Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years
Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years
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By: Jill Pertler Lately, I’ve become acutely aware of the clarity in my life. This clarity was earned with all that I had and all that I am. I know I am not alone. I know our numbers are too great to count. Loss. Grief. Sadness. Devastation. Sorrow. Heartache. Endings that happen before we are ready. In ways we couldn’t have envisioned. In ways we never would have wanted or hoped. Ugly endings. Watching life unfold in ways we didn’t imagine but can’t ever forget. Life’s truths. We all (all!) live them out at one time or another. No one will...
On March 3, 1956, railway passenger service ended in Staunton. An old streetcar draped in black stopped at the station on Union Street for the last time. The Interurban had served our town for over 50 years. See the Tracking Our History: Portraits of the Staunton Railway exhibition at Blackbird Cafe through July for more photos and info....
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By: Jill Pertler I like my phone. I rely on my phone. I truly appreciate my phone (and you, too, Siri!) but beyond that, well, my phone is just a phone. She does for me what I ask her to do, when I ask her to do it and as long as that consistency in our relationship exists, I’m good. We’re good. But when the consistency wavers, so do I. Lately, my phone was wavering. As was my loyalty. Her temper seemed to flare and she got heated up when I used her for long periods of time. Her memory had sudden and unpredictable lapses. Sometimes she did...
Plea for justice The Illinois Prisoner Review Board had scheduled a hearing to consider Robert Turner for clemency! To say I am astounded is no measure of the outrage I am feeling. By rights, this man would have been dead long ago except for the actions of one of our renowned Illinois governors. That was all the clemency he should have ever had and should not really have had that. The Drobneys have stated that they were never notified of this hearing. It is an example of the high handed tactics of government organizations to overturn the...
Walter Spotte was kind enough to share his photo of the Staunton High School basketball team from 1939-40. He even included a little history. Before Varsity and Junior Varsity, we had first team and second team. In the 1939-40 season, the first team compiled a 20-9 record and the second team finished with a 17-5 record. The team won two tournament trophies that year – consolation (3rd place) at Edwardsville and 3rd at Litchfield. Team members are: (front, L to R) Billy Stiegemeier, Arthur C...
Thursday, May 31, 1990 -- Pool - Dance Party At Forest Lakes Pool -- Forest Lakes Resort and the Majic Jukebox will co-sponsor a Pool-Dance Party at Forest Lakes Swimming Pool for area teens on Saturday, June 2. The dance will be chaperoned and supervised and parents are invited to stop by for a visit or sit by the pool and enjoy the music at any time. The dance is open to any child, age 11 to 14 years old. Time will be from 6:30 to 10:30. Two other pool - dance parties are currently being planned for Saturday, July 14, and Saturday, August...
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Issue of June 12, 1997 The Staunton High School Concert Choir returned from their five-day tour to Indianapolis, Ind., and Cleveland, Ohio, where they toured the area and performed at several locations. The Village of Worden is set to celebrate their Zip code day on 6-20-97 with food, drinks, crafts and special entertainment. Francis and Violet Windisch of Staunton will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on June 21. Pete Moros (75) of Staunton died June 8 at Community Memorial Hospital. Esther I. Sievers (86) of New Douglas died June 4 at...
By Tom Emery An oft-overlooked holiday on the calendar is Flag Day, June 14, which celebrates the official establishment of the American flag. The occasion was first created by an Illinois dentist. Bernard Cigrand, a Chicagoland resident who taught in the Dental Schools of both Northwestern and the University of Illinois, is credited with the first observance of Flag Day, in 1885. It was only the first instance in a lifelong devotion to annual celebrations of the U.S. flag. Then, Cigrand was a 19-year-old instructor for $40 a month in a...
By: Jill Pertler If the fire alarm went off in your home or workplace and you had to evacuate quickly, what would you grab on your way out? Besides pets, spouses, chapstick and an extra change of underwear, I’m guessing most of us could agree on one item: our phones. Our phones have become an extension of us. We wouldn’t consider leaving home without them. I didn’t see it coming – this reliance I have (we have) on our phones. They’re our communication link to the outside world, but that’s only the beginning. They are calendars, calculators...
We send a special Thank You to Walter Spotte for sending us his photo of the North School patrol boys. This group would patrol the Route 4 crossing near the North School on Pennsylvania Street before and after school. He has identified the patrol members as (L to R) Walter Spotti, Norman Blazkowski, Ronald Voyles, Leo Urban, Raymond Rauch, Charles Shriver, Bley Courtney and Walter Beinke....
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By Tom Emery The Sauk warrior Black Hawk is best known for the brief war of 1832 that bears his name. However, a study of Black Hawk as an individual reveals a complex and enigmatic personality. Black Sparrow Hawk, or Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, was not a chief, though he wielded considerable influence within the Sauk tribe. He was born in Saukenuk, the traditional Sauk village in the area of present-day Rock Island, Ill., in 1767. He was likely an only child and adored his father Pyesa, but made considerably less mention of his mother, Singing...
