100 years ago: 1925

“Governor Brewster will come to Auburn Monday evening to open the Better Homes Exposition, the first in the state and the forerunner of a great campaign to promote home building.

“Governor Brewster will come over the road with his secretary and speak briefly on the better homes movement and the Maine development plan which he is so interested in.

“Auburn Hall was a busy place Saturday and John J. Sullivan, the manager of Auburn’s 1st Annual Better Homes Exposition, was just as busy. The exposition opening Monday and running thru the week promises to be one of the most elaborate and interesting affairs in the history of the city.”

50 years ago: 1975

“Home is where the thief is, to paraphrase an old chestnut. William Milliken feels that way, anyway.

“The Lewiston recreation director had the pitcher’s rubber and home plate installed at Marcotte Field yesterday afternoon. A base of quick-hardening cement was formed to hold each down. The crew left at about 4 p.m. Judging on the basis of how fast the cement is supposed to harden, Milliken figures that the home place left shortly thereafter.

“Anyway, home plate was not to be found at Marcotte Field this morning. The field was being readied for the opening of the Twin City Softball League, slated Monday evening.

“Milliken, in his annoyance, explained that it not only means having to buy a new home plate to replace the pilfered one, but the cement base laid yesterday — solidly hardened by this morning — cannot be used for the new plate. A new cement base has to be laid.

“‘We’ll have to stand around and guard the plate with our lives until the new cement is hardened this time,’ Milliken lamented.

“Why would anyone steal a home plate? Milliken conjectured that it might be used for a neighborhood venture into clandestine diamond doings.”

25 years ago: 2000

“LEWISTON — After more than 20 years of subsidizing Lewiston students at local parochial schools, the City Council is proposing cutting back.

“It’s talking about stopping the money it sends the four schools to pay for textbooks and testing. That would save the proposed city budget $22,500.

“The parochial schools would still get money from the city. The council is budgeting $210,500 to continue to subsidize nursing services and bus transportation for elementary students.

“On Monday, officials at Holy Cross elementary school, which has 317 of Lewiston’s 592 parochial students, declined to comment on the council’s initiative. Officials at the two other elementary schools, St. Joseph’s in Lewiston and St. Peter’s in Auburn, could not be reached. G. Michael Welch, principal of St. Dominic Regional High School in Lewiston, called the proposal disappointing.”

The quoted material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.