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737 

THE  NATIONAL  BANK  OF  MATTOON 

The  National  Bank  of  Mattoon  opened  its 
doors  for  business  on  July  1,  1911. 

Its  antecedents  were  the  old  First  National 
Bank  and  the  old  Mattoon  National  Bank  and, 
more  remotely,  a  private  bank  known  as  Pil- 
kington  and  Company.  The  National  Bank  of 
Mattoon  had,  just  before  its  1911  opening-, 
taken  over  the  assets  of  the  First  National 
and  the  Mattoon  National.  In  February,  1865, 
the  First  National  was  organized.  It  had  pur- 
chased the  furniture  and  fixtures  of  Pilking- 
ton  and  Company  for  one  thousand  dollars 
and  began  business  in  that  company's  offices 
at  1713  Broadway.  This  was  just  about  two 
months  before  the  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln. 

During  the  same  year,  1865,  the  new  bank 
purchased  a  lot  at  1613  Broadway  for  $1800 
and  moved  into  its  new  quarters  in  1866, 
where  it  continued  until  1911.  The  First  Na- 
tional was  through  the  years  the  leading  bank 
of  Mattoon.  In  1874,  however,  it  was  forced 
to  share  a  portion  of  the  banking  business  of 
the  community  with  a  competitor,  the  Mat- 
toon National,  organized  that  year.  The  Mat- 
toon National  erected  a  building  at  1704 
Broadway  and  conducted  business  at  that  lo- 
cation until  1911.  In  its  first  year  in  business, 
the  First  National  lent  money  to  the  individ- 
ual directors  of  the  West  Side  School  (Haw- 
thorne) rather  than  to  the  school  district, 
which  was  newly  organized.  Thus  a  way  was 
found  to  promote  the  growth  of  public  insti- 
tutions for  the  betterment  of  the  community, 
a  policy  still  followed  by  its  successor,  the 
National  Bank  of  Mattoon. 

With  the  merger,  the  new  bank,  the  Na- 
tional, opened  for  business  in  a  new  building 
at  1632-34  Broadway.  This  location  had  been 
purchased  for  the  sum  of  $30,000  and  a 
building  erected  on  it  at  an  additional  cost  of 
$60,000.  L.  L.  Lehman  was  the  bank's  first 
president,  and  he  has  had  only  four  succes- 
sors: G.  S.  Richmond,  W.  H.  Ownby,  Fred 
Grant  and  J.  Stanley  Weis.  The  bank,  at  time 
of  organization,  had  capital  and  surplus  to- 
taling $300,000  and  deposits  of  $1,200,000. 
As  of  June  30,  1949,  the  capital  and  surplus 
totaled  $500,000  and  the  deposits  $11,461,- 
851.90.  The  undivided  profits  as  of  that  date 
stood  at  $86,548.86  and  the  reserve  for  con- 
tingencies and  taxes  at  $123,880.56.  In  1949, 
the  bank  paid  its  76th  consecutive  semi-an- 
nual dividend.  This  rapid  and  continued  growth 


is  evidence  of  the  capable  management  and 
confidence  cf  the  public,  which  this  financial 
institution  has  enjoyed  down  through  the  years. 

The  bank  enlarged  its  quarters  in  1924. 
Continued  growth  and  expansion  soon  made  it 
imperative  for  still  morj  space  to  be  provided. 
In  consequence,  in  1945  an  extensive  program 
of  remodeling  and  complete  modernization 
was  undertaken.  Completed  in  1946,  this  re- 
sulted in  the  present  beautiful,  spacious  and 
highly  efficient  quarters  in  which  the  bank 
now  operates.  A  complete  new  floor  was  ad- 
ded to  the  premises  by  excavating  a  "down- 
stairs banking  room,"  in  which  all  the  book- 
keeping is  handled.  New  vaults  were  added  to 
handle  increased  demand  for  safe  deposit 
boxes,  and  new  air  conditioning  and  heating 
units  were  installed  for  customer  comfort  the 
year  around.  Accoustical  treatment  and  new 
fixtures  added  the  final  touches. 

When  the  bank  began  business  in  1911,  it 
had  a  staff  of  sixteen  officers  and  employees. 
Today  the  staff  comprises  thirty-seven.  The 
officers,  besides  President  Weis,  including 
Edward  W.  Vollmer,  vice-president;  Francis 
A.  Hoag,  vice-president  and  cashier;  Martin 
F.  Behrend,  vice-president  and  trust  officer; 
John  W.  Sheeks,  assistant  vice-president;  Leo 
Scofield,  assistant  cashier  and  assistant  trust 
officer;  H.  O.  Phipps,  assistant  cashier  and 
assistant  trust  officer,  and  E.  C.  Bauer,  as- 
sistant cashier  and  assistant  trust  officer,  all 
of  whom  are  represented  biographically  in 
this  edition.  On  the  directorate  are  Mr.  Weis, 
Mr.  Vollmer,  Mr.  Hoag,  Mr.  Behrend  and 
George  W.  Bock,  Jewell  I.  Dilsaver,  Fred 
Grant,  Fred  Kuehne,  W.  H.  Cwnby,  and  Fred 
White. 

The  National  Bank  of  Mattoon  is  a  member 
of  the  Federal  Reserve  System,  Federal  De- 
posit Insurance  Corporation,  American  Bank- 
ers Association,  Illinois  Bankers  Association, 
Coles-Cumberland  Federation  of  Bankers,  Na- 
tional Association  of  Bank  Auditors  and 
Comptrollers,  Financial  Public  Relations  As- 
sociation, United  States  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, Illinois  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Mat- 
toon Association  of  Commerce,  and  Coles 
County  Farm  Bureau. 

The  bank  has  been  prominent  in  the  agri- 
cultural, industrial  and  oil  development  of  the 
community.  It  is  and  has  been  a  firm  believer 
in  the  policy  that  whatever  benefits  the  ter- 
ritory it  serves  benefits  the  National  Bank  of 
Mattoon. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


493 


The  bank  carries  on  a  complete  banking 
service  covering  all  functions  of  banking, 
including  complete  trust  powers. 

With  the  exception  of  the  panic  years  1878- 
1879,  the  National  Bank  of  Mattoon  and  its 
predecessors  have  never  failed  to  declare  divi- 
dends since  the  First  National's  organization 
in  1865.  This  is  a  record  in  the  financial  his- 
tory of  Illinois.  As  a  result  of  sound  business 
practices,  the  National  today  enjoys  a  reputa- 
tion second  to  none,  not  only  in  the  communi- 
ty but  in  the  State.  Ever  mindful  of  duties 
and  obligations  to  depositors  and  customers, 
the  staff  is  dedicated  to  the  preservation  of 
policies  and  practices  which  have  built  the 
bank  into  the  powerful  financial  institution 
it  is  today. 

JOSEPH  STANLEY  WEIS 

Long  identified  in  banking  circles  in  Cen- 
.tral  Illinois,  Joseph  Stanley  Weis  of  Mattoon 
has  spent  a  long  lifetime  in  service  to  his 
community  and  state.  A  banker  since  1906, 
he  has  risen  to  great  prominence  among  mem- 
bers of  this  great  field  of  endeavor  and  has, 
in  addition,  been  a  leading  figure  in  civic  and 
public  affairs,  in  industrial  development  and 
in  welfare  and  cultural  works.  In  World  Wars 
I  and  II  Mr.  Weis  gave  vital  service  on  the 
homefront  through  the  war-financing  pro- 
grams and  in  peacetime,  principally  in  the 
post-World  War  II  period,  he  has  served  in 
movements  to  ease  the  housing  shortage.  Mr. 
Weis  is  president  and  a  director  of  the  Nation- 
al   Bank    of    Mattoon. 

Mr.  Weis'  birth  occurred  on  June  1,  1885, 
in  Mattoon  Township,  near  Wabash  Point, 
Coles  County.  His  parents  were  Dr.  Joseph  W. 
Weis,  a  noted  physician  and  surgeon,  and 
Elizabeth  B.  (Allison)  Weis.  Dr.  Weis,  born 
in  Springfield,  Missouri,  in  1850,  moved  to 
Mattoon  Township  with  his  family  in  a  cov- 
ered wagon,  making  the  trip  directly  from 
Springfield  in  the  coui'se  of  the  War  Between 
the  States.  At  the  end  of  the  conflict  the 
family  returned  to  Springfield.  Joseph  Weis 
studied  medicine  in  New  York  and  Chicago 
and  in  1872  took  his  medical  degree.  He  prac- 
ticed in  the  area  southwest  of  Mattoon  from 
1875  to  1886  and  then  at  Coles  Station  north- 
west of  Mattoon  from  1886  to  1900.  He  ended 
his  career  at  Manchester,  in  Scott  County, 
where  he  practiced  from  1900  to  1923.  In 
1927  he  died.  Elizabeth  Allison  Weis  was  also 
a  native  of  Mattoon  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Frank   A.    Allison,   an   attorney   in   that   city, 


and   Zipora  Allison.   Her  family   pioneered  in 
Coles  County. 

Joseph  Stanley  WTeis,  the  banker,  commonly 
known  as  J.  Stanley  Weis,  began  his  educa- 
tion in  the  rural  schools  near  Coles  Station, 
which  is  in  Moultrie  County.  He  attended 
Eastern  Illinois  State  Normal  College  at 
Charleston  for  two  semesters,  1899-1900,  and 
then  went  to  the  four-year  high  school  at 
Manchester,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1903.  In  1905  he  completed  a  commercial 
course  at  the  Gem  City  Business  College  In 
Quincy. 

Mr.  Weis  began  his  career  as  a  clei'k  in  a 
general  store  at  Manchester,  where  he  worked 
from  1903  to  1904.  In  1905  he  became  man- 
ager of  a  grocery  store  at  Virden.  In  1906 
he  entered  the  banking  business  as  assistant 
cashier  of  the  Farmers  and  Traders  Bank  at 
Manchester.  In  1910  he  resigned  this  position 
to  accept  appointment  as  assistant  cashier  of 
the  Mattoon  National  Bank  in  Mattoon  and 
continued  in  that  position  when  this  bank  be- 
came a  party  to  the  merger  that  formed  the 
National  Bank  of  Mattoon.  From  1918  to 
1939  he  was  cashier  of  the  National  Bank  of 
Mattoon  and  in  1939  he  became  vice-presi- 
dent. He  was  elevated  to  the  presidency  in 
1945.  He  has  been  a  director  of  the  bank 
since  1920. 

Soon  after  he  first  established  himself  as  a 
banker  in  Mattoon,  Mr.  Weis  returned  briefly 
to  Manchester  to  marry  Catherine  Gale  An- 
dras,  the  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Clara 
Andras.  The  date  of  the  ceremony  was  May  1, 
1911.  They  now  reside  at  1121  Wabash  Ave- 
nue, Mattoon,  and  worship  in  the  First  Meth- 
odist Church  and  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  that  city. 

Mr.  Weis'  experience  and  skill  as  a  banker 
have  been  invaluable  in  his  organization  and 
civic  work.  He  has  been  president,  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Coles-Cumberland  Fed- 
eration of  Bankers,  been  chairman  of  Group 
Seven  of  the  Illinois  Bankers  Association  and 
treasurer  of  the  Illinois  Bankers  Association, 
1931-1932,  and  has,  in  addition,  served  on 
various  committees  of  the  State  organization. 
From  1917  to  1919  he  was  treasurer  of  the 
City  of  Mattoon  and  from  1925  to  1927  he 
served  on  the  Board  of  Aldermen.  From  1930 
to  1932  he  was  treasurer  of  the  school  system 
in  Mattoon  Township.  From  1928  to  1934  he 
was  treasurer  of  the  Dodge  Grove  Cemetery 
of  Mattoon  and  he  is  now  a  director  of  the 
Illinois  Good  Roads  Association.  He  served  on 


494 


LIBRARY    OF    AMERICAN    LIVES 


the  board  of  the  Coles  County  Tuberculosis 
Sanitarium  from  1937  to  1949  and  was  presi- 
dent and  a  director  of  the  Mattoon  Develop- 
ment Corporation,  an  organization  to  assist 
in  easing  the  critical  housing  situation,  from 
its  inception  in  1946  to  its  dissolution  in  1949. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  Coles  County  for 
War  Stamps  drives  in  World  War  I  and  co- 
chairman  of  the  Coles  County  War  Savings 
Bond  Committee  in  World  War  II.  Mr.  Weis' 
top  associates  in  the  National  Bank  of  Mat- 
toon  are  Edward  William  Vollmer,  vice-presi- 
dent; Francis  August  Hoag,  vice-president  and 
cashier,  and  Martin  F.  Behrend,  vice-president 
and  trust  officer,  all  of  whom  are  also  sub- 
jects of  biographical  studies  in  this  Illinois 
history. 

Mr.  Weis  played  a  prominent  role  in  secur- 
ing for  Mattoon  most  of  its  major  industrial 
plants,  some  of  which  are:  Brown  Shoe  Com- 
pany, Kuehne  Manufacturing  Company,  Mat- 
toon Lamp  Works,  division  of  General  Elec- 
tric Company,  Gar-Wood  Industries,  and 
Atlas  Imperial  Diesel  Engine  Company.  This 
latter  company  operated  in  Mattoon  for  a 
number  of  years  and  the  building  that  they 
occupied  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Young  Radiator  Company.  Mr.  Weis  also  as- 
sisted, civic-wise,  in  the  establishment  of  Mat- 
toon as  a  prominent  center  for  oil  develop- 
ment in  Illinois. 

The  great  growth  of  Mattoon  and  Coles 
County  has  paralleled  the  rise  of  Joseph  Stan- 
ley Weis  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  his  ac- 
tivities have  contributed  to  that  growth. 

EDWARD  WILLIAM  VOLLMER 

From  a  humble  start  as  a  grocery  clerk  Ed- 
ward Vollmer  of  Mattoon  has  risen  to  a  po- 
sition of  great  prominence  in  the  banking 
world  and  in  the  civic  life  of  his  community. 
He  has  served  the  city  as  a  Commissioner, 
been  an  official  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  been  chairman 
of  War  Bond  drives  in  World  War  II.  As  a 
banker,  Mr.  Vollmer  is  vice-president  of  the 
National  Bank  of  Mattoon. 

Born  at  Mattoon  on  March  30,  1893,  Mr. 
Vollmer  is  the  son  of  John  Vollmer,  a  nativo 
of  Wisconsin  and  a  carpenter,  and  Mary  Fos- 
bender,  born  at  Oldenburg,  Indiana,  and  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Anna  Fosbender.  He 
attended  parochial  and  public  schools  in  Mat- 
toon. 

For  about  six  months  in  1910  Mr.  Vollmer 
worked  as  a  clerk  in  the  John  Martin  grocery 


store  in  Mattoon.  Then,  on  January  16,  191 1, 
he  began  as  a  clerk  in  the  old  First  National 
Bank  of  Mattoon  which  was  merged  with  the 
Mattoon  National  Bank  on  July  1,  1911  to 
form  The  National  Bank  of  Mattoon.  In  1918 
he  was  promoted  to  assistant  cashier  and  in 
1939  he  was  made  cashier,  being  elected  to 
the  board  of  directors  in  the  following  year. 
Since  January  9,  1945,  he  has  been  vice-pres- 
ident. The  other  officers  of  this  bank  are 
Joseph  Stanley  Weis,  president;  Francis 
August  Hoag,  vice-president  and  cashier,  and 
Martin  F.  Behrend,  vice-president  and  trust 
officer,  the  stories  of  whose  lives  and  careers 
also  appear  in  this  Illinois  edition  of  the  Li- 
brary of  American  Lives.. 

On  June  20,  1914,  at  Mattoon,  Mr.  Vollmer 
married  Mabel  Cordes,  the  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Audiver  Cordes.  They  are  the  parents  of 
Donald  E.  Vollmer,  who  married  Mary  Wade 
Parthemer  in  Oak  Park,  Illinois,  on  November 
27,  1948.  The  Vollmers  reside  at  1416  La- 
fayette Avenue,  Mattoon.  Mr.  Vollmer  is  a 
communicant  of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception,  Mattoon,  and  Mrs.  Vollmer  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

The  tall  figure  of  Mr.  Vollmer — -he  is  five 
feet  eleven  inches  tall,  weighs  160  pounds 
and  has  brown  hair  and  brown  eyes — is  a  fa- 
miliar one  in  the  civic  picture.  He  was  Com- 
missioner of  the  City  of  Mattoon  from  May  1, 
1937,  to  April  30,  1949,  and  from  1922  to 
1947  was  treasurer  and  a  director  of  the 
Mattoon  Chapter  of  the  American  Red  Cross. 
Aside  from  his  leadership  activities  in  the  Red 
Cross  during  the  war,  Mr.  Vollmer  headed  all 
the  War  Bond  diives  in  the  community.  He  is 
a  member  of  Coles  County  Lodge,  No.  1057, 
Knights  of  Columbus;  the  Mattoon  Association 
of  Commerce,  the  Rotary  Club  of  Mattoon, 
the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
the  Mattoon  Country  Club.  He  has  served  in 
all  the  offices  of  the  Coles-Cumberland  Fed- 
eration of  Bankers. 

The  community  is  considerably  indebted  to 
Edward  William  Vollmer  for  his  contribution 
to  its  development. 

FRANCIS  AUGUST  HOAG 

Back  in  1915,  a  lad  who  was  not  yet  nine- 
teen went  to  work  for  a  bank  at  Mattoon.  His 
superiors  soon  recognized  his  abilities  and  be- 
gan advancing  him.  Today,  that  lad  is  vice- 
president  and  cashier  of  the  institution  which 
gave    him    his    start — The    National    Bank    of 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


495 


Mattoon.  And  he,  Francis  August  Hoag,  na- 
tive of  that  community,  is  a  well  known 
figure  not  only  in  the  banking  world  but  also 
in  agriculture,  in  civic  affairs  and  among  lay 
Catholics.  He  is  a  veteran  of  World  War  I. 

Francis  August  Hoag  was  born  in  Mattoon 
on  August  17,  1896,  the  son  of  the  late  Au- 
gust Hoag,  who  was  a  native  of  Baden,  Ger- 
many, and  of  Rosa  (Steidl)  Hoag.  His  mother, 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Gabrella  Steidl,  was 
herself  born  in   Chicago. 

The  future  banker  began  his  education  in 
St.  Joseph's  Parochial  School,  Mattoon.  He 
spent  three  years  as  a  student  at  St.  Francis 
College,  Quincy,  where  he  took  both  commer- 
cial and  academic  courses.  Upon  leaving  college 
Mr.  Hoag  returned  to  Mattoon  and  on  July  1, 
1915,  began  his  career  with  The  National 
Bank  of  Mattoon.  He  worked  through  transit 
and  bookeeping  and  as  a  teller.  On  January 
13,  1920,  he  was  appointed  assistant  cashier 
and  on  January  9,  1945,  advanced  to  cashier. 
He  assumed  his  present  dual  office  of  vice- 
president  and  cashier  on  January  8,  1946.  On 
that  same  date  he  was  elected  to  the  board  of 
directors.  Serving  with  Mr.  Hoag  on  the  board 
and  in  the  "front  office"  of  the  bank  are  Jo- 
seph Stanley  Weis,  president;  Edward  William 
Vollmer,  vice-president,  and  Martin  F.  Beh- 
rend,  vice-president  and  trust  officer,  all  three 
of  whom  are  also  subjects  for  biographies 
in  this  Illinois  edition  of  the  Library  of  Amer- 
ican Lives. 

Another  interest  of  Mr.  Hoag's  is  agricul- 
ture. He  is  a  partner  in  the  Hoag  Brothers 
farm  in  Coles  County.  As  a  banker,  he  is  ac- 
tive in  the  Eastern  Illinois  Chapter,  National 
Association  of  Bank  Auditors  and  Comptrol- 
lers, of  which  he  was  vice-president  in  1949; 
the  Coles-Cumberland  Bankers  Association, 
of  which  he  is  former  secretary  and  is  now 
(1949)  vice-president;  and  the  Association  of 
Commerce  of  Mattoon  and  the  Illinois  State 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Mattoon,  in  which  he 
has  served  on  the  board  of  directors;  the  Coles 
County  Farm  Bureau,  the  Mattoon  Golf  and 
Country  Club,  and  the  Mattoon  Post  of  the 
American  Legion.  A  prominent  lay  Catholic, 
Mr.  Hoag  is  former  trustee  of  the  Mattoon 
Council,  Knights  of  Columbus.  He  served  as 
vice-president  of  Te  Deum  Forum  and  Inter- 
national in  1948  and  has  been  through  the 
chairs  in  the  Holy  Name  Society  of  his  church, 
Immaculate   Conception  of  Mattoon. 


Mr.  Hoag  served  with  the  United  States 
Navy  in  World  War  I,  the  period  of  his  ser- 
vice running  from  June  15,  1918,  to  June  17, 
1919.  He  votes  the  Republican  ticket  in  the 
primaries.  Golf,  hunting  and  fishing  are  his 
favorite  recreations.  He  likes  football  as  a 
spectator  and  among  his  hobbies,  in  addition 
to  farming,  are  backlot  beekeeping,  reading 
and  shows.  He  is  five  feet  eight  and  one-half 
inches  tall  and  weighs  two  hundred  pounds. 
He  is  a  bachelor  and  resides  at  1800  Moultrie 
Avenue,  Mattoon. 

Mr.  Hoag  is  an  influential  personality  in 
the  banking  and  civic  circles  of  his  native  re- 
gion. 

MARTIN  F.  BEHREND 

Various  fields  of  interest  in  Coles  County 
and  the  State  at  large  have  known  the  leader- 
ship of  Martin  F.  Behrend  of  Mattoon.  A 
banker^he  has  also  become  known  for  his  ac- 
tivities in  the  fields  of  taxation  and  of  agri- 
cultural and  industrial  pursuits  and  develop- 
ment. He  has  done  much  to  alleviate  the 
housing  shortage  in  his  area  and  has  headed 
various  civic  endeavors  and  groups.  As  banker, 
Mr.  Behrend  is  vice-president  and  trust  officer 
of  The  National  Bank  of  Mattoon. 

The  son  of  Charles  F.  Behrend,  who  was  a 
prominent  farmer  in  Coles  County,  and  of 
Alice  (Sanders)  Behrend,  a  native  of  Coles 
County  and  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  D. 
Sanders,  Martin  F.  Behrend  was  born  in  Hum- 
boldt Township,  Coles  County,  on  January  9, 
1899.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  at 
the  age  of  four.  After  residing  in  New  York 
State  a  short  time,  Charles  Behrend  moved  to 
Illinois  and  as  a  young  man  located  in  Coles 
County  on  a  farm  in  Humboldt  Township 
where  he  made  his  home  until  his  death. 

Martin  F.  Behrend  attended  the  rural 
schools  in  Humboldt  Township  and  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  took  a  business  course  in  Utter- 
back's  Business  College  at  Mattoon.  On  June 
28,  1916,  Mr.  Behrend  entered  the  employ  of 
The  National  Bank  of  Mattoon.  After  working 
in  different  positions  he  was  elected  assist- 
ant cashier  in  1924.  Sixteen  years  later  he 
was  made  assistant  trust  officer  and  in  1941 
was  elected  trust  officer.  On  January  8,  1946, 
Mr.  Behrend  was  advanced  to  vice-president 
and  he  has  since  held  that  office  while  also 
discharging  the  duties  of  trust  officer.  He  was 
elected  to  the  bank's  board  of  directors  in 
January,     1947.     Mr.     Behrend's     colleagues 


496 


LIBRARY     OF    AMERICAN    LIVES 


among  the  bank's  officers  include  Joseph 
Stanley  Weis,  president;  Edward  William  Voll- 
mer,  vice-president;  and  Francis  A.  Hoag, 
vice-president  and  cashier,  the  stories  of 
whose  lives  and  careers  are  chronicled  on 
other  pages  of  this  Illinois  edition  of  the  Li- 
brary of  American  Lives. 

Mr.  Behrend  married  Florence  Rankin, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Rankin  cf 
Gays,  Illinois,  and  they  have  one  son,  David 
Behrend.  Their  home  is  at  1221  Wabash  Av- 
enue, Mattoon.  Mr.  Behrend  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  and  Mrs.  Behrend  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Mr.  Behrend,  who  is  in  good  physical  con- 
dition, is  described  as  five  feet  ten  and  one- 
half  inches  tall,  weighing  two  hundred  pounds, 
with  blond  hair  and  blue  eye:;.  Prominent  in 
the  Illinois  Bankers  Association,  he  is  now 
a  member  of  the  agriculture  committee.  He 
is  also  active  in  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  serving  on  that  organization's 
federal  tax  committee.  He  served  two  terms 
as  president  and  two  terms  as  a  director  of 
the  Association  of  Commerce  of  Mattoon  and 
two  terms  as  a  member  of  the  All  Coles  Coun- 
ty Agriculture-Industry  Board.  He  is  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Mattoon  Homes  Association.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  interested 
in  all  outdoor  sports,  especially  hunting  and 
fishing. 

Few  men  have  devoted  themselves  co  thor- 
oughly to  public  service  as  Martin  F.  Behrend. 

JOHN  WILLIAM  SHEEKS 

A  man  who  has  taken  advantage  of  every 
opportunity  to  learn  every  facet  of  the  bank- 
ing business,  John  William  Sheeks  of  Mattoon 
is  today  one  of  the  more  prominent  citizens 
working  in  this  field.  From  a  beginning  as 
clerk  in  the  National  Bank  of  Mattoon,  Mr. 
Sheeks  has  risen  to  the  responsible  post  of 
assistant  vice-president.  He  is  also  well  known 
as  a  lay  Methodist,  and  is  active  in  the  city's 
social  and  welfare  programs. 

Mr.  Sheeks  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Sulli- 
van, seat  of  Moultrie  County,  on  September 
29,  1900.  His  father,  a  farmer,  was  John 
David  Sheeks  and  his  mother  Alice  M.  Tee- 
ter, the  daughter  of  Levi  M.  and  Elizabeth 
Teeter.  The  future  banker  went  through  the 
eighth  grade  in  country  schools  and  then  at- 
tended Mattoon  High  School.  After  he  began 
his  business  career,  he  studied  in  the  night 
sessions  of  Utterback's  Business  College,  Mat- 
toon, and  later  gave  himself  additional  prep- 


aration for  success  in  banking  by  taking  two 
summer  courses  of  two  weeks  each  at  the 
Chicago  campus  of  Northwestern  University, 
under  the  sponsorship  of  the  Financial  Public 
Relations  Association. 

Mr.  Sheeks'  banking  career  began  in  March, 
1920,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Mattoon  as  a  clerk.  From  this 
post  he  went,  successively,  to  savings  teller, 
note  and  exchange  teller,  commercial  teller 
and  supervisor  of  the  bookkeeping  depart- 
ment. In  this  last-named  post  he  further  im- 
pressed his  superiors  to  such  extent  that  on 
January  9,  1945,  he  was  made  assistant  cash- 
ier and  on  January  8,  1946,  assistant  trust  of- 
ficer as  well.  On  October  11,  1949,  Mr. 
Sheeks  was  elevated  to  his  present  office  of 
assistant  vice-president. 

On  July  2,  1927,  Mr.  Sheeks  married  Flo- 
rence E.  Walker,  the  ceremony  being  per- 
formed in  the  First  Methodist  Church  of  Mat- 
toon. His  children  are  Barbara  Ann,  now  Mrs. 
William  C.  Freeland;  Lois  June,  now  Mrs. 
James  E.  Ferguson,  Jr. ;  David  Eugene  Sheeks 
and  John  Daniel  Sheeks.  His  home  is  at  261G 
Prairie  Avenue,  Mattoon. 

Mr.  Sheeks  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Mattoon  Lodge,  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  and 
the  First  Methodist  Church.  He  has  served  the 
Epworth  League  as  secretary  and  president 
and  been  superintendent  of  the  intermediate 
department  of  the  Sunday  School.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Mattoon  Baseball  Fans  Club 
and  is  a  director  of  the  Mattoon  Athletic  As- 
sociation, a  local  professional  baseball  club  of 
the  Missouri-Ohio  Valley  League.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Coles  County  Tuberculosis 
Sanitarium  Board  and  the  Association  of  Com- 
merce. As  citizen,  churchman  and  banker,  he 
is  giving  service  to  the  community,  urban  and 
agricultural,  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability. 

LEO  SCOFIELD 

Not  only  as  a  banker  but  as  a  public  of- 
ficial Leo  Scofisld  of  Mattoon  is  serving  his 
community  and  region.  In  the  business  world 
he  is  assistant  cashier  and  assistant  trust  of- 
ficer, in  charge  of  commercial  bookkeeping 
and  audit,  of  the  National  Bank  of  Mattoon. 
In  public  office  he  is  a  member  of  the  Mat- 
toon City  Commission,  giving  the  municipali- 
ty the  benefit  of  his  long  banking  experience 
by  serving  as  Commissioner  of  Accounts  and 
Finance;  and  also  is  treasurer  of  the  Mattoon 
Township  Schools  and  of  the  Community  Unit 
School  District  No.  2,  Coles  and  Cumberland 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


497 


Counties.  He  is  prominent  in  Mesonry  and  the 
Methodist  Church. 

Born  in  Rose  Hill,  Jasper  County,  on  May 
31,  1904,  Mr.  Scofield  is  the  son  of  Elza  and 
Pearlie  (Chapman)  Scofield.  His  father,  a 
laborer,  was  born  in  Bethany,  Shelby  County, 
on  March  11,  1880,  but  was  reared  from  boy- 
hood by  an  uncle,  Ed  Powell,  at  Rose  Hill. 
The  mother's  parents  were  Rebecca  Ann  and 
Andrew  Jackson  Chapman.  Leo  Scofield  was 
graduated  from  the  Mattoon  High  School  in 
1923.  He  was  a  four-letter  man  in  football, 
serving  as  captain  of  the  team  in  1922.  He 
was  also  a  letterman  in  basktball.  In  his  senior 
year  he  ranked  high  as  an  orator. 

Mr.  Scofield  went  to  work  even  before  com- 
pleting high  school.  Before  and  after  school 
hours  he  worked  in  the  mill  department  of  the 
Andrews  Planing  Mill  as  a  glazier  and  paint- 
er. For  one  semester  in  1924  he  attended  the 
University  of  Illinois,  leaving  school  because 
the  illness  of  his  father  made  imperative  his 
returning  to  work.  He  then  began  his  career 
with  the  National  Bank  of  Mattoon.  In  later 
years  he  completed  home  study  courses  in 
banking  and  commercial  law  with  Columbia 
University  and  in  accounting  with  the  Inter- 
national Accountants  Society.  The  actual 
starting  date  of  Mr.  Scofield's  employment  at 
the  bank  was  December  26,  1924,  and  his  first 
position  was  that  of  clerk.  The  following  No- 
vember he  was  promoted  to  teller  and  assigned 
to  the  receiving  cages.  In  time  he  rose  to  head 
paying  teller  and  finally  to  head  teller.  On  Jan- 
uary 9,  1945,  Mr.  Scofield  was  appointed  assist- 
ant cashier  and  on  January  8,  1946,  the  title  of 
assistant  trust  officer  was  also  bestowed  upon 
him.  He  has  been  in  charge  of  commercial 
bookkeeping  and  audit  since  1946.  He  served 
on  the  board  of  directors  of  the  National 
Building  and  Loan  Association  from  May  8, 
1933,  through  January  11,  1939;  from  Febru- 
ary 7,  1937,  to  January  19,  1938,  he  was  pres- 
ident of  the  board. 

On  February  1,  1927,  at  Charleston,  Mr. 
Scofield  married  Ellen  Arlene  Coyle,  the 
daughter  of  Zachariah  King  and  Audrey  A. 
Coyle.  Having  brought  up  a  daughter,  Mrs. 
Scofield  now  finds  time  to  work,  on  a  part- 
time  basis,  as  a  jewelry  saleslady.  She  is  well 
known  in  Mattoon  for  her  Brownie  Scout  ac- 
tivities. The  daughter  is  Jean  Alice  Scofield, 
now  a  student  at  Eastern  Illinois  State  Col- 
lege at  Charleston.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scofield  and 
Miss  Scofield  reside  at  1016  Wabash  Avenue, 
Mattoon. 

The  family  attends  the  First  Methodist 
Church    of    Mattoon,    in    which    Mr.    Scofield 


was  Sunday  School  treasurer  from  1925  to 
1929  and  superintendent  of  the  intermediate 
department  from  1929  to  1931.  Mr.  Scofield'.? 
civic  activities  have  also  embraced  service  to 
the  Mattoon  Public  Library.  He  was  on  the 
library's  board  of  trustees,  and  was  treasurer 
of  the   board,    from    1934  to    1949.    In   June, 

1948,  he  became  treasurer  of  the  Mattoon 
Township  Schools  and  on  July  1,  1948,  treas- 
urer of  the  Community  Unit  School  District 
No.   2,   Coles-Cumberland   Counties.   In  April, 

1949,  he  was  elected  a  City  Commission- 
er for  a  four-year  term,  and  since  then  has 
been  Commissioner  of  Accounts  and  Finance. 
He  is  a  past  commander  of  the  Knights  Tem- 
plar and  active  in  the  York  Rite  and  Associa- 
tion of  Commerce.  Public  service  is  his  hobby. 

HARVEY  OTIS  PHIPPS 

Farmer  and  farm  manager  of  the  National 
Bank  of  Mattoon,  Harvey  Otis  Phipps  is  mak- 
ing an  extraordinary  contribution  to  the  devel- 
opment and  prosperity  of  Coles  and  Cumber- 
land Counties  and  is  one  of  the  better  known 
bankers  of  Eastern  Illinois.  He  is  also  promi- 
nent in  the  region  for  his  leadership  in  fund- 
raising  drives  and  campaigns  of  the  National 
Foundation  for  Infantile  Paralysis  and  othei 
Health  and  welfare  movements. 

Mr.  Phipps  is  a  native  of  Coles  County. 
Born  on  August  6,  1911,  he  is  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam E.  and  Neppie  F.  (Kinkade)  Phipps.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Moultrie  County,  is  a  re- 
tired farmer  who  owns  several  pieces  of  real 
estate,  consisting  of  both  farm  land  and  city 
property.  The  mother,  also  born  in  Moultrie 
County,  comes  of  a  family  which  pioneered  in 
agriculture  there.  Her  parents  were  Richard  S. 
and  Margaret  Kinkade. 

This  banker  began  his  education  in  the 
Smysor  grade  school  in  Moultrie  County.  Af- 
ter spending  three  years  at  the  high  school  in 
Gays,  another  Moultrie  County  community, 
he  attended  and  was  graduated  from  Windsor 
High  School  in  1929.  Mr.  Phipps  further  per- 
fected himself  for  a  career  in  banking  by- 
taking  a  course  in  accounting  at  the  Utter- 
back  Business  College,  Mattoon,  and  in  the  ex- 
tension division  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 
In  1929,  he  went  to  work  in  the  Farmers 
State  Bank  of  Gays.  On  April  14,  1930,  Mr. 
Phipps  was  appointed  to  a  p~sitijn  in  the  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Mattoon.  By  January,  1946, 
he  was  holding  the  office  of  assistant  cashier 
and  in  October,  1949,  he  was  named  assist- 
ant cashier  and  assistant  trust  officer.  In 
1949,  too,  he  became  farm  manager  of  the 
bank. 


498 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


Twice  married,  Mr.  Phipps  first  took  as 
his  wife  Edna  J.  Roberts,  the  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Emma  Roberts.  The  ceremony 
was  solemnized  in  1937.  Mrs.  Edna  Phipps 
died  the  following  year.  In  1939,  Mr.  Phipps 
married  Marguerite  M.  Myers,  the  daughter 
of  E.  C.  and  Artie  Myers.  Mrs.  Marguerite 
Phipps  is  one  of  Mattoon's  best  known  citi- 
zens. A  former  teacher  in  the  schools  at  Sul- 
livan and  Tuscola,  she  is  now  active  in  the 
Parent-Teachers  Association  of  Mattoon  end 
is  a  leader  in  the  Girl  Scout  movement.  To 
Mr.  Phipps'  first  marriage  a  son,  Gary  Wil- 
liam Phipps,  was  born  on  August  21,  1938. 
To  the  second  marriage,  a  daughter,  Mary 
Margaret  Phipps,  was  born  on  June  21, 
1941. 

Mr.  Phipps  serves  as  treasurer  of  the  Coles 
County  Chapter,  National  Foundation  for  In- 
fantile Paralysis.  Another  of  his  major  inter- 
ests is  his  farm,  consisting  of  eighty  acres, 
wh'ch  is  located  in  Cumberland  County.  Also, 
he  likes  hunting  rnd  gardening.  His  home  is 
at  1109  South  Seventeenth  Street,  Mattoon. 
His  fellow  citizens  admire  and  frequently  call 
upon  his  leadership  abilities. 

EUGENE  C.  BAUER 

Among  the  group  of  men  giving  leadership 
to  the  development  of  the  National  Bank  of 
Mattoon  and  hence  to  the  city  and  the  region 
is  Eugene  C.  Bauer.  Mr.  Bauer's  position  with 
this  great  financial  institution  is  that  of  as- 
sistant cashier  and  assistant  trust  officer.  He 
is  also  prominent  in  Lutheran  Church  work 
and  welfare  and  educational  activities. 

Mr.  Bauer  was  born  on  the  old  Bauer  home- 
stead near  Strasburg,  Shelby  County,  on  Sep- 
tember 28,  1914.  His  father,  Henry  Andrew 
Bauer,  also  a  native  of  the  Strasburg  area,  is 
a  prominent  farmer  there.  He  is  the  son  of 
John  Bauer,  Sr.,  born  and  reared  in  the  hills 
of  Ohio,  who  moved  in  his  youth  to  Illinois 
and  became  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and 
landowners  in  Shelby  County.  The  banker's 
mother  is  Martha  Dora  Sophia  (Schroeder) 
Bauer,  also  a  native  of  Strasburg.  Her  father, 
Gu stave  Schroeder,  was  born  in  Germany.  He 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  when  he  was 
twenty  years  old  and  became  one  of  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  the  village  of  Strasburg.  Eu- 
gene Bauer  attended  St.  Paul's  Parochial 
School  (Lutheran)  at  Strasburg  and  then 
Windsor  Community  High  School,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1932.  At  high  school  he 
was  active  in  track,  class  plays  and  in  debat- 
ing and  oratorical  societies  and  school  publi- 
cations.   In    the    vear    1934-1935    he    was    a 


student  at  Utterback's  Business  College  of 
Mattoon. 

Until  he  entered  the  business  college  Mr. 
Bauer  lived  and  worked  on  the  family  farm. 
Upon  his  graduation  from  the  college  in  1935 
he  accepted  the  post  of  assistant  secretary  of 
the  National  Farm  Loan  Association  in 
Charleston,  the  Coles  County  seat.  In  May, 
1936,  he  resigned  this  position  to  become 
bookkeeper  at  the  National  Bank  of  Mattoon, 
having  recognized  the  opportunity  offered 
him.  From  bookkeeper  he  advanced  through 
the  various  departments  of  the  bank — book- 
keeping department,  savings,  collections,  ex- 
change, installment  loans  and  commercial  de- 
partment. In  1949  he  was  promoted  to  his 
present  office  of  assistant  cashier  and  assist- 
ant trust  officer.  In  World  War  II,  he  was 
with  the  United  States  Maritime  Service. 

On  September  5,  1936  Mr.  Bauer  married 
Madge  Lorene  Armer,  the  daughter  of  Eu- 
gene and  Nelle  (Vaughn)  Armer.  The  cere- 
mony was  performed  in  Mattoon.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bauer  are  the  parents  O-  a  son,  Eugene 
Andrew  Bauer,  who  was  born  in  Mattoon  on 
June  17,  1942.  The  family  worships  in  St. 
John's  Lutheran  Church  of  Mattoon.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bauer  are  active  in  this  church.  Mrs. 
Bauer  belongs  to  various  of  its  societies.  She 
is  also  well  known  for  her  work  in  the  Par- 
ent-Teachers  Association. 

At  St.  John's,  Mr.  Bauer  is  a  past  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  and  former  treasurer.  He 
is  also  treasurer  of  the  Mattoon  Chapter, 
American  Red  Cross,  and  secretary  of  the 
board  of  education  in  the  Community  Unit 
School  District  No.  2,  Coles  and  Cumberland 
Counties,  and  a  member  of  the  Mattoon  As- 
sociation of  Commerce.  Mr.  Bauer  has  a  va- 
riety of  hobbies.  Among  these  are  beekeeping, 
metal  turning  (lathe  work)  and  cooking.  He  is 
also  addicted  to  reading,  music  and  hunting. 
His  home  is  at  2320  Richmond  Avenue,  Mat- 
toon. Like  his  father  and  grandfathers  before 
him,  Eugene  C.  Bauer  is  participating  in  the 
program  of  building  his  region  of  Illinois. 

HON.  CARUS  STANLEY  ICENOGLE, 
LL.B. 

Since  his  youngest  days  the  Honorable 
Carus  Stanley  Icenogle  has  served  his  native 
Coles  County  and  his  State  to  the  utmost  of 
his  unusual  abilities,  and  today  he  is  one  of 
the  outstanding  citizens.  An  attorney,  he  is 
former  Master  in  Chancery  of  the  City  Court 
of  Mattoon  and  former  City  Attorney  of  that 
community.  A  veteran  of  the  armed  forces  of 
World    War    I.    he    served    in    various    major 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


499 


homefront  capacities  in  World  War  II.  He 
has  also  given  leadership  in  civic,  church  and 
Little  Theatre  programs,  and  in  the  field  of 
music,  and  is  well  known  as  a  writer  on 
legal  and  technical  subjects. 

Mr.  Icenogle  was  born  in  Trilla,  Coles 
County,  on  June  15,  1898,  the  son  of  Joseph 
Daniel  and  Anna  L.  (Thornton)  Icenogle.  His 
father,  a  merchant,  was  a  native  of  Cumber- 
land County,  and  his  mother,  the  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Thornton,  was  also 
born  in  Cumberland  County,  Illinois. 

Carus  Icenogle  began  his  education  in  the 
elementary  schools  of  Mattoon  and  after  his 
graduation  from  high  school  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  at  Urbana.  In  1923,  he  was 
graduated  from  the  university's  College  of 
Law,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws. 
He  had  had  quite  a  distinguished  career  in 
college.  For  five  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  concert  band,  and  even  today  he  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  university  in  a  musical  capac- 
ity, being  a  member  of  the  advisory  board 
of  the  concert  band.  While  at  the  university 
he  was  elected  to  Theta  Chi,  the  national 
social  fraternity,  and  Phi  Alpha  Delta,  hon- 
orary legal  fraternity. 

On  June  23,  1924,  Mr.  Icenogle  married 
Lois  Cromer,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Frank  Cromer,  the  ceremony  taking  place  at 
West  Chicago.  Like  Mr.  Icenogle,  his  wife 
is  interested  in  music,  civic  activities  and  wel- 
fare. She  is  a  member  of  the  United  Charities 
of  Mattoon  and  of  Delta  Theta  Tau  Sorority. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Icenogle  are  the  parents  of 
two  children — Joan  Icenogle,  born  on  January 
2,  1926,  and  Stanley  T.  Icenogle,  born  on 
January  1,  1928.  The  daughter,  now  the  wife 
of  John  Matherly,  resides  at  3312  Cham- 
paign Avenue,  Mattoon.  She  is  a  graduate  of 
Stephens  College.  She  and  Mr.  Matherly  are 
the  parents  of  John  Carus  Matherly  and  Julie 
Matherly.  Mr.  Matherly  is  manager  of  the 
J.  and  J.  Shoe  Store,  Mattoon.  Stanley  T. 
Icenogle  is  a  member  of  the  Class  of  Febru- 
ary, 1950,  of  the  College  of  Commerce  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  and  a  member  of  Theta 
Chi  fraternity.  He  married  Carleen  Bock,  a 
Stephens  College  graduate  and  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Bock  of  Mattoon,  and 
they  are  making  their  home  in  Urbana.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Carus  S.  Icenogle  reside  at  115 
South  Twenty-sixth  Street,  Mattoon,  and  wor- 
ship at  the  Central  Community  Church,  in 
which  Mr.  Icenogle  serves  on  the  board  of 
deacons. 

Mr.  Icenogle  began  his  legal  career  in  1924, 
in  Mattoon.  From  that  year  to  1938  he  was 
associated   in   a   general   practice   of  the    law 


with  Bryan  H.  Tivnen.  Since  March,  1938, 
he  has  maintained  his  own  offices  and  is  now 
located  in  the  Icenogle  Building,  1703  Broad- 
way, Mattoon.  He  is  the  author  of  the  "Hand- 
book on  Illinois  Oil  and  Gas."  From  1927  to 
1930  Mr.  Icenogle  served  as  City  Attorney 
of  the  City  of  Mattoon  and  from  1938  to 
1948  he  was  Master  in  Chancery  of  the  City 
Court  of  Mattoon.  To  his  homefront  service 
in  World  War  II  he  brought  not  only  his  long 
legal  and  civic  experience  but  also  the  expe- 
rience of  a  soldier  of  World  War  I.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  Civilian  Defense  Coi-ps  and 
of  Red  Cross  War  Fund  and  March  of  Dimes 
campaigns  and  was  a  member  of  the  ad- 
visory board  for  the  Selective  Service  System 
in  Coles  County.  He  has  also  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Rotary  Club  and  on  Chamber  of 
Commerce  committees,  and  is  a  director  of  the 
Mattoon  Little  Theater.  Other  of  his  mem- 
berships are  in  the  American  Bar  Association, 
the  American  Legion  and  Mattoon  Country 
Club.  He  has  won  a  lasting  place  in  the 
history  of  Illinois. 

RUSSELL  W.  ALFRED 

When  Russell  W.  Alfred  of  Mattoon,  in 
the  transportation 'business  since  he  left  the 
farm  in  1917,  took  over  a  small  transfer  and 
storage  company  in  1944,  it  had  only  two 
trucks  and  was  doing  an  annual  business  of 
about  $4,000.  Today,  as  a  result  of  Mr.  Al- 
fred's handling  of  the  operations,  that  busi- 
ness uses  thirty  pieces  of  equipment  and 
grosses  more  than  $200,000  every  year.  He 
has  renamed  the  firm  A  and  B  Transfer,  Inc. 
He  is  one  of  the  well  known  figures  in  his 
industry  in  the  Middle  West. 

Born  in  Coles  County,  not  far  from  Mat- 
toon, on  September  15,  1896,  Mr.  Alfred  is 
the  son  of  Edward  C.  and  Emily  (Borror) 
Alfred.  His  father,  born  near  Bristol,  Vir- 
ginia, in  1855,  farmed  near  Mattoon  in  Coles 
County  until  his  retirement  in  1931.  He  and 
his  family  came  to  Illinois  in  a  covered  wagon 
in  1876,  taking  six  months  to  make  the  trip. 
His  mother,  born  at  Heyworth,  Illinois,  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Susan  Borror. 

Russell  Alfred  left  the  farm  on  August 
1,  1917,  and  went  to  work  for  the  Hayes 
Transfer  and  Storage  Company  in  Mattoon. 
This  firm  was  later  called  the  Hayes  Freight 
Lines.  From  1917  to  1927  Mr.  Alfred  work- 
ed for  the  firm  as  a  truck  driver  in  Mattoon. 
Then  he  was  promoted  to  agent  of  the  termi- 
nal at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  remained 
until  April  1,  1940.  At  that  time  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  main  office  in  Mattoon  as  oper- 


500 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


RUSSELL  \V.  ALFRED 


ating  manager,  with  responsibility  over  sixty- 
two  terminals  and  1400  pieces  of  rolling1 
stock. 

On  July  1,  1944,  Mr.  Alfred,  who  had  also 
served  on  the  Hayes  Freight  Lines'  board  of 
directors  from  1929  to  1944,  resigned  from 
that  company  to  go  into  business  for  himself. 
He  bought  out  the  Zurheide  Transfer  Com- 
pany at  Humboldt,  Illinois,  the  aforemen- 
tioned small  line  with  the  two  trucks  which 
was  then  doing  a  business  of  $4,000  a  year. 
Mr.  Alfred  transferred  the  line's  headquarters 
to  Mattoon  and  renamed  it  A  and  B  Trans- 
fer, Inc.,  and  in  the  short  time  that  has 
elapsed  has  built  the  company  into  one  with 
thirty  pieces  of  rolling  stock  and  grossing  in 
excess  of  $200,000  annually.  Mr.  Alfred  main- 
tains a  branch  in  Chicago,  and  offers  over- 
night service  on  the  general  moving  of  com- 
modities between  the  metropolis  and  about 
one  hundred  municipalities  in  Central  Illi- 
nois. He  is  president  and  general  manager 
of  the  firm. 

On  July  20,  1917,  at  Mattoon,  Mr.  Alfred 
married  Irene  E.  Wilson,  the  daughter  of 
Abraham  and  Martha  Wilson.  Mrs.  Alfred 
devotes  herself  to  her  responsibilities  as  a 
wife  and  mother.  The  Alfreds  have  one 
daughter,  Angela  J.  Alfred,  who  was  mar- 
ried to  Douglas  D.  Byars  on  August  21,  1946. 
Mr.  Byars  is  associated  with  Mr.  Alfred  in 
the  A  and  B  Transfer,  Inc.,  being  assistant 
general  manager  of  the  company  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Alfred  reside  at  1117  South  Fourteenth 
Street,  Mattoon.  They  worship  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  which  Mr.  Alfred  has  been 
attending   since   childhood. 

.  In  the  days  Mr.  Alfred  was  with  the  Hayes 
Freight  Lines  he  became  a  charter  member 
of  the  Missouri  Trucking  Association  at  St. 
Louis.  He  was  a  director  and  treasurer  of 
that  organization  from  1935  to  1940.  He  is 
now  active  in  the  Mattoon  Association  of 
Commerce.  He  votes  Democratic  and  his  hob- 
by is  sports,  especially  hunting,  fishing  and 
baseball.  Through  his  activities  he  has  been 
one  of  the  builders  of  Central  Illinois  and  he 
is  a  highly  admired  citizen  of  that  region. 

CHARLES  J.  COVINGTON 

The  Dowzer  Electric  Machinery  Works,  Inc. 
of  Mount  Vernon  is  the  largest  company  in 
its  field — the  rebuilding  of  electric  transform- 
ers— in  the  United  States.  It  has  achieved  this 
position  through  the  leadership  of  its  presi- 
dent, Charles  J.  Covington,  a  man  whose 
reputation  in  this  technical  field  is  widespread. 


Mr.  Covington,  who  just  before  and  during 
World  War  II  built  many  of  the  major  ad- 
juncts to  the  military  forces,  thus  aiding  in  the 
on-to-victory  program,  enjoys  leadership  in 
civic  and  welfare  movements  as  well  as  in  his 
field  of  business. 

Mr.  Covington  was  born  in  Farmington, 
Missouri,  on  January  8,  1914,  and  lived  there 
the  first  six  years  of  his  life.  His  parents, 
Mabry  J.  and  Ethel  Ann  Covington,  then 
moved  to  Ponca  City,  Oklahoma,  with  the 
children.  The  father,  an  electrical  engineer, 
was  a  native  of  Joplin,  Missouri,  the  mother 
of  Bonne  Terre,  Missouri.  Both  the  paternal 
grandparents  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  Hav- 
ing moved  to  Ponca  City  when  he  was  six, 
Charles  Covington  attended  the  schools  there. 
Throughout  his  scholastic  life,  which  con- 
tinued until  he  left  Wichita  University  at 
Wichita,  Kansas,  Mr.  Covington  displayed 
extraordinary  qualities  as  a  leader.  In  high 
school  he  was  an  outstanding  athlete,  and 
also  active  in  debating  and  Glee  Club.  He 
won  numerous  oratorical  contests  in  his  sen- 
ior year,  and  was  president  of  his  senior 
class.  In  the  same  year,  1933,  he  was  voted 
the  "best  citizen"  of  the  high  school.  At 
Wichita  University  Mr.  Covington  studied  his- 
tory, social  science  and  pre-law.  Here  again 
he  participated  in  debating  and  oratorical  act- 
ivities. He  was  president  of  the  non-fraternity 
groups  on  the  campus  and  led  them  in  many 
programs.  Upon  completion  of  his  education 
Mr.  Covington  entered  the  employ  of  the  Kan- 
sas Gas  and  Electric  Company,  in  Wichita, 
working  on  the  Ripley  power  plant  near  the 
city.  In  1939  he  became  second  line  foreman 
for  the  Dowzer  Construction  Company  at 
Hutchinson,  Kansas.  In  a  few  months  he  was 
assistant  foreman  and  in  less  than  a  year  was 
superintendent.  In  his  time  with  the  com- 
pany Mr.  Covington  worked  in  many  states. 
Just  prior  to  and  in  the  course  of  World  War 
II  he  was  engaged  in  the  construction  of 
large  industrial  plants,  including  airfields, 
ordnance  depots,  shipyards  and  oil  refineries, 
always  specializing  in  the  electrical  phase  of 
the  work.  During  this  period  he  was  general 
superintendent  of  electrical  construction.  In 
the  building  of  a  refinery  at  Lake  Charles, 
Louisiana,  in  1940,  Mr.  Covington  fell.  His 
left  leg  was  broken  in  several  places,  and  to 
this  day  he  must  wear  a  strong  brace  on 
the  leg.  But  he  has  not  allowed  this  to  handi- 
cap him.  Later  in  the  war  period  he  was  super- 
intendent in  the  building  of  the  shipbuilding 
yards  at  Houston,  Texas,  and  in  February, 
1943,  he  established  himself  at  Mount  Vernon 
as  manager  of  the  Dowzer  Electric  and  Ma- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


503 


chine  Works.  In  1944  he  was  made  general 
manager,  but  four  years  later  he  bought  Mr. 
Dowzer's  holdings  in  the  company  and,  after 
reorganizing  it,  he  became  president.  Mr. 
Covington  has  extended  the  operations  into 
ten  states. 

Mr.  Covington  married  Lois  Ellen  Combs  of 
Oklahoma  City,  who  finished  her  education  at 
Wichita  University.  The  ceremony  took  place 
in  Wichita  in  December,  1939.  Mrs.  Coving- 
ton had  taught  art  in  several  public  schools 
in  Kansas.  There  are  two  children — Joe  J., 
born  in  December,  1942,  and  Patricia  Ann, 
born  in  June,  1946. 

Mr.  Covington  belongs  to  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Electrical  Engineers,  the  Illinois 
Society  of  Petroleum  Engineers;  is  chairman 
of  the  standards  committee,  transformer  sec- 
tion, National  Industrial  Service  Association; 
and  former  president  of  King  Cole  Chapter, 
National  Industrial  Service  Association.  He 
was  president  of  the  Lions  Club  1948-49,  is  a 
director  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  presi- 
dent of  Ambrow-Wabash  Area  Council,  Boy 
Scouts  of  America  1950,  a  member  of  the  Elks 
and  the  Masonic  Order,  having  attained  the 
thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite  and 
becoming  a  Noble  of  Ainad  Temple,  A.A.O.N.- 
M.S.  He  has  made  a  tremendous  industrial 
and  civic  contribution. 

HON.  JOHN  DAVID  UPCHURCH 

A  veteran  of  World  War  II,  the  Honorable 
John  David  Upchurch  of  Eldorado,  Illinois, 
has  served  his  community,  State  and  nation 
with  extraordinary  pride  and  in  an  unselfish 
fashion.  Upchurch  enlisted  in  World  War  II 
in  June  1942  and  served  till  December  1943. 
He  was  with  the  Office  of  Naval  Intelligence. 
He  was  an  enlisted  Aviation  Cadet  in  World 
War  I  serving  only  a  short  period  before  the 
armistice.  After  serving  sixteen  months  in 
the  Navy  during  World  War  II  he  was  dis- 
charged and  transferred  to  be  a  civilian  buyer 
of  supplies  and  expediter  of  materials  in  the 
Navy  Bureau  of  Supplies  and  Accounts.  In 
this  capacity  he  saved  the  government  mil- 
lions of  dollars  in  purchases  through  the  ex- 
perience gained  in  the  Naval  Intelligence  con- 
cerning needed  materials  in  strategic  places. 

Upchurch  is  the  present  Mayor  of  Eldorado 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Eldorado-Raleigh 
Park  Board.  He  has  been  City  Clerk  of  his 
city  and  was  elected  to  the  Illinois  House  of 
Representatives  at  Springfield  in  1932  from 
the  51st  Senatorial  District.  As  a  first  termer 
he  gained  state  wide  attention  through  his 
introduction  of  legislation  to  prohibit  and  re- 


strict investment  of  Insurance  company 
assets  in  certain  kinds  of  securities.  The 
strong  and  protective  insurance  laws  of  Illi- 
nois are  the  results  of  Upchurch's  tough  and 
intensive  investigations.  He  introduced  and 
had  passed  changes  for  the  betterment  in  the 
banking  laws  of  Illinois.  He  was  a  student  of 
the  State's  financial  problems  and  served  as 
chairman  of  several  sub-committees  studying 
the  revenue  laws  of  the  state.  He  was  ap- 
pointed during  his  first  term  as  a  member 
of  the  Century  of  Progress  (Chicago  World's 
Fair).  He  was  the  only  first  termer  so  hon- 
ored by  the  Governor. 

John  David  Upchurch  was  born  in  Spring- 
field, Missouri  on  June  28th,  1897,  the  son 
of  William  David  Upchurch  and  Ellen  Elder 
Upchurch.  His  father,  a  native  of  Galatia, 
Illinois,  was  cashier  of  the  C.  P.  Burnett's 
Bank  of  Eldorado  for  over  fifty  years  until 
his  death  in  1946.  He  was  the  son  of  Taylor 
David  Upchurch,  cashier  of  the  Webber  Bank 
at  Galatia  for  over  fifty  years,  whose  father 
was  David  Upchurch  who  was  the  first  Judge 
of  Saline  County  serving  by  appointment  in 
his  first  term.  Ellen  Elder  Upchurch  was  the 
daughter  of  John  Wesley  Elder  of  Eldorado, 
whose  grandfather  Samuel  Elder  was  the  first 
elected  Judge  of  Saline  county.  The  family 
on  both  sides  have  been  life  long  Democrats. 
Eldorado  was  first  named  ELDEREADO,  get- 
ting its  name  from  Elder  and  Read.  Samuel 
Elder  and  Ed  Read  who  laid  the  town  out  on 
the  old  Goshen  Road.  Mayor  Upchurch  had 
a  sister  Dorothy  who  died  in  1927.  She  was 
the  wife  of  the  late  Dr.  James  Y.  Welborn  of 
Evansville,  Indiana.  Mayor  Upchurch's  par- 
ents moved  back  to  Illinois  from  Missouri 
when  he  was  less  than  a  year  old.  He  went 
through  the  grade  schools  of  Eldorado  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Eldorado  High  School 
in  1915,  having  been  captain  of  the  football, 
basketball  and  baseball  teams  in  his  senior 
year  as  well  as  president  of  his  senior  class. 
Upchurch  was  an  outstanding  athlete  in  high 
school  and  college.  He  made  his  freshman 
numeral  in  football  at  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity in  1916  and  the  following  year  he  was 
varsity  quarterback  at  McKendree  College, 
Lebanon,  Illinois.  In  1918  he  was  a  student 
at  Washington  University  in  St.  Louis  taking 
a  pre-medic  course.  He  was  married  to  Ruth 
Chamberlain,  daughter  of  Judge  and  Mrs.  C. 
E.  Chamberlain  of  Lebanon,  Illinois  in  1917. 
To  them  were  born  two  daughters,  Jane  Eliz- 
abeth on  August  2nd,  1918  and  Dorothy  Ruth 
on  Sept.  6th,  1923.  Both  of  the  daughters  are 
now   married   and   living   in   New  York.     This 


504 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


HON.  JOHN  DAVID  UPCHURCH 


marriage  was  dissolved  by  divorce  in  1927 
and  in  August  of  1944,  Mayor  Upehurch  mar- 
ried Mildred  Ruth  Gardner,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  T.  Gardner  of  Eldorado. 

In  his  youth,  between  school  terms,  Up- 
church  worked  in  the  C.  P.  Burnett  and  Sons 
Company  store  for  which  his  father  was  sec- 
retary-treasurer. Here  he  gained  experience 
that  started  him  in  a  merchandising  career 
that  he  has  followed  ever  since.  His  first 
job  after  World  War  I  was  as  a  traveling 
salesman  for  a  furniture  manufacturer  out 
of  Chicago.  In  1922  Mr.  Upehurch  entered 
the  retail  furniture  business  for  himself  at 
Centralia,  Illinois.  This  he  sold  out  and  short- 
ly afterwards  opened  up  another  retail  furni- 
ture store  in  Benton,  Illinois.  He  sold  this 
store  in  1928  and  returned  to  Eldorado  to 
join  his  father  in  the  banking  business.  He 
was  connected  with  the  bank  for  years  and  in 
the  meantime  he  was  elected  in  1932  to  the 
Illinois  House  of  Representatives.  In  1934 
he  was  the  downstate  Supervisor  of  the  Illi- 
nois Occupational  Tax  Division  and  from 
1936  to  1940  he  was  the  personnel  officer 
for  the  Illinois  State  Department  of  High- 
ways. After  World  War  II  Upehurch  pur- 
chased a  wholesale  Oil  and  Gas  distributor- 
ship in  his  home  town  and  also  founded  the 
same  year  the  John  David  Inter  City  Transit 
Co.  Active  for  years  in  Eldorado's  civic  and 
political  life,  Upehurch  has  been  honored  on 
several  occasions  by  his  fellow  townsmen.  He 
is  known  as  a  militant  Democrat.  He  was  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  Congress  from  the 
24th  District  of  Illinois  in  1948,  receiving  56,- 
262  votes  to  his  opponent's  57,732  in  what  is 
considered  a  strong  Republican  district.  In 
1949  Upehurch  was  elected  Senior  Vice-Com- 
mander of  the  American  Legion  in  the  Illi- 
nois 24th  District.  He  gives  much  time  to 
Veteran  affairs  and  has  been  named  numer- 
ous times  as  delegate  to  conventions.  Up- 
church  is  again  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
Congress  having  been  nominated  by  his  party 
in  the  April  primary  of  1950.  He  is  a  former 
president  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Golf  Asso- 
ciation and  a  former  member  of  Rotary.  Other 
organizations  he  now  belongs  to  are  the  Loyal 
Order  of  Moose,  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Ea- 
gles, the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  and  the  Masonic  Fraternity.  He  is  a 
Methodist.  Civic  work  is  his  hobby.  He  is 
active  in  Democratic  politics.  Throughout 
Southern  Illinois  it  is  well  known  that  Mayor 
Upehurch  has  devoted  himself  to  community 
and  regional  development.  He  gave  his  may- 
or's salary  of  $600.00  to  start  a  fund  for  the 


erection  of  a  Veteran's  Memorial  Library  for 
Eldorado. 

MELBOURNE  WILLIAM  GRIMM,  O.D. 

The  conservation  of  vision  and  the  correc- 
tion of  the  visual  defects  of  adults  and 
children  are  not  the  only  interests  of  Collins- 
ville's  prominent  optometrist,  Dr.  Melbourne 
William  Grimm.  Dr.  Grimm  is  also  interested 
in  movements  aimed  at  making  character- 
building  programs  available  to  children,  in  the 
Boy  Scout  movement,  in  work  for  underprivi- 
leged children,  in  civic  improvement  projects 
and  in  health  and  welfare  programs  for  the 
public  at  large.  He  is  known  throughout 
Madison   County  and  beyond. 

Born  in  Collinsville  on  February  20,  1913, 
Dr.  Grimm  is  the  son  of  William  August  and 
Mary  (Goetz)  Grimm.  His  father  is  super- 
intendent of  the  gas  division  of  the  Illinois 
Light  and  Power  Company.  Both  parents 
were  also  born  in  Illinois.  Dr.  Grimm  began 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Collins- 
ville, graduating  from  its  high  school  in  1931. 
He  became  famed  locally  as  the  member  of 
the  high  school  track  team  who  ran  the 
half  mile. 

Dr.  Grimm's  first  ambition  was  to  become 
a  civil  engineer  and  to  achieve  his  dream  he 
spent  four  years  with  the  surveying  depart- 
ment of  the  Illinois  Department  of  High- 
ways, working  on  the  construction  of  roads. 
In  his  high  school  days  he  had  worked  spare 
time  as  a  delivery  boy  and  clerk.  When  he 
was  with  the  road  department,  he  began 
courting  the  girl  who  later  became  his  wife. 
Her  father  was  an  optometrist  and  influenced 
his  decision  to  adopt  the  same  profession.  The 
result  was  that  Melbourne  Grimm  went  to 
the  Northern  Illinois  College  of  Optometry  in 
Chicago,  from  which  he  received  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Optometry  in  1938.  He  then 
returned  to  Collinsville,  where  he  has  since 
been  practicing  his  profession.  He  now  has 
considerably  larger  quarters  than  when  he 
began.  His  patients  come  from  as  far  as  East 
St.  Louis  and  from  many  of  the  communities 
outside   Collinsville. 

The  girl  Dr.  Grimm  courted  was  Cleora 
Wedel,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  P.  J. 
Wedel  of  Collinsville.  They  were  married  in 
that  city  on  October  23,  1939.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  them — Carole,  on  Novem- 
ber 1,  1942,  and  Douglas,  on  February  12, 
1946. 

Dr.  Grimm  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Optometric  Association  and  is  active  in  the 
Lions  Club  of  Collinsville,  the  Boy  Scout 
movement  (he  is  an  Eagle  Scout  himself),  the 


ILLINOIS        EDITION 


507 


Collinsville  City  Chapter  of  the  American  Red 
Cross,  the  Collinsville  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  St.  John's  Evangelical  Church  of  that  city. 
He  was  president  of  the  Lions  Club  in  the 
year  1948-1949  and  in  that  year  furthered  an 
extensive  program  for  underprivileged  chil- 
dren and  physical  improvements  of  the  city. 
In  1947,  he  was  chairman  in  Collinsville  for 
the  Red  Cross.  He  votes  independently  in  the 
interest  of  good  government.  Motor  boating 
and  fly  fishing  are  his  favorite  outdoor  sports. 
Among  his  hobbies  are  color  and  black-and- 
white  photography,  the  collecting  of  stamps 
and  Indian  relics  of  the  immediate  area  and 
woodworking.  For  the  last-named  hobby  he 
has  modern  power  tools.  Another  hobby  is  his 
family.  He  has  done  so  much  for  others  as 
to  have  become,  without  realizing  it,  a  be- 
loved figure  in  the  community. 

ROLAND  E.  WINKELMANN,  LL.B. 

In  practice  since  1920,  Roland  E.  Win- 
kelmann  of  Urbana  is  today  one  of  the  out- 
standing attorneys  of  Eastern  Illinois — a  man 
who  has  served  his  city,  region  and  State  in 
many  important  capacities,  public,  quasi-pub- 
lic and  private.  He  is  a  former  Master  in 
Chancery  of  the  Circuit  Court  in  Champaign 
County  and  former  Corporation  Counsel  of 
the  City  of  Urbana.  At  present  he  is  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Police 
Pension  Fund  of  the  City  of  Urbana.  Mr. 
Winkelmann  is  one  of  the  leading  figures  in 
fraternal  work  in  his  area  and,  a  veteran  of 
World  War  I,  a  leader  in  the  American  Le- 
gion's  Department   of    Illinois. 

Born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  on  January  5, 
1893,  Mr.  Winkelmann  is  the  son  of  Alex 
and  Lucy  (Hoffman)  Winkelmann.  His  fath- 
er, a  stove  and  range  designer  and  pattern 
maker,  was  a  native  of  St.  Louis,  his  mother 
of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  future  lawyer  be- 
gan his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Dexter,  Missouri,  continuing  in  those  of  Belle- 
ville, Illinois.  From  1912  through  1914  he 
was  at  Western  Military  Academy,  Alton,  and 
from  1914  to  1917  at  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois. World  War  I  interrupted  his  education. 
He  was  with  the  68th  Coast  Artillery  from 
April  1,  1918,  to  March  6,  1919,  and  in  1918, 
when  in  France,  attended  the  Saumur  Artil- 
lery School.  Upon  his  discharge  from  the 
service  in  1919,  Mr.  Winkelmann  returned  to 
the  University  of  Illinois,  where  in  1920  he 
was  awarded  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws. 
At  the  university  he  was  elected  to  Pi  Kap- 
pa Alpha  and  Phi  Alpha  Delta  fraternities. 
In  November,  1920,  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 


tice by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  and 
since  that  time  he  has  been  established  at 
Urbana.  From  February  1,  1921,  to  April  27, 
1943,  he  was  in  partnership  with  F.  E.  Wil- 
liamson. Then,  from  April  1943,  to  Septem- 
ber 1,  1949,  he  practiced  alone.  Since  Sep- 
tember 1,  1949,  he  has  been  the  senior  part- 
ner of  the  law  firm  of  R.  E.  Winkelmann 
and  Wendell  G.  Winkelmann.  As  might  be 
suspected,  the  latter  is  his  son,  who  has  al- 
ready established  a  reputation  as  a  member 
of  the  bar.  Among  the  elder  Mr.  Winkel- 
mann's  business  connections  are  Frank  A. 
Somers,  Inc.,  and  the  J.  M.  Bean  Electric  and 
Hardware,  Inc.,  of  both  of  which  he  is  secre- 
tary. 

Mr.  Winkelmann's  marriage  occurred  at 
Mound  City  on  March  27,  1919.  His  wife 
is  the  former  Gail  Gaunt,  the  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Eleanor  Gaunt.  Mrs.  Winkel- 
mann was  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Illinois  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
in  1918  and  was  elected  to  Alpha  Delta  Pi 
Sorority.  Wendell  G.  Winkelmann  is  the  old- 
est child.  He  holds  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of 
Science  and  Bachelor  of  Laws  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  and  is  the  husband  of  Mar- 
garet Pierson  Winkelmann.  In  World  War 
II,  he  served  with  the  75th  Division,  United 
States  Infantry.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winkelmann's 
other  children  are  Martha,  now  Mrs.  Robert 
N.  Urash,  and  John,  who  in  1950  was  a  stu- 
dent at  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  family 
worships  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  re- 
sides at  712  Indiana  Avenue,  Urbana. 

