75 years ago: “At commencement exercises to be held at Smiley Junior High. Durango High School will graduate 129 of its students, members of the 1939 senior class.”

50 years ago: “Dr. Leo W. Lloyd will head a Durango bipartisan committee to raise funds for the John Fitzgerald Kennedy library in Cambrdige, Mass. The campaign is part of a nationwide effort to establish a memorial to the assassinated president. During his lifetime, Kennedy took personal interest in the project, which will be at Harvard University where Kennedy was an undergraduate.”

25 years ago: “Boy Scout Adam Tucson, 13, put the motto ‘Be Prepared’ to use to save a child’s life. The small congregation of the Spanish Assembly of God Church was left dumbfounded when a 2-year-old boy began choking during mass. … Tucson tried performing the Heimlich maneuver once – but feared he could break the baby’s ribs. So with his hand on the child’s larynx, Tucson gave three quick blows to the back, and a jawbreaker popped out of the infant’s mouth.

Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.