RECORD OF LOCAL EVENTS

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Principal Happenings in Luzerne County for the Year Which Began 
December 1, 1960 and Ended November 30, 1961

DECEMBER, 1960	

   1.    Simon Long Building sold for new parking garage    .  .  .  Oratorio Society prepares for annual 
Yule concert.
   2.    Mine subsidence occurs along Riverside Drive .  .  .  Concordia Singing Society presents concert.
   3.    Five injured in an accident at Nanticoke.
   4.   2,434 cars test Miners National Bank Parkade during open house .  .  .  Three injured in two-car crash 
at Lee Park .  .  .  Nine arrested in gambling raid in Pittston.
   5.  New Lights on Public Square, West Market Street and the first block of South Main Street turned on .  
Raymond W. Tubridy and W. Craig Peters are named president and vice president of Wilkes-Barre School Board.
   6.    Civil Defense drill is held.
   7.    West Wyoming youth shot while hunting deer .  .  .  Congregation of Church of Christ buys six-room 
home.
   8.    Season's coldest weather hits Wyoming Valley as mercury  falls near zero.
   9.   Thursday Club holds 75th anniversary .  .  .  Two killed in regional automobile accidents.
  10.  Dennison Township man killed by a car.
  11.  Worst storm of season in Wyoming Valley leaves 8 inches of snow .  .  .  Career Day held at College 
Misericordia .  .  .  Fire damages two city homes.
  12.   Zero temperatures and wind up to 25 mph add to discomfort of the snow .  .  .  Miner Park lights 
turned on.
  13.   Salvation Army to distribute toys to children .  .  .  Duryea fire causes $20,000 damage.
  14.  160 picked to serve as jurors for Common Pleas Court .  .  .  More than 400 additional employes 
expected to be used before the holidays by Wilkes-Barre Post Office.
  15.   Fourteen cars damaged in seven automobile accidents due to skidding on the five-day-old snow.
  16.   Pennsylvania Railroad plans merger with Lehigh Valley Railroad .  .  .  Six Brigadier Generals 
honored at a dinner 
sponsored by 109th Artillery.
  17.   Morton B. Weiss elected to a second term as president of the Jewish Community Center.
  18.   Rolling Mill Hill boy escapes serious injury when he rolls off a sled seconds before a vehicle 
crushed it.
  19.   Wilkes-Barre Jaycees take children from St. Stanislaus Institute on Christmas shopping tour.
  20.  Wilkes-Barre general Hospital gets 20th annual 'Gratitude Tree' .  .  .  West Side Lions Club holds 
Yule dinner for the blind.
 21.  Temperature in Wyoming Valley drops severely making local roads and highways slippery .  .  .  Police 
raid 76 area establishments and seize 76 gambling devices.
 22.   Mercury dips to zero but fails to halt  the steady flow of last minute Christmas shoppers.   
 23.  Col. Henry L. Jones, 2nd, Trucksville, promoted to brigadier general on  the retired list of 
Pennsylvania National Guard .  .  .  Two arrested after five cars are damaged in two automobile accidents.
 24.  Traffic heavy in downtown Wilkes-Barre as last minute shoppers prepare for the coming holidays .  .  .  
20 parking meters robbed.
 25.  Wyoming Valley celebrates Christmas as people flock to churches .  .  .  Four automobile accidents occur
within an hour on icy Hanover Township road.
 26.  $3,000 stolen from Falcone Beverage Company, Pittston .  .  .  Ashley couple affected by gas fumes ...  
Local highways become hazardous after light rain freezes.
 27.   More than 350 young men are entered in the 29th annual Wilkes open wrestling tourney .  .  .  Hanover 
Township man is burned about the face and hands after coal gas explodes in his cellar .  .  .  Two Mountaintop
youths are hurt when car in which they were riding is involved in an accident with a truck.
 28.   Pittston home is leveled by fire .  .  .  14th annual dinner-dance of Friends of St. Michael's held.
 29.   Pittsburgh University wins open wrestling tournament.
 30.   Four persons hospitalized following a head-on crash in Hanover township .  .  .  two cars crash at Bear 
Creek, injuring four.
 31.   People jam central city to do last minute shopping in preparation  for the New year .  .  .  Home of 
Mr. and Mrs. William Ide, Idetown, wins first prize in the Christmas Lighting Contest sponsored by Junior 
Chamber of Commerce.

