Headlines in History 1912: Mrs. A. Becker in city for short visit recounts loss of Titanic
What was making news in our area during this week in years past? The History Museum offers these newspaper excerpts to give you an idea.
April 21, 1903: "Resident Manager Pickering of the Auditorium announced to-day that a contract had been closed with Jessie Bartlett Davis whereby she will open the vaudeville season for the coming summer at the Auditorium, May 18. It is understood that the salary which this actress, famous with the Bostonians, is to receive is $1,000 per week. Thus, the high class of the performances to be provided during the warm weather season can easily be judged.” — The South Bend Tribune
April 22, 1912: “The first direct story of the terrible Titanic disaster one week ago last night was brought to South Bend by Mrs. Allen O. Becker and her three children, of Gunter, India, who are survivors. Mrs. Becker arrived in the city Saturday and is the guest of her sister-in-law, Mrs. W. P. Harman, of 763 Forest avenue. To-morrow she will leave for Berrien Center, Mich., where she will recuperate from the effects of the experience.” — The South Bend Tribune
April 23, 1924: “South Bend’s new mounted police squadron, rode into the city, this afternoon from Culver, Ind., where they have been in training in the cavalry school of the Culver Military academy, for more than a month, stopping en route in Plymouth, Ind., where they rested their horses over night.” — The South Bend Tribune
April 24, 1935: “The board of education, meeting in special session late Tuesday, announced a drastic change in instruction policy that will set a precedent in Indiana school systems and probably nationally for cities the size of South Bend. Starting with the 1935-36 school year all teachers employed in the South Bend school system must hold college degrees and no teachers now employed in the school system will receive scaled annual increases until they have obtained degrees or have taken extra work toward obtaining the degrees, except such increases as are provided in the classification in which the teacher is rated.” — The South Bend Tribune
April 25, 1948: “St. Joseph county’s security loan drive will swing into faster action Tuesday when one of six trailer bondmobile units traveling the country will visit South Bend and Mishawaka. Besides visiting several industrial plants in the two communities, the trailer unit will be set up at three different places in the downtown district in South Bend to encourage public participation in United States savings bond buying.” — The South Bend Tribune
April 26, 1959: “If the huge ‘crash’ truck that St. Joseph County Civil Defense has bought from federal surplus supplies is found to be in good shape, it will be kept at the St. Joseph County Airport as a ‘valuable’ addition to the port equipment, according to Manager Garwood Judah. The truck, a real behemoth, weights 16 tons unloaded.” — The South Bend Tribune
April 27, 1965: “Indiana University President Elvis J. Stahr today officially announced implementation of the planned expansion of the university’s South Bend-Mishawaka Campus to a four-year institution.” — The South Bend Tribune
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: 1912: Survivor of Titanic disaster recounts loss of White Star Liner
