Today in Delaware County History, August 15

100 years ago, 1924: A birthday party and band concert will be held next Sunday afternoon in the St. Anthony School auditorium in honor of the tenth anniversary of the birth of Vincent Caruso, a talented musician of this city. The boy has performed in some of the leading theaters of Atlantic City this summer and has been highly praised for his ability by some of the leading critics of the country. The boy plays the violin and other musical instruments besides possessing a rich tenor voice.

75 years ago, 1949: Police have laid a net for the four men who carried out the daring Saturday afternoon robbery at the George Loan Office in the 100 block of West Third Street, making off with nearly $2,000 after luring store employees and a customer to the second floor of the facility.

50 years ago, 1974: Twice a day Mrs. Hugh Bonner went to the Penn Central Railroad’s Wallingford Station. Twice a day she drove to the station to drop off and pick up her doctor husband. And twice a day she was horrified by the state of the station. “I’ve thought about how run-down it is, but what a beautiful building we have here,” she said. Mrs. Bonner, 215 Fildes Lane, finally decided to do something and enlisted the help of Mrs. Gretchen Walls of the Nether Providence Civic Association, who in turn enlisted the help of Girl Scout Troop 4 and other volunteers. Today, if you drive by the station during the day, you’ll see a group of young people giving the decor a fresh coat of green and gold.

25 years ago, 1999: This week, football players may be running instead of tackling. Similarly, soccer players may not be kicking a ball. The drought is taking its toll on more people. Now, athletes starting their pre-season training may suffer. Irrigation restrictions have left playing fields in appalling, even dangerous, conditions. “I’ve been here 31 years and this is the worst I’ve seen,” said Chichester sporting director John Gallagher.

10 years ago, 2014: The “Killer Conchester” is about to be no more — finally! A new 12-year plan for transportation-related projects in Pennsylvania includes funding to repair the long-talked-about deadly stretch of Route 322 from Route 1 in Concordville to I-95 in Chester. The plan formulated by the state Transportation Committee outlines how the state will spend more than $21 billion generated by higher gas taxes and driver fees created under the Act 89 Transportation Plan.

—COLIN AINSWORTH