JANUARY, 1961

   1.  New Year celebrated in Wyoming Valley .  .  .  Local highways treacherous as snow, sleet and rain hit 
Luzerne County.
   2.  Attorney Edward W. Loppatto names as President Judge of Orphan's Court of Luzerne County .  .  .  
Slippery roads are cause of many automobile accidents.
  3.   Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial campaign sets goal at $1,500,000.
  4.  Kanarr Corporation plans to hire 75 to 100 more men .  .  .  Pittston Township told to close second 
floors of three schools.
  5.  Thieves take 10 guns from local hardware store .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport report shows
more planes used the airport in 1960 than in 1959.
 6.    Mrs. Helen O'Connor appointed Register of Wills for Luzerne County.
 7.    College Misericordia seniors hold dinner dance .  .  .  32-year-old Pittston man dies after being hit 
by two cars. 
 8.    15-year-old youth breaks leg while tobogganing.
 9.    Boys at Kis-Lyn School wear uniforms.
10.   Two new directors are elected to boards as area banks reorganize.
11.  J. Harry May named chairman of Wilkes-Barre City Republican Party as Mrs. Tom A. Evans is named City 
Controller.
13.   Hess-Goldsmith plant to close .  .  .   Wyoming Valley Art League opens show.
14.   Raymond T. McGarry of Pittston named the Outstanding Young Man of Wyoming Valley for 1960.
15.   35 cars of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad derailed near Moosic .  .  .  Freezing rain, sleet and snow 
cover local highways.
16.   Wilkes-Barre ambulance is struck by passanger car.
17. Fibrous Glass Products, Incorporated a subsidiary of Pall Corporation, to locate at Crestwood Industrial 
Park Mountaintop.
18.  Paula Wrobel, 13, awarded  a Carnegie Hero Medal for saving the life of an eight-year-old boy in 1959 .  
Thomas E. Lehman, 3rd, elected Potentate of Irem Temple, AAONMS.
19.   Wilkes-Barre police receive six new cruisers .  .  .  Worst snow storm of the current season blankets 
Wyoming  Valley  with drifts reported up to 12 inches as all traffic is disrupted.
20.   Many people of Wyoming Valley watch the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy as 35th President 
through the eyes of television .  .  .  Temperature drops close to zero and adds to the troubles brought by 
nine inches of snow.
21.  Two Harveys Lake homes destroyed by fire within a few hours.
23.  Attorney Vincent Paul Paglianete admitted to the bar to practice in Luzerne County .  .  .  Cold wave 
continues in Valley.
24.  76-year-old man beaten about the head by intruders .  .  .  $11.7 million dam is completed at Bear Creek.
25.  Six buildings damaged by a general alarm fire on South Main Street, Pittston .  .  .  Pledges amounting 
to $678,497 submitted at first report meeting of the 1961 Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund campaign 
workers.
26.  Three automobile accidents occur in five minutes on West Market Street .  .  .  Four more inches of snow 
hits Wyoming Valley  to make a 13-inch cover .  .  .  Wilkes College wrestling team remains undefeated after 
beating undefeated Appalachian State Teachers College of North Carolina .  .  .  Report by City tax collector 
shows cost of collecting taxes in Wilkes-Barre has risen only 5 per dent in 30 years.
27.  Mine cave occurs at Luzerne .  .  .  AFL-CIO merge to become the Greater Wilkes-Barre Labor Council.
28.  Report of weather bureau at Avoca shows January 1961 as the coldest since 1900 .  .  .  New Post Office 
at Duryea prepares to open.
29.  Attorney Alexander J. Laffey re-elected for his eleventh term as president of Council 13, Polish National
Alliance .  .  . King's College debaters win St. John's Tournament in New York City.
30.  Planters Nut and Chocolate Companies of  Pennsylvania and New Jersey merge.
31.  Light snow marks end of January .  .  .  Interstate Commerce Commission authorized Lehigh Valley Railroad
to discontinue remaining passenger train service.

FEBRUARY 

  1.   Parsons woman burns to death when her dress catches fire .  .  .  Five students injured when a light 
bulb explodes in Edwardsville High School. 
  2.   Four hurt, three seriously, in an auto accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
  3.   Franklin Street School damaged by surface subsidence.
  4.  The Lehigh Valley Railroad ends 115 years of passenger service to Wilkes-Barre .  .  .   Fire in 
Kingston High School does $200,000 damage .  .  .  Old man winter continues to plague Wyoming Valley as 14 
inches of snow falls forcing stores to close and to disrupt traffic.
 5.   Weather clears to help in removing 14-inch snowfall .  .  .  10,000 students home from school due to 
the weather.
 6.   Kingston Council adopts heat ordinance and makes Westmoor Streets one way.
 7.   The Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Merchants Association asks change in the parking meter rates.
 8.   Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund campaign reaches 55 per cent of goal,, with $824,425 pledged in 
the current campaign .  .  .  Fire breaks out in the Lance Breaker in Larksville.
 9.    Flood Control conference held in Coughlin High School .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre City Sales Days start.
10.  Wyoming Valley Art League opens first regional exhibition.
11.  29 vehicles damaged when cars skid on ice .  .  .   Wyoming Historical and Geological Society holds 103rd
annual dinner.
12.   Price of anthracite ordered advanced 50 cents a ton .  .  .  B'nai B'rith holds Lincoln Day dinner.
13.   Ice jammed in Susquehanna River adds to the danger of a spring flood.
14.   Judge Harold J. Flannery announces he will be a candidate for his third term as a judge of Luzerne 
County Common Pleas Court. 
15.   Atwater warehouse in Plymouth damaged by fire .  .  .  President Judge John J. Aponick stricken with 
fatal heart attack .  .  .  Lent begins.
16.   Plains man killed when his car rams coal truck near Mundy's Glen.
17.   Horton  Street dike to be fixed in effort to prevent flooding.
19.  Temperature hits 55 degrees, 18 above normal for the date and helps to melt the 14 inches of snow that 
was deposited earlier in the month .  .  .  Severe fog causes many accidents on local highways.
20.   Robert Hall opens new store on Scott Street .  .  .  five automobiles are damaged in accidents on 
Harveys Lake Highway.
21.   20 Latin American educators to observe work in Wilkes-Barre's elementary schools  .   .  .  Threat of 
a flood eased somewhat as the Susquehanna River drops 3.6 feet.
22.   General Hospital Class of 1963 receives caps .  .  .  Susquehanna River continues to recede.
23.   Plans made by young people of West Side churches for the annual Sunrise Services Easter morning.
24.  Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund passes $1 million mark .  .  .  Stanley Kocian elected new president of 
Wilkes-Barre-Wyoming Valley Merchants' Association.
25.   Woman drowns in Laurel Run Creek at Oliver mills .  .  .  Economy Stores to expand truck fleet.
26.   82nd annual St. David's Day dinner held .  .  .  Five injured in auto accident in Exeter.
27.   Susquehanna River crests at 26.21 feet.
28.   Susquehanna River starts to drop .  .  .  Gail Kopicki chosen as Princess of local Rotary clubs.

