This Week in Belmont History

This is the first in a weekly series of articles highlighting the news in Belmont.

One hundred years ago

The week of July 24,1910

Police logs were big in 1910 as the Belmont Tribune reported, "considerable excitement prevailed at Harvard Lawn Tuesday when a "burgalar" entered the home of Mrs. Helen Jones who lived on the top floor of an apartment house at No. 3 Oxford avenue. After spotting the intruder, "From the nearest window she called loudly for help when Mr. C.A. Hill, a clerk at the Belmont pharmacy accompanied by his assistant, Mr. Long, rushed to the rescue." The unnamed burgalar was captured and appeared in District Court with bail set at $3,000.

In Waverley Center, the 9^th Regiment Band played last Saturday before "four or five hundred people" with music including pop selections such as "Uncle Tom's Cabin" "At The Barn Dance," a cornet solo and the finale, featuring the "The Star Spangled Banner."

And a bit of national politics: In a political overview story, the Tribune noted that: "Champ Clark looks more and more like the democratic nominee. Woodrow Wilson won't play enough politics to suit the democrats and besides he doesn't come from the right section (of the country)" Champ Clark was James Beauchamp Clark of Kentucky who would be Speaker of the House by 1911. And this prediction was not far off: Clark won the first two ballots in the nominating convention in 1912 but could not secure the necessary two-thirds majority. But Wilson could.

Seventy years ago

July 26, 1935

In a chilling report, the Belmont Citizen reported that the Underwood playground swimming pool claimed "another" victim on Tuesday afternoon of this week when John F. Looney Jr, seven-year-old third grader at the Homer school who lived on 11 Farm Rd. lost his life while swimming in the deeper section of the pool. The accident was unknown to the lifeguards and the three hundred children at the pool until about 4:45 p.m. when two men diving to the bottom of the pool and hit the boy's body. He was taken to Cambridge Hospital but was declared dead.

An editorial called the lifeguards "the most capable young men fully alive to their responsibilities." But it was the conditions of the pool that prevented them from seeing the bottom

Hitinger Street was in the news, as the Belmont Paper Box Co. wanted to build a box factory on the street opposite Trowbridge Street and install two 1-1/2 hp motors. The plan met with considerable opposition by dozen of opponents who said the factory was not in keeping to a neighborhood of homes.

The Warrant Committee transferred funds to various accounts in midsummer including spending $725 to improve the grounds at the Payson Park School with CCC help.

Bob Woodward, former Belmont High star and Harvard College sophomore was a member of an American track team that took on an English team in London. He finished second in the three mile and fourth in the half mile.

Sixty-five years ago

July 27 1945

Lt (jg) John O'Neil of 645 Lincoln St. was killed in action. He was 24.  O'Neil was killed while participating in an aerial fight as pilot of a carrier-based dive-bomber.

The paper salvage drive that took place this week was made difficult being in the summer with the absence of the usual collectors; the Boy and Girl Scouts.

The Lenk Brothers, Corp. Walter, an army engineer, saw his brother, Pfc Richard, in France. They lived on 170 Brighton St.

The first meeting of the newly organized Belmont Booster Club was held last month at which the banquet was reviews and suggestion. William Kirila led the meeting in the absence of Edward Kelleher. The club had a deficit of $25.

And some social commentary in the newspaper – an old man tells an Native American: "I'm sorry, Mr. Eaglefeather, but our company's policy is to employ 100% Americans only."

Fifty years ago

July 21, 1960

Six "youths" were fined $350 for pelting each other and passing motorists with rotten oranges and tomatoes Sunday afternoon. The fruit was taken from the rear of a Concord Avenue fruit stand. The youths hide behind the wall at Clay Pond Park and threw the produce at passing cars. The six, between 19 and 22, were arrested and brought before a judge who laid down the law.

Wilbur "Butch" Wood required only two weeks to move from Class D to Class B baseball in the Red Sox system after being very impressive in his first two starts. The three times All-Star would make his major league debut in less than a year in June 1961.

The Belmont Municipal Light Department was beginning to build a new $100,000 subs station in Belmont Center on land in back of the police station. The Department also showed the town a healthy profit of $258,000.

Carolyn Buskirk represented Boston in the recent Debutante Ball in Rome. The daughter of Dr. and Mrs. James H. Buskirk of 59 Clairemont Rd., she was touring Europe with 20 friends from the Garland School and would be coming home on the Queen Mary.

Thirty years ago

July 24, 1980

After 40 years in Belmont Center, the Finest Supermarket on Leonard Street suddenly closed as customers and other businesses "were shocked to learn" the news. Only Sage's Market remained to service the Center's food needs. Two years before, the A&P closed shop in Cushing Square.

But the front-page editorial stated that with the loyal clientele and because "Belmont Center is considered a prestige location" another food chain or an independent operation would certainly come in.

Selectmen approved the plan to build a 620-foot roadway into the site of the new Mormon meetinghouse from the Route 2 access road. But residents were worried that the 160 car parking lot was too much for the neighborhood to handle. Town engineer Richard Betts recommended the plan.

The Board of Selectmen, described as "none too happily called a special town meeting" for Monday, Aug. 11 to talk about a petition submitted by the town's labor unions seeking an increase in health insurance benefits: the unions wanted town to pick up 75 percent of their health costs; the current ratio was then 50/50.

The Belmont Administrative and Clerical Association filed a sex discrimination suite against the town for failing to pay equal wages to female employees for doing comparable work.