From our early files

20 Years Ago (2002)

Wyoming County District Attorney George Skumanick has asked the Wyoming County Court to sentence fugitive Michael Kerkowski, owner of the Medicine Shoppe in Eaton Twp., in absentia on felony counts of drugs and insurance fraud. He is believed to have fled the area after May 3.

Charles Schmoll, of Sugar Notch, who police say held up a Rite-Aid Pharmacy at gunpoint, committed suicide at the Wyoming County Jail.

The Wyoming County Relay for Life will be held from 4 p.m., Friday, until 4 p.m., Saturday, at the Kiwanis Wyoming County Fairgrounds.

Rev. Garford Williams, longtime local historian, particularly of Nicholson, died July 6.

Procter & Gamble has donated $10,000 to the Endless Mountains Habitat for Humanity.

Cow Pie Bingo will return to the Black Walnut American Legion on July 20 with Wade Brewer DJ'ing.

Penn State Master Gardeners are showing off the trial garden they are growing next to the Tunkhannock Public Library.

Milton Phillips, a World War II veteran in the European theater and biology teacher retiring at Tunkhannock Area High School, died July 9. He was 80.

Two fires on two days broke out on a Clinton Township farm belonging to Albert Zick.

40 Years Ago (1982)

The 4th Jaycees Annual Supermarket Sweep was held recently at Charles Brothers Supermarket with Arnold Patton of Noxen holding the winning ticket entitling him to select $300 worth of groceries.

Harry Sharpe was unanimously elected Thursday night to fill a vacancy on the Tunkhannock Area School Board created by the resignation last month by John Place.

Lackawanna Trail School Board announced that nine teachers would be furloughed as a result of its 1982-83 budget negotiations: Elizabeth Wilcox, Joanne Ciuccio, Eleanor Messner, Tom Parry, Cheryl MacDade, Bonnie Maddock, Donna Fiegleman, Jeanne Brittain, and Janice McKennas.

Holden Newell Sr., a World War I veteran who worked 30 years at the tannery in Noxen, died Friday. He was 85.

Some 37 senior citizens will be participating in the fifth Elderhostel program to be hosted by Keystone Junior College. They will be exploring such topics as stress reduction, bioethics, and the Holocaust.

John Carl Gardner, of Meshoppen, received his M.D. from Thomas Jefferson University.

Airman Denise A. Janiszewski of Tunkhannock has completed of basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas.

Francis Turner has retired after 33 years with the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service.

60 Years Ago (1962)

Judge Edward B. Farr, of 41 Wyoming Ave, Tunkhannock, without a doubt, Wyoming County's most illustrious citizen, died Sunday, July 8, at Tyler Memorial Hospital in Meshoppen.

Charmin Paper Products, a subsidiary of the Procter & Gamble Company, is applying for a permit to discharge treated industrial waste into the Susquehanna River from an industrial site in Wyoming County. A P&G spokesman said the application was a necessary consideration of Wyoming County as a possible site for a paper mill.

Attorney and Mrs. Davis Hobbs and family have moved from Wyoming Avenue to their newly remolded apartment on Warren Street.

The Susquehanna River is at its lowest recorded level in history, according to Charles Snyder, of Tunkhannock. In 1949 the river was recorded lowest ever by the weather bureau. At the time, outdoorsmen marked the level on the rocks at the southern end of the river bridge here. Sunday the river was three quarters of an inch below the 1949 mark.

It was a big weekend for Mr. and Mrs. Bob Smales at Tyler as daughter Sharman submitted to an appendectomy and son Chip, who was injured in a pedestrian accident three weeks earlier, received a baseball signed by every member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, his favorite ball club.

80 Years Ago (1942)

An industry already employing 15 men has been started in the 'Old Sam Distillery' at Lemon with the new corporation to produce industrial alcohol made from corn, wheat and barley with the government the principal user of alcohol during wartime.

Barriers have been removed on the new state highway from Dallas to Harveys Lake. Formal dedication will take place next Saturday, when Governor Arthur H. James will be principal speaker.

Mrs. Thomas Lazarus will represent the Wyoming County Chapter of the American Red Cross as the volunteer for the surgical dressing course to be held three days next week.

Francis May, ticket clerk at the Lehigh Valley station in Ithaca, N.Y., for a number of years, has bid in the position as station agent at the local station. He will succeed James E. Kellogg, who will become station agent in Wyalusing.

Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Kingston and son have moved from Eatonville to Seneca Falls, N.Y., where Mr. Kingston is employed.

Children's diseases are no respecters of persons. Chicken pox has claimed as one of its latest victims Samuel W. Fitch of Putnam Street. The retired Lehigh Valley employee turned 74 last month.

LeRoy H. Baker Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy Baker Sr. of Bardwell, is clerking at the Citizens National Bank during the vacation season.

100 Years Ago (1922)

The plate glass windows have been put in place at the store of T.C. Boyce and the meat market of W.A. Rosengrant. While not completed yet, these places begin to take on metropolitan airs.

The manager of the park pavilion at Lake Winola owned and operated by the Union News Company, received a note demanding that $500 be placed near a tree about 100 yards from the stand with a threat to dynamite the stand if the money were not forthcoming by Saturday night. State troopers patrolled the area all night, but no one showed up.

M.C. Gay and Son have sold 26 mowing machines and 15 horse rakes so far this season.

Hugh Graves left for Cleveland, Ohio, Monday to enter the employ of the S.S. Kresge Co. His place at the Shook Hardware Company's store is taken by Arnold Platt.

Wyoming County will receive $53,933 in state school funds compared to $29,397 last year.

George and Mandane (Potter) Gaylord, of Meshoppen celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary July 1.

Mrs. Anna Smalley and Mrs. Laura Brower, practical nurses, have opened a private sanitarium at Nicholson.

Keystone Academy trustees have elected Curtis E. Coe as principal to succeed his father whose death occurred recently. He had been a teacher at a boys school in New York.

120 Years Ago (1902)

A farmer drove into town Tuesday with 200 quarts of huckleberries. They came from the top of Forkston Mountain and retailed for nine cents a quart.

Harry Courtright is preparing to open a bakery and confectionery store in the J.R. Hungerford building, opposite Dietrich's marble yard.

Tomorrow at 3 p.m. the Montrose ball team is expected to play our home club at Kittredge Field.

The Baker Creamery of Sankey is doing good work this season, with Miner Avery as butter maker and manager.

Oscar Camp of East Lemon is happy; it's a daughter.

John Ayres of South Eaton was killed by a stroke of lightning on the Huckleberry Mountain Tuesday. Thomas Vose and Walter Stark are recovering from the shock which had made them unconcious.

The Tunkhannock and Wyoming Valley Telephone Company at Centermoreland has been notified from Harrisburg that its charter was granted.

Dr. E.F. Avery returned Monday from his trip across the Atlantic. He visited London, Paris, Berlin, Monte Carlo, and made a trip through Scotland and Ireland.

Horton and Elliott, a new hardware firm, is having a large building erected at Laceyville.

The Shakespeare Club is being entertained by Miss Eleanor Little at Lake Winola this week.