Looking Back: 5-15-25

130 Years Ago

May 11, 1895

The merchants of Fairbury have agreed to close their places of business at 8 o'clock p.m. from June 1st to September 1st.

A contingent of bicyclers made the trip to Pontiac last Sunday. They met with various mishaps. Four came back via the Alton. Wallace Cramer ran into a farmer's buggy and performed several complicated gyrations in the air. Later he collided with Bert Slaughter and busted a spoke out of his new Victor. Slaughter broke the front axle of his bike. It rained on some of the party, and altogether they had a time to look back upon.

Next Thursday is the last day of school. The commencement will be the following Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Those who will graduate are Nellie Brownson, Grace Steen, Maude Sterling, Lilly Hahn, Floy Stafford, Mayme Phillips, Lynda Oppy, Lura Kirby, Lizzie Nimmo, Bertha Werling, Bertha Lynn, Rose Kilbury, Frances Sharpless, Harry Laubenheimer and Frank Karnes.

120 Years Ago

May 12, 1905

Thursday was a day of storms. It commenced with a bad storm at six o'clock in the morning and during the day no less than three separate and distinct storms swept over this section of the state. Property suffered considerable damage but there seems to have been no loss of life. The storm early in the morning was the worst of the day and did much damage north of Fairbury. It was wind, rain and hail and came up with the roar of a railway train. People who were out could hear it approaching several minutes before the wind commenced to blow.

The Culture Club held a deeply interesting meeting Monday afternoon with Mrs. Jessie Stuckey, at her home south of town. The ladies of the club have spent four years in the study of American literature, and the program of the afternoon was in the form of a farewell to the subject of the year's work. Each lady paid tribute to "America." Mrs. Stuckey, ever thoughtful of her friends, served a delicious two-course luncheon which concluded the pleasure of the afternoon.

Forrest — The comedy drama, "Are You a Mason," was presented to a very appreciative audience last Saturday night. Every member of the cast did their part well and the masonic lodge netted a neat sum. The play will be repeated Tuesday night, May 16th.

110 Years Ago

May 14, 1915

The church baseball league will open the season May 18, Christians vs. Baptists. The second game is on May 25, Methodists vs. Presbyterians. The Catholic Church has decided not to have a team in the league this season.

The barn and granary on the John Riddle farm, one and a quarter miles south of Weston, were destroyed by fire Wednesday afternoon.

The business men of this city got together Wednesday evening and decided to close each Tuesday from one for the balance of the day, during the church league baseball season.

Weston — A number of men from Weston and vicinity have started a firm called the Weston Lumber Company, and have begun the erection of their building.

100 Years Ago

May 15, 1925

J. E. Drennen parked his car on an incline in Graceland Cemetery Monday afternoon while attending the funeral services at the grave of the late G.W. Bennett, and did not set his brakes. The car started down the incline and the front wheels ran over the retaining wall, allowing the bottom of the body of the car to rest on the top of the wall. If the car had gone a little farther, it no doubt would have tipped over. As it was, the damage was but slight.

A suit has been filed in the circuit court at Pontiac by Walter Haag, of Cullom, against George Nimmo, of Fairbury, seeking $2,000 damages. The nature of the case is not known, but it is supposed to have resulted from an accident that happened west of town, a few months ago, when an auto driven by Mr. Nimmo's hired hand, and one containing Mr. Haag, came together.

Mrs. Margaret Sweeny Anderson, of Miles City, Mont., who visited Fairbury last fall when on a hiking trip to Washington, D.C., stopped here again Monday on her way back home. Mrs. Anderson is looking for her son, Joseph, of whom she had lost trace and hoped that through the American Legion posts she might find him. Her son was a member of Co. K, 139th Infantry, 35th Division. Mrs. Anderson is making the return trip by train, stopping off when her funds get low, to seek employment.