MARCH

 1.    Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund reaches 75 per cent of its goal .  .  .  GAR High School wins the 
city wrestling meet.
 2.   Councilman William D. Jones announces he will not be a candidate for reelection to city council .  .  .  
Fire breaks out in Larksville home twice in four hours.
 4.     Brewery workers pledge $21,000 to the Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund.
 5.  300 attend for Rabbi I. M. Davidson in Ohav Zedek Synagog .  .  . Signs of spring in Wyoming Valley as 
temperature goes close to 60.
 6.     Fire destroys home in Kingston Township  .  .  .  Floyd Siegfried,  secretary and business manager of 
Wilkes-Barre City School District, to retire after 36 years of service .  .  .  Easter seals mailed to 55,000 
in Wyoming Valley area.
 7.   One million dollar high school to be built at Mountaintop.
 8.   Variety of bad weather hits region with snow, sleet and rain followed by thunder and lightning.
 9.   Wives of Kingston Borough ask Kingston Borough Council for pat raises.
10.   Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund gets letter from President Kennedy urging success in jobs campaign.
11.   Brewery workers give $500 to Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund.
12.   Many people from Wyoming Valley attend a flower show in Philadelphia .  .  .  Edward F. Hanlon of Kings 
College named a Woodrow Wilson Fellow for 1961-62. 
13.   Explosion wrecks Schuyler Manufacturing Company in Luzerne killing two persons and injuring fifteen .  .   
Wilkes-Barre Philharmonic Orchestra gives concert.
14.   Fibrous Glass Products, Incorporated, new firm to locate here, donates $2,100 to Greater Wilkes-Barre 
Industrial Fund .  .  .  City population loss costs $15,620 in taxes .  .  .  State Sanitary Water Board 
orders city to build sewage plant within two years .  .  .  City firemen and policemen sign industrial fund 
pledge cards.
15.   Industrial Fund drive exceeds goal by $202,076 .  .  .  Frank Skripkunas of Swoyersville killed in rock 
fall at Woodward Colliery.
16.   Sheriff Joseph Mock's wife killed as car upsets near Berwick .  .  .  Mayor Slattery proposes nameplates
for city policemen.
17.   St. Patrick's Day celebrated throughout the Valley .  .  .  Wilkes-Bare becomes center of Russian 
Orthodox of America.
18.   Fire at Nanticoke routs family of 10.
19.  25th anniversary of 1936 flood .  .  .  Nanticoke High School basketball team advances to PIAA regional 
finals on 59 to 40 win over Radnor.
20.  $4,961 in new pledges made to jobs campaign.
21.   City police smash into alleged horse parlor on Parish Street .  .  .  Luzerne loses 89-82 to St. Clair 
in overtime in bid for PIAA Class B title.
22.   Nanticoke cagers win over Reading and gain State finals in PISS Class A competition. 
23.   Kingston Borough policemen receive pay increase .  .  .  Kingston American Legion hosts State Commander.
24.   Commonwealth Telephone Company adds 3,381 new stations.
25.   Nanticoke High School cagers take PIAA Class A title on 56-46 win over Hickory Township at Harrisburg.
26.   Philharmonic String Quartet presents concert at Wilkes College.
27.   Mercury hits 73 degrees, a record high for this year .  .  .  Plains American Legion observes 42nd 
anniversary.
28.   Public Relations program planned by Luzerne County Schools' office.
29.   City Parks Department announces plans to beautify Public Square.
30.   Dr. John L. Dorris named to Public Utility Commission by Governor David Lawrence .  .  .  Nanticoke 
cage star Ken Legins named to Associated Press All State first team.
31.   Gasoline stations experience busy day as motorists fill tanks in advance of two-cent hike in State 
gasoline tax.

APRIL

 3.   Influx of holiday visitors to center city causes  many traffic tieups .  .  .  1,000 children attend 
Edwardsville Lions Club Easter party.
4.   City buys two walkie-talkies fro use by fire department .  .  .  15 regional police officers complete 
Institute of Municipal Government course at Wilkes College.
5.   Shrine Circus opens before throngs of children and adults in 109th Armory .  .  .  Luzerne Lions Club 
treats 700 children to Easter candy and movies.
6.  Wyoming Valley Regional Science Fair for high school students opens at King's College .  .  .  Mayor 
Slattery submits proposed changes in traffic regulations to city officials.
7.    Area Rotary presidents confer and Pocono Manor .
8.  Wilkes-Barre Police Department inaugurates new communications system called "Radio 10" .  .  .  Mrs. 
Eleanor Hazelip, city, killed in two car collision near White Haven.
10.   Surprise snow storm hits Valley .  .  .  Appointment of Dr. John L. Dorris to Public Utility Commission 
confirmed by State Senate.
11.    1961 Heart Fund campaign exceeds goal by $14,245 .  .  .  Street Commissioner announces 33 streets 
will be resurfaced.
12. William Czuleger, former local resident, elected mayor of Redondo Beach, Calif.
13.   American Legion Post 132 urges "Buy American".
14.   Two masked gunmen hold up Pittston Dress    factory and flee with $4,590 in pays.
15.   Luzerne County Schools' office reports Pittston area has greatest need fro new school buildings .  .  .  
Flood control pumps placed in operation as river reaches 17 feet.
17.   Black powder explodes at Berlin Powder Works in Moosic destroying two buildings and causing damage 
estimated at $20,000.
18.   Wilkes-Barre School Board adopts policy to prevent diabetes in staff and students .  .  .  City provides
cards allowing free parking to certain employes.
19.   Luzerne County Medical Society announces member physicians will provide free polio inoculations for 
needy persons .  .  .  Martz Lines introduce luxury liner coaches.
20.   $33,140 awarded Faith Shoe Company employes by Board of Arbitration.
21.   Pittston Fashions dress plant robbery solved with arrests of several area men by State Police .  .  .  
Ashley-Newton VFW Post installs officers.
22.    Nine area men in custody of State Police for series of robberies and burglaries alledgedly committed 
during the last years an one half .  .  .  Nicholas Tangerakis, former owner of Rainbow Restaurant in 
Kingston, fatally injured by car while crossing Market Street, Kingston.
24.    Lone bandit holds up four men in Plains sporting goods store, taking considerable cash and valuables 
only to be arrested several hours later in Harrisburg.
25.   John and Timothy Connolly, heroic brothers of Luzerne explosion in March, honored by Luzerne Lions .  .   
Rain-swollen Susquehanna River crests at 25 feet.
26.   Judge Thomas M. Lewis orders 78 confiscated gambling devices destroyed.

