History of Becker College, dating to 1784 (Leicester Academy)
Telegram & Gazette Staff
1784
1788
1791
The earliest documented presence of female students at the Academy is found in the diaries of student Ruth Henshaw, who would become early 19th-century portrait artist Ruth Henshaw Miles Bascom.
1834
John Barton of Nova Scotia and Horace Dickenson of Montreal become the first-known international students at Leicester Academy.
1836
1840
1880
First perfect game in Major League Baseball is pitched by J. Lee Richmond of the Worcester Worcesters at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds, now the Weller Academic Center quad on the Worcester campus.
1884
1886
Elliott P. Joslin, the first doctor in the United States to specialize in diabetes and the founder of today’s Joslin Diabetes Center, graduates.
Betty and Charles Barker
Known affectionately simply as “Betty” to her wide circle of devoted friends and family, Elizabeth Mary Gardiner Barker of South Deerfield, who passed away peacefully on Jan. 25, 2021 at the age of 93, was “modest but mighty,” a local philanthropist who quietly shared her good fortune with countless organizations doing the work she believed in; and with the many individuals she met along the way who needed a helping hand.
A passionate believer in the importance of community, Betty was particularly devoted to the work of Tilton Library, Dakin Humane Society, Franklin Land Trust, Pioneer Valley Hospice, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and the Greenfield Community College Foundation, in support of the Nursing and Community Access Programs. She gave generous support, including countless volunteer hours, to numerous Franklin County organizations including the Girl Scouts, Board of Organized Work at Franklin Medical Center, and Community Foundati