Today in History: March 13, 2018

Today in History: March 13, 2018

100 Years Ago – 1918: The Delaware County Sproul Republican Club reorganized at a meeting held last evening in the Colonial Theatre, Leiperville, and arranged plans for its forthcoming activities. The meeting was called for the purpose of reorganizing and rejuvenating, and for arranging to “give a big, strong boost for Sen. W.C. Sproul for the next governor.” One of the speakers advanced the suggestion to devise a scheme for stretching a banner across the Chester Pike supporting “Sproul’s candidacy for governor,” which was approved.

75 Years Ago – 1943: Chester Water Authority has made application to the borough of Media for a supply of one million goals of water daily. Media is in a position to supply the water and actin on the request is expected to be taken at the borough council meeting next Thursday. Some time ago the Chester Water Authority applied to federal agencies for priorities necessary to increase the plant capacity to meet the extraordinary demand for water created by the war industries of Chester and vicinity.

50 Years Ago – 1968: A shorn hippie, arrested in Haverford on narcotics charges as the result of investigating of an undercover agent, was placed on probation in his father’s custody in Ohio. The man’s father said he would get his son, a high school dropout, a job with the landscaping firm he works for. The youth’s attorney said he had his hair long and wore beads and was a hippie before his arrest. He said the Broadmeadows Prison Warden John I. Gable “talked to him” and youth appeared in court with a regular haircut, a sports coat and slacks.

25 Years Ago – 1993: Gov. Robert P. Casey has declared a state of emergency throughout Pennsylvania as a fierce winter storm closed all interstate highways, shut down airport and killed at least one person. The declaration was the first statewide winter emergency since an ice storm in the late 1970s, Lt. Gov. Mark Singel said.

10 Years Ago – 2008: A bomb threat called in to Delaware County Community College forced officials to close down five campuses and send about 10,000 students home for part of the day. DCCC Vice President of Institute Advancement Kathy Breslin noted that in the aftermath of the massacre at Virginia Tech University, colleges and universities across the country react immediately to any type of threat, even if it sounds like a ruse.

– COLIN AINSWORTH