90 Years Ago

May 10, 1945

Eugene Fischel, Pontiac, a prisoner at the county jail who has been employed as a trusty about that institution, walked away at about 3:30 o'clock Monday afternoon. He was recaptured about 6 o'clock Monday evening near McDowell by Sheriff Edward Kammermann and Charles Kammermann, deputy sheriff and turnkey at the jail. Fischel was engaged in cleaning up about the jail when the desire for freedom overcame his better judgement. Aged 18, Fischel was awaiting the action of the grand jury on a charge of chicken stealing.

Monday afternoon, at the home of Mrs. M.E. Tarpy, the Shakespeare Club had its last meeting before the summer vacation. Bouquets of purple lilacs and tulips made a pretty spring setting. As a study in art each person made a "Spring" picture using colored crayons and a prize was awarded to the one voted best. One of the club's projects, sewing for the hospital, was completed and finishing the afternoon, supper at 5:30 served from small tables each with its slender vase of tulips.

This section of Illinois which has been considerably lacking in moisture the past two years, is getting plenty right now. For the past two weeks it has rained almost every day. With the earth soaked full we had another downpour Wednesday night. As a result the low spots in many fields were converted into small lakes. Indian Creek went out of its banks and flooded the golf course, lacking only a few inches of rising high enough to flow into the sandpit.

80 Years Ago

May 11, 1945

Victory in Europe (V-E Day) over Germany was quietly and sanely observed in Fairbury Tuesday. There were probably two reasons for this. One was that our people realized the war is only half over and the other was that the official announcement by President Truman, Tuesday morning, of the end of the war, was something the people had known for 36 hours or more previous. The announcement by President Truman, which was received here at eight o'clock (CWT) was followed by the ringing of church bells and the fire bell. All the business houses, including cafes, drug stores, filling stations and taverns, closed for the day, as did both the grade and high schools.

C. E. "Bud" Wink was minus the services of his car for a day the first of the week, it being one of at least three that had been stolen between Sheldon and Eureka. The Winks' daughter, Miss Cathryn, had parked the car, a Ford V8-i Monday evening in front of the K. V. Keck home. Later when she went to go home the car was gone. The car was located Tuesday on Route 24, near Secor by the sheriff of Woodford County. The thieves had run the car off the pavement and the front end of it was hanging over the abutment of a culvert. An axle was bent, a fender broken and some other damage done.

George L. Mowry this week sold to Sam Hirstein the business building located at the intersection of Locust and Fourth Streets. We understand he purchased it as an investment. Mr. Mowry purchased the building nine years ago last month of the school trustees of Pleasant Ridge Township, and occupied it with his funeral home until moving to his present location in February, 1942. Located in the building at the present time is Verna's Beauty Shoppe and Ray's shoe repair shop. Mr. Hirstein does not expect to make any change in tenancy.

70 Years Ago

May 12, 1955

A total of 1,450 Livingston County children received their first shots of the Salk polio vaccine the past two weeks.

Lawrence Gnagy of Mahomet has been named band instructor of the Fairbury-Cropsey unit for the 1955-56 school year. He replaces William Wagner, who has excepted a position in the LaPorte, Ind. schools.

Two local business houses were broken into here last week, with the thieves getting away with less than $10 for their trouble. The break-ins occurred at Paternoster Motor Co. and Frank's IGA.

Work began Monday on sand-blasting and tuck-pointing The Blade building.

Marilyn Bach and Mickey Netherton have been chosen to attend Girls State and Boys State, respectively.

60 Years Ago

May 13, 1965

Gary Ifft, son of the Harvey Iffts of rural Fairbury, has won a week's trip to Washington, D.C. for his first-place essay in Eastern Illinois Power Co-op's annual contest. Members of the board of directors met Monday evening at the Paxton office and judged his as the best of 19 entries submitted by high school sophomores and juniors in a five-county area. Topic of the essay was, "The Electric Co-op – It's Value to My Community." Gary placed third in last year's contest. Lauretta Gallehue of Piper City, daughter of the John Gallehues, received second place. She will also go to the nation's capital.