Mr.  Winkelmann  served  as  Corporation 
Counsel  from  May  1,  1925,  to  May  1,  1933. 
His  service  as  Master  in  Chancery  ran  for 
two  years.  He  became  board  chairman  of  the 
Police  Pension  Fund  in  1933.  In  the  Ameri- 
can Legion,  he  has  served  as  commander  of 
Post  No.  24,  Champaign,  as  executive  com- 
mitteeman, Department  of  Illinois  (1923-24); 
as  director  of  building  committee,  Post  No. 
71;  and  he  is  also  active  in  Champaign  County 
Voiture,  No.  238,  La  Societe  des  40  Homines 
et  8  Chevaux.  He  is  past  exalted  ruler,  Ur- 
bana Lodge,  No.  791,  Benevolent  and  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks;  past  president,  Rotary 
Club  of  Urbana;  and  in  his  profession  is  past 
president  of  the  Third  District  Bar  Associa- 
tion and  also  a  member  of  the  Champaign 
County  and  Illinois  State  Bar  Associations. 
He  is  past  worshipful  master,  Urbana  Lodge, 
No.  157,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.;  past  high  priest, 
Urbana  Chapter,  No.  80,  Royal  Arch  Masons, 
and  present  district  inspector,  15th  District; 
past    commander,    Urbana    Commandery,    No. 


508 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


ROLAND  E.  WINKELMANN,  LL.B. 


16,  Knights  Templar,  and  present  prelate;  and 
also  a  member  of  the  Red  Cross  of  Constan- 
tine,  Saxa  Ruba  Council;  Urbana  Council, 
Royal  and  Select  Masons;  Ansar  Temple,  An- 
cient Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic- 
Shrine,  and  Hope  Chapter,  Order  of  the  East- 
ern Star.  In  addition,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Urbana  Golf  and  Country  Club.  Mr.  Winkel- 
mann's  affiliations,  like  all  his  activities,  have 
made  it  possible  for  him  to  render  extraor- 
dinary service  to  his  community. 

MA  J.  GEN.  HARRY  LYNN  BOLEN 

One  of  the  outstanding'  personalities  of 
World  War  II — especially  in  the  Pacific  The- 
ater of  Operations  and  more  particularly  in 
the  Philippines — was  a  man  who  in  1920  had 
joined  the  Illinois  National  Guard  in  Cairo  as 
a  private  and  who  in  the  middle  of  American 
participation  in  World  War  II  rose  to  the  rank 
of  Colonel.  This  distinguished  soldier  of  the 
last  great  conflict  is  also  a  renowned  citizen 
of  Southern  Illinois — Harry  Lynn  Bolen.  To- 
day General  Bolen  devotes  his  talents  to  many 
fields  on  the  civilian  front,  but  he  has  by  no 
means  ceased  serving  the  nation  as  a  military 
man,  for  he  is  a  Major  General  in  the  National 
Guard  and  division  commander  of  the  Forty- 
fourth  Infantry  Division.  In  business,  he  is 
the  owner  and  operator  of  the  Harry  L.  Bolen 
Agency  of  Cairo,  a  large  and  active  real  estate 
and  insurance  firm,  and  in  civic  affairs  he  is 
one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  direction  of 
progress,  health  and  welfare  and  industrial 
development. 

General  Bolen  was  born  on  February  3, 
1896,  at  Anna,  in  Union  County,  the  son  of 
John  M.  and  Etta  (Farmer)  Bolen.  John  M. 
Bolen,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  was  twenty-one 
years  old  when  he  established  himself  at  Anna. 
He  entered  the  retail  grocery  business  and 
soon  was  an  influential  Republican,  active  on 
the  Anna  School  Board  and  in  the  Masonic 
and  Odd  Fellows  lodges. 

The  future  Major  General  was  graduated 
from  the  Anna  High  School  in  1914.  He  then 
moved  to  Cairo,  where  in  the  Spring  of  1915 
he  completed  a  course  at  Brown's  Business 
College.  His  first  job  was  with  the  Cairo 
Motor  Company  as  bookkeeper,  cashier  and 
salesman.  In  April,  1917,  the  United  States 
entered  World  War  I  and,  in  the  following 
August,  Harry  Bolen  went  into  the  infant  air 
force  of  the  United  States  Army  as  a  flying 
cadet.  He  was  given  ground  school  training 
at  the  University  of  Texas  at  Austin  and 
flight  training  at  Kelly  Field,  San  Antonio, 
and  Scott  Field,  Illinois.  He  was  at  Scott 
Field   when  the  war   ended.   Discharged   from 


there  on  November  30,  1918,  he  returned  to 
Cairo  as  salesman  and  manager  for  the  Tri- 
State  Motor  Company,  with  which  he  con- 
tinued until  1919.  In  1920  General  Bolen  join- 
ed the  Thistlewood  Motor  Company,  Chrysler 
distributors,  as  manager.  This  firm  was  dis- 
solved in  1933,  and  General  Bolen  became  di- 
rector of  the  Cairo  Transit  Bureau,  a  relief 
agency  for  transients,  with  thirty-six  person; 
under  him. 

General  Bolen  married  Louise  Broughton, 
the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  B.  Brough- 
ton of  New  Madrid,  Missouri,  on  November  8, 
1924.  Mrs.  Bolen  is  today  active  in  St. 
Patrick's  Church,  in  Girl  Scout  work  and  the 
American  Legion  Auxiliary. 

In  1936  General  Bolen  entered  the  insurance 
field  as  a  junior  partner  in  the  Dever-Bolen 
Agency  of  Cairo.  Before  going  on  active  duty 
in  World  War  II  he  sold  his  interest  to  his 
partner,  but  upon  returning  to  Cairo  in  April. 
1946,  after  he  had  returned  to  inactive  status, 
he  bought  the  Baur  Agency,  which  he  re- 
named the  Harry  L.  Bolen  Agency.  He  is  both 
an  insurance  and  real  estate  broker,  and 
writes  all  types  of  insurance.  He  is  a  director 
of  the  Security  National  Bank  of  Cairo  and 
was  a  director  of  the  Cairo  Building  and  Loan 
Association,  which  on  liquidation  paid  its 
stockholders  $1.15  for  each  $1  of  stock.  Gen- 
eral Bolen  is  a  former  president  of  the  Cairo 
Association  of  Commerce,  and  during  his  ad- 
ministration brought  to  the  city  such  in- 
dustries as  the  Valley  Steel  Products  Com- 
pany, the  Thomas  A.  Edison  Company,  and 
also  the  new  post  office.  In  that  period,  too, 
the  Alexander  County  Housing  Authority  was 
organized.  General  Bolen  is  a  former  director 
of  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Cairo  Post 
of  the  American  Legion,  and  active  also  in 
the  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars  and  the  Elks 
Lodge.  He  is  a  Republican. 

General  Bolen's  National  Guard  work  is 
his  hobby.  He  joined  the  National  Guard  in 
Cairo  in  1920,  as  a  private.  By  1922  he  had 
advanced  through  non-commissioned  ranks  to 
Second  Lieutenant  and  in  1923  he  was  pro- 
moted to  First  Lieutenant.  Shortly  afterward 
he  was  made  a  Captain  and  placed  in  com- 
mand of  Company  K,  130th  Infantry.  In 
August,  1932,  he  rose  to  Major  and  in  1940 
he  was  made  Lieutenant  Colonel.  It  was  as 
Lieutenant  Colonel  that  he  went  into  active 
duty  in  World  War  II,  in  which  he  served  five 
years  and  four  months.  He  was  called  to  duty 
on  March  5,  1941,  with  the  Thirty-third  Di- 
vision. In  May,  1942,  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Sixth  Division,  and  later  served  as  Chief 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


511 


of  Staff  and  Deputy  Base  Commander  in  the 
Philippine  Islands.  In  August,  1945,  he  was 
promoted  to  Colonel  and  on  November  29, 
1946,  he  became  Brigadier  General.  On  March 
16,  1950,  he  was  promoted  to  Major  General 
and  command  of  the  44th  Division.  He  holds 
the  combat  infantryman's  badge,  the  Bronze 
Star  with  one  oak  leaf  cluster  and  several 
other  decorations  and  ribbons.  The  contribu- 
tion he  is  making  to  development  in  Southern 
Illinois  is  widely  acknowledged. 

HENRY  L.  HEINEKE 

Hand  and  power-operated  lawn  mowers  and 
lawn-and-leaf  sweepers  made  by  the  Heineke 
Manufacturing  Corporation  of  Springfield  are 
known  and  used  the  country  over.  This  is  a 
company  headed  by  a  Springfield  citizen  and 
native,  Henry  L.  Heineke,  who  has  been  an 
outstanding  figure  in  this  field  since  his  young 
manhood  and  whose  father  entered  the  in- 
dustry in  1883.  Aside  from  his  prominence 
in  the  industrial  world,  Mr.  Heineke  has  made 
a  reputation  for  his  interest  in  the  civic  af- 
fairs of  the  capital. 

Born  on  April  1,  1905,  Mr.  Heineke  is  the 
son  of  Martin  L.  Heineke,  a  native  of  Carlin- 
ville,  Illinois,  who  died  in  1945  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three,  and  Anna  Rescho,  also  born  in 
Illinois.  There  were  also  three  girls  in  the 
family.  The  father  was  an  inventor  as  well 
as  industrial  executive.  Henry  L.  Heineke 
was  educated  in  the  elementary  and  high 
schools  of  Springfield. 

After  leaving  school  he  joined  his  father 
in  the  Heineke  Manufacturing  Corporation, 
which  the  elder  Mr.  Heineke  had  founded  in 
1902.  Martin  Heineke  had  established  him- 
self in  Springfield  in  1883,  at  the  request  of 
Sattley  Brothers,  who  had  taken  over  the 
property  of  C.  W.  Post,  later  the  head  of  the 
Post  cereal  business.  Sattley  Brothers  made 
farm  implements.  Martin  Heineke  had  in- 
vented and  patented  a  straw  stacker  used  with 
old-time  grain-threshing  machines  and  later  a 
self-feeding  device  for  combines  and  grain- 
weighing  device.  After  considerable  pressure 
by  his  employers,  the  son  recalls,  he  sold  them 
these  patents  for  $15,000.  Later  they  resold 
them  for  more  than  $100,000,  he  relates. 
Sattley  Brother-s  manufactured  Mr.  Heineke's 
inventions,  which  eventually  included  a  corn 
planter.  In  1895  they  made  him  superintend- 
ent of  their  plant.  Soon  afterward  the  firm 
consolidated  with  the  Racine  Company  of  Wis- 
consin, and  the  new  name  of  the  business  was 
Sattley-Racine  Company.  The  World's  Co- 
lumbian   Exposition,    in    1895,    awarded    Mr. 


Martin  Heineke  a  certificate  attesting  to  his 
skill  as  an  expert  artisan.  In  1902,  Martin 
Heineke  established  the  Heineke  Manufac- 
turing Company,  licensed  by  his  old  employers 
to  manufacture,  the  straw  stacker  he  had  pat- 
ented. He  also  made  the  self-feeding  device 
for  threshing  machines  and  the  grain-weigh- 
ing device  he  had  invented.  In  1921,  after 
his  combine  had  gone  into  general  use,  the 
other  items  became  obsolete.  In  1922  Mr. 
Heineke  began  making  lawn  mowers,  and 
shortly  after  he  adopted  this  item  his  son 
Henry  joined  him  in  the  business.  The  firm 
continued  making  lawn  mowers  until  World 
War  II,  when  they  switched  to  sub-contract 
war  work  for  Allis-Chalmers,  General  Motors 
and  other  big  corporations.  In  1945  the  Corps 
of  Engineers  of  the  United  States  Army 
awarded  the  company  a  contract  for  clam 
shell  buckets  for  earth  moving  and  excavating 
work.  It  was  in  this  year  that  the  elder  Mr. 
Heineke  died  and  the  son  became  president 
and  general  manager.  After  the  war  Mr. 
Heineke  led  the  company  back  to  popular- 
priced  hand  and  power-operated  lawn  mow- 
ers and  also  to  lawn-and-leaf  sweepers.  By 
1949  Henry  Heineke  had  made  the  company 
the  second  largest  producer  of  these  items  in 
the  nation  and  was  employing  200  men. 

In  1944  he  married  Henrietta  Hofferkamp, 
also  a  native  of  Illinois.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Leslie  Ann,  born  in  1945,  and  Roger, 
born  in  1948,  and  they  worship  in  the.  Luth- 
eran Church.  Mr.  Heineke's  plant  is  at  1900 
South  Eighth   Street. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Sangamo  Club  and 
the  Springfield  Lodge,  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks.  His  leadership  is  not 
only  furthering  the  fortunes  of  a  company 
founded  by  his  famed  inventor-father  but 
helping  the  continued  development  of  one  of 
America's  greatest  state  capitals. 

KARL  V.  PFLANZ 

A  part-time  job,  taken  in  high  school  days 
"to  help  out,"  has,  in  a  sense,  proved  a  life- 
time job  for  Karl  V.  Pflanz  of  Belleville  and 
led  him  to  his  great  success.  As  vice  president 
and  general  manager  of  the  St.  Clair  Ice 
Company  at  Belleville,  Mr.  Pflanz  is  still  with 
the  concern  with  which  he  started,  the  Du- 
Quoin  Packing  Company,  the  parent  concern. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  St.  Clair 
County  and,  as  the  operator  of  a  vitally  needed 
service,  is  one  of  those  helping  to  build  some 
of  the  communities  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Pflanz  was  born  in  1910  at  DuQuoin, 
in  Perry   County,  the  son  of  Charles  C.  and 


512 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


MARTIN  LOUIS  HEINEKE 


Delia  (Johnson)  Pflanz.  Both  parents  are  also 
natives  of  DuQuoin.  They  were  married  in 
1906.  The  elder  Mr.  Pflanz  is  a  retail  mer- 
chant. Another  child  of  the  family,  Melita 
Pflanz,  makes  her  home  in  Chicago.  Karl 
Pflanz  was  educated  in  the  elementary  and 
high  schools  of  DuQuoin.  It  was  when  he  was 
attending  the  high  school  that  he  obtained  the 
part-time  job  with  the  DuQuoin  Packing  Com- 
pany. When  he  was  graduated,  he  was  given 
a  full-time  position  with  this  company  start- 
ing in  the  sales  department.  He  worked  up  to 
the  position  of  sales  representative,  but  soon 
afterward  was  transferred  to  Belleville  to 
work  for  the  affiliated  St.  Clair  Ice  Company. 
There,  too,  he  was  attached  to  the  sales  de- 
partment, and  little  by  little  his  ability  brought 
him  greater  responsibility  until  he  was  made 
vice  president  and  general  manager.  Under  his 
jurisdiction,  the  company  has  extended  its 
territory  and  increased  its  volume  of  business, 
while  Mr.  Pflanz  himself  has  achieved  a  posi- 
tion of  eminence  in  the  county  and  surround- 
ing region. 

Mr.  Pflanz  married  Elizabeth  Corden,  a 
school  teacher,  in  1931,  and  is  now  the  father 
of  two  daughters — Karol  Kay,  born  June  23, 
1933,  and  Shelia  Ann  Pflanz,  born  July  14, 
1936.  The  family  worships  in  the  First  Chris- 
tian Church  of  Belleville. 

Active  in  community  enterprises,  Mr.  Pflanz 
serves  on  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Belle- 
ville Chamber  of  Commerce  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Belleville.  Baseball 
is  his  favorite  sport,  while  woodcraft  is  his 
hobby.  Service  to  customers,  Mr.  Pflanz  holds, 
is  the  medium  by  which  success  is  achieved 
and  the  growth  of  a  company  is  promoted.  He 
believes,  too,  that  there  is  a  great  need  for 
training  in  business.  He  is  one  of  St.  Clair 
County's  most  respected  citizens. 

H.  EDWARD  MEYER 

A  man  who  is  making  a  contribution  to 
construction  and  home  ownership  at  Alton, 
H.  Edward  Meyer  is  secretary-manager  and 
a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Home  Building  and  Loan  Association  of  that 
city.  He  has  a  reputation  throughout  the 
State's  building  and  loan  business  for  his  skill 
in  problems  relating  to  the  business  and  in 
the  necessary  public  education  work.  In  Alton, 
too,  he  has  been  active  in  educational  activities 
and  in  work  on  behalf  of  young  people, 
especially  boys. 

Mr.  Meyer  was  born  in  Alton  on  September 
11,  1911,  the  son  of  Harry  L.  and  Carolyn 
(Kramer)  Meyer,  who  are  natives,  respective- 
ly, of  Madison  and  Macoupin  Counties.     From 


the  time  he  was  sixteen  the  father,  born  on 
December  11,  1883,  worked  for  the  Alton  Brick 
Company  and  at  the  time  he  resigned  was  its 
superintendent.  Edward  Meyer  was  graduated 
from  the  Alton  High  School  in  1928.  He  played 
football  and  was  on  the  track  team,  as  well 
as  a  clarinet  player  in  the  high  school  band. 
In  1932,  he  was  awarded  the  degree  of  Bache- 
lor of  Science  at  Shurtleff  College,  Alton.  At 
college  Mr.  Meyer  was  business  manager  for 
the  athletic  group  for  four  years,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  "S"  tribe  and  of  the  track  and 
other  athletic  squads.  He  played  in  the  college 
band  and  was  a  member  of  the  Glee  Club. 
Also,  he  was  business  manager  of  the  yearbook 
"Retrospect"  and  it  was  the  first  year  the 
venture  did  not  go  into  the  red.  Without  real- 
izing it,  Mr.  Meyer  was  preparing  himself  for 
his  present  field  of  business,  for  he  studied 
architectui-e  and  engineering.  In  1933,  he  com- 
pleted a  one-year  course  at  Rubicam  Business 
School  of  St.  Louis.  In  his  last  year  at  Shurt- 
leff Mr.  Meyer  painted  houses  and  roofs  to 
earn  money.  In  1932,  the  year  he  obtained  his 
degree,  his  father  became  manager  of  the 
Home  Building  and  Loan  Association  and  he 
himself  followed  the  older  Mr.  Meyer  into  that 
organization,  working  at  $60  a  month  as  a 
clerk.  In  1939,  Edward  Meyer  was  elected  sec- 
retary-manager of  the  organization  and  a 
member  of  its  board  of  directors.  His  father 
became  executive  vice  president.  The  business 
was  organized  in  1902  and  because  of  good 
management  and  its  prestige  in  the  community 
has  always  paid  dividends  and  served  the  area. 

On  November  17,  1937,  H.  Edward  Meyer 
and  Dorothy  Jenkins,  daughter  of  William  J. 
and  Louise  K.  Jenkins  of  Alton,  were  married 
in  that  city.  Their  daughter  is  Carole  Louise 
Meyer,  born  December  9,  1940.  The  family 
lives  at  1612  Maple  Street,  Alton,  and  worships 
in  the  Evangelical  Church. 

Mr.  Meyer  has  been  on  the  Alton  Board 
of  Education  as  director  of  curriculum  since 
April,  1946,  and  Secretary  since  April,  1950. 
He  was  president  of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Alton 
in  1947-48  and  for  two  years  before  then  was 
its  secretary.  He  attended  the  International 
Rotary  convention  in  Atlantic  City  in  1946. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Junior  Achievement 
Organization  of  Alton  and  the  Greater  Alton 
Association  of  Commerce.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Alton  Board  of  Realtors,  the  United  States 
Savings  and  Loan  League,  the  Federal  Home 
Loan  Bank  of  Chicago,  the  education  com- 
mittee of  the  Illinois  Savings  and  Loan 
League,  and  the  Masonic  order,  including  the 
Shrine.  He  is  assistant  secretary  of  the  Alton 
Locker   Systems   Co.   of   Alton,   owned   by   the 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


515 


Meyer  family.  He  is  a  Republican.  His  hob- 
bies are  shopwork  and  his  family,  and  Boy 
Scout  activities.  Through  all  his  activities  he 
has  promoted  the  welfare  of  all  Madison 
County. 

HON.  HARRY  LEE  CRISP 

The  largest  employer  at  Marion,  William- 
son County,  is  the  Marion  Pepsi-Cola  Bottl- 
ing Company,  owned  and  operated  by  Harry 
Lee  Crisp.  Aware  of  his  responsibilities  to 
the  community  as  employer,  business  man 
and  citizen,  Mr.  Crisp,  unlike  many  others  in 
his  position,  has  devoted  himself  to  civic 
improvement  programs — and  with  such  zeal 
and  earnestness  as  to  be  elected  first  a  City 
Commissioner  and  then  Mayor,  the  only  man 
ever  to  hold  this  high  office  for  three  terms. 
He  has  also  been  active  in  Red  Cross  and  Boy 
Scout  work  and  in  every  type  of  health,  wel- 
fare and  general  betterment  project.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  bottling  company,  Mr.  Crisp 
heads  the  Goreville  Box  Company,  Inc.,  at 
Goreville,  in  nearby  Johnson  County,  and  the 
Squirt  Bottling  Company  at  Paduach,  Ken- 
tucky. He  is  the  founder  and  former  owner 
of  the  Marion  Bowling  Alley  and  former 
owner  and  publisher  of  the  Marion  Evening 
Post. 

Mr.  Crisp  was  born  in  Franklin  County  on 
December  25,  1901,  the  son  of  Charles  and 
Laura  (Burns)  Crisp.  His  father,  also  a  native 
of  Franklin  County,  is  a  retired  merchant  re- 
siding in  Marion.  His  mother  is  a  native  of 
DuQuoin.  Harry  Crisp  began  his  education 
in  the  grade  schools  at  Benton.  Following 
his  graduation  from  the  Benton  High  School 
in  1921,  he  spent  two  years  at  Southern  Illi- 
nois University  in  Carbondale.  For  two  years 
he  managed  his  father's  grocery  store  at 
Logan.  In  192  6,  he  moved  to  Marion  and 
established  the  Marion  Hatchery  and  Produce 
Company.  He  bought  poultry  and  eggs,  which 
he  shipped  east  in  carload  lots  and  which  he 
sold  in  heavy  concentrations  in  Southern  Illi- 
nois. In  1936,  he  sold  this  business  to  the 
Ohio  Valley  Creamery  Company  and  it  was 
at  that  time  that  he  took  over  the  Pepsi- 
Cola  franchise  he  now  holds.  Though  he 
started  on  a  small  basis,  he  undertook  to 
handle  twenty-one  Southern  Illinois  counties, 
his  present  territory.  There  were  five  em- 
ployees in  the  beginning.  Today  there  are 
seventy,  the  greatest  number  in  any  one  in- 
dustry in  Marion.  His  capacity  was  less  than 
500  cases  at  the  outset,  but  now  in  an  eight- 
hour  shift  he  can  produce   10,000  cases.    His 


thirty-three  trucks  go  into  every  portion  of 
the  twenty-one  counties.  The  Marion  plant 
is  valued  at  a  half  million  dollars.  He  em- 
ploys fourteen  persons  at  the  Squirt  Bottling 
Company  in  Paduach. 

On  October  2  5,  192  7,  Mr.  Crisp  married 
Violette  Fairless,  the  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Nola  Fairless  of  Marion.  There  are  two 
children — Carole,  born  September  3,  1933, 
and  Harry  Lee,  II,  born  November  21,  1935. 

In  1941  Mr.  Crisp  built  the  Marion  Bowl- 
ing Alley,  with  twelve  lanes.  This  he  later 
sold.  From  1943  to  1948  he  was  owner  and 
publisher  of  the  Marion  Evening  Post,  oldest 
paper  in  the  county,  with  Associated  Press 
and  United  Press  affiliations.  The  paper  had 
a  circulation  of  8  00  when  Mr.  Crisp  bought 
it.  At  the  time  he  sold  it,  the  circulation  was 
4400,  a  phenomenal  growth  in  five  years.  He 
is  a  director  of  the  Williamson  County  Fair 
Association.  The  Fair  is  staged  in  Marion. 
Also,  he  helped  organize  Class  D  baseball  for 
Marion. 

From  1931  to  1935  Mr.  Crisp  was  a  City 
Commissioner  and  from  1935  to  1947  he  was 
Mayor.  When  he  ran  for  his  third  and  final 
term,  he  was  unopposed.  When  he  was  first 
elected,  the  city  was  in  debt,  but  he  left  it 
debt-free.  He  was  the  first  to  order  radios 
installed  in  police  cars  in  Southern  Illinois  and 
he  organized  what  is  rated  as  one  of  the  best 
and  most  modern  fire  departments  in  that 
region.  During  his  administration,  too,  twenty 
mil.es  of  street  were  paved;  the  city  took  over 
the  water  works,  which  it  is  operating  at  a 
profit,  and  he  was  instrumental  in  inducing 
the  Government  to  establish  the  Veterans  Ad- 
ministration Hospital  in  Marion.  In  the  year 
which  was  his  last  as  the  city's  Mayor,  he 
accepted  only  one  dollar  as  salary.  As  a  spon- 
sor of  boys'  work,  he  was  active  in  setting  up 
the  Boy  Scout  Cabin  in  the  southeast  end  of 
Marion,  now  used  as  a  recreation  center.  He 
has  also  been  active  in  Red  Cross,  bond  drives 
and  similar  campaigns,  and  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Marion  and  Ilinois  State  Cham- 
bers of  Commerce,  the  Illinois  Manufacturers 
of  Carbonated  Beverages,  the  National  As- 
sociation of  Bottlers,  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  the  Rotary  Club  of 
Marion  and  the  Masonic  order.  He  likes  all 
outdoor  sports,  especially  boating.  He  owns 
the  cruiser  Violette  C,  which  he  operates  on 
the  Ohio  and  Tennessee  Rivers.  Also,  he  likes 
gaited  and  harness  and  show  horses.  His  is  a 
story  of  tremendous  achievement  and  extra- 
ordinary public  service — all  pressed  into  a 
comparatively  few  years. 


516 


LIBRARY     OF    AMERICAN    LIVES 


HON.  HARRY  LEE  CRISP 


MAXWELL  RHOADES  HOTT 

In  1958  the  Hott  family  will  be  able  to  cele- 
brate a  century  and  a  half  of  residence  in 
Piatt  County  and  a  contribution  of  an  out- 
standing character  to  the  development  of  the 
entire  State  of  Illinois  and  the  Central  States 
in  general.  Maxwell  Rhoades  Hott,  of  Monti- 
cello,  the  county  seat,  has  made  his  name  fa- 
mous in  the  fields  of  pharmaceuticals,  agri- 
culture and  banking  and  in  1950  was  entering 
still  another  field — that  of  the  super-market. 
Former  vice-president  of  the  Sterling  Drug 
Company,  he  is  the  owner  of  the  Pinus  Medi- 
cine Company,  with  office  and  factory  in 
Monticello.  A  World  War  I  veteran,  Mr.  Hott 
has  made  reputations  as  a  swimmer,  as  a 
worker  in  the  fields  of  education  and  health 
and  as  a  Naval  officer  procurement  advisor  in 
World  War  II. 

He  was  born  in  Monticello  on  January  16, 
1897,  the  son  of  John  F.  and  Nellie  J. 
(Rhoades)  Hott.  His  father  was  the  principal 
builder  of  the  Pepsin  Syrup  Company,  later 
absorbed  by  the  Sterling  Drug  Company,  and 
founder  of  the  National  Bank  of  Monticello. 
His  family  settled  in  Piatt  County  in  1808. 
John  Hott  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Rotary 
Club  of  Monticello  and  was  also  a  leading 
figure  in  the  Knights  Templar,  the  Shrine,  the 
Jesters  and  in  the  community  at  large.  Nellie 
Hott's  family,  the  Rhoades,  settled  in  Piatt 
County  about  1800.  Later  the  family  pioneered 
in  Kansas,  joining  with  the  Hutchinsons  to 
build  the  first  homes  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas. 
As  pioneers,  they  also  settled  in  California. 
Maxwell  Hott  was  educated  in  the  University 
of  Chicago  and,  while  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Expeditionary  Force  in  France,  at  the 
University  of  Aix  Marseilles,  France.  In  that 
period  he  won  the  A.E.F.  200-meter  breast- 
stroke  swimming  championship.  He  had  gone 
into  World  War  I  as  a  First  Sergeant  in  the 
Fifth  Division.  At  the  time  of  his  discharge 
he  was  a  Second  Lieutenant.  He  participated 
in  the  Battle  of  Frapelle  and  other  major 
engagements. 

Mr.  Hott  began  his  business  career  just  be- 
fore entering  the  armed  forces.  This  was  in 
January,  1917,  and  he  worked  as  a  salesman 
in  his  father's  firm,  the  Pepsin  Syrup  Com- 
pany, at  Monticello.  After  the  war  he  resumed 
his  place  with  the  company,  which  in  1924  was 
sold  to  the  Sterling  Drug  Company.  On  No- 
vember 1,  1946,  Mr.  Hott  retired  as  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  Sterling  Drug  Company,  in  charge 
of  the  Caldwell  Company  Division.  The  Pinus 
Medicine  Company,  which  he  owns  today, 
manufactures  Fritola,  Traxo,  Abbotto  Brothers 


Compound  and  Dieners.  He  also  owns  and 
operates  1160  acres  of  farm  land  in  eastern 
Piatt  County  and  a  ranch  in  California.  He 
grows  grain  and  breeds  livestock.  In  1950  he 
began  the  erection  of  a  super-market,  Cali- 
fornia style,  in  Monticello.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  National  Bank  of  Monticello. 

On  May  22,  1920,  at  Oak  Park,  Mr.  Hott 
married  Alice  Frances  Dunn,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  W.  Frank  Dunn.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Frances  Jeanne,  now  Mrs.  Charles 
W.  Bennis  and  the  mother  of  Charles  Michael 
and  John  Maxwell  Bennis.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hott 
reside  at  810  North  State  Street,  Monticello. 
They  worship  in  the  Methodist  Church.  They 
own  Deer  Lodge,  Fifield,  Wisconsin. 

Outside  the  commercial  world  Mr.  Hott  gives 
service  to  his  fellow  citizens  as  a  member  of 
the  executive  committee  of  the  advisory  com- 
mittee of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  as  a 
director  and  president  of  John  and  Mary  E. 
Kirby  Hospital.  In  World  War  II  he  was 
civilian  representative  for  Naval  Officer  Pro- 
curement in  the  Ninth  Naval  District.  He  is 
active  in  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Shrine 
and  Jesters,  in  the  Monticello  Golf  Club  and 
the  Champaign  Country  Club.  Hunting  and 
fishing  are  his  favorite  recreations.  Hr.  Hott 
is  regarded  by  his  neighbors  as  one  of  the 
most  important  citizens  in  Illinois. 

HIRAM  C.  POLLITZ 

One  of  the  proud  and  treasured  possessions 
of  Hiram  C.  Pollitz  of  Watseka,  seat  of  Iro- 
quois County,  is  a  letter  from  the  United 
States  Government  lauding  him  for  the 
distinguished  work  he  did  in  that  county  to 
further  the  sales  of  War  Bonds  and  thus  help 
finance  the  American  war  effort  in  World  War 
II.  Mr.  Pollitz  has  been  active  in  many  other 
forms  of  public  service,  and  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens  of  the  county.  His  prominence  ex- 
tends into  Indiana,  where  he  operates  a  farm 
and  breeds  prize  hogs.  At  Watseka  Mr.  Pollitz 
operates  the  Watseka  Department  Store,  a  lead- 
ing business  of  the  community.  He  has  been 
in  this  field  of  merchandising  since  the  1890's. 

Mr.  Pollitz  was  born  at  Havana,  seat  of 
Mason  County,  in  1874,  the  son  of  Frederick 
and  Henrietta  Pollitz.  His  father,  born  in 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  came  to  Illinois  when  he 
was  eighteen  years  old  and  lived  there  the 
rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  dry  goods  merchant 
at  Havana,  and  taught  his  son  the  business. 
Henrietta  Pollitz  was,  like  her  son,  a  native 
of  Illinois.  Hiram  Pollitz  went  to  school  at 
Havana  until  he  was  sixteen.  His  father's  ill 
health  forced  him  to  leave  school.  When  his 
father  recovered,  he  went  to  work  for  him  at 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


519 


Havana.  Four  years  later,  when  he  was 
twenty,  Mr.  Pollitz  entered  the  employ  of  J.  V. 
Farwell  at  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  there  he  re- 
mained three  years.  When  he  left  Farwell's, 
Mr.  Pollitz  returned  to  Havana  and  his 
father's  store.  In  1917,  he  bought  a  half  in- 
terest in  a  dry  goods  store  at  Kewanee,  in 
Henry  County.  Thirteen  years  later  he  sold  out 
his  interest  and  in  1932  bought  his  Watseka 
store. 

In  1912,  Mr.  Pollitz  married  Marion  Gray, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Gray.  A 
son  and  daughter  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Pollitz — Edwin  Brown  Pollitz,  who  serv- 
ed in  the  United  States  Coast  Guard  in  World 
War  II  and  who  is  married  and  the  father  of 
Patricia  and  Catherine  Pollitz;  and  Fay,  who 
is  now  Mrs.  Hamilton  and  the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Mary  Jane  Olson.  Mrs.  Pollitz  celebrated  her 
sixty-eighth  birthday  in  1949,  Mr.  Pollitz  his 
seventy-fifth. 

Mr.  Pollitz's  pure-bred  Hampshire  hogs, 
which  he  raises  on  his  240-acre  farm  near 
Purdue,  Indiana,  have  attracted  much  atten- 
tion from  experts.  He  is  a  former  member  of 
the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Watseka  and  is  active 
in  Masonic  circles.  Baseball  and  boxing  are 
his  favorite  sports,  and  he  has  refereed  fights. 
In  addition  to  a  letter,  written  him  by  the  Fed- 
eral Reserve  Bank  at  Chicago,  Mr.  Pollitz 
holds  a  medal  awarded  him  for  his  outstand- 
ing War  Bond  sales  record  and  leadership. 
He  is  a  popular  citizen  of  Iroquois  County. 

WILLIAM  FREDERICK  KULL 

Since  the  days  in  18  90  when  he  entered 
the  brewing  business  William  Frederick  Kull 
of  Mattoon  has  had  a  hand  in  developing  the 
beverage  industry  in  Illinois.  He  has  long 
since  ceased  making  beer  and  for  more  than 
a  half  century  has  been  an  influential  figure 
in  the  soft  drinks  world.  He  now  operates  the 
Mattoon  Coca-Cola  Bottling  Company  of  Mat- 
toon  and  the  Freeport  Coca-Cola  Company  of 
Freeport.  Also,  among  his  other  business  in- 
terests, he  operates  the  Kull  Lumber  Com- 
pany and  the  Kull  Oil  Company  of  Mattoon. 
In  these  enterprises  he  has  the  administra- 
tive assistance  of  his  six  sons  and  one  of  his 
two  daughters.  The  entire  family  has,  of 
course,  become  prominent  throughout  Central 
and  Southeastern  Illinois. 

William  Frederick  Kull  was  born  in  Stutt- 
gart, Germany,  on  February  4,  1873,  the  son 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Kull.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1890  and  in  January  of  that 
year  he  went  to  work  for  the  Fairbanks  Soap 
Factory  in  St.   Louis,   Missouri,   where  he  re- 


mained until  August,  1890.  He  then  went  to 
Murphysboro,  Illinois,  to  enter  the  employ  of 
the  Rudolph  Stecher  Brewing  Company.  He 
bottled  the  first  bottle  of  Red  Seal  beer  at 
the  Stecher  plant  on  February  1,  1891.  In 
April,  1892,  Mr.  Kull  started  to  work  for  his 
brother-in-law,  Joseph  Steinle,  in  the  Steinle 
Soda  Water  Company.  On  September  1,  1898, 
the  company  was  merged  with  the  Egyptian 
Bottling  Works,  of  which  Ruben  Hayes  was 
the  owner,  and  the  new  concern  was  in- 
corporated as  the  Murphysboro  Bottling  Com- 
pany. Joseph  Steinle,  Ruben  Hayes,  A.  .1. 
Will,  and  Mr.  Kull  were  the  stockholders. 

On  March  1,  19  05,  Messrs.  Steinle,  Will 
and  Kull  bought  the  Hayes  interest  in  both 
plants  and  in  June,  192  7,  Mr.  Will  acquired 
the  Herrin  plant  for  himself  and  Mr.  Kull 
the  Murphysboro  plant.  In  the  same  month 
Mr.  Kull  sold  the  Murphysboro  plant  to  Wil- 
liam R.  Hayes  of  DuQuoin.  Then  Mr.  Kull 
purchased  the  Coca-Cola  Bottling  Company  in 
Columbia,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  six 
months.  He  then  sold  the  Columbia  plant 
and  bought  the  Mattoon  Coca-Cola  Bottling 
Company.  He  has  since  expanded  all  his  busi- 
ness interests,  including  the  Kull  Lumber 
Company,  Freeport  Coca-Cola  Bottling  Com- 
pany and  the  Kull  Oil   Company  of  Mattoon. 

Mr.  Kull,  married  Elizabeth  Steinle,  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Steinle,  at  New  Ulm, 
Minnesota,  on  September  15,  1898.  Mrs.  Kull 
was  born  at  New  Ulm  on  February  16,  187  7. 
She  has  devoted  her  life  to  her  eight  child- 
ren, but  has  also  been  active  in  Home  Bureau 
and  other  organizational  work.  She  is  a  col- 
lector of  antique  glassware  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 
of  Mattoon.  The  six  sons  are  William  C, 
Joseph  A.,  Adolph  F.,  Rudolph  C.  and  Robert 
C.  Kull  of  Mattoon  and  Fred  J.  Kull  of  Free- 
port;  the  two  daughters  are  Miss  Pauline 
Kull  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Darnell  of  Mattoon. 
There   are   six   grandchildren. 

Fred  J.  Kull  was  born  in  Murphysboro  on 
November  2,  18  99,  and  was  educated  in  that 
city's  grade  and  high  schools.  He  worked 
for  his  father  in  Murphysboro  and  Mattoon, 
and  is  now  manager  of  the  Freeport  Coca- 
Cola  Bottling  Company  at  Freeport.  He  mar- 
ried Helen  Owens,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
James  Owens  of  Mattoon,  at  Freeport  on  April 
1,  1935.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  and  the 
Germania  Clubs  and  is  well  known  in  both 
Mattoon   and   Freeport. 

William  C  Kull  was  born  in  Murphysboro 
on  November  14,  1901,  and  he,  too,  was  edu- 
cated   in    that    community's    grade    and    high 


520 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


WILLIAM  FREDERICK  KULL 


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schools.  He  is  now  plant  manager  for  the 
Mattoon  Coca-Cola  Bottling  Company.  He  is 
unmarried. 

Joseph  A.  Kull,  born  in  Murphysboro  on 
January  30,  1910,  is  another  graduate  of  its 
grade  and  high  schools.  He  is  the  manager  of 
the  Kull  Lumber  Company  and  the  Kull  Oil 
Company  in   Mattoon.    He  also  is  unmarried. 

Rudolph  C.  Kull  and  Adolph  F.  Kull  are 
twins.  They  were  born  in  Murphysboro  on 
July  3,  1914.  Rudolph  Kull,  after  completing 
his  education  in  that  city,  joined  his  father 
in  business  and  is  now  advertising  manager 
for  the  Mattoon  Coca-Cola  Bottling  Company. 
He  married  Anona  Wheeler,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Claude  Wheeler,  in  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana,  on  July  17,  1939.  They  have  a 
daughter,  Karen  Ann,  who  was  born  on  Feb- 
ruary  2,   1942. 

Adolph  F.  Kull  was  also  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  area.  After  completing 
elementary  school  at  Murphysboro,  he  went 
to  the  Mattoon  High  School.  His  position  is 
that  of  sales  manager  for  the  Mattoon  Coca- 
Cola  Bottling  Company.  He  married  Victoria 
Chernisky,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joe 
Chernisky,  in  Quincy  on  April  21,  1939.  They 
have  two  daughters — Linda  Lee,  born  July 
23,  1941,  and  Anita  Kay  Kull,  born  August 
2,   1943. 

Robert  C.  Kull  was  born  in  Murphysboro 
on  December  8,  1917,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  Murphysboro's  grade  schools  and 
the  Mattoon  High  School.  He  is  the  secretary 
of  the  Kull  Lumber  Company  in  Mattoon. 
He  married  Jean  Redman,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Glenn  Redman,  in  Marshall,  Illinois, 
on  July  3,  1946.  They  have  a  son,  William 
Frederick    Kull,    born    October    8,    1947. 

Of  the  two  daughters,  Pauline  M.  Kull  was 
born  in  Murphysboro  on  January  8,  1904,  and 
was  educated  in  the  elementary  and  high 
schools  at  Murphysboro.  She  is  bookkeeper 
for  the  Mattoon  Coca-Cola  Bottling  Company. 

The  other  daughter  is  Elizabeth  A.,  born  in 
Murphysboro  on  August  17,  1912.  She  went 
to  the  elementary  schools  in  Murphysboro 
and  high  school  in  Mattoon.  On  August  16, 
1942.  she  was  married  to  William  E.  Darnell 
at  Farmington,  Missouri.  He  is  the  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  E.  Darnell  of  Bismark, 
Missouri.  They  have  a  daughter,  Elizabeth 
Ann,  born  April  9,  1944,  and  a  son,  William 
E.,  born  November  16,   1945. 

The  father  of  these  eight  children,  William 
Frederick  Kull,  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  and 
St.  Peter's  Reformed  Church  in  Murphysboro. 
His  hobby  is  horses  and  harnesses.    He  is  an 


extensive  traveler,  having  been  to  Europe  and 
other  foreign  lands.  The  Kull  mansion  on 
Western  Avenue,  Mattoon,  is  one  of  the  show 
places  of  the  area.  Mr.  Kull's  vigorous 
personality  has  been  an  influence  for  progress 
in  that  area  for  years. 

CLARENCE  B.  KROEHLER 

A  name  prominent  in  the  history  of  the 
furniture  manufacturing  industry  is  that  of 
Clarence  B.  Kroehler  of  Kankakee.  In  this 
industry  since  1910,  Mr.  Kroehler  is  now 
general  manager  of  the  two  plants  of  the 
Kroehler  Furniture  Manufacturing  Company 
at  Kankakee.  His  home  is  at  841  Cobb  Boule- 
vard, in  that  city.  Mr.  Kroehler  and  the  two 
plants  have  behind  them  a  record  for  a  tremen- 
dous contribution  to  the  American  war  effort 
in  World  War  II,  having  produced  vitally 
needed  items.  Mr.  Kroehler  is  a  familiar  figure 
in  the  civic  life  of  Kankakee  as  he  is  in  the 
trade  life  of  his  industry. 

He  was  born  in  Houston  County,  Minnesota, 
on  March  13,  1892,  the  son  of  William  and 
Louisa  (Ziegler)  Kroehler,  both  of  whom  were 
also  natives  of  that  state.  The  father's  death 
in  a  hunting  accident  in  1898  caused  the 
mother  and  her  six  half-orphaned  children  to 
move  to  Naperville,  DuPage  County,  Illinois, 
the  home  of  Clarence  Kroehler's  uncle,  P.  E. 
Kroehler,  founder  of  the  Kroehler  Furniture 
Manufacturing  Company.  There  Clarence 
Kroehler  was  educated  in  the  grade  and  high 
schools  and  there  he  learned  the  furniture 
business  as  an  employee  of  the  Kroehler 
Furniture  Manufacturing  Company,  Naperville, 
Illinois,  now  the  No.  1  Kroehler  plant.  Later,  Mr. 
Kroehler  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  manu- 
facturing cost  department  and  in  1922  he  was 
elevated  to  the  post  of  works  manager  at  Naper- 
ville. In  1926  he  was  transferred  to  Kankakee 
as  general  manager  in  charge  of  the  Kroehler 
Furniture  Manufacturing  Company's  two 
large  plants  there — one  manufacturing  bed- 
room furniture,  the  other  manufacturing  up- 
holstered living  room  furniture.  More  than 
1,000  persons  are  employed  under  Mr.  Kroeh- 
ler's jurisdiction.  In  World  War  II  Mr.  Kroeh- 
ler supervised  operations  on  Government  con- 
tracts under  which  the  two  plants  made  fur- 
nishings for  Liberty  Ships  and  aircraft  car- 
riers, including  desks,  chairs,  bunks  and  other 
items,  as  well  as  ailerons  and  flaps  for 
planes  and  numerous  other  needed  material. 

On  August  14,  1914,  at  Naperville,  Mr. 
Kroehler  married  Patra  Sieber,  who  was  born 
in  that  community  on  April  18,  1892.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kroehler  are  the  parents  of  one  daugh- 
ter, Marjorie,  who  was  born  in  Naperville  on 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


523 


May  5,  1919.  She  is  now  Mrs.  James  P.  Reed 
and  living  at  Madison,  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Reed  have  three  children  who  are  as 
dear  to  Mi'.  Kroehler  as  his  own  life — Barbara, 
born  on  June  7,  1938;  Leslie,  born  on  March 
12,  1941,  and  James,  born  on  August  20, 
1945. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kroehler  worship  in  the  Con- 
gregational Church  in  Kankakee.  Mr.  Kroeh- 
ler is  active  in  the  Kankakee  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  the  Kankakee  Lodge,  Bene- 
volent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  a 
popular  citizen  of  the  community  and  an 
influential  member  of  the  furniture  industry. 

JOHN  WALKER  RUSSELL 

For  years  John  Walker  Russell  of  Mattoon 
has  enjoyed  a  national  reputation  as  an  inde- 
pendent oil  man.  He  is  not  only  a  leading 
figure  in  that  industry,  but  is  also  an  out- 
standing worker  in  the  Mattoon  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  in  Coles  County's  aviation  de- 
velopment  movement. 

Mr.  Russell  was  born  on  March  17,  1884, 
near  Easley,  South  Carolina.  His  father  was 
Edward  A.  Russell,  a  farmer  also  born  near 
Easley  and  a  veteran  of  the  War  Between  the 
States.  In  1891,  with  his  wife,  Nancy  Eliza- 
beth (Rosamond)  Russell,  and  his  ten  chil- 
dren, he  moved  from  South  Carolina  to  Tex- 
as. John  Walker  Russell  was  educated  in  one 
of  the  oldtime  "little  school  houses"  on  the 
prairie  of  Texas  near  the  City  of  Paris,  La- 
mar County.  Meantime  he  helped  his  father 
on  the  farm.  In  1914,  when  he  was  thirty 
years  old,  he  left  the  farm  to  enter  the  oil 
business.  This  was  in  Texas,  but  he  hardly 
had  gone  into  the  business  when  he  was  sent 
to  Tampico,  Mexico.  From  late  1914  to  1922 
he  lived  in  Mexico,  working  as  a  toolpusher 
for  Ernest  J.  Nicklos,  a  contractor.  He  re- 
signed that  position  in  1922  and  went  to  La- 
redo, Texas,  where  for  some  time  he  was  an 
independent  operator  in  the  oil  fields.  From 
Laredo  he  went  to  Mexia,  Texas,  also  as  an 
independent.  Subsequently,  he  became  Dis- 
trict Land  Man  for  the  Texas  Company  in 
1928  at  Wichita,  Kansas.  In  1936  he  came 
to  Illinois  as  The  Texas  Company's  District 
Land  Man.  This  post  he  resigned  in  March, 
1939,  to  return  to  independent  operations  in 
the  oil  business.  This  he  has  continued  to 
this  day,  with  constantly  increasing  reputa- 
tion. 

On  August  7,  1919,  at  Little  Rock,  Arkan- 
sas, Mr.  Russell  married  Leona  Johnston,  the 
daughter  of  J.  O.  and  Mary  Johnston,  de- 
ceased.   Mr.  and   Mrs.   Russell  reside  at  3100 


Western  Avenue,  Mattoon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rus- 
sell are  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  two 
daughters — John  Walker  Russell,' Jr. ;  Mary 
Ellen  Mirza,  the  wife  of  John  Mirza  and  the 
mother  of  Nancy  Ann  Mirza;  Rosamond  Rus- 
sell; and  Robert  A.  Russell.  The  family  wor- 
ships  in   the   Presbyterian   Church. 

Mr.  Russell's  prominent  position  in  his  field 
of  business  is  attested,  partly,  by  the  fact 
that  since  1939  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Independent  Petro- 
leum Association  of  America.  Evidence  of  his 
leadership  in  Coles  County  lies  in  his  service, 
from  1938  to  1946,  on  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Mattoon  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
his  present  service  as  chairman  of  the  Coles 
County  Airport  Authority.  He  continues  ac- 
tive in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  also 
in  the  Mattoon  Country  Club.  He  is  inde- 
pendent in  politics  and  golf  is  his  favorite 
sport.  Mr.  Russell  is  five  feet  ten  inches 
tall,  weighs  155  pounds,  has  brown  hair  and 
blue  eyes.  Of  excellent  health,  he  is  the  pos- 
sessor of  an  affable  disposition  and  a  host 
of  friends.  His  contribution  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Illinois  oil  fields  and  to  the  wel- 
fare of  Mattoon  and  Coles  County  is  widely 
recognized. 

GILBERT  REINHARDT  VAUGHT, 
D.D.S. 

A  former  dental  college  faculty  member  and 
a  writer  on  dentistry  who  has  gained  wide  ac- 
ceptance in  the  dental  education  and  profes- 
sional fields,  Dr.  Gilbert  Reinhardt  Vaught  is 
now  practicing  dentistry  in  Mount  Vernon, 
seat  of  Jefferson  County,  with  a  reputation 
that  has  spread  throughout  Central  and  South- 
ern Illinois.  He  is  also  vice  president  of  the 
Vaught  Oil  Company  and  is  prominent  in  the 
Baptist  Church  and  civic  and  welfare  pro- 
grams. 

Born  at  Eldorado,  Saline  County,  on  De- 
cember 24,  1915,  Dr.  Vaught  is  the  son  of 
John  Russell  and  Hattie  (Watson)  Vaught. 
His  father,  born  at  Stonefort,  also  in  Saline 
County,  on  March  29,  1892,  was  a  grocer  and  . 
president  of  the  Vaught  Oil  Company.  He  was 
the  son  of  John  Wesley  Vaught  of  Burnt 
Prairie,  White  County,  who  came  to  Illinois 
from  Pennsylvania  with  his  parents  by  way 
of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  Hattie  Watson 
Vaught  was  born  in  Eldorado,  the  daughter 
of  Alfred  Penny  and  Malinda  (Dooley)  Wat- 
son. Her  father  was  born  near  Eldorado  and 
was  a  farmer  and  manufacturer  of  concrete 
building  blocks.  Her  mother  was  of  Indian- 
Irish  blood.  On  his  father's  side  Dr.  Vaught 
is  a  distant  relative  of  Daniel  Boone. 


524 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


JOHN  WALKER  RUSSELL 


FRED  HAROLD  VVASSON 


Dr.  Vaught  began  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Eldorado.  In  high  school  he 
played  in  the  school  band  and  orchestra  and 
was  a  member  of  the  dramatic  club.  After 
high  school  he  attended  Southern  Illinois  Uni- 
versity at  Carbondale  and  then  spent  two 
years  at  the  University  of  Illinois  at  Urbana. 
For  his  professional  training  he  went  to  the 
St.  Louis  University  School  of  Dentistry  in 
St.  Louis,  where  he  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery.  He  was  elected  to 
Delta  Sigma  Delta,  the  dental  fraternity,  and 
Omicron  Kappa  Upsilon,  the  honorary  dental 
society.  Graduated  in  1946,  he  started  teach- 
ing in  the  Fall  of  the  same  year  and  con- 
tinued until  1946,  attaining  the  rank  of  As- 
sistant Professor  of  Crown  and  Bridge  Work 
on  the  St.  Louis  University  School  of  Den- 
tistry faculty.  Throughout  this  four  years  of 
teaching  he  operated  a  part-time  dental  office 
in  St.  Louis.  While  in  that  city,  also,  Dr. 
Vaught,  active  in  Boy  Scouting,  became  a 
member  of  Alpha  Phi  Omega,  the  Scout  serv- 
ice fraternity.  Late  in  1945  he  opened  a  dental 
office  in  Mount  Vernon;  in  that  year  he  built 
himself  a  new  ultra-modern  dental  office  build- 
ing at  1404  Broadway,  designed  by  himself. 
He  now  has  one  of  the  heaviest  practices  in 
his  pi-ofession  in  the  Mount  Vernon  area.  He 
is  also  vice  president  of  the  Vaught  Oil  Com- 
pany, a  chain  of  oil  and  gasoline  filling  sta- 
tions in  Central  and  Southern  Illinois.  In  his 
teaching  days,  Dr.  Vaught  wrote  a  manual  on 
"Operative  Dentistry,"  which  is  used  in  dental 
schools  and  by  dentists. 

Dr.  Vaught  married  Lillian  Gholson,  born 
at  Eldorado  on  August  27,  1916,  the  daughter 
of  Ely  Gholson,  a  grain  and  stock  farmer  at 
Saline  County,  and  Malinda  Alice  (Reasons) 
Gholson.  Mrs.  Vaught  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Eldorado  High  School  and  Lockyear  Business 
College,  Evansville,  Indiana.  She  is  active  in 
the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Mount  Vernon  and 
is  chairman  of  one  of  its  mission's  circles  and 
also  of  the  church's  Mission  Board.  In  this 
church  Dr.  Vaught  is  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Christian  Education.  Mrs.  Vaught  is  prominent 
in  sorority  work  and  in  Mount  Vernon's  P.-T.A. 
circles.  There  are  two  children — Karen  Sue 
Vaught,  born  August  14,  1943,  and  John 
Daniel  Vaught,  born  September  13,  1946. 

Dr.  Vaught  was  president  of  the  Kiwanis 
Club  of  Mount  Vernon  in  1950.  He  is  also  a 
Shriner.  Photography,  china  painting  and  the 
growing  of  flowers  are  his  hobbies.  He  is  wide- 
ly recognized  for  his  contribution  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  dental  science  and  for  his  gen- 
eral citizenship. 


FRED  HAROLD  WASSON 

A  family  famed  in  Southern  Illinois  is  the 
Wasson  family,  for  which  the  community  of 
Wasson,  in  Saline  County,  is  named.  The 
family  has  numbered  among  its  members 
farmers,  timber  dealers,  mine  operators,  min- 
isters, school  teachers,  a  medical  practitioner 
and  merchants.  Outstanding  in  this  family  is 
Fred  Harold  Wasson,  the  operator  of  the 
Wasson  Department  Store  in  Carrier  Mills, 
Saline  County.  Aside  from  the  contribution 
he  has  made  through  this  store  and  through 
military  service  in  World  War  I,  Mr.  Wasson 
is  furthering  the  progress  and  welfare  and 
growth  of  his  community,  county  and  region 
through  activities  channeled  through  a  multi- 
tude of  organizations.  He  is  a  civic  and  re- 
ligious leader  of  tremendous  influence. 

Mr.  Wasson  was  born  in  Pope  County  on 
January  31,  1894,  the  oldest  of  five  chil- 
dren, the  others  being  Chester  P.,  Carrie 
Belle,  Dewey  L.,  and  Mabel,  who  is  now  Mrs. 
Orval  J.  Dean.  His  father  was  Val  Wasson, 
also  a  native  of  Pope  County,  the  founder  of 
the  Wasson  Department  Store.  He  was  a 
farmer,  timber  contractor  and  merchant.  In 
1908  Val  Wasson  traded  his  farm  for  a  small 
stock  of  merchandise  at  Raleigh,  Illinois,  and 
this  was  his  start  in  the  mercantile  business. 
At  one  time  he  operated  as  many  as  four 
stores.  His  first  bi'anch  store  was  at  Was- 
son, where  a  large  coal  mine  owned  by  a 
member  of  the  family  was  located.  Later  he 
opened  a  store  at  the  Wasson  No.  2  Mine,  and 
still  another,  the  surviving  one,  in  Carrier 
Mills.  Fred  Wasson's  mother  was  Mellie 
(Parker)  Wasson,  the  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
and  Nancy  Parker  of  Calloway  County,  Ken- 
tucky. The  Wasson  family  came  to  Illinois 
from  Rhea  County,  Tennessee.  Each  year  a 
family  reunion  is  held  on  the  old  home  place 
in  Pope  County,  near  the  family  burial 
ground.  This  is  sponsored  by  Fred  Wasson 
and  has  an  extensive  program.  About  three 
hundred   members   of  the   family  attend. 

Mr.  Wasson  was  educated  in  the  public- 
schools  of  Pope  and  Saline  Counties  and  in 
two  select  summer  schools.  The  recipient  of 
a  teacher's  certificate,  he  taught  in  Saline 
County  at  Rudement  in  the  year  1912-1913 
and  at  the  Mount  Pleasant  School  in  1913-14. 
To  go  to  his  teaching  job,  he  walked  from 
home  about  three  and  one-half  miles  each 
way.  He  boarded  at  home.  In  the  spring  of 
1914  he  took  charge  of  his  father's  store  at 
Wasson.  In  the  Fall  of  1916  he  took  over 
a    branch    of    the    Carrier    Mills    store.     The 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


529 


First  World  War  intervened  in  his  career,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1918  he  went  into  the  Army, 
with  which  he  served  in  France.  He  was  a 
Private  First  Class  in  the  138th  Field  Artil- 
lery. Upon  his  discharge  from  the  service  he 
returned  to  Carrier  Mills  and  worked  with 
his  father.  In  1925  his  father  made  him  man- 
ager of  the  Carrier  Mills  Store.  The  elder  Mr. 
Wasson  died  in  1931  and  Fred  Wasson  and  a 
brother  took  over  the  business  as  managers 
and  trustees  for  the  family.  It  sells  every- 
thing from  groceries  to  hardware,  all  types  of 
dry  goods,  electrical  supplies,  furniture  and 
floor  coverings.  It  occupies  several  store 
buildings  on  both  sides  of  the  main  street. 
Mr.  Wasson  is  also  interested  in  rental  prop- 
erties  in    Carrier   Mills. 

On  May  20,  1919,  Mr.  Wasson  married 
Katie  Cable,  the  daughter  of  George  and 
Elizabeth  Cable  of  Raleigh.  They  have  three 
children — Fred  Harold;  Doi*is  Colleen,  now 
Mrs.  Waldo  Killman,  and  Martha  Katherine. 
The  family  worships  in  the  Baptist  Church, 
a  church  which  for  years  has  known  and  prof- 
ited from  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Wasson.  Mr. 
Wasson  is  a  deacon,  serves  as  chairman  of 
the  local  mission  board  and  member  of  the 
State  executive  board,  and  is  a  past  president 
of  the  Baptist  State  Brotherhood.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  the  Illinois  Brotherhood, 
and  has  twice  headed  it.  Among  Mr.  Was- 
son's  other  organizations  are  the  Lions  Club; 
the  Masonic  fraternity,,  in  which  he  has  ad- 
vanced to  the  32nd  degree  of  the  Scottish 
Rite;  the  Gideons;  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety; the  Egyptian  Retailers'  Association,  the 
Illinois  Federation  of  Retailers,  the  American 
Retailers  Association,  the  Illinois  Hardware 
Retailers  Association,  the  American  Legion 
and  its  Past  Commanders  Club,  the  Greater 
Egyptian  Association,  of  which  he  is  now 
(1949)  treasurer;  Ozark  Tours,  Boy  Scouts  of 
America,  the  American  Red  Cross,  Illinois 
Public  Aid  Commission,  Illinois  Temperance 
League,  the  AAA  Auto  Club  of  Egypt,  Saline 
County  Historical  Society,  Illinois  State  His- 
torical Society,  Illinois  Archeological  Society, 
Saline  County  Executives  Club,  National  Geo- 
graphic Society  and  Agriculture  and  Indus- 
trial Committee  of  Saline  County.  He  is  past 
president  of  the  Lions  Club  and  of  the  Egyp- 
tian Retailers'  Association.  He  is  now  execu- 
tive secretary  and  a  director  of  the  latter 
organization.  As  is  evident  from  this  list  of 
organizations  and  bodies,  Mr.  Wasson,  like  his 
father,  who  was  a  civic  leader  and  served  as 
the  Raleigh  Township  representative  on  the 
Saline  county  board   of   supervisors,   and  his 


grandfather,  Dr.  John  A.  Wasson,  who  trav- 
eled to  Southern  Illinois  from  Rhea  County, 
Tennessee  in  the  early  1840's  in  a  covered 
wagon  and  served  for  years  as  a  physician, 
gives  much  time  to  major  welfare,  civic  and 
religious  problems.  As  a  result  he  has  become 
a  leading  and  popular  citizen  of  the  entire 
state,  but  he  is  held  in  special  affection  in 
Southern  Illinois  and  the  Greater  Egyptian 
area. 

WALLACE  LONG 

The  name  of  Wallace  Long  of  Champaign 
is  known  in  the  lumber  business  throughout 
the  United  States,  for  Mr.  Long  is  not  only 
president  of  the  Long  Lumber  Company,  Inc., 
of  Champaign  but  also  president  of  the  Skagit 
Valley  Lumber  Mills  at  Rockport,  Washing- 
ton, and  the  North  Idaho  Shingle  Mills,  Inc., 
of  Priest  River,  Idaho,  and  vice-president  of 
the  Illini  Lumber  Distributors  of  Champaign. 
He  is  also  an  active  and  outstanding  citizen 
of  Champaign  County  and  is  a  veteran  of 
World  War  I. 

Born  at  Litchfield,  in  Montgomery  County, 
on  February  2  7,  18  95,  Mr.  Long  is  the  son 
of  Charles  F.  and  Sarah  (McCullough)  Long. 
His  father,  a  farmer,  was  born  in  a  log  house 
in  Pike  County  on  April  9,  1866.  His  parents 
were  Robert  M.  Long,  born  in  Kentucky  in 
November,  1837,  and  Ann  G.  (Slight)  Long, 
born  in  England  in  18  33;  they  were  married 
in  Pike  County  in  1859.  Sarah  McCullough 
Long  was  born  in  Litchfield  on  March  9. 
1870,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  Y.  Mc- 
Cullough, born  November,  18  40,  in  Carlin- 
ville,  Macoupin  County,  and  Josephine  (Fog- 
land)  McCullough,  born  November,  1850,  in 
Sweden;  her  parents  were  married  in  Illi- 
nois in  1869. 

Wallace  Long  was  educated  in  the  Burnett 
Grade  School  near  Waggoner,  Montgomery 
County.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  un- 
til he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Air  Corps 
in  1917.  After  sixteen  months  in  the  Army 
(November  15,  1916,  to  April  20,  1918),  he. 
returned  to  the  farm.  Two  years  later  his 
father  retired  and,  leaving  the  farm,  the  son 
worked  as  an  automobile  salesman  in  Litch- 
field until  1930.  At  that  time  he  moved  to 
Champaign.  In  1934  Mr.  Long  entered  the 
real  estate  business  and  in  1942  he  purchased 
the  Leavitt  Manufacturing  Company  in  Urb- 
ana.  This  he  sold  in  1943,  when  he  bought 
a  farm  at  Urbana  which  he  later  subdivided 
and  sold  in  city  lots.  In  1946  Mr.  Long,  in 
partnership  with  his  son-in-law,  Edward  E. 
Armstrong,  Jr.,  opened  up  a  retail  and  whole- 


530 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


WALLACE  LONG 


sale  lumber  business.  The  following  year, 
however,  they  split  this  retail  and  wholesale 
yard  into  separate  businesses,  and  the  retail 
yard  is  now  Long  Lumber  Company,  Inc.  with 
Mr.  Long  as  president.  Mr.  Armstrong  is 
treasurer  and  manager  and  Mrs.  Betty  Lou 
Armstrong,  Mr.  Long's  stepdaughter,  is  the 
other  stockholder.  As  president  or  vice-presi- 
dent of  four  firms  in  this  general  field,  Mr. 
Long  has  made  a  reputation  for  leadership 
in  an  important  business.  The  headquarters 
of  the  Long  Lumber  Company  is  at  1300 
South   Neil   Street,   Champaign. 

Mr.  Long's  stepdaughter  was  born  on 
August  14,  1921,  her  husband  on  August  2, 
1922.  They  were  married  in  1942  and  their 
children  are  Kande  Armstrong,  born  on 
December  14,  1945,  and  Dan  E.  Armstrong, 
born  on  April  14,  1943.  Mr.  Long  makes  his 
home  in  the  Hamilton  Hotel,  Champaign. 
He  worships  in  the  Christian  Church  of  Wag- 
goner. Fishing  is  his  favorite  sport.  Describ- 
ed as  in  very  good  health  and  with  a  good, 
even  disposition,  he  has  become  a  popular  fig- 
ure in  the  business  and  social  life  of  Cham- 
paign and  is  known  for  the  leadership  he  has 
given  toward  the  development  of  the  lumber 
business. 

EUGENE  AUGUST  COMTE 

A  man  of  many  interests  and  activities — 
all  of  which  have  resulted  in  immeasurable 
benefit  to  Murphysboro  and  all  Jackson  Coun- 
ty— Engene  August  Comte  is  an  outstanding 
citizen  of  Southern  Illinois.  An  insurance  and 
real  estate  man,  Mr.  Comte  has  served  his 
community  as  Alderman  and  Mayor  and  is  at 
present  furthering  its  growth  and  prosperity 
through  the  operation  of  the  Jackson  County 
Resource  Development  Commission,  which  he 
organized  and  which  makes  extensive  studies 
of  natural  resources,  conducts  an  intensive 
educational  program  among  the  people  and 
recommends  programs  for  economic  welfare. 
He  is  a  veteran  of  World  War  II  and  a 
leader  in  veterans  affairs  in  Downstate 
Illinois. 

Mr.  Comte  was  born  in  Murphysboro  on 
November  27,  1906,  the  son  of  August  and 
Josephine  Comte.  His  father,  a  coal  miner 
born  in  France,  came  to  the  United  States  in 
his  youth.  Both  he  and  the  mother  are  de- 
ceased, the  latter  having  passed  away  when 
Eugene  Comte  was  three  months  old.  Mr. 
Comte,  an  only  child,  went  through  the  eighth 
grade  in  Murphysboro  and  then  went  to  work. 
His  first  job  was  that  of  logger  in  the  timber- 
land.   Later  he  worked   in  the  production  de- 


partment of  the  Brown  Shoe  Company,  St. 
Louis,  where  he  remained  from  1921  to  1943. 
In  the  latter  part  of  this  period  he  took  a 
correspondence  course  with  LaSalle  Extension 
University  of  Chicago  and  in  1943  he  entered 
the  real  estate  and  insurance  business  in 
Murphysboro. 

On  January  31,  1929,  Mr.  Comte  married 
Lillian  Mileur,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  A.  Mileur  of  a  rural  district  near  Murphys- 
boro. They  have  three  children — William  Earl, 
Eugene  David  and  August  Francis  Comte. 
When  in  World  War  II  Mr.  Comte  served 
with  the  armed  forces,  Mrs.  Comte  operated 
his  insurance  and  real  estate  business.  Mr. 
Comte  was  with  the  1263rd  Combat  Engineers 
in  the  European  Theater  of  Operations  from 
1943  to  1945.  In  1948  he  organized  a  combat 
engineers  unit  for  the  Illinois  National  Guard 
organization  in  Murphysboro.  He  is  the  first 
veteran  of  World  War  II  to  have  served  as 
commander  of  the  Fifth  Division  of  the  Illi- 
nois Department  of  the  Legion.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent service  officer  for  both  the  American 
Legion  and  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars  Posts 
in  Murphysboro. 

Mr.  Comte  began  the  study  of  natural  re- 
sources of  a  community  when  he  was  in  Eu- 
rope, especially  in  Western  Germany.  Since 
his  return  home  he  has  pursued  this  study  as 
applied  to  his  native  area,  and  he  has  since 
done  considerable  work  toward  community  de- 
velopment through  his  Jackson  County  Re- 
source Development  Commission.  He  is  a 
recognized  authority  on  local  natural  re- 
sources and  conservation  work.  He  is  also 
well  known  as  a  labor  leader  and  when  he 
was  with  the  Brown  Shoe  Company  he  helped 
organize  the  first  union  in  the  shoe  industry 
in  Murphysboro.  He  is  a  former  president, 
now  serving  as  secretary,  of  the  Rotary  Club 
of  Murphysboro  and  he  has  twice  served  as 
president  of  the  Murphysboro  Sportsman's 
Club.  He  helped  organize  the  Crab  Orchard 
Sportsman's  Club,  but  is  no  longer  a  member 
of  that  organization.  He  has  been  through  the 
chairs  in  the  Murphysboro  Lodge  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Murphysboro  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and 
such  Masonic  bodies  as  the  Blue  Lodge  and 
the  Murphysboro  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons. 
A  man  who  stands  six  feet  two  inches  in 
height  and  weighs  220  pounds,  Eugene  August 
Comte  is  an  impressive  figure  in  more  ways 
than  one  in  Downstate  Illinois. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


533 


ROBERT  DuFAY  MONTGOMERY 

Since  1869  two  generations  of  the  Mont- 
gomery family  have  occupied  the  same  office 
room  in  Decatur,  and  from  that  center  have 
made  a  tremendous  contribution  to  the  de- 
velopment and  welfare  of  Macon  County  and 
the  surrounding  territory.  Robert  DuFay 
Montgomery  is  the  second  generation  of  this 
family,  and  in  the  years  he  has  been  active 
in  the  family  business,  insurance,  real  estate 
and  management,  has  become  an  outstanding- 
citizen  of  the  downstate  area. 

Mr.  Montgomery  was  born  in  Decatur  on 
February  19,  1881,  the  son  of  Robert  Richard 
and  Clara  (King)  Montgomery.  His  father, 
who  was  born  in  1843  and  died  in  1930,  went 
into  the  insurance  and  real  estate  business  at 
an  early  age.  It  was  he  who  opened  the 
family  office  in  the  room  which  the  son  oc- 
cupies today.  This  is  at  141  East  Main  Street, 
Decatur.  Clara  King  Montgomery,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Joseph  and  Maryette  (Packard) 
King,  was  born  in  1849  and  died  in  1908.  The 
children  of  the  family  included  Iola  A.  Perry 
and  Lida  M.  Stafford,  half  sisters  of  Robert 
DuFay  Montgomery,  and  Cora  Mae  Black  and 
R.  Jay  Montgomery,  his  sister  and  brother. 
The  half-sisters  are  deceased  and  they,  along 
with  others  of  the  family,  including  R.  R. 
and  Clara  Montgomery  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Jo- 
seph King,  are  buried  in  Greenwood  Ceme- 
tery,  Decatur. 

Robert  DuFay  Montgomery  went  to  a  busi- 
ness college  after  completing  his  academic 
education,  which  was  obtained  in  the  elemen- 
tary and  high  schools  of  Decatur.  In  his 
youth  he  joined  his  father  in  the  real  estate 
and  insurance  business,  and  today  he  and  a 
nephew,  F.  DuFay  Montgomery,  operate  what 
is   called   the   DuFay   Montgomery   Agency. 

