Looking Back: 1-29-26

130 Years Ago

January 25, 1896

School notes — The total enrollment of the Fairbury schools is 562. Of this number the high school furnishes 80. The two Franks of the high school, Moran and Compton, have offered a challenge for debate on the Venezuelan question. The challenge was accepted by the two Georges, Sype and Ford. So we will hear lots of words in the near future.

Payne & Hemphill are putting in a stock of jewelry. They are also handling the Chicago Evening Journal and delivering it at the houses after the train comes in at 6 o'clock in the evening.

Weston — Between four and five o'clock Tuesday morning H. C. Purdy's store building occupied by J. P. Stephens' grocery, was discovered to be on fire. The fire had too big a start when discovered and it burned to the ground. About a third of the stock of groceries was gotten out, but the remainder burned. Mr. Stephens had a small amount of insurance on his stock. The insurance on the building expired about two weeks ago and Mr. Purdy had failed to renew it. 

120 Years Ago

January 26, 1906

This section was visited by one of the heaviest sleet storms Sunday night and Monday that has been seen in several years. The branches of trees were covered to a depth of half an inch and the sidewalks were pretty slick. The boys put on their skates and they certainly had a good time for a day or two. The ice hung on to the trees until Thursday, when old Sol's rays became stronger and it dropped from the trees in great pieces littering the walks with ice.

On Thursday, January 18, Congressman John A. Sterling sent to the Secretary of War the name of Fred B. Carrithers, son of Judge Carrithers of this city, as a cadet to the United States Military Academy at West Point, to fill the vacancy caused by the physical disability of Cadet Bruce Clark, of Pontiac. Fred is ordered to report at Fort Sheridan for examination on the first day of May next, and if successful in his examination he is ordered to report at West Point on the fifteenth of June next.

Forrest — The rain and sleet of last Sunday night caused considerable damage to the telegraph lines and trains on the roads were several hours late. A gang of line men were started out of Decatur and also one started out of Chicago Monday morning on special trains to repair the wires. One of the line men's special struck a man at Emington by the name of J. V. Skipton on Wednesday afternoon inflicting injuries from the effects of which he died about 5 o'clock.

110 Years Ago

January 28, 1916

Several members of the Tri-Gamma fraternity have begun staying home nights and studying their lessons a little more diligently than usual, owing to a new rule the fraternity recently passed, withholding the privileges of the rooms from those who fail in their studies at school. Those who failed did not fail badly, some only in one study, but the clause calls for a passing grade in each study. The fraternity believes its members to be of normal intelligence, capable of keeping up if proper application be given, that the new rule will act as the necessary spur.

Among those attending the auto show in Chicago this week were the following from this city: Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Hanson, Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Ramsey, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Walton, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Walton, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Bartlett, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Smith, Dr. and Mrs. J. H. Langstaff, Louie Dirks, A. L. McKee, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Powell, Wm. Nimmo, Herman Leis, John Purdum, Van Wharton, James Wade, N. E. Fulton, G. R. McCabe.

Walton Bros. Co. will hold a special sale on the household grinder, in the hardware department, commencing Monday, Feb. 12^th. Don't fail to see this little grinder as it is something every home needs. It is a great saver of time and must be seen to be appreciated. The little grinder will sell for 98c during this sale. If you have a knife or pair of shears take them to the store during this sale and have them ground free of charge.

100 Years Ago

January 29, 1926

In the foreign tests this week, Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Ziegenhorn on Sunday night at 10:58 o'clock picked up Station OAX, Lima, Peru, South America. They were able to hear quite clearly all through the house. They have a three-tube set. The management of the Central Theatre is bringing that breath-taking dance, the Charleston, to this city on Friday and Saturday, February 12 and 13. Miss Pauline, petite and fascinating, of Ottawa, who has won Charleston contests without number, will present this difficult dance on the stage. She will vary her entertainment with interpretive dancing and will no doubt have her audience at her feet. She will be accompanied by that famous dance orchestra, Dart's Troubadours, who have arranged special numbers for her. They themselves will present a number of musical specialties that the lovers of the Mute Terpsichord will roundly applaud.