Alton Russell has resigned as chief of the Fairbury Police force, effective June 1, Mayor Roy Taylor told The Blade today. Russell, who has held the post five years, plans to return to his former home in Louisville where he will join the security force of the International Harvester Plant. Taylor said that the police committee was now screening applicants and that they would name a man soon to join the force which includes Maurice Johnston and Albert Eades, and that he would then name a new chief.

American Airlines hosted a Fairbury group Sunday at O'Hare Field in Chicago during a four-hour wait for a delayed flight. Mrs. Myrtle Lester was ticketed out of O'Hare for San Diego to visit her son, Jim. The Dean Moser family had taken their neighbor to board the 1:45 p.m. flight, which was to be her first plane ride. Moser said later that because of the equipment delay, the airline provided free long distance calls for all passengers who had persons planning to meet them, and also opened a dining room and provided complete dinners for all those persons who were there to see any passenger off on the flight.

50 Years Ago

May 15, 1975

Fairbury once more will be on the horns of a dilemma when it comes time to observe Memorial Day the last week of this month. Again, due to conflicting legislation, there will be two observances, on both Monday and Friday. Due to federal legislation decreeing that selected holidays should always fall on Monday, rather than on a certain date, Monday, May 26 is the date for the Memorial Day holiday. That means no mail service, no deliveries by teamster unions and no banking. But under Illinois law, clinging to the 110-year-old tradition that Memorial Day was originated in this state, and should be observed on May 30, means that schools will be in session on May 26, and will dismiss on Friday for the observance.

Lawyers from 16 east-central Illinois counties have elected Fairbury attorney Henry W. Phillips as their next representative on the Board of Governors of the Illinois Bar Association from the Fourth District. Phillips is a member of the Fairbury firm of Hanley, Phillips, Traub and Ahlemeyer. He is a native of Peru, Ill. and a son of Mrs. William J. Phillips and the late Mr. Phillips. He attended LPO Jr. College there, 1941-43; served in the U.S. Army 1943-46; earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1949 and was admitted to the Illinois Bar the same year.

Bill Winn, a former history teacher and basketball coach here, will be returning to Fairbury-Cropsey High School as principal this fall. The Unit 3 Board of Education has named Winn to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Robert Isaacs, according to Superintendent Lester Miller. A 1961 graduate of Saybrook-Arrowsmith High School, Winn received his bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1966. He earned his master's degree from Illinois State University in 1973 and completed requirements for his specialist certificate in education from the University of South Florida, Tampa, in 1974.

40 Years Ago

May 9, 1985

Fairbury Mayor Maurie Cox last Wednesday night reversed a decision made one week earlier to Fire Police Chief Bill Spray and Street Superintendent Virg Kyburz, reinstating both men at a City Council session attended by an overflow crowd. Alderman Dave Kilgus was one of the aldermen who had publicly spoken out in opposition to the firings, and who had met privately with Cox to try to avoid confrontation between the mayor and council. Alderman Lynn Dameron, another outspoken opponent of the firings of Spray and Kyburz, concluded the discussion by praising Cox for being "responsive" to the wishes of the community.

Three longtime newspapermen entered the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale School of Journalism's Hall of Fame last Friday, April 26. They were honored at the 89th spring get-together of the Southern Illinois Editorial Association at the Giant City State Park Lodge. New Hall of Famers, who earn the title of "Master Editor" and win the School of Journalism's "Golden Em" awards, are James H. Roberts, publisher of the Fairbury Blade and its sister Cornbelt Press newspapers; William S. Sell, publisher of the Grayville Mercury-Independent; and Lloyd K. (Tony) Stevens, reporter for the Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale.

Fairbury-Cropsey band member Jeff Story was one of 100 students from all over the state to compete in Friday's Honor Band Concert at Eastern Illinois Iniversity in Charleston. Jeff's name was submitted by FCHS band director David Swaar and was selected out of hundreds of applicants. Jeff played second trumpet, third chair at the concert, which was performed at the school's Leo J. Dvorak Concert Hall.