Robert  DuFay  Montgomery  married  Amelia 
Mustin  George,  the  daughter  of  Emerson  H. 
and  Amelia  (Mustin)  George,  in  Decatur  on 
June  12,  1923.  Mrs.  Montgomery,  who  was 
born  in  1887,  died  in  1949.  She,  too,  lies  in 
Greenwood  Cemetery.  She  was  active  in  the 
Episcopal  Church  throughout  her  lifetime. 
Mr.  Montgomery  has  two  stepchildren — Dr. 
William  H.  Requarth,  whose  wife  is  Nancy  C. 
Requarth,  and  Pauline  R.  Smith,  whose  hus- 
band is  Elbert  S.  Smith  and  who  is  the  mother 
of  Mary  Jane  Smith.  Mr.  Montgomery's  home 
is  at  423   Ewing  Avenue,   Decatui*. 

Mr.  Montgomery,  who  is  described  as  five 
feet  five  and  one-half  inches  tall,  blond  and 
blue-eyed,  weighing  140  pounds,  has  a  great 
liking   for   trapshooting   and    hunting.     He    is 


active  in  the  Decatur  Lodge,  No.  401,  Benev- 
olent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks;  the  De- 
catur Club  and  the  Decatur  Gun  Club.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Having  dedicated 
his  life  to  the  development  of  his  region,  he 
has  won  widespread  popularity  and  great 
stature   as   a   citizen. 

ARMIN  C.  KURZ 

The  Illinois  Democrat,  published  at  Carlin- 
ville,  seat  of  Macoupin  County,  is  one  of  the 
state's  best  known  publications.  It  has  achiev- 
ed its  position  of  prestige  and  influence 
through  such  men  as  Armin  C.  Kurz,  its  pres- 
ent publisher  and  editor,  and  Jim  McClure, 
its  previous  owner.  Mr.  Kurz,  who  has  been 
active  in  journalism  since  he  was  sixteen  years 
old  in  1907,  has  been  identified  with  both 
German  -  language  and  English  -  language 
papers,  and  he  has  practiced  his  profession 
in  various  communities  of  his  native  state. 
He  is  known  in  Illinois  not  only  for  his  pub- 
lishing and  editing  activities  but  for  his  in- 
terest in  community  progress  and  in  fraternal 
and  civic  organizations. 

Mr.  Kurz  is  a  native  of  Maine,  in  Madison 
County.  Born  on  August  9,  1891,  he  is  the 
son  of  the  late  Reverend  Carl  Theodore  Kurz 
and  Emma  (Thurnau)  Kurz.  His  father,  an 
Evangelical  minister,  was  born  in  Germany, 
but  came  to  the  United  States  at  a  compara- 
tively early  age.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
the  United  States. 

The  future  editor  began  his  education  in 
Madison  County  schools,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Highland  High  School.  He  then  at- 
tended Barnes  Business  College  at  St.  Louis, 
and  in  1907  entered  the  employ  of  the  High- 
land Leader,  an  English-language  paper,  and 
the  Highland  Union,  a  German-language  paper 
owned  by  his  father,  who  in  1913  sold  them 
to  purchase  a  paper  at  Jerseyville,  in  Jersey 
County.  Three  years  later  he  went  to  work  for 
the  Star-Times  at  Staunton,  in  Macoupin 
County.  When  in  1918  the  editor  of  the  Star- 
Times  retired,  Mr.  Kurz,  with  a  partner,  W.  C. 
Moser,  purchased  this  publication.  In  1922 
Mr.  Kurz  bought  his  partner's  interest  in  the 
enterprise  and  until  March  1,  1933,  operated 
the  paper  as  sole  owner,  publisher  and  editor. 
When  he  left  Staunton,  Mr.  Kurz  went  to  St. 
Louis  to  operate  a  job  printing  plant.  There 
he  remained  until  on  January  1,  1934,  he  re- 
turned to  Macoupin  County  and  purchased  the 
Carlinville  Democrat  from  Jim  McClure.  He 
has  been  operating  in  Carlinville  since  that 
time,  and  has  extended  the  fame  and  circula- 
tion of  the  newspaper  far  beyond  the  dimen- 


534 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


ROBERT  DuFAY  MONTGOMERY 


sions  achieved  under  previous  sponsorship. 
He  is  himself  widely  known  as  a  progressive 
and  aggressive  editor. 

Mr.  Kurz  married  Iva  L.  Hagnauer  on  June 
8,  1910.  Mrs.  Kurz  is  also  active  in  Carlin- 
ville's  community  life.  Mr.  Kurz  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Carlinville  and  of 
such  Masonic  bodies  as  the  Blue  Lodge,  the 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  the  Knights  Templar  and 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  His  newspaper 
is  a  member  of  various  organizations  of  the 
publishing  trade,  including  the  Illinois  Press 
Association.  The  citizens  of  Macoupin  County 
have  come  to  regard  Mr.  Kurz  as  a  leader  in 
all  projects  seeking  the  prosperity  and  welfare 
of  the  entire  region. 

HON.  FRANK  E.  BLAKE 

From  his  position  of  eminence  in  North- 
eastern  Illinois  the  Honorable  Frank  E.  Blake 
of  Watseka,  seat  of  Iroquois  County,  has  risen 
to  a  national  reputation.  Mr.  Blake  is  not  only 
president  of  the  farspread  Peoples  Coal  and 
Lumber  Company  and  a  former  mayor  of  the 
county  seat,  but  he  is  the  donor  of  Blake  Field 
to  the  Watseka  High  School  and  a  leader  in 
educational,  health,  welfare,  religious  and 
general  public  affairs. 

Born  in  Wellington,  Iroquois  County,  on 
January  19,  1882,  Mr.  Blake  is  the  son  of 
Edmund  James  and  Rebecca  Margaret  Blake. 
He  was  graduated  from  the  Watseka  High 
School  in  1900  and  spent  two  years  in  aca- 
demic courses  at  the  University  of  Illinois, 
following  up  with  study  in  the  university's 
College  of  Pharmacy,  from  which  he  received 
the  degree  of  Graduate  in  Pharmacy  in  1907. 
From  1907  to  1909  Mr.  Blake  worked  in  drug- 
stores in  Chicago,  chiefly  to  get  the  expe- 
rience and  the  "big  city"  point  of  view.  He 
is  president  of  the  Peoples  Coal  and  Lumber 
Company  at  Watseka.  He  is  also  a  director  of 
the  First  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  of  Wat- 
seka. His  office  is  at  115  East  Walnut  Street, 
Watseka,  his  home  at  328  East  Mulberry 
Street. 

On  January  1,  1913,  Mr.  Blake  married 
Helen  Harrown.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Mary  Margaret,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  W. 
Duff,  a  Watseka  insurance  man,  the  marriage 
having  taken  place  in  1942.  Mrs.  Duff  spent  a 
year  at  Lake  Forest  Girls  School  and  three 
years  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  holds 
a  degree  from  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts.  Her 
husband  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  university. 
They  have  three  daughters,  Mary  K.  Duff, 
who  was  born  in  1944,  Martha  Jo  Duff,  born 
in  194G  and  Elizabeth  Ann  born  in  1950.  The 
family  worships   in  the   Presbyterian   Church. 


Mr.  Blake  gave  the  City  of  Watseka  a  long- 
progressive  administration,  for  he  was  Mayor 
from  1935  to  1941.  He  served  for  sixteen 
years  on  the  Watseka  Board  of  Education  and 
in  that  period  donated  the  athletic  field  to  the 
high  school  which  bears  his  name.  In  grati- 
tude for  the  donation,  the  pupils  took  up  a 
collection  and  presented  Mr.  Blake  with  a 
Silver  Loving  Cup.  This  is  one  of  his  treasured 
possessions.  He  is  also  a  former  member  of 
the  Board  of  Tax  Review  and  in  World  War 
II  was  on  the  Iroquois  County  Rationing 
Board.  He  is  now  president  of  the  Iroquois 
Hospital  in  Watseka  and  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  the  Iroquois  County  Tuberculosis 
Sanatorium.  Besides  his  coal  and  lumber  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Blake  is  active  in  farming  and  is 
president  of  the  Goodwine  Grain  Company.  In 
his  past,  in  addition  to  his  professional  career 
as  pharmacist,  was  a  year  of  school  teaching. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Iroquois  Club,  a  char- 
ter member  of  the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Watseka, 
various  Masonic  bodies,  including  Mohammed 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  and  the  B.P.O.  Elks.  He  is 
influential  in  virtually  every  activity  aimed  at 
the  general  welfare  in  Iroquois  County. 

CHARLES  LINCOLN  WILKINS 

The  Wilkins  Pipe  and  Supply  Company  of 
Peoria  is  one  of  the  outstanding  firms  in  its 
field  in  Central  Illinois,  and  its  founder, 
Charles  Lincoln  Wilkins — known  affectionately 
to  many  as  "Todd" — holds  a  position  of  equal 
popularity  among  the  citizenry.  Mr.  Wilkins 
has  given  the  community  leadership  in  many 
improvement  projects  and  is  especially  well 
known  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  move- 
ment. 

He  was  born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  on  April 
26,  1895,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  Law- 
rence Wilkins,  a  native  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania, 
who  died  in  1926,  and  Elinore  (Mitchell)  Wil- 
kins, also  a  native  of  the  Ohio  capital,  who 
survives  her  husband. 

"Todd"  Wilkins,  a  graduate  of  Peoria's 
elementary  and  high  schools,  spent  a  year 
at  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute,  Peoria.  In 
1915,  he  joined  his  father  in  business.  The 
father  then  was  the  owner  of  the  Illinois 
Pump  and  Brass  Company.  Two  years  later, 
"Todd"  Wilkins  entered  the  United  States 
Army  Air  Corps  for  World  War  I  service. 
Ordered  to  duty  as  flight  instructor,  he  was 
stationed  at  Lake  Charles,  Louisiana,  through- 
out most  of  his  period  of  service.  In  1918,  after 
the  Armistice,  he  was  discharged  at  Dorr 
Field,  Arcadia,  Florida,  at  which  time  he 
was  holding  the  rank  of  Second  Lieutenant.  To 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


537 


this  day  Mr.  Wilkins  maintains  his  interest 
in  flying  and  in  the  nation's  hopes  of  sustain- 
ing its  supremacy  in  the  air. 

In  1919,  after  his  return  to  civilian  life, 
Mr.  Wilkins  entered  the  employ  of  the  Wal- 
worth Co.  of  Chicago,  Illinois  through  193.'}. 
In  the  latter  year  he  established  the  Wilkins 
Pipe  and  Supply  Company,  which  today  from 
its  headquarters  at  1008  South  Adams  Street, 
Peoria,  distributes  pipe,  valve  fittings,  plumb- 
ing and  heating  supplies  in  an  area  with  a 
radius  of  about  seventy  miles  of  Peoria,  em- 
ploying  fifty  persons. 

On  August  30,  1927,  at  Peoria,  Mr.  Wilkins 
married  Edythe  Lowe  of  that  city.  Mrs.  Wil- 
kins is  a  member  of  the  First  Church  of 
Christ,  Scientist,  of  Peoria.  She  and  Mr.  Wil- 
kins make  their  home  at  203  Holly  Ridge 
Circle,  Peoria.  Mrs.  Wilkins  is  the  daughter 
of  Frank  H.  Lowe,  of  Lacon,  Illinois,  an  adver- 
tising man  who  died  in  1939,  and  Emma  C. 
Lowe,  of  Peoria,  who  died  in  1935. 

Mr.  Wilkins,  besides  operating  the  Wilkins 
Pipe  and  Supply  Company,  runs  a  dairy  farm 
of  two  hundred  acres.  He  is  president  of  the 
Robein  Water  Works  and  a  former  director  of 
the  Peoria  Association  of  Commerce.  He  is 
also  active  in  the  Peoria  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the 
United  States;  in  the  Mount  Holly  Country 
Club,  the  Peoria  Country  Club  and  in  various 
Masonic  bodies,  including  the  Shrine.  He  is 
one  of  the  small  group  of  citizens  who  are 
promoting  the  progress  of  Peoria  and  the 
surrounding  area. 

HON.  HENRY  BRUCE  BURNETT 

Still  a  young  man,  Henry  Bruce  Burnett 
has  served  Eldorado  in  his  native  Saline 
County  as  business  man  and  public  official 
for  years.  He  was  Mayor  of  the  city  when 
only  thirty-one  years  old.  In  the  business 
world,  Mr.  Burnett,  with  his  wife  as  partner, 
operates  the  Burnett  Motor  Company  of  El- 
dorado, the  Chevrolet  agency  which  also 
handles  truck  and  automobile  parts  on  a  re- 
tail and  wholesale  basis.  He  is  a  veteran  of 
World  War  II. 

Mr.  Burnett  was  born  at  Raleigh  on  May 
25,  1912,  and  is  the  son  of  Rex  C.  and  Fay- 
ette (Wesley)  Burnett.  His  father,  also  a 
native  of  Saline  County,  was  one  of  Southern 
Illinois'  outstanding  citizens.  He  was  a  bank- 
er at  Raleigh  and  a  leading  civic  worker.  He 
served  as  president  of  the  Rotary  Club  in  El- 
dorado and  in  other  civic  offices.  His  death 
occured  on  July  29,  1943.    He  was  the  son  of 


Dr.  Henry  L.  Burnett,  physician  and  surgeon 
of  Raleigh  who  was  also  prominent  in  civic 
life. 

Henry  Bruce  Burnett  began  his  education 
in  the  elementary  schools  at  Raleigh.  In  1930 
he  was  graduated  from  the  Eldorado  High 
School,  where  he  had  served  on  the  debating 
team  for  three  years.  After  high  school,  he 
spent  two  semesters  at  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois. Among  Rex  Burnett's  activities  was 
the  operation  of  a  Chevrolet  agency  in  El- 
dorado. H.  Bruce  Burnett  entered  this  busi- 
ness in  19  32,  as  a  worker  in  the  body  and 
paint  shop.  He  then  became  service  manager, 
parts  manager  and  finally,  in  1937,  sales 
manager.  In  19  41,  he  was  taken  into  partner- 
ship with  the  elder  Mr.  Burnett.  At  about 
this  time  he  attended  a  post-graduate  school 
in  Michigan  for  the  sons  of  Chevrolet  dealers, 
and  this  fitted  him  further  for  operation  as 
a  dealer.  When  his  father  died  in  1943,  Mr. 
Burnett  and  his  wife  bought  the  business  as 
a  partnership,  continuing  the  name  of  Burnett 
Motor  Company.  Only  a  few  months  later, 
however — in  December,  1943 — Bruce  Burnett 
went  into  the  United  States  Army.  He  served 
until  January  2  7,  19  4  8.  In  this  period  he 
spent  ten  months  in  the  European  Theater  of 
Operations,  two  of  them  in  combat  in  medium 
tanks.  He  is  the  recipient  of  two  Battle  Stars 
and  of  a  Battalion  Citation.  Since  his  return 
to  civilian  life  he  has  operated  the  Burnett 
Motor  Company,  which  now  employs  seven- 
teen persons.  Mr.  Burnett  owns  the  building 
housing  the  business.  The  firm  goes  back  to 
November  1,  1923,  the  date  when  it  was 
founded  by  Rex  Burnett.  On  January  1,  1950 
Mr.  Burnett  acquired  an  interest  in  the  Family 
Bank  of  C.  P.  Burnett  &  Sons  and  was  elected 
a  director. 

Bruce  Burnett  married  Virginia  Stinson, 
the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oscar  N.  Stinson 
of  Eldorado,  in  that  community  on  June  H, 
1931.  A  son,  Hal  Bruce  Burnett,  was  born 
to  them  on  August  2  7,  1934.  Mrs.  Burnett 
is  also  well  known  in  Eldorado's  business, 
social  and  civic  life.  The  entire  family  wor- 
ships at  Calvary  Baptist  Church,  where  Mr. 
Burnett  is  a  trustee  and  deacon. 

Mr.  Burnett's  civic  leadership,  which  took 
him  into  many  fields  of  interest  and  continues 
to  do  so  today,  culminated  in  his  election  to 
the  office  of  Mayor  of  Eldorado  in  1943.  He 
also  serves  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  Shurt- 
leff  College,  at  Alton.  In  1949  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Eldorado  and 
he  is  currently  serving  on  the  board  of  di- 
rectors   of    the    Eldorado    Chamber    of    Com- 


538 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


HON.  HENRY  BRUCE  BURNETT 


merce.  He  was  president  of  the  Lions  Club  of 
Eldorado  in  the  year  1939-1940.  In  addition, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  American  Legion  and 
the  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican and  his  favorite  sports  are  fishing, 
hunting  and  «olf.  Mr.  Burnett  has  establish- 
ed himself  among  the  group  doing  their  ut- 
most for  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  South- 
ern   Illinois. 

AUSTIN  COLE 

Famed  throughout  the  United  States  is 
Omega  and  FFFG  flour,  the  major  product  of 
a  plant  operated  by  five  generations  of  the 
Cole  family.  Head  of  the  business  today  is 
Austin  Cole,  who,  in  association  with  his  son, 
Austin  Cole,  Jr.,  manages  the  great  H.  C.  Cole 
Milling  Company  at  Chester,  in  Randolph 
County.  The  Coles  have  been  prominent  in 
Southern  Illinois  since  1837,  when  the  founder 
of  the  business,  Nathan  Cole,  first  moved  into 
that  section  of  the  State,  one  of  the  earlier 
pioneers.  He  had  come  from  New  York.  From 
the  early  efforts  of  Nathan  Cole,  expanded  by 
his  son,  Herman  Camp  Cole — after  whom  the 
H.  C.  Cole  Company  is  named — has  arisen  the 
present  enterprise,  with  its  great  plant  on 
the  Mississippi  at  Chester. 

Austin  Cole,  was  born  in  Chester  on  Janu- 
ary 27,  1876.  His  father  took  the  family  to 
Chicago  when  the  son,  Austin,  was  six  years 
old.  There  the  father  operated  a  flour  mill, 
in  accordance  with  what  has  become  a  family 
tradition,  and  there  the  son  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools.  Later,  he  traveled  through  Europe 
with  his  mother,  the  former  Martha  Kennedy 
of  St.  Louis,  for  two  years.  Then  he  attended 
St.  Luke's  School  in  Philadelphia  and  after 
that  Trinity  College  at  Hartford,  Connecticut. 
Here  he  took  his  Bachelor  of  Science  degree  in 
1898. 

Before  Austin  Cole  returned  to  the  family 
business,  he  worked  in  many  fields  and  tra- 
veled some  more.  He  was  employed  by  an 
irrigation  company  in  California,  operated  as 
a  tool  dresser  in  the  oil  fields  of  that  State, 
worked  as  a  chemist  in  a  gold  mine  in  Mexico, 
later  assuming  complete  charge  of  the  mine, 
and  then  held  various  jobs  in  sugar  beet  fac- 
tories in  California,  Canada  and  Colorado.  Re- 
turning to  Chicago,  he  became  associated  with 
the  Bates  Valve  Bag  Company  of  that  city 
and,  later,  founded  and  was  president  of  the 
Western  Valve  Bag  Company.  This  concern 
made  special  bags  to  package  cement.  Event- 
ually, Mr.  Cole  was  called  back  to  Chester  to 
head  the  H.  C.  Cole  Milling  Company,  and 
this  is  the  post  he  fills  today. 


Mr.  Cole  married  Ivy  Ingraham,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Prentice  Ingraham  of 
Mississippi,  on  October  14,  1902.  Two  sons 
were  born  to  the  marriage — Austin  Cole,  Jr., 
now  active  in  the  making  of  Omega  and 
FFFG  flour,  and  Prentice  Ingraham  Cole,  who 
now  resides  at  Palo  Alto,  California.  Austin 
Cole,  Jr.  married  Lois  Anne  Roper  of  Mem- 
phis and  is  the  father  of  Austin  Cole,  III,  and 
Lois  Anne  Cole.  Prentice  Cole,  married,  is  the 
father  of  Prentice  Ingraham  Cole,  Jr.,  and 
Sally  Cole.  Ivy  Ingraham  Cole  died  in  1928. 
Austin  Cole  married,  in  1929,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Brown  of  New  York  State.  The  Austin  Cole, 
Jr.  family  occupies  the  famed  original  H.  C. 
Cole  home,  which  stands  high  on  a  wooded 
bluff  overlooking  the  Cole  mill  and  the  river. 
Austin  Cole  maintains  a  Cape  Cod  home  on 
a  modern  farm  at  the  southeastern  edge  of 
Chester.  It  too  commands  a  view  of  great 
majesty,  the  Southern  Illinois  hills.  Mr.  Cole's 
hobby  is  a  herd  of  registered  Jerseys. 

The  Coles  have  contributed  greatly  to  the 
progress  and  culture  of  Chester.  Aside  from 
providing  employment  to  many — there  are 
sixty  in  the  plant,  seventeen  salesmen  on  the 
road — they  have  aided  local  improvements 
and  erected  the  Chester  Public  Library  and 
Cole  Memorial  Park.  The  entire  ai-ea  looks  to 
the  Coles  and  will  continue  to  look  to  the 
family  for  leadership  in  the  development  of 
an  area  in  which  five  generations  of  Coles 
have  already  done  so  much. 

MRS.  EILEEN  ALDERMAN 

A  long  career  of  public  service  behind  her — 
in  war  time  as  well  as  peace — Mrs.  Eileen 
Alderman  is  now  secretary  of  the  Illinois 
Real  Estate  Board  at  Springfield.  As  such 
she  handles  the  executive  work  at  the  state 
capital  for  an  organization  which,  through 
its  great  membership  of  individuals  and  city 
boards  and  its  tremendous  legislative  program, 
has  brought  about  amendment  of  state  laws 
to  protect  public  and  home  buyers.  Mrs.  Alder- 
man is  known  throughout  the  state  among 
real  estate  men  and  is  one  of  Springfield's 
best  known  women. 

Born  in  Hillview,  Greene  County,  on  Aug- 
ust 24,  1912,  Mrs.  Alderman  is  the  daughter 
of  Charles  Roper  and  Nora  Claire  (Crabtree) 
Roper.  Her  father,  a  native  of  Kansas,  is  a 
farmer.  Her  mother,  born  at  Winchester,  Illi- 
nois, died  in  1948.  Mrs.  Alderman  was  edu- 
cated in  the  high  school  at  Winchester,  Scott 
County,  and  in  the  Gem  City  Business  Col- 
lege, Quincy.  In  1931,  she  was  married  to 
Clarence   G.   Alderman,  a  clei'k  for  the  San- 


ILLINOIS        EDITION 


541 


gamon  Dairy  Company,  and  on  March  20, 
1933,  she  became  the  mother  of  Sharon  Lou 
Alderman. 

Mrs.  Alderman  began  her  career  as  cash- 
ier's clerk  in  the  Abraham  Lincoln  Life  In- 
surance Company  of  Springfield.  She  was 
with  this  concern  for  two  years,  and  then 
became  secretary  to  the  executive  in  charge 
of  Rural  Electrification  in  Adams,  Pike,  Scott, 
Greene  and  Calhoun  Counties  in  Illinois.  Sub- 
sequently, she  was  secretary  to  the  purchasing 
agent  of  the  Warner  Aircraft  Corporation  in 
Detroit,  Michigan.  In  the  World  War  II  pe- 
riod, she  was  secretary  to  the  special  assign- 
ments engineer  in  the  general  manager's  de- 
partment at  the  Midland  Ordnance  Depot  at 
Illiopolis,  Illinois.  Also,  Mrs.  Alderman  served 
as  adjutant  and  secretary  to  the  commander 
of  the  Illinois  Wing  of  the  Civil  Air  Patrol. 

Following  World  War  II,  Mrs.  Alderman 
became  assistant  editor  of  the  Illinois  Inspec- 
tor, a  trade  publication.  From  this  post  she 
went  to  the  Illinois  Association  of  Real  Estate 
Boards  in  Springfield.  She  began  as  secretary 
to  C.  J.  Kellum,  who  was  then  executive  vice 
president  of  the  state  real  estate  organization. 
When  Mr.  Kellum  resigned  this  office  on  June 
30,  1949,  the  board  of  directors  asked  Mrs. 
Alderman  to  remain  as  secretary  of  the  organ- 
ization, a  top  executive  office.  The  organization 
has  2,355  members  and  is  the  coordinating 
agency  for  46  local  real  estate  boards  of  the 
state.  In  addition,  it  coordinates  the  work  of 
the  local  boards  with  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Real  Estate  Boards.  Its  main  office  is 
in  Springfield,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Alderman  has 
had  a  hand  in  shaping  legislative  and  mem- 
bership programs  of  the  organization,  and 
in  extending  its  prestige  and  influence.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Creative  Arts,  Springfield 
Branch,  American  Association  of  University 
Women  and  is  an  art  enthusiast.  She  has  won 
a  high  place  in  the  community  and  state 
through  her  activities. 

EDWARD  XAVIER  LINK,  M.D. 

For  nearly  three  decades  Dr.  Edward 
Xavier  Link  of  Mattoon  has  contributed  to 
the  maintenance  of  the  health  of  the  Central 
States.  He  is  not  only  one  of  the  partners 
operating  the  famed  Link  Clinic  in  Mattoon 
but  he  is  also  Health  Commissioner  of  the 
City  of  Mattoon  and  an  official  in  varous 
other  agencies  devoted   to   the   public  health. 

Dr.  Link  was  born  in  Litchfield  on  Febru- 
ary 1,  18  89,  the  oldest  of  the  seven  children 
of  Adam  and  Ellen  (Lynch)  Link.  Born  in 
Carlinville,  Adam  Link  was  the  son  of  Joseph 


J.  and  Katherine  Link  who  came  to  Illinois 
form  Heidelberg,  Germany.  Adam  Link  be- 
gan his  career  as  a  farmer  but  was  later  a 
boilermaker  for  the  New  York  Central  Rail- 
road at  Mattoon.  He  died  in  1941  at  the  age 
of  81.  Born  in  Irving.  Ellen  Link  was  the 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Honara  Lynch,  who 
came  to  Illinois  from  County  Clare,  Ireland. 
Ellen  Link  died  in   1938   at  the  age  of  83. 

After  attending  the  elementary  and  high 
schools  of  Mattoon,  the  future  Dr.  Link  served 
as  machinist  apprentice  for  four  years  in  the 
NYC  shops  in  Mattoon.  In  1910  he  went  to 
the  National  University  of  Arts  and  Sciences, 
St.  Louis,  from  which  he  received  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Science  and  Doctor  of  Medicine 
in  June,  1916.  He  was  licensed  in  Missouri 
that  month  and  in  Illinois  in  1940.  From  July 
1,  1916,  to  July  1,  1917,  Dr.  Link  served  as 
interne  and  house  physician  at  St.  Anthony's 
Hospital,  St.  Louis.  In  April,  1917,  he  was 
commissioned  a  First  Lieutenant  in  the 
United  States  Army  Medical  Corps  and  wound 
up  as  camp  surgeon,  with  the  rank  of  Captain, 
at  Camp  Orono,  Maine.  Honorably  discharged 
on  December  28,  1918,  Dr.  Lirk  returned  to 
St.  Louis,  where  until  December,  1921,  he 
served  as  receiving  physician  at  St.  Louis 
City  Hospital.  Then  he  joined  his  uncle,  Dr. 
J.  J.  Link,  a  prominent  surgeon,  in  private 
practice.  Both  were  on  the  staffs  of  St.  An- 
thony's Hospital,  Lutheran  Hospital,  Jose- 
phine Heitkamp  Hospital,  St.  Louis  City  Hos- 
pital and  St.  Louis  Isolation  Hospital.  In  1926 
Dr.  Link  was  appointed  assistant  epidemi- 
ologist on  the  St.  Louis  Board  of  Health.  He 
resigned  in  June,  1940,  to  move  to  Mattoon, 
where  he  was  in  general  practice  until  1947. 
At  that  time  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  brother,  Dr.  J.  J.  Link,  and  with  Dr.  E.  N. 
Zinchlag,  and  the  Link  Clinic  was  esablish- 
ed.  The  clinic  building  at  213  South  17th 
Street  was  purchased  and  remodeled.  Since 
then  each  year  the  partners  have  added  a  new 
specialist,  with  plans  to  add  up  to  twenty 
members,  including  all  specialists.  X-ray  lab- 
oratory and  complete  laboratory  service  are 
already    available. 

On  May  1,  1938,  Dr.  Link  married  Ruth 
Fisher  at  St.  Louis.  Mrs.  Link,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Emma  Fisher,  is  active  in  the 
American  Legion  and  Elks  Auxiliaries.  Their 
home  is  in  the  Manor  Apartments,  Mattoon, 
and  they  worship  in  Immaculate  Conception 
Church   of   Mattoon. 

Aside  form  serving  as  Mattoon's  Health 
Commissioner,  Dr.  Link  is  chief  examiner  of 
the  Coles  County  West  Side  Draft  Board.    He 


542 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


EDWARD  XAVIER  LINK,  M.D. 


is  also  medical  director  of  the  State  Veneral 
Disease  Clinic  and  of  the  Coles  County  Polio 
Chapter,  medical  advisor  to  the  Community 
Health  Council  and  vice-president  of  the  Mat- 
toon  Methodist  Hospital  staff.  His  organiza- 
tions include  Coles-Cumberland  Medical  Soc- 
iety. Illinois  Valley  Medical  Association,  Aes- 
culpean  Medical  Association,  St.  Louis  Medi- 
cal Society,  American  Public  Health  Associa- 
tion, St.  Louis  .Medical  Society,  American 
Public  Health  Association,  Illinois  Public 
Health  Association,  American  Legion,  40  and 
8  Society,  Te  Deum  Society,  Kiwanis  Club, 
Elks,  Knights  of  Columbus  (4th  degree)  and 
Mattoon  Association  of  Commerce.  Say  some 
of  the  associates  of  this  slender  white-haired 
medical  leader:  "Pleasant  .  .  .  courteous  .  .  . 
kind  and  generous.  Sympathetic  and  gentle. 
Truly  a   meat   citizen!" 

HUGH  T.  WRIGHT 

When  you  want  to  go  somewhere  in  Mur- 
physboro  and  do  not  have  a  car  of  your  own, 
you  usually  go  by  a  vehicle  operated  by  Hugh 
T.  Wright.  For  Mr.  Wright  is  the  owner  of 
the  Yellow  Cab  Service  Company  and  the 
Murphysboro  Bus  Company,  Inc.,  operating 
cabs  and  busses  throughout  the  Jackson 
County  seat,  with  its  population  of  nearly 
nine  thousand.  Mr.  Wright  is  a  noted  figure 
among  Illinois'  taxicab  owners  and  a  leader 
in  Murphysboro's  civic  affairs. 

He  was  born  in  Murphysboro  on  June  8, 
1900,  the  son  of  James  H.  and  Anna  (Dallas) 
Wright.  Both  parents  were  also  natives  of 
Illinois.  The  father,  a  prominent  Democrat, 
was  superintendent  of  the  City  Street  Depart- 
ment. Hugh  Wright  has  a  brother,  Freeman 
D.  Wright,  vice  president  of  the  Murphys- 
boro Bus  Company,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Edith 
Blocklock.  Hugh  Wright  attended  grade  school 
in  Murphysboro  and  then  went  to  work. 

His  first  job  was  in  the  cutting  room  of  a 
shoe  factory  in  his  native  city,  where  he 
worked  from  1918  to  1921.  From  1921  to 
1925,  he  was  employed  by  the  Railway  Ex- 
press Agency  and  then,  until  1929,  he  was 
traveling  field  auditor  for  the  Diamond  Oil 
Company,  now  the  Mid-Continent  Oil  Com- 
pany, with  headquarters  in  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky. For  a  year  after  leaving  the  oil  con- 
cern he  remained  in  Louisville,  selling  insur- 
ance for  the  Western  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany. He  then  returned  to  Murphysboro,  where 
until  1933  he  operated  a  service  station  for 
the  Shell  Oil  Company.  In  1936,  he  bought  the 
Yellow  Cab  Service  Company  of  Murphysboro 
from  the  estate  of  his  brother,  James  H. 
Wright,    Jr.,    who    died    in    Murphysboro    on 


March  29,  1936.  It  was  then  operating  four 
cabs,  but  Mr.  Wright  so  developed  the  busi- 
ness that  today  his  fleet  consists  of  six  cabs. 
In  1936,  he  organized  the  Murphysboro  Bus 
Company,  Inc.,  of  which  he  has  since  been 
president,  treasurer  and  general  manager.  This 
concern  operates  four  buses  within  the  city 
limits  of  Murphysboro.  Altogether,  Mr.  Wright 
employs  twenty-three  persons. 

On  June  9,  1928,  in  Murphysboro,  Mr. 
Wright  married  Ina  May  Sauerhage,  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Sauerhage  of 
that  city.  They  have  two  sons — James  H. 
Wright,  who  was  born  on  January  29,  1935, 
and  Hugh  T.  Wright,  Jr.,  better  known  as 
"Tom,"  who  was  born  on  September  24,  1939. 
In  1950  both  sons  were  attending  the  public 
schools  of  Murphysboro,  their  birthplace.  The 
family  church  is  the  First  Methodist  of  Mur- 
physboro. 

Mr.  Wright,  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Asso- 
ciation of  Taxi  Cab  Owners  since  1937,  was 
elected  president  of  that  organization  in  1948. 
He  is  also  active  in  the  American  Taxi  Asso- 
ciation. In  1945,  he  served  as  president  of 
the  Lions  Club  of  Murphysboro,  and  he  has 
taken  leading  roles  in  the  fund  drives  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  and  the  Community 
Chest  and  in  the  War  Bond  campaigns.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  Boys'  Town,  the  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles,  the  Benevolent  and  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks  and  such  Masonic  Bodies 
as  the  Blue  Lodge;  Ainad  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
at  East  St.  Louis,  and  the  Carbondale  Com- 
mandery,  Knights  Templar.  He  is  a  former 
member  of  the  Jackson  Country  Club,  where 
he  played  golf.  He  is  a  popular  figure  in  the 
community. 

CHESTER  EVERT  WALKER 

The  man  who  has  made  the  Peoria  Cas- 
ket Company  of  Peoria  a  leader  throughout  the 
undertaking  and  casket  industries  of  the  Middle 
West  is  Chester  Evert  Walker,  president  of 
the  concern.  In  the  casket-making  field  since 
1910,  he  is  the  second  generation  of  his 
family  in  this  business.  He  is  prominent  in 
Peoria's  civic  life  and  is  a  veteran  of  World 
War  I. 

Mr.  Walker  was  born  on  March  6,  1892,  at 
Erie,  Pennsylvania,  the  son  of  Thomas  W.  and 
Echo  E.  (Ewing)  Walker.  Both  parents  were 
also  natives  of  Erie.  The  father  was  in  the 
casket  business  at  both  Erie  and  Peoria.  He 
died  in  1926,  and  is  survived  by  the  mother. 
Chester  Walker  was  educated  in  Erie's  ele- 
mentary and  high  schools.  In  1910  he  began 
working  with  his  father  in  the  casket  business 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


545 


at  Erie.  In  1912,  he  and  his  father  learned  of 
a  defunct  casket  company  in  Peoria  and  Ches- 
ter Walker  was  sent  to  that  community  to 
revive  and  reorganize  it.  This  became  the 
Peoria  Casket  Company.  Chester  Walker  was 
forced  to  leave  the  business  temporarily  when 
the  United  States  entered  World  War  I.  From 
early  1918  until  June  15,  1919,  he  was  with 
Company  B,  32nd  Battalion,  United  States 
Army  Tank  Corps.  He  was  overseas  with  this 
outfit  for  a  long  period  and  rose  to  the  non- 
commissioned rank  of  sergeant.  After  his  dis- 
charge he  returned  to  the  Peoria  Casket  Com- 
pany. Since  then  (1919)  he  has  been  its  presi- 
dent and  guiding  spirit.  The  company,  located 
at  408  North  Jefferson  Avenue,  Peoria,  not 
only  manufactures  caskets  but  also  under- 
takers' supplies.  The  entire  Middle  West  is 
its  trading  territory  and  it  employs  forty-five 
persons. 

In  1914  Mr.  Walker  married  Jane  R.  Row- 
land of  Chicago  and  on  January  28,  1916,  a 
son,  Chester  Evert  Walker,  Jr.,  was  born  to 
them.  Mrs.  Jane  Walker  died  on  March  10, 
1922.  On  October  14,  1924,  Mr.  Walker  mar- 
ried Vivian  Cochran  of  Wyoming,  Illinois.  Two 
sons  have  been  born  to  this  marriage — Wal- 
lace Niel  Walker  on  May  22,  1928,  and  Jos- 
seph  S.  Walker  on  November  13,  1941.  Mr. 
Walker  has  two  grandchildren,  Cheryl  Ann 
Walker  and  Curtis  Niel  Walker.  The  fam- 
ily resides  at  830  Moss  Avenue,  Peoria,  and 
worships  in  the  First  Methodist  Church  of 
Peoria. 

Mr.  Walker  is  a  member  of  the  Peoria  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce,  the  Casket  Manufactur- 
ers Association,  the  Masonic  Order  and  the 
Creve  Coeur  Club.  Flying  is  his  hobby,  and 
he  is  the  holder  of  a  private  flying  license  and 
the  owner  of  a  private  plane.  His  leadership 
has  helped  stimulate  industrial  growth  in  the 
North  Central  States. 

ERNIE  L.  GARRISON 

A  frequent  and  familiar  spectacle  on  the 
highways  of  the  Middle  West  is  one  of  the 
numerous  vans  of  the  Melvin  Trucking  Com- 
pany of  Peoria — enroute  with  goods  moving  in 
the  great  flow  of  commerce  of  the  region.  The 
head  of  this  common  carrier  is  Ernie  L. 
Garrison,  a  Peorian  with  extensive  experience 
in  this  field  since  he  left  his  native  farm  back 
in  1918,  when  he  was  less  than  eighteen  years 
old.  Mr.  Garrison  has  held  offices  of  vast 
leadership  in  the  organizations  of  his  trade 
and  he  is  also  an  influential  figure  in  Peoria's 
civic  life.  Another  world  in  which  he  is  well 


known  is  the  harness  horse  racing,  for  har- 
ness horses  are  his  hobby. 

Mr.  Garrison  was  born  at  Wayne  City, 
Wayne  County,  on  October  21,  1900,  the  son 
of  James  S.  and  Alzetta  (Saxton)  Garrison. 
His  father,  a  farmer,  died  in  1932.  His  mother 
died  in  1936.  Both  were  also  natives  of  Wayne 
City.  Ernie  Garrison  was  educated  in  a  prim- 
ary school  at  Wayne  City.  He  worked  as  a 
farmer  with  his  father  until  he  was  sixteen 
and  for  two  more  years  on  a  farm  at  Loda, 
in  Iroquois  County.  In  1918  he  moved  to 
Peoria  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Avery 
Farm  Implement  Company.  Two  years  later  he 
established  a  trucking  business  of  his  own  in 
that  city,  and  this  enterprise  he  operated  for  six 
years,  or  until  1926.  In  that  year  he  became  as- 
sociated with  the  Peoria  Cartage  Company,  of 
which  he  was  a  director  for  two  years.  From 
1928  to  1936  he  was  in  charge  of  this  concern's 
shop  and  equipment  and  from  1936  he  was 
its  secretary  and  treasurer  and  manager.  In 
1943,  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  this  concern 
and  bought  an  interest  in  the  Melvin  Truck- 
ing Company.  Later  that  same  year  he  ac- 
quired control  of  the  company  and  since  then 
has  been  its  president.  The  company  does  a 
general  trucking  business  as  a  common  car- 
rier, employing  290  persons.  It  maintains 
branches  at  Chicago,  Streator,  Lincoln,  Spring- 
field, St.  Louis  and  Fort  Madison,  Iowa.  He 
is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  Transport  De- 
velopment Co.  and  also  a  partner  in  Garrison 
and   Associates. 

On  April  12,  1921,  Mr.  Garrison  married 
Ruth  M.  Rowe  of  Matherville,  Mercer  County, 
the  daughter  of  Joseph  Rowe,  a  coal  miner 
in  that  community,  and  Adelaide  (Worley) 
Rowe,  a  native  of  Coal  Valley,  Rock  Island 
County,  who  died  in  1935.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gar- 
rison became  the  parents  of  three  children. 
Their  first  son  was  Leroy  Dale  Garrison,  who 
was  born  on  December  30,  1922,  and  who 
married  Edith  Stanley  of  Peoria.  He  was  the 
father  of  two  children,  Larry  Leroy  Garrison, 
born  in  1945,  and  Jeannette  Lea  Garrison, 
born  in  1942.  He  was  in  the  service  in  World 
War  II  and  was  with  the  32nd  Airborne  Divi- 
sion at  Guam  when  he  was  killed  on  April  12, 
1945.  There  are  two  other  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Garrison — Eugene  Kenneth  Garrison, 
born  on  August  28,  1924,  who  married  Edith 
Stanley  Garrison,  and  became  the  father  of 
Terry  Eugene  Garrison,  born  in  1947;  and 
Ernest  Melvin  Garrison,  born  on  September 
28,  1926,  who  married  Mary  Friedinger  and 
is  the  father  of  Allen  Ross  Garrison,  also 
born  in   1947.    Mr.  and   Mrs.   Ernie  Garrison 


546 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


ERNIE  L.  GARRISON  AND  RICHARD  DANIELS  OF  THE  MELVIN 
TRUCKING  COMPANY 


reside  at  82  Southgate  Road,  Peoria.  Mr.  Gar- 
rison's office  is  at  1818  South  Washington 
Street,  Peoria. 

In  his  business  activities  Mr.  Garrison  is  a 
former  president  and  director  of  the  Central 
Motor  Freight  Association;  a  member  of  the 
Advertising  and  Selling  Club  of  Peoria,  the 
Peoria  Association  of  Commerce,  the  Peoria 
Transportation  Club  and  active  in  committee 
work  in  the  American  Trucking  Association, 
headquartered  at  Washington,  I).  C.  In  his 
avocational  life  he  is  president  of  the  Illinois 
Colt  Association.  He  is  a  popular  citizen  of 
Peoria. 

HON.  VIRGIL  HARVEY  CENTER 

Benton,  the  seat  of  Franklin  County,  has 
long  known  and  profited  under  the  leadership 
of  the  Honorable  Virgil  Harvey  Center.  Now 
Mayor  of  the  community,  he  has  participated 
in  all  major  civic  programs  for  years  and  is 
a  business  as  well  as  political  leader.  A  spe- 
cialist in  piece  goods,  he  is  known  as  The 
Fabric  King.  His  place  of  business  is  Virgil 
Center,  The  Fabric  King.  At  one  time  Mr. 
Center  owned  a  small  chain  of  stores.  He  now 
gives  more  time  to  public  affairs,  such  as 
building  Benton  and  aiding  the  growth  of 
Southern  Illinois  and  the  so-called  Greater 
Egypt  region,  than  he  does  to  business. 

Mayor  Center  was  born  in  Pulaski  County, 
near  the  village  of  Pulaski,  on  February  4, 
1888,  the  son  of  George  Halleck  and  Mary 
Josephine  (Eubanks)  Center.  His  father,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  was  a  coal  miner,  the  son  of 
Jackson  Center,  also  of  Ohio.  The  mother  was 
born  in  Franklin  County,  Illinois.  The  fourth 
of  eleven  children,  Mayor  Center  completed 
elementary  school  and  one  year  of  high  school 
at  DuQuoin.  His  first  job  was  in  a  coal  mine 
near  his  birthplace.  Over  a  twelve-months' 
period  in  1906-1907,  he  worked  for  a  clothing 
firm  at  DuQuoin,  handling  the  duties  of  both 
clerk  and  janitor.  Afterward  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  Pope  Dry  Goods  Company  of 
DuQuoin.  In  1911,  Mr.  Pope  made  him  man- 
ager of  a  Pope  store  at  Benton.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  he  resigned  from  the  Pope  organiza- 
tion to  become  associated  with  the  Nolen  Mer- 
cantile Company  of  Benton  as  buyer  of  piece 
goods  and  kindred  merchandise.  He  remained 
with  the  Nolen  organization  until  1915,  when 
he  opened  his  first  business  in  Benton.  This 
was  known  as  the  Center  Dry  Goods  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  and  he  was  its  president  and 
general  manager.  He  has  since  specialized  in 
piece  goods  and  earned  his  title  of  The  Fabric 


King.  In  1926,  having  dissolved  the  original 
corporation,  he  organized  the  Virgil  Center 
Stores,  a  sole  ownership,  and  by  1930  had 
six  stores.  One  by  one  he  sold  these  out,  so 
that  none  were  left  in  his  possession  by  1944. 
He  then  established  Virgil  Center,  The  Fabric 
King,  in  Benton,  and  his  specialization  in 
piece  goods  has  continued  to  make  him  suc- 
cessful as  a  business  man. 

Mayor  Center  was  still  working  for  Nolen 's 
when,  on  October  19,  1914,  he  married  Lura 
Marie  Casey,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ephraim  Casey  of  Ewing.  The  wedding  took 
place  in  Benton.  One  daughter,  Laura  Joseph- 
ine, now  Mrs.  Robert  L.  Strauss,  was  born 
to  the  marriage. 

Active  in  all  phases  of  civic  life  for  years, 
Mr.  Center  was  elected  Mayor  of  Benton  in 
1947  and  continues  to  hold  this  high  office. 
He  is  also  president  of  the  Greater  Egypt 
Association  (for  the  year  1949-1950)  and  has 
served  on  its  board  of  directors  for  several 
years.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Rotary 
Club  of  Benton,  an  organization  which  held 
its  first  meeting  in  his  store.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Benton  Chamber  of  Commerce  in 
1944  and  has  been  on  its  directorate  for 
years.  Other  of  his  organizations  include  the 
Masonic  fraternity;  he  belongs  to  both  the 
Blue  Lodge  in  Benton  and  the  Benton  Chapter 
of  the  Royal  Arch  Masons.  Another  field  in 
which  Mayor  Center  is  a  leader  is  the  Chris- 
tian Science  Church  of  Benton.  He  was  its 
first  reader — 1932  to  1934 — and  has  served  on 
its  board  several  times.  Though  a  Republi- 
can, Mayor  Center  introduced  President  Harry 
Truman  when  the  latter  visited  Benton  in 
1948.  Fishing  is  Mayor  Center's  favorite  re- 
creation. His  five  feet  six  and  170  pounds 
makes  him  a  familiar  figure  in  the  region, 
and  there  is  barely  a  corner  of  the  entire 
territory  in  which  he  is  not  a  popular  figure. 

HARRY  JOSEPH  MACKEY 

As  president  of  the  Decatur  Brass  Works, 
Decatur,  Harry  Joseph  Mackey  has  achieved 
a  position  of  prominence  in  the  industrial 
world  and  a  reputation  for  the  contribution 
he  has  made  to  the  general  economic  advance- 
ment of  Central  Illinois. 

Mr.  Mackey  was  born  in  Syracuse,  New 
York,  the  son  of  John  J.  and  Johanna 
(Mautz)  Mackey.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Ireland.  Mr.  Mackey  went  through  the  eight 
elementary  grades  and  three  years  of  high 
school,  and  then  spent  a  year  at  business 
college.  At  the  outset  of  his  career,  he  entered 
the   employ    of   the    Chicago,    Burlington    and 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


549 


Quincy  Railroad  at  Chicago  and  his  three 
years  with  that  line  were  in  the  office  of  sup- 
erintendent of  transportation.  For  another 
four  years  he  was  with  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  as  auditor.  He  then  spent  seven 
years  with  the  Liquid  Carbonic  Company, 
also  at  Chicago,  becoming  manager  of  the 
Federal  Brass  Works,  the  wholesale  branch 
of  the  company,  and  later  of  the  bottlers' 
machinery  department.  He  has  been  with  the 
Decatur  Brass  Works  in  Decatur  for  thirty- 
three  years  (as  of  1950).  Hi  his  first  five 
years  he  was  vice  president.  Since  1922  he  has 
been  president. 

On  May  3,  1906,  Mr.  Mackey  married  Hazel 
E.  Watson  in  Chicago.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Robert  Sleight  and  Emma  Watson.  A  son 
and  daughter  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mackey — Floyd  Harris  Mackey,  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  University  of  Illinois,  married 
Dorothea  Daniels  also  a  graduate  of  that 
same  institution,  and  is  the  father  of  Gloria 
C.  Mackey.  Lois  Constance  Mackey,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Northwestern  University,  is  now  the 
wife  of  Jack  C.  Flora,  who  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harry  J.  Mackey  make  their  home  at  1527 
West  Macon  Street,  Decatur,  and  worship  in 
the    First    Presbyterian    Church   of   that   city. 

Mr.  Mackey  is  a  member  of  the  Decatur 
Association  of  Commerce;  the  Decatur  Lodge, 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks; 
Decatur  Chapter,  No.  21,  Royal  Arch  Masons; 
the  Country  Club  of  Decatur  and  the  Decatur 
Club.  His  recreational  interests  include  fish- 
ing, golf,  hunting  and  travel.  A  man  of  great 
business  and  executive  ability,  Mr.  Mackey 
has  given  leadership  to  an  enterprise  which 
has  aided  in  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
Central  Illinois. 

ROBERT  GORDON  COURTNEY 

Son  of  a  man  who  pioneered  in  the  mov- 
ing and  storage  business  in  Southern  Illinois, 
Robert  Gordon  Courtney  of  Marion  is  him- 
self one  of  the  leading  figures  in  this  industry 
not  only  in  Illinois  but  in  a  good  deal  of  the 
rest  of  the  nation.  He  owns  and  operates  the 
Courtney  Moving  and  Storage  Company  of 
Marion.  A  former  grade  school  principal,  he 
is  considerably  interested  in  education  and 
is  active  in  promoting  better  schooling  and 
in  civic  affairs  in  general. 

Mr.  Courtney  was  born  at  Marion  on  April 
22,  1912.  His  father,  William  Thomas  Court- 
ney, son  of  Thomas  Courtney,  farmer  and 
native  of  Tennessee,  was  one  of  Williamson 
County's     foremost     citizens.      He     not     only 


550 


founded  the  Courtney  Moving  and  Storage 
Company,  in  1919,  but  served  on  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Williamson  County  Fair 
Association,  helping  to  stage  the  Fair  in  Ma- 
rion, and  was  a  leader  in  the  Lions  Club.  He 
owned  harness  race  horses.  The  mother  of 
Robert  G.  Courtney  was  Annetta  Mae  (Cocke) 
Courtney,  also  a  native  of  Williamson  Coun- 
ty. 

Mr.  Courtney  began  his  education  in  the 
elementary  schools  of  Marion.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  high  school  in  1932  and  in  1938 
took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Education  at 
Southern  Illinois  University  in  Carbondale. 
Active  in  athletic  affairs  at  the  university 
as  he  had  been  in  high  school,  he  was  busi- 
ness manager  of  the  athletic  association.  Also, 
he  was  an  occasional  physical  education  in- 
structor. He  was  elected  to  Chi  Delta  Chi 
and  Kappa  Phi  Kappa  Fraternities.  Upon 
leaving  the  university,  Mr.  Courtney  went  to 
work  as  a  clerk  in  his  father's  moving  and 
storage  business.  Then,  in  1939,  he  accepted 
the  office  of  principal  of  the  Jefferson  grade 
school  in  Marion.  This  post  he  held  until 
1946.  He  then  returned  to  the  Courtney  Mov- 
ing and  Storage  Company.  In  1948  he  bought 
the  business,  and  he  has  since  specialized  in 
household  goods  and  the  moving  of  heavy  ma- 
chinery equipment.  The  possessor  of  inter- 
state rights,  Mr.  Courtney  operates  in  twenty- 
eight  states  and  maintains  a  branch  in  Mount 
Vernon.  The  firm  is  not  only  a  pioneer  in 
the  transfer  business  as  a  whole,  but  also  in 
some  of  its  outstanding  features.  His  father 
designed,  built  and  owned  the  first  enclosed 
furniture  van  in  Southern  Illinois,  for  exam- 
ple. 

On  August  15,  1938,  Mr.  Courtney  married 
Vivian  V.  Buford,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  A.  H.  Buford  of  Bluford,  in  Jefferson 
County.  Mrs.  Courtney,  also  college-educated, 
is  a  member  of  Delta  Sigma  Epsilon  Sorority 
and  of  the  Woman's  Club  of  Marion.  She  is 
well  known  in  civic  and  welfare  activities. 
Both  she  and  Mr.  Courtney  are  interested  in 
harness  horses,  and  Mr.  Courtney  owns  such . 
a  horse.  Mr.  Courtney  is  a  member  of  the 
National  Education  Association,  the  Illinois 
Education  Association;  the  Lions  Club  of 
Marion,  of  which  he  was  president  in  1947; 
Southern  Illinois,  Inc.,  the  Williamson  County 
Sportsman's  Club  and  the  Marion  Boat  and 
Yacht  Club.  Fishing  and  hunting  are  among 
his  favorite  sports.  He  is  active  in  Red  Cross 
work  in  Marion  and  otherwise  participates 
in  movements  aimed  at  the  general  commu- 
nity welfare. 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


ROBERT  GORDON  COURTNEY 


UHMLkmiY  OF  hi i 


HAROLD  W.  REED,  A.B.,  M.S.,  Th.D. 


HAROLD  W.  REED,  A.B.,  M.S.,  Th.D. 

As  Dr.  Harold  W.  Reed  puts  it  himself, 
Olivet  Nazarene  College  at  Kankakee,  of 
which  he  is  president,  "is  a  college  with  a 
purpose.  The  deep  and  ever-abiding  motive 
of  Olivet  is  the  development  of  Christian 
character."  As  president  of  this  institution, 
which  in  1959  will  celebrate  a  half  century 
of  service  to  youth,  the  Nazarene  Church  and 
the  nation.  Dr.  Reed  has  dedicated  himself, 
with  effectiveness,  to  the  "purpose  and  mo- 
tive." In  the  process  he  has  justly  earned  a 
reputation  in  the  religious  and  secular  world 
as  an  educator  and  builder  of  youth. 

Dr.  Reed  was  born  in  Dundy  County,  Ne- 
braska, the  son  of  Edwin  W.  and  Cleo  P. 
(Randall)  Reed.  His  father,  a  native  of  South 
Bend,  Indiana,  became  a  large  scale  rancher 
in  Nebraska.  The  mother  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois. Dr.  Reed  is  the  oldest  of  three  children, 
the  others  being  Edwin  P.,  George  J.  and 
John  Wesley  Reed.  He  went  through  grade 
school  and  one  year  of  high  school  in  his  na- 
tive state,  then  spent  three  years  at  the  Colo- 
rado Springs  Bible  Training  Academy  in  Col- 
orado. He  earned  his  Bachelor  of  Arts  de- 
gree at  Colorado  College  in  Colorado  Springs, 
his  Master  of  Science  degree  at  Colorado 
State  College,  Fort  Collins,  and  his  Doctor 
of  Theology  degree  at  the  University  of  South- 
ern California  in  Los  Angeles. 

"Not  only  well  trained,  Dr.  Reed  has  had 
a  wealth  and  variety  of  experience  which  ad- 
mirably fits  him  for  his  task  as  president 
of  Olivet  Nazarene  College,"  says  a  state- 
ment issued  by  the  college.  Ordained  to  the 
ministry  in  the  Nazarene  Church  in  August, 
1935,  Dr.  Reed  has  been  a  successful  pas- 
tor, having  served  churches  at  Loveland,  Col- 
orado; Junction  City  and  Newton,  Kansas, 
and  Huntington,  Indiana.  He  has  been  pro- 
fessor of  sociology  at  Pasadena  College,  Pasa- 
dena, California;  dean  of  religion  and  vice- 
president  at  Bethany-Peniel  College,  Bethany, 
Oklahoma,  and  president  of  Bresee  College 
at  Hutchinson,  Kansas.  Dr.  Reed  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  important  editing  committee  which 
prepared  the  1948  Nazarene  Manual.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  educational  committtee  ap- 
pointed at  the  1949  General  Assembly  of  the 
Nazarene  Church  to  define  the  educational 
philosophy  of  the  church.  Ha  is  a  member 
of  Phi  Delta  Lambda  and  three  other  national 
honor  societies. 

Founded  in  1909,  Olivet  Nazarene  College 
had  an  enrollment  of  1277  in  1950.  Recently 
completed    is    a    women's    dormitory,    costing 


$350,000.  It  will  house  225  girls.  Plans  were 
under  way  soon  after  this  dormitory  was 
completed  to  spend  $30,000  to  install  new 
furniture  and  otherwise  equip  the  building. 
Another  recent  addition  to  the  college  was 
a  heating  plant  costing  $105,000.  Among 
those  functioning  at  the  college  under  Dr. 
Reed  is  Carl  S.  McLean,  professor  of  English 
since   1923  and  dean   since   1929. 

Dr.  Reed  married  Maybelle  E.  Ripper  in 
Colorado  on  June  19,  1933.  Mrs.  Reed,  who 
was  born  at  Armel,  Colorado  on  October  6, 
1911,  and  educated  in  her  native  state,  is 
active  in  the  various  college  programs.  She 
and  Dr.  Reed  are  the  parents  of  Holdor  Wil- 
liam Reed,  who  was  born  on  November  19, 
1936. 

For  the  record  he  has  made  at  Olivet  Naz- 
arene College  in  expanding  the  size  of  the 
student  body,  in  adding  to  the  physical  plant 
and  improving  housing  conditions,  in  elevating 
the  teaching  standards  and  perpetuating 
Christian  character,  Dr.  Reed  has  become 
a  figure  of  renown  in  the  Nazarene  Church 
and  in  the  world  at  large. 

BRUNO  WILLIAM  KOENEMAN 

It  is  perhaps  as  insurance  man  that  Bruno 
William  Koeneman  of  Chester  is  best  known, 
though  his  reputation  in  the  real  estate  and 
financial  field  is  far  from  limited.  As  an 
insurance  man,  he  is  general  agent  for  the 
Illinois  Bankers  Life  Assurance  Company  of 
Monmouth,  with  branches  in  five  Southern 
Illinois  communities.  His  headquarters  are 
in  the  Royal  Hotel  at  Chester,  which  he  owns. 
He  is  also  president  of  the  Chester  Coach 
Lines,  Inc.,  and  of  the  Continental  Home 
Construction,  Inc.,  and  owner  of  citrus  groves 
in  Texas. 

One  of  the  best  known  natives  of  Southern 
Illinois,  Mr.  Koeneman  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Welge,  Randolph  County,  on  December  5, 
1908,  the  second  of  the  seven  children  of  Ed- 
ward J.  Koeneman,  farmer  and  building  con- 
tractor of  Steeleville,  and  Martha  (Bram- 
mer)  Koeneman.  Bruno  Koeneman  was  edu- 
cated in  Randolph  County,  completing  his 
schooling  at  the  high  school  in  Steeleville. 
In  1926,  he  went  to  work  for  the  Interna- 
tional Shoe  Company  at  Steeleville  and  by 
1937  was  assistant  foreman  of  the  plant. 
Sometime  before  this  he  had  begun  working 
in  the  insurance  business,  finding  "leads"  for 
other  insurance  agents.  Also,  he  had  made 
an  affiliation  with  the  Abraham  Lincoln  Life 
Insurance   Company.    This  was   merged   with 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


.,.  .) 


the  Illinois  Bankers  Life  Assurance  Company. 
When  he  left  the  shoe  company  in  1937,  Mr. 
Koeneman  began  giving  full  time  to  insurance 
and  has  been  in  this  field  ever  since,  except 
for  three  months  when  he  was  too  ill  to  work. 
At  first  Mr.  Koeneman  maintained  offices  in 
Steeleville,  but  in  1948  moved  to  Chester.  He 
opened  an  officie  in  Marion  in  1941,  Belle- 
ville in  1945,  McLeansboro  in  1946.  He.  also 
continues  the  Steeleville  office.  He  entered 
the  real  esate  business  in  1938  and  the  fi- 
nanc  business  somewhat  later.  He  now  serv- 
ices more  than  a  million  dollars  in  loans. 
As  hotel,  coach  lines  and  home  construction 
company  operator,  he  is  further  serving 
Southern  Illinois.  His  citrus  land  in  Texas 
consists  of  forty-two  acres.  Mr.  Koeneman 
is  one  of  the  highly  honored  members  of 
the  Illinois  Bankers  Life  organization.  On 
December  5,  1947,  his  friends  and  officials  of 
the  company  gave  him  a  birthday  party  at 
Chester  in  recognition  of  his  high  standing 
in  the  field,  and  he  is  a  former  vice-president 
of  the  company's  Leader  Club.  Also,  he  ber 
longs  to  its  App-A-Week  Club,  having  writ- 
ten at  least  one  life  insurance  policy  a  week 
for  fifteen  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife  have 
also  for  years  qualified  to  attend  company 
conventions. 

Mrs.  Koeneman,  who  has  assisted  Mr.  Koe- 
neman in  his  business,  is  the  former  Margue- 
rite Finley,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  E. 
Finley  of  Belleville.  They  were  married  on 
April  16,  1930,  and  have  three  children — - 
Billy  Edward,  born  on  April  6,  1931;  Don 
Paul,  born  on  March  24,  1934,  and  Kay, 
born  on  March  18,  1937.  The  Koenemans 
have  a  beautiful  home  in  Chester.  They  at- 
tend the  Methodist  Church,  and  Mr.  Koene- 
man is  president  of  the  church's  official 
board. 

Mr.  Koeneman  is  active  in  many  organiza- 
tions and  is  past  master  of  the  Masonic  Lodge 
at  Steeleville  and  past  patron  of  the  Steele- 
ville Chapter,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  His 
other  organizations  include  the  Steeleville  and 
Chester  Chambers  of  Commerce,  the  Amer- 
ican Hotel  Assosiation,  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Life  Underwriters,  the  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Insurance  Agents,  Ainad  Temple, 
Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  and  the  Mississippi  Valley  Consistory, 
Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  Elks  Club  and  Optimist 
Club  of  Chester,  and  the  Lions  Club  of  Steele- 
ville, of  which  he  is  also  a  past  secretary. 
Bird  hunting,  horseback  riding,  fishing  and 
tennis    are    his    favorite    sports.     He    is    one 


of  the  most  popular  figures  in  Southern  Illi- 
nois and  is  counted  among  those  doing  their 
utmost   for   the   development    of   that   region. 

STEVE  L.  BENNIS 

In  Lincoln  and  Logan  County  in  general 
people  look  to  Steve  L.  Bennis  for  leader- 
ship whenever  a  problem  arises.  For  Mr. 
Bennis  has  proved  through  the  years  that  he 
can  guide  his  fellow  citizen  to  the  solution 
of  such  problems  as  financial  stabilization, 
unemployment,  business  development  and  gen- 
eral civic  and  cultural  improvement.  He  is 
always  the  one  to  redeem  lost  causes.  Mr. 
Bennis  is  credited  with  restoring  normal  bank- 
ing operations  to  Lincoln,  and  thus  accelerat- 
ing the  business  and  agricultural  growth  of 
the  city  and  surrounding  territory,  and  with 
opening  a  new  mine,  thus  giving  employment 
to  many.  He  is  the  owner  of  the  Deer  Creek 
Mine,  outside  Lincoln,  and  of  three  theaters 
in  the  city,  among  them  the  big  Lincoln  The- 
ater. 

Mr.  Bennis  was  born  in  Sanga,  Greece,  on 
May  22,  1882.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  still  a  young  boy, 
first  settling  in  Chicago,  where  he  attended 
grade  school.  After  Chicago  he  lived  in  Jack- 
son, Michigan,  where  he  worked  in  a  confec- 
tionery store  after  school  hours.  He  then 
went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  for  a  time 
he  was  employed  at  the  World's  Fair.  This 
was  in  1904.  After  a  short  time,  Mr.  Bennis 
purchased  the  candy  concession  at  the  fair  and 
remained  until  the  fair  closed.  Later  in  1904 
he  established  himself  in  Lincoln.  Here  he 
also  opened  a  confectionery  store.  In  1909, 
he  founded  a  "nickelodeon,"  exhibiting  the 
the  somewhat  primitive  motion  pictures  of  the 
time  for  a  "nickel."  This  was  the  start  of 
what  has  proved  to  be  an  illustrious  career  as 
a  film  exhibitor.  In  1911  Mr.  Bennis  also 
opened  an  open  air  movie  business.  This  was, 
of  course,  an  outdoor  project,  and  after 
two  years  Mr.  Bennis  was  forced  to  close  it 
down  because  of  so  much  bad  weather.  In 
1915  he  installed  free  motion  pictures  in  the 
confectionery  store,  which  he  had  kept  going 
all  through  his  early  film-exhibiting  days. 
This  business — candy  and  free  pictures  and 
all — he  later  sold  to  his  brother. 

In  1922,  Mr.  Bennis  "sold"  the  people  of 
Lincoln  on  his  plan  to  open  a  new  and  mod- 
ern motion  picture  house.  To  help  him  es- 
tablish it  the  citizens  purchased  a  bond  issue 
he  floated.  This  first  modern  theater  in  the 
city  was  named  the  Lincoln  Theater.  And 
Mr.  Bennis,  who  has  paid  back  all  the  money 


:,:,-; 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


BRUNO  WILLIAM  KOENEMAN 


STEVE  L.  BENMS 


invested  in  the  bonds,  remains  its  owner.  He 
has  since  purchased  two  other  motion  picture 
houses  in  the  community.  The  year  1933, 
when  the  depression  hit  one  of  its  worst 
stretches,  found  Mr.  Bennis  ready  again  to 
give  leadership.  He  was  made  president  of 
the  Lincoln  Chamber  of  Commerce  then  and, 
because  the  local  bank  had  closed,  he  ar- 
ranged for  the  chamber  to  issue  script  money 
to  the  local  business  men  so  that  business 
could  continue.  While  this  temporary  expe- 
dient was  resorted  to,  Mr.  Bennis  thought  of 
a  better  and  more  permanent  solution  to  the 
money  problem.  He  therefore  led  in  the 
movement  that  succeeded  in  raising  the  nec- 
essary capital,  more  than  one  million  dollars, 
to  open  another  bank  in  Lincoln.  This  was 
all  done  on  Mr.  Bennis'  part  in  true  civic 
spirit  without  a  self-profit  motive.  When  the 
bank — called  the  Bank  of  Lincoln — was 
opened,  Mr.  Bennis  even  refused  any  office 
in  it  or  a  membership  on  the  board  of  direc- 
tors. He  was  merely  happy  the  city  had  a 
bank.  In  1936  he  started  the  Deer  Creek 
Mine.,  which  produced  40  to  50  tons  a  day. 
Now,  under  his  leadership,  the  mine  has  de- 
veloped to  a  production  point  of  400  tons  a 
day.  The  mine,  which  is  100  per  cent  mechan- 
ical, employs  68  miners.  By  1950  Mr.  Bennis 
had  retired  13  miners  on  an  income  of  $100 
a    month    each. 

On  June  5,  1907,  in  Lincoln,  Mr.  Bennis 
married  Anna  P.  Eckert.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren, one,  Stephen,  having  died.  The  five 
children  are  Leo,  Joseph,  Charles,  William 
and  Mary  Bennis.  The  family,  which  is  Cath- 
olic, worships  in   St.   Mary's  Church,   Lincoln. 

Mr.  Bennis  is  himself  somewhat  retired 
these  days,  but  he  is  still  "always  doing  some- 
thing," as  his  fellow  townsmen  say.  Civic  af- 
fairs and  work  in  general  are  his  hobbies, 
and,  besides,  he  feels  it  is  his  duty  to  help 
his  city  grow.  Besides  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Co- 
lumbus, the  Red  Men  and  the  Elks.  He  is 
one  of  the  beloved  citizens  of  Logan  County 
— a  man  long  to  be  remembered  and  hon- 
ored there. 

NEWTON  CAMP  FARR 

Though  he  began  his  career  as  a  civil  engi- 
neer, Newton  Camp  Farr  has  made  his  name 
in  other  fields  of  endeavor,  chiefly  real  es- 
tate. As  a  real  estate  man  he  has  a  national 
reputation.  He  is  also  well  known  in  the  edu- 
cational world,  in  welfare  work  and  in  gen- 
eral civic  programs.  He  is  a  former  senior 
partner  in   the   real   estate   firm   of   Farr  and 


Company,  founded  by  his  father  in  1872,  but 
is  now  retired.  He  is  a  veteran  of  World  War 
I  who  was  active  in  home  front  projects  in 
World  War  II. 

Member  of  a  family  which  made  early 
American  history,  Newton  Camp  Farr  was 
born  in  Chicago  on  December  25,  1887,  the 
son  of  Marvin  Andrus  and  Charlotte  (Camp) 
Farr.  His  father  was  one  of  the  men  who 
helped  rebuild  Chicago  after  the  great  fire. 
Newton  Farr  obtained  his  preparatory  educa- 
tion in  the  Harvard  School  in  Chicago  and 
the  Lawrenceville  School  for  Boys  in  New 
Jersey.  In  1909,  he  won  the  degree  of  Civil 
Engineer  at  Cornell  University.  From  1909 
to  1912  he  was  with  the  Raymond  Concrete 
Pile  Company,  Chicago.  In  1912  he  joined 
his  father's  real  estate  firm,  then  already 
forty  years  old,  and  climbed  steadily  in  im- 
portance until  he  achieved  senior  partnership 
status. 

His  interests  in  other  fields  are  numerous 
and  variegated.  He  was  president  of  the  Chi- 
cago Railways  Company,  vice-president  of 
the  Sovereign  Hotel,  chairman  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Flamingo  Hotel,  and  vice- 
president  and  treasurer  of  the  Fairfax  Ho- 
tel. He  is  a  director  of  the  Columbus,  Vene- 
tian, Stevens  Building,  Inc.,  the  Chicago  Title 
and  Trust  Company,  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Edith  Rockefeller  McCormick  Trust.  In  World 
War  I  he  held  the  rank  of  Second  Lieutenant 
in  the  United  States  Army  and  for  a  time 
served  as  assistant  resident  engineer  at  Win- 
chester, England.  He  was  in  the  armed  forces 
from  1917  to  1919.  Among  his  activities  in 
World  War  II  was  his  service  as  chairman  for 
the  State  of  Illinois  in  the  United  Service 
Organizations  (U.S.O.).  He  is  a  trustee  of 
the  Illinois  Institute  of  Technology,  the  Faulk- 
ner School,  Lincoln  Memorial  University,  Ur- 
ban Land  Institute,  Kenwood  Church  and  the 
Chicago  Sunday  Evening  Club.  In  1930  he 
was  president  of  the  Chicago  Real  Estate 
Board;  in  1938  and  1939  he  was  vice-presi- 
dent and  in  1940  president  of  the  National 
Association  of  Real  Estate  Boards;  in  1936, 
he  was  president  of  the  Illinois  Chapter, 
American  Institute  of  Real  Estate  Appraisers; 
in  1932  he  was  president  of  the  Chicago  Bet- 
ter Business  Bureau  and  in  1938-39  president 
of  the  Chicago  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation. He  was  president  of  the  Civic  Fed- 
eration of  Chicago,  1941-44,  and  president  of 
the  Urban  Land  Institute,  1943-47.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Cornell  Alumni  Associa- 
tion, Delta  Phi  Fraternity,  the  Cornell  Club 
of  New  York  City,  and  the   Chicago  Univer- 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


561 


sity,  Tavern,  Commercial  and  Indian  Hill 
Country  Clubs  of  Chicago.  In  1939,  he  served 
as  Governor  of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars. 
Lincoln  Memorial  University  conferred  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Law  on  him 
in  recognition  of  his  service  to  that  institu- 
tion. He  is  a  contributor  of  articles  to  jour- 
nals in  the  real  estate  world.  Mr.  Farr's 
office  is  at  111  West  Washington  Street, 
Chicago,  his  home  at  4737  Woodlawn  Ave- 
nue. The  record  makes  evident  that  he  has 
been  giving  his  native  city  and  the  nation 
extraordinary  service  for  more  than  four 
decades. 

