Looking Back: 6-3-26

130 Years Ago

May 30, 1896

The Fairbury baseball club was reorganized Monday evening. The meeting was called to order by John Moran. Bert Schlaughter was made secretary. Henry Weber was elected president and manager of the club and T. D. Karnes, treasurer. The president and secretary were instructed to see the business men and raise money for the purpose of uniforms. The members are Robert Baird, Isaac Addis, Will Braun, Louis Weber, James Baird, Ralph Harris, Bert Slaughter, Dave Compton, Fred Streeper, Alex Skeins, Frank Karns and John Young.

A fad among little girls appears to be the carrying of small rubber balls which they bounce on the walk as they go. The balls are used in connection with the game of jackstones.

A tornado ravaged St. Louis and East St. Louis and adjacent points in Missouri, Wednesday evening, inflicting terrible ruin and disaster. The loss of life in both cities was great. The known killed at St. Louis numbered around 250.

120 Years Ago

June 1, 1906

The alumni of the Fairbury High School gave the Class of '06 and their friends a reception at the Fairbury Opera House Thursday evening. It was a brilliant gathering and one of the social events of the season. The large hall was decorated with potted plants, cut flowers and the Alumni colors, and presented a homelike appearance. Burch's Orchestra furnished music during the evening, rendering some very beautiful selections. The address of welcome was delivered by Miss Bertha Cook and the response was given by Cyril Burns. Mrs. E. C. Green and Bessie Phelps played a duet, Mrs. Geo. Heckmann sang a solo and Miss Ethel Swap gave a reading. A very enjoyable banquet was served during the evening.

Last Friday afternoon the 12^th annual field and track meet given by the Fairbury High School was held at the fair grounds. Although rain interfered with the crowd and the records made, yet it was one of the best and most closely contested meets in its history. Fairbury again won the meet with  a total of 45 points; Peoria a close second with 35; Colfax 16, Dwight 14, Pontiac 11, Lexington 3.

Mrs. Ed Moore, assisted by Mesdames Presler and Patton, and Misses Kelley and Evans, will entertain the Ladies Aid society of the M. E. Church at a ten cent tea, Tuesday afternoon, June 5^th. All members and friends of the church are invited to come and bring your fancy work.

110 Years Ago

June 2, 1916

The Wabash passenger train, leaving Chicago at 11:55 p.m. and due at Forrest at 2:25 a.m., went into the ditch this morning eight and a half miles north of Forrest when a storm struck it. The engine, tank, baggage car, mail car, a combination car and a chair car were blown off the track. Twelve persons are reported injured, but none seriously. An engineer who was “dead heading through was the most seriously hurt. The fast train north at Forrest at 3:55 a.m. was detoured via T. P. & W. to Gilman and the Ill. Central to Chicago. The tracks should be clear by 11 o'clock today.

Albert “Happy” Rusterholtz has bought the Holloway Grocery Store at Wing and will take possession Monday, June 12. Mr. Rusterholtz is a fine young man, knows the grocery business from A to Z, and the people of Wing will like him.

Mayor H. B. Taylor has a letter from the chief men of the Central Illinois Utilities Company, stating that they are going to give us better lights and better power, which means all 'round better service. The people of Fairbury will be glad to hear this and hope that they come across with what they have promised.

Wm. Barnes and Rev. S. E. Aout are the possessors of new Jeffery cars. The former purchased a five-passenger, four-cylinder touring car and Rev. Aout a three-passenger roadster.

100 Years Ago

June 4, 1926

Tuesday was about as disagreeable a day as one will bump into in a lifetime. The wind blew a regular gale all day and filled the air with dust. While it was bad here in town, it was much worse out in the country where the wind had a clear sweep. In many instances the farmers had to quit work in the fields on account of not being able to see. In spite of the fact that houses were kept closed, the dirt sifted through the cracks and settled over the furniture, rugs, etc. On many porches the dirt banked up against the houses and had to be shoveled away. Fields of corn were cut down to the ground in many cases, the wind and dust whipping and eating the tender leaves away.

The city fathers have purchased a new Ford truck to be used in doing the city hauling. The city team was traded in on the purchase. The truck will be kept in the building formerly occupied by the team, and it is planned to eventually keep the fire truck there also.

Two bad railroad wrecks occurred over the weekend, one occurring on the Wabash in the village of Sibley early last Friday morning, and the other one taking place a mile east of Gilman Sunday morning about 10:45. The latter one is the train due here at noon. The Wabash wreck was the fast northbound merchandise train. Fortunately no one was seriously injured in either wreck, although there were several narrow escapes in the wreck on the Wabash. This wreck will also cost the Wabash thousands of dollars, while the T. P. & W. mishap will also set that company back a little.

