Step back in time features news items from The Daily Star 25 and 50 years ago.
25 years ago
Jan. 20, 1987
EMMONS _ If Michael Muehl doesn't get Snoopy and Woodstock off his barn roof by June 1, United Features Syndicate will take him to court.
Muehl said he put the characters from the popular Peanuts comic strip on his roof last year "because I like Snoopy. I like the comic strip. I thought people would like to see it there."
The barn, off Route 7, is visible from Interstate 88.
Muehl's rooftop portraits may seem benign, but the syndicate considers any unauthorized use of the characters as a threat.
Raymond Rundell, an attorney with Baker & Hostetler, which represents the syndicate, said "We won't let the matter slide."
50 years ago
Jan. 20, 1962
COOPERSTOWN_ "A School District for Tomorrow," was the subject of a talk on general school district reorganization by Harry W. Langworthy Jr., of the State Education Department in Albany, at the January CCS PTA meeting in Cooperstown.
"The school district has three purposes," the speaker pointed out: "To prepare young people for effective citizenship, to prepare youngsters for further education, and to prepare for specific life work, _i.e. specific skills which will be marketable when he finishes public school."
School district reorganization attempts to aid the school in fulfilling these aims by creating larger districts with better programs at less cost per pupil, he explained.
The advantages of more and more centralization come from the fact that a much wider program can be offered to the student body, particularly at the secondary school level, Mr. Langworthy said. A 1,200 student enrollment for the secondary school is considered minimum for securing greater benefits in curriculum and teaching efficiency. The larger secondary schools may offer as many as 90 or 100 elective subjects, while the smaller school can offer only 15. The smaller high school is also able to offer only one or two classes in each subject, while the larger school may offer four or five with greater selection of pupils according interests and ability.
In general, the teaching standards are better in larger schools, Mr. Langworthy continued, because the teacher is not required to teach in areas outside his own field.
"The future will be even more demanding on our schools," Mr. Langworthy added. "One way for the community to get a more favorable situation is to create larger school districts."