JAY  BORRIES  CASE 

In  the  pharmaceutical  world  an  outstanding 
firm  is  Sutliff  and  Case  Company,  Inc.,  ox 
Peoria.  This  is  not  only  a  manufacturing 
house,  which  does  a  wholesale  and  surgical 
supply  business,  but  is  also  a  company  oper- 
ating eight  retail  drug  stores  in  Peoria.  Of 
this  great  concern  Jay  Borries  Case  is  presi- 
dent. His  reputation  in  the  field  is  nationwide. 

Jay  Borries  Case  was  born  in  Peoria  on 
June  25,  1906,  the  son  of  George  Willard  and 
Irma  (Borries)  Case.  His  father,  a  native  of 
Peoria,  Illinois,  is  chairman  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  Sutliff  and  Case;  he  is  the  son 
of  Ansley  Jay  Case,  who  in  1883  established 
the  business  and  who  died  in  1924.  Mrs. 
Emma  Case,  a  native  of  Peoria,  died  in  1916. 
Jay  B.  Case  first  attended  the  grade  and 
high  schools  of  Peoria.  For  two  years  he  was 
a  student  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  Ur- 
bana,  and  for  another  two  years  at  the 
University  of  Michigan,  Ann  Arbor.  In  1930, 
he  was  graduated  from  the  St.  Louis  College 
of  Pharmacy,  with  the  degree  of  Graduate 
in  Pharmacy. 

In  1931  Mr.  Case  started  with  his  father's 
and  grandfather's  company  as  purchasing 
agent,  but  from  time  to  time  thereafter  he 
transferred  from  one  department  to  the  other, 
the  plan  being  that  he  learn  the  business 
thoroughly.  By  1938,  when  he  was  ready  for 
the  presidency,  he  was  elected  to  that  office. 
Sutliff  and  Case  employs  275  persons.  Its 
manufacturing,  wholesale  and  other  opera- 
tions— except,  of  course,  for  the  eight  Peoria 
retail  drug  stores — covers  the  entire  Middle 
West.  The  pharmaceuticals  it  manufactures 
are  both  for  human  and  animal  therapy  and 
the  concern  is  equally  well  known  to  physi- 
cians and  veterinarians.  The  Case  name  has 
kept  pace  with  the  reputation  of  the  com- 
pany. 

Jay  B.  Case  married  Charlotte  Nelson  of 
Peoria    on    October    6,    1942.    They    have    an 


adopted  child,  Robert  Nelson  Case,  who  was 
born  on  July  13,  1934.  Mrs.  Case  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Sam  L.  Nelson,  a  native  of  Indiana. 
He  was  associated  with  a  street  railway  com- 
pany in  that  state,  and  died  in  1924.  The 
Cases  live  at  103  Holly  Ridge  Circle,  Peoria. 
Mr.  Case's  offices  are  at  201  Spring  Street, 
Peoria. 

Mr.  Case  is  a  member  of  the  Peoria  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce,  the  Illinois  State  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  the  American  Surgical 
Trade  Association,  the  American  Pharma- 
ceutical Manufacturers  Association,  the  Alum- 
ni Association  of  Culver  Military  Academy 
(which  he  attended  from  1922  to  1924),  the 
Masonic  order,  the  Peoria  Country  Club,  the 
Creve  Coeur  Club  and  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Frat- 
ernity. Hunting  and  golf  are  his  favorite 
sports.  The  third  generation  in  the  pharma- 
ceutical business,  Mr.  Case  is  giving  leader- 
ship to  this  field  and  thereby  contributing  to 
the  promotion  of  standards  in  the  medico- 
veterinary  world  and  to  the  health  of  the 
nation. 

RALPH  EUGENE  WILTON 

A  statewide  reputation  as  mortician  and 
civic  leader  is  the  possession  of  Ralph  Eugene 
Wilton  of  Peoria.  In  the  mortuary  busi- 
ness since  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  Mr.  Wil- 
ton is  now  vice-president  of  the  Wilton  Mor- 
tuary of  Peoria,  an  institution  in  which  he 
is  associated  with  his  father.  He  is  a  former 
head  of  the  Illinois  Funeral  Directors  Asso- 
ciation and  is  a  leading  figure  in  community 
enterprises  in  Peoria  County. 

Mr.  Wilton  was  born  on  January  10,  1911, 
at  Peoria.  His  father,  Richard  S.  Wilton,  a 
native  of  Bushville,  Ontario,  Canada,  has  been 
in  the  mortuary  business  since  1890  and  is 
a  renowned  practitioner  in  this  field.  The 
mother,  who  was  the  former  Sarah  E.  Milli- 
son,  born,  like  her  son,  in  Peoria,  died  in  1948. 
Ralph  E.  Wilton  obtained  his  early  education 
in  the  elementary  and  high  schools  of  Peo- 
ria and  in  1932  was  graduated  from  the  Cin- 
cinnati College  of  Embalming.  He  had  gone 
into  the  business  in  1926,  when  his  father  was 
operating  in  a  partnership  with  his  uncle. 
In  1927,  Richard  and  Ralph  Wilton  bought 
out  the  uncle  and  since  then  the  Wilton  Mor- 
tuary has  been  under  their  sole  ownership. 
When  the  business  was  incorporated  Ralph 
Wilton    became   vice-president. 

On  April  5,  1936,  Ralph  Wilton  married 
Lillian  Schad  of  Mansfield,  Ohio,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Kittleberger) 
Schad.    Both  Mrs.  Wilton's  parents  were  born 


r,62 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


NEWTON  CAMP  FARR 


RALPH  EUGENE  WILTON 


in  Austria.  Her  father  is  a  carpenter.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wilton  have  four  children — Richard 
S.  Wilton,  who  was  born  on  December  20, 
1938,  Robert  C.  Wilton,  who  was  born  on 
April  2.'!,  1948,  and  twins,  Lynn  Elizabeth 
and  Ralph  Eugene,  who  were  born  on  Octo- 
ber 17,  1950.  The  family  lives  at  729  Ayres 
Avenue,  Peoria,  and  worships  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  Mr.  Wilton's  business  address 
is  1212  South  Adams  Avenue,  Peoria. 

Mr.  Wilton's  mortuary,  employing  four- 
teen persons,  covers  Peoria  and  Tazewell 
Counties,  and  Mr.  Wilton  is  well  known  in 
both  these  counties.  A  former  president  of 
the  Illinois  Funeral  Directors  Association,  he 
is  now  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Peoria  Associa- 
tion of  Commerce  and  of  the  Girls'  All-Amer- 
ican Baseball  Club,  a  character-building  pro- 
gram, and  is  secretary  of  the  West  Peoria 
Fire  Protection  District.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Peoria  Advertising  and  Selling  Club,  the 
Transportation  Club  of  Peoria,  the  Peoria 
Lodge  No.  20,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Or-- 
der  of  Elks,  the  Bradley  Boosters  Club  and 
the  Creve  Coeur  Club.  He  is  very  active  in 
Masonry,  being  a  member  of  the  Peoria  Lodge, 
No.  15,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
Peoria  Chapter  No.  7,  Royal  Arch  Masons, 
Mohammed  Temple,  A. A. O.N. M.S.,  Peoria,  a 
Sir  Knight  in  Peoria  Commandery  No.  3,  and 
one  of  the  electing  orders  of  St.  Helena  Con- 
clave No.  3,  Royal  Order  of  Jesters  of  Peoria. 
Bowling,  boating  and  baseball  are  his  favorite 
recreations.  His  leadership  has  helped  to  ele- 
vate standards  in  many  fields,  including  the 
mortuary. 

DOMINICK  SHALLA 

A  successful  and  well  known  Illinoisan, 
Dominick  Shalla  is  the  founder  and  presi- 
dent of  The  Continental  Fireworks  Manu- 
facturing and  Display  Company,  Inc.,  of 
Jacksonville,  seat  of  Morgan  County.  Through 
his  company  Mr.  Shalla  has  contributed  to 
the  success  of  numerous  public  events  and 
celebrations  and  to  the  pleasure  of  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  persons.  A  veteran  of  World 
War  I,  he  is  active  in  programs  conducted  by 
or  in  behalf  of  ex-service  men  and  is  also  a 
participant   in    other   civic   enterprises. 

Mr.  Shalla  was  born  on  June  13,  1895,  at 
Marcianise,  twelve  miles  from  Naples,  Italy, 
one  of  the  six  children  of  Pasquale  and  Ma- 
ria (Sciarra)  Shalla.  The  father,  likewise 
a  native  of  Italy,  was  also  in  the  fireworks 
business  most  of  his  life.  His  entire  family, 
including  Dominick,  were  associated  with  him 


in  that  business.  Educated  in  grade  school 
in  Italy,  Dominick  Shalla  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1913,  establishing  himself  for  a 
time  in  Pennsylvania,  where  for  two  years 
he  worked  in  a  coal  mine.  When  the  United 
States  entered  World  War  I,  Mr.  Shalla  joined 
the  United  States  Army  and  was  sent  over- 
seas, where  he  saw  action  on  several  fronts. 
After  the  war,  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania 
and  for  two  years  was  employed  by  the 
New  Castle  Fireworks  Company.  Then  he 
went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  worked 
for  the  United  Fireworks  Company. 

On  December  15,  1925,  at  St.  Louis,  Mr. 
Shalla  married  Josephine  Pagano,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Italy.  To  them  have  been  born  a 
daughter  and  a  son — Maria  A.,  in  1926,  now 
Mrs.  J.  O.  Hocking  and  residing  in  Jackson- 
ville; and  Pasquale  Shalla,  in  1927,  who  mar- 
ried Evelyn  Frye  of  Jacksonville  and  is  the 
father  of  Dominick  Jo  Shalla,  born  in  1949. 
The  family  worships  in  the  Pentecostal 
Church. 

When  he  married,  Mr.  Shalla  took  his  bride 
to  Pennsylvania  for  a  honeymoon.  But  in- 
stead of  returning  to  St.  Louis,  they  came 
to  Illinois  and  for  two  years  Mr.  Shalla 
worked  for  the  Illinois  Fireworks  Company. 
Then  he  did  go  back  to  St.  Louis,  where  he 
established  his  own  business,  the  Eagle  Fire- 
works Company.  This  he  operated  from  1932 
to  1942.  Soon  after  the  United  States  was 
propelled  into  World  War  II,  Mr.  Shalla  was 
given  a  big  war  contract.  This  came  from  the 
National  Enameling  and  Stamping  Company 
of  Jacksonville.  The  Jacksonville  firm  was 
itself  under  contract  to  the  United  States 
Government  to  build  shell  casings  in  several 
sizes  and  also  to  make  flares  and  hand  gre- 
nades. Mr.  Shallla  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  flare-manufacturing  work.  After  the  war 
Mr.  Shalla  decided  to  remain  in  Jacksonville. 
He  dissolved  his  Eagle  Fireworks  Company 
in  St.  Louis  and  in  the  Morgan  County  seat 
launched  the  Continental  Fireworks  Manu- 
facturing and  Display  Company,  Inc.,  of  which 
he  has  since  been  president  and  which  he  has 
guided  to  great  success.  Mr.  Shalla  makes 
fireworks  for  display  purposes  only,  no  small 
items  such  as  firecrackers  and  the  like  used 
by  boys  or  families  in  personal  celebrations 
of  July  Fourth.  Mr.  Challa  not  only  fur- 
nishes the  fireworks  for  displays,  but  sets 
up,  organizes  and  fires  the  displays.  He  has 
built  and  supervised  the  firing  of  pyrotech- 
nics for  many  July  Fourth,  homecoming  and 
county  fair  celebrations  in  virtually  all  parts 
of   the   United    States.     He    is   a    member    of 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


567 


the  American  Legion  and  its  40  and  8,  of 
the  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars,  the  Loyal  Or- 
der of  Moose  and  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks.  His  home  is  at  1538 
South  Main  Street,  Jacksonville.  Mr.  Shalla 
not  only  enjoys  leadership  in  his  field  of  busi- 
ness but  personal  popularity. 

ERNEST  S.  KLEIN,  M.D. 

A  noted  psychiatrist  who  has  given  dis- 
tinguished service  in  the  public  mental  hy- 
giene program  and  in  the  armed  forces  in 
World  War  II,  Dr.  Ernest  S.  Klein  is  now 
superintendent  of  the  Kankakee  State  Hos- 
pital at  Kankakee.  He  is  prominent  not  only 
in  medicine  and  psychiatry,  but  also  in  state 
employee's  work,  in  Welfare  and  Veteran's 
programs  and  in  civic  activities. 

Dr.  Klein  was  born  in  Chicago  on  January 
7,  1911,  the  son  of  Edward  and  Anna  Klein. 
The  future  psychiatrist  and  institutional  ad- 
ministrator began  his  education  in  Chicago's 
schools.  In  1936  he  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Illinois  College  of  Medicine, 
with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  After 
completing  his  rotating  internship  at  St. 
Elizabeth  Hospital,  Chicago,  in  1937,  he  ac- 
cepted appointment  as  junior  physician  at 
Dixon  State  Hospital.  Ten  months  later  he 
transferred  to  Chicago  State  Hospital  in  the 
same  capacity.  Soon  afterward,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  senior  staff  physician. 

While  on  the  Chicago  Hospital  staff  Dr. 
Klein  took  postgraduate  work  in  clinical  psy- 
chiatry at  the  Illinois  Neuropsychiatry  Insti- 
tute, receiving  a  certificate.  In  1940,  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Nervous 
and  Mental  Diseases  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago  College  of  Medicine.  In 
1941  and  1942  he  was  on  the  medical  faculty 
of  the  University  of  Illinois.  Meantime,  he 
was  continuing  as  senior  staff  physician  at 
Chicago.  On  November  4,  1942,  Dr.  Klein 
resigned  this  post  to  enter  the  armed  forces. 
He  served  as  Assistant  Chief  or  Chief  of  Psy- 
chiatry at  various  Army  installations,  finish- 
ing up  as  a  Major  serving  as  Chief  of  Psy- 
chiatry and  Commanding  Officer  of  the  Dis- 
ciplinary Barracks  hospital  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas.  Separated  from  the  service 
in  July,  1946,  Dr.  Klein  returned  to  Chicago 
State  Hospital  as  psychiatrist.  On  November 
15,  1947,  Dr.  Klein  was  promoted  to  assist- 
ant superintendent  of  Kankakee  State  Hos- 
pital, where  he  served  under  Dr.  George  W. 
Morrow  (q.v.),  superintendent  now  retired. 
When  Dr.  Morrow  retired,  Dr.  Klein  was  made 
acting   superintendent   on    December   1,   1949, 


and  was  appointed  superintendent  April  1, 
1950. 

Dr.  Klein  married  Helen  Blumenfeid, 
daughter  of  Max  and  Sophie  Blumenfeid,  on 
September  5,  1936.  They  have  two  daugh- 
ters— Nancy,  born  on  March  19,  1939,  and 
Maxine,  born  on  May  1,  1940.  Mrs.  Klein, 
prominent  in  Kankakee,  is  a  former  Girl 
Scout  leader  and  is  on  the  Parent-Teacher 
Association  program  committee.  She  is  second 
vice  president  and  hospital  chairman  of 
Temple  B'nai  Israel. 

Dr.  Klein  has  a  reputation  as  practicing 
psychiatrist  and  institutional  administrator. 
He  is  the  co-author  of  articles  on  the  shock 
treatment  in  mental  cases.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Kankakee  County  Medical  Society,  the 
Illinois  Psychiatric  Society,  the  Illinois  Medi- 
cal Society,  the  American  Psychiatric  Asso- 
ciation, the  Chicago  Society  for  Personality 
Study,  the  Illinois  Mental  Hygiene  Society, 
the  Physicians  Association  of  the  Illinois 
State  Department  of  Welfare  and  the  Kan- 
kakee Post  of  the  American  Legion.  He  is 
former  president  of  Chapter  Ten  of  the  Illi- 
nois State  Employees  Association.  His  medi- 
cal fraternity  is  Phi  Lambda  Kappa.  Work, 
he  says,  is  his  hobby  and  recreation.  By  work 
he  has  made  himself  a  figure  of  national  im- 
portance in  the  medical  field. 

GLYNN  WILLIAM  WHITE 

Glynn  W.  White,  Painting  and  Decorating, 
is  a  business  name  well  known  at  Champaign 
and  the  surrounding  region.  Now  owned  and 
operated  solely  by  Glynn  William  White,  the 
firm  traces  its  beginnings  to  the  activities  of 
his  father,  whom  he  joined  in  the  enterprise 
in  1914.  Mr.  White,  who  was  in  the  United 
States  Army  on  Mexican  border  patrol  in 
1916  and  later  in  World  War  I,  is  active  in 
veterans'  and  public  affairs  at  Champaign 
and  in  labor  circles.  He  is  known  for  his 
work  on  behalf  of  city  beautification  and 
recreation,  and  vocational  apprenticeships 
and   his   numerous   other   activities. 

Mr.  White  was  born  at  Bement,  Piatt  Coun- 
ty, on  April  5,  1896,  the  son  of  William  C. 
and  Margaret  (Glynn)  White.  His  father 
founded  the  painting  contracting  firm,  which 
he  conducted  until  his  death  on  March  1, 
1936.  He  was  a  native  of  Illinois.  Margaret 
Glynn  White  was  born  in  Scotland.  She  came 
to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  when 
she  was  still   a  young  girl. 

Glynn  W.  White  was  educated  in  Cham- 
paign's public  schools,  being  graduated  from 
Champaign  High  School  in  1914.  Upon  leaving 


568 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


DOMINICK  SHALLA 


GLYNN  WILLIAM  WHITE 


school,  he  began  serving  his  apprenticeship 
in  the  painting  and  decorating  trade  under  his 
father.  When  the  elder  Mr.  White  died,  the 
son  took  over  the  business,  giving  it  its  present 
name. 

Mr.  White  married  Dorothy  Price  of  Cham- 
paign in  that  city  on  December  25,  1922,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: Francis  Robert  White,  William  Arthur 
White  and  Marilyn  Ruth  White.  Francis  Rob- 
ert White,  born  September  22,  1923,  is  a 
graduate  of  Davis  and  Elkins  College,  class 
of  1949.  He  married  Mary  Lou  Laing  of 
Beckley,  West  Virginia,  September  17,  1949. 
William  Arthur  White,  born  March  22,  1925, 
is  a  student  at  Davis  and  Elkins  College  of 
Elkins,  West  Virginia.  Marilyn  Ruth  White, 
born  April  12,  1930,  is  a  student  at  the 
University  of  Illinois.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
White  are  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Champaign.  Mrs. 
White  teaches  the  Bible  in  the  Sunday  School. 
She  is  a  past  president  of  the  American  Le- 
gion Auxiliary,  Post  No.  24,  and  is  a  past 
Chief  of  Harmony  Temple,  Pythian  Sisters, 
No.  323,  and  the  Champaign  County  Falon 
No.  231.  She  is  a  volunteer  hospital  worker 
at  the  Veterans  Hospital  at  Danville,  Illinois. 
The  Whites  reside  at  311  Stanage  Avenue, 
Champaign. 

Mr.  White  has  achieved  such  prominence 
in  the  community  as  to  be  elected  to  the 
Champaign  Park  Board.  Also  he  was  appoint- 
ed Supervisor  of  the  Town  of  Champaign,  on 
August  22,  1949.  He  has  served  on  the  board 
of  the  Family  Service  Agency  in  Champaign 
and  during  World  War  II  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Champaign  County  Home  and  War 
Chevst  Board.  He  has  also  been  appointed  a 
director  of  the  Champaign  Health  District.  A 
member  of  the  Painters  Local  No.  363,  he  is 
prominent  in  the  Twin  City  Federation  of  La- 
bor and  serves  on  the  joint  advisory  council 
for  the  Champaign  Apprenticeship  School.  In 
addition,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  Champaign  Post  No.  24,  Ameri- 
can Legion  and  the  Forty  and  Eight.  He  is  a 
life  member  of  the  D.A.V.  and  member  of 
the  Army-Community  Relations  Committee. 
In  1916  he  went  to  the  Mexican  Border  with 
the  1st  Illinois  Field  Artillery  and  in  World 
War  I  he  was  with  the  124th  Field  Artillery, 
United  States  Army,  serving  overseas,  in 
which  he  became  a  Sergeant.  Politically,  he 
is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  White's  efforts  on  behalf  of  his  city 
and  county  have  been  widely  recognized. 


HENRY  JOSEPH  MACKIN 

In  the  Venetian  blind  business  since  1923 
and  inventor  of  the  Mackin  Premier  Blind, 
Henry  Joseph  Mackin  of  Momence,  in  Kan- 
kakee County,  is  now  one  of  the  prominent 
manufacturers  of  these  household  items  in  the 
United  States,  with  a  trading  territory  that 
covers  most  of  the  nation.  His  company,  with 
plant  in  Momence,  is  the  Mackin  Venetian 
Blind  Company.  He  is  president  of  the  en- 
terprise and  his  son,  Robert  J.  Mackin,  is 
both  treasurer  and  general  manager.  Another 
son,  Henry  J.  Mackin,  Jr.,  is  sales  manager 
and  secretary,  while  a  third  son,  James  F. 
Mackin,  also  in  the  sales  end  of  the  business, 
is  assistant  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  sen- 
ior Mr.  Mackin  has  led  his  family  into  a  posi- 
tion of  prominence  in  the  industrial,  civic 
and  social  life  of  the  community  and  county. 

Mr.  Mackin  was  born  in  Lockport,  Illinois, 
on  November  13,  1889.  He  completed  his 
education  at  the  Creighton  High  School,  Oma- 
ha, Nebraska,  whither  the  family  had  moved 
when  he  was  a  young  boy.  He  was  first 
employed  in  home  furnishings  stores,  chiefly 
in  drapery  departments,  in  Omaha.  In  1919, 
he  went  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where  he 
worked  for  Robert  Keith  and  Company,  an- 
other such  store.  In  1923  Mr.  Mackin  re- 
turned to  his  native  state  and  became  a  Vene- 
tian blind  salesman  for  the  Western  Venetian 
Blind  Company  of  Chicago.  He  was  with  this 
concern  several  years.  In  the  course  of  that 
period  he  came  to  recognize  the  need  of 
something  other  than  the  conventional  type  of 
Venetian  blind.  He  proceeded  to  develop  a 
substitute,  and  in  1927  patented  it.  The 
Mackin  Premier  Blind  has  no  cords  running 
through  the  slots  but  works  by  a  chain  ar- 
rangement. In  1927,  Mr.  Mackin  opened  a 
small  plant  at  1302  North  Halsted  Street, 
Chicago,  and  began  manufacturing  his  blind. 
In  the  Fall  of  1928  he  moved  the  factory  to 
Kankakee,  though  he  continued  maintaining 
the  Chicago  office.  The  family  moved  to 
Kankakee  in  1929.  Four  years  later  Mr. 
Mackin  transferred  factory  operations  to 
Bradley,  in  Kankakee  County.  In  1935  Mr. 
Mackin  added  a  second  floor  to  this  con- 
verted plant,  and  there  he  developed  the  busi- 
ness into  a  nationwide  enterprise,  which  in 
the  World  War  II  period  worked  on  war 
contracts.  After  the  war,  in  1946,  Mr.  Mackin 
erected  a  modern  brick  building  in  Momence, 
where  he  has  since  centered  all  his  manufac- 
turing activities.  Though  he  ships  his  blinds 
into  all  parts  of  the  United  State,  Mr.  Mackin, 
who  was  representatives  everywhere,  concen- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


573 


trates  on  the  North  Central  and  Northeast- 
ern  States. 

Mr.  Mackin  married  Elizabeth  A.  Roller  of 
Des  Moines.  They  have  three  sons,  Robert 
J.  Mackin,  born  on  April  19,  1915,  completed 
his  education  at  St.  Viator  Collge,  where  he 
took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in 
Accountancy  in  1937.  For  a  time  he  worked 
with  an  uncle  in  the  floor  covering  jobbing 
business  in  Omaha,  but  in  1942  returned  to 
Rankakee  to  operate  640  acres  of  farm  land. 
In  1945  he  joined  his  father  in  the  Mackin 
Venetian  Blind  Company.  He  married  Monica 
Cotter  of  Rankakee  on  November  26,  1937, 
and  is  the  father  of  Robert  J.  Mackin,  Jr., 
born   in   1942,   Cynthia  Ann   Mackin,   born   in 

1948,  and  Larry  born  in  1950.  He  is  active 
in  the  Elks  and  St.  Patrick's  Holy  Name  So- 
ciety. Henry  Mackin,  born  in  1916,  married 
Florence  Frechett  and  is  the  father  of  Ter- 
ence, Michael  Mackin  and  twin  girls,  Pamela 
and  Patricia.  He  belongs  to  the  Elks,  Lions 
and  Rnights  of  Columbus.  James  F.  Mackin, 
the  third  son,  married  Jermaine  LaMarr  and 
is    the    father    of    Jeffrey    Mackin,    born    in 

1949.  He  was  with  the  Navy  Air  Corps  in 
World  War  II.  Henry  J.  Mackin,  Sr.,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Elks 
and  the  Rnights  of  Columbus  and  various 
organizations  of  his  trade,  is  known  through- 
out the  industry  and  is  a  highly  respected 
citizen   of   Eastern    Illinois. 

GEORGE  CLYDE  HEBERLING 

At  one  time  a  leading  figure  in  the  indus- 
trial and  business  world,  as  well  as  in  civic 
affairs,  George  Clyde  Heberling  of  Blooming- 
ton  is  today,  in  retirement,  still  one  of  the 
outstanding  and  active  figures  of  his  city, 
McLean  County  and  the  state.  One  of  the 
founders  of  the  great  G.  C.  Heberling  Com- 
pany of  Bloomington,  Mr.  Heberling  sold  that 
organization  in  1938,  remaining  as  manager 
until  1943.  Since  then  he  has  been  retired. 
He  is  one  of  the  best  known  Masons  in 
Illinois. 

George  Clyde  Heberling  was  born  on  a 
farm  March  12,  1875,  near  Cadiz,  Ohio,  in 
Harrison  County.  He  was  the  son  of  Warner 
Spurrier  Heberling  and  Rosanna  Hagan  He- 
berling of  the  same  location.  Mr.  Heberling 
lived  on  the  farm  in  Ohio  until  1895,  when 
he  moved  to  Iowa,  and  worked  on  a  farm,  by 
the  month,  for  two  years,  in  order  to  save 
sufficient  money  to  enable  him  to  take  a 
business  course  in  Valparaiso,  Indiana.  He 
had  placed  his  savings  in  a  bank  at  West 
Liberty,    Iowa,   and   just   before  the   time   to 


leave  for  school  the  bank  broke  up,  and  he 
lost  his  savings.  Not  to  be  thwarted  in  his 
plans  to  get  a  business  education,  in  the  fall 
of  1897  he  arranged  with  the  officers  of  the 
Browns  Business  College  in  Valparaiso,  to 
work  for  his  board,  providing  he  could  pay 
his   tuition. 

After  completing  his  business  course  in 
Valparaiso  he  moved  to  Chicago  in  1898  and 
obtained  a  position  with  the  Griffin  Car 
Wheel  Company  as  stenographer  and  account- 
ant, where  he  remained  for  a  period  of  four 
years. 

On  September  20,  1900,  Mr.  Heberling  was 
married  to  Miss  Mertle  A.  Dickerson  of  West 
Liberty,  Iowa;  the  daughter  of  John  C.  and 
Sarah  A.  Dickerson.  To  this  union  was  born 
one  daughter,  Mrs.  Lucile  Barnes,  now  living 
in  Chicago. 

In  the  Spring  of  1902  Mr.  Heberling  re- 
signed his  position  with  the  Griffin  Company 
and  moved  to  Bloomington,  Illinois,  where  he 
and  his  brother,  John  C.  Heberling,  of  Wi- 
nona, Minnesota,  organized  the  G.  C.  Heber- 
ling Company  for  the  manufacture  and  sale 
of  a  line  of  household  remedies,  flavoring  ex- 
tracts, spices,  toilet  articles,  perfumes,  etc. 
Bloomington  and  McLean  County,  Illinois, 
were  selected  as  the  best  location  to  start 
a  business  of  this  kind  on  account  of  being 
almost  in  the  central  part  of  the  state  and 
because  of  the  splendid  railroad  facilities. 

Mr.  C.  W.  Webb  from  New  Athens,  Ohio, 
a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Heberling,  came  to 
Bloomington  in  1905,  and  bought  an  interest 
in  the  Company  and  was  made  Secretary — 
which  position  he  held  until  his  death  in  June, 
1939. 

The  business  was  conducted  jointly  by  G.  C. 
and  J.  G.  Heberling  until  1911  when  G.  C. 
Heberling  bought  his  brother's  interest  and 
became  the  President  and  General  Manager. 
The  business  prospered  and  grew  until  the 
Company  had  500  salesmen  on  the  road  and 
was  doing  business  in  28  states.  The  Company 
occupied  the  entire  floor  space  of  a  five-story 
brick  building,  70x120,  located  at  the  corner 
of  Prairie  and  Douglas  Streets. 

In  1938  Mr.  Heberling  sold  the  business 
to  Mr.  E.  L.  Ring,  of  Winona,  Minnesota, 
which  business  is  still  being  conducted  under 
the  name  of  G.  C.  Heberling  Company, 
Bloomington,  Illinois.  At  this  time  Mr.  He- 
berling remained  with  the  new  owners,  as 
manager,  until  August  1943,  at  which  time 
he  retired  from   business. 

Mr.  Eberling  took  a  very  active  part  in 
local    and    community    affairs    and    occupied 


574 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


HENRY  JOSEPH  MACKIN 


GEORGE  CLYDE  HEBERLING 


many  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  served 
twelve  years  as  a  Director  of  the  Bloom- 
ington Association  of  Commerce,  and  in  1916 
was  elected  its  president.  During  his  many 
years  of  activity  in  Bloomington  he  was  at 
one  time  president  of  the  Interestate  Manu- 
facturers Association  with  headquarters  at 
Winona,  Minnesota — a  Director  for  four  years 
of  the  Illinois  Manufacturing  Association  of 
Chicago — a  State  Director  of  the  Traveler's 
Protective  Association  and  President  of  the 
Bloomington  Club. 

Mr.  Heberling  was  very  active  in  the  Ma- 
sonic Organization  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Shrine.  He  joined  the  Masonic  Order  in  1914. 
He  was  made  Chairman  of  the  Consistory  Pe- 
tition Committee,  which  position  he  held  for 
ten  years.  In  September  1944  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  the  33rd  degree  in  Masonry  and 
was  formerly  president  of  the  Delmar  D.  Dar- 
rah  33rd  Degree  Club,  in  Bloomington,  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  Heberling  is  a  member  of  the  Sec- 
ond Christian  Church  of  Bloomington  Coun- 
try Club  and  the  Bloomington  Club. 

THOMAS  P.  HOUDE 

The  Tom  Houde  Dairy  in  Kankakee,  one 
of  the  largest  in  its  field  in  Eastern  Illinois, 
has  grown  from  a  business  which  bottled  a 
few  quarts  of  milk  a  day  and  gave  most  of 
it  away  to  build  a  delivery  route,  to  an 
organization  not  only  serving  numerous  fam- 
ilies but  most  of  the  schools  and  institutions 
in  the  area.  It  has  pioneered  in  many  respects 
and  has  built  tremendous  prestige  among  the 
public.  Founded  by  Thomas  P.  Houde,  one 
of  Kankakee's  outstanding  citizens,  it  is  oper- 
ated by  him  and  his  son,  Thomas  R.  Houde, 
a  disabled  veteran  of  the  United  States  Army 
Air  Forces  of  World  War  II,  also  a  prominent 
Kankakeean. 

Thomas  P.  Houde  was  born  at  Bourbon- 
nais,  near  Kankakee,  on  January  24,  1904, 
and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Kankakee 
County.  In  his  youth  he  worked  as  a  clerk 
in  an  ice  cream  parlor.  He  made  candy  that 
was  sold  in  this  store.  Later  he  operated  a 
candy  business  of  his  own.  Then  he  learned 
the  furniture  upholstery  business  and  worked 
at  this  a  short  time.  Subsequently,  he  and  his 
brother  operated  a  grocery  store.  After  this 
was  sold,  Thomas  Houde  worked  as  a  butcher. 
In  June,  1931,  he  founded  the  Tom  Houde 
Dairy,  and  began  business  operations  in  a 
small  concrete  building  about  the  size  of  a 
garage.  The  first  output  was  fifteen  quarts 
of  milk  a  day,  most  of  which  was  given  away 


to  build  a  milk  route.  Business  increased 
quickly,  and  has  continued  to  grow.  Today  the 
Tom  Houde  Dairy  bottles  more  than  six  hun- 
dred fifty  gallons  of  milk  a  day.  Mr.  Houde 
was  the  first  to  introduce  the  half-gallon 
bottle  of  milk  to  Kankakee  and  also  the  first 
in  the  Kankakee  area  to  streamline  delivery 
schedules  in  the  World  War  II  period  be- 
cause of  war  shortages.  The  Tom  Houde  Dairy 
is  the  only  one  in  the  city  producing  butter. 
This  is  sold  exclusively  to  Houde  customers. 
Ninety  percent  of  the  schools  and  hospitals  in 
the  area  are  serviced  by  the  Houde  enterprise. 

Thomas  P.  Houde  married  Lillian  Gladys 
Fortier,  a  native  of  Kankakee,  on  November 
5,  1924,  and  three  children  were  born  to  them 
—Thomas  R.  Houde,  on  November  28,  1925; 
James  P.  Houde,  on  January  7,  1944,  and 
Madonna  Joan  Houde,  on  February  3,  1942. 
In  recent  years  pictures  of  the  Houde  chil- 
dren have  adorned  the  dairy's  calendars,  and 
thus  the  faces  of  the  trio  have  become  known 
throughout  the   Kankakee  territory. 

Thomas  R.  Houde,  the  son,  first  attended 
the  elementary  schools  in  Kankakee.  For  a 
time  he  was  a  student  at  the  Kankakee  High 
School,  but  transferred  to  St.  Patrick's  High 
School.  In  1943  he  enlisted  in  the.  United 
States  Army  Air  Forces  and  became  a  tail- 
gunner  and  radio  operator  in  a  B-24  bomber. 
He  served  in  the  South  Pacific  Theater  of 
Operations.  Badly  wounded  in  action,  he  re- 
mains on  the  disabled  list.  After  returning 
to  civilian  life,  he  studied  at  St.  Bede  Col- 
lege, Peru,  Illinois.  In  his  sophomore  year, 
however,  he  was  forced  to  drop  out  and  to 
enter  a  Veterans'  Hospital  for  treatment.  He 
remained  there  a  year  and  then  went  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  continued  his  studies  at  De- 
Paul  University  and,  most  of  that  time,  was 
confined  to  a  nearby  Veterans'  Hospital.  In 
January,  1949,  when  his  father  became  ill, 
Mr.  Houde  returned  to  Kankakee  and  as- 
sumed management  of  the  dairy.  He  married 
Mary  Jean  Mailloux  in  Kankakee  on  August 
13,  1949.  They  are  the  parents  of  a  daugh- 
ter, Linda  Jean  Houde,  born  on  June  27, 
1950.  One  of  Thomas  R.  Houde's  contributions 
to  the  dairy  business  has  been  to  introduce 
in  Kankakee  the  plastic  bottle  for  milk. 

Thomas  P.  Houde  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  Elks,  Moose,  St.  Jude, 
St.  Rose  Holy  Name  Society,  St.  Rose  DePaul, 
the  Kankakee  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Kan- 
kakee County  Credit  Bureau,  the  United  Com- 
mercial Travelers  Association  and  is  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Memorial 
Building    and    the    Catholic    Charities   of   the 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


579 


Kankakee  Archdiocese.  He  and  his  son  are 
making  an  unusual  contribution  to  the  growth 
and   welfare  of  the  area. 

HONORABLE  GOTTLIB  JAMES  FRICK 

The  name  of  the  Honorable  Gottlib  James 
Frick,  with  its  associations  of  distinguished 
and  selfless  public  service,  is  known  through- 
out Illinois.  Mr.  Frick  is  the  owner  not  only 
of  the  Frick  Funeral  Home  and  the  G.  J. 
Frick  Plumbing  and  Heating  Company  at 
Marion,  but  also  the  owner  of  the  Marion  Air- 
port and  considerable  developed  and  unde- 
veloped real  estate.  He  is  former  Sheriff  of 
Williamson  County  and  a  former  Commis- 
sioner of  the  City  of  Marion  and  in  addition 
has  served  on  the  Illinois  State  Board  of  Em- 
balming Examiners.  He  is  one  of  the  Demo- 
cratic leaders  of  Williamson  County. 

Born  on  a  farm  in  Franklin  County  on 
April  18,  1881,  Mr.  Frick  is  the  son  of  George 
A.  and  Anna  (Sippee)  Frick.  His  father  was 
a  cooper,  carpenter  and  baker,  as  well  as 
farmer.  While  he  worked  on  the  family  farm, 
Gottlib  Frick  went  to  elementary  school  in 
Marion.  He  completed  the  seventh  grade. 
When  he  was  fourteen,  he  left  the  farm  to 
become  a  clerk  in  his  uncle's  store  at  Belle- 
ville, in  St.  Clair  County,  where  he  remained 
two  years.  Then  he  was  a  clerk  and  wagon 
driver  for  a  Granite  City  grocery  for  two 
more  years,  after  which  he  worked  as  street- 
car conductor  and  motorman  for  eighteen 
months.  In  1902  Mr.  Frick  entered  the  gro- 
cery business  for  himself  at  Venice,  in  Madi- 
son County,  but  his  store  burned  down  the 
following  year.  In  the  ensuing  period  he 
washed  boilers,  worked  in  blacksmith  shops 
and  in  the  coal  mines  at  Marion.  Later,  he 
homesteaded  land  in  New  Mexico  and  for 
a  time  also  lived  in  El  Paso,  Texas.  Then  he 
returned  to  Marion  and  the  coal  mines. 

Meantime,  on  March  17,  1903,  Mr.  Frick 
had  married  Pearl  Wilbanks,  the  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Wilbanks  of  Venice. 
Mrs.  Frick  had  been  her  husband's  book- 
keeper in  the  grocery  business  at  Venice. 
Five  children  were  born  to  this  marriage — 
Irene  Pearl,  Howard  W.,  Mabel,  who  died  in 
1926,  James  A.  Frick,  who  is  in  business  with 
his  father,  and  William  Douglas  Frick,  who 
was  killed  in  an  automobile  wreck  on  Septem- 
ber 6,  1942. 

Upon  his  return  to  Marion,  Mr.  Frick,  with 
a  growing  family,  began  to  act  on  a  decision 
to  cuter  the  undertaking  business.  While  he 
worked   in   the  coal   mines,   he  took  a   corres- 


pondence course  in  embalming  with  the 
Worsham  School  of  Embalming  of  Chicago. 
Later,  he  went  to  Chicago  and  took  a  grad- 
uate course  with  the  same  institution.  When 
he  finished  the  correspondence  course  he 
went  into  the  funeral  business  with  two  part- 
ners. And  as  he  built  a  name  for  himself  as 
funeral  director  his  wife  operated  a  grocery 
store.  Since  1918  Mr.  Frick  has  been  sole 
owner  of  the  Frick  Funeral  Home  of  Marion 
and  since  1924  he  has  owned  the  G.  J.  Frick 
Plumbing  Company,  having  also  become  a 
master  plumber.  His  son  James  owns  half  the 
business  and  operates  the  funeral  home. 

Though  he  owns  Marion  Airport,  Mr.  Frick 
does  not  operate  it  himself.  It  is  leased  to 
others.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  the  Bank  of  Marion.  As  early  as 
1919  the  electorate  recognized  Mr.  Frick's 
civic  interest  by  making  him  a  City  Commis- 
sioner. He  served  that  first  time  until.  1921. 
Again,  from  1926  to  1930.  In  1929  he  was 
elected  Sheriff  of  Williamson  County  on  the 
Democratic  ticket  and  served  until  1934.  He 
was  on  the  State  Embalming  Board  for  seven 
years.  Through  his  business  Mr.  Frick  is  a 
member  of  the  National  Funeral  Directors  As- 
sociation, the  Illinois  Funeral  Directors  Asso- 
ciation, the  National  Plumbing  Association, 
Also,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order,  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose  and  the 
Rotary  Club  of  Marion.  Farming  is  his  hobby 
and,  with  his  family,  he  worships  in  the 
Evangelical  Reformed  Church  of  Marion.  Mrs. 
Frick  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Marion  in  which  she  takes  an 
active  part.  He  is  one  of  Southern  Illinois' 
major   citizens. 

WILLARD  PAUL  ENGELHARD 

At  175  West  Jackson  Boulevard,  Chicago, 
are  the  offices  of  the  well  known  insurance 
firm  of  Engelhard  and  Co.  In  this  firm  Wil- 
lard  Paul  Engelhard,  a  distinguished  citizen 
of  both  the  Windy  City  and  the  attractive 
suburb,  Oak  Park,  where  he  makes  his  home, 
is  a  partner.  Mr.  Engelhard  is  known  for  his 
contributions  to  education  and  Boy  Scouting 
as  well  as  to  the  development  of  the  insurance 
business. 

Mr.  Engelhard  was  born  in  Hollywood,  Illi- 
nois, on  March  29,  1898,  the  son  of  Paul  R. 
Engelhard,  a  native  of  Germany  who  came  to 
the  United  States  when  he  was  two  years  old, 
and    Hulda     (Dalmar)     Engelhard.     In    1916, 


!)8<) 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


4^ 


HONORABLE  GOTTLIB  JAMES  FRICK 


PAUL  R.  ENGELHARD 


Mr.  Engelhard  was  graduated  from  the  River- 
side-Brookfield  Hi^h  School,  where  lie  had 
been  on  the  varsity  basketball  and  football 
teams,  an  outstanding  debater  and  partici- 
pant in  dramatics.  At  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, which  he  attended  from  September, 
1916,  to  June,  1918,  being  a  student  in  the 
College  of  Commerce,  he  was  secretary  of  the 
Sophomore  Class.  World  War  I  intervened 
to  interrupt  his  education.  He  enlisted  in  the 
Naval.  Reserve  Force  in  June,  1918,  and  was 
almost  immediately  sent  to  the  Officers  Train- 
ing School  at  the  University  of  Chicago.  Then 
he  went  on  a  coastwise  training  ship  as  a 
cadet,  finally  to  Pelham  Bay,  New  York, 
where  he  was  commissioned  an  Ensign.  He 
received  his  honorable  discharge  in  June, 
1919.  For  a  time  after  returning  to  civilian 
life  Mr.  Engelhard  continued  his  studies  at 
Northwestern  University. 

In  June,  1919,  also,  he  began  his  insur- 
ance career.  This  beginning  with  H.  Daimar 
and  Company,  Chicago,  and  his  first  position 
was  that  of  endorsement  clerk.  Later  he 
was  bookkeeper,  special  agent  and  office 
manager.  In  September,  1930,  Mr.  Engelhard, 
with  his  father  and  brother,  E.  F.  Engel- 
hard, formed  the  partnership  still  called 
Engelhard  and  Co.  Since  the  death  of  Paul 
R.  Englehard  the  brothers  own  and  operate 
the  business.  The  company  began  as  a  small 
agency,  with  only  one  employee  and  hand- 
ling only  brokerage.  It  now  does  a  premium 
volume  of  more  than  $1,500,000  annually,  in- 
cluding both  brokerage  and  direct  business. 
It  has  developed  interesting  and  helpful  rate 
and  form  manuals  and  analysis  surveys  and  is 
one  of  the  most  active  general  agencies  in 
the    latter    field. 

Willard  Paul  Englehard  and  Grace  Ander- 
son, the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  R. 
Anderson,  were  married  in  Oak  Park  on  May 
23,  1925.  She  is  now  deceased.  On  June 
26,  1948,  also  at  Oak  Park,  Mr.  Engelhard 
married  Mrs.  Louise  L.  Klein.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  Woman's 
Club  at  Oak  Park,  the  Ladies  Society  of  Grace 
Lutheran  Church,  Oak  Park,  and  is  active 
in  a  variety  of  Parent-Teacher  Association 
programs  in  that  community.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Engelhard  reside  at  1201  North  Kenilworth 
Avenue,  Oak  Park.  The  children  of  the  family 
are  Willard  P.  Engelhard,  Jr.,  Robert  R. 
Engelhard,  Donald  G.  Engelhard,  Suzanne 
Engelhard  and  Kenneth  H.  Klein  and  Barbara 
L.  Klein.  Mr.  Engelhard's  step-children. 


In  the  insurance  world,  Mr.  Engelhard  is 
currently  a  director  of  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Underwriters.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the  St. 
Paul  Federal  Savings  and  Loan  Association 
of  Chicago.  In  his  other  activities,  he  serves 
on  the  Oak  Park  School  Board  and  formerly 
was  chairman  of  cubbing  for  the  Thatcher 
Woods  Area  Council,  Boy  Scouts  of  America. 
Mr.  Engelhard  has  a  reputation  for  helping 
young  men  start  their  careers.  He  is  actively 
interested  in  schools  and  school  organizations 
and  has  helped  organize  several  cub  packs 
in  scouting  and  other  scouting  activities.  He 
is  now  giving  time  to  his  school  board  work. 
These  activities  and  his  leadership  in  the  in- 
surance world  have  made  him  one  of  Cook 
County's  outstanding  citizens. 

EUGENE  FIELD  ENGELHARD 

A  citizen  of  Cook  and  Lake  Counties  who 
has  made  his  name  known  throughout  the 
state,  Eugene  Field  Engelhard  is  an  outstand- 
ing insurance  agent.  A  partner  in  the  insur- 
ance agency  of  Engelhard  and  Co.,  175  West 
Jackson  Boulevard,  Chicago,  Mr.  Engelhard 
has  held  important  executive  offices  in  the 
Illinois  Association  of  Insurance  Agents.  Al- 
so, he  holds  public  office  in  the  Lake  County 
community  in  which  he  lives- — Deerfield. 

Mr.  Engelhard  was  born  in  Hollywood, 
Illinois,  on  November  7,  1901,  the  son  of 
Paul  R.  and  Hulda  (Daimar)  Engelhard.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Germany.  Mr.  Engel- 
hard began  his  education  in  the  Riverside 
Grammar  School,  continuing  at  the  Riverside- 
Brookfield  High  School.  He  spent  two  years 
at  the  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  and  then 
prepared  for  the  legal  profession  at  the  Chi- 
cago Kent  College  of  Law.  Awarded  his  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1926,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Illinois  Bar  in  1927.  At  college 
Mr.  Engelhard  was  elected  to  Delta  Chi  Fra- 
ternity. Long  before  he  had  finished  his  edu- 
cation Mr.  Engelhard  began  his  business 
career.  From  192  0  to  1921  he  was  a  book- 
keeper for  H.  Daimar  Company,  Chicago.  The 
following  two  years  he  was  at  the  University 
of  Illinois  in  Urbana  and  in  1923  was  made 
abstract  examiner  for  the  Chicago  Title  and 
Trust  Company.  The  following  year  he  re- 
turned to  the  employ  of  the  H.  Daimar  & 
Company.  He  remained  with  this  firm  from 
1924  to  1930,  rising  to  the  office  of  secretary  in 
the  final  five  years  and  also  assuming  the 
post  of  manager  of  the  casualty  department. 
On  September  15,  1930,  he  became  a  partner, 
with  his  father,  P.  R.  Engelhard,  and  his  bro- 
ther, W.  I'.  Engelhard,  in  the  insurance  firm  of 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


58; 


Engelhard  and  Company,  Chicago.  Mr.  P.  R. 
Engelhard   is  now  deceased. 

On  October  1,  1927,  at  the  Orrington  Hotel, 
Evanston,  Mr.  Engelhard  married  Miriam 
Snyder,  the  daughter  of  Harry  and  Jennie 
Snyder.  Mrs.  Engelhard,  well  known  as  a 
cellist,  is  a  member  of  the  Mellodists.  The 
Engelhard  home  is  on  Wilmot  Road,  Deer- 
field.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Engelhard  have  a  son 
and  daughter — Eugene  Field  Engelhard,  Jr., 
born  in  1929,  a  student  (in  1950)  at  Palos 
Verdes  College,  Rolling  Hills,  California,  and 
Adrienne  Engelhard,  born  in  1934,  who  in 
1950  was  at  Highland  Park  High  School. 

The  Engelhard  family  is  one  of  the  out- 
standing families  of  Lake  County.  Mr.  Engel- 
hard serves  on  the  leading  public  and  private 
boards  interested  in  community  welfare  and 
progress  and  is  chairman  of  the  Deerfield 
Zoning  Board  of  Appeals.  In  his  business 
career,  he  served  as  executive  vice-president 
of  the  Illinois  Association  of  Insurance 
Agents  in  the  year  1941-42  and  as  treasurer 
and  chairman  of  the  budget  and  finance  com- 
miller  of  that  organization  in  the  years  1943 
to  1949.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Ex- 
moor  Country  Club  since  19  40.  His  recrea- 
tional interests  include  hunting,  fishing, 
horseback  riding  and  gardening.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Engelhard  has  made 
a  reputation  through  his  civic  service  as 
well  as  through  his  leadership  in  the  insur- 
ance   world. 

COLONEL  J.  H.  KIRKPATRICK 

Jonathan  H.  Kirkpatrick  who  became 
known  as  the  "Grand  Old  Man  of  Auctioneer- 
ing" was  born  in  North  Liberty,  Adams 
County,  December  2  3,  18  44,  being  a  son  of 
John  and  Mary  (Postlewait)  Kirkpatrick. 
The  father  was  married  in  Old  Dominion  and 
died  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
about  eight  years  of  age,  leaving  a  widow  and 
eight  children,  of  which  Colonel  Kirkpatrick 
was  the  youngest.  The  mother  came  to  Bloom- 
ington,  Illinois,  in  1852,  in  company  with  an 
Ohio  colony  and  settled  in  Oak  Grove  Town- 
ship. It  was  here  that  Colonel  Kirkpatrick 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  supporting  the 
family.  With  a  team  which  the  family  owned 
he  assisted  with  the  construction  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  when  it  was  built 
through  this  section  of  the  state.  He  then  en- 
dured the  hardships  incident  to  pioneer  life 
on   i  lie  Illinois  prairies. 

Colonel  Kirkpatrick  acquired  a  good  prac- 
tical education  in  the  common  schools  and  fol- 
lowed   farming  until   1861   when  he  removed 


to  Washington  county,  Iowa,  with  his  mother 
whose  death  there  occurred.  Here  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  Brighton  and  successful- 
ly carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  August,  18  73,  he  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  in  the  Hawkeye  State, 
and  returned  to  Bloomington,  Illinois,  where 
he  took  up  auctioneering  as  a  profession.  It 
was  from  practical  knowledge  gained  during 
his  agricultural  career,  that  he  later  became 
known  as  an  authority  on  values,  especially 
as  pertains  to  land  and  live  stock. 

The  record  of  sales  as  kept  by  Colonel  Kirk- 
patrick, covering  a  period  of  nearly  fifty 
years,  shows  that  he  has  cried  approximately 
six  thousand  land  and  stock  sales.  He  has 
auctioned  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
head  of  horses,  two  hundred  thousand  head 
of  cattle,  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand 
head  of  hogs  and  in  round  number  sixty- 
five  thousand  head  of  sheep.  His  live  stock 
and  general  farm  sales  of  personal  property, 
from  a  conservative  estimate,  total  over  six- 
teen   million    dollars. 

In  addition  to  this  he  had  conducted  sales 
of  residences,  business  properties  and  farm 
lands,  having  made  this  branch  of  the  pro- 
fession a  speciality.  Hundreds  of  these  sales 
were  made  under  court  decrees  and  in 
the  settlement  of  estates.  During  the  last 
decade  he  had  been  extremely  active  in  this 
branch  of  work  and  had  auctioned  property 
of  this  kind  of  an  aggregate  value  of  many 
millions  of   dollars. 

He  traveled  to  and  from  sales  over  one 
hundred  and  sixty  thousand  miles  and 
sold  a  string  of  farm  machinery  over  sixty 
miles  in  Length.  Away  back  in  18  73  when 
Colonel  Kirkpatrick  launched  out  as  an  auc- 
tioneer, there  were  no  automobiles  or  inter- 
urban  lines.  Transportation  was  by  railroad 
or  horse  and  buggy.  He  traveled  almost  ex- 
clusively, back  in  the  '80's  in  a  vehicle  then 
known  as  a  "gig."  About  this  time  there  was 
a  spirited  exodus  to  the  western  states,  espec- 
ially to  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Iowa  and  Missouri. 
People  emigrated  in  colonies  as  a  result  it  was 
not  uncommon  for  almost  an  entire  communi- 
ty to  sell  all  of  their  surplus  stock.  Colonel 
Kirkpatrick  as  the  result  of  this  condition 
often  spent  a  week  or  two  in  a  community 
crying  sales.  Later,  it  was  common  for  him 
to  go  to  one  of  the  above  mentioned  states 
and  sell  out  some  of  these  colonies  who  had 
moved  westward  and  were  ready  to  start  back 
to   Illinois. 

The  largest  sale  Colonel  Kirkpatrick  ever 
cried    was    for    Dillon     Brothers   at   Normal, 


:,m\ 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


COLONEL  J.  H.  KIRKPATRICK 


Illinois,  in  1899  or  thereabout.  Over  three 
hundred  head  of  pure  bred  draft  horses,  im- 
ported from  Fiance,  were  auctioned.  It  was 
the  largest  sale  of  this  character  ever  held  in 
the  United  States.  Colonel  Edmonson  of  Ken- 
tuck  assisted.  Since  then  he  had  wide 
experience  in  the  sale  of  graded  stock  of  every 
description.  In  the  early  days  live  stock  was 
not  graded  but  was  sold  in  rather  a  haphazard 
fashion. 

Colonel  Kirk patrick  was  possessed  with  an 
intimate  knowledge  and  a  keen  appreciation 
of  values.  The  moment  stock  was  brought 
into  the  sale  ring,  he  was  able  to  judge  their 
worth.  Human  nature  was  to  him  as  an  open 
book  and  he  knew  at  a  glance  whether  a  bid- 
der had  gone  his  limit.  He  was  a  past 
master  in  the  subtle  art  of  creating  a  desire, 
which  is  one  of  the  salient  features  in  expert 
salesmanship.  He  had  a  keen  sense  of  humor; 
was  convincing  in  his  arguments  and  his  elo- 
quence gained  for  him  a  state-wide  repu- 
tation. He  was  a  man  of  magnetic  personality 
and  was  born  a  leader.  He  was  honest  in  his 
dealings  and  often  generous  to  a  fault. 

Colonel  Kirkpatrick  was  as  a  father  to  young 
auctioneers.  He  befriended,  advised  and  in- 
structed them  and  in  many  instances  assisted 
them  in  listing  sales.  This  was  done  out  of 
the  kindness  of  his  heart  and  without  thought 
of  compensation  or  reward. 

Other  enterprises  also  claimed  the  attention 
of  Colonel  Kirkpatrick  who  was  a  man  of  re- 
sourceful ability,  keen  discrimination  and  re- 
liable judgement. 

Colonel  Kirkpatrick  was  active  in  the  politi- 
cal interests  of  the  county,  state  and  union. 
He  became  Alderman  of  the  Second  Ward  in 
Bloomington  upon  its  organization  and  after- 
wards held  many  positions  of  political  prefer- 
ment in  connection  with  the  city  administra- 
tion. He  was  always  a  staunch  Republican. 

Colonel  Kirkpatrick,  by  reason  of  his  portly 
build,  his  attire  and  his  personality,  rarely 
failed  to  attract  attention,  especially  among 
strangers.  He  invariably  wore  a  cap  and  leg- 
gings and  carried  a  cane.  During  the  winter 
season  he  was  always  incased  in  a  huge  fur 
overcoat,  which  added  to  his  already  generous 
dimensions.  His  ruddy  face  was  always 
wreathed  with  a  smile  and  his  genial  disposi- 
tion and  his  happy  mood  are  a  few  of  the 
many  things  which  characterized  him  from 
other    men. 

He  was  active  in  religious  and  fraternal 
circles,  being  a  member  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian   Church,    of    the    Odd    Fellows    and 


Knights   of   Pythias   and   other  organizations, 
social,    commercial    and    religious. 

As  a  citizen,  Colonel  Kirkpatrick  was  a 
public-spirited  man,  giving  aid  and  coopera- 
tion to  every  movement  calculated  to  advance 
the  educational,  social,  moral  and  material 
welfare   of   the   community. 

As  an  auctioneer  he  was  without  a  peer. 
Perhaps  no  other  man  of  the  profession  en- 
joyed a  wider  acquaintance  in  this  and  ad- 
joining states.  It  has  been  said  of  him  that 
every  man,  woman,  child  and  dog  in  Central 
Illinois  knew  the  Colonel  and  he  knew  the 
same  people  personally.  There  may  be  other 
auctioneers  whose  record  may  equal  or  even 
surpass  his  in  point  of  continued  service,  but 
his  eventful  and  eminently  successful  record 
as  a  farm  and  stock  auctioneer  is  perhaps 
without  an  equal. 

Down  in  the  500  block  across  Main  Street 
from  the  East,  a  creek  ran  and  people  had  to 
cross  a  bridge  connected  with  the  side-walk 
to  get  over  it.  This  was  in  the  1870's  and 
'80's.  It  was  near  this  stream  on  the  West 
side  of  the  then  dirt  road,  Main  Street,  that 
Colonel  J.  H.  Kirkpatrick  opened  up  his  un- 
pretentious second  hand  furniture  store  in 
1881.  Just  North  and  down  many  feet  in 
vacant  lots  in  a  small  shanty  building,  one 
of  the  City's  early  Italian  families — the 
Costa's — carried  on  a  fruit  vending  business, 
the  customers  having  to  go  down  a  flight  of 
steps  to  make  a  purchase.  The  stock  of  furni- 
ture was  then  small  but  it  grew  with  the  yea;-s 
and  increasing  trade. 

HOWARD  AND  KIRKPATRICK 

On  June  10,  1888,  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  took 
in  as  a  partner,  an  aggressive  and  enterpris- 
ing young  business  man,  who  later  became 
his  son-in-law,  Mr.  L.  W.  Howard,  the  firm 
known  as  Howard  and  Kirkpatrick. 

Occupying  the  single  floor  of  the  old  frame 
structure,  their  business  grew  so  rapidly  that 
in  1804,  the  old  building  was  demolished  and 
the  first  modern  building  of  brick  of  three 
stories  on  Main  Street,  North  of  Market 
Street  was  erected  by  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  on 
these  lots  at  52  2  and  524  North  Main  Street. 

With  the  new  building  the  trading  so  grew 
that  each  year  marked  an  expansion.  It  is 
said  that  in  some  of  the  busy  weeks  of  1907, 
the  firm  had  more  volume  in  sales  in  a  single 
week  than  in  a  whole  year  when  the  business 
was  young.  It  was  Mr.  Howard  who  first  in- 
troduced the  system  of  installment  furniture 
buying  in  any  city  in  the  state,  outside  of 
Chicago,    at    the   store   here    in    Bloomington. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


589 


It  became  popular  and  ever-expanding,  enabl- 
ing young  couples  to  start  up  housekeeping 
much  earlier  than  they  would  have  otherwise 
done  and  inviting  customers  to  buy  pieces  for 
their  home  on  deferred  payments. 

Mr.  Howard  served  as  General  Supervisor 
over  the  business  and  adopted  many  of  the 
then  most  modern  methods.  He  was  a  great 
believer  in  and  advocate  of  advertising  in  the 
retailing  game  and  this  attribute  of  faith  was 
in  no  small  measure  the  reason  of  this  suc- 
cess, as  well  as  the  high  standards  of  princi- 
ples he  always  adhered  to.  Twenty-five 
people  were  then  working  for  the  firm. 

In  January,  1908,  the  firm  announced  that 
it  would  dissolve  on  account  of  Mr.  Howard's 
health  and  Col.  Kirkpatrick's  desire  to  devote 
his  time  exclusively  to  the  profession  of  auc- 
tioneering. This  ended  the  very  satisfactory 
and  ennobling  association  of  these  two  part- 
ners. Mr.  Howard  retired  to  his  farm  near 
Twin  Grove,  West  of  the  City,  but  he  was  al- 
ways referred  to  later  as  one  of  Blooming- 
ton's   leading   merchants. 

HOWARD-KIRKPATRICK  HOUSE 
FURNISHING  COMPANY 

On  July  1,  1908,  a  Corporation  was  formed 
to  take  over  the  business  formerly  carried  on 
under  the  firm  name  of  Howard  and  Kirk- 
patrick.  The  stockholders  were  Edward  R. 
Kirkpatirck,  Charles  S.  Kirkpatrick  and  Col. 
J.  H.  Kirkpatrick.  The  latter,  while  he  re- 
tained his  interest  as  stockholder  and  di- 
rector, was  not  active  in  the  establishment, 
as  his  profession  occupied  his  time. 

In  their  main  street  store  they  had  the 
first  system  of  indirect  lighting  every  installed 
in    any   city    in    Illinois,    outside    of    Chicago. 

The  trade  mark  of  the  store  was  a  large 
red  chair  which  every  day  could  be  seen  in 
the  entrance  way  of  the  store,  it  having  been 
made  by  one  of  its  craftsmen — Mr.  James 
Hughes.  The  chair  was  equally  well  known, 
not  only  to  the  people  of  Central  Illinois  but 
also  to  the  representatives  of  furniture  fac- 
tories and  carpet  and  rug  mills  throughout 
the  United  States.  Parents  would  bring  their 
children  and  lift  them  into  the  chair  list  so 
they  could  say  that  "They  had  sat  in  it." 
Later  when  they  grew  up  and  were  married, 
they  insisted  upon  buying  their  house  furnish- 
ings from  the  store  where  as  children  they 
had  sat  in  "Kirk's  Red  Chair."  The  heaviest 
man  and  the  tallest  man  in  this  country  had 
sat  in  it.  It  was  borrowed  for  city  parades 
and  weddings. 

This  store  had  the  distinction  of  being  the 


first  purchaser  of  any  goods  of  any  kind  out 
of  the  Merchandise  Mart  in  Chicago,  which 
is   the   world's   largest   display   building. 

EDWARD  R.  KIRKPATRICK 

At  the  age  of  eighteen,  Edward  R.  Kirk- 
patrick took  a  position  with  the  firm  of 
Howard  &  Kirkpatrick.  He  studied  and 
mastered  various  angles  connected  with  the 
different  departments  of  the  house  furnish- 
ing business.  He  became  in  turn  the  head  of 
the  carpet  department  and  assistant  general 
manager  to  Mr.  L.  W.  Howard.  No  young 
man  ever  worked  harder  or  longer  at  a  busi- 
ness than  did  both  Edward  Kirkpatrick  or 
Louis    Howard. 

It  was  a  natural  sequence  that  when  the 
corporation  of  the  Howard-Kirkpatrick  House 
Furnishing  Company  was  formed,  he  was 
chosen  as  its  president  and  general  manager, 
becoming  one  of  the  youngest  business  ex- 
ecutives in  the  city.  He  was  well  known  in 
the  furniture  markets  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich- 
igan, Rockford  and  Chicago,  Illinois,  and 
Jamestown,  New  York. 

By  his  inherent  aggressiveness  and  the 
adoption  of  high  standards  of  business  ethics, 
he  saw  the  business  each  year  have  an  ex- 
panded growth  from  its  humble  start  in  1908 
to  the  sale  of  the  store  in  1937. 

The  success  of  the  establishment  was  due 
largely  to  the  qualities  of  his  personal  manage- 
ment. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  is  an  enthusiastic  sports- 
man, choosing  golf  and  duck  hunting.  The 
many  duck  dinners  he  has  given  through 
the  years  have  become  a  tradition. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  is  a  director  in  the  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Bloomington  and  the  First 
Federal  Savings  &   Loan  Association. 

CHARLES  S.  KIRKPATRICK 

After  graduation  from  the  Bloomington 
High  School  in  19  00  and  the  following  year 
from  Eastman  College,  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York,  the  oldest  business  and  banking  school  p 
in  the  country,  he  accepted  the  position 
formerly  held  by  Thomas  W.  Stevenson.  Mr. 
Stevenson  was  a  brother  of  the  former  vice- 
president  of  the  United  States,  Adlai  E.  Stev- 
enson, and  great  uncle  of  the  present  Gov- 
ernor of  Illinois,  Adlai  E.  Stevenson  tin- 
second.  For  two  years  Charles  Kirkpatrick 
attended  Wesleyan  Law  School  while  he  was 
in  the  store,  performing  his  duties  there  also. 
He  served  as  Director  of  the  Association  of 
Commerce  and  was  chosen  as  President  of  the 
500  &  600  blocks  of  North  Main  Street  Mer- 


190 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


chant  Booster's  Association.  Some  of  the 
largest  and  most  original  promotions  ever  at- 
tempted in  one  section  of  the.  city  were  exe- 
cuted there  with  marked  success.  These  mer- 
chants cooperated  100$  in  any  and  all  plan- 
ned event?.  He  was  asked  to  manage  parades, 
drives,  balls,  club  attractions  and  many  civic 
fund  raising  drives  and  other  activities.  Mr. 
Kirkpatrick  without  solicitation  was  selected 
to  serve  as  public  interest  director  for  a  three 
year  term  by  the  Federal  Home  Loan  Bank 
Board  in  Washington,  D.C.,  in  the  Federal 
Home  Loan  Bank  of  Chicago,  largest  of  the 
twelve  that  are  operating  in  this  country.  Mr. 
Kirtpatrick  was  the  first  buyer  for  any  firm 
of  any  goods  of  any  kind  out  of  the  Mer- 
chandise Mart  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Kirkpatrick 
is  serving  as  one  of  the  three  liquidating 
trustees  of  the  First  National  Bank  and  Trust 
Company.  He  is  a  Director  in  the  Blue  Cross 
Plan  for  Hospital  Care  of  Chicago.  He  is  also 
acting  as  Chairman  of  the  McLean  County 
Chapter  for  Infantile  Paralysis. 

LOSSIE  E.  MORRIS,  A.B.,  B.D. 

In  Southwest  Illinois  the  name  of  Lossie  E. 
Morris  of  Collinsville  has  become  synonymous 
with  the  program  for  alleviating  the  great 
housing  shortage,  for  Mr.  Morris,  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business  as  well  as  in 
the  financing  world,  has  built  more  than  a 
thousand  homes  in  the  region.  He  is  known 
also  for  his  development  of  subdivisions  at 
Collinsville,  one  of  them  bearing  his  name. 
Mr.  Morris  is  entitled  to  be  called  the  Rev- 
erend Mr.  Morris,  for  he  served  in  the  minis- 
try for  many  years.  In  addition,  he  is  a 
former  teacher  and  athletic  coach.  As  is  na- 
tural for  a  man  of  his  background  and  na- 
tural inclinations,  he  has  a  great  concern  for 
civic  welfare  and  improvement.  Among  other 
things,  he  is  a  farmer. 

Mr.  Morris  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  five 
miles  south  of  Xenia,  in  Clay  County,  on  Oc- 
tober 13,  1903,  the  son  of  Charles  C.  Morris, 
a  farmer  at  that  time  in  his  native  Clay 
County  but  now  associated  with  his  son  in  the 
insurance  business,  and  of  Lilly  Mae  (Brown) 
Morris,  also  a  native  of  Clay  County.  A 
brother  of  the  real  estate  and  insurance  man 
is  Dr.  I).  W.  Morris,  president  of  Southern 
Illinois  University  at  Carbondale,  and  his  sis- 
ter is  Mrs.  Zella  Mae  Jane. 

Mr.  Morris  was  graduated  from  the  Flora 
High  School  in  1921,  and  then  entered  Park 
College  at  Parkville,  Missouri,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  end  of  the  Fall  term  of 
1922.   He  played  on  the  basketball  team  as  a 


freshman — he  had  been  quite  an  athlete  in 
high  school — and  was  also  on  the  debating 
team,  winning  a  speech  contest.  Later,  he 
attended  Carbondale  Teachers  College  and  in 
the  Fall  of  1923  received  his  teaching  certifi- 
cate. He  then  became  principal  and  coach  at 
Luka,  in  Marion  County,  where  he  remained 
two  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  South- 
ern Illinois  University  to  continue  his  stu- 
dies. In  1925  he  became  coach  at  St.  Elmo 
High  School  and  at  the  same  time  entered 
the  Methodist  ministry.  He  was  pastor  of 
churches  at  O'Fallon  and  Shilo,  while  serving 
as  coach  at  O'Fallon  Township  High  School, 
until  1930.  In  1927  Mr.  Morris  had  enrolled 
at  McKendree  College,  in  Lebanon,  and  in  1928 
received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  In 
1930,  he  moved  to  Ellwood,  where  he  was 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  Church.  In  the  Fall 
of  the  same  year  he  enrolled  in  Garrett  Bibli- 
cal Institute,  Evanston,  receiving  his  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Divinity  in  the  Spring  of  1934. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  he  resigned  from 
the  ministry  and  came  to  Collinsville.  There 
he  bought  the  Reinsch  Insurance  Agency.  In 
1949  he  added  to  it  the  Schurman  Insurance 
Agency,  which  he  also  acquired  by  purchase, 
and  today  he  calls  his  real  estate  and  insur- 
ance business  The  Morris  Agency,  being  lo- 
cated at  123  West  Main  Street,  Collinsville. 
In  1948  Mr.  Morris  was  elected  secretary  of 
the  Union  Savings  and  Loan  Association  of 
Collinsville.  He  has  developed  Meadow  Heights 
Addition  and  Morris  Heights  and  Morris  Hills 
at  Collinsville,  as  well  as  built  more  than  one 
thousand  homes.  In  agriculture  he  operates 
Morris  Farm,  consisting  of  380  acres,  breed- 
ing white-faced  cattle.  He  has  taught  real 
estate  in  the  extension  classes  of  East  St. 
Louis  High  School  for  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, and  is  in  great  demand  as  a  public 
speaker. 

