A Look Back, Aug. 2

50 Years Ago

■Five Northampton policemen have received associate degrees in law enforcement from Greenfield Community College. The graduates are deputy chief Daniel L. Labato, Eugene J. Sullivan, Raymond H. Goodrow, Jr., Cornelius D. Murphy, and Gerald L. LeVitre.

■An organized group of “hang gliders” performed a free outdoor show for anyone in the area who looked towards Mount Tom yesterday. The group, consisting of several youths from Massachusetts communities, jumped from about 800 feet up on the cliffs in Holyoke and glided to meadows near East and Holyoke streets and along Hendrick Street.

25 Years Ago

■For the third year, the hunt is on for a place to temporarily shelter homeless people in the cold months in Northampton. A plan to create a new permanent site inside Memorial Hall for the Hampshire County Interfaith Cot Shelter has been dropped for the coming winter.

■The Eastern Region Water Ski Show Team Championships were held Sunday in the Oxbow section of the Connecticut River in Northampton. The show drew hundreds to display their skills moving fast over the water.

10 Years Ago

■Thousands of probate records, some dating back nearly 350 years, are in the process of being archived and preserved in the Hampshire County Probate Court. The project is funded by a grant through the state’s trial court system that provides money for projects like records preservation.

■The 129-year-old Old Chapel at the University of Massachusetts, on the verge of a $20 million renovation, has been nominated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The proposal, written by the private advocacy group UMass Preserve, has the backing of the Massachusetts Historical Commission as well as the university.