By: Jill Pertler Dear Thom, Hey honey. I sure do miss you. More than you can ever know, but I think you do, because I know you are close. I sense and feel your closeness. It’s been a year-and-a-half since you left this physical earth, and I’m doing better every day. Well, most days. We’re all allowed to have an off day every so often. But, by and large, I’m doing better. Today I put on a dress that I hadn’t worn for awhile and found a tissue in the pocket. It made me realize that at some point I quit carrying tissues with me everywher...
This photo was taken in 1950 and shows the students at Butler School. The small blackboard identifying Butler School is being held by Gerald Scherff. The boy standing next to him is his brother Leonard. The teacher is Leona Lewerenz. We have no other identification. Your class or team photos from 2000 are now over 20 years old and would be great used in this feature. It is always more fun to see pictures of people you recognize and remember....
Thursday, May 17, 1990 -- FIRE DESTROYS MAIN STREET LANDMARK -- A fire of undetermined origin totally destroyed two buildings on Main and Union Streets Saturday night. The buildings at 100 and 102 East Main housed a dentist's office, dress shop, and office of a sanitation company, besides a number of residential apartments. According to Fire Chief Ron Dustman, Staunton Junior Fireman Patrick Wineburner, son of Ed and Marsha Wineburner, passed the building and reported the fire to Staunton Police at 11:59 p.m. Chief Dustman said the fire which...
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Issue of May 29, 1997 Miss Staunton candidates were announced. They were Maria Garbin, Jayne Johnson, Marci Kolkovich, Krissy Meyer and Rachel Streeb. Frederick E. Morgan (74) of Staunton died May 23 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo. Dorothy June Milam (71) of Lake Ka-ho in rural Mt. Olive died May 23 at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. Helen A.M. Christin (84) of rural Donnellson died May 22 at St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield. Mervin Carl DeVries (64) of Palmyra died May 24 at Memorial Medical Center. Sherman A. Sharp (...
By: Jill Pertler I think a lot about perspective. I’ve even touched on the topic from time to time. But today, I stumbled across a new take on it. (Stumbled being the operative word. Isn’t it funny - in a not-so-funny-way - how life is a series of stumbles sometimes?) Each of our days is filled with moments. They string together to make up the whole. Minutes. Hours. Days. Weeks. Years. Decades. Lifetimes. And so on. We can trudge through them, as I’ve often been known to do. One day after the other. They blend together to the point that one isn...
Many people wonder what they can do to live a long, healthy life, much like Betty White, who died days before her 100th birthday early this year. Preventative care plays an important role. “Preventative care is an all-inclusive thing for many aspects when it comes to health care. Often, that’s preventative screenings like lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer. A lot of times those are of paramount importance for diagnosing and picking up some of those things early,” says Dr. Jeremy Carrier, an OSF HealthCare family medicine...
Our thanks to JoAnn (Mihelcic) Hansen of Las Vegas, Nev., for submitting this week's photo. It features the Staunton High School JV cheerleaders from the 1970-71 school year. They are (top row) Denise Gockel and Debbie Pingolt; (middle row) Mary Kay Streeb and JoAnn Mihelcic; (bottom center) is Kathy Lovejoy....
Thursday, April 26, 1990 -- LIVINGSTON SPRING CARNIVAL IS SATURDAY-- The annual Livingston PTO Spring Carnival will be Saturday, April 28th, at the Livingston High School gym. The carnival stands will open at 5:30 p.m. featuring games, crafts, baked goods, and a lunch stand. Tickets may be purchased that evening for prizes to be awarded during the carnival. King and Queen candidates from Kindergarten through 8th grade were chosen by the students to represent their class. The candidates this year are: Kindergarten, Michael DalPozzo and Andrea...
Issue of May 22, 1997 Staunton Police Officer Andy Pingolt was attacked May 19 by a pit bull that was running loose. Pingolt was notifying the owners when the dog bit him in the face. He required 40 stitches. Mack and Elaine Libbra of rural New Douglas will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on June 1. Elmer and Mary Niehaus of Mt. Olive will observe their 50th wedding anniversary on June 1. Robert “Katz” Vegher (95) of Staunton died May 16 at Community Memorial Hospital. Frank Kalika (72) of Staunton died May 15 at Community Mem...
By Tom Emery There is only one Macoupin County in the world, and it is generally agreed that the county takes its name from the creek that bisects it. Where the name “Macoupin” itself came from, though, is highly debated. Most believe that “Macoupin” originates from some type of plant, though exactly what type of plant is the question. In his 1911 county history, former state senator C.A. Walker reports that “Macoupin is of (American) Indian origin and is abbreviated from ‘Macoupina,” which signifies in their tongue ‘white potato’ for tha...