Daily Star
---- — Step Back in Time features community news from The Daily Star 25 and 50 years ago.
25 years ago
Sept. 3, 1985
Oneonta resident Toofie Wakin celebrated his 72nd birthday by firing a round of 72 at Oneonta Country Club recently. Wakin is a former OCC club champion.
He played with Bob Bagg, Bob Zeh and Doc Knapp.
50 years ago
Sept. 3, 1960
DELHI _ Three young Treadwell boys showed up in Delhi yesterday morning with their father and six homing pigeons.
Hans Greene, and his boys, Timmy, 3; Ronald, 5; Allen, 13, brought the caged pigeons over to the lower campus at Delhi Tech.
Each boy took two pigeons from the cage. Letting go of them, the pigeons were off in a flash, and heading straight for the Greene home in Treadwell. "They'll be home in almost exactly 10 minutes," Mr. Greene said.
"We have released pigeons from as far away as 80 miles and they have returned in about two hours," Mr. Greene said.
The Greene boys have about 45 Homing pigeons and raise them for a hobby. They are fed regular pigeon grain.
"Our milkman, Elmer Stone of Franklin," said Mr. Greene, "takes about a dozen of the pigeons to the Delaware County Farmers Co-op creamery every morning, and releases them. If he's on time letting them go, you can just about set your watch by the time they reach home."
When Ronald goes to school next Tuesday, he plans to take a pigeon with him. Upon arrival at the school, he will release it; when it arrives at his home a couple minutes later, his mother will know he got to school safely.
Homing pigeons played an important role in the military services during World War Two.
