Looking Back: 4-16-25

130 Years Ago

April 13, 1895

H. H. Dexter & Co. have sold their meat market to Monroe Bros., who will continue the business at the same location in the old Sherman House building.

The Avoca Church is being newly decorated this week. Walton Bros. furnished the wall paper and Wiley Wilson is doing the work.

Miss Louise Gillette and Mayme Braun entertained the Cinch Club on Wednesday evening at the home of the former. Miss Nelle Lewis won the ladies' first prize and Will Braun, County Superintendent of Schools, the gents' first prize.

Good progress is being made on the new Odd Fellows' building.

120 Years Ago

April 14, 1905

James Taylor has applied for the admission of his subdivision to the city and the proposition will be voted on at the coming city election.

B. F. Crouch loaded his household effects and stock this week and started them for Sunnyside, Wash., in charge of Harry Corkhill. Mr. and Mrs. Crouch and children and Mrs. Corkhill will leave for that place on Monday.

W. E. Young, the gentleman who purchased J. W. Walton Jr.'s automobile came down from Chicago, Saturday. Sunday, Mr. Walton took him home in the machine. They made the trip in about ten hours' running time.

James Pierpont has resigned his position in Walton Bros. Company grocery department to accept a position in the grocery store of T. G. Henderson.

110 Years Ago

April 16, 1915

During the winter between 500 and 600 men have received lodging at the city hall. Tuesday evening Chief of Police Baker had a full house, about fifteen "knights of the road" applying for lodging for the night.

Miss Irma Waggoner entertained on Tuesday afternoon in honor of Miss Litta Mohler, whose marriage to Max Smith, of El Paso, will take place this month.

Last evening the Young People's Federation and the Men's class of the Presbyterian Church entertained, the guests of honor being the Presbyterian basketball team, winners of the Church League pennant. In the early part of the evening an enjoyable program was given. During the lunch hour Will Mundt gave a little talk, telling the basketball boys how really good they were. Karl Keck responded on behalf of the basketball team.

Miss Marguerite Camp is taking lessons on the pipe organ from a prominent teacher in Peoria.

L. N. Simmons and family, who have been living in Pontiac for several years, moved back to Fairbury, Wednesday, and have leased the Dietz property.

100 Years Ago

April 17, 1925

While this city was having just a little rain and hail storm on Monday afternoon, it was hailing great guns out around Lodemia. There wasn't anything much in the way of vegetation to hurt, except pie plant, and it riddled that. The hail stones covered the ground to a depth of an inch or two in some places.

Twenty-five relatives of C. H. Westervelt were entertained at his home Saturday evening in celebration of his 78th birthday. Mr. Westervelt has spent the greater part of those seventy-eight years in this vicinity, coming here with his parents when about thirteen years old.

Ralph Stafford, of this city, took a little nap Monday morning about 2:30 as he and Leo Kirkham, of Strawn, were returning home from Peoria, the said nap occurring while Mr. Stafford was driving a Ford coupe, with the result that the Ford and a Buick car ran head-on into each other. The accident occurred about three miles west of Chenoa on the hard road. The driver of the Buick car was not injured, but Stafford and Kirkham were not so fortunate.

90 Years Ago

April 12, 1935

While no one has "signed on the dotted line" as yet, things look very favorable for the sinking of a coal mine on the John Fehr farm a mile northwest of this city. The mine would be located along the Wabash Railroad. C. A. Baldwin, of Baldwin Bros., of Streator, has been here several times the past month or so and was here again Wednesday on matters pertaining to the mine, and tentative plans and agreements were gone into with Mr. Fehr and others connected with the proposed coal mine.

Ivan Johnson, fifteen-year-old high school student, remembered that their family doctor had told him that the next time he got a "catch in his side" he had better get to a hospital as quickly as he could, so when he took sick at Forrest High School one day last week, instead of going home, the lad started up Route 47 toward Pontiac and "thumbed" a ride with a motorist who happened to be going to Pontiac, and made his way to Dr. Barnhizer's office and reported that he was pretty sick and wanted the doctor to do something. The lad was taken to St. James Hospital and operated upon immediately for a bad case of appendicitis, and is recovering nicely.

Thieves were busy on Main Street last Saturday evening, stealing some groceries from one car and a spare tire from another. The groceries were taken from the car of John Noe, which was parked near Armbruster's Plumbing Shop. He had placed the groceries in the back seat of the car, but when he returned a short time later, they were gone. An automobile parked nearby, belonging to Mel Dennick, had a spare tire taken off.

80 Years Ago

April 13, 1945

The nation and the world were shocked yesterday afternoon when word was broadcast that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had passed away suddenly following a cerebral hemorrhage suffered at Warm Springs, Ga., where he had gone for a rest. The broadcast telling of his death was heard here about five o'clock. His death occurred at 3:35 yesterday afternoon, according to the broadcast. Within ten minutes after, Vice-President Harry Truman had been notified of the President's death he was sworn in by Chief Justice Stone as the 33rd President of the United States.

