A Look Back, May 17

50 Years Ago

■A small gray box containing a radioactive isotope was turned over to police last night by a Northampton man who said that he found it lying in the Northampton Meadows. The words “Caution Radioactive Material” were taped to the top of the box. Police tested the contents with a Geiger counter and found it highly radioactive.

■Ruth W. Rheaume of Northampton has been promoted to district commercial manager for New England Telephone in Northampton. Mrs. Rheaume replaces Kenneth V. Desmond who has been appointed district commercial manager for the company in Springfield.

25 Years Ago

■The two priests of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Northampton are headed to spiritual missions in different parts of the world. As chaplain of the 104th Fighter Wing based at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, the Rev. Eugene Honan left today for the Balkans, where he could remain from 30 to 270 days. Meanwhile, the Rev. Leo James Hoar, priest-in-residence at St. Mary’s, will leave Tuesday for Haiti with 16 students from Springfield College on a humanitarian mission.

■A young bear that fell about 30 feet from a tree on Barrett Street Friday is reported to be back in the wild. According to Ralph Taylor, district manager of the state’s Fisheries and Wildlife Department, the bear was released in Whately about 90 minutes after he was taken out of Northampton on Friday.

10 Years Ago

■While a proposed natural gas pipeline stretching across the northern part of western Massachusetts would not come near Northampton, its City Council on Thursday is expected to lock arms with many of its Hilltown neighbors to oppose the plan. The council will take up a nonbinding resolution that highlights the potential environmental and health dangers of the project.

■A moose wandering from South Amherst toward town center Thursday ended up outside the Amherst College president’s home before being tranquilized and removed from campus. The 800-pound moose, which college President Biddy Martin photographed and used her Twitter account to inform the public about, held up cars and pedestrians on South Pleasant Street for a short time.