Mr.  Morris  married  Pauline  Jean  McCaully, 
daughter  of  Calvin  and  Louella  McCaully  of 
Flora,  in  1923.  The  McCaullys,  now  residents 
of  Sapulpa,  Okla,  are  close  friends  of  the 
parents  of  Mrs.  Thomas  E.  Dewey,  wife  of  the 
Republican  leader  and  Governor  of  New  York. 
Mrs.  McCaully  is  a  member  of  the  Archibald 
family,  prominent  pioneer  family  of  Illinois.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Morris  became  the  parents  of  six 
children — Betty  Lou,  now  Mrs.  E.  E.  Jukes, 
born  October  26,  1925,  educated  at  William- 
Woods  College,  Fulton,  Missouri,  the  mother 
of  Cynthia  M.  Jukes;  Lossie  Jean,  born  Oc- 
tober 9,  1928,  also  a  graduate  of  the  college 
at  Fulton  and  now  (1949)  attending  Chicago 
Ait  Institute;  Lilly,  born  February  11,  1930, 
who  died  in  1931 ;  Charles  Calvin,  born  July  8, 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


591 


1932,  now  a  tackle  on  the  Collinsville  football 
team;  Pamela  Gay,  born  May  20,  1940;  Leigh- 
ton  Eric,  born  June  23,  1945.  Mr.  Morris  has 
a  private  clubhouse  and  lake,  and  fishes  with 
his  family,  which  attends  the  Methodist 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
stewards  of  the  church. 

Mr.  Morris,  active  in  the  Collinsville  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  is  a  former  secretary  of 
that  organization  and  currently  serving  as 
President.  Prominent  in  Lions  International, 
he  was  district  governor  for  Southern  Illinois 
in  the  year  1938-1939,  after  which  he  was 
for  two  years  on  the  International  board  of 
directors,  representing  Illinois.  He  is  also  a 
Mason  and  a  Noble  of  Ainad  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  at 
East  St.  Louis.  He  belongs  to  a  group  of  real 
estate  and  insurance  organizations  and  boards, 
including  the  national,  and  also  to  the  St.  Louis 
and  national  branches  of  the  Mortgage  Bank- 
ers of  America,  the  National  Home  Builders 
Association,  the  Illinois  Savings  and  Loan 
League  and  the  United  States  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  Active  in  the  Red  Cross,  he  has 
donated  not  only  time  and  money  but  also 
office  space  and  equipment  for  Collinsville 
headquarters.  Few  men  have  done  so  much 
for  their  native  States  as  Lossie  E.  Morris. 

HARRY  FREDERICK  KENDALL 

One  of  the  most  widely  known  newspaper 
publishers  in  Illinois,  the  late  Harry  Fred- 
erick Kendall  of  Mattoon  was  also  renowned 
for  the  aid  he  gave  all  organizations  and 
individuals  dedicated  to  improving  his  city 
and  State.  He  was  publisher  of  the  Journal- 
Gazette  of  Mattoon  and  recognized  throughout 
the  newspaper  and  printing  industries  for 
his  rare  ability.  As  his  own  newspaper  said 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  "He  was  known  for 
his  vigorous  and  almost  insatiable  interest, 
an  ever-burning  desire  to  know  all  the  facts 
of  every  important  news  event,  and  to  pass 
them  on  to  the  readers  of  his  newspaper.  This 
rharacteristic,  plus  his  business  acumen,  is 
credited  with  making  him  so  successful  in 
his  chosen  field."  His  contributions  to  civic 
progress  and  to  the  development  of  health  and 
welfare  organizations  are  also  well  remem- 
bered. 

Harry  Frederick  Kendall  was  born  on  Aug- 
ust 17,  1865,  at  Flora,  Illinois,  a  son  of  Cap- 
tain Cyrus  D.  and  Catherine  Rovilla  (Miller) 
Kendall.  His  father  served  as  a  captain  in 
the  Union  Army  in  the  Civil  War.  He  was 
born  in  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1835, 
and  was  a  merchant.  The  publisher's  mother 


was  the  daughter  of  Thompson  and  Abbie 
(Sparks)  Miller  of  Bellefontaine,  Ohio.  Harry 
Kendall  spent  the  early  years  of  his  childhood 
at  Louisville,  Illinois,  the  family  home.  Later, 
with  his  parents,  he  moved  to  Newton,  where 
he  was  graduated  from  high  school  in  1884. 
He  then  studied  at  the  University  of  Illinois, 
from  which  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  in  1889.  During  most  of  the  time  he 
was  a  student  at  the  university,  Mr.  Kendall 
served  as  correspondent  in  Champaign  and 
Urbana  for  several  metropolitan  newspapers, 
gaining  experience  in  the  field  which  was  to 
become  his  life  work.  Following  his  gradua- 
tion, he  re^d  law  in  the  office  of  the  late 
Captain  T.  J.  Smith,  noted  Champaign  attor- 
ney, and  in  1891  he  passed  the  Illinois  Su- 
preme Court  examination  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar. 

Shortly  afterward,  however,  his  love  for  the 
newspaper  business  caused  him  to  enter  the 
field  and  in  October,  1895,  he  became  owner 
and  publisher  of  The  Mattoon  Gazette.  On 
January  2,  1905,  he  effected  the  consolidation 
of  The  Gazette  and  The  Mattoon  Journal, 
forming  The  Journal-Gazette.  Firmly  estab- 
lished as  one  of  the  State's  most  successful 
small  city  publishers,  he  purchased  The  Mat- 
toon Commercial-Star  in  1919  and  combined 
it  with  The  Journal-Gazette  to  produce  the 
newspaper  as  it  is  published  today.  This  he 
published  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1939  when  he  was  seventy-three.  For  many 
years  his  business  associate  was  E.  B.  Tucker, 
who  died  in  1927. 

Mr.  Kendall  married  Jessie  B.  Johnson, 
daughter  of  Hale  and  Mary  Loofbourrow 
Johnson,  at  Newton  on  March  2,  1898.  Mrs. 
Kendall,  who  survives  her  husband,  has  long 
been  one  of  Mattoon's  well  known  women.  She 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Newton  High  School,  the 
Kirkwood  (Missouri)  Seminary  and  the  New 
England  Conservatory  of  Music  at  Boston.  A 
talented  pianist  and  organist,  she  has  for 
years  been  active  in  Mattoon's  civic  music  en- 
terprise. She  is  also  known  for  her  work  with 
cultural  clubs  and  the  Mattoon  Community 
Church  to  which  Mr.  Kendall  also  belonged. 

Mr.  Kendall's  activities  outside  newspaper 
and  printing  were  extensive.  For  fifteen  years 
he  was  a  director  of  the  National  Bank  of 
Mattoon  and  was  a  leader  in  the  Mattoon 
Association  of  Commerce,  through  which  he 
helped  bring  many  industries  to  Mattoon  and 
assisted  in  promoting  the  paving  of  State 
highways  in  the  Mattoon  area.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Mattoon  Community 
Chest    and    the    Mattoon    Country    Club    and 


592 


LIBRARY    OF    AMERICAN    LIVES 


LOSSIE  E.  MORRIS,  A.B.,  B.D. 


HARRY  FREDERICK  KENDALL 


served  both  in  many  capacities  from  the  presi- 
dency down.  At  Miami  Beach,  Florida,  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Committee  of  One  Hundred 
which  includes  in  its  membership  some  of 
the  nation's  foremost  citizens.  From  the  time 
of  his  graduation  to  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  president  and  secretary  of  his  gradu- 
ating class  of  the  University  of  Illinois, 
exactly  a  half  century.  The  fiftieth  anniver- 
sary observance  of  the  class  was  held  in  Cham- 
paign on  June  10,  but  Mr.  Kendall,  who  had 
arranged  to  participate,  had  already  suffered 
from  the  sti-oke  which  about  two  weeks  later 
was  to  prove  fatal.  He  died  at  Methodist 
Memorial  Hospital  on  the  board  of  which  he 
had  served  for  many  years.  Aside  from  the 
Community  Chest,  which  he  helped  to  develop, 
Mr.  Kendall  was  interested  in  the  United 
Charities  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Mattoon  Emergency  Relief  Committee,  which 
provided  aid  to  indigent  persons  before  the 
advent  of  State  and  Federal  relief  agencies. 
He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Rotary  Club 
of  Mattoon  and  also  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  the  Egyptian  Daily  Newspaper 
League  of  Southern  Illinois,  the  Country  Pub- 
lishers Association,  the  Inland  Daily  Press 
Association,  the  Illinois  Daily  Newspaper 
Markets  and  the  Illinois  Press  Association. 
In  the  Masonic  order,  he  belonged  not  only 
to  the  Blue  Lodge  but  also  to  the  Knights 
Templar  and  the  Shrine.  He  was  a  Republi- 
can, and  his  sports  were  golf  and  fishing  with 
travel  a  hobby.  He  passed  from  the  earthly 
life  on  June  28,  1939,  and  was  laid  to  rest 
at  Riverside  Cemetery,  Newton. 

With  his  wife,  Mr.  Kendall  was  interested 
in  buying  good  pictures,  early  American  glass 
and  Oriental  rugs— and  these  today  adorn  his 
home  at  1309  Lafayette  Avenue,  Mattoon, 
where  Mrs.  Kendall  still  lives.  He  was  home- 
loving  and  a  man  of  warm  personality  who, 
as  a  civic  leader,  drew  many  followers  and 
through  them  made  his  extraordinary  con- 
tribution to  civic  progress  and  newspaper 
history. 

HON.  ISAAC  N.  COOLLEY,  SR. 

One-time  railroad  president,  real  estate  op- 
erator, farmer,  livestock  breeder  and  grain 
merchant,  the  late  Isaac  N.  Coolley,  Sr.,  of 
Brocton,  Edgar  County,  was  one  of  Illinois' 
outstanding  citizens.  A  leader  in  the  Repub- 
lican Party,  he  was  a  former  County  Treas- 
urer and  a  State  Senator. 

Mr.  Coolley  was  born  at  Newman,  Douglas 
County,  on  November  1,  1866,  the  son  of 
James  Maxwell  and  Sarah  (Wyckoff )  Coolley. 


His  father,  a  farmer,  was  the  son  of  the 
Reverend  Jonathan  and  Malinda  (Maxwell) 
Coolley.  The  Coolleys  and  Wyckoffs  were 
among  the  prominent  citizens  in  the  ear- 
ly days  of  the  region.  The  Reverend  Jona- 
than Coolley  arrived  in  1854,  organized  the 
Fairfield  Cumberland  Christian  Church  in 
1855  and  continued  as  pastor  until  1872, 
when  his  son,  the  Reverend  C.  P.  Coolley, 
later  financial  agent  of  Lincoln  University, 
succeeded  him.  Isaac  Wyckoff,  grand  father 
of  Isaac  N.  Coolley,  Sr.,  was  a  hotelman  and 
postmaster. 

Isaac  Coolley,  Sr.,  had  a  limited  grammar 
school  education.  When  he  was  twenty-one, 
he  and  a  cousin,  Will  Coolley,  bought  a  farm 
near  Brocton.  Three  years  later  they  sold 
this  with  great  profit  and  separated.  I.  N. 
Coolley  then  purchased  a  280-acre  farm  and 
within  a  few  years  became  established  as  a 
livestock  dealer  and  trader.  In  1903  Mr. 
Coolley  gave  up  agricultural  activity,  moved 
into  town  and  started  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness. By  1920  he  had  accumulated  1400 
acres.  This  land  was  operated  under  the  ten- 
ants' share  system,  customary  in  the  locality, 
until  1936.  In  1912,  Mr.  Coolley  and  Will  A. 
Price  began  doing  business  as  the  Brocton  El- 
evator Company.  In  1937  Mr.  Coolley 
bought  out  Mr.  Price's  interest.  Later,  he 
sold  the  properties,  which  had  become  exten- 
sive under  his  guidance.  From  1918  to  1938 
he  was  president  of  the  old  Kansas  and  Si- 
dell  Railroad,  operated  in  conjunction  with 
the  elevator  business  until  supplanted  by  a 
trucking  system.  In  this  period  Mr.  Coolley 
became  a  stockholder  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Paris,  the  county  seat,  and  served 
as  a  director  until  its  liquidation. 

On  December  3,  1908,  Mr.  Coolley  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Watkins,  daughter  of  Ida  K. 
and  Overton  Beachamp  Watkins.  Mrs.  Cool- 
ley was  active  in  the  woman  suffrage  move- 
ment, is  former  chairman  of  the  18th  Dis- 
trict Republican  Women  and  is  on  the  boards 
of  the  Edgar  County  Chapter,  American  Red 
Cross,  and  the  Illinois  Republican  Women's 
Club.  Three  children  were  born  to  the  mar- 
riage— Carolyn,  now  Mrs.  Joseph  E.  Thomp- 
son, Jr.,  living  at  Phoenix,  Arizona,  and 
mother  of  J.  E.  Thompson,  III,  Isaac  Newton 
Coolley,  Jr.,  of  Brocton,  who  married  Ber- 
nice  Popp  and  is  father  of  I.  N.  Coolley,  III, 
and  Paul  Popp  Coolley;  and  James  M.  Cool- 
ley, also  of  Brocton,  who  married  Pauline 
Williams  and  is  father  of  Carol  Lynn  and 
Helen  Elizabeth  Coolley.  The  family  wor- 
ships   in    the    Fairfield    Church    of    Newman. 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


597 


I.  N.  Coolley,  Sr.,  organizer  of  the  Fairfield 
Memorial  Cemetery  Association,  was  its  pres- 
ident from  1918  to  1942. 

In  1906  Mr.  Coolley  was  elected  County 
Treasurer  of  Edgar  County,  leading  the  Re- 
publican ticket.  The  County  Treasury  had  a 
deficit  of  $60,000  when  he  entered  office. 
By  fighting  corruption  and  effecting  cooper- 
ation among  the  better  elements  in  the  coun- 
ty, he  was  able  to  leave  a  surplus  of  $20,000 
when  he  retired  from  this  office.  From  1910 
to  1912  he  was  in  the  General  Assembly 
from  the  22nd  District.  From  1912  to  1938 
he  was  chairman  of  the  Edgar  County  Re- 
publican Central  Committee. 

At  the  age  of  81,  Mr.  Coolley,  who  loved 
travel,  started  on  a  visit  to  his  daughter  in 
Phoenix.  Enroute,  he  was  stricken  ill.  On  De- 
cember 12,  1947,  in  Texas,  he  died.  He  lies 
buried  at  Fairfield  Memorial  Cemetery,  with 
his  parents.  "He  was  held  in  high  esteem 
by  everyone,"  said  the  Brocton  Weekly  Re- 
view. "A  kind  neighbor,  consideiate  of  his 
family.    .    .    ." 

JOHN  A.  LUTZ,  SR. 

For  more  than  seventy-five  years  an  insti- 
tution of  tremendous  prestige  and  influence 
flourished  in  Central  Illinois — the  John  A. 
Lutz  Dry  Goods  Company  of  Lincoln.  Founded 
by  the  late  John  A.  Lutz,  Sr.,  this  establish- 
ment served  thousands  of  Illinoisans,  the  great 
and  the  humble,  and  it  was  in  the  record  of 
its  founder  that  in  his  early  days  he  had  him- 
self in  Springfield  served  Abraham  Lincoln 
and  the  Lincoln  family  many  times.  Mr.  Lutz 
became  one  of  the  great  citizens  of  Logan 
County,  a  man  who  was  a  leader  in  civic,  wel- 
fare and  religious  affairs — a  man  whose  "ster- 
ling character  was  esteemed  by  all  who  knew 
him,"  as  the  Lincoln  Evening  Courier  said  of 
him. 

Mr.  Lutz  was  born  in  Goldkronach,  Bavaria, 
on  March  19,  1838,  and  died  in  Lincoln  on 
December  8,  1924,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six. 
He  came  to  this  country  when  a  small  lad, 
accompanied  by  his  parents.  The  trip  was 
made  in  a  sail  boat,  the  entire  journey  re- 
quiring six  weeks,  during  which  time  the  fam- 
ily encountered  many  hardships.  The  family, 
landing  in  New  Orleans,  first  went  to  St. 
Louis,  then  to  Springfied.  At  the  age  of 
twelve,  John  A.  Lutz,  Sr.,  entered  the  employ 
of  Smith,  Wickersham  and  Company  in  the 
capitol.  Subsequently,  he  was  with  John  T. 
Stewart.  It  was  in  Springfield  that  Mr.  Lutz 
sold  Abraham  Lincoln  a  brown-brocaded  dress 
which  Mrs.  Lincoln  wore  on  her  way  to  Wash- 


;>98 


ington  to  the  inauguration  of  her  husband  at 
the  White  House.  Though  still  young,  Mr.  Lutz 
was  soon  given  such  important  responsibilities 
as  going  to  New  York  for  his  firm  and  buying 
merchandise  for  it.  On  his  return  trip  the 
train  on  which  he  was  a  passenger  broke 
down  in  the  Village  of  Lincoln.  This  gave 
Mr.  Lutz  an  opportunity  to  get  a  glimpse  of 
the  community,  the  result  of  which  was  that 
he  persuaded  his  employer,  Mr.  Stewart,  to 
join  him  in  a  partnership  in  a  business  there. 
On  March  23,  1866,  a  dry  goods  store  known 
as  Lutz  and  Stewart  was  opened  on  Pulaski 
Street,  in  Lincoln.  Soon  Mr.  Lutz  was  the  sole 
owner  and  "through  his  great  ability  as  a 
business  man  and  his  shrewd  purchasing," 
combined  with  hard  work  and  his  many  other 
great  qualities,  was  able  to  build  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  attractive  business  houses 
in  Lincoln.  A  few  years  before  his  death,  he 
was  invited  to  attend  the  National  Dry  Goods 
Association  in  New  York,  and  was  one  of  the 
oldest  men  in  the  United  States  to  be  so 
invited. 

On  October  26,  1867,  in  St.  Louis,  Mr.  Lutz 
married  Caroline  Chamberlin,  and  to  them 
were  born  John  A.  Lutz,  Jr.,  (q.v.),  who  be- 
came one  of  Central  Illinois'  most  prominent 
citizens;  Mrs.  Marian  Gordon;  Mrs.  Caroline 
Bramwell  and  Edward  C.  Lutz,  who  also 
achieved  great  prominence  in  the  area. 

John  A.  Lutz,  Sr.,  was  for  years  active  in 
the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Lincoln  and  was 
interred  in  Union  Cemetery  at  Lincoln,  with 
many  friends,  associates  and  acquaintances  at- 
tending. Every  business  house  in  Lincoln 
closed  during  funeral  services.  Said  the  Lin- 
coln Evening  Courier,  "Always  a  patron  of 
letters  and  of  art,  foremost  in  promoting 
religious  welfare  movements  of  every  name 
and  order,  alert  and  progressive  in  business, 
generous  in  support  of  every  civic  activity 
whose  purpose  aimed  at  better  homes  and 
better  society,  Mr.  Lutz  has  left  a  place  in 
Lincoln  that  cannot  soon  be  filled.  Those  who 
enjoyed  his  friendship  and  thousands  of  oth- 
ers who  knew  him  only  casually  will  unite  in 
characterizing  him  as  a  useful  citizen  in  the 
best  and  fullest  sense." 

JOHN  A.  LUTZ,  JR. 

A  distinguished  bearer  of  a  distinguished 
name,  the  late  John  A.  Lutz,  Jr.,  of  Lincoln 
made  a  lasting  contribution  to  life  and  devel- 
opment in  Central  Illinois.  He  not  only  man- 
aged the  once-famous  John  A.  Lutz  Dry 
Goods  Company  store  through  the  final  years 
before    it    was    sold,    but    he    also    served    as 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


HON.  ISAAC  N.  COOLLEY,  SR. 


JOHN  A.  LUTZ,  JR. 


secretary  of  the  Lincoln  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, gave  leadership  to  the  Boy  Scout  move- 
ment and  served  as  a  member  of  the  staff 
of  the  Motor  Refund  Division  of  the  Illinois 
State  Revenue  Department  in  Springfield.  He 
was  noted  for  his  interest  in  civic  and  welfare 
programs  and  in  industrial  and  commercial 
development. 

John  A.  Lutz,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Lincoln  on 
October  1.  1868,  the  son  of  the  John  A.  Lutz 
(q.v.)  who  founded  the  John  A.  Lutz  Dry 
Goods  Company  in  Lincoln  and  made  the 
family  name  famous  throughout  Central  Illi- 
nois, and  of  Caroline  C.  (Chamberlin)  Lutz. 
The  younger  Mr.  Lutz  was  educated  in  the 
Lincoln  public  schools  and  in  Lincoln  College 
as  well  as  St.  Johnsbury  Academy  in  Saint 
Johnsbury,  Vermont.  When  a  young  man  he 
lived  in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  then  in  St. 
Louis.  In  St.  Louis  he  was  a  traveling  rep- 
resentative for  Bromley  Quaker  Lace  Curtain 
Company  of  Philadelphia.  From  the  Missouri 
metropolis  he  went  to  Springfield,  in  the  same 
state,  to  operate  a  fruit  farm,  on  which  he 
remained  five  or  six  years.  Upon  returning 
to  Lincoln,  he  took  over  from  his  retired 
father  the  management  of  the  John  A.  Lutz 
Dry  Goods  Company  on  Broadway.  This  store 
was  operated  for  more  than  seventy-five  years. 

When  the  Lutz  store  was  sold,  Mr.  Lutz 
became  secretary  of  the  Lincoln  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  and  in  this  post  was  responsible 
for  considerable  growth  of  the  community. 
One  of  his  achievements  was  the  bringing  of 
several  industries  to  the  city.  When  he  re- 
signed the  Chamber  of  Commerce  post,  Mr. 
Lutz  became  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the 
State  Revenue  Department's  Motor  Refund 
Division  at  the  capital.  In  December,  1948, 
Mr.  Lutz  retired  and  from  then  on  devoted 
himself  to  his  home  and  family  and  to  the 
civic  and  social  affairs  of  Lincoln  and  Logan 
County. 

On  January  17,  1917,  in  Lincoln,  Mr.  Lutz 
married  Irma  Jacobs,  and  they  established  the 
home  at  315  North  Logan  Street,  Lincoln, 
which  Mrs.  Lutz  still  maintains.  On  Septem- 
ber 19,  1949,  at  Deaconess  Hospital,  Lincoln, 
Mr.  Lutz  died  of  a  heart  attack.  He  was  then 
eleven  days  from  his  eighty-first  birthday. 
Funeral  services  were  held  on  September  22, 
1949,  with  the  Reverend  O.  B.  Enselman,  pas- 
tor of  the  Charleston  Methodist  Church  and 
former  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  Church 
of  Lincoln,  officiating.  Interment  was  in  Union 
Cemetery,  Lincoln.  The  survivors  included 
Mrs.  Lutz  and  Mrs.  Caroline  L.  Bramwell, 
sister  of  Mr.  Lutz.  Another  sister,  Mrs.  Ma- 

ILLINOIS         EDITION 


rion  L.  Gordon,  and  a  brother,  Edward  C. 
Lutz,  had  preceded  him  in  death. 

Mr.  Lutz  was  a  charter  member  and  past 
exalted  ruler  of  Lincoln  Lodge,  No.  914,  Bene- 
volent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  he 
was  one  of  those  active  in  organizing  the  first 
service  club,  Kiwanis,  in  the  city.  He  served 
that  club  as  one  of  its  early  presidents. 
Through  his  work  with  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  Boy  Scouts  of  America  he 
made  a  further  contribution  to  civic  de- 
velopment. 

The  Lutz  family  has  made  a  tremendous 
mark  upon  the  life  of  Lincoln  and  Logan 
County.  The  share  of  John  A.  Lutz,  Jr.,  in 
this  impression  upon  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  a  great  area  cannot  be  measured, 
but  throughout  his  lifetime  it  was  greatly 
recognized,  and  in  many  tangible  and  intan- 
gible ways  there  are  monuments  in  the  com- 
munity to  his  memory  and  to  the  extraor- 
dinary service  he  rendered  his  fellow  citi- 
zens. 

FRANK  J.  IMPEY 

Pana,  in  Christian  County,  is  the  home  of  a 
concern  which  has  promoted  the  growth  of 
the  floral  and  nursery  business  in  the  nation 
through  manufacturing  the  materials  for  and 
erecting  thousands  of  greenhouses.  This  con- 
cern is  National  Greenhouses  Co.,  of  which 
Frank  J.  Impey  is  vice-president  and  gen- 
eral manager.  The  firm  not  only  has  a 
large  plant  in  Pana  but  also  a  warehouse  at 
Naugatuck,  Connecticut,  near  Near  York  City, 
which  serves  as  the  base  for  Eastern  opera- 
tions. Mr.  Impey,  a  veteran  of  World  War  1, 
is  one  of  Christian  County's  leading  citizens 
and  a  prominent  figure  among  greenhouse 
operators. 

Born  in  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  on  December  1), 
1895,  Mr.  Impey  is  the  son  of  Charles  F. 
Impey,  banker,  and  Louise  Impey.  He  was 
educated  in  Chicago's  schools  and  upon  gradu- 
ating from  high  school  began  learning  the 
greenhouse,  and  flower-growing  business  as 
an  employee  of  the  John  C.  Moninger  Green- 
house Company,  Chicago.  In  1923  he  went  to 
the  American  Greenhouse  Company,  also  of 
Chicago,  as  manager,  holding  this  position 
until  1930.  In  the  meantime,  the  Moninger 
Company  and  the  American  Greenhouse  Com- 
pany merged,  and  Mr.  Impey  was  sent  in 
1930  to  Brooklyn,  New  York,  where  he  was 
general  manager  of  the  combined  operations. 

In  1934  he  resigned  and  moved  to  Pana  to 
become  manager  of  the  National  Greenhouse 
Manufacturing  Company,  whose  president  at 


603 


that  time  was  P.  L.  McKee.  In  1948  the 
business  was  sold  to  Mr.  Impey,  Robert  Wit- 
temore  and  David  L.  Williams.  Mr.  Witte- 
more,  who  furnished  most  of  the  capital  and 
who  resides  in  Naugatuck,  is  president  of 
the  present  company,  National  Greenhouse 
Company.  The  plant  in  Pana  has  42,000 
square  feet  of  floor  space  and  is  equipped 
with  large  steel  presses,  drilling  machines 
and  other  apparatus  necessary  to  manufacture 
and  form  the  many  steel  parts  of  a  green- 
house. It  also  has  a  large  wood  planing  mill 
where  the  wooden  parts  of  a  greenhouse  are 
constructed.  The  firm  either  manufactures 
or  supplies  the  complete  materials  for  erect- 
ing greenhouses  of  any  size,  including  the 
heating  plant.  In  the  past  the  firm  also  erect- 
ed greenhouses,  but  labor  conditions  forced 
abandonment  of  this  phase  of  the  business. 
Its  materials  are  sold  in  all  48  states  and 
some  are  exported.  Replacement  parts  are  sold 
to  approximately  10,000  customers.  The  firm 
employs  30  to  35  persons  in  the  fabrication  of 
the  materials.  All  the  wood  used  in  the  opera- 
tions is  cypress  and  many  thousands  of  board 
feet  are  kept  in  stock  so  that  the  wood  may  age 
a  year  or  more.  Many  tons  of  steel  are  also  kept 
in  stock.  The  warehouse  at  Naugatuck  was 
completed  late  in  1949.  It  will  contain  a  com- 
plete stock  of  materials  necessary  to  build 
greenhouses  in  the  East.  Mr.  Impey  directs  all 
operations. 

In  1940,  he  married  Marian  L.  Prosser  of 
Pana,  and  they  make  their  home  in  that  city. 

Mr.  Impey  is  active  in  the  civic  affairs  of 
Pana  and  achieved  such  prominence  as  to 
have  been  called  on  by  a  delegation  which 
requested  that  he  be  a  candidate  for  Mayor. 
He  declined  because  of  the  pressure  of  his 
business  duties.  In  World  War  I,  Mr.  Impey 
served  with  the  108th  Engineers,  33rd  Di- 
vision, as  a  Sergeant  First  Class.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  action  at  Amiens  and  the  Argon- 
ne  front.  He  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Pana  and  the  Pana 
Country  Club.  Fishing  and  golf  are  his  fa- 
vorite sports.  He  is  one  of  Pana's  popular 
figures,  and  a  leading  figure  in  his  field  of 
business. 

GWAIN  R.  ZARBUCK,  D.C. 

Having  since  boyhood  addressed  himself  to 
a  life  in  the  healing  arts,  Dr.  Gwain  R.  Zar- 
buck  of  Urbana  is  today  realizing  his  dream 
of  service  to  the  health  and  well-being  of 
his  fellow  citizens,  for  he  is  rapidly  becoming 
one  of  the  more  successful  chiropractors  not 


only  in  the  campus  city  but  in  all  Champaign 
County. 

Dr.  Zarbuck  was  born  in  Gilman,  Illinois, 
on  June  28,  1926.  He  is  the  son  of  Gus  R. 
Zarbuck  and  Bertha  (Hethkle)  Zarbuck.  His 
father,  who  was  an  automobile  dealer  in 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  died  on  March  23,  1946, 
and  is  survived   by  the  mother. 

When  Dr.  Zarbuck  was  quite  young  the 
family  moved  to  Bloomington  where  he  re- 
ceived his  elementary  education  and  entered 
high  school. 

Early  in  his  junior  year  his  sight  began 
to  fail  and  became  rapidly  worse  until  he 
was  forced  to  leave  school.  He  entered  the 
Mayo  Clinic  at  Rochester,  Minnesota,  where 
within  a  short  time  he  was  pronounced  totally 
blind. 

Young  Zarbuck  returned  to  Bloomington 
and  immediately  took  up  the  study  of  Braille, 
seeking  comfort  in  his  new  world.  Also,  upon 
professional  advice,  he  was  placed  under  the 
care  of  that  well-known  Chiropractor,  Dr.  Al- 
fred Homer  at  Morton,  where  he  received 
regular  nerve  reading  and  adjustment. 

He  entered  the  Jacksonville  school  for  the 
blind,  continuing  his  chiropractic  care,  and 
embarked  on  intensive  study  of  Braille.  In  a 
year  and  a  half  he  was  graduated  with  hon- 
ors, being  awarded  a  4-year  scholarship  to 
the  University  of  Illinois. 

During  those  dark  days  he  had  absolute 
confidence  in  the  professional  skill  of  Dr. 
Homer  and  Chiropractic,  praying  that  he 
would  be  helped;  and  after  a  long  period  he 
found  his  sight  was  returning  and  he  was 
able  to  see  large  objects  at  close  range,  and 
improvement  was  constant  from  that  time. 
This  remarkable  recovery  from  blindness 
brought  about  in  him  a  burning  desire  to 
help  others  as  he  had  been  helped,  and  he 
decided  to  dedicate  his  life  to  the  greatest 
of  healing  arts,  Chiropractic. 

In  order  to  improve  his  educational  backr 
ground  in  preparation  for  his  chosen  pro- 
fession, he  enrolled  at  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois where  he  remained  for  a  year,  employing 
student  readers  to  assist  him  during  this  pe- 
riod of  returning  vision. 

After  a  year  at  the  University  he  enrolled 
at  Palmer  School  of  Chiropractic  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa  and  completed  his  course,  graduat- 
ing with  the  D.  C.  degree,  a  Doctor  of  Chiro- 
practic. He  remained  at  Palmer  School  for 
3-months  on  post-graduate  work. 


604 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


FRANK  J.  IMPEY 


GWAIN  R.  ZARBl  Ck,  D.C. 


He  is  a  member  of  Sigma  Phi  Epsilon  fra- 
ternity, the  International  Chiropractic  Asso- 
ciation and  the  United  Chiropractors  Asso- 
ciation of  Illinois. 

In  his  school  days,  he  was  active  in  ath- 
letics. At  both  high  school  and  college,  he 
played  football,  baseball  and  basketball.  His 
interest  in  all  outdoor  sports  continues  to- 
day. However,  his  major  non-professional  in- 
terest now  is  music,  in  which  he  has  excep- 
tional talent.  He  plays  the  piano  and  the 
trombone.  He  studied  music  privately.  In  pol- 
itics and  in  thinking,  he  is  an  independent. 
He  is  a  bachelor  and  his  home  is  at  608 
West  Elm  Street,  Urbana. 

Located  in  the  business  section  of  Urbana 
at  113  West  Main  Street  is  the  three-room 
suite  where  Dr.  Gwain  R.  Zarbuck  maintains 
his  office  for  the  practice  of  Chiropractic. 
This  well-appointed  modern  suite  is  fully 
equipped  for  the  very  finest  of  dignified 
Specific  Chiropractic  service,  with  the  X-Ray, 
Neurocalometer  and  Neurocalograph.  Dr. 
Zarbuck  has  as  his  receptionist  and  office 
assistant  his  mother,  Bertha  M.  Zarbuck 

Through  skill  and  personality  Dr.  Zarbuck 
is  constantly  winning  more  and  more  the 
affections  of  his  fellow  Urbana  citizens. 

JULIUS  JAMES  HIRSCHFELD,  LL.3. 

An  attorney  in  practice  at  Champaign  with 
associate  relations  with  law  firms  in  LaSalle 
and  Chicago,  Julius  James  Hirschfeld  is  widely 
known  not  only  in  the  legal  profession  but  also 
in  the  agricultural  world  and  in  Catholic  lay 
circles.  Farms  in  which  he  has  large  interests 
are  located  in  Jackson  County,  Illinois,  and 
in  Missouri.  Once  a  delegate  to  the  Supreme 
Convention  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  he 
has  a  national  reputation  in  this  Catholic 
fraternal  order,  and  he  holds  or  has  held 
various  important  posts  in  its  Central  Illinois 
district  and  in  the  state. 

Born  in  Champaign  on  August  19,  1904, 
Julius  James  Hirschfeld  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Emma  Helen  (Keller)  Hirschfteld.  His 
father,  who  was  born  in  East  St.  Louis  on 
September  13,  1874,  is  a  wholesaler  who  in 
1948  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
the  location  of  his  business  in  one  place  and 
who  soon  after  the  celebration  constructed 
two  new  buildings  there  and  remodeled  one 
in  accordance  with  modern  trends.  The  at- 
torney's paternal  grandfather,  Daniel  Hirsch- 
feld, a  native  of  Germany,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  his  youth.  He  became  a  naturalized 
citizen  and  was  a  merchant  in  the  retail  variety 


goods  field.  Emma  Keller  Hirschfeld  was  born 
in  Baker,  Kansas,  on  September  20,  187ti. 
She  was  a  young  girl  when  her  family  moved 
to  Champaign,  where  her  marriage  took  place. 
Her  father  was  also  a  native  of  Germany.  A 
farmer  in  Kansas  after  coming  to  the  United 
Siates.   he,   too,  was   naturalized. 

Julius  J.  Hirschfeld  was  a  pupil  in  the  first 
to  the  seventh  grades  in  the  Colonel  Wolfe 
Grade  School,  Champaign.  For  the  eighth 
grade  he  went  to  Central  Grade  School.  Fol- 
lowing his  graduation  from  the  Champaign 
High  School,  he  did  his  prelegal  and  legal 
work  at  the  University  of  Illinois  which  in 
1928  awarded  him  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws.  From  April,  1928,  to  October,  1928, 
Mr.  Hirschfeld  was  associated  with  the  law 
firm  of  Kixmiller,  Barr  and  Hoffman  and  with 
the  Commerce  Clearing  House  in  Chicago.  He 
then  returned  to  Champaign,  and  on  October 
12,  1928,  began  his  practice  in  Champaign, 
where  his  office  is  in  the  First  National  Bank 
Building,  His  associate  relations  are  with  the 
firm  of  Hirschfeld,  Hirschfeld  and  Clinch  at. 
LaSalle,  Illinois,  where  the  associates  are  his 
brother,  John  C.  Hirschfeld  and  John  J. 
Clinch,  Jr.  The  brother's  main  office  is  in 
Chicago,  and  Julius  Hirschfeld  maintains  as- 
sociate relations  with  the  Chicago  office.  The 
brothers  are  also  associated  in  a  farm  of  550 
acres  at  New  Madrid,  Missouri.  Julius  Hirsh- 
feld  has  another  farm,  consisting  of  52  0  acres, 
in  Jackson  County,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Hirschfeld  married  Mary  Catherine 
Hannagan,  the  daughter  of  Arthur  J.  and 
Elizabeth  A.  (Gordon)  Hannagan  in  Penfield, 
I'linois.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  child- 
ren— John  C.  Hirschfeld,  born  on  August  5, 
1936;  A.  James  Hirschfeld,  born  on  August. 
10,  1938,  and  Jerome  A.  Hirschfeld,  born  on 
July  22,  1944.  Mrs.  Hirschfeld  is  active  in 
youth  programs  and  in  the  societies  of  the 
Holy  Cross  Catholic  Church  where  the  entire 
family  worships.  The  family  home  is  at  1114 
West  Park   Avenue,   Champaign. 

Mr.  Hirschfeld's  leadership  in  Catholic  lay 
circles  has  been  mentioned.  He  is  not  only  a 
member  of  the  Holy  Name  Society  of  his 
church,  but  also  one  of  the  outstanding  mem- 
bers of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  At  present 
he  is  a  master  of  the  Fourth  Degree  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  for  Central  Illinois.  He 
is  past  grand  knight  of  the  Twin  City  Council, 
past  district  deputy  of  the  Danville,  Cham- 
paign, Tuscola,  Illini  and  Hoopeston  Councils; 
past  state  advocate  of  the  Illinois  State  Coun- 
cil, past  delegate  to  the  Supreme  Convention 
in  Houston,  Texas,  and  immediate  past  finan- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


609 


cial  secretary  of  the  Illini  Council.  He  is  also 
prominent  in  the  Republican  Party,  being  a 
past  precinct  committraen  and  a  speaker  in 
great  demand. 

HONORABLE  BENJAMIN  F. 
ANDERSON 

After  practicing  as  an  attorney  at  Charles- 
ton for  twenty-four  years  and  gaining  great 
prominence,  the  Honorable  Benjamin  F.  An- 
derson was  elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  the  Fifth  Judicial  Circuit  of  Illinois,  with 
headquarters  at  Charleston,  seat  of  Coles 
County,  and  he  has  sat  on  the  bench,  with 
growing  reputation  for  his  able  interpreta- 
tion of  the  law  and  sense  of  justice,  since 
that  time.  He  is  a  former  City  Attorney  of 
Charleston  and  former  Judge  of  the  Charles- 
ton City  Court  and  is  also  a  noteworthy  figure 
in  civic,  professional  and  organization  af- 
fairs. 

Judge  Anderson  was  born  in  Charleston 
on  July  3,  1893,  the  son  of  Albert  C.  and 
Nellie  T.  (Wright)  Anderson.  His  father,  a 
native  of  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  practiced 
law  in  Charleston  from  1893  to  the  time 
of  his  death  on  February  26,  1938.  He  was 
twelve  years  old  when  he  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  parents,  and  resided  in  Charleston 
until   his   death. 

Judge  Anderson  was  educated  in  the  ele- 
mentary and  high  schools  of  Charleston ;  at 
Eastern  Illinois  State  College,  Charleston, 
and  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana.  He 
was  awarded  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws 
by  the  University  of  Illinois  in  1915.  At  the 
university  he  was  elected  to  Phi  Delta  Phi 
Fraternity.  When  he  was  at  Eastern  State 
College  he  won  letters  in  basketball  and 
track.  Admitted  to  the  Illinois  State  Bar 
in  1915,  he  entered  into  a  law  partnership 
with  his  father  in  Charleston,  the  firm  being 
called  A.  C.  and  Ben  F.  Anderson.  The  part- 
nership was  dissolved  by  the  death  of  A.  C. 
Anderson  in  1938.  The  future  judge  con- 
tinued to  practice,  alone,  until  1939,  when 
he  was  elected  to  his  present  office  of  Judge 
of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  Fifth  Judicial 
Circuit.  From  1917  to  1921,  Judge  Ander- 
son had  served  as  Charleston's  City  Attorney 
and  from  1922  to  1930  he  was  Judge  of  the 
Charleston  City  Court. 

On  April  17,  1917,  at  Charleston,  he  mar- 
ried Lena  McNeel,  the  daughter  of  W.  S. 
and  Laura  A.  McNeel.  Mr.  McNeel  died  in 
1918  and  is  survived  by  his  widow.  Mrs.  An- 
derson is  active  in  such  organizations  as  the 
Charleston     City     Women's     Club,     the     Pan- 


Hellenic  Society  and  the  Charleston  Country 
Club.  She  and  the  Judge  are  the  parents  of 
two  daughters — Martha  Leonas,  the  wife  of 
Andrew  L.  Leonas  and  mother  of  Mark  and 
Anne  Leonas;  and  Barbara  Hayes,  the  wife 
of  Harold  L.  Hayes.  Judge  and  Mrs.  Ander- 
son make  their  home  at  1435  Seventh  Street, 
Charleston. 

Judge  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Ro- 
tary Club  of  Charleston;  the  Charleston 
Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Charleston; 
the  Charleston  Country  Club;  the  Charleston 
Lodge,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks;  the  Circuit  Judges  Association;  the  Illi- 
nois State  Bar  Association;  the  Coles  County 
and  Vermilion  County  Bar  Associations  and 
the  American  Judicature  Society.  He  is  a 
Republican.  Golf  is  his  favorite  game.  An 
outstanding  citizen  of  his  native  Coles  Coun- 
ty, he  is  known  and  respected  throughout  the 
state. 

SIDNEY  VINCENT  CAIN 

A  paper  packaging  and  janitors  supplies 
distributor,  Sidney  Vincent  Cain  of  Peoria  is 
known  not  only  in  Illinois  but  in  Iowa,  so 
far-reaching  has  become  his  business,  S.  V. 
Cain,  Inc.  In  addition  to  this  firm,  Mr.  Cain 
has  interests  in  two  other  Peoria  businesses, 
William  Mottsett,  Inc.,  and  Central  Indem- 
nity Corporation.  He  is  one  of  the  more 
active  members  of  the  community. 

Born  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  on  March 
16,  1909,  Mr.  Cain  is  the  son  of  John  Henry 
Cain,  a  native  of  Union  City,  Ohio,  and  an 
optometrist  who  died  in  1936,  and  Alice  Mary 
(Clasgens)  Cain,  also  a  native  of  Union  City, 
who  is  still  living.  S.  V.  Cain  first  attended 
his  native  city's  elementary  schools.  Follow- 
ing graduation  from  high  school,  he  spent 
two  years  at  Butler  University,  also  in  In- 
dianapolis. From  1929  to  1938  Mr.  Cain  was 
a  salesman  for  the  Capital  Paper  Company 
of  Indianapolis.  In  1938  he  established  S.  V. 
Cain,  Inc.,  and  has  built  it  into  one  of  the 
more  prosperous  concerns  in  its  field  in  the 
Illinois-Iowa  region.  He  covers  all  of  Illinois 
and  part  of  Iowa,  maintaining  headquarters 
at  322  South  Washington  Street,  Peoria,  and 
branches  at  Danville,  Illinois,  and  Davenport, 
Iowa.  He  is  vice-president  of  William  Mott- 
sett,  Inc. 

Mr.  Cain  married  Josephine  P.  Biggins  of 
Belfast,  Ireland,  on  October  20,  1932.  Mrs. 
Cain  is  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Michael 
Biggins,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of 
Ireland.    Her  father,  a  constable  on  the  Bel- 


610 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


HONORABLE  BENJAMIN  F.  ANDERSON 


SIDNEY  VINCENT  CAIN 


fast  police  force,  died  in  1946.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cain  have  seven  children,  one  of  whom  they 
adopted.  The  adopted  child  is  Teresa  Morris 
Cain,  who  was  born  in  May,  1932.  The  other 
children  are  Richard  Michael  Cain,  born  in 
February,  1934;  Maureen  Mary  Cain,  born  in 
March,  1935;  Daniel  Patrick  Cain,  born  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1939;  Sheila  Josephene  Cain,  born  in 
June,  1942;  Sidney  Vincent  Cain,  Jr.,  born  in 
January,  1943;  and  Kathleen  Patricia  Cain, 
born  in  May,  1945.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cain  and 
their  family  reside  at  362  Moss  Avenue,  Peoria, 
and  worship  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Mr.  Cain's  activities  have  made  him  a  prom- 
inent figure  in  many  organizations,  among 
them  the  Creve  Country  Club,  of  which  he  is 
a  director;  the  National  Paper  Trade  Asso- 
ciation, the  Sanitary  Supply  Association,  the 
Rotary  Club  of  Peoria,  the  Knights  of  Co- 
lumbus, the  Association  of  Commerce  and  the 
Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Commerce,  vice- 
chairman  of  the  board  of  commissioners  of 
the  Greater  Paris  Airport  Authority  and  is 
active  in  Democratic  politics.  An  employer  of 
thirty  persons,  a  leader  in  his  business  and 
community,  Mr.  Cain  ranks  among  those  who 
are    contemporary    builders    of    Illinois. 

WALTER  JOHN  BECKER 

A  company  of  international  ramifications, 
Little  Giant  Products,  Inc.,  of  Peoria,  manu- 
factures truck  equipment  which  has  done 
much  to  keep  the  wheels  of  progress  going 
not  only  in  the  United  States  but  in  many 
other  parts  of  the  world.  Of  this  concern 
Walter  John  Becker  is  former  president  and 
current  chairman  of  the  board.  He  is  also 
one  of  Peoria's  more  active  citizens,  vitally 
interested  in  the  general  welfare  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Becker  was  born  on  February  17, 
1889,  across  the  river  at  Pekin.  His  parents 
were  Herman  J.  and  Lena  (Ubben)  Becker, 
both  also  natives  of  the  Tazewell  County  seat. 
His  father,  who  was  secretary  of  the  board 
of  education  there,  died  in  1926;  the  mother 
had  died  in  1902.  The  manufacturer  was  edu- 
cated in  the  elementary  and  high  schools  of 
Pekin.  For  two  years  he  worked  as  a  reporter 
on  a  Pekin  newspaper  and  then,  in  1912,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  American  Distilling 
Company  in  his  native  city.  This  employment 
he  continued  until  1917,  when  he  went  into 
the  advertising  business  for  himself  in  Peoria. 
In  1926,  he  left  advertising  to  assume  the 
vice  presidency  and  secretaryship  of  Little 
Giant  Products,  Inc.  He  became  president  in 
1936  and  chairman  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors  in   1948.   The  company,   with   home  office 


and  plant  at  1530  North  Adams  Street, 
Peoria,  distributes  its  truck  equipment  in  all 
parts  of  the  United  States  and  many  foreign 
countries.  It  employs  150  persons. 

Mr.  Becker  married  Edna  Bardwell  of 
Pekin  on  June  18,  1909.  She  died  in  1930. 
Mrs.  Becker  was  the  daughter  of  Fred  and 
Cora  (Gundy)  Bardwell,  natives  of  Indiana. 
Her  father,  who  was  a  roadmaster  in  the 
Hoosier  State,  died  in  1948.  He  is  survived 
by  Mrs.  Bardwell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Becker  be- 
came the  parents  of  one  son,  Jay  Becker, 
who  was  born  on  November  10,  1918. 

Walter  J.  Becker  is  active  in  the  Peoria 
Better  Business  Bureau,  the  Illinois  Manu- 
facturers Association,  the  Peoria  Association 
of  Commerce,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the 
University  Club  of  Peoria  and  the  Creve 
Coeur  Club.  Boats  are  his  hobby.  His  indus- 
trial leadership  is  highly  valued  in  Peoria. 

CLAUS  ROHWEDER 

Assumption  is  a  little  city  in  Christian 
County,  but  the  Rohweder  Drug  Store,  owned 
by  Claus  Rohweder,  is  operated  on  big  city 
lines.  It  has  become  an  important  business 
and  social  center  in  Christian  County,  and 
a  point  of  reliance  in  the  medical  profes- 
sion. Mr.  Rohweder,  a  progressive  business 
man,  has  served  Assumption  in  many  ways 
and  is  one  of  its  popular  citizens. 

He  was  born  in  Erfde,  Germany,  on  No- 
vember 14,  1891,  the  son  of  John  and  Wil- 
helmina  (Thomson)  Rohweder.  His  father,  a 
cabinet  maker,  brought  the  family  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  in  1893.  For  a  time  the  Rohweders 
lived  at  Thomasboro,  in  Champaign  County; 
then  in  Tuscola,  Douglas  County.  Claus  Roh- 
weder began  his  education  in  Tuscola,  and 
in  1910  was  graduated  from  its  high  school. 
He  was  still  in  high  school  when  he  began 
his  pharmaceutical  studies  and  working  in  a 
drug  store.  Out  of  the  $1.75  a  week  he 
earned  in  the  Tuscola  drug  store,  he  saved 
$388  by  the  time  he  was  graduated.  This  en- 
abled him  to  start  at  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity. He  worked  his  way  through  the  uni- 
versity, and  in  June  of  1913  received  his 
degree  of  Ph.G.   Graduate  in  Pharmacy. 

In  1916  Mr.  Rohweder  married  Leota  F. 
Parker,  who  died  in  July,  1938.  In  April, 
1939,  Mr.  Rohweder  married  Opal  Hays  Chap- 
man in  Assumption.  Mrs.  Rohweder's  daugh- 
ter, Grace,  is  now  Mrs.  Howard  W.  Davis, 
Jr.  By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Rohweder  be- 
came the  father  of  two  sons  and  a  daughter 
— Wilhelmina    Elizabether,    born    on    October 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


615 


26,  1916,  now  the  wife  of  Harry  Seeforth, 
supeiintendent  of  the  Wabash  Railroad  yards; 
Claus  Rohweder,  Jr.,  born  on  August  19, 
1918,  who  married  Jane  Givens  of  Kirksville, 
Missouri,  and  is  now  a  Doctor  of  Osteopathy, 
a  member  of  the  International  Council  of 
Cancer  Research,  a  teacher  of  osteopathy  and 
a  cancer  researchist;  and  William  John  Roh- 
weder, born  on  December  26,  1921,  who  was 
a  tailgunner  in  the  United  States  Army  Air 
Forces  in  World  War  II  and  was  killed  in 
action.  The  present  Mrs.  Rohweder  is  active 
in  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  in  Christian 
County,  in  the  programs  of  the  Christian 
Church  of  Assumption  and  in  Assumption's 
civic  affairs.  Mr.  Rohweder  is  also  active  in 
the   Christian   Church. 

After  taking  his  pharmaceutical  degree  Mr. 
Rohweder  remained  in  Chicago,  working  in  a 
drug  store  there  until  June,  1915.  He  then 
went  to  work  in  a  drug  store  in  Urbana. 
After  three  years  in  that  store,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Oldham  Brothers  Drug 
Store,  Urbana,  and  subsequently  spent  a  year 
with  the  Becker  Drug  Store  in  the  same  city. 
For  ten  and  one-half  years  Mr.  Rohweder 
was  a  road  salesman  for  the  H.  K.  Mulford 
Company,  a  manufacturing  drug  firm.  In 
1931,  he  returned  to  Danville  and  bought  his 
first  drug  store.  Later,  he  managed  two 
stores  for  the  Ford  Hopkins  chain  in  as  many 
Illinois  communities.  In  February,  1939,  he 
opened  his  present  business,  the  Rohweder 
Drug  Store,  in  Assumption.  He  has  made  a 
big  enterprise  of  this  most  modern  establish- 
ment. He  was  a  member  of  the  Kiwanis  Clubs 
of  Streator  and  LaSalle  and  in  1941-42  he 
was  president  of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Assump- 
tion. He  has  been  a  Mason  since  he  joined 
the  Urbana  Lodge  in  May,  1920.  Woodwork- 
ing and  photography  and  his  hobbies.  He  is 
considered  as  one  of  those  who  in  recent 
years  have  done  the  most  for  Assumption  and 
is  well  known  among  drug  store  operators 
in   Illinois. 

HOMER  JOHN  BUCKLEY 

After  establishing  and  operating  for  years 
the  famous  advertising  firm  of  Buckley,  De- 
ment and  Company  in  Chicago,  Homer  John 
Buckley  decided  he  would  retire.  This  was 
in  1944.  Today  this  "retired"  citizen,  who  in 
1950  celebrated  his  seventy-first  birthday, 
actively  heads  the  firm  of  Homer  J.  Buckley 
and  Associates,  Inc.,  with  offices  at  57  East 
Jackson  Boulevard,  Chicago,  advertising  and 
public  relations  counselors.  He  has  devoted 
his  advertising  and  public  relations  talents  to 


many  commercial  projects — and  also  to  civic 
and   welfare  organizations. 

Mr.  Buckley  was  born  in  Rock  Island 
County  on  March  16,  1879,  the  son  of  John  A. 
and  Mary  J.  (Sullivan)  Buckley,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  St.  Ignatius  High  School  and  Col- 
lege, Bryant  and  Stratton  Business  College, 
Kent  College  of  Law.  At  college  he  was  elect- 
ed to  Alpha  Delta  Sigma  Fraternity.  Mr. 
Buckley  began  his  career  as  a  messegner  for 
Marshall  Field  and  Company,  Chicago.  His 
abilities  soon  won  him  a  place  in  the  office 
of  H.  Gordon  Selfridge,  now  operating  the 
famous  American-type  department  store  in 
London,  with  whom  he  worked  several,  years 
creating  Marshall  Field's  direct  mail  depart- 
ment. 

For  a  time  Mr.  Buckley  was  manager  of 
the  store's  advertising  and  sales  promotion. 
In  19  05,  he  organized  Buckley,  Dement  and 
Company  and  guided  it  to  the  point  where  it 
had  a  staff  of  450  persons,  specializing  in 
direct  mail,  using  thirty  trucks  to  carry  the 
outgoing  mail  to  the  Post  Office.  He  became 
noted  as  the  man  who,  as  a  specialist  in  direct 
mail,  worked  "behind  the  scenes"  of  many  of 
America's  great  sales  campaigns.  He  was 
founder  and  first  president  of  the  Internation- 
al Direct  Mail  Advertising  Association,  Presi- 
dent of  the  National  Council  of  Business  Mail 
Users  and  of  the  Advertising  Council  of  Chi- 
cago, and  is  the  author  of  "The  Science  of 
Marketing  by  Mail." 

In  1933  at  the  Chicago  World's  Fair  he  was 
chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Rela- 
tions. He  served  on  the  lecture  staff  of  North- 
western University,  Notre  Dame,  University 
of  Illinois  School  of  Commerce  and  other  in- 
stitutions. In  1944,  Mr.  Buckley  turned  his 
big  advertising  agency  over  to  a  group  of 
long  service  employees.  It  was  his  intention 
to  retire,  but  he  soon  called  Homer  J.  Buck- 
ley and  Associates  into  being  and  now  directs 
another  type  of  advertising,  sales  promotion 
and  public  relations  operation,  and  this  too- 
has  become  a  big  firm  in  its  field. 

In  1907  Mr.  Buckley  married  Lucile  Kath- 
leen Wallace,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wil- 
lard  F.  Wallace  of  New  York  City.  The  Buck- 
leys live  at  915  Bonnie  Brae,  River  Forest, 
and  both  are  active  in  that  community.  Mrs. 
Buckley  is  president  of  the  Women's  Guild 
of  St.  Luke's  Church  there.  Mr.  Buckley  is 
also  a  communicant  of  that  church.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Buckley  have  one  daughter,  Marihelyn 
Patricia,  who  in  November,  1947,  was  mar- 
ried to  Vincent  Lee  Murphy  of  Chicago. 


616 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


CLAUS  ROHWEDER 


HOMER  JOHN  BUCKLEY 


Mr.  Buckley  made  a  reputation  for  work  on 
behalf  of  public  welfare,  and  he  continues 
active  in  this  field.  He  was  not  only  a  trustee 
of  the  Century  of  Progress  World's  Fair  in 
1933,  but  has  served  on  the  Zoning  Com- 
mission of  River  Forest  and  been  a  director 
of  the  Civic  Federation  of  Chicago  and  the 
Catholic  Charities  of  Chicago.  He  was  at  one 
time  president  of  the  Tuberculosis  Institute 
of  Chicago  for  a  period  of  five  years  and 
also  of  the  Travelers  Aid  Society  of  Chicago. 

In  the  World  War  II  period  and  the  preced- 
ing "national  emergency,"  he  was  a  major 
specialist  in  the  United  States  Army  (Selec- 
tive Service  1938  to  1945).  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Chicago  Athletic  Association,  the  But- 
terfield  Country  Club  and  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  and  is  independent  in  politics. 
He  is  a  lay  trustee  of  Loyola  University  in 
Chicago.  Coif  and  fishing  are  his  favorite 
recreations.  He  is  widely  recognized  for  the 
great  contribution  he  has  made  to  business 
and  civic  development. 

RUEL  ELDEN  HALL,  M.A. 

An  educator  whose  career  has  taken  him 
into  various  parts  of  Illinois,  Ruel  Elden  Hall 
is  now  superintendent  of  schools  of  Kankakee 
County,  with  headquarters  at  the  county  seat, 
Kankakee.  He  is  known  throughout  the  state 
and  among  educators  in  the  rest  of  the  nation. 
Outside  the  field  of  education,  Mr.  Hall  takes 
an  active  interest  in  civic  and  fraternal  affairs. 

He  was  born  on  August  13,  1905,  at  Tahoe 
Ridge,  near  Grangeville,  Idaho  County,  Idaho, 
the  son  of  Gregg  and  Effie  Hall,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Coles  County,  Illinois.  Gregg 
Hall  was  a  farmer.  The  educator  is  the  older 
of  two  children.  He  has  a  sister,  Clothilde. 
To  prepare  himself  for  his  profession,  Ruel 
Hall  came  to  the  county  seat  of  his  parents' 
native  county— Charleston.  There  he  studied  at 
Eastern  State  Teachers  College,  from  which 
he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in 
1929.  He  received  his  Master  of  Arts  degree 
in  Chicago  in  1939.  In  1924  he  began  his  career 
as  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Patoka, 
in  Marion  County,  where  he  served  until  1926. 
From  1929  to  1937  he  was  on  the  faculty  of 
the  Kankakee  High  School  and  from  1937  to 
1941  he  was  superintendent  of  schools  at  Brad- 
ley, Kankakee  County.  Since  1941  he  has  been 
superintendent  of  schools  of  the  entire  county, 
with  a  reputation  that  is  spreading  to  distant 
places,  for  he  is  an  exponent  of  progressive 
methods   and    is   an   able   administrator. 

In  1930  Mr.  Hall  married  Frances  Craig, 
who  was  born  in  Charleston  on  June  11,  1907. 


They  have  become  the  parents  of  a  son  and 
daughter — Stuart  Craig  Hall,  born  in  1938, 
and  Susan  Hall,  born  in  1944. 

Mr.  Hall  is  active  in  the  Kiwanis  Club  of 
Kankakee,  the  Kankakee  Lodge  of  the  Benevo- 
lent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the 
Masonic  Lodge,  Charleston.  Kankakee  County's 
citizens  have  been  conscious  of  a  great  rise 
in  the  standards  of  the  teaching  personnel 
and  in  the  educational  attainments  of  their 
children  since  Mr.  Hall's  assumption  of  the 
school  superintendency. 

LOUIS  HYLAND  ERICKSON 

The  industrial  world  has  long  known  the 
leadership  of  Louis  Hyland  Erickson  of  Chi- 
cago. As  president  of  the  Borg  Erickson  Cor- 
poration, he  is  one  of  the  outstanding  scale 
manufacturers  of  the  nation.  He  is  a  leading 
figure  in  state  and  national  trade  organiza- 
tions and  is  noted  in  Wisconsin  and  in  Cook 
County  for  his  active  interest  in  develop- 
ment and  improvement  projects. 

Mr.  Erickson  was  born  in  Chicago  on  Sep- 
tember 27,  1905,  the  son  of  Louis  Eric  and 
Anna  Maud  (Booth)  Erickson.  His  father, 
born  in  Peotone,  Will  County,  on  September 
26,  1873,  was  a  dress  manufacturer  in  the 
Windy  City.  The  mother,  a  native  of  Rock 
Falls,  Whiteside  County,  was  the  daughter  of 
Dr.  A.  J.  Booth,  who  served  with  the  rank  of 
Captain  in  the  Confederate  Army  and  was  a 
cousin  of  Edwin  Booth  and  John  Wilkes  Booth. 
Louis  H.  Erickson  was  graduated  from  the 
Oak  Park  High  School  and  went  on  to  the 
University  of  Illinois,  where  he  took  his  de- 
gree in  1926.  On  the  football  team  of  the 
Oak  Park  High  School  from  1918  to  1922, 
he  was  on  the  university's  varsity  team  in 
the  season  of  1922-'23.  At  the  university  he 
was  elected  to  Delta  Tau  Delta  Fraternity. 

Even  before  he  finished  his  education  Mr. 
Erickson  began  his  career.  In  1924,  he  be- 
came assistant  purchasing  agent  for  the  Pub- 
lic Service  Company  of  Northern  Illinois,  a 
post  he  held  until  1928.  From  1928  to  1931  he 
was  vice  president  of  the  law  printing  firm 
of  Hawkins  and  Loomis,  Chicago,  and  from 
1931  to  1934  was  vice  president  of  the  Brooks 
Contracting  Corporation,  World's  Fair  con- 
tractors. In  1934  Mr.  Erickson  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  Art  Lamp  Corporation  in  Chicago, 
remaining  until  1937,  when  he  became  vice 
president  and  sales  manager  of  the  Borg 
Scale  Division  of  the  George  W.  Borg  Corpo- 
ration. In  1941,  when  the  Borg  Erickson  Cor- 
poration was  formed  as  successor  to  the  Borg 
Scale    Division,    Mr.    Erickson    assumed    the 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


621 


presidency  of  the  new  corporation,  and  he 
has  since  consolidated  the  high  position  pre- 
viously won  in  the  scale  manufacturing  busi- 
ness. 

On  December  2,  1933,  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Erick- 
son  married  Charlotte  Eleanore  Borg,  the 
daughter  of  George  W.  and  Florence  W.  Borg. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erickson,  who  maintain  their 
home  at  3200  Lake  Shore  Drive,  Chicago,  have 
a  son  and  daughter — Hyland  Borg  Erickson, 
who  was  born  in  1939,  and  Melinda  Ann 
Erickson,  who  was  born  in  1944.  Mrs.  Erick- 
son is,  like  her  husband,  active  in  civic  work 
in  Chicago.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Service  Club,  the  Margaret  Etter  Creche,  the 
American  Women's  Volunteer  Society  and  the 
Women's  Athletic  Club. 

Mr.  Erickson's  business  interests  outside 
his  corporation  include  the  Michigan  Avenue 
National  Bank  of  Chicago,  in  which  he  is  a 
director.  In  1947,  1948  and  1949  he  was  pres- 
ident of  the  National  Association  of  Scale 
Manufacturers  and  since  1945  he  has  been  a 
director  of  that  organization.  He  is  vice  chair- 
man of  the  Government  Spending  Committee 
of  the  National  Association  of  Manufacturers 
and  a  member  of  various  committees  of  the 
Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Commerce.  In  his 
civic  work,  he  is  vice  president  of  the  Delavan 
Lake  Improvement  Association  at  Delavan 
Lake,  Wisconsin,  and  a  director  of  the  North 
Central  Improvement  Association  of  Chicago. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Athletic 
Association,  the  Lake  Shore  Club,  the  Lake 
Geneva  Country  Club,  the  Chicago  Yacht 
Club  and  the  Delavan  Lake  Yacht  Club.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  the  Chicago  Black 
Horse  Troop,  106th  Cavalry,  Illinois  National 
Guard,  and  from  1931  to  1934  was  a  Lieuten- 
ant in  that  body.  Fishing,  hunting  and  boat- 
ing are  his  favorite  sports.  Mr.  Erickson's 
leadership  in  his  field  of  business  and  in 
civic  work  has  made  him  a  noted   citizen. 

GREAT  CENTRAL  INSURANCE  CO., 
PEORIA,  ILL. 

The  history  of  Great  Central  began  with  the 
birth  of  the  Great  Central  Protective  Associa- 
tion in  Peoria,  111.,  during  April  1934.  This 
organization  was  organized  by  a  group  of  re- 
tail businessmen,  who  felt  the  great  need  of 
Crime  Protection  that  would  reimburse  mem- 
bers of  the  Association  for  money  or  merchan- 
dise as  the  result  of  a  crime  loss.  Protection 
within  the  reach  of  their  pocketbooks  and 
prompt  payment  when  they  suffered  a  crime 
loss,  without  red  tape,  was  the  salient  purpose 


of  the  organization.  The  plan  was  successful 
and  now  every  kind  and  type  of  small  retail 
businessman  can  have  this  original  plan  of 
crime  protection  by  making  a  small  monthly 
payment  he  can  afford. 

Management  of  the  Great  Central  Protective 
Asociation,  the  same  that  later  also  served 
Great  Central  Mutual  Insurance  Company, 
had  vision  and  fortitude.  The  Association  grew 
and  so  did  the  need  for  broader  crime  cover- 
age. The  acceptance  by  small  businessmen  of 
this  novel  plan  and  service,  and  their  con- 
tinued patronage  was  the  cornerstone  of  the 
Great  Central  Mutual  Insurance  Company.  On 
April  11,  1938  the  company  was  issued  a 
Charter  by  the  Insurance  Department  of  the 
State  of  Illinois.  The  company  was  headed  by 
men  who  had  faith  and  determination  to  be 
successful  with  a  plan  that  never  had  been 
thought  of  or  tried  before  in  the  history  of 
insurance.  James  S.  Flanigon  served  as  presi- 
dent, Elmo  G.  Kuecks  as  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, Claude  E.  Kitchell  as  general  counsel, 
and  as  directors  who  served  with  wise  counsel, 
Lester  F.  Carson  and  Carl  E.  Phillips. 

The  operation  of  the  Company  and  its 
agency  force  was  as  unusual  as  the  company's 
broad  comprehensive  Crime  Insurance  policies. 
As  Specialists  in  their  field,  the  need  was  also 
apparent  for  men  to  sell  their  policies  who 
were  trained  as  Crime  Insurance  Specialists. 
The  company  again  diverted  from  usual  in- 
surance customs  and  hired  men  to  be  trained 
as  specialists  in  this  field  to  sell  their  policy 
on  a  full  time  basis.  The  monthly  premium 
payment  originated  by  the  company,  "or  pay 
as  you  use  it"  and  the  unusual  "package 
policy"  covering  the  retail  merchant's  business  . 
met  with  immediate  success. 

The  company  in  keeping  with  its  original 
plan,  put  no  restrictions  on  the  location  or 
the  physical  properties  of  the  building  the 
merchant  occupied.  Stress  was  placed  upon  the 
honesty  of  the  applicant  for  Crime  Insurance 
Protection. 

The  first  policy  offered  provided  Business 
coverage  of  $250.00.  In  1941  Great  Central 
management  took  another  important  step  and 
authorized  the  sales  of  $500  business  cover- 
age, and  also  issued  an  endorsement  giving 
policyholders  Crime  protection  for  their  homes 
without  having  to  obtain  another  policy. 

In  December  of  1941,  with  the  world  at  war, 
Great  Central  realized  the  merchant  would 
now  need  even  more  protection  than  ever  be- 
fore as  Crime  increased  to  an  all-time  high  in 
country  history.  This  unusual  need  caused  the 


022 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


LOUIS  IIYLAND  ERICKSON 


JAMES  STEVEN  FLANIGON 


company  to  again  make  Crime  Insurance 
history  and  another  "first"  by  announcing 
their  now  popular  combination  .Business  and 
Home  policy.  The  news  was  a  sensation  in 
Insurance  circles.  This  was  the  first  time  the 
merchant  could  buy  a  "package"  Crime  In- 
surance policy  covering  both  his  business  and 
home  for  one  low-cost  premium  payable  on 
the  popular  monthly  payment  plan. 

In  1943  the  limits  were  increased  to  four 
$250,000  units  or  $1,000.00  of  Crime  Insurance 
protection.  The  crime  condition  in  the  country 
and  the  apparent  need  for  larger  amounts 
of  insurance  created  another  historical  step, 
and  the  company  increased  the  limits  to  $3,000. 
Merchants  could  now  buy  any  number  of  $250 
Units  of  Crime  coverage  up  to  the  new  limits 
of  crime  insurance. 

At  no  time  in  its  past  or  present  operation 
did  the  company  and  management  stand  still. 
The  goal  of  the  company  is  to  be  first  with  the 
best  in  Crime  Insurance  coverage,  and  they 
continued  to  revise  and  streamline  their  poli- 
cies and  service.  The  company  continued  to 
expand  and  its  reputation  grew  and  recogni- 
tion as  the  leader  in  their  field  was  definitely 
an  established  and  accepted  fact. 

In  February  1948  another  important  step  in 
its  history  was  accomplished.  A  stock  company 
was  founded  under  the  insurance  laws  of  the 
State  of  Illinois.  As  of  March  30,  1948  the 
entire  business,  including  the  assets  and  liabil- 
ities of  the  Great  Central  Mutual  Insurance 
Company,  a  Mutual  company,  was  reinsured 
by  the  stock  company.  The  Board  of  Directors 
of  Great  Central  Mutual  Insurance  Company 
became  the  directorship  of  the  Great  Central 
Insurance  Company.  The  company  continued 
under  the  leadership  of  James  S.  Flanigon, 
President;  Elmo  G.  Kuecks,  Vice  President  and 
Secretary-Treasurer;  Lester  F.  Carson,  Vice 
President;  and  Matthew  W.  Powers,  Vice 
President  and  Comptroller.  The  membership 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  is  composed  of  lead- 
ing business  and  professional  men;  Sylvan 
Olson,  Vice  President,  Commercial  National 
Bank;  Rex  G.  Howard,  President,  Howard 
Company;  William  Krieger,  Certified  Public 
Accountant;  W.  James  Patton,  President,  Jef- 
ferson Trust  &  Savings  Bank;  Edward  J. 
Fahey,  Vice  President,  Thomas  T.  North,  Inc.; 
G.  Chapman  Caldwell,  Penn  Mutual  Insurance 
Company;  and  Dr.  A.  J.  Cichoke. 