The local elevator managers are having their troubles at the present time, all because of the car shortage. Right now they have a string of names of farmers who want to shell corn that will reach from here to away over there and nothing much can be done about it. The total amount of this corn will reach into many thousands of bushels. The elevators are getting an average of about one car every three days and these cars hold from 1,500 to 2,000 bushels of corn, which doesn't amount to much, considering the amount that is waiting to be shelled. The local elevator men have one bit of satisfaction in their dilemma and that is there are many others in the same predicament.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Koehl, of Strawn, are announcing the engagement of their daughter, Velda Jean, to Arthur Huette, of Forrest. Mr. Huette is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Huette. He received his discharge from the Marines last September.

70 Years Ago

April 21, 1955

Local voters Tuesday decisively rejected the proposal to add fluoride to the drinking water of the city of Fairbury by a vote of 689-254.

Jeanette Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Smith, was recently elected president of Sigma Alpha chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, national music sorority, at Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington.

First and second graders in the Unit 3 District will be given Salk polio vaccine shots next Thursday, with the second shots to be given in three or four weeks. A third and final "booster" shot will be given by the county nurse in seven months.

C. R. Voris suffered a light stroke Saturday morning at Davenport, Iowa, where he and Mrs. Voris were visiting relatives for the weekend.

60 Years Ago

April 15, 1965

Fairbury will be the primary spot for International Nikoh corporation, it was indicated this week as re-organization of the company was announced following the death two weeks ago of the firm's president, Ed Ray, in a car accident. Ray's widow, Mrs. K. M. Ray, will become chairman of the board and also secretary of the multi-million dollar tube and conduit manufacturer. Mrs. Ray and other officers were in Fairbury Monday on an inspection trip of their Fairbury Industries plant.

Fairbury-Cropsey High Cchool vocal and instrumental students earned 69 points in the state music contest April 9 at Dwight High School. The girls' chorus received a "superior" rating, the first of this kind awarded to the local high school in recent years, while the concert band received an excellent rating for its performance. Wayne Bradtke directs both groups.

Six persons were admitted to the emergency room of Fairbury Hospital following a serious accident at Chatsworth about 4 p.m. Wednesday. State Police said a north-bound car driven by Brock Lawson of Chatsworth was struck broadside as it crossed U.S. 24 northbound. The westbound car contained five members of the Charles Forney family of Roanoke. The Lawson car was thrown into a deep ditch and demolished. All six persons were taken to Fairbury by the Culkin Ambulance Service, but at press time the extent of their injuries was unknown. A blood relay was called to bring supplies from the Regional Center at Peoria, shortly after the patients were admitted.

50 Years Ago

April 17, 1975

Forming and reinforcing for the decking of the Seventh Street bridge over Indian Creek at Fairbury's southeastern edge, was going forward at a rapid pace this week, and crewmen from the Burnell Watson Construction Company of Chatsworth said they hoped to be able to pour the concrete next week. Hollow coring in the bridge deck is designed to eliminate dead weight from the 17-inch thickness of concrete. After the deck is poured, railings must be installed and approaches built. The road has been closed since September.

Dorothy Rudd of Fairbury fell about 9 a.m. Sunday morning while mailing a letter at the Fairbury Post Office. An ambulance was summoned. She was taken to Fairbury Hospital and later transferred to Mennonite Hospital in Bloomington. She underwent surgery Monday morning at Mennonite for a broken hip socket. Her leg was also broken three inches below the broken hip socket.

The train is quicker than the eye, especially if it's the Amtrack Turboliner, as an Evansville, Ind. man found out Sunday night when he tried to drive around the crossing gates on U.S. 24 at Chenoa, and instead found the northbound turbo train slicing off the rear of his westbound car. Miraculously, the driver, Paul Peay, 22, and his passenger, escaped injury, while the jet train suffered about $2,000 in damages and was delayed two hours, according to State Trooper Ron Barnes of Fairbury, who handled the incident.

40 Years Ago

April 11, 1985

Monday's weather in Fairbury was sort of like when grandmother cleans out the refrigerator and makes stew: there was a little of everything, including rain, snow and even sleet, often while the sun was shining.

Finishing touches are being put on the new medical office complex at Fairbury Hospital this week, with all work expected to be done by next Monday, April 15, according to Administrator Dereck Marshall. First two occupants will be Dr. Vesselin Oreshkov, the cardiologist/internist, who has for the past three years, had his office in the hospital's One-East wing. Also going into the building will be Dr. Joel Slutsky, a urologist who currently is practicing in Kankakee. For a year, the hospital has been interviewing Ob-Gyn specialists. That will fill another of the four suites, and "probably a general practitioner will be the fourth one," Marshall added.

Scotty and Erline Long of Fairbury announce the engagement of their daughter, Wendy Gail, to Steve Alan Hall of Fairbury. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Don Hall of Cropsey. An Aug. 31, 1985 wedding is planned.

