As we hope this newspaper’s weekly Monday “Look Back feature” shows, we believe strongly that local history is as enlightening as it is valuable. In an age pursuing the “next new thing,” the old saw carries great weight: Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

We appreciate the many efforts to preserve that history year round. The most recent example: Luzerne County Community College’s 33rd annual Pennsylvania History Conference held Monday. This year’s focus was our area’s contribution to the anti-slavery movement.

LCCC adjunct instructor Hank Hunsinger spoke about the escape of William Thomas from Virginia slavery. He made it to Wilkes-Barre, where he was working at the Phoenix Hotel when a U.S. Federal Marshal and some deputies came to return him to his “owner.” By some acco

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