27.   200 attend Wilkes-Barre Law and Library dinner at Hotel Sterling.
28.   Civil Defense officials term air alert best in nine years .  .  .  Ashley and Sugar Notch school 
districts merge.
29.   Daughter of the American Revolution observe 70th anniversary at luncheon in Hotel Sterling .  .  .  
Wilkes-Barre firemen rescue boy and girl from fire swept home on Lincoln Street.

MAY

1.   Scrapyard warehouse fire in Wilkes-Barre Township causes $60,000 damages .  .  .  Pennsylvania Recreation
Socitey conference opens at hotel Sterling.
2.    Three North Wilkes-Barre residents treated for inhalation of coal gas fumes.
3.  Young Chase Institution escapee holds four women at knife point before being captured several hours later 
.  .  .  Wilkes-Barre Little Theatre presents "Damn Yankees".
4.   Wilkes-Barre General Hospital School of Nursing graduates 50 young women.
5.   Wilkes-Barre Republicans hold rally at Hotel Redington.
6.   Products manufactured locally to be exhibited at American  Gas Association convention in Philadelphia.
8.   City Parks Department to use colored floodlights.
9.  Two storms lash Valley leaving many outdoor signs smashed .  .  .  Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of 
Commerce holds 77th annual dinner in Hotel Sterling.
10.  Foster Wheeler Corporation awarded $2,500,000 contract by Department of Navy. 
12.   Concordia Singing Society presents its 82nd annual spring concert in Irem Temple.
14.  37 pastoral changes made at 110th session of Wyoming Methodist Conference .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre's 
Japanese Cherry trees bloom along River Common.
16.  Judge J. Harold Flannery wins both party nominations for Common Pleas Court in primary as organization-
backed candidates sweep to victory.
17.   Huber Colliery worker killed when he falls under wheels of gondola.
18.   Fine Arts Fiesta opens four-day event under blue skies and brilliant sunshine.
19.   Jenkins Township adopts one per cent wage tax .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre makes strong bid for Internal 
Revenue Office.
20.   Armed Services Day observed in city.
21.   Wilkes-Barre School Board plans no tax increase.
22.   600 pay tribute to Rev. E. F. Singer.
23.   County Judge vacancy given to Attorney Jacob Schiffman.
24.   Ground movement continues in Kingston.
25.   Connie Zanta, Wyoming, named Miss Wyoming Valley of 1961 .  .  .  Local VA receives "best office" 
award.
26.   Wilkes-Barre City School Board adopts budget without tax increase .  .  .  Pagnotti Coal Company 
burglarized.
28.   Misericordia graduates 134 at commencement exercises at Irem Temple.
29.   Lehman School Board rejects tax plan.
30.   Large crowds ignore coldest Memorial Day to pay tribute to Valley's dead.
31.   State Chamber of Commerce directors meet in Hotel Sterling.

JUNE

1.   Luzerne County  Delegation meets Governor Lawrence in hops of relocating some State agencies here.
2.   Jacob Schiffman takes oath as County judge .  .  .  Safety awards given employes at Huber Colliery.
3.   Judge J. Harold Flannery dies unexpectedly .   .   City youth killed in auto accident near Lopez.
4.   King's graduates 129 at commencement exercises at Irem Temple.
5.   Wilkes College graduates 210 at exercises at Wilkes College gymnasium .  .  .  Central City light poles 
painted aluminum.
6.   Wyoming Valley Hospital observes 50th anniversary  .  . .Second man in 34 days flees State Correctional
Institute at Dallas .  .  .  Teeners rout Industrial League softballers for use of North End Park.
7.   Central Luzerne County joint School Authority sells $1,140,000 bond issue to Philadelphia firm.
8.  Judge Frank Pinola becomes president judge of Luzerne County Common Pleas Court .  .  .  Contractor digs 
hole eight feet deep in river dike without obtaining permission.
9.   Five arrested in Larksville for stealing copper ire from railroad.
10. Gov. Lawrence presides at dedication of $11 million Bear Creek Dam.
11.   Center Moreland Methodist Church consecrated .  .  .  Annual Sokol Day observed at San Souci Park.
12.   152 firms and labor unions cited by United Fund at annual plaque award dinner in Jewish Community 
Center.
13.   One per cent wage tax authorized by Jenkins-Yatesville schools.  
14.   Wilkes-Barre youth drowns in Harveys Lake .  .  .  350 graduated by Meyers and GAR High Schools.
15.   Coughlin High School graduates 222, Kingston High School 172 at commencement exercises.
16.   "Tree Island" planted on Public Square by Wyoming Valley Garden Club.
17.   15th Back Mountain Memorial Library auction opens.
18.   Exeter youth drowns in Dupont Dan .  .  .  Irem Temple group flies to Florida for convention.
19.   Two Fairview Township police me defy suspension by chief.
20.   Jewish Committee honors Charles Weissman.
21.   DAV State convention opened in Hotel Sterling .  .  .  Wyoming Valley United Fund sets goal at 
$1,194,855 for 1962 Campaign.
22.   Danville State Hospital escapee caught in  Wilkes-Barre .  .  .  Pittston contractor fatally injured 
in fall.
23.   Valley hit by lightning and rain storm, but escapes tornado-like winds .  .  .  Man accused of starting 
15 fires arrested by Wilkes-Barre Police.
24.   Vandals damage 31 headstones in St. John's Slovak Cemetery, Glen Lyon.
25.   Swetland Homestead at Wyoming opened .  .  .  40 Naval Reservists flown to Great Lakes .  .  .  
Trucksville Methodist Educational Building consecrated. 
26.   Weissman Playground dedicated .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre city's four municipal swimming pools open.
27.   School Board adopts budget without tax increase .  .  .  Lincoln Street development project approved 
by Federal Government.
28.   Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company honors carrier-graduates at annual dinner in Hotel Sterling.
29.   Nine hired, 10 re-hired by Pittston City School District.
30.   Lake-Lehman School Board approves construction of new high school costing $2,088,000 .  .  .  National 
Federation of Independent Scrap Dealers holds annual dinner in Hotel Sterling.