30 Years Ago

May 10, 1995

Four bids on demolition and hauling of debris from the three-story Honegger building site were opened and discussed at Wednesday's Fairbury City Council meeting. Bids from Indian Creek Materials of Fairbury, Opperman Construction of Pontiac, Koehl Brothers of Fairbury, and F & R Tiling of Cullom varied from a high $72,000 to $33,750, and depend on the number and tonnage of truckloads that will need to be taken to Envirite Landfill at Pontiac.

Illinois State Police Director Terrance W. Gainer announced recently that David D. Diller of Chatsworth has been assigned as a trooper in District 6. Trooper Diller, a former Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) police officer, graduated April 7 from the Illinois State Police Academy in Springfield.

Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Schrof of Forrest will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on May 12. Schrof and Grace Johnson were married on Mother's Day, May 12, 1935 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Cullom. Attendants were her brother, Herman Johnson and his brother, Ted Schrof. They are the parents of two sons, Carl, of Bloomington, and John, of Pontiac; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He is retired from Schrof Service Center service stations in Pontiac and Forrest.

20 Years Ago

May 11, 2005

Prominent Cissna Park auctioneer Art Feller has announced his retirement and will cry his final sale on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, in the park in Cissna Park. In a career, spanning 67 years, Feller's last sale will be his own auctioneering equipment. Feller's auction career started in 1938 when a local auctioneer allowed him to help conduct a farm sale. His first auction experience was selling a herd of Angus cattle. Feller will continue to auctioneer through the 2005 summer months. His final auction will be an antique consignment sale on Labor Day. After the final sale items are sold, he will sell his personal auction equipment.

Four new picnic tables placed at Fugate Woods were constructed by Kyle Miller's high school shop class, and coordinated by Darren Ropp and his horticulture class. Lumber for the project came from Kelly Kinate (utility poles) and dead oak trees recovered from the Fugate Timber by Dean and Dale Wessels. The logs were then sawed into boards by the Avoca Grove Sawmill and Darren Ropp's horticulture class. Miller's class hope to finish garbage receptacles that they are also constructing by the end of the school year.

The month of May 2005 has been very hectic thus far, but at the same time, very special for Delmar and Cathy Smith of Fairbury. The Smiths will remember May of 2005 for many years, as all three of their children are receiving college degrees this month, one a bachelors degree, one a masters degree and one a PhD, and who have a combined 19 years of college between them. Abby, the youngest, received a bachelors degree in psychology (magna Cum laude) from Illinois Wesleyan University. Josh received a PhD in physical therapy from Regis University in Denver, Co. Anna will receive a Masters degree in special education from Northern Illinois University.

10 Years Ago

May 13, 2015

Newly elected aldermen took the oath of office at Wednesday's meeting of the Fairbury City Council. Jon Kinate, of Ward 1, Charles Hoselton of Ward 2 and Gary Norris of Ward 4, were all sworn in along with newly appointed alderman Nancy Gerdes-Hibsch of Ward 3. Outgoing alderman Greg Hish and retired treasurer Rod Stevens were also recognized. Mayor Lynn Dameron read a resolution from State Rep. Dan Brady honoring Stevens. Hish served the city for 16 years, from 1999-2015, with Stevens serving 17 years from 1998-2015.

On Monday, May 4, Brittany Hari was presented with the Lion's Club scholarship by Lion's President Teri Wenger at the club's monthly meeting. The $500 scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior each year. The award is based on academics, community service and extra curricular activities. Hari will be attending Illinois State University in the fall. Her parents are Arthur and Stephanie Hari.

Courtney Edelman and Melvin Knapp, both of Fairbury, are announcing their engagement and approaching marriage. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Kirk and Myra Edelman of Fairbury. She is a 2011 Prairie Central High School graduate and a 2014 graduate of Parkland College. She is currently employed as a registered nurse at Gibson City Area Hospital. The future bridegroom is the son of Alvin and Suzanne Knapp of Fairbury. He is a 2011 graduate of Prairie Central High School and is currently employed as a HVAC installer at Lanz Heating and Cooling in Champaign. The couple is planning a June 27, 2015 wedding at the bride's home.

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