Feb. 21, 1968: The death of 21-year-old Army Sergeant Ronald D. Roach of Concord is confirmed. He had been missing for nine days since coming under mortar fire in Hue, Vietnam. Roach was the most valuable player on the Concord High hockey team in 1964, the year he graduated. His father Arthur says his son believed in his military mission: “His letters always said we must help South Vietnam.”
Feb. 21, 2001: A plaque honoring New Hampshire veterans of the Spanish Civil War will not be displayed at the State House, a legislative panel unanimously decides. The decision follows heated testimony from lawmakers and other residents who contend that the plaque effectively honors Communists. “I'd say put it in the river,” quips Sen. Jack Barnes, “but the fish might die.”
Feb. 22, 1854: Concord's New Hampshire Patriot is the only Democratic paper in the state to support the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The act holds that if a territory's electorate approves of it, slavery will be allowed in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory. Editor William Butterfield writes that the act upholds the principles “which deny to Congress the right to legislate slavery into or out of any territory.”
Feb. 22, 1997: The temperature in Concord hits 67 degrees, making this the warmest February day of the 20th century.
Feb. 22, 2002: After a six-month national search that yielded 70 applicants, Concord's own Fire Division Commander Chris Pope is named Concord's new fire chief.
Feb. 23, 1795: A group of men meets at Butters' Tavern to plan a bridge across the Merrimack River. It will be built near the site of today's Manchester Street bridge.
Feb. 23, 1847: A meeting is held in Concord to organize a relief effort to aid victims of the Irish famine. The following donations are collected: $1,293.02 and 100 bushels of grain from residents of Concord; $5.25 and 168 bushels of grain from Pembroke; and $5.62 from Gilmanton.
Feb. 24, 1853: Concord's “Old John” Virgin, a veteran of the War of 1812, is found frozen in his house on Sugar Ball. Virgin boasted all his life of having fought at Tippecanoe with William Henry Harrison. An invalid, he had “an ulcerous sore on one of his legs, which was very offensive,” according to a contemporary account. Virgin earned a pension of $96 a year and was determined to live on it. When he came to town, his “loud patriotic harangues always attracted attention.” He had no friends because he would have none; he lived alone and died alone. Only the sexton attended his funeral.
Feb. 24, 1942: With tires strictly rationed and therefore dear, the Monitor reports that a gang of tire thieves has been operating in Manchester and Concord. Raymond K. Perkins, the city solicitor, warns that he will seek the maximum penalty of one year in the county house of corrections for anyone convicted of stealing a tire.
Feb. 24, 1980: Tom Gerber, editor of the Concord Monitor, grumbles to the Washington Post about all the attention paid during the presidential primary to Union Leader publisher William Loeb: “We don't get it because we're decent. We do what the hell is right. We play the news straight. We keep our goddamn editorial opinions out of the news columns. We're not crackpots, we're professionals.”
Feb. 25, 1984: At a rally in Eagle Square on the Saturday before the presidential primary, Democratic Sen. John Glenn introduces a 14-year-old supporter whose dog was recently hit and killed by a car. Glenn tells the boy: “I know there's no way you can possibly replace a trusted friend like Yoyo, but Corey, maybe we can help out just a little.” He presents Corey Smith with a black and tan puppy.
Feb. 26, 1942: The H.J. Heinz Co. runs a large ad in the Monitor telling readers: “Blame Hitler, Hirohito, and Benito! . . . Don't Blame Your Grocer.” The problem? Because of the shortage of sugar and other commodities, many of Heinz's 57 varieties may be missing from the shelves.
Feb. 26, 1973: The Concord city manager proposes increasing downtown parking fines from $1 to $2.
Feb. 26, 2000: Donna Sytek, the first female speaker of the New Hampshire House, informs her colleagues by letter that she will not run for a third term. She cites her belief in voluntary term limits for legislators and her own health troubles as reasons for stepping down.
Feb. 27, 1733: The Massachusetts General Court creates a new township to be called Rumford (earlier known as Penny-Cook, later as Concord).
Feb. 27, 2000: Trucks full of steel beams arrive in Concord, the first shipment of materials for new seating to be installed at Memorial Field. The construction project comes in preparation for the Babe Ruth World Series, to be played in Concord in August.