JULY

1.   Wilkes-Barre acquires five properties for South Main Street municipal parking structure.
2.  Wilkes-Barre boy drowns while swimming in Wayne County .  .  .  Msgr. Joseph S. Gagion honored at dinner 
in observance of his 50th years the Roman Catholic priesthood.
3.   Charles F. Hensley appointed principal at GAR High School with Joseph Peel as assistant principal .  .  .  
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church confirms class of 18.
4.   Record  crowd sees 600 horses compete in Lehman's annual horse show .  .  .  Avoca youth fatally injured 
when he falls between track wheels .  .  .  Two motor boat collisions on Harveys Lake within three hours.
5.   Girl dies after being hit by car at Harveys Lake .  .  .  Kingston Rotary installs new officers.
6.  $3,200,000 set aside by U.S. for improvements in Wilkes-Barre .  .  .  Forty Fort child strangles self 
while playing in yard.
8.   Valley Tennis and Swim Club opens .  .  .  2,000 attend closing of Back Mountain auction at Dallas. 
10.  Fairview Township supervisors fire most of Mountaintop's police force .  .  .  Pays raised at Kis-Lyn 
Industrial School.
11.   Historical markers in and around Wilkes-Barre refurbished by city .  .  .  Foreign exchange students 
visit Swetland Homestead.
12.   Gov. Lawrence nominates Attorney Charles A. Shea, Lake Nuangola, to fill vacancy caused by death  of 
Judge J. Harold Flannery .  .  .  Huge traffic jams develop when North Street Bridge shifts and is ordered 
closed.
13.  State Highway Department says North Street Bridge will be closed two to three months .  .  .  William M. 
Fay Pittston native, named U.S. Tax Court Judge by President John F. Kennedy .  .  .  Glen Lyon miner killed 
by rock fall.
14.  Traffic nearly normal as preparations are pushed to repair disabled North Street Bridge  .  .  .  New 
all-weather approach lighting system officially commissioned at Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Airport at Avoca.
15.  John T. Radko, Hanover Township detective, State Commander of VFW and Mrs. Margaret Smith, Kingston, 
elected president of Ladies Auxiliary at the conventions in Pittsburgh.
16.    Larksville High School Annex badly damaged by fire.
17.   Delaware & Hudson Railroad gives Wilkes-Barre deed to property, enabling city to develop the Riverside 
Park area to its fullest extent .  .  .  Gov. Lawrence authorizes new State park to be located five miles 
north of Wilkes-Barre.
18.    Pittston City School Board cancels insurance policies.
19.  Luzerne County Commissioner Jarrett W. Jennings, breaks ties with Dr. John L. Dorris, County Democratic 
chairman .  .  .  39th annual conference of the Sheriff's Association of  Pennsylvania opens four-day meeting 
in the Hotel Sterling.
20.  Attorney Vincent M. Quinn, West Pittston, endorsed by Luzerne County Republican Executive Committee as 
candidate for Common Pleas Court .  .  .  250 attend dinner at the 39th annual conference of the Sheriffs' 
Association.
21.   Sheriffs' Association of Pennsylvania elect Joseph E. Mock, Luzerne County, second vice-president ..    
Turkish executive development group visits Wilkes-Barre .  .  .  Wilkes- is slated to get new $2,500,000 
ultra-modern post office.
23.   Temperature reaches 93 and thousands of motorists jam regional highways to reach resort areas .  .  .  
Nanticoke minister dies of injuries suffered in automobile collision.
24.    Wyoming Valley hit by thunderstorm which dumps on inch of rain in one hour.
25.   Ground broken for $1,140,000 high school at Mountaintop.
26.  Nanticoke Mayor Vincent Znaniecki, named recently as superintendent of Luzerne County Institution 
District Home for the Indigent Infirm, is fired .  .  .  Five members of the Wyoming Valley Committee for 
SANE Nuclear confer with Pennsylvania Senators and Policy leave for Washington, D.C. to confer with 
Pennsylvania Senators and Congressman on disarmament and nuclear testing.
27.   North Street Bridge reopened to vehicular and pedestrian traffic .  .  .   More than 160 attend annual 
summer outing of the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association at Valley Country Club.
28.  Trial runs for the Giants' Despair Hill Climb begin as John Meyer, New York driver, sets new record .  .  
Local Army enlistments spurt with 31 signing after President Kennedy's talk on the Berlin crisis.
29.  John V. Meyer sets Giants' Despair Hill Climb record with a time of 56.576; Bud Faust, Wilkes-Barre, 
finishes second also under the 60 second mark.
30.    109th Artillery return after two weeks of field training at Camp Pickett, Virginia.
31.   Special control board appointed to handle Courtdale, Duryea and Pringle schools until financially 
reestablished.

