Years Ago
These moments in history are selected and edited by students enrolled in Kate Hardy’s tenth grade Honors English class. Thank you to the Skaneateles Library and the Historical Society for providing the Press Archives.
10 Years Ago
… there was an article published in the Skaneateles Press announcing the well-known State Street egg drop! Ms. Peggy Charles, a 5th grade teacher, organizes this creative and fun event for her students. The egg drop is quite simple: the students are given roughly two weeks to construct a contraption to save the egg from a high drop. The contraptions can range anywhere from a watermelon to bubble wrap. The egg is dropped from the roof of the State Street Elementary School where students and teachers can witness the competition. Meg Buff, a former participant in the famous egg drop, describes her unique design to us: “I used Polyurethane to form a shell around the egg”. Buff was one of the ‘lucky eggs’ to win the competition. Many other students have participated in this fun competition, as it has been going on for about fifteen years and counting.
25 Years Ago
…two Skaneateles Middle School students, in seventh and eighth grade, were selected to participate in a foreign exchange program. This particular program differed from other exchange opportunities because the students were acting as ambassadors to Russia. They went to several cities including Moscow and St. Petersburg. Their travels highlighted the diversity of the new commonwealth. Recently, the U.S. expelled 60 Russian diplomats in solidarity with Britain after Russia poisoned a man in the U.K. With the election controversy and U.K. poisoning, Russian-U.S. relations have suddenly taken a turn for the worse after many years of positive progression following the Cold War.
50 Years Ago
… an article was published regarding 14 members of the Skaneateles track team and their head coach, Gus Roberts, who attended the Cortland Track Clinic. At the clinic, athletes spent the morning talking about the specific events they compete in. Then, in the afternoon, they traveled down to the track and received special instruction from the head coaching staff at the university. The Skaneateles Track Team continues this tradition of hard work and excellence. In fact, this year, Mia Grasso, a member of the track team, was named The Citizen’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. We wish the track team the best of luck with their upcoming season.
75 Years Ago
… The Skaneateles Press published an article about prisoners of war, and in particular, Col. Virgil N. Cordero. During World War II, the Tokyo radio ran messages from prisoners of war. Mrs. Nightingale of Marcellus, was listening to this station in the hopes of hearing from her son, who had been missing since 1941. While listening, she heard a message from Col. Virgil N. Cordero. She wrote down the message and sent it to his family in San Antonio, Texas. Col. Virgil N. Cordero spent three and a half years in Japanese captivity and survived the Bataan Death March. Since World War II, the globe has made attempts to improve the conditions of prisoners through the Geneva Convention of 1949, and other peace agreements. This established a baseline for the treatment of prisoners of war. The requirements stated that prisoners are to be treated humanely and will be protected from violence or intimidation. We are hopeful these guidelines are being met around the world today.
100 Years Ago
… The Skaneateles Press published an advertisement for a six- horse power steam engine to be used for farming. It could grind grain, cut corn or straw, or power a buzz saw. Today, such steam engines are no longer used in farming or otherwise. Steam engines were gradually replaced with diesel engines. This is because diesel engines work faster, are more long lasting, and are more fuel efficient than steam engines. According to AG Web Powered by Farm Journal, most modern tractors used for farming and plowing fields have an average horsepower of 45-85. Six horsepower engines are no longer commonly used in farming, as bigger more efficient equipment needs a stronger engine to complete large farming tasks.