Maribeth, four-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Cox, residing near Fairbury, has a broken collar bone. Tuesday afternoon Mrs. Cox had bundled Maribeth up to go out and make a neighborhood call, carrying her daughter in her arms. As they were getting ready to leave the house Mrs. Cox slipped and fell, the little girl striking the floor in such a manner as to break her collar bone.

90 Years Ago

January 24, 1936

The city council held a special meeting last Friday evening. At that time they decided that all common labor should be paid at the rate of 30 cents an hour. The council also fixed the pay of the assistant city engineer at $90 per month, and also raised the city street commissioner's salary ten dollars a month, which makes it $90.

The card party sponsored by Fairbury chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, Tuesday evening, was largely attended and a most enjoyable affair. The thirty-six tables at play completely filled the large lodge room. Following the games a lunch was served and a cake walk held in which a dozen cakes were given away. The chapter cleared $36.45.

Under the heading "Finicky" the following item from the versatile pen of Editor Van Alstyne, of Cullom, appeared in last week's Cullom Chronicle: "The ever reliable Fairbury Blade recounts, in a recent issue, the astounding information that people of that estimable little city were quite put out recently to detect the taste of chlorine in their city water supply when water from the new well was turned into the mains. It seems the good people of Fairbury had, through long usage, acquired something of an attachment, not to say fondness, for the old brand of, in a manner of speaking, aqua pura, reminiscent though it was, in both  aroma and flavor, of long deceased eggs. Which goes to show you."

80 Years Ago

January 25, 1946

Edgar Klitzing commenced work Tuesday on his new garage and service station on the lot east of the Livingston County Service Station. Mr. Klitzing has been occupying the Livingston County Service Station during the absence of Ralph Zimmerman, who was in the U. S. Service. Mr. Zimmerman has received his release and will take over again at the old station. Mr. Klitzing hopes to have his new building completed by March first, when he is due to vacate.

The Victory clothing drive in Fairbury will be held next Tuesday and those in charge are asking the cooperation of everyone in Fairbury in making it the success it so well deserves. The Rotary Club is sponsoring the drive and they have appointed the Rev. W. M. Pritchard chairman. The drive will start at nine o'clock, and will last until every home has been called upon for their contribution. The Boy Scouts have been excused from school for the day and they will accompany the trucks as they go from house to house. All kinds of clothing are acceptable – suits, odd pants, odd coats, underwear, dresses, children's clothing, hats, shoes, etc.

Allen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Noel Durham, escaped from possible drowning Monday after school when he and a playmate went to the creek east of town to see if there was any ice. Allen slipped from the bank into the water to his waist. he caught hold of a cable by the bridge and pulled himself out. By the time he reached home his clothes were frozen on him. Allen was put to bed with hot water bottles and suffered no ill effects.

70 Years Ago

January 26, 1956

One of Fairbury's best-loved and best-known public figures, Dr. Davies, was found about 7 a.m. lying on the ground in the vacant lot across the street from the Ward Nursing Home, where he made his residence. A coroner's inquiry conducted by county coroner Vernon Von Qualen determined the cause of death to be a cerebral hemorrhage. Dr. Davies served the Fairbury Presbyterian Church as its minister for an unbroken period of 45 years, a striking accomplishment to say the least. Installed June 5, 1896, Dr. Davies continued in the service of the local church until the illness of a sister brought about his retirement in the summer of 1941. Moving to Philadelphia in order to care for her, Dr. Davies remained there until 1948, when he removed to Fairbury to remain until his death.

Four hundred and thirty-two dollars to the March of Dimes from the Block of Dimes. That was the total local shoppers affixed Saturday to a block-long tape stuck on the sidewalk on Locust street between Second and Third Streets. When the Legion-sponsored event was officially closed, there were 4,320 dimes stuck to the tape. Far from being stuck, however, was the overall flow of contributions to the March of Dimes made during the opening of the fund-raising campaign. Total collected thus far for the fight against polio is $734.70.

Mr. and Mrs. Lester Perkins of Fairbury, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Lois, to Keith Coleman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edmon Coleman, also of Fairbury. The wedding date has been set for March 11.