AUGUST

1.   Bureau to help families dislocated by redevelopment projects established by Wilkes-Barre Redevelopment 
Authority .  .  .  $19,000 in retroactive pensions paid by Wilkes-Barre Police Pension Fund Association to 22 
retired policemen.
2.   Luzerne County Commissioner dismiss five from county jobs .  .  .  Robert Coley, city, awarded life 
membership to VFW for work in Buddy Poppy program.
3.   William M. Fay, Pittston native, sworn in as U.S. Tax Court judge .  .  .  Melina Mileski, Hanover, 
named Miss UNICO for 1961. 
4.   57 receive degrees and hoods at College Misericordia summer commencement exercises .  .  .  VA Hospital 
secretary killed in three-car collision in Duryea.
6.   Missing Pittston woman found floating in Susquehanna River by six Wilkes-Barre youths.
7.  More than 500 crowd Lehman School auditorium for airing of Lake-Lehman School .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre Sales 
Days start on Public Square.
8.   General alarm fire causes extensive damage to Nanticoke warehouse .  .  .  Man escapes State Police net 
after he attempts to extort $15,000 from Idetown gun collector.
9.   5,000 Shriners and families attend annual family picnic at Irem Temple Country Club .  .  .  City man 
dies following fracas with Larksville man in Plymouth.
10.   Man caught after extortion attempt .  .  .  Harveys Lake Protective Association Authorizes patrol boat 
to enforce boating laws and arrest violators  .  .  .  1st battalion, 109th Artillery, send its 125th man to 
active duty in the six-month plan.
11.  Pittston man drowns while swimming in Susquehanna River .  .  .  10,000 witness UNICO's 10th annual East-
West game when east beats west 7-6.
13.  Mine settlement hits Kingston, affecting more than 100 homes on Charles, Rutter and Westmoreland Avenues
.  .  .  Heights girl, Georgeen Kingeter, chosen Miss Lady of the Lake at Harveys Lake.
14.  Attorney Michael H. Sheridan, Nanticoke, nominated as Federal judge by President Kennedy .  .  .  Rear 
Admiral Charles H. Lyman, USN., commandant of the Fourth Naval District inspects Naval Reserve Center, 
Kingston.
15.   More than 20,000 attend Pennsylvania State Police Riding Exhibition at Kingston Stadium .  .  .  
Forty Fort man drowns while swimming in Michigan.
16.   Hazleton Army National Guard unit among 113 units in United States alerted for possible call to active 
duty .  .  .  Fire destroys Cornell Dairy barn and causes $20,000 damage at Meeker.
17.  Wilkes-Barre Veterans Administration Hospital to be air-conditioned at cost of $1,200,000 .  .  .  
Taxicab strike stops service of Posten, Crane and Kingston Taxicab Companies.
18.    Strip mine blasts jar East End section of Wilkes-Barre.
19.   Pittston cancer drive exceeds $1,500 .  .  .  Superiors of Sisters orders orders convene at College 
Misericordia.
20.   Two killed and four injured in crash at Mountaintop .  .  .  Fire destroys garage in Luzerne.
21. Eight-year-old Pittston girl killed by a car.
22.   Nanticoke and Plymouth Township schools merger is approved by the State .  .  .  Repairs to be made to 
the Butler Street Bridge.
23.   Shickshinny celebrates its centennial .  .  .  Dr. Alfred C. Kraft named superintendent of Luzerne 
County Home for the Indigent Infirm .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company carriers visit Freedomland, 
New York.
25.   Rabbi Earl S. Starr named spiritual leader of Temple B'nai B'rith, Kingston .  .  .  Storm deposits 
1 ½ inches of rain in the region; Kingston House roof collapses during the storm and causes damages up to 
$10,000 .  .  .  West Side Flower Club holds 28th annual show.
26.   Two Kingston water mains break  .  .  . John Warner of Ashley elected head of the Penn Lake Association 
.  .  .  Two Florida men with burglar tools accused of impersonating detectives.
28.    17 nurses graduate from Wyoming valley Hospital.
29.   Five persons hurt in a head-on crash of two cars on Larksville Highway.
30.   A 44-year-old Nanticoke man accidently shot by a 16-year-old youth who was target shooting .  .  .  
James Street, Kingston damaged by mine cave.
31.   Wayne Store, Incorporated, Kingston, announces plans to expand .  .  .  Scranton police prevent gang 
fight that would have taken place in Wilkes-Barre.

