Time Machine Terms
October 1, 1985
Hurricane Gloria Slams Westward; Vineyard Damage Is Minimal
Hurricane Gloria swept past the Vineyard Friday, veering west and north and carrying less force than predicted, but nonetheless left splintered trees and toppled power lines in her wake.
The storm, billed as potentially one of the most dangerous in history, caused no serious injuries on the Vineyard and only minimal property damage, Island officials reported.
By Saturday evening most of the felled tree branches were cleared or pushed to the side of roads and electricity was restored to Island homes.
September 6, 1985
Bob Tankard Means to Win In Work with Vineyard Youth
Personal victories are what Bob Tankard cares about. He relies on them, he says, because they are messages that validate life and each person’s place on earth. Bob Tankard is the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School football coach.
He’s got the winner’s attitude and it just won’t quit.
When Bob Tankard says “I have a firm belief” or when he says “I mean it, I really mean it,” he clenches black hands into tight fists and squeezes his dark, merry eyes shut. His face forms a solid, peaceful expression.
August 20, 1985
Expert Traces Vineyard Story of Deaf and Their Community
Chilmark fishermen Christopher Murphy approached medical anthropologist Nora Groce after her delivery of the last Nathan Mayhew Seminars lecture of the summer Thursday night, and recalled a remnant of sign language use by old-timers he used to work for.
The news came as pleasant confirmation to Miss Groce, who has spent the better part of the last six years tracing the origins of a community of deaf people who lived pretty much like - and in harmony with - the hearing populace of the Vineyard from its earliest settlement through the 19th century.
July 12, 1985
Vineyard Viet Nam Veterans Take Steps Toward Memorial
They came nearly 20-strong out of the gathering dusk of Tuesday evening and into the American Legion Hall in Edgartown. All are veterans of the Viet Nam war. They came to talk about honor, specifically about who should be honored and how for service in Viet Nam. They came to talk about the creation of a Vineyard memorial monument dedicated to those who served in Viet Nam and to those who died in Viet Nam.
May 24, 1985
Open Letter from One Veteran of Viet Nam
Misconceptions of Viet Nam veterans to be cleared up this Memorial Day:
1) That we were dragged into military service: two-thirds of the men and women who served in Viet Nam volunteered for duty. In contrast, two-thirds of the people who served in World War II were drafted.
May 24, 1985
Derby Drops Striped Bass from Tournament In a Dramatic Reversal of Previous Position
In a sudden and dramatic shift of position, the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby dropped the threatened striper out of the fall tournament.
The announcement came yesterday in a formal statement released by the derby committee chairman Ed Jerome and puts to rest a running controversy that has plagued the derby for at least the last two years.
December 14, 1984
Nuts and Bolts of This Computer System Prompt Case of Word Processing Willies
Just in time for Christmas shopping, a letter arrived this week from the Harris Corporation, makers of the typesetting equipment we use at the Gazette to produce the words you’re reading now.
An introductory note explained that the Composition and Controls Division at Harris has cut prices on a number of spare parts -- “items which exceed our forecasted requirements.” We think that means nobody’s buying them.
November 23, 1984
The Vineyard Battles Valiantly In Season Finale on Nantucket
Early on Saturday morning, a prevailing westerly sweeps the steppe called Martha's Vineyard Airport, and the regional high school football team hustles from the terminal into a potbellied Gull Airlines plane bound for Nantucket and The Game.
August 28, 1984
The Chilmark Road Race is Family Affair For Record-Setting Son and Fast Father
Youth and age were served in the seventh annual Chilmark Road Race on Saturday - both in the same Chilmark family.
One voice in the throng at the race awards ceremony at the Chilmark Community Center asked the age of the winner.
“Oh, 20,” replied David Alden of Chilmark and Brookline.
June 26, 1984
The Architectural Treasures of Edgartown Are Recognized by Historic District Listing
Approximately 500 buildings in downtown Edgartown, most of them wood frame houses of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, are now part of a nationally recognized historic district.