60 Years Ago

January 27, 1966

Fairbury Jaycees Saturday night honored four men for achievement as they held their annual Appreciation Banquet and Bosses Night at McDonald's Restaurant. Named recipient of the Distinguished Service award was Fairbury clothing merchant Reuben Huber. Wayne Bradtke was voted the Outstanding Young Educator. He is music director at Fairbury-Cropsey High School. The Spoke award, for being named the outstanding first-year man in the Jaycee chapter, went to Keith Klitzing. The Key Man award, for the outstanding chapter member, went to Stan McCulloh. Also cited by the chapter was Dean Moser, who has reached the "retirement age of 35 with Jaycees, and who was presented with their Exhausted Rooster pin.

Jim Paternoster, son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter "Bud" Paternoster of Fairbury, has completed work for his bachelor's degree in engineering at the University of Illinois as a mid-year graduate and, following a vacation, will join the staff of Owens-Corning Fiberglass near Columbus, Ohio on March 1. His parents, along with his sister, Becky, attended the convocation for the graduates at the University auditorium on Sunday.

Vince's Grill, operated by Vince Somers in the former Beckley building on East Locust Street, has announced plans to discontinue business after Saturday. The building has been sold to Jim Wharton, who plans to move his Fairbury Appliance Store to that location. Somers has indicated he was unable to find a suitable location to relocate.

50 Years Ago

January 29, 1976

A Peoria County Circuit judge has ruled that Charles Glennon's name be included on the March 16 Republican primary ballot. The court ruling ends a controversy which arose after Glennon, who was appointed resident circuit judge for Livingston County by the Illinois Supreme Court, was refused a spot on the ballot by the Illinois Elections Board. The Elections Board told Glennon he had filed his petitions of candidacy in the wrong place and thus could not be certified as a candidate on the GOP ballot. Glennon had filed with the office of County Clerk "Jake" Ririe. The Elections Board contended that Glennon should have filed with their office in Springfield.

John Hubly of Fairbury and formerly of Chatsworth, is a member of the Western Illinois University livestock judging team recently named one of the top five such teams in the nation. The team has won honors for their consistent showing in judging contests around the country.

A record year of growth was reported in all departments of Fairbury Federal Savings and Loan Association Wednesday evening, Jan. 21. Assets for the year increased by $7,162,974 and Member Savings increased by $5,247,872 during the year 1975. The association added $251,535 to its Reserve Accounts. These accounts now total $1,569,026.

40 Years Ago

January 23, 1986

Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Fosdick of Fairbury announce the engagement of their daughter, Mary Beth, to Stephen Crews of Fairbury. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Everett Crews, also of Fairbury. Mary Beth is the owner-operator of A Head of Style and Crews is employed by Fritz & Gudeman of Morton. An April wedding is planned.

The "Happy Wanderer" group held their annual winter get-together at the Chancellor Inn in Champaign from Friday until Sunday. On Saturday evening, they attended the play "Some Enchanted Evening" at the Candlelight Theater. The group included Marge and Art Walter, Jim and Liz Wharton, Cliff and Gertrude Stephens, Bob and Betty Wharton, John Wade, Jim and Lois Roberts and Bert and Claudia Zuege from Fowler, Ind.

Prairie Central and Chenoa Board of Education members will likely sit down in the near future for informal school reorganization talks after both boards Monday night agreed to take that step. Chenoa superintendent Eugene Jontry telephoned his Prairie Central counterpart, Calvin Jackson, Monday with word that the Chenoa Board would be discussing Prairie Central as an educational option for reorganization. Prairie Central Board members and Jackson have already held similar talks with Ford Central, the district immediately to the east along U. S. 24.

30 Years Ago

January 24, 1996

A winter scene is decorating the outside front of the Bluestem National Bank building on Locust Street in Fairbury, thanks to the paint brushes of 13 Prairie Central Advanced Art students. Their teacher, Nathan Sweet, said the design was created by the class, and was made with acrylic paint and was covered with an exterior varnish. The three-week project was created by students Chad Bach, Nicki Simmons, Jessie Hibler, Heather Bittner, Adam Kinzer, Chad Hammond, Joe Cashman, Adam Gadberry, Darren Weeks, Jason Maurer, Katie Roth, Phil Paternoster and Tracy Durban.

