A Look Back, Jan. 3

50 Years Ago

■The Northampton National Bank became the first in the city to sell gold bullion to the public, following new regulations that allow United States citizens to own gold bullion for the first time in more than 30 years.

■Ryback’s Pastry Shoppe at 140 Main St. closed this week for an indefinite period of time. The bakery, which has been in the same location for 14 years, is being forced to relocate because the new owner of the building plans to use the ground floor for Beardsley’s Restaurant, now located on Button Street.

25 Years Ago

■When Mayor-elect Mary Clare Higgins starts work Tuesday, she will do so without two staffers hired by out-going Mayor Mary L. Ford. Mary Kasper, who has been working as executive assistant to the mayor, and Patricia Lawrence, who has been working as the mayoral aide, have each resigned. Staying on are Corinne Philippides, executive secretary to the mayor, Finance Director John Musante, and half-time executive assistant Cynthia Williams.

■Mayor Mary Clare Higgins, saying she hopes the “soul” of her administration will be compassion and respect for all citizens, asked residents Monday to think of her office as their “suggestion box.” “I believe in government as a vehicle to solve common problems which we, as individuals, cannot solve alone,” Higgins said.

10 Years Ago

■Unhappy with the new U.S. Congress that begins its term Tuesday, a group of senior women and members of like-minded local organizations have put together their own “people’s congress.” The Raging Grannies, the American Friends Service Committee, and the First Churches are sponsoring the people’s congress at the church on Tuesday evening.

■The Mill 180 building on Pleasant Street in Easthampton has been chosen as the future home of the Conway School of Landscape Design’s new urban satellite campus. The move marks the first time the school has expanded since moving to its current location in the forest off Route 116 in the early 2000s.