SEPTEMBER

1.   400 workers attend GOP rally sponsored by Wilkes-Barre Republican Committee in Hotel Redington .  .  .  
44-uinch timber rattlesnake killed by Kingston man near Bowman's Creek.
3.   50 North End homes without water service for two hours after 20-inch main breaks.
4.   Many minor accidents mark Labor Day but no traffic fatalities occur.
5.   Parochial students return to classes .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre School Board accepts resignations of sic 
teachers and appoints five.
6.   109th Artillery alerted for possible call to active duty .  .  .  Nesbitt Memorial Hospital graduates 
45 from Nursing School at commencement exercises at Wyoming Seminary .  .  .  Luzerne County Commissioners 
announce 53 job changes in county departments and Institution District .  .  .  Public school students return 
to classes.
7.   Fire causes $250,000 damage to salesrooms and storage quarters of Back Mountain Lumber and Coal Company  
and Back Mountain Branch of the Wyoming National Bank of Wilkes-Barre .  .  .  Duryea man shot by stray bullet
at Pittston city dump.
8.   Pittston man receives railroad safety award for month of August .  .  .  Wyoming Valley's football season
opens with four games being played.
9.    Northeastern Pennsylvania Volunteer Firemen's Federation hold colorful parade in West Pittston. 
10.  Six persons injured when dropped eight feet into cellar of Exeter VFW Home as porch collapses prior to 
flag raising ceremonies .  .  .  Five priests of Scranton Diocese invested as monsignori  by Bishop Jerome D. 
Hannon .  .  .  Hunlock Creek man killed as his car rams a parked truck  near Shickshinny.
11.   Fire damages Wilkes-Barre transit Company bus on Public Square.
12.   Nine Wyoming Valley communities receive citations for no pedestrian deaths during 1960.
13.   Luzerne County Court in banc confirms nomination of Joseph A. Grabowski as Democratic nominee for the 
office of Nanticoke City council in a 3-2 decision.
14.   Duryea mother and daughter run down by automobile while crossing intersection in Duryea.
15.   350 pay homage to Rev. Dr. George M. Bell of Kingston, as he observes his 90th birthday.
17.   Rev. Robert Lukens of Clark Summit appointed pastor of Kingston Methodist Church .  .  .  New Benjamin 
Franklin Elementary School dedicated at Dupont .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre Township family of three escape 
asphyxiation by coal gas.
18.   Attorney Michael H. Sheridan takes oath as Federal judge, the first Federal judge appointed from Luzerne 
County.
19.   Luzerne County public schools pupil enrollment increases 771 for the 1961-62 school year.
20. Region gets light rain but misses brunt of Hurricane Esther .  .  .  23 jobs change hands as Luzerne 
County Commissioners appoint 12 and fire 11.
21.  300 labor leaders, union members and Torch campaign volunteers attend annual rally for the Wyoming 
Valley United Fund campaign.
22.   Wilkes-Barre miner killed in rock fall at Glen-Nan Min near Nanticoke.
23.   Wyoming Historical and Geological  Society members on field trip through Wyoming Valley .  .  .  Frank 
Lugiano of Wilkes-Barre reelected president of Pennsylvania Federation of the Blind at its 25th convention in 
Harrisburg.
24.   St. Joseph's Church of Hanover section of Nanticoke dedicates shrine of the Blessed Mother on memory of 
Rev. John Valunas.
25.   Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority gets Fashion Shoe Store for Dyer Lane project.
26.   Attorney J. Earl Langan of Pittston named Luzerne County solicitor.
27.   Luzerne County Commissioners hire 25 and fire 26 .  .  .  Pittston Township man killed when hit by 
automobile.
28.   Wilkes-Barre youth killed, and a second hurt when auto upsets on San Souci parkway.
30.   Two-day State conference of Northeastern Pennsylvania groups of the Polish women's Alliance of America 
start at Hotel Sterling.

OCTOBER

1.   30,000 see Navy parachutists perform at Forty Fort Airport in United Fund Air Show.
2.   Coughlin High School student escapes serious injury when pushed off curb and pinned under bus wheel .  .  
College Misericordia launches Theatre Three series.
3.   Pennsylvania State trooper killed in automobile accident in Poconos.
4.   45 dismissed or hired at meeting of Luzerne County Commissioners .  .  .  Judge Charles J. Shea elected 
director of Wyoming national Bank.
5.   Wilkes-Barre replaces old traffic light standards at Market Street Bridge and River Street intersection 
with overhead traffic signals.
6. Fire destroys Mountaintop widow's home while she is playing bingo.
7.   Ground broken for new Lake-Lehman High School in Lehman Township.
8.   More than 1,000 Kiwanians attend opening of the 44th annual convention at hotel Sterling.
9.   Hero medals given Connolly brothers of Luzerne for rescuing five persons from exploding building in 
March .  .  .  new car traveling in reverse crashed into two Courtdale homes .  .  .  Secretary of U.S. Air 
Force,  Eugene M. Zukert, speaks at Kiwanians convention.
10.   New multi-million dollar Wilkes-Barre General Hospital starts week-long open house .  .  .  Pennsylvania
Supreme Court backs nomination of Joseph Grabowskl in Nanticoke City Council fight .  .  .  Wyoming Valley 
shaken by two mysterious blasts .  .  . Grant of $1,149,784 approved for Lincoln Street redevelopment project.
11.   Kiwanians close 44th annual convention by electing Joseph D. Ceader of Riegelsville as Governor.
12.   Harveys Lake man kills brother in disputed estate of their mother .  .  .  Two killed in automobile 
accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near the Wilkes-Barre interchange.
13.   Self-sustaining 200-bed disaster hospital displayed in First Presbyterian Church.
14.   500 attend testimonial dinner honoring State VFW Commander John Radko of Hanover Township in Irem Temple 
.  .  .  Wilkes-Barre High School Class of 1911 holds first reunion in 50 years at Irem Temple Country Club.
15.   450 attend diamond jubilee dinner as St.Mary's of the Assumption Church celebrates its 75th anniversary.
16.   Fowler, Dick and Walker, the Boston Store culminates modernization program with dedication of the new 
South Main Street façade .  .  .  North-bound lane of Ashley By-pass damaged by mine settlement.
17.   Dr. Herman A. Fischer, Wilkes-Barre, elected vice chairman of trustees and councilors of Pennsylvania 
Medical Society at the convention in Pittsburgh. 
18.   Two mine water pumps at Glen Alden Coal Company after State Fish Commission claims they are the source 
of pollution and killing of fish in Susquehanna River
19.   Trusty at Luzerne County Prison walks away, returns next day .  .  .  Howard H. Potter, Kingston, 
elected president of Wilkes-Barre Kiwanis Club.
21.   Miss Donna Dwyer, Plymouth, selected as Wyoming Valley Junior Miss at pageant at Irem Temple.
22.   International Order of the Odd Fellows opens five-day grand encampment with reception at Hotel Sterling.
23.   1,000 Republicans attend Luzerne County Republican Committee's dinner in Irem Temple .  .  .  Mass 
confusion results as city places one-way street signs early.
24.   54 Chevaliers and Rebekahs receive decoration of chivalry at Odd fellows convention.
25.   Northampton and Union Streets become one-way streets on trial basis .  .  .  Luzerne County Institution 
District directors name 38 to jobs at Valley Crest, the new Luzerne County Home for the Indigent Infirm.
26.   91st annual educating meeting of Luzerne County teachers begins at Coughlin High School with 
approximately 2,000 teachers in attendance.
27.   Wilkes-Barre man leaps to his death from the Susquehanna River bridge at Wyoming .  .  .  Grand jury 
refuses to indict Harveys Lake man for slaying his brother.
28.   Small game hunting season is opened with no serious accidents in Luzerne County .  .  .  Gov. David 
Lawrence among 1,500 at 11th annual fund-raising dinner of Democratic Party of Luzerne County in 109th Armory.
29.   Duryea man killed, four hurt in two-car collision on Avoca By-Pass .  .  .  rence among 1500 at 11th 
annual St. Mary's Lithuanian Church at Wanamie dedicates Shrine of the Blessed Mother in memory of Rev. John 
Valunas.
30.   Armed bandit robs Beacon Loan Corporation of $947 in daring daylight holdup.
31.   Attorney Paul Bedford honored by friends and associates at dinner at Westmoreland Club.