Stephanie Kay Zimmerman, 5, joins her parents, Jon and Diane Zimmerman of Fairbury, in welcoming Leslie Diane, born Jan. 15, 1996. The 7 pound 15 ounce girl is a granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Don Bode of Saunemin, Shirley Zimmerman of Fairbury and the late Edward Zimmerman. Great-grandmothers are Mabel Bowald of Roanoke and Lillian Kampe of Saunemin.

A dinner was held at Country Mansion in Dwight to celebrate the birthdays of Cecelia Whately and her son, Paul, on Jan. 14. Attending were Ted and Connie Gasiorek and daughters, Lonnie Whately and sons, all of Lockport; Paul and Helen Whately of Romeoville; Art Whately and family, Debbie and Otto Cloudt and Charles and Ivy Whately, all of Fairbury.

20 Years Ago

January 25, 2006

Kilgus Dairy was honored as the Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District Family of the Year, at the 61^st annual meeting of the SWCD on Thursday. Located in rural Fairbury, Kilgus Dairy is owned and operated by Paul and Matt Kilgus. Currently they farm 770 acres. The Kilguses have divided their pastureland into paddocks for rotational grazing. The dairy has 100 milking cows, 75 percent being registered Jerseys with the remainder of the herd Holsteins and crossbreeds.

A new award this year was the Sustainable Agriculture Award. This award recognizes someone "who has excelled in diversification of their agricultural operation." The district honored Spence Farm as the first recipient of the award. Owned and operated by Marty and Kris Travis, Spence Farm is the oldest farm in Livingston County. "It is again a diverse farm, as it was when Marty's fourth great-grandfather settled it in 1830," the district noted in announcing the award.

The Hager Memorial Homes of Forrest and Chatsworth were sold Jan. 18 to Patrick Martin and Michael P. Burke, current owners of Harris-Martin-Burke Funeral Homes, Pontiac and Cullom. They had both worked for the Harris family prior to purchasing the homes in 1992. Burke has been involved with the funeral homes in Pontiac and Cullom since 1979 and Martin has been employed there since 1982. The four funeral homes will now operate under the name Martin-Burke Funeral Homes, Inc. Scott Hager will continue to own and manage Hager Memorial Home in Dwight.

10 Years Ago

January 27, 2016

The OSF Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center first quarter Achievers in Mission (AIM) for Excellence Award recipient is Jean Ann Wenger, a registered nurse in the medical center's surgery department. Wenger has been an OSF HealthCare employee since 1997 and was selected for her many wonderful and caring qualities. With this honor, Wenger received a framed certificate of appreciation, a monetary gift, a reception in her department, a corsage and a special parking place. Her name and picture will be added to the AIM for Excellence plaque in the medical center's lobby. She lives in Fairbury with her husband, Mike.

The McDowell Pancake and Sausage stuffer served 1,546 people, the biggest turnout since 2002 which was 1,560. Good weather and an amazing community turned out for the event. The food items used included hogs for sausage, 4,600 pounds live weight; 14 cases of pancake mix (156 boxes), 14 cases of syrup (12 bottles per case), one case of sugar-free syrup, 38 dozen eggs, 92 gallons of milk, 180 pounds of applesauce, 45 pounds of margarine and 20 pounds of coffee.

Winning the recent state judging contest qualified the FFA Dairy Judging team to compete in the National contest at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this fall. Team members are Loretta Knapp,  Kylie Miller, Tyson Stork, Megan Ifft and Kari Slagel. Kyle Miller is the team coach. The Meats team, coached by Kyle Miller, will also compete in the judging contest at the National FFA Convention this fall after winning the state competition earlier this year. Team members are Trenton Edelman, Trevor Plenert, Caitlyn Ifft, Mitchell Lanz and Jake Leman.

("Looking Back" is sponsored each week on Fairbury News by Duffy-Pils Memorial Home)