In  addition  to  its  home  state  of  Illinois,  the 
company  is  also  licensed  to  do  business  in 
Arkansas,  Arizona,  Colorado,  Indiana,  Iowa, 
Kansas,  Kentucky,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Mis- 
souri, Nebraska,  New  Mexico,  Ohio,  Oklahoma, 


Pennsylvania,  Tennessee,  Texas,  Virginia  and 
West  Virginia. 

Great  Central's  growth  has  been  amazing 
since  its  inception.  The  first  year,  1938,  Great 
Central  wrote  Burglary  and  Hold-Up  Crime 
Insurance  premiums  of  $32,068.00.  In  the 
course  of  twelve  years,  premiums  written  in- 
creased to  $2,547,675.00  written  during  1949. 
In  the  twenty  states  in  which  great  Central  is 
licensed  to  sell  Crime  Insurance  protection, 
they  are  usually  the  leaders  in  burglary  and 
hold-up  premiums  written  compared  to  the 
many  other  insurance  companies  writing  a 
similar  line  of  insurance  coverage.  In  its  home 
state,  Illinois,  Great  Central  has  led  all  other 
companies  since  1945,  and  a  similar  pattern  is 
reflected  in  other  states  after  the  company  has 
been  operating  for  a  period  of  several  years. 

Since  their  modest  beginning,  leadership  and 
service  to  policyholders,  ever-broadening  Crime 
Insurance  policies,  and  most  important,  prompt 
payment  of  claims,  have  been  the  foundation 
and  force  that  created  Great  Central's  distinc- 
tive recognition  as  America's  leading  and  ex- 
clusive Crime  Insurance  Specialists. 

JAMES  STEVEN  FLANIGON 

The  only  insurance  company  in  the  United 
States  which  does  an  exclusive  business  in 
the  writing  of  holdup  and  burglary  crime  in- 
surance is  the  Great  Central  Insurance  Com- 
pany with  Home  Offices  at  Peoria,  of  which 
James  Steven  Flanigon  is  president.  This  com- 
pany, with  its  extensive  operations  and  rami- 
fications in  twenty  states,  has  won  a  com- 
manding position  in  the  insurance  world  under 
Mr.  Flanigon's  leadership.  Mr.  Flanigon,  well 
known  not  only  in  the  insurance  business,  is 
also  prominent  in  civic  circles,  in  the  national 
Chamber  of  Commerce  movement  and  in 
Catholic  lay  circles. 

He  was  born  at  Urbana  on  May  28,  1905, 
the  son  of  James  M.  and  Eva  A.  (Gallaher) 
Flanigon.  His  father,  a  native  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  is  a  retired  machinist.  His  mother  is  a 
native  of  Montezuma,  Indiana.  The  insurance 
executive  was  educated  in  the  elementary  and 
high  schools  of  Peoria  and  for  four  years  after 
finishing  his  education  worked  for  the  Stand- 
ard Oil  Company  in  that  city.  In  1934  he  went 
into  the  protection  insurance  business,  under 
his  own  name.  In  1937  he  adopted  as  the  name 
of  his  present  business  Great  Central  Insur- 
ance Company  and  he  has  since  built  it  into 
the  great  organization  it  is.  He  maintains 
headquarters  in  the  First  National  Bank 
Building  in  Peoria  and  employs  four  hundred 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


627 


eighty  persons  in  an  organization  operating 
in  twenty  states.  His  is  absolutely  the  only 
company  in  the  nation  which  does  an  exclusive 
business  in  holdup  and  burglary  Crime  Insur- 
ance. He  has  himself  become  a  leader  in  this 
kind  of  insurance  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Flanigon  married  Beatrice  S.  Tinen, 
daughter  of  James  E.  Tinen,  who  died  in  1915, 
and  Jennie  (Hogan)  Tinen,  who  died  in  1933, 
the  marriage  taking  place  in  Chicago  on  May 
14,  1930.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flanigon  are  the  par- 
ents of  three  children  all  born  in  Peoria,  111.: 
Nancy  Jane,  who  was  born  on  February  22, 
1936;  Kathleen  Ann,  Born  on  August  10,  1938, 
and  James  Tinen  Flanigon,  born  on  August  17, 
1941.  The  family  home  is  at  208  Crestwood 
Drive,  Peoria,  and  the  entire  family  worships 
in  the  Catholic  Church. 

Mr.  Flanigon  is  prominent  at  the  St.  Philo- 
mena  Church  and  served  as  the  first  president 
of  its  Men's  Club.  He  is  a  Fourth  Degree  mem- 
ber of  The  Knights  of  Columbus  and  was  for- 
merly the  Grand  Knight  of  this  organization. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Alhambra  Club, 
the  Peoria  Advertising  and  Selling  Club,  the 
Peoria  Association  of  Commerce,  the  Illinois 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  the  United  States,  the  Bradley 
Booster  Club,  the  Mount  Hawley  Country  Club 
and  the  Creve  Coeur  Club.  Mr.  Flanigon  also 
holds  two  honorary  appointments.  He  was 
made  an  honorary  citizen  of  the  City  of  New 
Orleans  by  Mayor  de  Lesseps  S.  Morrison, 
and  was  appointed  an  Admiral  of  the  Great 
Navy  of  the  State  of  Nebraska  by  Governor 
Val  Peterson.  Bowling  and  golf  are  his  favor- 
ite sports,  while  railroad  trains  are  his  hobby. 
That  he  has  aided  the  growth  of  business  by 
removing  the  great  specter  of  fear  from  the 
minds  of  innumerable  business  executives 
must  be  easily  recognized. 

ALFRED  EUGENE  HUDSON 

At  Morton,  Illinois,  a  major  wholesale 
market  and  retail  shopping  center  for  the 
state's  prosperous  farm  belt,  a  leading  dis- 
tributor of  road  building  machinery  is  Alfred 
Eugene  Hudson.  Mr.  Hudson's  company  is  A. 
E.  Hudson  Company,  Inc.,  with  headquarters 
Route  150,  Morton,  Illinois.  The  firm  covers 
fitly  Illinois  counties  and  maintains  branches 
at  Rock  Island  and  Springfield.  Through  his 
business  Mr.  Hudson  is  one  of  those  stimu- 
lating the  growth  and  continued  success  of 
the  state's  road  program. 

Mr.  Hudson  was  born  at  Saginaw,  Michi- 
gan, on  June  10,  1895,  the  son  of  Alfred  and 
Mary   Kli/.abeth   (Doyle)   Hudson.    His  father, 


a  native  of  Canada,  was  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness at  Saginaw.  He  died  in  1939.  The 
mother,  who  was  born  in  Saginaw,  died  in 
1905.  After  completing  his  early  education 
in  the  Saginaw  High  School,  A.  E.  Hudson 
spent  three  semesters  at  Vanderbilt  Universi- 
ty, Nashville,  Tennessee.  He  was  in  the  rail- 
road business  one  year  and  then  for  a  year 
and  one-half  was  with  the  Rumley  Company, 
a  machinery  business,  at  Nashville.  He  moved 
to  Peoria  in  1916  to  become  associated  with 
the  Hart-Parr  Company  of  Charles  City,  Iowa. 
He  remained  with  this  company  until  1920. 
In  1921,  he  became  a  salesman  for  the  Holt 
Manufacturing  Company  in  Peoria.  Two 
years  later  he  resigned  this  position  to  be- 
come first  distributor  in  Illinois  for  Holt 
Mfg.  Company,  operating  under  the  name  of 
Blythe-Hudson  Company,  with  Peoria  as  head- 
quarters. In  1927,  he  took  over  the  distributor- 
ship for  the  Allis-Chalmers  Company  at 
Peoria,  and  this  activity  he  continued  until 
1934.  In  that  year  he  organized  the  Illinois 
Corrugated  Culvert  Company,  and  was  its 
president  until  1941,  when  he  became  dis- 
tributor for,  among  other  companies,  the 
International  Harvestor  Company.  He  calls 
his  distributorship  A.  E.  Hudson  Company, 
Inc.,  and  he  represents,  besides  International, 
the  Buckyrus  Erie  Company,  Jaeger  Machine 
Company,  J.  D.  Adams  Company,  Herd  Com- 
pany and  Frank  G.  Hough  Co.  In  the  East 
Peoria  headquarters  and  in  the  Rock  Island 
and  Springfield  branches  he  employs  an  ag- 
gregate of  fifty-five  persons. 

Mr.  Hudson  married  Mabel  L.  Bohanan  of 
Peoria  on  September  3,  1916.  Mrs.  Hudson 
is  the  daughter  of  Dr.  William  E.  Bohanan, 
who  was  born  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  prac- 
ticed medicine  in  Peoria  until  his  death,  and 
Lillian  E.  (Tobin  )  Bohanan,  a  native  of  Chica- 
go who  survives  her  husband.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hudson  became  the  parents  of  Alfred  W.  Hud- 
son, who  was  born  on  November  18,  1917,  and 
Betty  Jean,  who  was  born  on  May  20,  1920. 
The  son,  who  was  with  the  United  States 
Army  Air  Force  in  World  War  II,  was  killed 
in  action  on  October  23,  1943.  The  daughter 
is  the  wife  of  Warren  J.  Smith  and  the 
mother  of  Susan  Smith,  born  in  1947,  and 
Steven  Smith,  born  in  1949.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hudson  reside  at  301  N.  Glenwood  Avenue, 
Peoria,  Illinois. 

Active  in  community  life,  Mr.  Hudson  is  a 
member  of  the  Peoria  Association  of  Com- 
merce, the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the 
Creve  Coeur  Club.    He  is  also  a  member  of 


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ALFRED  EUGENE  HUDSON 


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the  American  Equipment  Distributors.  For 
sport  he  likes  fishing.  He  is  one  of  the  modern 
builders  of  Illinois. 

REV.  MARION  W.  ARTERBURN 

Virtually  all  his  life  the  Reverend  Marion 
W.  Arterburn  of  Mattoon  has  devoted  himself 
to  evangelistic  work  and  though  now  engaged 
principally  in  farming — he  is  one  of  the  big 
melon  growers  of  Central  Illinois — he  is  still 
active  in  the  religious  world  along  with  his 
wife,  the  former  Blanche  Wanda  Winn,  who 
has  been  his  partner  in  the  work  for  God  all 
through  the  years.  Mr.  Arterburn,  who  has 
won  a  place  of  preeminence  in  the  Christian 
Church,  is  also  interested  in  oil  and  mining 
and  in  industrial  enterprises,  and  to  pro- 
grams to  stimulate  musical  and  cultural  in- 
terest he  has  made  a  substantial  contribution. 

Mr.  Arterburn  was  born  at  Grant,  Ne- 
braska, on  December  1,  1887,  the  son  of  Edwin 
and  Lucy  Ellen  (Pinnell)  Arterburn.  His 
father,  a  farmer  in  Western  Nebraska  and  in 
Illinois,  was  in  his  younger  days  an  outstand- 
ing athlete.  He  was  an  earnest  Christian 
throughout  his  seventy-two  years.  The  Rev- 
erend Mr.  Arterburn  had  an  older  sister, 
Lillie,  and  a  younger  brother,  John,  both  of 
whom  died  in  early  youth. 

He  was  graduated  from  the  Mattoon  High 
School  and  spent  two  years  at  the  University 
of  Illinois.  At  high  school  and  college  he  was 
active  in  track  and  field  athletics.  He  took  a 
Bible-music  course  in  the  Moody  Bible  Insti- 
tute, Chicago.  When  he  left  Moody  Institute 
Mr.  Arterburn  went  into  religious  work  as  a 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary  in  Army  camps— Mac- 
Arthur,  near  Waco,  Texas,  and  Fort  Bliss, 
near  El  Paso. 

After  World  War  I,  he  and  Mrs.  Arter- 
burn entered  evangelistic  work  as  song  lead- 
ers. They  had  been  married  at  Grant,  Ne- 
braska, Mr.  Arterburn's  birthplace,  on  Aug- 
ust 30,  1911.  For  eighteen  years  after  the 
war  they  were  active  in  evangelism,  spending 
short  summers  on  their  present  farm  outside 
Mattoon,  where  Mr.  Arterburn's  parents  lived. 
Since  leaving  the  road,  they  have  engaged  in 
general  farming,  but  specializing  in  melon- 
growing.  Mr.  Arterburn  started  this  activity 
as  a  hobby,  but  it  grew  into  a  business.  Some 
years  he  raises  as  many  as  200  acres  of 
melons.  The  home  place,  consisting  of  eighty 
acres,  is  located  two  miles  south  of  Mattoon 
on  Lake  Mattoon  Road.  It  has  been  the  Arter- 
burn's headquarters  and  permanent  home  for 
more  than  a  half  century.  While  Mr.  Arter- 
burn engages   in   his   agricultural   work,    Mrs. 


Arterburn  is  active  as  president  of  the  Wom- 
en's Christian  Temperance  Union  of  Mattoon, 
as  chairman  of  the  deaconnesses  of  the  First 
Christian  Church  of  Mattoon,  teacher  of  the 
Truth  Seekers  Bible  Class  and  as  pianist  at 
evangelistic  evening  services. 

Meantime,  in  addition  to  his  agricultural 
pursuits  Mr.  Arterburn  has  worked  on  oil 
and  mining  development  projects,  served  a 
year  as  director  of  the  Clark  Foundry  of 
Mattoon  and  is  at  present  a  director  in  the 
Bryan  Steam  Corporation,  builders  of  high 
and  low  pressure  boilers.  Also,  he  is  chairman 
of  the  board  of  elders  of  the  First  Christian 
Church,  in  which  he  is  an  ordained  minister. 
He  is  also  vice  president  of  the  Civic  Music 
Association  of  Mattoon  and  a  member  of  the 
Optimist  Club  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Music  remains 
Mr.  Arterburn's  hobby.  He  still  loves  to  lead 
song  services  and  to  do  some  singing  him- 
self. Also,  he  is  an  enthusiast  for  "good  clean 
sports."  With  his  wife  Mr.  Arterburn  has 
given  distinguished  service  to  mankind  and 
to  God. 

HON.  CLYDE  A.  CARTER 

In  Southern  Illinois  and  in  five  Southern 
States  the  name  of  The  Randolph  Milling 
Company  of  Ava,  in  Jackson  County,  and 
Baldwin,  in  Randolph  County,  is  associated 
with  exceptional  service  in  the  grain  and 
feed  market.  Since  1924  the  Honorable  Clyde 
A.  Carter  of  Ava  has  been  president  of  this 
concern,  and  he  has  seen  it  through  periods  of 
great  prosperity  and  through  adversity,  and 
is  currently  guiding  it  through  one  of  the 
greatest  periods  of  prosperity  in  its  history. 
He  is  nationally  known  in  the  milling  business 
and  in  Ava,  where  he  has  been  a  leading- 
citizen  most  of  his  life,  he  has  achieved  such 
standing  as  to  be  elected  Mayor. 

Mayor  Carter  was  born  at  Baldwin  on  May 
4,  1884,  the  son  of  George  E.  and  Belle 
(Holden)  Carter.  His  father,  also  a  miller, 
was  a  native  of  New  York  State,  his  mother 
of  Illinois.  After  his  graduation  from  the 
Baldwin  High  School  in  1901,  Mr.  Carter 
spent  a  year  each  at  two  different  business 
schools  in  St.  Louis.  Then  he  worked  a  year 
for  a  wholesale  grocery  concern  in  that  city 
and  for  another  year  in  the  sales  office  of 
the  American   Radiator   Company  there. 

In  1905  his  father  gave  him  some  stock 
and  made  him  secretary  of  the  Randolph  Mill- 
ing Company,  Inc.,  the  plant  and  home  office 
of  which  was  then  in  Baldwin.  In  1915,  Clyde 
Carter  became  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


i;:;:; 


company  and  in  1924,  following  his  father's 
death,  president.  In  1931  the  mill  at  Baldwin 
burned  down,  and  the  company's  operations 
were  moved  to  Ava.  For  a  year'  Mr.  Carter 
and  his  associates  leased  a  mill  in  that  city, 
then  bought  it.  Ava  continues  the  seat  of  the 
company's  main  operations,  but  an  elevator 
and  feed  mill  have  replaced  the  old  original 
plant  at  Baldwin.  The  company  manufactures 
soft  and  hard  wheat  flour  and  commercial 
feeds,  and  buys  grain.  Its  trade  area  com- 
prises Southern  Illinois,  Kentucky,  Tennessee, 
Mississippi,  Alabama  and  Georgia.  A  total  of 
thirty  persons  is  employed  at  Ava  and  Bald- 
win. 

Mayor  Carter  married  Cordia  Linders,  the 
daughter  of  Ernest  and  Dora  Linders  of 
Baldwin,  in  that  village  on  November  30, 
1906.  They  have  a  daughter  and  son — Mrs. 
Melba  Dean,  the  mother  of  Shirley,  now  Mrs. 
Paul  Guider,  and  C.  Arlin  Carter,  now 
treasurer  of  the  Randolph  Milling  Company, 
who  is  also  married  and  is  the  father  of 
Carol,  James  and  Thomas  Carter.  The  family 
worships  in  the  Centenary  Methodist  Church 
of  Murphysboro,  in  which  Mr.  Carter  is  presi- 
dent of  the  official  board. 

A  Republican  who  throughout  his  adult 
life  has  been  active  in  political  and  public 
affairs,  Mr.  Carter  was  elected  Mayor  of 
Ava  in  1937  and  repeatedly  re-elected.  In 
this  period  he  has  installed  a  water  works, 
improved  the  street  system  and  in  other 
ways  furthered  the  development  of  this  city 
of  300.  In  his  business  field  he  has  twice 
been  president  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Millers 
Association  and  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Millers  National  Federation,  headquartered 
in  Chicago.  He  is  a  Mason.  His  public  office, 
his  business  and  his  church  and  other  activ- 
ities have  been  the  means  through  which  he 
has  given   extraordinary  public  service. 

ROGER  Q.  KIMMEL 

"I  like  the  insurance  and  real  estate  busi- 
ness— I  like  the  contacts  that  it  permits  me 
to  make,  and  I  like  the  protection  and  service 
that  it  permits  me  to  give  to  my  friends  . . ." 
So  Roger  Q.  Kimmel  of  Murphysboro  wrote 
in  an  article  in  a  national  trade  magazine, 
The  Local  Agent.  The  point  of  view  expressed 
in  these  words  suggests  why  Mr.  Kimmel's 
one  man  agency,  "built  from  the  ground  up 
without  absorbing  other  agencies,"  has  been 
so  successful.  Another  explanation  lies  in 
his  civic  service  that  carried  him  "from  three 
years  as  president  of  the  Murphysboro  Cham- 


ber   of    Commerce    to    frying    pancakes    at    a 
Lion's  Club  pancake  fry." 

Mr.  Kimmel  was  born  at  Elkville,  Jackson 
County,  Illinois,  on  March  27,  1890,  the  son 
of  Edward  E.  and  Susan  R.  Kimmel.  His 
father,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Elkville,  was 
a  farmer  and  president  of  the  Elkville  State 
Bank.  Roger  Q.  Kimmel  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Elkville  and  at  Brown's  Busi- 
ness College  of  Centralia,  Illinois,  which  he 
attended  one  year.  In  1910  he  became  cashier 
of  the  Elkville  State  Bank,  and  this  post  he 
held  for  sixteen  years.  In  that  period  he  was 
active  and  prominent  in  bankers  association 
work.  In  January  1926  he  assumed  the  office 
of  executive  vice  president  of  both  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Murphysboro  and  the  Mur- 
physboro Savings  Bank,  later  assuming  the 
duties  of  cashier,  too.  These  he  resigned  on 
March  1,  1930 — "just  before  the  biggest  mess 
of  'busting'  that  the  country  had  ever  known" 
— and  two  months  later  entered  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business  at  his  present 
address,  1325  Walnut  Street,  Murphysboro. 
Mr.  Kimmel  was  very  active  in  real  estate 
circles  for  several  years  thereafter,  serving 
as  secretary  of  the  Jackson  County  Real 
Estate  Board  1937-38,  president  of  Egyptian 
Real  Estate  Board  1941-42,  member  of  Ethics 
Committee  of  the  Illinois  Association  of  Real 
Estate  Boards  1938-39,  secretary  of  the  asso- 
ciation 1942-43,  and  vice  president  in  1944-45. 

On  October  25,  1911,  Mr.  Kimmel  married 
Meta  B.,  thp  daughter  of  Frank  G.  and  Kate 
B.  Procunier  of  the  Desoto  area.  A  daughter. 
Ellouise  Kate  was  born  to  the  marriage  or. 
January  1,  1913.  She  married  Theodore  C. 
Saylor  of  Joliet,  is  the  mother  of  Teddy  Kimmel 
and  Susan  Kate  Saylor,  and  resides  in  Murphys- 
boro. 

When  Mr.  Kimmel  served  as  president  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  the  years  1935 
to  1938,  an  industrial  agent  for  the  GMO  Rail- 
road said  he  was  the  most  active  chamber 
president  along  the  line,  and  this  his  fellow 
citizens  at  Murphysboro  echoed.  He  continued- 
his  community  and  regional  promotion  not 
only  through  the  chamber  but  through  South- 
ern Illinois  Incorporated,  a  regional  civic 
organization,  which  he  helped  to  organize  in 
1940  and  on  whose  charter  his  name  appears. 
He  served  this  organization  as  director  for 
several  years  and  as  its  treasurer  for  three 
years.  In  both  World  Wars  I  and  II  he  headed 
bond  and  other  war-related  drives.  He  was 
the  first  drive  chairman  of  the  Jackson  County 
USO  in  World  War  II  and  he  was  also  chair- 
man of  the  Murphysboro  Township  Red  Cross 


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LIBRARY     OF    AMERICAN    LIVES 


HON.  CLYDE  A.  CARTER 


ROGER  Q.  KIMMEL 


War  Drives  the  following  three  years.  Mr. 
Kimmel  has  been  a  member  of  the  Jackson 
County  Public  Aid  Advisory  Committee  since 
it  was  organized  in  1942  and  has  been  its 
chairman  for  the  past  six  years,  and  has 
been  chairman  of  the  local  Salvation  Army 
Advisory  Board  for  nearly  twenty  years.  Be- 
sides his  pancake  frying  he  has  otherwise 
been  active  in  the  Lion's  Club.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles  and  of 
the  masonic  bodies,  including  the  Mississippi 
Valley  Consistory  of  the  Scottish  Rite  and 
Ainad  Temple  Shrine,  both  in  East  St.  Louis. 
He  is  an  authority  on  local  early  history  of 
Jackson  County,  especially  of  Brownsville,  the 
first  county  seat  of  the  county.  Mr.  Kimmel 
is  a  member  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Historical 
Society  and  the  Illinois  Historical  Society.  "I 
like  to  think  that  men  can  be  big  enough 
to  serve  their  communities  without  selfish  and 
personal  motives — without  expecting  reward 
at  the  expense  of  their  communities,"  he  says. 
And  he  has  himself  been  "big  enough." 

Mr.  Kimmel's  hobby  besides  "just  people" 
is  the  gathering  of  old  documents,  papers  and 
historical  items,  and  he  has  more  than  five 
hundred  of  them — one  of  the  largest  and  most 
interesting  private  collections  in  Southern 
Illinois.  The  collection  consists  of  more  than 
150  newspapers  published  from  1813  to  1865, 
an  English  parchment  deed  made  in  1597  and 
one  in  1629  are  among  the  older  documents, 
a  highly  illustrated  German  school  book  pub- 
lished in  1618,  a  bill  of  sale  for  three  slaves 
sold  in  New  Orleans  for  $2700.00  in  1851,  an 
old  letter  from  a  captain  to  a  major  telling 
about  an  indian  battle  in  the  Blackhawk  War, 
these  with  several  letters  telling  about  the 
hardships  of  the  Pikes  Peak  Gold  Rush  of 
1859,  and  many  other  papers  make  up  a  col- 
lection that  telling  in  their  own  words  of  the 
life  of  some  forgotten  person  or  persons  who 
trod  this  life  in  the  days  now  gone.  "To  me 
possession  of  rare,  old  and  interesting  items 
bring  a  lot  of  enjoyment — and  I  like  to  display 
them  to  my  friends  and  to  the  many  others 
who  are  interested  in  such  things — it  makes 
life  just  a  little  more  worthwhile — and  that  is 
what  all  of  us  should  be  striving  for." 

The  Kimmel  family  was  among  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Jackson  County  and  was  a  very 
large  one. 

HON.  KARL  R.  OHAIR 

A  pioneer  in  the  automobile  business,  tha 
Honorable  Karl  R.  O'Hair  of  Paris,  seat  of 
Edgar  County,  is  today  the  owner  of  that 
city's    largest    automobile    business — a    com- 


bined Chevrolet  and  Cadillac  sales  and  serv- 
ice agency.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  a  Canada 
Dry  bottling  business  which,  with  headquarters 
at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  serves  ten  Illinois 
Counties.  Mr.  O'Hair  has  served  his  native 
state  not  only  as  a  business  man  but  as  a 
legislator,  board  of  education  official  and 
civic  and  welfare  leader. 

Born  in  Paris  on  January  9,  1887,  he  is 
the  son  of  Herschel  B.  and  Lizzie  L.  (Mires) 
O'Hair.  His  father,  born  on  a  farm  seven  miles 
north  of  Charleston  on  September  11,  1862, 
was  the  operator  of  a  chain  of  oil  products 
bulk  plants  and  of  gasoline  filling  stations, 
with  Paris  as  his  headquarters.  He  donated 
the  funds  with  which  the  Paris  Park  Board 
developed  Sunrise  Park,  a  playground  for 
children,  and  he  built  and  leased  to  the  State 
of  Illinois  the  structure  used  as  a  State  Arm- 
ory in  Paris  and  was  a  member  of  the  building 
and  finance  committees  which  built  the  Hotel 
France  and  the  Elks  Club  building  in  Paris. 
Karl  O'Hair's  mother  was  born  at  Danville  on 
May  7,  1860,  the  daughter  of  John  W.  and 
Sarah  E.  Mires,  early  settlers  of  that  city. 
Her  father  was  one  of  a  group  that  organized 
the  Republican  Party  in  Vermillion  and  was 
a  close  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  first  Masonic 
lodge  in  Danville  and  served  as  a  supervisor 
and  in  other  public  offices. 

Educated  in  Paris  public  schools,  Morgan 
Park  Academy  and  the  Bryant  and  Stratton 
School  of  Commerce  of  Chicago,  Karl  R. 
O'Hair  entered  the  automobile  business  in 
Chicago.  He  worked  for  a  sales  and  service 
agency  there.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he 
was  back  in  Paris  and  starting  an  automobile 
business  of  his  own.  He  established  a  Stude- 
baker  agency  at  that  time.  Three  years  later 
he  took  the  agency  for  the  Dodge  automobile, 
which  had  just  been  introduced.  The  business 
grew,  and  his  sales  in  Edgar  County  were  sec- 
ond only  to  the  Ford  sales.  In  1924,  Mr. 
O'Hair  sold  his  automobile  business  and 
opened  an  automobile  sales  finance  company. 
In  1931,  he  purchased  the  Chevrolet  agency 
and  made  it  the  largest  business  in  its  field 
at  Paris.  The  Cadillac  agency  was  added  in 
1949.  The  business  is  managed  today  by  Rob- 
ei*t  L.  Gumm,  Mr.  O'Hair's  son-in-law.  In 
1948,  Mr.  O'Hair  and  his  son,  Richard  C. 
O'Hair,  obtained  the  franchise  to  bottle  Can- 
ada Dry  carbonated  beverages  for  ten  Indi- 
ana and  Illinois  counties.  They  built  a  modern 
bottling  plant  at  Terre  Haute,  now  managed 
by  the  son.  Karl  O'Hair  is  also  a  director  of 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


639 


the  First  Federal  Savings  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion of  Paris. 

On  June  18,  1912,  at  Danville,  Mr.  O'Hair 
married  Myrle  L.  Lycan,  daughter  of  J.  V. 
and  Ella  Lycan,  two  of  whose  great-grand- 
fathers fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and 
both  of  whose  grandfathers  were  among  early 
settlers  in  Edgar  County.  Mrs.  O'Hair  is  a 
member  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution  and  of  the  First  Methodist  Church 
of  Paris,  a  church  of  which  Mr.  O'Hair  is  a 
former  board  member.  There  are  two  children 
— Richard  C.  O'Hair  and  Martha  R.  now  Mrs. 
Robert  L.  Gumm.  Both  children  are  graduates 
of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  son  served 
as  a  first  lieutenant  in  World  War  II,  re- 
ceiving the  Purple  Heart  for  wounds  received 
in  combat.  He  married  Ruth  E.  Larson  and  is 
the  father  of  Richard  F.  and  Stephen  K. 
O'Hair.  Mrs.  Gumm  also  has  two  children, 
Richard  Z.  and  Nancy  Jane  Gumm. 

Mr.  O'Hair,  the  progenitor  of  whose  family 
in  America,  Michael  O'Hair,  came  to  America 
in  1775  from  Ireland  and  also  served  in  the 
Continental  Army,  has  served  the  nation  in 
many  ways  of  his  own.  He  is  a  former  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  education  of  the  Paris 
Union  School  District  having  served  since  1924. 
He  was  secretary  of  this  board  nineteen  years 
and  president  three  years.  He  is  also  on  the  Paris 
Park  Board.  He;  served  twelve  terms  as  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Paris  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  three 
terms  as  its  president.  Active  in  Boy  Scout 
work  for  several  years,  he  was  chairman  of 
the  Boy  Scout  Council.  Also  he  was  exalted 
ruler  of  the  Elks  Lodge  and  a  trustee  for  two 
terms.  Other  of  his  organizations  are  the 
Paris  Community  Chest,  where  he  is  also  a 
former  board  member;  the  Masonic  Blue 
Lodge  and  Danville  Consistory  of  the  Scottish 
Rite,  the  Rotary  Club  of  Paris.  In  World  War 
II,  he  was  chairman  of  War  Bond  Sales  Drives 
in  Paris  and  was  also  active  in  drives  for 
Army  Service  Funds.  He  holds  the  U.  S. 
Treasury  Department  Silver  Award.  His  lead- 
ership extends  also  to  the  Edgar  County  Re- 
publican Central  Committee,  of  which  he  was 
chairman  two  terms.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  National  Convention  at  Philadel- 
phia in  1940.  As  can  be  seen,  Mr.  O'Hair  has 
served  his  neighbors  in  Paris  and  Edgar  Coun- 
ty in  virtually  every  conceivable  fashion. 

WADE  FETZER 

The  story  of  Wade  Fetzer  of  Chicago  and 
Hinsdale  is  the  story  of  a  Middle  Westerner 
who  began  his  career  in  a  humble  fashion,  lost 
his  health  and  fought  a  battle  against  extreme 


odds  to  win  not  only  a  long  life,  which  con- 
tinues, but  also  tremendous  success  in  the  in- 
surance world.  Not  only  has  this  outstanding 
citizen  made  a  contribution  to  the  business 
and  industrial  world  and  to  the  protection  of 
employed  men  and  women  against  the  eco- 
nomic hazards  of  accidents  but  he  has  given 
leadership  to  the  development  of  higher  edu- 
cation and  to  banking.  His  name  is  indelibly 
associated  with  the  growth  and  prestige  of 
what  is  known  as  the  America  Fore  group  of 
fire  insurance  companies. 

Mr.  Fetzer  was  born  in  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  on 
November  22,  18  79,  the  son  of  William  Henry 
Harrison  and  Henrietta  (Clark)  Fetzer.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Clarion,  Pennsylvania,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  in  which  he  was 
wounded.  After  the  war  he  married  and 
moved  to  Ottumwa.  Wade  Fetzer  attended 
the  elementary  and  high  schools  of  Ottumwa, 
but  left  high  school  after  three  years  to  go 
to  Chicago  to  fill  a  job  obtained  for  him  by 
his  older  brother.  This  was  as  bookkeeper 
and  general  clerk  in  the  small  insurance  of- 
fice of  W.  A.  Alexander.  Subsequently,  he  ad- 
ded to  his  education  by  night  school  attend- 
ance and  home  study.  In  time  he  became 
cashier  for  Mr.  Alexander,  but  his  health  col- 
lapsed as  a  result  of  overwork  and  he  con- 
tracted a  slight  case  of  tuberculosis.  To  re- 
cover his  health,  he  went  to  Colorado,  taking 
a  leave  cf  absence  from  his  job.  In  less  than 
a  year  he  was  back  with  W.  A.  Alexander 
and  Company.  Desiring  less  confining  em- 
ployment, he  asked  to  be  assigned  to  the  task 
of  developing  business  for  the  Fidelity  and 
Casualty  Company,  for  which  the  Alexander 
firm  was  agent,  in  the  downstate  parts  of  the 
State  of  Illinois.  Within  two  years  Mr.  Fetzer 
had  achieved  extraordinary  success  in  that  ef- 
fort. He  was  recalled  to  Chicago  to  become 
managing  partner — this  when  he  was  only 
2  4  years  old!  As  chief  executive  of  the  com- 
pany, either  as  managing  partner  or  later  as 
president,  he  continued  to  build  one  of  the 
country's  great  insurance  agencies.  In  19  40 
he  chose  to  relinquish  active  management  re- 
sponsibilities and  became  chairman  of  the 
board  of  W.  A.  Alexander  and  Company.  In 
1930,  shortly  after  Fidelity  and  Casualty 
Company  had  been  bought  by  the  America 
Fore  group,  he  was  drafted  by  that  organiza- 
tion to  assume  the  presidency  and  to  carry 
out  a  program  of  revitalizing  Fidelity  and 
Casualty  Company.  After  two  years,  he  re- 
linquished the  presidency  and  became  Vice 
chairman  and  a  director.  Three  years  after 
that,    Mr.   Fetzer   relinquished   the  vice  chair- 


640 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


HON.  KARL  R.  O'HAIR 


WADE  FETZER,  JR. 


manship,  out  he  has  since  continued  as  a  di- 
rector of  Fidelity  and  Casualty  and  its  parent 
company,  Continental  Insurance  Company  of 
New  York.  His  has  become  a  renowned  name 
in   the   insurance  world. 

On  June  11,  1901,  at  Ottumwa,  Mr.  Fetzer 
married  Margaret  Spilman,  the  daughter  of 
Major  Thomas  Percival  and  Amanda  (Ran- 
dall) Spilman.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children  -  John  Clark  Fetzer,  born  May  2  0, 
1902,  who  married  Dorothy  Suddard  and  is 
the  father  of  Dorothy  Patricia  and  Thomas 
Wade  Fetzer;  Wade  Fetzer,  Jr.,  born  Decem- 
ber 3,  1903,  who  married  Florence  Otis  and 
is  the  father  of  Nancy,  Wade,  III,  and  Peter 
Otis  Fetzer;  Margaret,  born  November  «, 
1906,  now  the  wife  of  John  H.  Sherman  and 
mother  cf  Margaret,  John  H.,  Jr.,  and  Mary 
Virginia  Sherman;  and  Mary  Jane  Fetzer, 
born  July  20,  1929,  now  the  wife  of  Calvin 
Bryant.  The  senior  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade  Fetzer 
reside  at  737  South  Elm  Street,  Hinsdale  in 
summer,  and  634  7  North  Bay  Rd.,  Miami 
Beech,  Florida  in  wintertime. 

Mr.  Fetzer  holds  or  has  held  various  honors 
in  the  insurance  business  and  in  other  fields 
of  interest.  In  the  early  days  of  Workmen's 
compensation  laws,  he  founded  and  was  for 
several  years  president  of  the  National  As- 
sociation of  Casualty  and  Surety  Agents.  He 
serves  as  a  member  of  the  boards  of  trustees 
of  Norrhwestern  University  and  Beloit  Col- 
lege and  :s  a  trustee  of  the  Union  Church  of 
Hinsdale,  in  which  his  wife  is  also  active.  In 
addition,  Mr.  Fetzer  is  a  director  of  the  La- 
Salle  National  Bank  of  Chicago  and  the  Hins- 
dale Trust  and  Savings  Bank  of  Hinsdale.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Club,  Chicago 
Athletic  Association,  Union  League  Club,  At- 
tic Club,  all  of  Chicago;  the  Bankers'  Club 
of  New  York,  and  the  Hinsdale  Golf  Club.  He 
votes  Republican  and  golf  is  his  favorite  game. 
Now  in  tae  eighth  decade  of  his  life,  Wade 
Fetzer  continues  to  aid  in  every  way  he  can, 
and  with  great  skill  and  wisdom,  all  the 
movements,  business,  cultural  and  otherwise, 
which  he  believes  will  forward  the  general 
welfare. 

WADE  FETZER,  JR. 

W.  A.  Alexander  and  Company  of  Chicago 
is  one  of  the  nation's  largest  and  best  known 
general  insurance  agencies  and  Wade  Fetzer, 
Jr.,  its  president,  is  one  of  the  men  who  has 
guided  it  to  that  foremost  position.  Mr.  Fet- 
zer, who  is  a  Chartered  Life  Underwriter, 
himself  has  a  national  reputation  among  in- 
surance  men    and   has   held    offices   of   great 


importance  in  their  organizations.  In  addi- 
tion, he  is  well  known  in  philanthropic  organ- 
izations in  Chicago  and  in  the  educational 
world. 

Mr.  Fetzer  was  born  at  Hinsdale  on  De- 
cember 3,  1903,  the  son  of  Wade  and  Mar- 
garet (Spilman)  Fetzer,  both  natives  of  Ot- 
tumwa, Iowa.  His  father  was  also  in  the  in- 
surance business.  Wade  Fetzer,  Jr.,  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Hinsdale  and  at  the  Asheville  School,  Ashe- 
ville,  North  Carolina.  He  spent  one  year  at 
Haverford  College  and  then  completed  his 
education  at  Northwestern  University,  where 
he  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in 
Commerce  in  1925.  He  was  prominent  in 
campus  activities,  such  as  the  dance  orchestra 
and  fraternity  affairs.  He  was  president  of 
Phi  Kappa  Psi  (Northwestern  chapter)  and 
of  the  Interfraternity  Council.  In  September, 
1925,  he  began  as  a  life  insm-ance  salesman. 
He  became  supervisor,  then  associate  man- 
ager of  the  life  insurance  department,  then 
office  manager,  then  assistant  to  the  presi- 
dent, then  vice-president  and  finally,  on  Jan- 
uary 1,  1944,  president  of  W.  A.  Alexander 
and  Company.  In  1930,  the  year  he  was  pro- 
moted to  associate  manager  of  the  life  in- 
surance department,  he  was  made  a  Chartered 
Life  Underwriter.  In  the  years  Mr.  Fetzer  has 
held  executive  positions  the  business  of  his 
firm  has  quadrupled  and  since  he  became 
president  it  has  doubled  and  become  nation- 
ally known. 

On  February  3,  1934,  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Fet- 
zer married  Florence  Otis,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ralph  C.  Otis,  members  of  an  old 
pioneer  Chicago  family.  Mrs.  Fetzer  is  prom- 
inent in  the  Junior  League  of  Chicago,  and 
has  served  on  the  Junior  Board  of  the  Infant 
Welfare  Society  of  Winnetka.  She  is  a  for- 
mer member  of  the  Chicago  Service  Club. 
There  are  three  children — Nancy  Seeley  Fet- 
zer, Wade  Fetzer,  III,  and  Peter  Otis  Fetzer. 
The  family  home  is  at  687  Blackthorn  Road, 
Winnetka,  and  the  family  church  is  the  Win- 
netka Congregational. 

Mr.  Fetzer  is  a  trustee  of  the  American 
Institute  for  Property  and  Liability  Insurance 
and  the  Insurance  Institute  of  America  and  a 
leader  in  the  National  Association  of  In- 
surance Agents.  In  1939-41  he  was  on  the 
executive  committee  of  the  national  associa- 
tion; in  1942-43  he  was  chairman  of  public 
relations.  In  1943  he  was  the  recipient  of 
the  Woodworth  Memorial  Award  of  the  Na- 
tional Association.  This  is  awarded  to  the 
insurance  agent  deemed  to  have   contributed 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


G45 


most  to  the  business,  and  Mr.  Fetzer  received 
it  for  leadership  in  public  relations  and  edu- 
cational movements  in  insurance.  He  is  chair- 
man of  the  Chicago  Chapter,  American  Red 
Cross,  and  in  1947  was  chairman  of  its  fund 
campaign.  He  has  also  held  various  high  posts 
in  the  Chicago  Community  Fund  and  is  a  di- 
rector of  Junior  Achievement  of  Chicago  and 
a  former  trustee  of  the  Asheville  School.  In 
1940,  Mr.  Fetzer  was  a  co-founder  of  the 
Chicago  Business  Men's  Committee — of  which 
he  was  first  vice-chairman  and  then  chairman 
— a  movement  to  interest  young  business  men 
in  Government  through  active  precinct  work 
aimed  at  reducing  vote  fraud  in  congested 
"river  wai'ds."  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Commercial,  Economic,  Commonwealth, 
Attic  and  Racquet  Clubs  of  Chicago;  the 
Glenview  Golf  Club;  Chicago  Curling  Club; 
and  the  Biltmore  Forrest  Club  of  Asheville. 
Curling,  golf,  and  music  are  his  major  en- 
thusiasms. As  the  record  shows,  he  has  made 
a  tremendous  contribution  to  American  life. 

LOUIS  EDWARD  WOLLRAB 

For  more  than  four  decades  Louis  Edward 
Wollrab  of  Bloomington  has  been  active  in 
and  given  leadership  to  the  profession  of  fu- 
neral director.  Associated  with  the  firm  of 
John  A.  Beck  Company,  funeral  directors 
and  opei'ators  of  the  Beck  Memorial  Home 
in  Bloomington,  since  1908,  Mr.  Wollrab  is 
at  present  president  of  that  organization.  He 
has  helped  build  it  into  an  institution  known 
throughout  Central  Illinois,  with  affiliations 
extending  over  the  entire  United  States.  A 
man  of  tremendous  energy  and  community 
interest,  Mr.  Wollrab  has  been  active  in  civic 
affairs  throughout  his  business  and  profes- 
sional  career  in   his  native   city. 

He  was  born  on  September  12,  1890,  in 
Bloomington,  the  son  of  Louis  and  Emma 
(Schmidt)  Wollrab.  His  father,  a  native  of 
Germany  who  came  to  the  United  States  at 
a  young  age  and  was  associated  with  the 
Atlas  Company  of  Bloomington  for  many 
years,  died  in  1935.  His  mother,  a  native 
of  Bloomington  also,  died  on  April  6,  1941. 
The  funeral  director  was  educated  in  elemen- 
tary and  high  schools  at  Bloomington  and  in 
an  embalming  school  in  Chicago.  For  two 
years  he  worked  for  Frederick  and  Mason, 
the  Bloomington  abstract  firm.  Then,  in  1908, 
when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  he  joined  the 
staff  of  the  John  A.  Beck  Company.  Within 
four  years  he  was  elected  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  firm  and  in  1928  assumed  the 
presidency      The    John    A.    Beck    Company    is 


one  of  the  oldest  funeral  homes  in  Bloom- 
ington. In  its  operations  it  employs  fifteen 
persons  and  is  called  on  by  individuals  and 
organizations  for  its  services  in  all  parts  of 
the  nation.  Along  with  the  reputation  of  the 
firm  has  gone  the  name  of  Mr.  Wollrab. 

On  May  31,  1919,  at  Bloomington,  Mr. 
Wollrab  married  Mabel  R.  Beeler,  also  born 
in  that  community  and  the  daughter  of  War- 
ren Beeler,  a  millwright,  and  Mary  (Scheron) 
Beeler.  Both  of  Mrs.  Wollrab's  parents,  who 
were  natives  of  Twin  Grove,  Illinois,  are  now 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wollrab  are  the  par- 
ents of  two  sons — Warren  Louis  Wollrab,  who 
was  born  on  October  14,  1927,  and  Dale  Edi- 
son Wollrab,  who  was  born  on  March  25, 
1929.  The  family  worships  in  the  First  Chris- 
tian Church  of  Bloomington.  Mr.  Wollrab's 
address  is  104  West  Division  Street,  Bloom- 
ington. 

Mr.  Wollrab  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Selected  Morticians,  whose  headquarters  are 
in  Chicago;  of  the  Bloomington  Association 
of  Commerce,  the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Blooming- 
ton; the  Bloomington  Post  of  the  American 
Legion  (he  served  in  World  War  I) ;  and  the 
Bloomington  Lodges,  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  All  forms  of  athletics,  including 
golf,  are  his  means  of  relaxation.  He  is  an 
outstanding  citizen  of  Bloomington  and  the 
entire  Central  Illinois  region 

KENT  H.  MORGAN 

Today  a  successful  business  man  and  farm- 
er and  a  civic  leader,  Kent  H.  Moi'gan  of 
Casey,  in  Clark  County,  may  look  back  at 
an  adventurous  life  which  included  such  ac- 
tivities as  working  as  a  railroad  telegraph 
operator  and  an  engine  airbrake  inspector 
for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  in  Indianapolis, 
Indiana.  Founder  of  the  Morgan  Self-Serve 
Market  at  20  South  Central  Street,  Casey,  he 
is  today  half  owner  of  that  enterprise,  as 
well  as  the  operator  of  a  250-acre  farm  on 
which  he  specializes  in  livestock.  He  is  a 
church  leader  and  an  ardent  worker  on  be- 
half of  the  schools  in   Clark   County. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  born  at  Greenup,  in  ad- 
joining Cumberland  County,  on  July  8,  1893, 
the  son  of  Park  C.  and  Allie  (Money)  Mor- 
gan. His  father,  a  native  of  Toledo,  the 
seat  of  Cumberland  County,  was  a  harness 
maker  who  was  active  in  civic  and  Masonic 
projects.  Mr.  Morgan  was  educated  in  Green- 
up's grade  and  high  schools,  then  under  the 
superintendency   of   Dean   Thompson,   a   close 


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LOUIS  EDWARD  WOLLRAH 


i 


KENT  H.  MORGAN 


friend  of  his  father's  and  later  dean  of  men 
at  the  University  of  Illinois.  After  completing 
his  education,  Kent  Morgan  worked  as  a  tel- 
egraph operator  in  Casey  for  the  Pennsyl- 
vania   Railroad. 

On  September  14,  1916,  in  Casey,  he  mar- 
ried Carrie  Myrna  Moore,  the  daughter  of 
Sarah  Catherine  and  Joseph  Barker  Moore. 
After  the  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morgan 
moved  to  Indianapolis,  where  they  made  their 
home  for  five  years  and  where  Mr.  Morgan 
worked  as  airbrake  inspector  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad.  Mi\  and  Mrs.  Morgan  have 
one  son,  Joseph  Kent  Morgan,  who  was  born 
in  Casey  on  February  2,  1927.  He  spent  two 
years  in  the  Navy  in  World  War  II  and  then 
studied  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  where 
he  took  a  degree  in  petroleum  geology  and 
then  went  on  as  a  candidate  for  the  mas- 
ter's degree  in  the  Wyoming  University  at 
Laramie,  Wyoming.  Young  Mr.  Morgan  mar- 
ried Madge  Berkey  of  Belleville,  Illinois,  on 
June  5,  1949.  Mrs.  Kent  H.  Morgan  is  one 
of  Casey's  most  active  women.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Casey  Methodist  Church  choir, 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  the  White 
Shrine,  the  Nierht  Owl  Club,  the  Casey  Infor- 
mal Club,  the  Women's  Federated  Club,  the 
I.  F.  F.  Club  and  the  Friday  Afternoon  Club. 

The  Morgans  returned  to  Casey  in  1920  so 
that  Mr.  Morgan  could  go  into  business  with 
Mrs.  Morgan's  brother,  C.  L.  Moore.  This  was 
a  retail  grocery  and  meat  business.  In  1929, 
Mr.  Morgan  became  sole  owner  of  the  busi- 
ness, but  the  following  year  Mr.  Moore  re- 
turned to  the  partnership.  In  1933,  the  part- 
nership was  again  dissolved.  Eight  years  later 
Mr.  Morgan  added  to  the  enterprise  by  build- 
ing a  frozen  food  locker  plant  with  400  lock- 
ers. In  1944,  he  sold  out  the  store  and  locker 
plant  to  Ira  Brosman,  but  in  1945  he  bought 
the  building  at  20  South  Central  and  reestab- 
lished himself  in  business.  This  was  the  self- 
serve  store.  In  1947,  he  sold  half  interest 
in  the  store  to  Richard  Lacey,  but  continues 
active  in  its  operation.  His  farm  also  holds  his 
attention. 

Mr.  Morgan  is  on  the  official  board  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  He  has  also  served  on  its 
finance  and  building  committees.  He  is  on 
the  boards  of  education  for  both  the  grade 
school  and  high  school  systems  and  is  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Casey  Chamber  of  Commerce.  He 
is,  in  addition,  a  Mason  and  Rotarian.  He  is 
a  Republican.  His  hobbies  and  recreations 
include  agriculture,  stock  raising,  travel  and 
hunting.    At  Casey  he  is  hailed  as  a  progres- 


sive citizen  actively  interested  in  the  growth 
of  the  community  and  surrounding  agricul- 
tural area. 

FRED  REIFSTECK 

Famed  brands  of  beers  and  other  beverages 
stream  in  large  quantities  daily  from  the 
Champaign  plant  of  Fred  Reifsteck,  one  of 
the  largest  distributors  of  such  drinks  in  Cen- 
tral Illinois.  He  is  also  a  farmer  and  live- 
stock breeder  and  a  prominent  figure  in  the 
Democratic  organization  of  Champaign  County. 

Mr.  Reifsteck  was  born  on  the  family  /arm 
in  Champaign  county  on  September  27,  1895. 
His  father  is  Louis  Reifsteck  and  his  mother 
was  the  late  Louise  (Zollin)  Reifsteck.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Berlin,  Germany,  migrated 
to  the  United  States  in  his  early  youth  and 
settled  in  Champaign  county,  where  he  was 
a  farmer  for  many  years,  finally  moving  to 
Shelby  county.  In  1949  he  celebrated  his 
eighty-sixth  birthday,  and  his  ability  to  con- 
tinue looking  after  his  large  farming  property 
is  notable.  Louise  Zollin  Reifsteck,  also  a 
native  of  Germany,  died  in  Shelby  county, 
Illinois,  in  1946. 

Fred  Reifsteck  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Champaign  and  Shelby  counties. 
He  left  school  at  an  early  age  to  work  on  his 
father's  farm,  but  he  has  never  found  the 
meagerness  of  his  formal  education  a  handi- 
cap to  his  business  success.  In  any  event  he 
has  learned  so  much  in  various  ways  as  to  be 
deserving  of  the  description,  "educated  man." 
He  has  never  given  up  farming,  but  has 
tried  and  succeeded  at  various  urban  business 
activities. 

For  sixteen  years  Mr.  Reifsteck  was  en- 
gaged in  the  oil  business  as  a  representative 
of  the  Mid-Continent  Oil  Company.  Also,  he 
was  a  salesman  and  agent  for  the  Deep  Rock 
Oil  Company  for  eight  years.  In  1936,  he  be- 
came a  distributor  for  beers  and  other  bever- 
ages in  Champaign  and  Champaign  County, 
and  he  now  has  a  large  and  buzzing  plant  at 
116-118  North  Oak  Street,  in  Champaign.  He 
does  business  under  the  name  of  Fred  Reif- 
steck, Distributor,  and  he  handles  such  popu- 
lar brands  as  Miller's  High  Life,  Famous 
Berghoff,  Fox  de  Luxe,  Schmidt's  City  Club 
and  others.  He  also  distributes  Canada  Dry 
beverages. 

Mr.  Reifsteck's  first  wife  was  the  former 
Saide  Hemmeberger  and  to  this  marriage 
three  children,  Louis,  Catherine  Lucile,  and 
Grace  Irene  Reifsteck  were  born.  Louis  Reif- 
steck is  in  the  distributing  business  in  Dan- 
ville. Catherine  Lucile  Reifsteck  married  Earl 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


651 


Fielder  and  they  are  the  parents  of  Marcella 
Kay,  Marvin  Richard  and  James  Francis 
Fielder.  Grace  Irene  Reifsteck  married  Walter 
Kepner  and  they  are  the  parents  of  Ronald, 
Sharon  Jean,  Claudia  Rose  and  Andrew  Kep- 
ner. Sharon  Jean  and  Claudia  Rose  are  twins. 
Mr.  Fred  Reifsteck's  second  marriage  was  to 
Hilda  Marie  Gerth,  and  they  have  become 
the  parents  of  two  sons — Fred  J.,  and  Wal- 
lace William  Reifsteck.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reif- 
steck  reside  at  503  Elm  Street,  Champaign. 

Mr.  Reifsteck  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Peter's 
Reformed  Church  of  Champaign,  the  Cham- 
paign Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Champaign 
Lodge  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  and  the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose  and 
the  Democratic  Party.  Prominent  in  politics 
and  public  affairs,  he  was  a  candidate  for 
Sheriff  of  Champaign  county  in  1946.  As  a 
further  contribution  to  development  and  gene- 
ral economy,  Mr.  Reifsteck  breeds  Hampshire 
hogs  on  his  farm.  He  is  a  popular  citizen  of 
his  county. 

CARL  H.  BAUMGART 

The  Baumgart  Lumber  and  Coal  Company 
of  Bloomington,  born  in  World  War  II,  has 
served  the  community,  and  state  effectively 
and  with  mounting  success  since  that  time, 
under  the  leadership  of  Carl  Herman  Baum- 
gart, one  of  its  founders  and  partners.  Be- 
sides his  prominence  in  the  lumber,  building 
materials  and  fuel  industry,  Mr.  Baumgart 
has  achieved  a  reputation  in  civic  and  agri- 
cultural affairs. 

He  was  born  in  Bloomington  on  April  18, 
1890,  and  is  the  son  of  the  late  William  C.  H. 
and  Amelia  (Brohm)  Baumgart.  His  father, 
also  a  native  of  Bloomington,  was  a  crane 
operator  in  the  shops  of  The  Alton  Railroad 
in  that  city.  Amelia  Baumgart,  born  in  Ger- 
many, died  in  Bloomington  in  1942.  Carl 
Baumgart,  educated  in  Bloomington's  ele- 
mentary and  high  schools,  served  as  a  book- 
keeper for  a  Decatur  concern  for  five  years. 
In  1915  he  returned  to  Bloomington  to  be- 
come associated  with  the  West  Side  Coal  and 
Lumber  Company.  Five  years  later  he  was 
promoted  to  manager  of  this  business,  and 
this  office  he  held  until  in  194  2  he  resigned 
to  participate  in  the  organization  of  his  own 
enterprise.  The  Baumgart  Lumber  and  Coal 
Company  was  established  then,  as  a  partner- 
ship. Since  that  time  their  two  sons,  William 
K.  and  Phillip  E.  Baumgart  and  Lester  W. 
Donnon  have  been  taken  into  the  partner- 
ship.   This  retail  business  in  lumber,  building 


materials  and  coal  operates  in  the  Blooming- 
ton trade  area  and  employs  fifteen  persons. 

On  April  15,  1920,  at  Decatur,  Mr.  Baum- 
gart married  Ruth  L.  Burk,  a  native  of  that 
city  who  is  the  daughter  of  Karl  and  Kath- 
erine  Burk,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ger- 
many. Mrs.  Baumgart's  father,  who  was  a 
butcher,  died  in  1944.  Mrs.  Burk  is  also  de- 
ceased. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baumgart  have  two 
children — William  K.  Baumgart,  who  was 
born  on  April  4,  192  5,  and  who  married 
Susan  Stafford.  They  have  two  children: 
Thomas  and  Jacqueline,  and  Phillip  E.  Baum- 
gart, who  was  born  on  April  17,  1929,  and 
who  married  Nancy  Izatt.  They  have  one 
child:  Rebecca  Sue,  born  November  2  9,  1949. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  H.  Baumgart  maintain  their 
residence  at  200^  East  Jackson  Avenue, 
Bloomington.  Both  worship  in  the  Methodist 
Church. 

Mr.  Baumgart  is  a  member  of  the  Bloom- 
ington Association  of  Commerce,  Arts  and 
Crafts  Lodge,  A.F.&A.M.  and  Bloomington 
Consistory,  the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Bloomington, 
the  American  Legion  (he  served  with  the 
armed  forces  in  World  War  I)  and  the  Mc- 
Lean County  Farm  Bureau.  Fishing  is  his 
favorite  recreation.  Mr.  Baumgart  is  counted 
among  McLean  County's  outstanding  citizens. 

OTTO  WILLIAM  HENRY  WAHLFELD 

In  the  wholesale  millwork  and  building 
supply  and  retail  lumber  business  in  central 
Illinois,  few  names  are  better  known  than 
that  of  Otto  Wahlfeld  of  Peoria.  In  that  field 
of  business  since  1906,  Mr.  Wahlfeld  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Wahlfeld  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, with  headquarters,  plant  and  yards  at 
1101  South  Washington  Street,  Peoria.  He  is 
one  of  the  leaders  in  the  state  in  lumber  and 
allied  industries. 

Mr.  Wahlfeld  was  born  in  Peoria  on  De- 
cember 11th,  1887.  His  father  August  H. 
Wahlfeld,  a  native  of  Germany  established 
the  Wahlfeld  Manufacturing  Company  in 
18  91.  He  died  in  1935.  The  mother,  Anna 
Wahlfeld  also  a  native  of  Germany,  died  in 
1901.  Both  parents  took  an  active  part  in  the 
community  and   social   life  of  Peoria. 

Otto  Wahlfeld  was  educated  in  the  ele- 
mentary and  high  schools  of  Peoria,  at  the 
University  of  Illinois,  where  he  spent  six 
months  and  at  Brown's  Business  College  in 
Peoria.  At  the  age  of  nineteen,  in  1906,  he 
was  taken  into  the  Wahlfeld  Manufacturing 
Company  and  learned  the  business  under  his 
father's  direction.  In  1919  he  became  vice 
president  of  the  company,  and  in   1935,  after 


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FRED  REIFSTECK 


OTTO  WILLIAM  HENRY  WAHLFELD 


his  father's  death,  he  assumed  his  present 
duties  as  president.  The  company  does  a 
large  business  in  wholesale  mill  work,  sash 
and  doors.  They  are  also  jobbers  of  building 
supplies.  All  Illinois  is  its  territory.  They  em- 
ploy 170  people. 

Mr.  Wah  It  eld  married  Frieda  Wallner,  of 
Peoria,  Illinois,  Sept.  25,  1909.  They  became 
the  parents  of  two  children:  James  A.  Wahl- 
feld,  who  was  born  November  9,  1910,  and  is 
the  present  vice  president  of  the  company  and 
married  to  Dorothy  Parker  of  Peoria,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  Teddy  Wahlfeld.  The 
next  son,  Willis  O.  Wahlfeld,  was  born  on 
March  15,  1915,  and  is  Secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  company.  He  married  Virginia 
Mitchner  of  Burlingame  California,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  John  Wahlfeld.  The  mother 
of  James  and  Willis  Wahlfeld  died  in   1922. 

Mr.  Wahlfeld  later  married  Elizabeth  Meek 
of  I'eoria  on  Feb.  26,  1926.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Louis  F.  Meek,  who  was  an  at- 
torney and  former  Postmaster  of  Peoria,  and 
Ethel  (Perry)  Meek,  a  native  of  Columbus, 
Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wahlfeld  reside  at 
High   Point,   Peoria,   Illinois. 

Known  in  the  lumber  industry  throughout 
the  state,  Mr.  Wahlfeld  has  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Illinois  Retail  Lumber  Dealers 
Association,  and  is  a  former  president  of  the 
Peoria  Manufacturers  Association,  and  office 
he  held  in  1948-50.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Peoria  Association  of  Commerce,  the  Rotary 
Club  of  Peoria,  The  Masonic  Order,  the  Creve 
Coeur  Club,  the  Peoria  Country  Club.  His 
activities  have  done  much  to  promote  pros- 
perity in  Illinois. 

CLARENCE  EASTLAKE  SNELL 

"The  close  friends  and  hundreds  of  busi- 
ness associates  of  Clarence  Eastlake  Snell  af- 
fectionately call  him  'Hap',  but  in  his  case  this 
nickname  refers  not  merely  to  his  sunny  dis- 
position but  also  to  his  optimistic  outlook  on 
life  and  on  work.  He  works  with  a  sense  of 
purpose  and  with  a  sense  of  devotion  to  a 
cause  seldom  seen  these  days  and  derives 
from  his  work  more  genuine  pleasure  than 
most  people  who  seek  happiness  directly  ever 
find."  So  a  friend  has  written  of  this  prom- 
inent Chicago  and  Glencoe  citizen  who  is  vice 
president  in  charge  of  sales  of  F.  E.  Compton 
and  Company. 

Mr.  Snell  was  born  in  Chicago  on  April  2  6, 
1897.  His  parents  are  William  George  and 
Margaret  J.  (McElroy)  Snell.  His  father,  who 
was  born  in  England  in  1870  and  who  came 
to  the  United  States  at  an  early  age,  has  been 


with  the  Springfield  Fire  and  Marine  Com- 
pany sine*-  1885  and  is  still  working.  Clar- 
ence SneU  attended  Oak  Park  High  School 
from  1910  to  1914.  In  1918  he  took  the  de- 
gree of  Eachelor  of  Arts  in  Business  Admin- 
istration at  the  University  of  Illinois.  Promi- 
nent as  a  student  at  the  university,  he  was 
business  manager  of  the  Glee  Club  and  was 
elected  to  Chi  Phi  and  Scabbard  and  Blade, 
social  and  military  fraternities,  respectively. 
Mr.  Snell  began  his  career  in  the  sales  pro- 
motion department  of  the  Advance-Rumley 
Company  at  LaPorte,  Indiana.  From  this 
organization  he  went  to  Hobart  M.  Cable 
Company,  also  at  LaPorte,  as  sales  manager. 
In  192  8  he  was  made  sales  promotion  man- 
ager of  F.  E.  Compton  and  Company,  with 
headquarters  at  1000  North  Dearborn  Street, 
Chicago.  In  1936  he  was  promoted  to  his 
present  office,  that  of  vice  president  in  charge 
of  sales,  and  he  has  risen  in  importance  in 
this  field  of  business  throughout  the  nation, 
making  the  hundreds  of  friends  mentioned  by 
(he  Chicagoan  quoted  at  the  beginning  of  this 
biography. 

On  February  11,  1908,  at  Joplin,  Missouri, 
Mr.  Snell  married  Ruth  Meloy,  daughter  of 
Ozra  P.  and  Edith  Meloy.  They  reside  at  661 
Bluff  Street,  Glencoe,  where  both  have  be- 
come prominent  and  popular.  Mrs.  Snell  is 
especially  active  in  school  programs.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Snell  have  two  daughters  and  two  sons 
—Helen  Wight  Snell,  Natalie  Ruth  Snell, 
John  Eastlake  Snell  and  Thomas  Andrew 
Snell.  The  family  worships  in  the  Glencoe 
Union  Church. 

Mr.  Snell,  who  has  always  taken  a  great 
deal  of  interest  in  problems  relating  to  school- 
ing, served  for  six  years  as  president  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  Glencoe  Public  Schools. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Skokie  Country  Club. 
He  is  independent  in  politics  and  fishing  is 
his  favorite  sport.  In  World  War  I,  he  served 
with  the  rank  of  Second  Lieutenant  in  the 
803rd  Pioneer  Infantry,  and  saw  action  in 
France,  especially  in  the  Meuse-Argonne. 

Said  his  friend  of  him  further:  "it  is  quite 
literally  true  that  his  work  is  a  source  of 
great  joy  to  him  and  that  he  is  never  so  truly 
happy  as  when  he  has  done  any  part  of  that 
work  well.  In  fact,  so  big  was  the  task  which 
Mr.  Snell  set  for  himself  in  his  company  that 
he  has  deliberately  shunned  the  usual,  type 
of  participation  in  club  and  community  af- 
fairs. The  one  exception  he  has  allowed  him- 
self has  been  his  work  as  president  of  the 
board  oil  education  in  Glencoe.  Here  was  a 
big  job  which  needed  to  be  done  and  a  chance 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


657 


to  work  out  some  of  the  ideas  about  educa- 
tion which  had  come  to  him  in  the  course  of 
his  work  with  the  Compton  Company.  He  un- 
dertook this  school  board  task  with  the  same 
sense  of  devotion  and  the  same  sense  of  joy 
in  doing  bard  things  well  that  has  found  ex- 
pression in  his  vocation,  and  he  has  won  wide 
attention  for  raising  teacher  salaries,  select- 
ing and  training  high-type  teachers  and  for 
getting  the  entire  community  solidly  back  of 
the  work  of  the  schools."  Such  is  the  caliber 
of  Clarence  Eastlake  Snell. 

VICTOR  JAMES  MUELLER 

Peoria  County  is  the  home  and  center  of 
activities  of  Victor  James  Mueller,  fabricator 
of  wire  products,  a  well-known  figure  in  his 
section  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Mueller  is  president  of 
the  W.  A.  Laidlaw  Wire  Company,  Inc.,  of 
Bartonville,  making  his  home  at  2503  Knox- 
ville  Avenue,  Peoria.  He  is  also  president  of 
the  Pittsburgh  Hanger  Company,  the  Mem- 
phis Hanger  Company  at  Monaca,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  the  W.  A.  Laidlaw  Wire  Co.  of 
Pennsylvania  at   Monaca,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Mueller  was  born  in  Switzerland  on 
February  25,  1898,  the  son  of  Adolf  and  Marie 
(Laubli)  Mueller,  both  also  natives  of  that 
country.  His  father,  a  farmer,  died  in  1928; 
the  mother  died  in  1908.  The  manufacturer 
was  educated  in  Switzerland  schools  equivalent 
to  the  American  elementary  and  high  schools. 
For  four  years  he  worked  in  a  shoe  store  in 
his  native  country  and  then,  in  1921,  he  came 
to  the  United  States.  For  three  months  he 
was  employed  in  a  shoe  store  in  Ohio.  Later, 
he  was  with  the  Prosperity  Company  at  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  beginning  as  a  clerk  and 
rising  to  purchasing  agent  by  1928.  In  1928 
he  came  to  Illinois  and  bought  an  interest  in 
the  W.  Laidlaw  Wire  Company  of  Bartonville. 
In  1932,  he  bought  the  entire  assets  of  the 
concern,  which  he  has  since  incorporated  and 
of  which  he  is  president.  The  wire  products 
produced  by  this  concern  are  distributed  in 
all  parts  of  the  United  States.  Nine  persons 
are  employed. 

On  August  5,  1925,  Mr.  Mueller  married 
Louisa  Sommer,  a  native  of  Peoria,  the  mar- 
riage taking  place  in  that  city.  Mrs.  Mueller 
is  the  daughter  of  John  Sommer,  born  at  Tre- 
mont,  Illinois,  who  was  in  the  iron  and  steel 
business  in  Peoria  until  his  death  in  1928,  and 
Lizzie  (Schmutz)  Sommer,  also  a  native  of 
Tremont,  who  survives  her  husband.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mueller  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren— Marylyn  Louise,  born  May  27,  1926, 
now  the  wife  of  Victor  V.  Prince  and  mother 


of  Douglas  Mueller  Prince;  John  Sommer 
Mueller,  born  May  14,  1930,  a  graduate  of 
the  University  of  Arizona  at  Tucson;  and 
Patricia  Louise  Mueller,  born  October  27, 
1931.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mueller  worship  in  the 
Christian  Church. 

Mr.  Mueller  is  a  member  of  the  Peoria 
Association  of  Commerce  and  the  Rotary  Club 
of  Peoria.  His  other  organizations  include  the 
Mt.  Hawley  Country  Club  and  the  Creve 
Coeur  Club. 

WINTON  EMMETT  WALKUP 

As  District  Traffic  Agent  for  the  St.  Louis 
District  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  with 
headquarters  at  Carbondale,  Winton  Emmett 
Walkup  has  taken  advantage  of  an  unusual 
opportunity  to  serve  his  native  Illinois  and  in 
the  process  he  has  become  one  of  its  most 
valuable  and  prominent  citizens.  He  has  served 
the  City  of  Carbondale  and  its  private  and 
quasi-public  organizations  in  many  official 
capacities,  helping  to  "get  the  city  out  of  the 
red,"  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  move- 
ment known  as  Southern  Illinois,  Incorporated, 
not  to  mention  many  humanitarian  programs. 

Mr.  Walkup  was  born  in  Pinckneyville, 
Perry  County,  on  November  15,  1898,  the  son 
of  Harry  T.  and  Emma  (Craig)  Walkup.  Both 
his  father  and  paternal  grandfather  were 
railroadmen.  After  attending  Carbondale's  ele- 
mentary and  high  schools,  Winton  Walkup 
studied  at  Brown's  Business  College,  Centralia, 
and  on  September  24,  1917,  began  work  as 
clerk  to  the  general  foreman  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  at  Carbondale.  In  October 
of  the  following  year  Mr.  Walkup  entered  the 
United  States  Army,  but  the  Armistice,  signed 
the  next  month,  cut  his  service  to  two  months. 
On  December  28,  1918,  he  was  back  at  work 
for  the  railroad  in  Carbondale.  Later  he  was 
transferred  to  the  office  of  the  general  super- 
intendent of  transportation,  at  Chicago,  and 
still  later  to  the  engineering  auditor's  office. 
In  1922,  he  was  a  suburban  flagman  briefly 
and  in  April,  1922,  he  was  transferred  to 
traffic  duty  in  the  office  of  the  vice  president 
and  general  ti-affic  manager.  Again,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  commercial  office  in  Chi- 
cago and  on  July  1,  1925,  he  was  made  City 
Freight  Agent  at  Chicago.  In  1926,  he  was 
returned  to  Carbondale  as  traveling  agent  in 
both  the  freight  and  passenger  divisions.  Six 
years  later  he  was  promoted  to  Division 
Freight  and  Passenger  Agent  and  on  June  6, 
1942,  was  made  District  Service  Agent  in 
charge  of  all  traffic  solicitations.  In  June, 
1942,    he   was    elevated    to    his    present    office 


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VICTOR  JAMES  MUELLER 


WINTON  EMMETT  WALKUP 


of  District  Traffic  Agent  for  the  St.  Louis 
District,  a  territory  covering  Centralia  to 
Cairo,  in  which  he  has  three  assistants. 

On  August  21,  1921,  Mr.  Walkup  married 
Helen  Foley,  the  daughter  of  Louis  F.  Foley, 
of  Carbondale,  also  an  Illinois  Central  man. 
Mr.  Walkup  worships  in  the  First  Methodist 
Church,  Carbondale  and  Mrs.  Walkup  wor- 
ships at  the  Catholic  Church. 

