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125 years ago, 1895
Taken directly from the Youngstown Vindicator:
"Two Little Waifs Walk a Long Distance to Secure Money for Christmas. Found their good angel, they came to this city and were speedily sent to their home.
"A sad state of affairs was made known yesterday to Detective Moyer and the story of how two little children, brother and sister, aged 9 and 7 respectively, secured a Christmas token from Grandpa, after walking nearly seven miles for it, proved the little ones to be sadly neglected.
"The children's names are Earl Roy and Hattie May Hill. Their mother was formerly located in the upstairs rooms on West Federal Street, as a member of the demi-monde. Lately she has been living on High Street, as is also a woman companion nearby. Wife and husband some years ago separated. At present the father lives near Osgood, a small place four miles from Greenville. The children have lived with him.
"Thursday they concluded to visit their grandpa, who lives about nine miles from their father's home. Whether their father knew of the children departing from home is not known, but the little ones say their papa knew of their going to grandpa.
"The journey from their home to Greenville and then to grandfather's was made entirely by the little tots on foot, and on arrival at the old homestead they were given a hearty welcome. Each was presented with $2 in case, and again the little ones made the journey as far as Greenville. There they were met by kind strangers who inquired of them their destination. Both wanted to see their mother, and the boy, brave and manly, purchased two tickets for Youngstown. The pair boarded train 3. Arriving here, they were taken to their mother's. Soon a query was sent to the police station and Detective Moyer located the little ones.
"The mother yesterday, with her children, appeared in police and later took the two children to the depot, where they were placed aboard a homeward bound train, seemingly as happy as two playful kittens. It was the intention of relatives to meet them. The children were warmly dressed. As the mother took them from the mayor's office she appeared to be much affected and her head seemed bowed in grief. The children appeared contented from the fact that their grandpa had yet remembered them as of yore and their Christmas, although the home is broken will be no doubt one of contentment."
50 years ago, 1970
"'Twas the week before Christmas and all through Youngstown's public schools, imaginative plays, costumes, and starry eyed children delighted parents and grandparents who took the time to visit."
Several images were splashed throughout the newspaper of these fantastic and creative shows; some were even out of this world. A Martian named Tommy had been playing with his dad's starship and accidently pushed the wrong button which sent him hurdling through space. He crash landed right in Santa's workshop. Fortunately, the Christmas Fairy and Santa were able to teach Tommy about Christmas and safely send him back to Mars.
The students at Williamson School stayed on earth but traveled to all of its corners to tell their story. Grandma and Grandpa were missing their grandkids when all of a sudden a busload of children arrived at their farm. The children hailed from all over the world and each was dressed in a costume to tell the story of Christmas to the very happy grandparents.
Other students were dressed as gifts with only their heads, hands, and feet protruding from large red boxes tied up with ribbon. Some students donned green outfits and held pine branches to create a massive human Christmas tree. The tree moved around the stage to reveal the topper of two students dressed as a star who then sang for the audience. The audience cheered again as a large "Frosty the Snowman" appeared on stage, maneuvered by a young student inside.
40 years ago, 1980
Santa had a new helper just across the border in New Castle, Pa., Nancy Cubellis worked as a school crossing guard at Arthur McGill Elementary School and had a special treat in store for her nearly 350 students. "I've got 350 suckers, enough for all of my kids," she said. "I love them. I love them all. They are good to me. I can remember that before Thanksgiving they warned me if I ate too much turkey to make sure and get better so I would be back by the time school starts."
Cubellis had only been working for two years but was already an institution at Highland and Norwood aAvenues. Motorists knew her, pedestrians always waved, and a local business even provided her with a parking spot. That year, she borrowed a Santa Claus costume complete with a white beard and hat, stuffed her bag full of those suckers, and delighted the children as they passed.
-- Compiled from the archives of the Youngstown Vindicator by Traci Manning, MVHS Curator of Education