This Week in History 21-27 May

10 years ago:
Former Rep. John Moran, a Democrat, announced his bid to win back the Legislative office he lost two years earlier. Moran held the seat from 2006 to 2014, when he lost to independent candidate Laura Sibilia. Sibilia, the incumbent, also announced her decision to run for re-election. Sibilia won the election in November, and has continued to serve her constituents in the Vermont Legislature since then.
Students and teachers at Dover School bid a fond farewell to Principal Bill Anton at a surprise party. Anton was leaving the school to serve as superintendent of Windham Central Supervisory Union.
15 years ago:
Retiring Twin Valley High School Principal Frank Spencer was inducted into the Vermont Principals Association’s Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Montpelier. Spencer, who began his career as a teacher at Wilmington High School, had been an enthusiastic proponent of the school’s joint contract merger with Whitingham, which created the Twin Valley middle and high schools.
20 years ago:
Dover School’s principal offered a positive assessment of the combined fourth/fifth- and fifth/sixth-grade classrooms. But the teachers’ assessment differed They said there had been a lot of “glitches” and a loss of classroom flexibility. One teacher said a lot of “teachable moments” were lost because of the strict schedule necessary to run the combined grade classrooms. The teachers suggested a different model for the upcoming school year.
A new Twin Valley Facilities Committee began planning for a solution to facilities issues at the high school. It was the third committee in five years to tackle the issue, and it had an auspicious start. Wilmington resident Jeff Holzman, a Navy Seabee officer with experience in planning and managing large facilities construction projects offered his expertise. Holzman also suggested the language for a mission statement, which the committee adopted.
25 years ago:
Mount Snow won approval for an affordable housing plan required under their 1997 permit for the Grand Summit Hotel. Under the plan, Mount Snow would make a contribution of about $10,000 to $13,000 for 6.3 units of affordable housing to mitigate the hotel’s impact on housing in the towns of Wardsboro, Dover, and Wilmington.
30 years ago:
David Larsen announced that he would step down after his fifth term in the Legislature. Larsen, also a teacher at Wilmington Middle High School, was first elected in 1986. He said he wanted to leave while he felt good about the Legislature, and “hopefully this place (the Legislature) feels good about me.”
According to a feasibility study, about three sections of the Valley Trail, which was slated to run from Mount Snow to Tollgate Village in Dover, would be eligible for federal funding.
35 years ago:
Dover Hill residents were concerned about a local company’s plan to operate a transfer station at the bottom of the hill, near the intersection of Dover Hill Road and the Wilmington (Sitzmark) Road. The selectboard received a petition from 31 residents stating their opposition to the plan.
40 years ago:
David Larsen, a teacher at Wilmington High School for the past 14 years, was selected for Marlboro College’s Award for Excellence. Larsen was the second teacher to receive the coveted award. Marlboro School teacher and former principal Bruce Cole won the award a year earlier.
45 years ago:
The Deerfield Valley was facing drought, with low levels of waters in streams and rivers, as well as in monitored groundwater wells. According to the state, water levels in Vermont were 62% below normal. Homeowners with wells were advised to monitor their water levels and conserve water if necessary.
“Summer Squash,” a group that included “Ski” Smolenski, Joshua Boles, and Bob Zemen, was entertaining guests in the upstairs theater of TC’s Bar and Restaurant with their repertoire of songs and gags.
55 years ago:
The statewide land use law that would eventually become known as Act 250 was under development, and state officials predicted that it would reach the Legislature before March 1972.
Health officer Alden Rollins issued ultimatums to several “polluters” in Dover. The list included 10 people accused of allowing raw sewage from their homes or businesses to flow into nearby brooks and waterways.
Marge Hescock, of East Dover, served as Vermont’s first woman dump attendant. Hescock ran the sanitary landfill in Dover on Sunday afternoons.