A Look Back, June 17

50 Years Ago

■Some 2,000 people attended ceremonies at The Cooley Dickinson Hospital yesterday marking the opening of the emergency outpatient and physical therapy center. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies were conducted by William Welch, president of the hospital, hospital administrator William Lees, and fund drive co-chairmen Robert Saner and David Lipshires.

■The City Council vote on the $5.5 million urban renewal project, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed for at least a month, Mayor Sean M. Dunphy announced today. The date was changed after he learned that the state has no more funding for such projects.

25 Years Ago

■A veteran city Spanish teacher and a social studies department head from Great Barrington are finalists to become the next assistant principal at Northampton High School, replacing Frank Tudryn. Arlene Kotowski, a language teacher at NHS, and Diana L. Bonneville, who teaches in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District, were chosen by a panel of school and community representatives this week.

■About 80 motorcyclists turned out for a ride through the hills of western Massachusetts last month that raised $3,060 for a Nicaraguan clinic that provides prosthetic limbs for people who have lost arms and legs. Local artist and clinic supporter Gregory Stone of Northampton said the funds are earmarked for children who lost limbs to the landmines laid during the country’s civil war.

10 Years Ago

■Sean M. Dunphy, a former Northampton mayor and probate court judge remembered for starting a renaissance downtown and his fairness on the bench, died Saturday at the age of 74. Dunphy became the city’s youngest mayor when he was elected in 1969 at the age of 28. He served from 1970 to 1976, a time during which he is credited with helping to transform downtown into the bustling arts community it is today.

■A public gathering to celebrate the completion of a mural outside JFK Middle School was held Wednesday. The mural was a collaborative effort among students on the JFK Mural Team, staff advisers Heather Berlin and Michelle Mallory, and the community.