Mr.  Walkup  is  a  director  of  Southern  Illi- 
nois, Inc.,  and  is  on  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Southern  Illinois  University  Foundation. 
From  1939  to  1943  he  served  as  City  Finance 
Commissioner  of  Carbondale,  rescuing  the 
community  from  a  debt  of  several  thousand 
dollars  and  giving  it  a  safe  surplus.  He  was 
president  of  the  Carbondale  Business  Men's 
Association  in  1946  and  was  exalted  ruler  of 
the  Elks  Lodge  in  1942  and  is  a  former  chair- 
man of  the  Elks'  board  of  trustees.  He  served 
one  year  as  Commander  of  the  American  Le- 
gion post  in  the  city.  He  has  been  active  in 
Red  Cross,  Community  Chest  and  March  of 
Dimes  fund-raising  campaigns,  serving  once 
as  chairman  of  the  last-named.  He  is  active 
in  many  bodies  of  the  Masonic  order,  including 
the  Shrine,  the  Knights  Templar  and  the 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  has  done  much  work 
on  behalf  of  crippled  children  through  these 
bodies  and  other  organizations.  His  first  job 
was  in  a  grocery  store  at  two  dollars  a  week 
— another  job,  in  boyhood,  was  with  his 
grandfather's  horse-drawn  transfer  business — 
and  today  he  considers  his  main  job  service 
to  the  public  through  his  railroad  position  and 
his  many  positions  in  community  programs. 

NORMAN  GEORGE  BITTERMANN 

The  leadership  qualities  of  Norman  George 
Bittermann  of  Carterville,  Williamson  County, 
which  he  exhibited  prominently  even  in  his 
schooldays,  are  today  being  turned  upon  the 
great  effort  to  assure  the  future  development 
and  welfare  of  Southern  Illinois.  Mr.  Bitter- 
mann has  this  opportunity  through  his  office 
as  executive  director  of  Southern  Illinois, 
Inc.,  headquartered  at  Carterville.  He  is  also 
Lecturer  and  Field  Representative  at  South- 
ern Illinois  University  at  Carbondale. 

Mr.  Bittermann  was  born  in  Joliet  on  May 
12,  1917,  the  son  of  George  Phillip  Bitter- 
mann, a  carpenter  at  Joliet,  and  Minnie  (Ber- 
lin) Bittermann,  who,  like  the  father  and  tlie 
son,  was  also  born  in  Illinois.  Norman  Bit- 
termann was  graduated  from  the  Joliet  High 
School  in  1935.  Here  he  had  distinguished 
himself  in  student  government  activities,  in 
dramatics   and   in   class   programs.    Again,   at 


Joliet  Junior  College,  he  was  active  in  stu- 
dent government  and  dramatics.  Graduated 
from  Jol^t  J.C.  in  1937,  he  spent  a  year 
working  as  a  junior  engineer  and  in  1938  en- 
tered the  University  of  Illinois,  from  which 
he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science 
in  Engineering  in  1940.  At  the  university  he 
was  president  of  the  Independent  Men's  As- 
sociation, vice  president  of  the  Student  Senate 
and  a  member  of  the  University  YMCA  board 
of  directors,  the  Illini  Union  board  and  the 
Student  Affairs  Committee.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Alumni  Association  board  and 
the  Independent  newspaper  board.  Each  sum- 
mer in  his  school  years  Mr.  Bittermann  work- 
ed with  the  Public  Service  Company  of  North- 
ern Illinois,  on  a  training  schedule,  serving  as 
sales  engineer,  sales  manager  and  in  other 
capacities.  In  September,  1940,  he  enrolled 
in  the  university's  graduate  school  and  in 
1942  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Science 
in  Industrial  Management.  In  this  period  he 
was  assistant  secretary  of  the  University  YM 
CA,  in  charge  of  public  relations.  For  six 
months  in  1942  he  served  as  technical  engi- 
neer for  Southern  Illinois,  Inc.,  aiding  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Illinois  Ordnance  Plant 
in  Southern  Illinois.  In  June,  19  42,  he  left 
for  service  with  the  United  States  Army  Air 
Forces.  He  served  with  the  Air  Materiel  Com- 
mand in  production  flight  tests  and  proving 
research  at  Wright  Field.  Separated  from  the 
service  in  1945  as  a  Captain,  he  retains  that 
commission  in  the  Reserve. 

In  1946  Mr.  Bittermann  joined  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  faculty  as  a  research  as- 
sociate in  the  Bureau  of  Economic  and  Busi- 
ness Research.  Also,  he  taught  a  course  in 
industrial  management  until  September,  1948. 
Since  that  time,  he  has  been  executive  di- 
rector of  Southern  Illinois,  Inc.,  an  area  eco- 
nomic development  agency  which  is  planning 
and  acting  to  the  future  of  Southern  Illinois. 

Mr.  Bittermann  married  Annette  Louise 
Krumsiek,  the  daughter  of  Wesley  Walter 
Krumsiek  of  Champaign,  on  April  19,  1944. 
They  have  two  children — Kim  Allan,  born  on 
January  16,  1946,  and  Karen  Sue,  born  on 
November  28,  1947. 

Mr.  Bittermann  maintains  his  relationship 
with  the  University  YMCA.  He  was  on  its 
board  of  directors  from  1946  to  1948  and  is 
now  on  the  advisory  board.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Society  of  Industrial  Engi- 
neers and  Sigma  Tau,  national  honorary  en- 
gineering society,  and  Sigma  Iota  Epsilon,  in- 
dustrial management  fraternity.  Tennis  and 
swimming  are  his  favorite  sports  and  photo- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


663 


graphy  is  his  hobby.  His  reputation  as  a 
builder  of  the  State  has  extended  throughout 
the  Middle  West. 

ADOLF  E.  KLEIN 

One  of  those  Americans  who,  as  in  the 
Horatio  Alger  stories,  rose  to  success  from  a 
humble  beginning  as  messenger  boy,  Adolf 
E.  Klein  of  Peoria  is  today  president  of  Faber 
and  Musser,  Inc.,  wholesale  and  retail  dis- 
tributors of  building  supplies.  He  is  well 
known  in  the  civic  and  religious  life  of  the 
community. 

Born  in  Peoria  on  January  26,  1904,  Mr. 
Klein  is  the  son  of  Gustav  H.  and  Marie  W. 
(Helmerick)  Klein,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Germany.  His  father,  who  became 
chef  of  the  University  Club  of  Peoria,  died 
in  1945;  the  mother  died  in  1933.  Adolf  Klein 
was  educated  in  one  of  Peoria's  primary 
schools  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen — in  1918— 
went  to  work  as  a  messenger  for  the  Central 
National  Bank  of  Peoria.  Five  years  later, 
when  he  resigned  to  follow  more  promising 
opportunities,  he  was  holding  the  position  of 
receiving  teller.  In  1923  he  became  a  book- 
keeper for  Faber  and  Musser,  Inc.,  and  rose 
step  by  step  in  the  business  until  in  1942  he 
was  elected  president.  The  company,  with 
plant  and  office  at  100  Edmond  Street,  Peoria, 
handles  every  type  of  building  supply  except 
lumber  and  millwork.  Employing  seven  per- 
sons, it  covers  the  entire  Peoria  trade  area. 

Mr.  Klein  married  Florence  B.  Doering  of 
Peoria  on  November  29,  1928,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Barbara  Ann  Klein,  who  was  born 
on  December  6,  1938.  Mrs.  Klein's  parents 
were  Henry  F.  and  Anna  (Lange)  Doering, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  East  Peoria.  Her 
father,  a  farmer,  died  in  1946,  two  years  after 
the  mother.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Klein  reside  on 
Mount  Holly  Road,  Peoria.  They  worship  in 
the  Arcadian  Presbyterian  Church,  where  Mr. 
Klein  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
Mr.  Klein  is  also  active  in  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, in  the  Peoria  Association  of  Commerce 
and  the  Illinois  Lumber  and  Material  Dealers 
Association.  Fishing  is  his  major  recreation. 
Mr.  Klein  has  impressed  himself  upon  the 
community  as  an  able  business  man  and 
sincerely  interested  citizen. 

FRANCIS  RAYMOND  BLADES 

Immediately  recognizable  to  baseball  fans 
is  the  name  of  Francis  Raymond  Blades, 
famed  player,  coach,  manager  and  scout. 
Known  to  all  as  Ray  Blades,  he  has  made  a 
career  which  is  part  of  the  great  history  of 


baseball.  Formerly  manager  of  the  St.  Louis 
Cardinals  and  coach  of  the  Brooklyn  Dodgers, 
Mr.  Blades  is  now  "trouble  shooter"  for  the 
Dodgers'  farm  system  and  their  scout — the 
finder  of  new  talent. 

On  August  6,  18  9  6,  Mr.  Blades  was  born 
in  the  community  which  is  still  his  home, 
Mount  Vernon,  the  seat  of  Jefferson  County. 
The  house  in  which  he  was  born  was  at  Fif- 
teenth Street  and  Broadway.  Today  he  lives 
at  203  North  Ninth  Street.  His  parents  were 
Francis  Marion  and  Mary  Magdalene  (Donald- 
son) Blades.  His  father  was  a  railroadman 
and  hotel  owner  who  in  the  latter  years  of 
his  life  alternated  between  farming  and  hotel 
operating.  He  was  active  in  many  Illinois 
cities,  chiefly  at  McLeansboro,  in  Hamilton 
County,  where  he  operated  the  Commercial 
Hotel  and  where  he  died  in  192  8. 

The  father  made  many  moves  and,  natural- 
ly, the  family  made  them  with  him.  Ray 
Blades  attended  the  public  schools  at  Mc- 
Leansboro and  in  St.  Louis.  When  he  left 
high  school  in  1916,  he  went  to  work  on  the 
farm  at  McLeansboro.  In  1918  he  returned 
to  St.  Louis  to  work  for  the  Emerson  Elec- 
tric Company,  but  later  the  same  year  he  en- 
listed in  the  United  States  Army  and  was  as- 
signed to  the  119th  Field  Artillery,  with 
which  he  served  a  year  overseas.  He  partici- 
pated in  ihe  Argonne  offensive,  and  rose  to  a 
sergeancy. 

Mr.  Blades'  base  ball  career,  however,  goes 
back  to  his  grade  school  days.  He  was  one  of 
the  pitchers  for  his  team  in  a  St.  Louis  ele- 
mentary school.  This  team,  through  his  pitch- 
ing won  the  city  grade  school  championship 
under  the  sponsorship  of  the  St.  Louis  Post- 
Dispatch.  Branch  Rickey,  then  with  the  St. 
Louis  Browns,  umpired  the  deciding  game, 
in  which  Ray  Blades  pitched.  This  was  the 
first  time  Mr.  Blades  met  Mr.  Rickey.  He  was 
to  see  him  again — in  church.  At  that  time 
Mr.  Rickey  held  a  Sunday  School  class  spell- 
bound as  a  speaker.  At  high  school  Ray 
Blades  was  not  only  shortstop  on  the  base-  ' 
ball  team  but  also  played  football  and  went 
out  for  track.  In  the  summers  he  played  as 
shortstop  on  the  Alphenbrau  team  and  the 
Hawke  and  Smith  team.  In  1914  and  1915  he 
played  on  the  McLeansboro  High  School  team 
and  in  the  summer  of  1915  he  was  shortstop 
and  second  baseman  on  the  semi-pro  Fairfield 
( Illinois  1  team.  In  1916  he  played  with  a 
semi-pro  club,  managed  by  a  cousin,  at  Web- 
ster City,  Iowa.  He  was  a  second  baseman. 
After  this  he  was  with  a  semi-pro  club  at 
Stratford,   Iowa,   and  then  went  back  to  the 


664 


LIBRARY     OF    AMERICAN    LIVES 


ADOLF  E.  KLEIN 


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farm    ;il     McLeansboro.     Alter   World    War    1, 
Mr.  Blades  worked  for  a  time  with  the  Mount 
Vernon     Car     and     Manufacturing     Company, 
playing  on  the  company  team  called  the  Car- 
builders.    In  the  year  Mr.  Blades  was  with  this 
team  Branch   Rickey,  manager  by  then  of  the 
Cardinals,  broughi   them  out  to  play  the  Car- 
builders.  The  Cardinals  lost,  3  to  2.   After  the 
game    Mr.    Rickey   signed    up    Ray   Blades   as 
second    baseman    and   two   other   Carbuilders, 
Walter  Schultz  and  Jimmy  McLaughlin.   These 
three    reported    at    Brownsville,     Texas,     for 
spring  training  and   tryouts  in  the  Spring  of 
1920.     After   their    return    to    St.    Louis,    Mr. 
Blades    and    Mr.    McLaughlin    were    sent    to 
Memphis,  and  in  the  next  year  Mr.  Blades  was 
with  the  .Memphis  Club  of  the  Southern  Lea- 
gue.    The    following    year    he    was    with    the 
Houston    Club    of    the    Texas    League    and    in 
August,    192  6,    he   was   recalled    to    play   out- 
field with  the  Cardinals.    At  that  time  he  ran 
into  the  wall  and  injured  his  knee,  so  that  lie 
did  not  get  to  play  in  the  192  6  World  Series. 
The  knee  cartilage  was  removed  by  the  Cards' 
physician,    Dr.    Robert    Hyland.     Ray    Blades 
continued  with  the  Cards  until  1933,  partici- 
pating in  the  games  which  won  the  team  the 
National  League  championship  in  1928,  1930 
and   1931.    In   1932   he  began  his  managerial 
career   as   manager   of   the   Columbus    (Ohio) 
team,   in   the  American   Association.    In   1933 
and    1934    his    team    won    the    championship. 
From  1936  through  1938  Mr.  Blades  managed 
the  Rochester,  New  York,  team,  in  the  Inter- 
national  League,    and   again   produced   cham- 
pionships.   In  1939  he  became  manager  of  the 
Cardinals.    He  remained  with  the  Cards  until 
June,  1940,  and  was  succeeded  by  Billy  South- 
worth.    In   1941   Mr.   Blades  became  manager 
of  the  New  Orleans  Club,  in  the  Southern  As- 
sociation, and  in  1942  went  to  the  Cincinnati 
Club  as  coach  under  Manager  McKechnie.    In 
1943  he  returned  to  New  Orleans  as  manager 
and  in   lf>44.  1945  and  1946  was  manager  of 
the   St.    Paul   Club   in   the  American   Associa- 
tion.   Since  194  7  he  has  been  with  the  Dodg- 
ers, helping  them  win  the  pennant  in  1947  as 
coach.    In   1949,  the  Dodgers  lost  to  the  New 
York  Yankees  in  the  World  Series,  but  is  still 
one  of  the  Nation's  top  teams.    In  1949,  too, 
Mr.   Blades  became  farm  trouble  shooter  and 
scout  for  the  Dodgers. 

Mr.  Blades  married  Golda  Bennett,  who  was 
born  in  McLeansboro,  in  1900,  the  daughter 
of  L.  B.  and  Bessie  E.  (Mellon)  Bennett. 
Mrs.  Blades  is  active  in  the  Methodist  Church 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  American  Leg- 
ion   Auxiliary    and    the    Federated    Woman's 


Club.  Mr.  Blades  is  also  active  in  the  church, 
and  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  and  the 
American  Legion.  His  most  distasteful  task, 
he  says,  is  to  tell  a  young  baseball  player  he 
is  not  quite  good  enough  for  the  major 
leagues.  His  motto,  "If  the  desire  to  win 
dominates  you,  you  are  bound  to  win,"  has 
brought  him  success  and  been  behind  the 
great  contribution  he  has  made  to  baseball. 

GRIFFITH  I.  DAVIS 

Once  a  farmer,  Griffith  I.  Davis  of  Decatur 
is  one  of  the  important  figures  in  Downstate 
Illinois'  dairy  products  industry  today.  He  is 
president  of  the  Kentland  Dairy  Products 
Company,  headquartered  at  Decatur.  His  busi- 
ness interests  serve  not  only  Decatur  and  its 
area  but  also  Gibson  City  and  Farmer  City. 
Mr.  Davis  is  also  prominent  in  church  and 
civic  affairs. 

Born  in  Wolcott,  Indiana,  on  June  7,  1904, 
Mr.  Davis  is  the  son  of  Harry  and  Lena  (Re- 
progle)  Davis.  His  father  was  a  farmer  in 
Indiana.  Through  the  years  he  was  growing 
up  and  helping  on  the  family  farm,  Mr.  Davis 
went  to  grade  school  in  his  native  state.  For 
a  time  after  leaving  school  he  farmed.  Then 
he  became  a  lineman  for  the  United  Telephone 
Company.  In  1933,  he  entered  his  present  field 
as  a  dairy  helper.  In  1934,  he  moved  to 
Decatur  to  manage  a  cheese  factory  for  the 
Kentland  Dairy  Products  Company,  founded 
in  1933  by  Harold  Foulkes.  On  September  13, 
Mr.  Davis,  with  a  partner,  James  Fruin,  pur- 
chased this  business.  He  has  been  president 
of  the  Kentland  Dairy  Products  Company  of 
Decatur  and  Gibson  City,  and  the  Farmers 
City  Cheese  Company  of  Farmer  City  since 
that  time  and  has  guided  expansion  of  opera- 
tions into  all  sections  of  Macon,  DeWitt  and 
Ford  Counties  and  far  beyond.  He  employs 
thirty  persons. 

Mr.  Davis  married  Lucille  Miller  on  Febru- 
ary 12,  1924.  Their  children  are  Warren  Davis, 
who  married  Betty  Fear,  and  Sheila.  They 
worship  in  the  Methodist  Church.  Mr.  Davis 
is  a  highly  respected  business  man  and  citizen 
in  Downstate  Illinois. 

LEWEN  RUSSELL  NELSON 

An  industrialist  of  international  reputation, 
Lewen  Russell  Nelson  of  Peoria  is  also  known 
as  an  inventor  and  as  a  citizen  interested  in 
the  promotion  of  a  better  life  for  humanity. 
He  is  an  influential  figure  in  trade  organiza- 
tions and  a  leader  in  health  and  welfare  and 
lay  Methodist  circles.  In  the  business  world 
he  is  president  of  the  L.  R.  Nelson  Mfg.  Co., 


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669 


Inc.,  with  plant  and  office  at  1725  South  Wash- 
ington Street,  Peoria — a  firm  manufacturing 
garden  and  lawn  accessories,  golf  sprinkling 
equipment  and  fireplace  equipment. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  born  on  April  28,  1879,  at 
Princeville,  a  village  in  Peoria  County.  His 
parents  were  Philip  M.  and  Clara  (Russell) 
Nelson.  Both  the  Nelson  and  Russell  families 
have  been  in  Peoria  County  since  the  early 
part  of  the  nineteenth  century.  John  Nelson, 
the  industrialist's  great-grandfather,  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  county  in  1849,  while 
Ebenezer  Russell,  the  grandfather  on  the 
maternal  side,  moved  there  in  1840.  His  fath- 
er, born  in  Peoria,  died  in  1932.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  real  estate  man.  Clara  Russell 
Nelson  was  also  a  native  of  Peoria  County. 
She  died  in  1888.  L.  R.  Russell  went  to  ele- 
mentary school  at  Princeville  and  high  school 
at  Boulder,  Colorado.  For  a  year  after  finish- 
ing his  schooling  he  clerked  in  a  general  store 
at  Boulder.  Then  he  and  his  father  became 
partners  in  the  operation  of  a  retail  grocery 
business.  This  lasted  two  or  three  years  and 
was  followed  by  a  five-year  period  in  farming. 
Meantime  Mr.  Nelson  was  inventing  various 
items  and  in  1907  he  moved  into  Peoria,  where 
until  1911  he  was  engaged  in  selling  his  inven- 
tions. In  1911,  he  founded  his  present  busi- 
ness, called  in  the  beginning  the  Central  Brass 
and  Stamping  Company.  He  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  concern  since  its  inception.  In 
1921,  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  L.  R. 
Nelson  Manufacturing  Company.  The  entire 
United  States  and  a  good  many  foreign  coun- 
tries constitute  the  company's  trading  terri- 
tory. It  has  two  hundred  employees. 

On  September  17,  1902,  Mr.  Nelson  married 
Inez  Baldwin  of  Boulder.  Mrs.  Nelson's  par- 
ents were  John  and  Rachel  Baldwin.  Her 
father,  a  native  of  Centralia,  Illinois,  was  a 
hauling  contractor  who  died  in  1900.  Her 
mother,  born  in  Georgia,  died  in  1878.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nelson  have  two  children  —  Ruth 
Alma,  born  on  April  4,  1908,  now  the  wife  of 
Leonard  Bradbury  and  the  mother  of  Sarah 
and  Anne  Bradbury;  and  Russell  Baldwin 
Nelson,  born  on  July  15,  1911,  who  married 
Betty  Bartholomew  and  is  the  father  of 
Barton  and  Barbara  Nelson.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
L.  R.  Nelson  reside  at  333  Parkside  Drive, 
Peoria,  and  worship  in  the  Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  Nelson,  prominent  in  that  church,  is 
a  former  director  of  the  Methodist  Hospital 
of  Peoria.  He  is  also  a  former  director  of  the 
Peoria  Association  of  Manufacturers  and  of 
the  Rotary  Club  of  Peoria.  In  addition,  he  is 
affiliated  with  the  National  Manufacturers  As- 


sociation, the  Peoria  Association  of  Com- 
merce, the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, the  Peoria  Country  Club,  the  Creve 
Coeur  Club  and  the  Masonic  fraternity.  His 
activities  have  contributed  much  to  the  state's 
growth. 

WILLIAM  BRYAN  HAMEL 

The  friends  and  associates  of  William  Bryan 
Hamel,  publisher  and  managing  editor  of  The 
Daily  Journal-Gazette  at  Mattoon,  say- — and 
he  admits  it — his  disposition  is  governed  large- 
ly by  reactions  to  his  daily  editorial  column  in 
that  paper,  and  swings  from  good  to  bad.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  that  column,  hammered  out  at 
home  on  a  Royal  portable  with  the  "look-and- 
punch  system,"  a  one-finger  formula,  has  made 
Mr.  Hamel  one  of  the  best  known  and  most 
liked  individuals  in  Central,  Illinois.  He  has 
helped  in  maintaining  the  reputation  estab- 
lished for  him  by  his  column  and  other  ac- 
tivities by  appearing  as  guest  speaker,  toast- 
master  or  master  of  ceremonies  at  numerous 
functions,  meetings,  conventions  and  football 
banquets.  Besides  publishing  and  editing  a 
newspaper,  he  likes  to  participate  in  the  com- 
munity's health  and  welfare  activities,  in  or- 
ganizational affairs  and  in  civic  and  church 
work. 

He  was  born  in  Christian  County  on  October 
27,  1898,  the  son  of  Marion  and  Viola  Virginia 
(Berry)  Hamel.  His  father,  a  farmer  and  car- 
penter contractor,  was  also  born  in  Christian 
County,  his  mother  at  Rochester,  in  Sangamon 
County.  The  future  journalist  was  educated  in 
high  schools  at  Palmer,  Taylorville  and  As- 
sumption; at  Milliken  University  in  Decatur 
where  he  finished  his  high  school  credits.  He 
was  elected  to  to  Sigma  Delta  Chi,  the  Na- 
tional journalism  fraternity,  University  of 
Illinois  Chapter. 

Mr.  Hamel  began  his  career  as  a  farmer,  in 
association  with  his  father  in  Christian  County 
for  seven  years.  For  a  time  he  was  a  hotel 
and  restaurant  owner  in  Assumption,  then 
successively,  the  owner  and  manager  of  a  drug 
store  in  Decatur  and  a  partner  in  a  book  and 
stationery  store  and  office  supply  house  in 
Mattoon. 

In  1928  Mr.  Hamel  entered  the  publishing 
business  as  advertising  manager  of  the  Jour- 
nal-Gazette. He  rose  to  business  manager  in 
1933,  then  to  general  manager  in  1936,  and 
finally  to  publisher  in  1939.  He  is  president 
and  treasurer  of  the  Mattoon  Journal  Com- 
pany, operating  the  Gazette  Printing  Com- 
pany and  publishing  the  Daily  J oumal-Gazette, 
as  well  as  publisher  and  managing  editor  of 


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LEWEN  RUSSELL  NELSON 


WILLIAM   BRYAN   HAMEL 


the  paper.  In  the  first  decade  of  Mr.  Hamel's 
administration  as  president  and  publisher,  the 
paper  showed  an  increase  of  41  percent  in  the 
circulation  and  147  percent  increase  in  the 
gross  business.  Mr.  Hamel's  column,  his  ac- 
tivities in  the  community  and  his  other  work 
have  helped  to  further  the  influence  of  the 
paper. 

Mi\  Hamel  married  Katherine  Virginia  An- 
drews on  May  2,  1925.  They  were  divorced  on 
December  24,  1942.  On  March  4,  194G,  he  mar- 
ried Jennie  Elizabeth  Day.  To  the  first  mar- 
riage was  born  a  son,  William  Bryan  Hamel, 
Jr.,  now  (1949)  a  junior  at  the  University  of 
Illinois.  A  daughter,  Susan  Elizabeth,  was 
born  to  the  second  marriage  on  March  7,  1948. 
The  family  home  is  at  30  Lakeshore  Drive, 
Lake  Mattoon,  Mattoon. 

Mr.  Hamel  is  a  former  director  of  the  Meth- 
odist Memorial  Hospital  and  a  former  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Central 
Community  Church.  He  is  now  on  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Illinois  Daily  Newspaper 
Markets,  of  which  he  has  also  served  on  the 
advisory  board  since  1939,  and  is  a  former  di- 
rector and  secretary  of  the  Mattoon  Com- 
munity Chest  and  former  president  of  the 
Rotary  Club  of  Mattoon.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  Coles  County  Fair  Association.  He  was 
once  a  member  of  Company  E,  130th  Infantry, 
Illinois  Reserve  Militia.  Other  organizations 
to  which  he  now  belongs  include  the  Chicago 
Key  Club,  Chicago  International  Club,  St. 
Louis  Victoria  Club,  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks,  the  Loyal  Order  of 
Moose  and  the  Mattoon  Golf  and  Country 
Club.  He  has  been  listed  in  "Who's  Who  in 
Chicago  and  Vicinity"  for  several  years.  He 
is  also  listed  in  the  Decatur-Central  Illinois 
Program  Talent  Bulletin  as  an  after  dinner 
speaker.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Legislative 
Committee  of  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  the  Chicago  Press  Club.  He  is 
a  Republican  who  insists  on  strict  political 
impartiality  in  the  news  columns  of  his  paper. 

Newspapermen  throughout  the  State  have 
long  recognized  Mr.  Hamel  as  one  of  the  few 
members  of  their  craft  who  are  wholly  dedi- 
cated to  public  service. 

HAMILTON  MORITZ  LOEB 

The  prominence  of  Hamilton  Moritz  Loeb 
as  an  insurance  man  in  Chicago  is  exceeded 
only  by  his  great  renown  as  a  civic  leader 
working  on  behalf  of  philanthropic  enter- 
prises, non-sectarian  and  Jewish,  education 
of  the  American  born  and  of  naturalized  citi- 


zens and  the  general  welfare.  An  insurance 
operator  Mr.  Loeb  is  president  of  the  agency 
firm  of  Eliel  and  Loeb  Company,  175  West 
Jackson  Boulevard,  Chicago,  and  has  served 
or  is  serving  in  important  capacities  in  insur- 
ance trade  organizations. 

Mr.  Loeb,  the  son  of  Jacob  Moritz  and  Rose 
(Stein)  Loeb,  was  born  in  Chicago  on  Sep- 
tember 16,  1900.  His  father,  who  was  one  of 
Chicago's  famous  citizens,  founded  the  firm 
of  Eliel  and  Loeb,  as  a  partnership  in  1900, 
the  firm  was  incorporated  as  Eliel  and  Loeb 
Company  in  1916.  Jacob  Moritz  Loeb  served 
on  the  Chicago  Board  of  Education  from  1913 
to  1922,  and  from  1914  to  1917  was  its  presi- 
dent. He  was  a  native  of  Chicago.  The 
mother's  parents  were  Adolph  and  Emma 
Stein. 

Hamilton  M.  Loeb  first  attended  grade 
school  in  the  Windy  City.  This  was  in  the 
years  1906  and  1907.  From  1908  to  1914  he 
was  a  pupil  at  the  University  of  Chicago  Lab- 
oratory School.  Then  he  attended  the  Har- 
vard School  of  Chicago  from  1914  to  1917  and 
in  the  school  year  1917-18  he  was  at  the 
University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  where  he  was 
elected  to  Zeta  Tau  Fraternity.  In  1918,  the 
final  year  of  World  War  I,  he  was  a  cadet  at 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  New  York.  Mr.  Loeb  began  his  career 
with  the  insurance  firm  of  Crum  and  Forster 
in  New  York  City,  in  1919.  The  following 
year  he  joined  the  staff  of  Eliel  and  Loeb 
Company  in  New  York.  In  1921  he  returned 
to  Chicago  and  joined  Eliel  and  Loeb's  office 
in  that  city.  In  1922  he  was  elected  vice 
president  of  the  firm,  which  had  been  in- 
corporated in  1916,  and  in  1941  he  was  ele- 
vated to  his  present  office  of  president.  In 
the  years  of  his  association  with  the  firm  his 
reputation  has  spread  in  an  everwidening  cir- 
cle, so  that  he  is  well  known  both  to  the  lay 
public  and  the  insurance  trade. 

On  June  3,  1922,  in  New  York,  Mr.  Loeb 
married  Ruth  A.  Enrich,  the  daughter  of 
Jesse  and  Alice  (Morgenthau)  Enrich.  Mrs. 
Loeb  is  a  leading  figure  in  the  welfare  world, 
and  is  known  for  her  work  in  the  field  of  the 
family  and  the  child.  She  is  past  president 
and  administrative  director  of  The  Associa- 
tion for  Family  Living,  Chicago,  and  a  di- 
rector of  the  Child  Study  Association  of 
America.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loeb  are  the  parents 
of  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter. 
The  eldest  is  Jacob  Moritz  Loeb,  II,  who  mar- 
ried Dorothy  Maranes  and  is  the  father  of 
Robert  Eric  Loeb  and  Patricia  Ann  Loeb. 
The  second  son  is  Hamilton  Moritz  Loeb,  Jr., 


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675 


who  married  Elsa  Jane  Levit  and  is  the  father 
of  Judith  Ann  Loeb  and  Sandra  Jean  Loeb. 
The  daughter,  Alice  Ruth,  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  R.  Grailcourt  of  London,  England. 
They  were  married  June  16th,  1950  and  re- 
side in  Oxford,  Ohio  where  Mr.  Grailcourt  is 
a  teacher  in  economics  at  Western  College 
for  Women.  Alice  received  an  M.A.  Degree 
from  the  above  College.  The  Loeb  home  is  at' 
3260  Lake  Shore  Drive,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Loeb's  figure — five  feet  eleven  inches 
tall,  weight  190  pounds,  bald  and  brown-eyed 
—is  a  familiar  one  throughout  Chicago,  and 
his  good  disposition  and  manners,  and  general 
distinguished  appearance,  are  coupled  with 
his  enlightened  leadership  in  many  spheres. 
He  was  the  first  vice  chairman,  and  later 
chairman,  of  the  Chicago  Insurance  Agents 
Association  and  is  a  former  director  of  the 
Chicago  Board  of  Underwriters.  In  his  wider 
civic  activities,  he  is  a  director  of  the  Jewish 
Federation  of  Chicago,  the  Jewish  Welfare 
Fund,  the  Community  Fund  of  Chicago,  the 
Welfare  Council  of  Metropolitan  Chicago,  the 
Chicago  Medical  School,  United  Service  for 
New  Americans  and  the  Association  for  Fam- 
ily Living.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Lodge,  No.  43  7,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons;  the  Standard  and  Lake  Shore 
Country  Clubs  of  Chicago  and  the  Lambs  and 
Drug  and  Chemical  Club  of  New  York.  He  is 
truly  a  noted  citizen. 

LEONARD  EUGENE  DUNLAP 

Known  for  his  tremendous  contribution  to 
the  field  of  office  building  and  plant  construc- 
tion, Leonard  Eugene  Dunlap  is  now  president 
of  Carr  and  Wright,  Inc.,  an  architectural 
and  engineering  firm.  A  veteran  of  World  War 
I,  Mr.  Duncap  gave  the  Federal  Government 
vital  aid  in  his  construction  specialty  in  World 
War  II. 

Mr.  Dunlap  was  born  at  Savoy,  Illinois,  on 
April  15,  1893,  the  son  of  Robert  Livingston 
and  Charlotte  (Jutkins)  Dunlap.  His  father, 
also  a  native  of  Savoy,  was  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  of  the  Class  of  1885, 
who  afterward  made  a  reputation  as  a  chem- 
ist. After  attending  the  elementary  and  high 
schools  of  Urbana,  Leonard  E.  Dunlap  himself 
became  a  student  at  the  University  of  Illinois. 
There  he  prepared  for  the  business  world  in 
the  School  of  Engineering,  Department  of 
Architecture.  His  first  position  after  leaving 
school  was  that  of  structural  designer  for 
Swift  and  Company,  in  its  building  depart- 
ment. From  there  he  went,  successively,  to  the 


building  departments  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  and  the  Sinclair  Oil  Company.  An 
association  with  the  architectural  firm  of 
Nimmons,  Carr  and  Wright  followed,  and  then 
Mr.  Dunlap  became  district  engineer  for  the 
Kalman  Steel  Company.  From  1926  to  1942 
Mr.  Dunlap  was  chief  engineer  for  Nimmons, 
Car  and  Wright,  in  charge  of  structural  design 
and  field  supervision.  From  1942  to  1944,  he 
supervised  design  and  construction  of  large 
building  projects  for  the  War  Department  as 
an  executive  of  Charles  T.  Main,  Inc.,  Boston 
firm  of  architects  and  engineers.  Since  1944,  he 
has  been  with  Carr  and  Wright,  Inc.,  with 
offices  at  333  North  Michigan  Avenue,  Chicago, 
in  charge  of  structural  design,  field  supervi- 
sion, contracts  and  business  administration. 
The  firm  has  been  architects  for  Sears,  Roe- 
buch  and  Company  plants  in  all  important 
cities  in  twenty-seven  states,  and  also  design- 
ed and  constructed  the  American  Furniture 
Mart;  Olympia  Fields,  Ravisloe  and  Flossmoor 
Country  Clubs;  the  Chicago  Beach  Hotel;  All- 
State  Insurance  Company  office  building;  Port- 
land Cement  Association  on  Research  and  De- 
velopment Laboratory  and  a  score  of  other 
major  structures.  His  work  in  the  develop- 
ment of  these  construction  projects  has  made 
Mr.  Dunlap  a  prominent  and  important  figure 
in  this  field. 

Mr.  Dunlap  married  Louise  Parker  of  Ur- 
bana. Mrs.  Dunlap,  an  artist  and  pianist,  has 
been  a  designer  of  residences,  interiors  and 
gardens  and  has  thus  shared  her  husband's 
professional  interests.  In  common,  too,  is  their 
love  of  gardening.  Their  home  is  at  683  Marion 
Court,  Highland  Park. 

Mr.  Dunlap  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Architects,  the  American  Society 
of  Civil  Engineers,  the  American  Concrete 
Institute  and  the  Cliff  Dwellers.  In  World 
War  I,  he  served  as  regimental  sergeant- 
major  in  the  Field  Artillery  Corps.  He  is  a 
Republican  and,  for  recreations,  likes  fishing 
as  well  as  gardening.  A  leading  personality  in 
pre-war  and  wartime  construction,  Leonard 
Eugene  Dunlap  is  outstanding  in  the  postwar 
construction  program. 

HARRY  WARREN  DAY 

A  former  executive  of  the  Illinois  State 
Department  of  Agriculture  and  of  the  Illinois 
Fruit  Growers  Exchange,  Harry  Warren  Day 
of  Carbondale  is  today  one  of  the  leaders  in 
the  fruit  and  vegetable  world,  being  president 
and  manager  of  the  Growers  Sales  Service, 
Inc.,  of  Carbondale.  He  has  a  national  reputa- 
tion especially   among  peach   growers   and   is 


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LEONARD  EUGENE  DUNLAP 


HARRY  WARREN  DAY 


also  known  in  the  horticultural  and  building 
supplies  field.  He  is  a  veteran  of  World  War  I. 
Mr.  Day  was  born  in  Shelbyville  on  June  15, 
1894,  the  son  of  John  W.  Day,  a  native  of 
Michigan  who  first  moved  to  Indiana  and 
eventually  to  Illinois,  and  Elizabeth  (Lumpp) 
Day,  a  native  of  Illinois.  Harry  Day  spent  his 
boyhood  in  Shelbyville,  where  he  attended  the 
elementary  and  high  schools.  In  1917,  he  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  at  the 
University  of  Illinois  College  of  Agriculture 
and,  the  United  States  having  entered  World 
War  I,  then  entered  the  Navy  at  Great  Lakes. 
Later  he  was  transferred  to  Cambridge,  Mass- 
achusetts, and  then  to  the  Submarine  School 
at  New  London,  Connecticut,  and  finally  to 
Puget  Sound,  Washington.  He  was  discharged 
in  1919,  by  which  time  he  had  risen  to  the 
rating  of  Radio  Electrician  First  Class. 

Returning  to  the  University  of  Illinois,  Mr 
Day  became  an  assistant  in  the  department  of 
horticulture.  After  a  year,  he  accepted  an  ap- 
pointment as  associate  farm  advisor  in  Cook 
County,  and  spent  the  years  1920  through 
1923  at  Blue  Island.  In  1923  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  Division  of  Markets  of 
the  State  Department  of  Agriculture,  at 
Springfield,  serving  under  Governor  Len  Small 
until  1926.  He  then  went  to  Centralia  to  serve 
as  a  fieldman  for  the  Illinois  Fruit  Growers 
Exchange,  of  which  he  later  became  manager. 
He  held  the  managerial  post  from  1932  to 
1941,  and  in  this  period,  in  1935,  supervised 
the  moving  of  the  organization's  headquarters 
to  Carbondale.  In  1941  Mr.  Day  was  one  of 
the  three  organizers  of  the  Growers  Sales 
Service,  Inc.,  and  he  is  now  president  and 
manager.  The  organization  acts  as  sales  agents 
for  growers  in  Louisiana,  Arkansas,  Illinois, 
Indiana,  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  handling 
strawberries,  apples  and  peaches  as  well  as 
assorted  vegetables.  The  major  portion  of  the 
business  is  from  Illinois  orchards. 

Mr.  Day  married  Harriet  Lillian  James  of 
Amboy  in  June,  1920.  Mrs.  Day  is  a  graduate 
of  the  University  of  Illinois,  having  taken  her 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  1917.  Four 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Day.  The 
first  died  in  infancy.  The  others  are  Ruth 
Elizabeth,  who  graduated  from  the  University 
of  Illinois  in  1947,  and  married  Wayne  A. 
Smutz  of  Rock  Island,  Illinois;  Warren  James 
Day,  who  holds  a  Civil  Engineering  degree 
from  the  University,  served  in  a  Navy  V-12 
unit  in  World  War  II  and  is  now  (1949)  at- 
tending Union  Theological  Seminary  in  New 
York,  with  plans  to  combine  his  engineering 
knowledge  with   missionary   work,   and   Mary 


Louise  Day,  a  piano  and  pipe  orgen  major  in 
the  University  of  Illinois  College  of  Music. 

Mr.  Day,  whose  organization  ships  by  truck 
or  rail  from  1500  to  2000  carloads  every  year, 
is  an  authority  on  growing  and  marketing 
fruits  and  vegetables.  He  was  secretary  of  the 
Illinois  State  Horticultural  Society  from  1924 
to  1932  and  is  a  director  of  the  Illinois  Fruit 
Council,  an  organization  of  orchardists  design- 
ed to  promote  education  and  research  and 
sales.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the  National 
Peach  Council  and  the  Colp  Wholesale  Com- 
pany of  Carbondale,  a  building  supply  firm. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Carbondale 
High  School  Board  since  1944.  He  also  be- 
longs to  the  Lions  Club  of  Carbondale,  the 
Carbondale  Business  Men's  Association,  the 
Elks  Club,  and  the  American  Legion.  He  wor- 
ships in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Carbondale  and  is  a  Republican.  Golf  is  his 
favorite  sport.  Mr.  Day's  extraordinary  con- 
tribution to  the  agriculture  of  his  State  is 
widely  recognized. 

HON.  WILLIAM  MARTIN  LAUGHLIN 

Four  generations  of  the  Laughlin  family, 
descended  from  Irish  stock,  have  made  them- 
selves an  important  place  in  the  life  of  Illinois. 
The  Honorable  William  Martin  Laughlin,  of 
the  second  generation,  and  his  grandson,  Rob- 
ert Neil  Laughlin  of  the  fourth  generation, 
together  carry  on  the  traditions  today,  with 
the  younger  man  managing  a  business  found- 
ed by  the  older  at  Mattoon  in  Coles  County. 
This  business  is  known  as  W.  M.  Laughlin  and 
Son,  handling  coal  and  grain  and  related  mer- 
chandise, with  warehouse,  yards  and  sales- 
rooms at  1813  Broadway,  Mattoon.  At  one 
time,  William  Martin  Laughlin's  son,  William 
Neil  Laughlin,  father  of  the  present  executive 
head  of  the  business,  was  its  leading  figure, 
for  William  Martin  Laughlin,  who  in  1950  was 
approaching  his  ninety-second  birthday,  has 
been  retired  since  1933.  He  is  a  former  public 
official  of  Vandalia,  where  he  lived  a  good 
many  years  of  his  life. 

William  Martin  Laughlin  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago on  November  20,  1858,  the  oldest  of  the 
three  sons  and  one  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Ellen  (Carey)  Laughlin.  His  father,  born  in 
Ireland,  migrated  in  his  youth  in  a  sailing 
vessel,  settling  in  Cook  County.  His  wife  was 
also  of  Irish  birth.  Michael  Laughlin  died 
when  he  was  still  a  young  man.  The  family 
moved  from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
when  the  first  child  was  still  an  infant.  When 
he  was  six,  William  Martin  Laughlin  and  his 
family  settled  in  Vandalia,  the  seat  of  Fayette 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


681 


County.  There  he  attended  the  public  schools, 
later  transferring  to  those  of  Weldon  in  De- 
Witt  County.  At  a  young  age  Mr.  Laughlin 
became  a  telegraph  operator  for  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  at  Weldon,  working  nights 
and  receiving  $36  a  month  as  pay.  Later  he 
worked  as  trainsmaster's  clerk  for  the  rail- 
road at  Mattoon.  In  1903,  Mr.  Laughlin,  with 
a  partner,  organized  a  coal,  flour  and  feed 
business  known  as  the  Farmers  Milling  and 
Grain  Company.  In  this  business  Mr.  Laughlin 
owned  a  third  interest.  Two  years  after  it  was 
established,  however,  he  bought  out  his  partner 
and  changed  the  name  to  W.  M.  Laughlin, 
dealer  in  Coal,  Flour  and  Feed,  heating  fuels, 
farm  supplies,  garden  supplies  and  wholesale 
groceries.  When,  in  1911,  he  took  his  son  Wil- 
liam Neil  Laughlin  into  the  enterprise,  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  present  one:  W.  M. 
Laughlin  and  Son.  The  original  site  of  the 
business  at  320  South  Twenty-first  Street, 
Mattoon,  is  still  used  as  the  firms  coal  and 
fuel  oil  storage  yard ;  the  present  headquarters 
on  Broadway  were  taken  over  in  1920  alon": 
with  the  warehouses  at  113  So.  18th  Street 
and  320  So.  21st  Street.  The  business  has  a 
trading  area  embracing  not  only  Coles  County 
but  a  radius  of  forty  miles  beyond. 

On  October  3,  1886,  Mr.  Laughlin  married 
Mary  Elizabeth  Neil  of  Vandalia,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Neil,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Fayette  County,  and  Ann  Neil.  William  Neil 
Laughlin  was  the  first  of  four  children  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  M.  Laughlin.  His  birth 
occurred  on  August  4,  1887.  He  was  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father,  managing  the  enterprise 
in  his  later  years,  until  his  death  on  February 
11,  1946.  The  other  children  were  Nellie  Mar- 
garet, who  was  born  in  1889  and  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  Regina  Mary,  born  on  July  17, 
1900,  and  Anne  Catherine,  born  on  February 
8,  1903.  Regina  Mary  is  now  the  wife  of 
Joseph  J.  Schneider  and  the  mother  of  Joseph 
Neil  Schneider.  Anne  Catherine  is  the  wife 
of  Barnard  E.  Smith  of  Rochester,  New  York, 
and  the  mother  of  Donna  Jean,  Kathleen  and 
Neil  Kingston  Smith.  The  family  is  Catholic. 

Mr.  Laughlin,  prominent  in  lay  Catholic 
circles,  is  a  past  grand  knight  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus.  He  is  also  a  past  president  of 
his  church's  Holy  Name  Society.  A  Democrat, 
he  served  one  term  as  an  Alderman  in  Van- 
dalia and  was  also  Tax  Collector  of  the  City 
of  Vandalia  in  the  period  before  he  moved  to 
Mattoon  in  December,  1900.  In  1933,  he  re- 
tired from  business,  leaving  the  management 
to  his  son,  who  was,  in  turn,  succeeded  by  his 
own  son.    Mr.   Laughlin's   favorite  games  are 


billiards,  five  hundred,  and  he  still  furnishes 
the  younger  ones  with  stiff  competition.  He  is 
also  quite  a  baseball  fan.  His  home  is  at  504 
North  Nineteenth  Street,  Mattoon.  He  is  a 
popular  and  venerable  old  figure  in  Coles 
County — a  business  and  civic  leader  who  has 
done  much  to  promote  the  prosperity  of  the 
entire  region. 

ROBERT  NEIL  LAUGHLIN 

In  1903,  William  M.  Laughlin  established  a 
firm  now  famed  throughout  Central  Illinois — 
W.  M.  Laughlin  and  Son  of  Mattoon.  Today 
that  concern  is  headed  by  his  grandson,  Robert 
Neil  Laughlin,  who  has  added  to  its  three 
other  divisions  a  fourth,  wholesale  groceries. 
The  other  divisions  handle  coal,  farm  supply 
and  garden  and  pet  supply  products.  Robert  N. 
Laughlin,  who  was  in  the  publication  circula- 
tion and  insurance  business  and  an  officer  in 
the  United  States  Army  in  World  War  II  be- 
fore entering  his  grandfather's  firm,  is  one  of 
the  prominent  young  business  men  of  Coles 
County. 

Born  in  Mattoon  on  March  22,  1917,  Mr. 
Laughlin  is  the  son  of  William  Neil  and  Ruth 
(Gray)  Laughlin.  His  father,  born  at  Vandalia 
on  August  4,  1887,  moved  with  his  parents, 
William  M.  and  Mary  Laughlin,  to  Mattoon  at 
the  turn  of  the  century.  After  completing  his 
elementary  school  education  in  that  community 
he  went  to  work.  His  father  had  meantime 
established  the  now  renowned  business  house 
at  Mattoon.  After  several  years  with  the  New 
York  Central  Railroad,  the  Washburn-Crosby 
Company  and  other  concerns  in  Illinois,  W. 
Neil  Laughlin  became  associated  in  1913  in  his 
father's  feed  and  grain  business.  Their  part- 
nership became  known  as  W.  M.  Laughlin  and 
Son  and  though  W.  M.  Laughlin  did  not  re- 
tire until  1935  his  son  took  over  active  man- 
agement early  in  their  association,  and  the 
firm  prospered  and  became  one  of  the  best 
known  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  merchandis- 
ing of  coal,  farm  and  garden  and  pet  supplies. 
After  his  father's  retirement,  W.  Neil  Laugh- 
lin continued  the  business  until  his  sudden 
death  on  February  11,  1946,  and  it  was  then 
his  son,   Robert  Neil   Laughlin,  took  over. 

The  latter  was  graduated  from  St.  Patrick's 
Parochial  School  in  Mattoon  in  1930.  Four 
years  later  he  was  graduated  from  the  Mat- 
toon High  School  and  in  June,  1938,  he  took 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Commercial  Science 
in  Acccounting  at  the  University  of  Notre 
Dame  in  Indiana.  From  1932  to  1934  Mr. 
Laughlin  was  district  agent  for  the  Curtis 
Publishing  Company  in  the  Mattoon  territory. 


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HON.  WILLIAM  MARTLN  LAUGHLIN 


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In  1938  he  became  a  special  agent  for  the 
Southeastern  Illinois  District  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  in 
Mattoon.  On  April  21,  1941,  Mr.  Laughlin  was 
inducted  into  the  United  States  Army.  He 
was  a  private  in,  the  129th  Infantry,  33rd  Di- 
vision, until  November,  1941,  then  rose  to 
Master  Sergeant  in  the  Division  Finance  Of- 
fice, 33rd  Division,  with  which  he  remained 
until  March,  1943.  Afterward,  until  February, 
1944,  he  was  Warrant  Officer  Junior  Grade 
and  Assistant  Finance  Officer  of  the  division 
and  on  June  22,  1944,  after  attending  Officer 
Candidate  School,  was  commissioned  a  Second 
Lieutenant.  In  the  Army  Finance  School  from 
that  time  until  January,  1946,  he  rose  to  First 
Lieutenant,  and  he  now  holds  that  rank  in  the 
Officers  Reserve  Corps.  He  was  separated  from 
the  active  service  in  January,  1946.  His 
father's  death  occurred  less  than  a  month 
later,  and  Mr.  Laughlin  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  business.  In  1948  he  added  the 
wholesale  grocery  division,  making  his  firm 
the  distributor  for  many  nationally  advertised 
brands  of  fine  foods  and  food  products. 

He  married  Marjorie  Ann  Fitzgerald, 
daughter  of  Joseph  L.  and  Irma  J.  Fitzgerald, 
in  Mattoon  on  November  1,  1941,  and  their 
children  are  Carol  Ann,  born  October  2,  1944, 
Michael  Joseph,  Born  January  1,  1947,  John 
Neil,  born  March  31,  1948,  and  Bernard 
James,  born  February  26,  1949.  The  family 
resides  at  204  North  22nd  Street,  Mattoon, 
and  worships  in  the  Immaculate  Conception 
Catholic  Church. 

Mr.  Laughlin,  prominent  in  civic  affairs, 
served  one  term  as  president  and  one  term 
as  board  member  in  the  Young  Business  Men's 
Club  of  Mattoon  and  is  currently  vice-president 
of  the  retail  division  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. He  is  an  outstanding  citizen  of  Mattoon. 

HARRISON  E.  COLP 

One  of  those  who  made  history  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  business  —  and  in  the  United 
States  Army — is  Harrison  E.  Colp  of  Carbon- 
date,  for  he  was  among  the  brave  few  who 
stood  unmoved  as  battle  raged  about  them 
and  took  motion  pictures  of  the  most  violent 
combat  scenes  in  World  War  I,  films  which 
are  shown  again  and  again  in  cavalcades  of 
war  and  American  and  world  history.  Today 
Mr.  Colp  is  vice  president  of  the  wholesale 
phase  of  the  Colp  Lumber  Company  and  presi- 
dent of  the  retail  organization  and  is,  in  ad- 
dition, a  Carbondale  citizen  who  is  working 
assiduously  on  behalf  of  development  of  Sou- 
thern Illinois  and  the  contiguous  regions. 


Born  in  this  State  on  January  1,  1889,  Mr. 
Colp  is  the  son  of  John  and  Dora  (North) 
Colp,  both  of  whom,  together  with  their 
parents,  were  also  natives  of  the  State.  John 
Colp  was  a  coal  operator  who  established  a 
lumber  business.  His  children,  aside  from 
Harrison,  who  was  born  fourth,  were  Mary; 
Leon  A.,  a  lawyer;  Loran  R.,  a  hotel  opera- 
tor; Logan  N. ;  M.  D.,  who  was  in  the  lumber 
business  but  is  now  deceased;  P.  R.,  who  was 
in  both  the  lumber  and  coal  business  and  is 
now  deceased,   and   Effie,   who  died   in   1931. 

Harrison  E.  Colp  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Carterville,  St.  John's  Military 
Academy  in  Wisconsin  and  the  Lewis  Insti- 
tute of  Chicago.  In  1912  he  went  to  work  in 
the  production  department  of  the  Western 
Electric  Company.  Alter  two  years,  ne  took 
to  the  road  as  a  motion  picture  cameraman. 
When  the  United  States  entered  World  War 
I,  he  went  into  the  Corps  of  Engineers  and 
served  as  cameraman  with  the  rank  of  Master 
Engineer,  shooting  battle  pictures  in  all  major 
engagements — a  pioneer  in  this  type  of  mili- 
tary activity.  He  received  the  Verdun  Award 
from  the  French  Government  for  distinguish- 
ed service,  and  after  the  Armistice  served 
with  the  Army  of  Occupation  in  Germany.  He 
was  discharged  in  the  States  in  June,  1919, 
and  then  returned  to  Carterville,  to  join  the. 
family  milling  business  located  there.  The 
firm's  first  lumber  yard  was  in  Centerville 
and  the  dcwntown  office  was  opened  in  Car- 
bondale in  1923.  There  is  also  a  wholesale 
business  of  building  supplies  and  related  ma- 
terials and,  in  addition  to  Carbondale,  the 
firm  operates  in  Fulton,  Kentucky;  Sikeston, 
Missouri;  and  Goreville,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Colp  married  Martha  Morrison  at  Ful- 
ton, Missouri,  on  October  19,  1919,  and  they 
have  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Mildred  Jones,  who 
lives  in  Fulton. 

Mr.  Colp  was  chairman  of  the  Williamson 
County  Draft  Board  No.  2  for  six  years.  He 
is  active  in  the  American  Legion,  the  Illinois 
Retail  Material  Dealers  Association,  the  Car- 
bondale Business  Men's  Association,  the  Ma- 
sonic Blue  Lodge  at  Carterville  and  the  Car- 
bondale Lodge,  Benvolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks.  He  is  a  former  member  of 
the  Lions  Club  of  Carterville.  He  and  his 
family  worship  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Wholly  civic-minded,  Mr.  Colp  has  served  his 
community  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability. 

BENNIE  FRANK  McCLERREN 

Among  the  younger  business  men  who  are 
giving  considerable  leadership  in  activities  in 
Southern  Illinois  is  Bennie  Frank  McClerren 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


687 


of  Benton.  A  Naval  veteran  of  World  War  II 
who  saw  considerable  action  in  the  Pacific 
area,  Mr.  McClerren  is  now  operating  the 
McClerren  Motor  Company  at  Benton  and  is 
leading  automobile  dealer  in  Franklin  County. 
He  has  the  DeSoto-Plymouth  franchise. 

Mr.  McClerren  was  born  in  Franklin  County 
on  October  3,  1917,  the  son  of  Harry  and  Elsie 
(Jent)  McClerren.  Both  parents  are  als*)  na- 
tives of  Franklin  County.  The  father,  a  coal 
miner,  is  the  son  of  the  late  Mat  McClerren, 
another  who  was  born  in  that  county. 

Bennie  McClerren  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Weavertown.  From  1933  to  1936 
he  worked  on  a  farm.  When  he  left  the  farm 
he  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Johnson  and  Johnson,  the  surgical 
dressing  concern.  He  remained  with  this  or- 
ganization until  in  1944  he  was  called  into  the 
United  States  Navy,  in  which  he  became  a 
Seaman  First  Class.  He  served  in  the  Pacific 
Theater  of  Operations  and  received  eight 
Battle  Stars,  one  of  them  for  action  at  Iwo 
Jima.  Separated  from  the  service  in  1946,  Mr. 
McClerren  returned  to  his  position  with  John- 
son and  Johnson  in  Chicago.  In  the  next  two 
years,  without  giving  up  his  post  with  the 
surgical  dressing  firm,  he  bought  and  sold 
automobiles  for  various  Chicago  dealers,  and 
thus  not  only  learned  the  business  but  de- 
veloped a  keen  interest  in  it.  This  interest 
developed  to  the  point  where  in  1948  he  re- 
signed from  Johnson  and  Johnson  and,  re- 
turning to  his  native  county,  entered  the 
automobile  business  in  Benton,  the  county  seat. 
He  now  has  the  franchise  as  DeSoto-Plymouth 
dealer  for  one-half  of  Franklin  County.  He 
has  attractive  show  rooms  and  complete  shop 
facilities,  owning  all  his  equipment.  Six  per- 
sons are  employed  in  the  business,  which  has 
grown  rapidly  in  volume  and  prestige.  Mr. 
McClerren  is  active  in  the  Illinois  Automobile 
Dealers  Association  and  the  National  Auto- 
mobile Dealers  Association.  Saddle  horses  are 
his  hobby. 

On  August  27,  1936,  in  Franklin  County, 
Mr.  McClerren  married  Juanita  Melvin,  the 
daughter  of  Carrie  Melvin  of  West  Frankfort. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McClerren  are  the  parents  of 
three  children — Deon  and  Leon  McClerren, 
who  are  twins,  and  Gary  McClerren.  The  fam- 
ily worships  in  the  Pentecostal  Church.  Stand- 
ing five  feet  nine  inches  tall  and  weighing 
160  pounds,  the  automobile  dealer  is  a  man 
of  great  health  and  strength.  His  energy, 
which  helped  make  him  a  business  success,  is 
contributing  to  his  popularity  among  his 
neighbors  and  customers. 


GEORGE  H.  LECAS 

Once  a  poor  immigrant  boy,  George  H. 
Lecas  is  today  one  of  the  more  successful  of 
American  citizens — an  outstanding  Illinoisan 
and  a  leading  figure  in  Pana  and  Christian 
County.  He  is  the  owner  and  operator  of  the 
Lecas  Candy  Company  of  Pana,  which  sup- 
plies a  large  variety  of  confections  to  big  five- 
and-ten  chains  and  to  small  jobbing  firms 
throughout  the  United  States.  He  gives  much 
time  to  community  enterprises  in  Christian 
County  and  also  money. 

Mr.  Lecas  was  born  in  Greece  on  August 
10,  1899,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1914.  He  was  still  only  fourteen  years  old 
when  he  went  to  work  in  a  confectionery 
store  in  Peoria.  It  was  there  he  learned  the 
candy-making  business,  under  the  tutelage 
of  an  uncle,  Christ  Lecas,  the  owner  of  the 
store.  In  1920  Mr.  Lecas  left  his  uncle's 
employ  and  moved  to  Joplin,  Missouri,  where 
he  again  worked  in  a  confectionery  store. 
Then  he  came  back  to  Illinois  and  worked  in 
another  such  establishment  in  Champaign  for 
a  year.  In  192  3,  he  established  himself  at 
Pana.  At  first  Mr.  Lecas  ran  a  combination 
restaurant  and  candy  store  in  this  commun- 
ity. Then,  in  1929,  he  began  manufacturing 
candy.  His  start  in  this  field  was  indeed 
humble,  but  -vith  characteristic  energy  and 
ability  he  was  able  to  expand  rapidly.  By 
1943  he  had  his  present  plant  in  Pana  going. 
Since  then  the  expansion  has  been  phenome- 
nal. His  first  building  was  18  by  30  in  di- 
mensions. The  second  building,  new,  modern 
and  constructed  of  brick,  was  many  times 
larger  and  the  third,  an  addition  to  the 
second,  has  multiplied  the  space  for  office 
and  factory  and  shipping  operations  many 
times  more.  In  1949,  Mr.  Lecas  also  erected 
a  separate  warehouse.  He  has  had  a  contract 
with  the  S.  S.  Kresge  Company  for  years.  He 
now  also  nas  a  contract  with  the  F.  W.  Wool- 
worth  Company  and  with  small  jobbing  firms 
which  distributed  his  candy  to  thousands  of 
retail  outlets.  Mr.  Lecas  makes  all  kinds  of 
suckers,  peanut  brittle  and  specialty  items. 
In  1949,  he  produced  more  than  200,000 
pounds  of  peanut  brittle  alone.  In  that  year, 
he  used  about  2500  100-pound  bags  of  sugar 
and  200,000  pounds  of  corn  syrup.  He  em- 
ploys  thirty   girls   and   five   or   six  men. 

In  192  0  Mr.  Lecas  married  Edith  Banks,  a 
native  of  Germany  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
Pana  since  childhood.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren— Diane  Lycas,  born  in  1936,  and  Vallas 
Lecas,  born  in  1939. 


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GEORGE  ROBERT  KENNEDY 


In  the  community,  Mr.  Lecas  is  active 
in  the  Pana  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  in 
American  Red  Cross  and  Community  Fund 
money-raising  campaigns.  Through  this  work, 
he  not  only  helps  the  city  expand  its  com- 
mercial and  industrial  facilities  but  also  to 
support  important  health  and  welfare  and 
youth-serving  programs.  He  is  himself  one  of 
Pana's  big  employers  and  is  one  of  those  who 
has  done  much  to  promote  civic  progress  and 
well-being. 

GEORGE  ROBERT  KENNEDY 

In  the  laundry  business  his  entire  working 
life,  George  Robert  Kennedy  is  now  owner 
and  operator  of  one  of  Springfield's  and  Sang- 
amon County's  largest  establishments  in  its 
field — the  Kennedy  Laundry  and  Dry  Cleaners. 
Mr.  Kennedy,  whose  reputation  extends 
throughout  the  laundry  world,  is  also  one  of 
the  state  capitol's  leading  citizens. 

Born  in  Peoria,  on  July  8,  1899,  he  is  the 
son  of  the  late  George  Thomas  and  Ella 
(Roth)  Kennedy.  The  father,  a  bank  teller  in 
his  early  days,  entered  the  laundry  business 
at  the  beginning  of  the  century,  with  a  partner 
named  William  Bourke.  They  operated  the 
Bourke  and  Kennedy  Laundry  at  Peoria. 
George  T.  Kennedy  retired  in  the  1920's,  and 
died  in  1925.  His  wife  is  also  deceased.  Their 
other  children  were  William,  deceased;  Mrs. 
Margaret  Kennedy  Conrad;  Walter  T.,  oper- 
ates the  Kennedy  Laundry  and  Dry  Cleaners 
of  Peoria;  Ralph  J.,  deceased;  Edward;  and 
Mrs.  Catherine  Kennedy  Abbey.  After  com- 
pleting his  education,  George  Robert  Kennedy 
worked  in  his  father's  laundry  in  Peoria  for 
a  year  or  two,  and  then  became  a  salesman  for 
the  American  Tobacco  Company.  His  next  em- 
ployment was  with  the  Willy  Laundry  Machin- 
ery Company  of  Philadelphia.  He  spent  ten 
years  demonstrating  and  selling  laundry  equip- 
ment for  this  concern ;  this  machinery  was 
known  as  the  Nu  Way  Laundry  Systems.  In 
the  period  that  Mr.  Kennedy  did  this  work  his 
company  merged  with  Ellis  Brothers  of  Chi- 
cago and  for  a  time  operated  under  the  name 
of  Willy-Ellis  Laundry  Machinery  Company. 
Then  there  was  another  merger  with  the  Tol- 
hurst  Machine  Works  at  Troy,  New  York,  and 
the  operation  was  conducted  under  the  name 
of  the  General  Laundry  Machinery  Company. 
In  1930  this  corporation  sold  out  to  the  Ameri- 
can Laundry  Machinery  Company. 

In  1930,  Mr.  Kennedy  left  the  General  Laun- 
dry Machinery  Company  and  established  him- 
self in  Springfield.  For  less  than  a  year  he 
was  an  employee  of  the  Mahon  Laundry. 


On  January  1,  1931,  he  purchased  the  entire 
business  from  Mr.  Mahon  and  for  the  next 
three  years  continued  operating  under  the 
Mahon  name.  In  1934,  however,  he  changed  the 
name  to  the  Kennedy  Laundry.  At  that  time 
he  operated  two  trucks  and  employed  fifteen 
persons.  He  has  since  so  developed  the  business 
that  today  it  operates  seven  trucks  and  em- 
ploys forty-four  persons.  The  addition  of  a  dry 
cleaning  department  in  1934  has  helped  the  de- 
velopment of  the  business.  Today  dry  cleaning 
constitutes  about  fifty  percent  of  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy's annual  volume.  He  maintains  a  "pick- 
up" office  in  downtown  Springfield,  and  is 
himself  frequently  seen  in  the  central  area  of 
the  city,  being  active  in  civic  enterprises. 

On  June  14,  1928,  Mr.  Kennedy  married 
Helen  I.  Rittenhouse,  and  they  have  three 
children — George  Robert  Kennedy,  Jr.,  born 
on  August  23,  1930;  Eugene  David  Kennedy, 
born  on  August  26,  1934,  and  Mary  Ellen  Ken- 
nedy, born  in  February  12,  1938.  The  family 
worships  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Mr.  Kennedy  belongs  not  only  to  such  or- 
ganizations as  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and 
Te  Deum  International,  but  also  to  the  Spring- 
field Lodge,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks;  the  Springfield  Manufacturers  and 
Employers  Association,  the  American  Institute 
of  Laundering,  the  National  Institute  of 
Cleaners  and  Dyers  and  the  Springfield  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce.  His  favorite  sports  are  golf 
and  bowling. 

RICHARD  KARL  GEBHARDT 

Few  men  are  better  known  in  the  paint  and 
decorating  field  than  Richard  Karl  Gebhardt 
of  Peoria.  President  of  the  Born  Paint  and 
Wallpaper  Company,  with  headquarters  at 
536  Fulton  Street,  Peoria,  Mr.  Gebhardt  holds 
honorary  memberships  and  offices  in  various 
organizations  of  the  trade  and  is  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Marquette  Paint 
and  Wallpaper  Company.  He  is  one  of  Peoria's 
civic  leaders  and  is  especially  well-known 
among  Illinois'  great  population  of  citizens  of 
German  descent. 

Mr.  Gebhardt  is  a  native  of  Germany.  Born 
on  August  11,  1900,  he  is  the  son  of  Karl 
Gebhardt,  also  born  in  Germany,  now  retii'ed 
and  living  in  Peoria,  and  Anna  (Starke)  Geb- 
hardt, another  native  of  that  country,  who 
naturally  also  makes  her  home  in  Peoria.  Rich- 
ard K.  Gebhardt  obtained  his  entire  education 
in  his  native  land.  After  attending  the  ele- 
mentary and  high  schools  of  that  country,  he 
attended  the  Mannheim  Commercial  College 
until  1923.  For  a  short  time  he  worked  in  the 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


693 


exporting  department  of  a  machinery  manu- 
facturing concern  in  Germany,  but  it  was  still 
1923  when  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  Peoria.  Until  1925  Mr.  Gebhardt  was 
employed  by  the  Keystone  Steel  and  Wire 
Company  of  Peoria.  Then  he  went  to  Syracuse, 
New  York,  to  work  for  the  Prosperity  Com- 
pany. In  1929  he  was  back  in  Peoria  and  as- 
sociating himself  with  his  father-in-law  in  the 
operation  of  the  Standard  Decorating  Co.  In 
1945,  he  became  president  of  the  Born  Paint 
and  Wallpaper  Co.  and  has  been  since  that 
time.  The  company  does  a  retail  and  whole- 
sale business  in  paints,  wallpaper  and  sundries. 
Its  trading  territory  is  the  Peoria  area  and 
it  employs  twenty-five  persons. 

Mr.  Gebhardt  married  Adele  Stemfle  of 
Germany  in  May,  1926,  and  two  children  were 
born  to  the  marriage — Richard  Lawrence  Geb- 
hardt on  December  31,  1929,  and  Wilma  Ella 
on  October  18,  1928,  now  Mrs.  Gilbert  Spur- 
geon.  Adele  Gebhardt  died  in  1939.  On  July  3, 
1940,  Mr.  Gebhardt  married  Margaret  Lauk- 
itis,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  daughter 
of  Michael  Adam  Laukitis,  a  miner  born  in 
Lithuania  who  died  in  1929,  and  Margaret 
Mary  (Kevege)  Laukitis,  also  a  native  of 
Lithuania,  who  died  in  1949.  The  Gebhardts 
reside  at   1617  West  Glen  Avenue,  Peoria. 

Some  of  the  indications  of  Mr.  Gebhardt's 
standing  in  his  field  of  business  are  the  fact 
that  he  has  served  as  vice  president  of  the 
Illinois  State  Council  of  the  Painting  and 
Decorating  Contractors  of  America  and  is  an 
honorary  member  of  both  the  state  and  na- 
tional organizations  as  well  as  the  Peoria 
chapter.  He  was  also  active  in  the  Wisconsin 
State  Council.  His  other  organizations  include 
the  Rotary  Club  of  Peoria,  the  Steuben  Club, 
the  German  Central  Society,  the  Peoria  As- 
sociation of  Commerce,  the  Peoria  Better  Busi- 
ness Bureau,  the  Creve  Coeur  Club  and  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  including  the  Shrine.  He 
has  made  a  widely  recognized  contribution  to 
the  progress  and  welfare  of  Illinois. 

EUGENE  DUNCAN  FUNK,  JR. 

In  association  with  twenty-one  other  pro- 
ducers, the  Funk  Brothers  Seed  Company  of 
Bloomington  originated  their  famed  Hybrid 
Seed  Corn  which  is  serving  the  entire  corn 
growing  region  of  the  United  States.  The  com- 
pany is  also  one  of  the  pioneers  in  soy  bean 
processing  and  does  a  heavy  business  in  soy 
bean  meal  and  oil  as  well  as  in  seed  corn  and 
many  varieties  of  other  seeds  and  in  grasses. 
Of  this  concern  Eugene  Duncan  Funk,  Jr.,  is 


president.  He  is  also  prominent  in  the  cham- 
ber of  commerce  movcrr-ut  and  in  educational 
work. 

Mr.  Funk  was  born  at  Shirley,  McLean 
County,  on  August  25,  1900,  the  son  of  Eugene 
Duncan  and  Mary  E.  (Anderson)  Funk.  His 
father,  also  born  at  Shirley,  founded  the  Funk 
Brothers  Seed  Company  in  1901.  He  died  in 
1944,  and  is  survived  by  his  wife,  who  is  a 
native  of  Portland,  Oregon.  E.  D.  Funk,  Jr., 
received  his  early  education  in  the  elementary 
and  high  schools  of  Shirley  and  Normal,  and 
then  spent  three  and  one-half  years  at  the 
University  of  Illinois.  He  joined  the  Funk 
Brothers  Seed  Company  in  1922  and  was 
made  secretary  of  the  corporation  in  1932. 
In  1944,  after  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
succeeded  him  in  the  presidency.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  establishment  of  the  company's 
soy  bean  oil  mill  in  1924.  This  mill  is  one 
of  the  oldest  in  continuous  operation  in  the 
United  States.  The  company's  products  are 
sold  in  virtually  every  corner  of  the  nation. 
It  employs  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
sons. The  Funk  name  has  been  associated 
for  a  half  century  with  corn,  grass  and  other 
seeds  throughout  the  agricultural  world,  a 
world  in  which  Eugene  D.  Funk,  Jr.,  is  an 
outstanding  figure. 