90 Years Ago

May 29, 1936

Tuesday the greatest exhibit of the world's greatest radio will be held at the Fultz Studio, when the Zenith car of 24 radios including the 25-tube Stratosphere model, listing at $750, will be exhibited. Zenith has ever been the greatest pioneer in the radio world. What Zenith has this year other radios will have next year. Zenith, the world's most copied radio, costs little more than ordinary radios. Don't miss this chance of seeing and hearing the Stratosphere with its 5 speakers.

Under the skillful hands of the Juniors, the high school gymnasium became an old-fashioned flower garden, canopied with the senior colors of orange and blue. In this attractive setting, the juniors did honor to the seniors of FTHS with banquet, program and dance, last Friday evening. Hugh Huntoon was master of ceremonies and presented the following talent: Marvin Shilts, who gave the address of welcome, to which Duane Morris responded; Betty Nussbaum, who read the class will; Mary Frances Glennon, who gave a reading; Mr. A. C. Watson, who addressed the Seniors; Abraham Mattioli, who gave a reading; William Frisby and Wilma Bess, who gave the class prophecy. The junior boys gave their interpretation of “Julius Caesar.” The junior girls sang and a trio of senior girls sang.

Work on the 20-foot paving slab on Main Street came to a stop yesterday noon with the workmen about 115 feet away from their goal. The work was stopped because they ran out of sand and crushed rock. A new supply is not expected until tomorrow. The laying of the slab got under way Monday morning at First street. The pavement has the appearance of an excellent piece of work and no doubt is. The joint extending the whole length of the pavement is reinforced with steel and there are joints extending crosswise every 30 feet reinforced with steel.

80 Years Ago

May 31, 1946

Last Friday morning in the McLean County Circuit Court at Bloomington, a jury of seven women and five men acquitted four T. P. & W. guards of a charge of manslaughter. The four were indicted on two counts by the McLean County grand jury following a shooting at Gridley on February 6^th, when two pickets were shot and killed. In closing arguments, Hal M. Stone, defense attorney, contended that the guards had fired in self-defense, and declared they “had avery right to shoot back after they had been fired upon by one of the pickets.” The guards were aboard the first train that had been operated on the T. P. & W. lines in months.

While playing with a dog Monday, James Pool, about four or five years old, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton Pool, of Forrest, was bitten by the animal, the dog sinking his teeth in near one of the child's eyes. The tear duct was torn out and the eyeball injured. The boy was taken to the Brokaw Hospital, Normal, and the services of an eye specialist secured.

A local touch is given to the “Flying Wing” bomber recently unveiled at Northrop's at Hawthorne, Calif., since two former Fairbury boys are employed at Northrop's. Dick Hanna, engineer, is one of the test group and Hank Henderson, a mechanic. They are son and son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. O. D. Hanna, of south of town. The mammoth plane has been in production since 1943, at a cost of $13,000,000. It carries six bomb bays to drop the mightiest load ever hurled by a single plane. Its range will be 10,000 miles. Northrop engineers foresee its use not only as a super bomber but as a highly efficient cargo carrier and possibly as transport.

70 Years Ago

May 31, 1956

Jack Tomlison won his first motorcycle race Sunday at East Peoria. It was also the first motorcycle race he had ever entered. Tomlison beat out six other entrants in a three-quarter mile “scrambles” race to earn the trophy. A “scrambles” race is run over a course full of turns, dips and hills, as compared to the flat track of a regular speed race. The race was for lightweight, one cylinder machines. Tomlison used a 165cc Harley Davidson. Entered in the same race Sunday which Tomlison won was a veteran Fairbury motorcycle racer, Gene Hines. Hines was running second when his chain broke and he was forced to leave the race. Hines has been in the racing game for a number of years and has over two dozen trophies to his credit.

The newest addition to the Village of Forrest, Park View Manor, is a sub-division of land located on the southeastern edge of Forrest. This addition has for its boundaries the Wabash Railroad tracks on the east, highway 47 on the west, and the new Forrest City Park on the Vermilion River on the south. The owner of these lots, which reportedly range in price from $500 to $1,200, is Ray Steffen of Forrest. A sixty foot curving boulevard has been laid out and will be blacktopped. Of the 26 lots presently surveyed, work is now progressing rapidly on those lots which have been sold. All utilities are available and Steffen has set up building restrictions which will protect the value of each property.

Aura Mae Ferguson had the thrill of her life last Tuesday when she stepped on the feet of a man in Chicago, and looked up and saw Nat “King” Cole, one of the top vocalists in the United States. Aura Mae was in the Windy City with the seniors, on their annual trip, when near the Greyhound depot, she bumped into someone, tramped on his feet for awhile in her surprise, and looked up to see the popular vocalist, who recently gained national headlines when he was attacked on the stage of a Georgia theatre by a group of hoodlums. The girls later learned that he was staying at the Sherman.