30 Years Ago

April 12, 1995

Responding to a fire call may have helped save the lives of Dallas and Joy Bose of rural Fairbury early Saturday. An explosion, believed to have been ignited by lightening, destroyed much of the interior of the downstairs of their two-story home. The Bose's, both fire fighters on the Colfax Fire Department reported they responded to a fire call at 12:33 a.m. April 8. When the Boses returned to their home approximately 45 minutes later, the front door was wide open and the house was a shambles. Bose reported that lightening apparently came in through the fireplace and struck the LP gas line connected to it, causing approximately $50,000 in damage.

Forrest Village Board trustees passed an ordinance last Thursday evening annexing 10 acres of property owned by the Forrest Apostolic Christian Church. Village engineer Ed Eickenberg of Farnsworth & Wylie told the board that the church will need a 10-inch water main. The board approved a motion to do the work and pay for an upgrade from an eight-inch water main to a 10-inch line down Beech Street to the edge of the village's property.

Mike Vaughan received the 1995 Country Companies/Church Murdoch Outstanding Wrestler Award for Class A at 152 pounds. Vaughan compiled a record of 34 and 8 in finishing fourth in the state. He won the Corn Belt Conference, regional and sectional titles along with Tremont and Lisle Invitational Tournaments. He finished third in the Hawk Classic and fourth in the Plano Invitational Tournament. Vaughan was a first team all-conference selection in the Corn Belt Conference. During his career, he had 77 pins in 90 wins and never finished lower than fourth in a tournament. He is the son of Mick and Darlis Vaughan of Forrest.

20 Years Ago

April 13, 2005

At Fairbury's City Council meeting Wednesday night, it was announced that three city employees have earned the Quarter Century Service Award from the Illinois Section, American Water Works Association and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. City Superintendent, Leroy McPherson, 33 years; water works employee, Mike Snearly, 33 years and Water Superintendent, Duane Ifft, 25 years, were awarded plaques in Springfield at the March conference. Mayor Robert Walter, Jr. thanked them for their years of service to the community.

Board member Don Wills announced Thursday night at Forrest's board meeting that Forrest has been named a Tree City USA once again by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Wills attended the Tree Conference in Springfield on March 31 to receive the award. It consists of a pen, plaque and flag denoting the achievement. The award honors it's (Forrest's) commitment to its community's forest. This is the fourth year that Forrest has achieved this national recognition.

Marty and Kris Travis are going back in time. In mid-April, the Fairbury couple hopes to move an 1861 one-room schoolhouse to their property south of Fairbury. The Phelps schoolhouse has been used as a voting facility and township hall for Bell Prairie Township since its doors have been closed to students in the 1890's. In fact, voting will still be held in the schoolhouse once a year. Once schoolhouses dotted the country-side about every two miles. Today in Livingston County, only about one-fourth of the buildings still exist. Many of the remaining schoolhouses have been made into tool sheds or houses. Just a handful remain in somewhat original condition with an open interior.

10 Years Ago

April 15, 2015

On July 6, 2014, Trevor Plenert was enjoying some water activities with friends when a non-swimmer got tipped out of a canoe. The young boy was splashing, floundering and calling for help. Plenert dove into the water, kept the struggling boy's head above water, calmed him and helped him to safety. Because Plenert was a strong swimmer and Boy Scout trained in water rescue, he was the right person in the right place at the right time. For his quick and selfless actions, the Boy Scouts of America awarded Plenert the BSA Honor Medal for unusual heroism and skill in saving a life at considerable risk to self. The  Honor Medal was presented to Plenert on Feb. 27, 2015 at the W. D. Boyce Council Recognition Dinner. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Brian Plenert of Forrest and a Life Scout with Troop 1870 in Fairbury.

Kelsey Stoller, a third grader at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Forrest, is a second place winner in the Illinois State Dental Society 2015 statewide coloring contest. Her winning entry was selected from over 4,000 other entries. As a second place winner, she will receive a Walmart gift card. Kelsey is the daughter of Jodi and Michael Stoller of rural Forrest.

In what could be deemed as an upset, Chris Wilder defeated incumbent Donald Corrie and challenger Gary Dreher in Chenoa's mayoral election. Wilder won the race by garnering a commanding 212 votes of 455 for a whopping 46.8 percent of the votes cast. Corrie trailed by nearly 50 votes with 164 votes or 36. 2 percent. Dreher received only 17 percent of the vote, with 77 total. For the city's commissioner race, Don Schultheis retained a council spot while John Strike filled the position vacated by Eric Rhoda. Strike led all commissioner votes with 312 of 755 cast, giving him 39.25 percent of the ballot. Schultheis, who got 265 votes of his own, followed Strike with 33.33 percent. Monica Blue was a distant third, gathering 142 votes for 17.86 percent. Zach Corrie, grandson of the current mayor, was an even more distant fourth with 76 votes for 9.86 percent.

Looking Back from Kari Kamrath is sponsored each week by Duffy-Pils Memorial Home