss Hannah Leader, chief operator, bustled thru the door leading from the operating room. One of the visitors, bashfully enough, made known their desires. “You wish to be operators?” asked Miss Leader. “Yes.” “How old are you?” “Twenty-three.” “And the other?” “Twenty-one.” “You both live here?” “Come in and we’ll talk it over.” So the trio disappeared into the operating room, and the “silent strike” was that much nearer a conclusion.

50 years ago: 1969

Plans for the new YWCA building were discussed at a meeting of the Rainbow Auxiliary on Wednesday evening at the Lewiston residence. Mrs. Simone Boyer and Mrs. Emily Robichaud were refreshment chairmen. The May meeting will be canceled to enable members to attend the annual meeting of the YWCA on May 14.

25 years ago: 1994

In a first-ever event, an enthusiastic group of Edward Little High School students will join together this weekend to earn $2,000 for their school. Working as a team to rake and groom the perimeter of the Auburn Mall, the students will earn the money from the mall in an effort being called, “Rake for Education.” The fund-raising opportunity was quickly accepted by Edward Little High School. “I don’t think the school has ever undertaken a project of this size,” said Mike Poulin, a teacher at EL. He explained: “A lot of the fund-raising efforts don’t net a lot of money. Everyone I’ve spoken to has been all excited about the possibility of earning some money for their groups. which in turn donate to other agencies in the community.” Principal Jim Miller said he was initially contacted by Richard Dedrick, general manager for the Auburn Mall, who then worked with Poulin to finalize the Rake for Education.

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

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