60 Years Ago

June 2, 1966

Opening of the Fairbury Swimming pool is tentatively set for Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. and the one-week delay has not provoked many tears among the would-be patrons, due to the current cool-wave which has kept temperatures in the range between 40 and 60. Since last week's announcement that a sudden crack had halted plans for the traditional Memorial Day opening, a pool engineer and local officials and workmen have found that the trouble was not as serious as feared. A large number of young Fairbury girls will take part in the annual juvenile beauty parade Sunday afternoon to open the pool.

John “Skippy” Albee, 12, broke both bones in his lower right arm about 7 p.m. Monday when a pony he was riding slammed him into a tree at the Dale Albee farm. The fracture occurred just above the wrist. He remains at Fairbury Hospital in satisfactory condition. A cast has been applied from the hand to the shoulder. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Albee, who plan to move to Hudson Saturday.

The 1966 Miss Livingston County pageant, the first stepping stone for a girl toward winning the coveted Miss America title, will be held June 19 in the Fairbury-Cropsey gym. This will be the 10^th pageant sponsored annually by the Fairbury Jaycees. Stanley McCulloh, general chairman, announced that Miss Mary Brady, Miss Livingston County, 1965 will be on hand to crown the 1966 Miss Livingston County. Miss Brady was third runner-up to Miss Illinois 1965. The 10 girls vying for the title are Linda Carlson, Dwight; Betty Cording, Chatsworth; Susan Schade, Chatsworth; Kathryn Gallahue, Piper City; Betty Henkel, Graymont; Rita Hooker, Dwight; Janice Johnson, Forrest; Kathy Livingston, Chatsworth, Kathy Phelan, Ransom; and Marjorie Flessner, Chatsworth.

50 Years Ago

June 3, 1976

Five Fairbury youths suffered minor injuries Sunday night in a one-car accident at the Mowery Bridge, one mile north and two miles east of Fairbury. The driver, James H. Langstaff III and his passengers, Ron Hammond, Diana Gerdes, Denise Scurlock and Lisa Baltz, incurred minor bruises and abrasions. The mishap occurred about 10:30 p.m. when Langstaff lost control of his vehicle as he entered the bridge. He told authorities his front wheels slipped off planks. Damage was estimated at $750 to front right, left side and rear of the 1972 Ford station wagon. In a statement accompanying the accident report, Sheriff's Deputy John Wiles added his opinion that “this bridge is very hazardous when wet and should be looked into.” No tickets were issued.

Someone broke into the Wiley Cemetery garage, near Colfax, and took two riding mowers, valued at approximately $500 each, and two push mowers, valued at $30 each, according to McLean County Sheriff's Police. The theft occurred sometime last Thursday, police said.

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Hish of Fairbury announce the engagement of their daughter, LuAnne to Paul E. Sutter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Sutter, also of Fairbury. He is employed by Livingston Service Co. of Forrest and she is employed by Keck's Agency, Inc., Fairbury. Both are Fairbury-Cropsey High School graduates. They are planning a September 11 wedding.

40 Years Ago

May 29, 1986

A Fairbury native, Phillip A. Troehler, 34, whose parents moved from here when he was 5 years old, has been selected as the new command officer of the Fairbury Police Department with the rank of lieutenant. The appointment by Mayor Maurice Cox, with the approval of the city council, fills the vacancy created two weeks earlier when Donald “Sam” Hedrick, a 14-year veteran of the five-man force, was promoted to chief to succeed William Spray, who resigned two months earlier to accept an appointment to the Illinois State Police. Troehler, son of Virgil and Carley Shoemaker Troehler, who are also Fairbury natives, will assume his new post on Monday, June 9. He was chosen from among 70 applicants. Troehler and his wife have one child.

Mr. and Mrs. Curtiss Meiss, rural Fairbury, received word recently that Beat Wuthrich from Switzerland, will be living with them from June 20 to July 12. Wuthrich is an International 4-H Youth Exchange (FYE) representative visiting in the United States for six months. Wuthrich, who is 23 years old, is a farmer in Trub, Switzerland. He comes from a family of two brothers and three sisters. The Meiss family applied to be a host family through the Livingston County Cooperative Extension Service, which sponsors the National 4-H Council program locally.

Julie Arnold Thomas was elected president of the Fairbury-Cropsey Alumni Association Saturday night by the 400 members attending the 1986 banquet. One of the new president's duties will be to oversee the likely shift of the banquet from Westview Elementary School, where the state fire marshal has imposed a seat limitation on future banquets, to the Prairie Central High School gymnasium. Other new officers elected Saturday night included: Diane Traub Leman, vice-president; Teri Ziller Arteman, secretary; and Mike Wenger, treasurer. An even dozen speakers representing “honor classes” as well as this year's senior class at Prairie Central addressed the full house Saturday. One of the highlights of the evening was the appearance with the Class of 1966 of former FCHS cheerleader “Tilly Tartar,” Peggy Vaughan, who led the crowd in singing the F-C Fight Song.