NOVEMBER

1. 1952 Torch Campaign of the Wyoming Valley United Fund falls $62,161 short of goal of $1,132,594; Attorney 
Charles H. Miner, Jr., named chairman of 1962 Torch Campaign.
2.   State Correctional Institution at Dallas dedicated with Governor Lawrence laying cornerstone.
3.  First trainload of regional anthracite bound for use of United States armed forces installations in 
Western Germany leaves Ashley. 
4.   Glen Alden Company resumes pumping on approval of a plan by  State Water Sanitary Board.
5.   Swoyersville man severs pole in automobile accident in Wyoming .  .  .  Montgomery County man and his 
two sons killed when their plane crashes in Bear Creek Township.
6.   Kingston Borough Council to purchase new uniforms for Kingston police.
8.   31 young army recruits from Lehigh Valley, who left Avoca Airport on their way to South Carolina among 
79 killed in plane crash in Virginia; Wilkes-Barre man, missing form home, fatally injured when hit by auto 
on San Souci Parkway.
9.   Wilkes-Barre parking Authoriity receives bids on new parking garage on South Main Street .  .  .  New 
shopping center planned for East End section.
10.   Two brothers rescued as fire damages Luzerne home.
1y.  Over 900 attend dinner honoring Dr. Eugene S. Farley, Wilkes College president, for his many 
contributions to the community.
12.  Veterans Day parade viewed by an estimated 50,000 in Wilkes-Barre and Kingston .  .  .  General alarm 
fire destroys former restaurant in Kingston.
13.  Wyoming Historical and Geological Society receives valuable relics of Wyoming Massacre in 1778 from 
Attorney Paul Bedford.
14.   Luzerne County school directors hold 72nd annual meeting.
15.  Two Exeter youths injured when homemade rocket explodes .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority awards 
contracts for construction of a municipal parking garage on South Main Street.
16.  Wilkes-Barre tax rates to remain the same in 1962 .  .  .  Wilkes-Barre Junior League presents its 1961 
Follies at Irem Temple.
19.  Stanley Williams of Kingston Police Department  elected president of the Wyoming Valley Lodge 36, 
Fraternal Order of Police.
20.   Wilkes-Barre City's Christmas lights turned on .  .  .  Two inches of snow fall as Wyoming Valley gets 
first taste of winter.
21.   Counting of absentee ballots fails to change the outcome of any races for Luzerne County offices. 
22.   Bloodhound leads State Police to fugitive hiding under a railroad bridge in Hudson.
23.   Thanksgiving Day celebrated in Wyoming Valley .  .  .  Five persons killed in four automobile accidents 
in Luzerne County.
24.   Five Coughlin High School students rounded up as vandals who daubed Kingston High School with tar .  .  
First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre becomes owner of the Hotel Redington at sheriff's sale.
25.   Donna Dwyer, Plymouth, selected second runner-up in Pennsylvania Junior Miss contest at Reading.
26.   350 attend breakfast of United Church Men of Wyoming Valley Council of Churches.
27.   American and Trans World Airlines curtail service at the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Airport at Avoca.
28.   Rev. George G. Andrews, Jr., installed as pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church.
29.   South Wilkes-Barre woman drowns when she slips and falls into the Susquehanna River.
30.   State Department of Highways receives bids for construction of section of Anthracite Expressway in 
Luzerne County.

Typed by Jeannette Phethean,  July 2004