A Look Back, Feb. 4

By JIM BRIDGMAN

For the Gazette

Published: 02-03-2025 11:01 PM

50 Years Ago

■Nationally known women, including Katharine Graham of the Washington Post, feminist Betty Friedan, physician-author Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, and actress-dance Maya Angelou, will be among the participants in a winter centennial observation at Smith College in late February. The events revolve around the annual observance of Rally Day, an all-college celebration which began in February 1876, when the class of 1879 held a reception in honor of Washington’s Birthday.

■Diana Fetter de Villafranca has resigned from her position as news director of Smith College. Her resignation, effective Jan. 31, resulted from professional disagreements with the college’s public relations policy.

25 Years Ago

■After the License Commission denied his request for nude dancing at The Grotto, owner Stephen M. Bandarra said he hopes to rally enough support to have the decision reversed. The commission voted 3-0 Wednesday to reject Bandarra’s request after hearing residents oppose it.

■Michael Kusek, fresh from helping to close a deficit at the Northampton Center for the Arts, will now try to raise $10 million to build a new arts education complex in Hadley. Pioneer Valley Arts in Education Inc. announced Wednesday that it has hired Kusek, 31, as development director.

10 Years Ago

■Two small bonfires at Townehouse Apartments on Meadow Street, a Dumpster blaze on Hobart Lane and an injured University of Massachusetts student who fell several feet from a tree were the main calls for service handled by Amherst’s firefighters and paramedics following Sunday’s Super Bowl.

■Starting next fall, Greenfield Community College students will be able to pursue a four-year bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing, early childcare or education as part of an expanded program with Elms College. And the courses will be taught at the GCC main campus for less than it would cost to take them at the Elms Chicopee campus.