30 Years Ago

May 29, 1996

Prairie Central High School held their annual graduation ceremonies Friday night in Fairbury. Michael Kinate and Emily Klehm led the 1996 graduating class into the gym Friday night. Top honors went to Michael Rieger as Valedictorian and Jason Dotterer as Salutatorian. Jenny Haab received the attendance award.

Personalized books, 148 in all, were distributed to all kindergarten students in all three towns of the Prairie Central District, Fairbury, Forrest and Chatsworth. Twenty-nine businesses sponsored the “Learn to Read” program, which made it possible for each child to have a personalized book, containing the student as the main character, along with the child's birthday, friend, relatives, dog and address in the text of the story.

Elsie Marie Kuntz Stallard of Heritage Manor, Gibson City, will observe her 100^th birthday on June 8 with a family dinner and open reception. Elsie was born June 6, 1896 in Livingston County, the eldest of 11 children of John and Mary Pauline Shroen Kuntz. She married Wilbur Stallard June 17, 1952. He died Oct. 8, 1967. She has a brother, Bernard Kuntz of LaMesa, Calif. and a sister, Hazel Geiger of Strawn and many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

20 Years Ago

May 31, 2006

Four retirees (three teachers and a bus driver), were honored at a reception at the Prairie Central Upper Elementary commons from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30. Judy Dameron, Bud Kelson, Phil Tetley and Linda Zick are retiring at the end of the current school year. Dameron began her teaching career at Piper City/Ford Central and arrived in Fairbury-Cropsey High School in 1982-84 as a teacher and part-time aide. Bud Kelson, a long-time driver for Nussbaum Trucking in Normal, drove a school bus for Prairie Central from 1998 until December 2005. After a teaching stint at Glenwood School for Boys in 1968-69 Phil Tetley joined the Chatsworth staff in 1969-70, Fairbury-Cropsey in 1978-79 and Prairie Central in 1986. Linda Zick has taught language arts at Prairie Central Junior High since 1986, culminating a 20-year career. Collectively, these venerable people have given 87-plus years to the Prairie Central School system and its predecessors, a lot of years and a lot of dedicated service.

Rebecca Harms, rural Fairbury, and Kent Casson of rural Fairbury are announcing their engagement. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Norman and Karen Harms of rural Fairbury. She is a May 2006 graduate of the University of Illinois where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies. Her fiance is the son of Terry and Jane Casson of rural Chenoa. He graduated from Heartland Community College in December 2003, with an associate degree in Communications. He is employed as News and Program Director at WJEZ-FM in Pontiac. The couple is planning a July 22, 2006 wedding at Immanuel Lutheran Church in rural Colfax.

Valedictorian of the Class of 2006, Prairie Central High School, is Reid Zehr. Salutatorian is Emily Bane.

10 Years Ago

June 1, 2016

Nathan Scott Somers, son of Todd and Judy Somers of Forrest, has been named valedictorian for the Class of 2016. He plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the fall, majoring in Computer Science and performing as a member of the Marching Illini drum line. Laine Dale Honegger, daughter of Gregg and Michelle Honegger of Forrest, has been named Salutatorian of the Prairie Central High School Class of 2016. She plans to attend the University of Illinois in the fall, majoring in Agribusiness, Markets and Management.

Fairbury Echoes Museum is busting out beyond its walls this summer. Six volunteers will be heading to the street of Fairbury to talk about some of the history of the downtown buildings and people of the past. The volunteers are Mary Catherine Carter, Nancy Ifft, Dale Maley, Diane Pawlowski, Ruth Teubel and Barb Ward with Carl Borngasser filling in for Carter for the first event. The “History Talkers” will be on the streets on the first Saturday of the month on June 4, July 2 and Aug. 6 from 9 to 10 a.m. They will be standing on the street corners of Locust Street at Second, Third and Fourth Streets. They will also have photos related to their topics to help bring the history to life.

Eighteen Prairie Central High School students (16 boys and two girls) are currently enrolled in the Prairie Central High School Clay Target League at the Prairie Central Sportsman Club. Coaches are Brad Beyers, Dan Masters, Dick Hitchens, Art Cabello, Dean Lassitter and Ron Schramm. During the league year, members participate in nine weeks of trap shooting with scores reported online; and a state competition to be held at Brittany Shooting Park in Bunker Hill, on June 4. The clay target league received grant funds from “No Child Left Indoors” from National Pheasants Forever and also received a generous contribution from Livingston County Pheasants Forever #089 toward the purchase of clay birds for shooters.

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