Years Ago

This column, contributed by Skaneateles Honors English students from the class of 2022, is written to connect the past to the present by revisiting articles from years ago. The students would like to thank the Skaneateles Historical Society for providing the archives and Eagle Newspapers for publishing their words.

20 Years Ago

…The Skaneateles service unit of the Salvation Army was looking for volunteer bell ringers.  Service unit areas are locations where the Salvation Army provides its services through volunteer committees, since there aren’t any Salvation Army facilities nearby.  All the money raised was going to stay in Skaneateles. Today, the Salvation Army is thriving, assisting around 23 million Americans annually. They also serve in 130 different countries, helping with a variety of issues such as hunger, poverty, natural disasters, and more. If you would like to contribute, there are many ways to get involved. The Salvation Army accepts goods, clothing, as well as monetary donations. Bell ringing is a huge source of income for the Salvation Army and is meant to stimulate community involvement. Not only is bell ringing voluntary, it can also be a paid job at minimum wage. Going back to 1891, the tradition of bell ringers has a long history, when people started raising money for those in need just in time for the holidays.

40 Years Ago

…The Skaneateles Boys Varsity Hockey team raised their season record to 3-0 after defeating Liverpool and West Genesee. In the first game, Liverpool was leading 2-0 after the first period. Coach John Lovier fired the team up between periods and the Lakers came back and won the game 4-3. Steve “Goobie” Morrissey, Chris Welch, Ed Zulauf, and Eric Allyn each scored against Liverpool. The assists came from Tracy Chandler, Jerry Morrissey, Ed Zulauf, and Eric Allyn. On the defensive end, Bob Stanton and Dave Hunt played extremely well and only allowed nine shots at the Skaneateles goal. The Lakers also defeated West Genesee a couple days later, 6-3. Once again Ed Zulauf scored three goals, Mark Major, Jeff Benoit, and Jerry Morrissey each scored once. The assists were made by Jerry Morrissey, Chris Welch, John Hunt, John Ginley and Bob Stanton. Skaneateles hockey has had lots of success over the years and last year the team won the state championship. The team’s next home game is against Pelham on Jan. 3, at 7:15 p.m. The Lakers have been practicing hard this season and hope to repeat the success of last year.

60 Years Ago

… The Babcock Company financed a holiday advertisement in the Skaneateles Press where they listed gift ideas promoting their furniture business. Babcock’s gift ideas included rugs, chairs, chests, tables, mirrors, and even magazine racks. Obviously the purpose of the advertisement was to sell furniture to adults, so these items don’t accurately capture the Christmas list of the average child. According to The People History, dolls, costumes, and games were very popular gifts in 1959. In a poll that asked current high school students what is on their wishlist, the most popular answer was either technology or clothing. The holidays will always be a time of giving, but the gifts are anything but constant as the tradition of gift giving continues.

80 Years Ago

… The Skaneateles Press published statistics about December driving and how to drive safely in the winter. The statistics included a fact that there were 19.5 deaths per 100 million miles driven and that December is the month with the highest accident rate. Compared to today with new safe driving technology, there is only around 1.25 deaths per 100 million miles driven. Tips the Press gave readers included to lookout for icy snow, pedestrians, and slippery curves which could still apply to today. In 1939 however, road salt was still in its beginning stages, compared to today where road salt is a necessity to road safety. Along with the implementation of road salt, new driving technology has been invented to decrease accidents such as brighter headlights and automatic brakes. It is also recommended that drivers accelerate and decelerate slowly, and make sure to not power up hills especially during the coming winter months to assure safety. For more driving safety tips, look online on AAA.

100 Years Ago

… The United States was quarantining their borders with Canada due to a smallpox outbreak in Toronto. Anyone traveling to or from Canada was required to show either a certificate of recent vaccination, or proof they had already had the disease. Not enough people were able to get the vaccine in the past, and today citizens in America and nations around the world choose not to receive them. There are a variety of reasons why people are against vaccines; however, not receiving vaccines has had negative consequences. For instance, in recent news the country of Samoa has only 26% of the population fully vaccinated, which has led to the death of thirty-two people out of 2,400 suspected cases of measles (as of the end of November). To make things worse, twenty-eight of these deaths were children under the age of four and twenty other children remain in critical condition. These are all diseases that can be prevented through vaccines, and citizens of every nation need to ensure that they are being fully immunized in order to protect the health of themselves, their family, and their neighbors.