Mr.  Funk  married  Malotta  Divelbiss  of 
Lawrenceville,  Illinois,  daughter  of  Otto  and 
Mae  (Stevenson)  Divelbiss,  on  July  15,  1925. 
Mrs.  Funk's  father,  a  native  of  Farmer  City, 
Illinois,  was  farming  at  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1905.  Her  mother,  a  native  of  St.  Joseph, 
Illinois,  survives  him.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Funk  are 
the  parents  of  two  children — Sara  Funk,  who 
was  born  on  March  14,  1930,  and  Eugene 
Duncan  Funk,  III,  who  was  born  on  December 
17,  1935.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Funk  and  their  chil- 
dren reside  at  1318  East  Grove  Street,  Bloom- 
ington. 

Mr.  Funk  has  enjoyed  considerable  leader- 
ship in  his  native  area  and  in  the  state  at 
large.  He  is  a  former  president  and  member 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Bloomington 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  a  former  director 
and  member  of  the  agriculture-industry  com- 
mittee of  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois  Foundation,  and  of  the  Amer- 
ican Seed  Trade  Association,  the  Rotary  Club 
of  Bloomington  and  various  Masonic  bodies, 
including  the  Shrine.  He  is  foremost  among 
those  who  are  guiding  Bloomington  to  greater 
prosperity  and  to  cultural  heights. 


«94 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


RICHARD  KARL  CKBHARDT 


ORVILLE  F.  WAREHAM 


DARRELL  E.  WAREHAM 

The  Wareham  Dairy  at  Taylorville,  seat  of 
Christian  County,  is  one  of  the  outstanding 
business  enterprises  in  that  region.  Founded 
by  Darrell  E.  Wareham,  a  farmer  all  his  life, 
the  business  has  grown  rapidly  and  steadily 
until  it  has  become  an  important  factor  in 
the  area.  Mr.  Wareham  is  himself  well  known 
in  business  circles  and  in  the  affairs  of  his 
city  and  county. 

Born  in  Clarksdale,  on  November  21,  1913, 
Mr.  Wareham  is  the  son  of  Orville  F.  and 
Flossie  S.  (Payne)  Wareham,  both  of  whom 
are  also  natives  of  downstate  Illinois,  the 
former  a  farmer  and  livestock  breeder.  Others 
in  the  family  are  Frederick  H.  Wareham,  a 
partner  of  his  brother  Darrell  in  the  dairy 
business;  Donald  0.  Wareham,  who  is  also 
associated  with  the  dairy;  their  sister,  Irma, 
who  is  now  Mrs.  John  Kevie,  and  younger 
sister,  Marcella,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Ivan  Pit- 
tinger. 

Darrell  E.  Wareham  began  his  education 
in  the  grade  schools  of  Christian  County.  He 
continued  at  Hedge  College  grade  school  and 
then  spent  a  year  each  at  Washington  School 
and  Brush  College  grade  school.  He  completed 
his  education  at  Taylorville  High  School.  Until 
1930,  Mr.  Wareham  farmed  part  time.  In  that 
year  he  started  a  dairy  route  with  his  father 
and  he  gave  it  such  ability  and  energy  as  to 
build  it  into  a  successful  venture,  despite  the 
depression.  In  1940,  Mr.  Wareham  and  his 
brother  purchased  their  present  dairy  farm 
and  started  pasteurizing  raw  products.  The 
enterprise,  named  the  Wareham  Dairy,  soon 
prospered  and  has  grown  to  a  point  where  the 
partners  employ  twenty  persons,  operating 
twelve  trucks.  All  varieties  of  milk  products 
are  marketed,  and  the  dairy  produces  about 
300,000  units  a  month. 

Darrell  Wareham  married  Louise  Gilpin  of 
Taylorville  in  that  city  on  February  24,  1934. 
They  have  three  sons — Rodger  Wareham,  born 
in  1937;  Duane  Wareham,  born  in  1941;  and 
David  Wareham,  born  in  1948. 

Mr.  Wareham  is  active  in  the  Taylorville 
Association  of  Commerce  and  in  the  Illinois 
Dairymen's  Association.  As  a  dairy  operator 
he  is  giving  vital  service  to  his  fellow  citi- 
zens, and  he  has  won  great  prestige  among 
them  thereby. 

JAMES  ALBERT  CHERRY 

In  the  insurance  and  real  estate  business 
since  March.  1939,  whe  he  was  nineteen  years 
old,  James  Albert  Cherry  has  become  well 
known  throughout  Jackson  County.    His  firm, 


known  as  the  Cherry  Insurance  Agency  of 
Carbondale,  was  founded  by  his  father.  It  was 
operated  by  the  father  until  his  death  in  1928 
and  then  by  the  mother  before  the  son  took 
over.  Mr.  Cherry  attributes  much  of  his  suc- 
cess to  the  traditions  established  by  his  par- 
ents as  a  pattern  for  him  to  follow. 

Mr.  Cherry  was  born  in  Carbondale  on  De- 
cember 1,  1919,  the  son  of  Thomas  L.  and  Alice 
Sarah  (Vanden)  Cherry.  His  father,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  lived  most  of  his  adult  life  in 
Carbondale..  A  civic-minded  citizen  who  did 
much  for  Cardondale,  he  served  on  the  board 
of  trustees  of  Holden  Hospital  and  on  the  of- 
ficial board  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Alice 
Sarah  Cherry  was  a  native  of  Illinois.  She  died 
in  April,  1947.  Mr.  Cherry  has  three  broth- 
ers and  a  sister — Richai-d  V.  Cherry;  George 
T.  Cherry,  an  insurance  man  in  Omaha ;  Luth- 
er A.  Cherry,  and  Alice  S.  Cherry.  Richard 
V.  Cherry  is  now  associated  with  his  brother 
in  the  insurance  and  real  estate  business.  He 
was  formerly  an  executive  with  the  Western 
Adjustment  and  Inspection  Company  of  Chi- 
cago. 

James  A.  Cherry  attended  the  grade  and 
high  schools  of  Carbondale,  graduating  from 
high  school  in  1938.  He  played  football,  bas- 
ketball, track  and  tennis  at  high  school.  For 
four  months  he  was  a  student  at  Southern 
Illinois  University  in  Carbondale,  but  dropped 
out  to  take  over  the  business  his  widowed 
mother  had  been  operating  from  1938  on.  Mr. 
Cherry  became  head  of  this  insurance  and  real 
estate  firm  in  March,  1939,  eight  months  be- 
fore his  twentieth  birthday.  Since  that  time 
the  business  has  multiplied  in  volume.  He  now 
employs  four  persons  and  in  the  latter  part 
of  1948  he  had  completed  six  residences  and 
was  planning  the  development  of  a  new  sub- 
division for  Carbondale. 

Mr.  Cherry  married  Mary  Coletta  Taylor, 
the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  L.  Taylor  of 
Carbondale  in  that  city  on  August  30,  1940. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children — Coletta 
Sue  born  May  17,  1943,  and  Lucinda  Jane 
Cherry  born  Dec.  9,  1947.  The  family  wor- 
ships in  the  First  Methodist  Church  of  Car- 
bondale. 

Mr.  Cherry  is  a  member  of  the  Rotary  Club 
of  Carbondale,  the  Carbondale  Business  Men's 
Association ;  the  Carbondale  Lodge,  Benevo- 
lent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks;  the  Car- 
bondale Lodge,  Loyal  Order  of  Moose;  Sheki- 
nah  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  the  Jackson  Country  Club.  His  fa- 
vorite recreations  are  golf  and  hunting.  He 
also   likes  most  other   outdoor   sports,   chiefly 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


699 


as  spectator,  though  he  is  himself  of  the  ath- 
letic type,  six  feet  one  inch  tall  and  weighing 
two  hundred  pounds.  He  has  contributed  to 
the  reputation  of  the  Cherry  family,  first  es- 
tablished by  his  parents,  and  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  community. 

FREDERICK  E.  BLOOM 

At  201  Adams  Street,  in  Peoria,  stands  an 
institution  which  has  been  serving  that  com- 
munity and  a  region  far  beyond  it  since  1890. 
This  is  the  renowned  B.  and  M.  Department 
Store,  of  which  Frederick  E.  Bloom  is  presi- 
dent. Mr.  Bloom  not  only  heads  this  great  busi- 
ness but  gives  leadership  to  the  community 
in  its  business,  civic  and  fraternal  life  and 
is  a  man  who  enjoys  a  reputation  for  mer- 
chandising skill  among  the  merchants  of  the 
nation. 

Mr.  Bloom  was  born  in  Peoria  on  March 
27,  1894,  the  son  of  Jacques  and  Marie 
(Asher)  Bloom.  His  father,  a  native  of  Alsace- 
Lorraine  who  came  to  America  in  his  youth 
and  established  himself  as  a  leading  citizen  of 
Illinois,  founded  The  B.  and  M.  Department 
Store  in  1890.  He  was  president  of  the  com- 
pany until  his  death  in  1938.  The  mother,  a 
native  of  Jackson,  Mississippi,  survives  her 
husband  and  continues  to  make  her  home  in 
Peoria. 

Frederick  Bloom  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  elementary  and  high  schools  of 
Peoria  and  then  studied  at  Princeton  Uni- 
versity in  New  Jersey,  emerging  with  the 
Bachelor  of  Literature  degree  in  1917.  By  the 
time  he  took  this  degree  the  United  States 
had  entered  World  War  I,  and  before  enter- 
ing the  business  world  Mr.  Bloom  went  into 
military  service.  He  was  overseas  first  with 
the  Ambulance  Field  Service,  then  with  the 
Army  Motor  Transport  Corps.  He  was  hon- 
orably discharged  in  August,  1919,  with  the 
rank  of  Second  Lieutenant.  The  following 
month  he  joined  his  father  in  the  department 
store  and  has  devoted  himself  to  the  work 
since  that  time.  Founded  in  1890,  the  store 
was  first  known  as  Bloom  and  Mayer,  but  in 
1892  took  its  present  name,  The  B.  and  M. 
Frederick  Bloom  worked  in  the  store  in  vari- 
ous positions,  learning  the  business,  until  in 
1923  he  was  made  secretary  of  the  corpora- 
tion. In  1938,  upon  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
assumed  the  presidency.  Under  his  leadership 
the  store  has  continued  to  gain  in  prestige 
and  volume  of  business,  and  he  himself  has 
made  a  nationwide  reputation  as  a  merchan- 
diser and  business  executive. 


On  May  8,  1943  at  Springfield,  Mr.  Bloom 
married  Frances  Houy  of  that  city.  Mrs. 
Bloom's  parents  are  Philip  and  May  (McCor- 
mick)  Houy.  Her  father,  who  is  in  the  jewelry 
business,  was  born  in  Germany,  her  mother  in 
Chicago.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bloom  reside  at  120 
Kickapoo  Street,  Peoria,  and  worship  in  the 
First   Church  of   Christ,   Scientist,  in  Peoria. 

Mr.  Bloom  is  not  only  active  in  that  church 
but  in  various  community  organizations.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Peoria  Association  of 
Commerce  of  the  United  States,  the  Ivy  Club, 
the  Creve  Coeur  Club  and  several  masonic 
bodies,  including  the  Shrine.  An  employer  of 
128  persons,  he  is  the  head  of  one  of  the  few 
home-owned  businesses  in  Peoria.  He  is  rated 
highly  among  those  who  are  devoting  them- 
selves to  the  building  of  Peoria  and  the  state. 

RAY  H.  NEISEWANDER 

The  woodworking  shops  owned  and  operated 
by  Ray  H.  Neisewander  of  Springfield  are 
known  throughout  a  wide  section  of  the  state. 
Located  at  Springfield  and  Dixon,  seat  of  Lee 
County,  these  shops  make  home  kitchen  cabi- 
nets, overhead  garage  doors  and  other  items.  A 
leading  member  of  the  woodworking  industry 
Mr.  Neisewander  was  born  in  Gibson  City, 
Ford  County,  on  March  19,  1906,  the  son  of 
W.  J.  and  Margaret  (Houston)  Neisewander, 
the  former  a  building  contractor  and  farmer. 
Ray  Neisewander  spent  two  years  at  high 
school  after  completing  grade  school.  He 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  and  occasionally 
in  the  father's  building  contracting  business 
in  his  school  days  and  for  a  time  afterward. 
He  left  Gibson  City  and  his  father's  farm 
when  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  moving  to 
Springfield.  There  he  took  a  job  as  a  drafts- 
man in  a  patent  office.  This  job  he  gave  up 
in  order  to  embark  on  an  apprenticeship  in 
the  woodworking  trade  at  the  P.  A.  Wetzel 
Company  plant  in  Springfield. 

After  mastering  this  trade,  Mr.  Neisewander 
worked  not  only  in  Springfield,  but  also  in 
Decatur,  St.  Louis,  Chicago  and  Detroit,  as 
well  as  in  several  other  cities.  In  1928  he 
returned  to  Springfield  and  for  one  year 
more  worked  as  an  employee.  In  1929,  he  chan- 
neled his  woodworking  skill  into  a  business  of 
his  own,  The  Capitol  Wood  Works.  He  started 
his  first  shop  with  a  capital  of  $661  saved 
after  years  of  work.  Renting  space  in  the 
rear  of  a  grocery  store,  he  began  making 
home  kitchen  cabinets.  From  there  he  moved 
to  larger  quarters,  where  he  employed  twenty 
men.  In  1940  Mr.  Neisewander  built  his 
present    Springfield    plant   at    1010    East   Ed- 


700 


LIBRARY    OF    AMERICAN    LIVES 


FREDERICK  E.  BLOOM 


RAY  H.  NEISEWANDER 


wards  St.  He  has  since  added  to  this  structure 
several  times.  In  1944,  he  and  a  partner 
opened  a  plant  in  Quincy.  Two  years  later  Mr. 
Neisewander,  alone,  purchased  a  plant  at 
Dixon.  In  1948,  he  bought  out  his  partner  and 
now  owns  the  controlling'  stock  in  his  business. 
He  has  consolidated  the  Quincy  plant  with  the 
Dixon  plant  known  as  the  Raynor  Mfg.  Co. 
and  in  the  latter  now  employs  200  men.  At 
Dixon  Mr.  Neisewander  specializes  in  over- 
head garage  doors,  while  at  Springfield  he 
does  a  general  woodworking  business  which 
includes  among  other  things  garage  doors. 
Each  plant  has  about  55,000  square  feet  of 
floor  space. 

On  April  15,  1925,  at  Springfield,  Mr.  Neise- 
wander married  Adrienne  Murphy,  a  native  of 
that  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neisewander,  both 
of  whom  worship  in  the  Catholic  Church,  are 
the  parents  of  six  children— Margaret,  now 
Mrs.  William  Bradley  and  the  mother  of  Susan 
and  William  Bradley,  Jr.;  Catherine,  now  Mrs. 
Eddie  Vespa  and  the  mother  of  Eddie  Ray 
and  David  Joe  Vespa;  Ray  H.  Neisewander, 
Jr.,  born  in  1932;  Patsy  Ann,  born  in  1933; 
Eleanor  Mae,  born  in  1937,  and  John  William, 
born  in  1938. 

Mr.  Neisewander  is  active  in  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  the  Cosmopolitan  Club,  the  Spring- 
field Lodge  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks;  the  Springfield  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  the  Illinois  Manufacturers  As- 
sociation. Hunting  and  fishing  are  his  fa- 
vorite recreations.  One  of  the  best  known 
men  in  the  Springfield  area,  Mr.  Neisewander 
has  done  much  as  employer  and  maker  of 
vital  items  to  add  to  the  area's  wealth  and 
well-being. 

HON.  HENRY  C.  G.  SCHRADER 

Probably  the  most  widely  known  abstract 
and  title  man  in  Illinois,  is  Henry  C.  G.  Schra- 
der  of  Belleville,  Illinois.  He  is  president  and 
general  manager  of  the  St.  Clair  Guaranty 
and  Title  Company  and  president  of  the  Sav- 
ings and  Loan  Association  of  Belleville  and 
former  treasurer  of  the  Belleville  Security 
Building  and  Loan  Association.  He  is  a  man 
who  throughout  his  long  life  has  served  his 
community,  county  and  state  in  every  conceiv- 
able capacity,  forwarding  the  cause  of  educa- 
tion, culture,  welfare,  business  and  civic  de- 
velopment and  good  government.  His  reputa- 
tion as  a  citizen  is  national  in  scope  and  non- 
partisan in  character,  for  he  has  been  called 
to  the  attention  of  two  Democratic  Presidents: 
Woodrow  Wilson  and  Franklin  D.  Roo-evelt 
and  Republican  Herbert  Hoover. 


Mr.  Schrader  was  born  October  31,  1868, 
in  Belleville,  the  eldest  son  of  Henry  E.  and 
Louise  E.  (Winter)  Schrader.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  John  Winter,  was  the  proprietor 
of  the  Belleville  House,  a  popular  hostelry  of 
that  era.  Educated  in  the  public  schools,  he 
went  to  work  in  a  grocery  store  in  Belleville 
in  1884.  A  few  months  later  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  former  Belleville  Stove  Works, 
however,  at  the  request  of  his  father,  who  was 
then  manager  of  the  St.  Clair  Title  Office,  he 
went  to  work  for  that  concern  on  December 
1,  1884.  His  salary  was  eight  dollars  a  month. 
In  October,  1886,  Mr.  Schrader  left  Belleville, 
Illinois  to  work  for  Haddock,  Vallette  and 
Rickords,  a  title  company  in  Chicago.  In  his 
time  with  this  firm,  the  name  was  changed 
to  Security  Title  and  Trust  Company,  and 
thus  Mr.  Schrader  was  gaining  experience  in 
the  field   in   which  he   is   so   renowned. 

In  April,  1898,  Mr.  Schrader  returned  to 
Belleville  and  the  St.  Clair  Title  Office,  still 
under  his  father's  management.  In  1903  when 
the  Mississippi  flood  drove  out  the  inhabitants 
of  East  St.  Louis  and  adjoining  lowlands  Mr. 
Schrader  was  made  Special  Chief  of  Belleville's 
Police  to  care  for  the  housing  and  feeding  of 
the  homeless  numbering  in  the  hundreds.  In 
1907  he  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  Good 
Government  and  Improvement  Association,  in 
recognition  of  his  leadership  in  civic  and  public 
affairs.  In  1909,  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Library  Board  and  was  instrumental  in  start- 
ing a  movement  to  obtain  a  Carnegie  gift  re- 
sulting in  the  present  library  building.  He 
served  on  the  Board  till  1913.  In  1909,  too, 
he  became  assistant  manager  of  the  St.  Clair 
Title  Office  and  later  as  manager,  succeeded 
his  father  who  retired  at  the  age  of  seventy. 
In  1910  Mr.  Schrader,  with  other  citizens, 
organized  the  Memorial  Day  Association,  of 
which  he  was  elected  and  has  been  president 
ever  since.  Since  his  election  to  the  presiden- 
cy, Mr.  Schrader,  at  the  request  of  the  G.A.R. 
has  exemplified  the  ritual  of  that  organiza- 
tion at  the  graves  of  its  members,  acting  for 
the  enfeebled  members  still  living,  until  the 
last  survivor  was  laid  to  rest  in  1943.  On 
May  30,  1944,  at  the  Memorial  Day  Exercises 
he  was  presented  with  an  Army  Distinguished 
Service  Medal  by  the  Veterans  of  Foreign 
Wars  in  recognition  of  his  services  on  Memo- 
rial Day  for  over  thirty-four  years. 

In  1913  he  was  made  president  of  the  Belle- 
ville Commercial  Club,  and  in  his  three  term 
administration  the  International  Shoe  Com- 
pany plant  was  brought  to  Belleville.  In  1913, 
also,    Mr.    Schrader   became   treasurer   of   the 


ILLINOIS        EDITION 


705 


Belleville  Security  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion and  of  the  Illinois  Abstractors'  Associa- 
tion. In  1917  he  was  elected  Exalted  Ruler 
of  the  Belleville  Lodge,  No.  481,  B.P.O.E.,  and 
represented  the  Lodge  at  the  Atlantic  City 
convention  two  years  later.  He  has  been  a 
trustee  of  the  lodge  for  over  forty  years  and 
was  a  member  of  the  building  committee  that 
erected  the  lodge  building  on  West  Lincoln 
Street.  He  was  chairman  of  entertainment 
programs  for  men  leaving  for  the  armed  forces 
and  served  on  the  Draft  Board  by  appoint- 
ment of  President  Wilson.  In  1917  he  was 
made  vice-president  of  the  Illinois  Abstrac- 
tor's Association  and  in  1918  president.  In 
1918  he  was  elected  president  of  the  War 
Camp  Community  Service. 

Mr.  Schrader's  present  company,  the  St. 
Clair  Guaranty  and  Title  Company,  was 
formed  in  1919.  He  joined  with  others  in  or- 
ganizing this  firm  which  was  an  amalgama- 
tion of  the  St.  Clair  Title  Office;  Donovan- 
Guignon  Title  Company  and  Wolleson-Wolf 
Abstract  Company.  He  was  elected  the  first 
president,  and  has  been  president  ever  since. 
In  November,  1920,  Mr.  Schrader  was  made 
secretary  of  the  Citizen's  Building  and  Loan 
Association  and,  being  a  recognized  authority 
on  loan  matters  throughout  Illinois,  he  is  now 
president  of  that  organization  under  the  name 
of  the  Citizens  Savings  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion. In  June  1932,  Mr.  Schrader  was  elected 
vice-president  of  the  Title  Examiner's  Section 
of  the  Illinois  Title  Association  and  in  July, 
1933,  was  elected  president  of  the  section.  He 
considers  this  the  highest  honor  that  can  come 
to  anyone  in  his  profession. 

In  his  continued  service  to  the  community, 
Mr.  Schrader  served  on  the  Committee  of  the 
Greater  Belleville  Board  of  Trade,  through 
which  he  participated  and  led  in  civic  group 
amalgamations  into  what  is  today  known  as 
the  Belleville  Chamber  of  Commerce.  In  1923 
he  became  a  member  and  president  of  the 
Belleville  Park  Board  and  in  1925  of  the  Ro- 
tary Club.  In  May  1950,  Mr.  Schrader  was 
presented  with  a  gold  pin  in  recognition  of  his 
thirty  years-100%  attendance  as  a  member  of 
the  Belleville  Rotary  Club.  In  1930  he  became 
vice-president  and  in  1931  president  of  the 
Belleville  Area  Boy  Scouts  of  America,  and 
in  1950  he  was  presented  with  a  thirty-five 
year  service  pin,  prior  to  which  he  had  been 
honored  with  the  Silver  Beaver  Award  by  the 
National  Council  of  the  Boy  Scouts  of  Amer- 
ica. 

On  January  31,  1933  Mr.  Schrader  was 
named     personal     ambassador     by     President 


Hoover  to  make  the  President's  Award  to  the 
Belleville  Area  Council.  In  1930  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Zoning  Commission,  in  1931 
president  of  the  Builders  club  and  in  1931  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  president  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  a  position  his  father  had 
also  held,  and  served  as  such  for  ten  consecu- 
tive years  until  1941. 

Mr.  Schrader  was  one  of  the  donors  of  the 
26-acre  site  known  as  Belleville  Park  to  the 
city  in  1922.  In  1933  he  became  a  member  of 
the  Mediation  Board  for  the  city  under  the 
National  Recovery  Act  and  in  1934  he  was 
President  Roosevelt's  personal  ambassador  in 
the  making  of  the  Boy  Scout  Award.  In  De- 
cember 1934,  Mr.  Schrader  celebrated  the  50th 
anniversary  of  his  entrance  into  the  title  busi- 
ness. In  1949  he  had  been  in  the  title  business 
65  years. 

Mr.  Schrader  is  the  oldest  active  ex-presi- 
dent of  the  Illinois  Title  Association,  and  with 
the  exception  of  the  noon  hour  and  other  meal 
times  he  spends  eight  hours  daily  at  his  of- 
fice excepting  Saturdays  and  Sundays.  He  is 
probably  the  most  widely  known  abstract  and 
title  man  in  Illinois  and  his  reputation  for 
painstaking  and  accuracy  extends  to  the  bor- 
ders of  the  nation  and  the  services  rendered 
by  his  company  are  recognized  by  all  financial 
institutions  as  beyond  criticism.  His  opinion 
in  title  matters  is  sought  by  lawyers  and  lay- 
men alike.  He  has  never  aspired  to  public 
office  with  remuneration,  although  having 
been  approached  many  times.  He  preferred 
to  give  his  services  to  his  community  without 
compensation.  He  has  received  the  highest  type 
of  recognition  not  only  in  his  title  field  but 
in  the  great  general   field  of  citizenship. 

RAYMOND  W.  FRANK 

A  noted  insurance  man  who  is  a  Life  Mem- 
ber of  the  Million  Dollar  Round  Table,  Ray- 
mond W.  Frank  is  General  Agent  for  the 
State  Mutual  Life  Assurance  Company  of 
Worcester,  Massachusetts,  at  Chicago.  He  is 
well  known  in  the  business  life  of  Chicago 
and  at   Wilmette,   where  he  makes   his   home. 

Mr.  Frank,  born  at  Freeport,  Illinois,  on 
June  29,  1903,  is  the  son  of  William  Albert  and 
Dora  (Wachlin)  Frank.  His  father,  a  native 
of  Stephenson  County,  was  a  mason  contrac- 
tor. In  the  Spanish-American  War  he  served 
with  Company  L,  Illinois  Militia.  He  was 
prominent  in  Masonic  and  Elks  circles  in 
Northern  Illinois.  The  insurance  executive  at- 
tended Freeport  High  School  and  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois  School  of  Commerce,  graduat- 
ing from  the  latter  in  1925  with  the  degree  of 


70f. 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


RAYMOND  W.  FRANK 


JACOB  HENRY  IRIONS 


Bachelor  of  Science.  He  was  elected  to  Theta 
Xi  and  Delta  Sigma  Pi  Fraternities  at  the 
university. 

In  1925  Mr.  Frank  entered  the  life  insur- 
ance business  as  an  agent  at  Champaign.  On 
January  1,  1927,  he  was  made  district  agent 
of  the  Equitable  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
Iowa  at  Freeport.  On  July  1,  1929,  he  became 
associated  with  the  Chicago  agency  of  the 
State  Mutual  Life  Assurance  Company  of 
Worcester.  He  was  promoted  to  supervisor  of 
agents  on  June  1,  1936,  and  to  General  Agent 
on  October  2,  1944. 

Only  two  years  or  so  after  beginning  his 
career,  Mr.  Frank  married  Leone  A.  Donner, 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Alvina  Donner.  The 
wedding  took  place  in  Geneva,  Illinois,  on 
July  5,  1927.  Mrs.  Frank,  also  a  University 
of  Illinois  graduate,  is  active  in  sorority  work 
and  is  a  writer  of  verse  and  a  book  reviewer. 
Mi-.  Frank  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  Mrs.  P>ank  of  the  Catholic.  Their 
home  is  at  1315  Richmond  Lane,   Wilmette. 

In  the  course  of  his  insurance  career,  Mr. 
Frank  constantly  aimed  at  the  coveted  goal 
of  all  insurance  men,  membership  in  the  Mil- 
lion Dollar  Round  Table.  In  1941  he  quali- 
fied for  such  membership  and  in  1944  he  was 
made  a  Life  Member.  In  1944,  too,  he  served 
as  president  of  the  Life  Agency  Supervisors 
of  Chicago.  In  the  year  1949-'50  he  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Life  Agency  Managers  Association 
of  Chicago.  He  is  also  a  former  director  of 
the  Chicago  Life  Underwriters  Association. 
He  holds  the  thirty-second  degree  in  Masonry 
and  is  a  member  of  the  North  Shore  Country 
Club  at  Glenview.  Mr.  Frank  usually  votes 
Republican.  Golf  is  his  favorite  game.  His 
garden  and  photography  are  his  hobbies,  but 
perhaps  the  form  of  relaxation  he  likes  most 
is  travel.  A  builder  of  the  insurance  business, 
he  is  a  builder  of  the  nation — and  outstanding 
citizen  among  Illinoisans  of  note. 

JACOB  HENRY  IRIONS 

Holder  of  a  position  of  great  influence  in  the 
construction  industry  in  the  Illinois  Valley, 
Jacob  Henry  Irions  of  Chillicothe  and  Peoria 
is  the  owner  of  three  companies  operating  in 
this  vital  field,  one  of  which  he  founded  him- 
self. The  firm  he  purchased  is  now  called  the 
Irions  Concrete  Block  Company  and  is  lo- 
cated at  Chillicothe,  the  other  is  the  Irions 
Quality  Concrete  Company  at  Peoria  and  the 
third  is  also  in  Chillicothe.  All  three  of  these 
concerns  are  contributing  to  the  development 
of  the  Peoria  trading  territory,  which  covers 


an  extensive  area  of  the  state.  Mr.  Irions  is 
a  leading  participant  in  civic  affairs  in  both 
the  communities  in  which  he  maintains  busi- 
nesses. 

Born  at  nearby  Congerville  on  July  2,  1911, 
Mr.  Irions  is  the  son  of  Albert  J.  and  Lillie 
(Evelsizer)  Irions.  Both  parents  are  still 
living  at  Congerville,  where  Albert  Irions  is 
a  farmer.  Albert  Irions  is  a  native  of  Con- 
gerville, Lillie  Irions  of  Woodford  County, 
Illinois.  Jacob  Henry  Irions  was  educated  in 
a  primary  school  at  his  birthplace  and  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  worked  with  his 
father  on  the  family  farm.  In  1931  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  enterprise  then  known  as 
the  East  Peoria  Sand  and  Gravel  Company, 
and  by  1935  had  learned  the  business  to  such 
an  extent  that  he  was  made  superintendent. 
In  that  same  year  he  established  the  Irions 
Concrete  Block  Company  in  Chillicothe  and 
operated  this  without  relinquishing  his  super- 
vision over  the  East  Peoria  Sand  and  Gravel 
Company.  In  1948  he  purchased  the  latter  con- 
cern and  a  year  later  changed  its  name  to 
Irions  Quality  Concrete  Company.  Mr.  Irions 
maintains  a  headquarters  for  his  three  busi- 
nesses at  418  First  National  Bank  Building 
in  Peoria,  continuing  to  operate  plants  and 
branch  offices  in  Chillicothe.  The  Irions  Quality 
Concrete  Company  handles  ready-mixed  con- 
crete, employing  twenty-two  persons.  The 
Chillicothe  firms  produce  concrete  blocks  now 
so  popular  in  construction;  it  employs  thirty 
persons.  Mr.  Irions  is  president  of  all  three 
corporations. 

On  July  30,  1930,  Mr.  Irions  married  Luella 
Gibbons,  a  native  of  Hanna  City,  Peoria 
County,  and  the  daughter  of  John  and  Fern 
(McAlister)  Gibbons.  Mrs.  Irions'  father,  who 
was  born  in  England,  established  the  East 
Peoria  Sand  and  Gravel  Company  in  1920. 
He  died  in  1946,  and  is  survived  by  his  widow, 
a  native  of  Hanna  City  now  making  her  home 
in  Morton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Irions  are  the  parents 
of  two  sons — Donald  Lee  Irions,  born  on  April 
3,  1931,  and  Gerald  Richard  Irions,  born  on 
December  27,  1933.  The  family  worships  in 
the  Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  Irions  is  active  in  the  Chillicothe  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  the  Peoria  Association  of 
Commerce,  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  other  organizations.  Fishing 
is  his  favorite  sport.  His  home  is  at  918 
North  Fourth  Street,  Chillicothe.  He  main- 
tains a  splendid  record  of  business  and  civic 
achievement  and  is  a  highly  respected  citi- 
zen of  his  region. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


711 


HON.  WILLIAM  PAUL  BUCHANAN, 
A.B.,  LL.B. 

An  attorney,  insurance  man  and  public 
official,  the  Honorable  William  Paul  Buc- 
hanan of  Peoria  has  served  his  community  and 
state  in  a  manner  which  has  brought  him  con- 
siderable prestige.  He  is  a  former  Alderman 
of  the  City  of  Peoria  and  a  former  member 
of  the  Illinois  State  Liquor  Control  Commis- 
sion. He  is  one  of  the  leading  figures  at  the 
bar  in  Peoria  County  and  as  founder  and 
operator  of  Buchanan  and  Company  has  equal 
rank  in  the  insurance  world.  Buchanan  and 
Company  specialize  in  insurance  coverages  on 
financial   institutions   in   the   Middle   West. 

Born  at  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania,  on  Janu- 
ary 31,  1913,  William  Paul  Buchanan  is  the 
son  of  William  C.  and  Pansy  B.  (Blough) 
Buchanan,  both  of  whom  were  also  born  in 
that  Keystone  State  community.  His  father  is 
president  of  the  Globe  Steel  Tube  Company 
of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Buchanan  and 
his  family  moved  about  a  great  deal  in  his 
early  years,  with  the  result  that  he  went 
to  elementary  school  at  Warren,  Ohio,  and 
high  school  at  Peoria.  He  attended  Culver 
Military  Academy  in  1926.  For  his  pre-legal 
studies  he  attended  the  University  of  Illinois, 
which  in  1934  awarded  him  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  for  his  professional 
work  he  matriculated  at  the  University  of 
South  Dakota,  Vermillion,  taking  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1936.  Returning  to 
Peoria  and  obtaining  admission  to  the  Illinois 
State  Bar  that  same  year,  Mr.  Buchanan  be- 
gan his  practice  of  law  then  and  has  con- 
tinued to  the  present  time,  with  ever-increas- 
ing success  and  prestige.  In  1938,  he  estab- 
lished Buchanan  and  Company,  now  one  of 
the  area's  most  successful  insurance  firms.  His 
office  is  in  the  Jefferson  Building,  Peoria. 

On  December  30,  1939,  at  Peoria,  Mr.  Buch- 
anan married  Imogene  L.  Squire  of  that  city 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  two 
children — William  Paul  Buchanan,  Jr.,  who 
was  born  on  April  14,  1941,  and  Mary  Irene 
Buchanan,  who  was  born  on  February  1, 
1946.  The  family  resides  at  419  Columbia 
Terrace,  Peoria,  and  worships  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

Though  he  began  the  practice  of  law  only 
in  1936  Mr.  Buchanan  rose  to  prominence  and 
community  leadership  so  rapidly  that  within 
three  years  he  was  elected  to  the  Peoria  City 
Board  of  Aldermen.  He  served  on  that  body 
from  1939  to  1943.  In  1942  the  Governor  ap- 
pointed him  to  the  Illinois  State  Liquor  Con- 
trol Commission  and  he  held  office  until  1946. 


He  is  active  in  the  Peoria  Bar  Association,  the 
Illinois  State  Bar  Association,  the  Ivy  Club, 
the  University  Club  of  Peoria  and  various 
Masonic  bodies,  among  them  the  Shrine.  Also, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Peoria  Association  of 
Commerce  and  Phi  Delta  Phi  Fraternity. 
Among  his  favorite  recreations  are  fishing, 
hunting  and  boating.  His  activities  have  en- 
abled him  to  promote,  in  most  effective  and 
concrete  fashion,  the  public  good  in  his  adopted 
state. 

IRVIN  J.  BOWER 

Many  names  are  outstanding  in  Central 
Illinois  but  none  is  better  known  than  Irvin 
J.  Bower's.  For  Mr.  Bower,  who  is  in  the 
automotive  parts  and  equipment  business  in 
conjunction  with  which  he  operates  an  auto- 
motive machine  shop,  has  served  a  large  area 
through  that  business,  while  also  giving  serv- 
ice in  civic  fields,  in  his  church  and  in  his 
municipality.  He  is  president  of  the  Bower 
Automotive  Company  at  Bloomington,  the  seat 
of  his  native  McLean  County. 

Mr.  Bower  was  born  on  a  farm  in  that 
county  on  March  7,  1898,  the  son  of  Charles 
and  Mollie  (Allison)  Bower.  Both  his  parents 
were  also  natives  of  McLean  County.  His 
father,  who  died  in  1937,  was  not  only  a 
farmer  but  also  a  grain  dealer  and  the 
operator  of  a  general  store.  The  mother  died 
on  August  23,  1943.  Irvin  J.  Bower  began 
his  education  in  a  country  school  in  McLean 
County,  some  distance  from  his  native  farm. 
Later,  he  attended  and  was  graduated  from 
the  high  school  at  Stanford,  one  of  the  com- 
munities in  the  county,  and  he  finished  his 
education  at  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  at 
Bloomington,  where  he  spent  two  semesters. 
When  the  United  States  entered  World  War 
I,  Mr.  Bower  joined  the  armed  forces  and 
after  the  war  worked  as  a  mechanic  for 
an  automobile  dealer. 

In  1920  he  started  to  work  for  the  E.  B. 
Collins  Company  of  Blooming-ton  as  salesman, 
followed  by  seventeen  years  as  manager.  In 
1938  he  bought  out  the  company,  which  he 
operated  for  a  decade  as  the  Bower-Collins 
Company.  In  1948  he  moved  the  business  to 
a  new  building  which  he  had  constructed  for 
it  at  305  South  Center  Street,  Bloomington, 
and  renamed  it  the  Bower  Automotive  Com- 
pany. The  concern,  in  addition  to  operating 
its  automotive  machine  shop,  is  wholesale 
distributor  in  the  Bloomington  trade  terri- 
tory of  automotive  parts,  garage  and  service 
station  supplies,  tools,  machinery  and  equip- 
ment.      It    employs    seventeen    persons.       On 


712 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


HON.  WILLIAM  PAUL  BUCHANAN,  A.B.,  LL.B. 


IRVIN  J.  BOWER 


October  23,  1920,  at  Bloomington  Mr.  Bower 
married  Pearl  Mitchell,  a  native  of  the 
community.  Mrs.  Bower  is  the  daughter  of 
Isaac  Johnson  and  Emma  Jeanette  (Rogers) 
Mitchell.  Both  her  parents  were  born  in  Mc- 
Lean County,  as  she  was  herself.  Mr.  Mitchell, 
a  farmer  and  general  store  operator,  died  in 
1929 ;  Mrs.  Mitchell  died  in  1937.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bower  are  the  parents  of  three  children — 
Laurel  Bee  Bower,  who  was  born  on  July  5, 
1930;  Emily  Sue  Bower,  who  was  born  on 
September  7,  1933,  and  Alice  Ann  Bower,  born 
on  November  20,  1934.  The  Bovvers,  who  live 
at  33  Country  Club  Place,  Bloomington,  wor- 
ship in  the  Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  Bower  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
trustees  of  the  Church.  Also,  he  has  served 
on  the  Building  Committee  of  the  Wesley 
Methodist  Church.  He  is  a  former  president 
of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Bloomington,  and  is 
active  also  in  the  Bloomington  Association  of 
Commerce,  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  the  American  Legion,  the  Bloom- 
ington Country  Club,  and  the  Masonic  order 
in  which  he  has  attained  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree. His  hobby  is  stamp  collecting  and  his 
favorite  outdoor  activities  are  golf  and  fish- 
ing. Mr.  Bower  has  won  an  outstanding 
place  in  the  contemporary  history  of  Central 
Illinois. 

ALBERT  CHARLES  BECKEN,  JR. 

Renowned  in  the  business  world,  Albert 
Charles  Becken,  Jr.,  of  Chicago,  is  especially 
well  known  in  the  wholesale  jewelry  business 
across  the  nation.  He  is  managing  partner 
of  A.  C.  Becken,  Jr.,  Wholesale  Jewelers,  35 
East  Wacker  Drive,  Chicago.  A  leading  stu- 
dent at  the  University  of  Illinois  in  his  col- 
lege days,  Mr.  Becken  continues  interested 
in  education,  in  college  athletics  and  in  fra- 
ternity activities.  He  has  headed  fraternity 
units  and  various  jewelry  trade  organizations. 

Chicago  is  Mr.  Becken 's  native  city.  Born 
on  November  10,  1898,  he  is  the  son  of  Albert 
Charles  and  Grace  R.  (Huntley)  Becken.  His 
father,  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  was  also 
a  wholesale  jeweler.  The  mother,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  the  daughter  of  George 
William  and  Luzerne  Huntley.  After  attend- 
ing Park  Ridge,  Illinois  elementary  and  high 
schools,  Mr  Becken  studied  for  the  Bachelor 
of  Science  degree  at  the  University  of  Illinois, 
winning  the  degree  in  1920.  He  also  did  post- 
graduate work  at  Northwestern  University. 
At  Urbana,  he  was  senior  baseball  manager 
and  secretary  of  the  Athletic  Board  of  Con- 
trol  and   was   elected   to  Chi   Psi   Fraternity. 


He  has  made  his  entire  career  in  the  whole- 
sale jewelry  business  and  as  managing  part- 
ner of  A.  C.  Becken,  Jr.,  Wholesale  Jewelers, 
has  become  known  in  the  trade  in  every  cor- 
ner of  the  United  States. 

On  March  26,  1923,  in  Chicago,  Illinois, 
Mr.  Becken  married  Mary  Louise  Webb,  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  Leslie  Webb. 
The  Beckens  make  their  home  at  353  Green- 
wood Avenue,  Glencoe.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Becken  are  prominent  in  the  civic  and  social 
life  of  that  community,  and  they  worship  in 
the  North  Shore  Methodist  Church  there.  Of 
this  church  Mr.  Becken  is  a  trustee.  Mrs. 
Becken  is  past  president  of  the  Woman's  So- 
ciety of  the  church  and  is  past  treasurer  of  the 
Glencoe  Thrift  Shop,  an  enterprise  of  the 
Women's  Library  Club  of  Glencoe.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Becken  are  the  parents  of  two  sons — 
Charles  Webb  Becken,  who  married  Ruth 
Halls  and  is  the  father  of  Christine  Louise 
Becken,  and  Leslie  Webb  Becken;  and  Albert 
Charles  Becken,  III,  who  is  unmarried. 

Albert  Charles  Becken,  Jr.,  is  one  of  the 
most  influential  men  in  the  National  Whole- 
sale Jewelers'  Association.  Former  president 
of  that  organization,  he  is  currently  on  its 
Advisory  Board.  He  is  also  a  former  presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  Jewelers'  Association  and 
the  Golden  Roostei's  of  the  jewelry  trade. 
Another  organization  of  which  he  is  former 
president  is  the  Chi  Psi  Corporation  of  the 
University  of  Illinois.  At  one  time  he  served 
on  the  Glencoe  Caucus  Committee  and  is  cur- 
rently on  the  Glencoe  Caucus  Advisory  Coun- 
cil. In  addition  to  the  organizations  men- 
tioned, he  is  a  member  of  the  Skokie  Country 
Club  at  Glencoe  and  of  various  Masonic  bod- 
ies. Holder  of  the  thirty-second  Masonic  de- 
gree, he  is  a  Noble  of  Medinah  Temple,  An- 
cient Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  in  Chicago.  In  World  War  I,  Mr.  Beck- 
en reached  the  point  where  he  was  preparing 
for  a  commission  at  the  Central  Infantry  Offi- 
cers' Training  School,  Camp  MacArthur,  Wa- 
co, Texas,  when  the  Armistice  ended  the  war 
and  his  military  career.  He  is  a  Republican. 
Golf  and  fishing  and  travel  are  his  main  recre- 
ational interests.  Mr.  Becken  occupies  as  high 
a  place  in  Chicago's  community  development 
as  in  the  jewelry  business. 

JOHN  FRANK  HANFT 

One  of  the  business  leaders  of  Coles  County, 
John  Frank  Hanft  is  the  operator  of  a  large 
jewelry  business  in  Charleston,  the  county 
seat.  He  is  one  of  Charleston's  most  active 
citizens   and    is   noted   for   his   active   interest 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


717 


in  health  and  welfare  work  and  in  other 
civic  programs. 

Mr.  Hanft  was  born  in  Iowa  on  Novem- 
ber 12,  1898,  the  son  of  J.  T.  Hanft,  a  con- 
tractor, and  Mae  (Stevens  ) Hanft.  He  went 
through  elementary  and  high  school,  and  in 
his  latter  years  at  school  played  football  and 
baseball  and  was  a  track  man.  Mr.  Hanft 
went  into  the  jewelry  business  when  he  was 
still  in  high  school.  Today  he  has  the  large 
and  successful  business  bearing  his  name, 
with  both  his  sons,  F.  Keith  Hanft  and  Roddy 
E.  Hanft,  as  partners.  At  one  time,  J.  Frank 
Hanft  was  in  business  with  his  brother,  E.  H. 
Hanft,  at  Warsaw,  Indiana. 

On  June  8,  1920,  Mr.  Hanft  married  Besse 
Mae  Leffler,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
Leffler.  Mrs.  Hanft  is  active  in  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Charleston.  Their  home  is  at  1513 
Eleventh  Street,  in  that  city.  Of  their  two 
sons,  F.  Keith  Hanft  is  the  older.  He  married 
Bargara  Schneider  of  Devils  Lake,  North 
Dakota  and  is  the  father  of  Everett  Byron 
Hanft,  born  in  1948.  The  younger  son,  Roddy 
E.  Hanft,  married  Harriet  Brooks  of  Ingle- 
wood,  California  and  is  the  father  of  Michael 
K.  Hanft. 

J.  Frank  Hanft  is  as  well  known  among 
jewelers  as  he  is  in  the  civic  life  of  Coles 
County,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
American  Diamond  Guild.  In  1950-1951  he 
was  president  of  the  Charleston  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  He  had  previously  served  on  its 
board  of  directors.  In  the  1949  fund-raising 
campaign  of  the  Coles  County  Chapter,  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross,  he  was  the  chairman  who 
successfully  led  the  volunteer  workers  "over 
the  top."  He  is  a  former  governor  of  the 
Charleston  Lodge,  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  and 
is  also  active  in  the  Charleston  Country 
Club.  At  one  time  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Mr. 
Hanft  has  two  favorite  sports,  hunting  and 
fishing,  and  he  indulges  in  both  as  often 
as  possible  in  Minnesota  and  South  Dakota. 
He  is  recognized  as  a  hard-working  citizen 
who  has  made  an  outstanding  contribution 
toward  the  development  of  Downstate  Illinois. 

HENRY  GETZ  SOMMER 

The  products  of  the  Keystone  Steel  and 
Wire  Company  of  Bartonville  are  known 
throughout  the  United  States  and  in  many 
foreign  countries.  Interwoven  with  the  repu- 
tation of  the  company  is  the  name  of  Som- 
mer,   for  the  father  of  Henry  Getz  Sommer 


718 


was  one  of  the  founders.  Today,  Mr.  Som- 
mer is  chairman  of  the  board  of  directors 
and  one  of  the  eminent  figures  in  the  indus- 
try. 

Mr.  Sommer  was  born  at  Peoria  on  August 
22,  1897,  the  son  of  Peter  W.  and  Elizabeth 
(Getz)  Sommer.  His  father,  who  was  a  native 
of  Fairbury,  in  Livingston  County,  partici- 
pated in  the  founding  of  the  company  in  1889 
and  was  its  first  secretary  and  treasurer. 
Later  he  was  president.  He  died  in  April, 
1924.  Tne  mother,  who  was  born  at  Tremont, 
Tazewell  County,  died  in  1941.  Henry  Getz 
Sommer's  great-grandfather,  whose  home  was 
in  Tremont,  was  one  of  the  first  men  in  the 
United  States  to  make  wire  fence.  Mr.  Som- 
mer is  a  graduate  of  Peoria's  elementary  and 
high  schools.  Also,  he  spent  three  years  at 
Bradley  College  in  Peoria.  In  1917,  when  he 
was  twenty  years  old,  he  went  to  work  for 
the  Keystone  Steel  and  Wire  Company,  Inc., 
at  Bartonville.  He  was  employed  in  various 
departments  until  his  election  as  treasurer 
in  1928.  In  1946,  he  was  made  chairman  of 
the  board.  Mr.  Sommer's  leadership  has 
helped  to  extend  the  prestige  and  operations 
of  this  great  company,  which  operates  not 
only  in  the  American  but  also  in  the  foreign 
trade  and  which  employs  twenty-two  hundred 
persons.  The  company  has  such  subsidiaries 
as  National  Locker  Company  at  Rockford,  Illi- 
nois, and  Mid  States  Steel  and  Wire  Company 
at    Crawfordsville,    Indiana. 

On  November  20,  1917,  Mr.  Sommer  mar- 
ried Dorothy  Wilson  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana, 
the  daughter  of  William  E.  Wilson,  a  native 
of  Mattoon,  Illinois,  who  was  in  the  paper 
business  until  his  death  in  1906,  and  Mary 
Ann  (Hudson)  Wilson,  a  native  of  Worces- 
ter, England,  who  died  in  October,  1907.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sommer  became  the  parents  of  three 
children — Paul  Wilson  Sommer,  born  on  No- 
vember 15,  1920,  who  married  Anne  Nugent; 
Peter  William  Sommer,  born  on  September 
4,  1924,  who  married  Mary  Lou  Frederick 
and  was  killed  while  on  duty  with  the  United 
States  military  forces  in  England  on  January 
20,  1945;  and  Marjorie  Jane  Sommer,  who 
was  born  on  October  16,  1927.  The  Sommer 
home  is  at  130  Edgehill  Court,  Peoria. 

Mr.  Sommer  is  a  member  of  the  Peoria 
Association  of  Commerce,  the  Illinois  State 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  American  Iron 
and  Steel  Institute,  the  Peoria  Country  Club 
and  the  Creve  Coeur  Club.  Science  and  math- 
ematics are  his  hobbies.  He  ranks  among  the 
nation's  leading  manufacturers. 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


■■■■ 
JOHN  FRANK  HANFT 


ORVILLE  JOSEPH  HAYES 


ORVILLE  JOSEPH  HAYES 

The  Hayes  name  is  one  of  the  best  known 
in  the  poultry  world  today.  Orville  Joseph 
Hayes,  the  oldest  of  five  brothers  in  this  indus- 
try, took  the  family  into  a  hatchery  business 
a  few  years  after  World  War  I  and  from  that 
time  has  been  a  leader  among  poultry  men. 
The  business,  called  the  Hayes  Brothers 
Hatchery,  has  its  headquarters  at  405  South 
Water  Street,  Decatur  ,and  from  there  are 
shipped  by  rail,  truck,  parcel  post  and  air 
millions  of  chicks  annually,  some  of  them 
going1  not  only  into  distant  parts  of  the 
United  States  but  even  into  foreign  lands. 
O.  J.  Hayes  is  prominent  not  only  in  this 
industry  but  in  the  community  at  large.  He 
is  a  veteran  of  World  War  I. 

Mr.  Hayes  was  born  in  Morrisonville,  Chris- 
tian County,  on  August  10,  1893,  the  son  of 
Arthur  Gilmore  and  Stella  Arilla  (Williams) 
Hayes.  His  father  was  born  March  21,  1868, 
the  son  of  Calvin  Hayes,  and  his  mother  was 
born  July  15,  1872,  the  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Emily  (Hall)  Williams.  After  going 
through  the  country  grade  schools,  Butler 
High  School  and  Brown's  Business  College, 
0.  J.  Hayes  became  an  office  worker  for  the 
Standard  Oil  Company  in  Decatur.  He  was 
there  when  the  United  States  entered  World 
War  I  and,  taking  a  military  leave  of  ab- 
sence, he  went  into  the  30th  Infantry,  with 
which  he  served  from  August  1,  1918,  to 
October  6,  1919.  After  the  war,  Mr.  Hayes 
continued  on  his  job  with  Standard  Oil,  but, 
dissatisfied  with  office  work,  left  in  1921  to  go 
into  the  hatchery  business.  Within  a  few  ye^irs 
all  five  of  the  Hayes  brothers  were  in  busi- 
ness together,  M.  C.  Hayes,  S.  R.  Hayes,  D. 
A.  Hayes,  J.  R.  Hayes,  with  0.  J.  Hayes  head- 
ing the  organization  they  called  Hayes  Broth- 
ers Hatchery.  Mr.  Hayes  began  with  two 
small  incubators,  one  holding  130  eggs,  the 
other  240  eggs.  The  present  capacity  of  the 
Hayes  Brothers  Hatcheries  is  5,316,000  eggs 
at  one  setting,  with  15,000,000  to  20,000,000 
chicks  hatched  annually.  Their  plants  are  lo- 
cated at  Decatur,  Springfield,  Champaign, 
Pana,  Centralia,  Bloomington,  Vandalia,  all 
in  Illinois  and  Portland,  Indiana.  Shipping 
is  done  chiefly  by  parcel  post,  with  selling 
by  mail,  but  other  forms  of  transportation  are 
also  used,  the  entire  United  States  being 
covered.  Those  foreign  countries  which  can 
be  reached  by  air  are  also  in  the  trading 
territory  of  Hayes  Brothers  Hatchery,  which 
is  one  of  the  best  known  in  its  field  in 
America. 


O.  J.  Hayes  married  Agnes  B.  Costello,  the 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Wilhelmina  Costello, 
in  Decatur  on  March  16,  1918.  Mrs.  Hayes 
was  born  on  March  14,  1896.  Three  daughters 
have  been  born  to  the  marriage.  They  are 
Gwendolyn,  born  November  8,  1922,  now  the 
wife  of  Edwin  Cummings  and  to  whom  a  son, 
William  Wingate,  was  born  on  October  29, 
1942,  and  a  daughter,  Annette  Sue,  on  July  10, 
1948;  Nancy,  born  on  October  23,  1928,  now 
the  wife  of  James  Duncan ;  and  Dolores,  born 
on  April  21,  1931.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayes  reside 
at  1516  West  Macon  Street,  Decatur.  They 
worship  in  Grace  Methodist  Church.  Mr. 
Hayes  and  brothers  have  been  recognized  as 
foremost  among  those  who  are  making  an 
important  contribution  to  the  American  poul- 
try industry  and  the  American  food  supply. 

JAMES  WALTER  WARD 

It  took  a  loan  of  one  hundred  dollars,  back 
in  1917,  to  put  James  Walter  Ward  in  the 
transportation  business  at  Murphysboro.  To- 
day he  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known 
truckers  in  Southern  Illinois.  With  his  two 
sons,  Lavern,  and  Elmer  Ward,  as  partners,  he 
operates  under  the  name  of  J.  W.  Ward  Trans- 
fer and  is  himself  general  manager  of  the 
enterprise.  He  is  one  of  Murphysboro's  civic 
leaders,  and  is  a  member  of  the  City  Council: 

Born  at  Ava,  Jackson  County,  on  October 
26,  1886,  Mr.  Ward  is  the  son  of  Ellis  M.  and 
Mary  (Lindsey)  Ward.  His  father,  also  a 
native  of  Illinois,  was  a  farmer  prominent 
in  the  Baptist  Church.  The  mother's  family 
came  from  Kentucky.  Mr.  Ward  was  the 
second  born  among  six  children,  the  others 
having  been,  in  the  order  of  their  birth,  Cenie; 
Homer,  now  deceased;  Myrtle,  Maymie  and 
Clarence.  Educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Ava,  Mr.  Ward  went  to  work  at  an  early 
age  in  a  flour  mill  there.  After  three  years, 
he  left  to  become  a  brakeman  for  the  Mobile 
and  Ohio  Railroad.  This  job  he  held  for  four 
years,  and  then  for  three  years  he  was  ship- 
ping clerk  in  a  wholesale  house  in  Murphys- 
boro. On  August  10,  1917,  having  box-rowed 
that  hundred  dollars,  he  purchased  a  wagon 
and  team  of  horses  and  went  into  his  present 
field  of  business.  He  did  so  well  so  quickly 
that  in  1918  he  was  able  to  motorize  his 
equipment.  Today  he  operates  seven  trucks  and 
maintains  a  modern  warehouse  with  fourteen 
thousand  square  feet  of  floor  space.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  two  sons,  who  went  into  the  busi- 
ness as  partners  after  twenty-nine  years  of 
successful  operation,  Mr.  Ward  employs  seven 
men  and  two  women.  He  has  made  the  name 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


723 


J.  W.  Ward  and  Sons  known  throughout 
Southern  Illinois,  and  even  in  more  distant 
regions. 

Mr.  Ward  married  Dora  E.  Carter,  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Carter  of  Ava. 
The  four  sons  are  his  oldest  children,  in  this 
order:  Leslie,  Raymond,  Elmer  and  Lavern. 
There  are  also  three  daughters — Nadine, 
Chresta  and  Neona  Ward.  Mr.  Ward  has 
fourteen  grandchildren  of  which  he  is  very 
proud.  Like  his  father  before  him,  Mr.  Ward 
is  prominent  in  the  Baptist  Church,  and  he 
is  secretary  of  his  Sunday  School  class.  The 
entire  Ward  family  worships  in  this  church. 

Mr.  Ward,  always  active  in  civic  affairs 
and  a  Democrat,  was  elected  to  the  Murphys- 
boro  City  Council  in  1943,  and  has  been  re- 
elected. He  is  constantly  seeking  to  improve 
the  city  and  is  noted  among  his  fellow  citi- 
zens for  his  sincere  public  interest.  He  is 
active  in  the  Motor  Carriers  Service  Associa- 
tion, the  Jackson  County  Farm  Bureau,  the 
National  Truckers  Association,  the  Murphys- 
boro  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Masonic 
Blue  Lodge.  He  is  a  great  baseball  enthusiast. 
In  his  quiet  way,  Mr.  Ward  gets  things  done — 
in  his  own  business  and  in  the  community  at 
large — and  hence  is  a  respected,  popular  citi- 
zen. 

HON.  GEORGE  ERNEST  LUEHRS 

A  coal  dealer  with  a  tremendous  sense  of 
civic  duty,  George  Ernest  Luehrs  has  for 
years  given  extraordinary  service  to  his  na- 
tive city  and  county — Kankakee  and  Kanka- 
kee County.  He  is  the  operator  of  the  Luehrs 
Coal  Company  in  Kankakee  and  holds  such 
important  public  offices  as  the  presidency  of 
the  Kankakee  County  School  District  and  the 
chairmanship  of  the  Kankakee  County  Board 
of  Supervisors.  He  has  headed  all  the  major 
civic  groups  in  the  city  and  has  been  a  leader 
in  civic,  welfare  and  recreational  endeavors. 

Mr.  Luehrs  was  born  in  Kankakee  on  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1887,  the  son  of  the  late  Henry  C. 
Luehrs.  He  was  educated  in  the  city's  public 
schools,  graduating  from  the  Kankakee  High 
School.  After  completing  his  education,  Mr. 
Luehrs  became  assistant  cashier  of  the  Legris 
Brothers  Bank,  a  private  bank  in  Kankakee. 
He  remained  with  this  business  until  in  1921 
when  the  new  Illinois  state  laws  prohibited 
the  operation  of  private  banks.  Back  in  1910 
Mr.  Luehrs,  in  association  with  his  father  and 
his  late  brother,  Harry  C.  Luehrs,  established 
the  Luehrs  Coal  Company  in  Kankakee,  and 
since  1921  he  has  devoted  himself  to  this  en- 
terprise. 


In  May,  1910,  he  married  Josephine  E. 
Kramer,  a  native  of  Illinois.  They  have  four 
daughters — Eleanor,  the  wife  of  Charles  E. 
Marson  and  mother  of  Alice,  Susan  and  Rob- 
ert Marson;  Edna  Mae,  the  wife  of  Norman 
Roski  and  mother  of  Jeffrey  and  Pamela  Ros- 
ki;  Katherine,  the  wife  of  Gerhard  J.  Paulis- 
sen  and  mother  of  George  Paulissen;  and 
Helen,  the  wife  of  Hamilton  K.  Wheeler  and 
mother  of  Hamilton  and  Sally  Wheeler.  The 
family  worships  in  the  First  Baptist  Church. 

One  of  the  most  active  and  civic-minded 
men  in  Kankakee,  Mr.  Luehrs  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  Kankakee  County  Rationing 
Board  in  World  War  II,  and  since  1938  has 
been  chairman  of  the  Kankakee  County 
Board  of  Supervisors  and  is  now  president 
of  the  Kankakee  County  School  District.  He 
is  a  former  president  of  the  Rotary  Club  of 
Kankakee,  the  Kankakee  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  Kankakee  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association.  There  has  hardly  been  one 
important  civic  movement  that  has  not  had 
his  participation  or  leadership,  and  there  are 
few  men  in  the  entire  county  who  are  more 
popular  or  influential  than  he. 

HON.  VERNON  L.  NICKELL,  Ed.D. 

From  the  modest  post  of  rural  school  teacher 
the  Honorable  Vernon  L.  Nickell  has  risen  to 
the  high  office  of  Superintendent  of  Public  In- 
struction of  the  State  of  Illinois,  with  head- 
quarters at  Springfield.  In  addition  to  giving 
leadership  to  the  cause  of  education  in  the 
state,  he  is  prominently  active  in  civic,  reli- 
gious and  fraternal  organizations  in  both  the 
capitol  and  his  home  city,  Champaign. 

Born  at  Bellflower  on  March  2,  1891,  Mr. 
Nickell  is  the  son  of  Elias  D.  and  Ida  Mae 
(Lewis)  Nickell.  He  began  his  education  in 
rural  schools,  continued  at  Farmer  City  and 
Wesleyan  Academy  in  Bloomington.  He  grew 
up  on  his  father's  farm  and  in  early  youth 
began  earning  his  livelihood  by  doing  farm 
chores.  These  helped  to  pay  for  his  education. 
After  three  years  at  Illinois  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity, Mr.  Nickell  went  to  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal University,  where  he  took  the  Bachelor 
of  Education  degree.  Later  he  was  awarded 
the  Master  of  Arts  degree  at  the  University 
of  Illinois  and  in  1944  he  received  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Education  at  Illi- 
nois Wesleyan. 

As  a  rural  teacher  for  eight  years,  and  later 
superintendent  of  village  schools,  Mr.  Nickell 
acquired  a  pi'actical  knowledge  of  rural  educa- 
tional needs  and  problems.  His  executive  abil- 
ity and  success  as  a  teacher  were  recognized 


724 


LIBRARY     OF    AMERICAN    LIVES 


JAMES  WALTER  WARD 


HON.  VERNON  L.  NICKELL,  Ed.D. 


in  Eastern  Illinois  and  subsequently  he  was 
called  to  a  broader  field,  Champaign,  where 
he  was  principal  of  the  city  elementary  and 
special  schools  and  later  principal  of  the 
Junior  High  School.  In  1930,  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  schools  of  Champaign,  an 
office  he  held  twelve  years.  On  January  1, 
1943,  he  assumed  the  office  of  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction,  and  he  has  since  cap- 
tured national  attention  through  his  able 
administration  of  the  post. 

In  1916  Mr.  Nickell  married  Leta  0.  Nof- 
zigger  of  Bloomington.  They  have  two  daugh- 
ters— Geraldine  Nickell  and  Maxine,  who  is 
now  Mrs.  Thomas  Riggs.  The  family  worships 
in  the  Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  Nickell  is  active  in  many  spheres.  He 
is  chairman  of  the  State  Teachers  Examining 
Board  and  ex-officio  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  He  has 
served  on  many  important  committees  of  the 
Illinois  Educational  Association  and  was  its 
president  in  1942-43.  He  was  a  state  delegate 
to  the  National  Education  Association  for 
many  years,  and  also  served  on  various  com- 
mittees of  that  group.  He  is  a  former  presi- 
dent of  the  City  Superintendents  Association 
of  Illinois  and  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Illinois  School  Masters  Club.  In  his  civic 
work  he  has  also  held  impoi-tant  offices.  He 
is  past  president  of  the  Champaign  County 
Tuberculosis  Association  and  past  president  of 
the  Arrowhead  Council,  Boy  Scouts  of  Amer- 
ica, and  was  a  director  of  Burnham  City  Hos- 
pital Nursing  School.  He  is  a  member  of  Phi 
Delta  Kappa,  Kappa  Delta  Pi  and  Kappa 
Phi  Kappa.  He  is  a  Republican,  Mason  and 
an  Elk.  That  he  has  been  re-elected  to  the 
office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Public  In- 
struction is  but  one  indication  of  the  popularity 
and  success  of  Mr.  Nickell  in  that  office.  He 
has  done  much  to  expand  the  state's  program 
to  increase  transportation  for  pupils  and 
thus  expand  educational  opportunities,  to  de- 
velop the  school  lunch  programs  and  the  edu- 
cation of  exceptional  children  and  to  further 
develop  the  tremendous  vocational  education 
system,  agricultural,  business  and  otherwise, 
and  the  work  of  training  veterans  of  World 
War  II. 

ALBERT  GRAVES  STORME 

A  leading  figure  among  the  funeral  di- 
rectors of  Illinois,  Albert  Graves  Storme,  own- 
er and  operator  of  the  Albert  G.  Storme  Fun- 
eral Home  at  Herrin,  seat  of  Williamson 
County,  is  also  an  outstanding  figure  in  his 
community.    He  is  active  in  banking,  in  edu- 


cational and  welfare  work,  and  in  the  rent 
control  program.  He  is  a  former  member  of 
i  he  Illinois  State  Board  of  Examiners  of  Em- 
balmers  and  a  former  president  of  the  Illinois 
State  Funeral  Directors  Association,  and 
through  both  these  organizations  contributed 
to  the  elevation  of  standards  in  his  profession. 
He  continues  to  give  leadership  to  his  work 
as  a  member  of  the  association's  advisory 
board. 

Mr.  Storme  was  born  in  Trigg  County,  Ken- 
tucky,  on  September  10,  1882  the  seventh  of 
the  eight  children  of  William  Albert  and  Sere- 
tha  (Sizemore)  Storme.  He  was  a  twin,  his 
twin  brother  being  Elbert  Storme.  The  other 
children  of  the  family,  both  heads  of  which 
were  also  natives  of  Kentucky,  were:  Charity, 
Cordus,  Lee;  Luther,  now  deceased;  Elbert, 
who  has  been  County  Clerk  of  Williamson 
County  since  1927;  Clyde  now  deceased,  and 
Wylie.  Albert  Storme  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Williamson  County,  where 
his  father  was  a  farmer. 

He  worked  on  the  family  farm  until  he  was 
twenty  years  old  and  then  for  a  coal  mine 
for  six  years.  For  five  years  more  he  served 
as  manager  of  the  dry  goods  department  of 
the  Elles  Store  Company  in  Herrin.  In  1912 
he  attended  the  Worsham  School  of  Embalm- 
ing in  Chicago  and  the  following  year  entered 
his  present  field  of  business,  establishing  the 
Albert   G.   Storme   Funeral   Home   in   Herrin. 

Mr.  Storme  married  Hallie  Crowell,  a 
native  of  Williamson  County,  early  in  his 
career.  Two  daughters  were  born  to  them — 
Eva  Marie  and  Ruth  Wilma,  both  now  mar- 
ried. In  1928,  Mr.  Storme  married  Lila  Van 
Natta.  Mr.  Storme's  grandchildren  are;  Jacky 
Saylor,  daughter  of  Eva  Marie  Saylor;  Thomas 
Albert  and  Frank  Elbert  Colombo. 

Mr.  Storme  has  been  on  the  advisory  board 
of  the  State  funeral  directors  organization 
since  192  1.  He  is  also  active  in  the  National 
Funeral  Directors  Association.  He  served  for 
seven  years  on  the  State  examining  board. 
He  is  a  charter  member  and  past  president 
of  the  Herrin  Rotary  Club,  and  has  not  mis- 
sed a  meeting  of  this  organization  in  a  quar- 
ter century.  He  is  on  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Herrin  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the 
board  of  deacons  of  the  First  Christian 
Church  of  Herrin,  and  has  participated  in  Red 
Cross  campaigns  and  other  civic  activities. 
He  was  president  of  the  Herrin  Board  of  Edu- 
cation at  the  time  the  Lincoln  School  was 
built.  In  World  War  II,  he  worked  on  Bond 
Drives  ar-.d  served  on  the  OPA  rationing  panel. 
Currently,  he  is  on  the  rent  control  board  for 


ILLINOIS        EDITION 


729 


Williamson  County.  Also,  he  is  a  director  of 
the  Bank  of  Herrin.  Mr.  Storme  is  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Federal  Home  Loan  Association 
and  a  member  of  the  Williamson  County  Hous- 
ing Authority — vice  president  of  same.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Masonic  Blue  Lodge  and  the 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  a  man  who  believes  in  service  and  through 
his  devotion  to  it  has  become  an  important 
citizen   in   his  area. 

EARL  M.  SCHWEMM 

A  famous  name  in  the  life  insurance  field  is 
that  of  Earl  M.  Schwemm  of  Chicago.  He 
is  Agency  Manager  for  the  Great-West  Life 
Assurance  Company's  Chicago  Agency.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  influential  members  of  insur- 
ance men's  organizations  in  the  Chicago  terri- 
tory and  in  the  State  as  a  whole  and  is  very 
well  known  in  insurance  circles  throughout 
the  United  States  and  Canada.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  both  Chicago  and  his  home 
community,    Barrington,   Illinois. 

Mr.  Schwemm,  the  son  of  John  L.  and  Ger- 
trude (Meyer)  Schwemm  is  a  native  of  Bar- 
rington and  was  born  in  that  community  on 
June  23,  1901. 

At  the  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  where 
he  completed  his  education  with  the  Bachelor 
of  Science  degree  in  1924,  Earl  Schwemm  had 
a  most  distinguished  career.  He  was  President 
of  the  Student  Council  from  1923-1924  and 
of  the  Athletic  Board  of  Control  in  the  same 
period,  as  well  as  manager  of  the  varsity 
track  team.  His  social  fraternity  was  Sigma 
Nu,  his  professional  fraternities  were  Beta 
Gamma  Sigma  and  Alpha  Kappa  Psi  and  his 
honorary  fraternities  were  Sachem  and  Ma- 
Wan-Da. 

On  February  1,  1928,  in  Barrington,  Mr. 
Schwemm  married  Eunice  Butler,  the  daugh- 
ter of  George  O.  and  Carrie  Butler.  They 
have  three  sons — John  B.  Schwemm  born  May 
18,  1934,  Richard  E.  Schwemm  born  July  25, 
1937  and  Robert  G.  Schwemm  born  May  18, 
1945.  Their  home  is  at  240  Elm  Road,  Bar- 
rington. The  family  attends  the  Barrington 
Methodist  Church  and  Mr.  Schwemm  is  cur- 
rently Chairman  of  the  Official  Board. 

For  the  first  three  years  after  graduation 
from  the  University,  Mr.  Schwemm  worked 
as  an  accountant  for  the  Illinois  Power  and 
Light  Corporation.  He  entered  the  Life  Insur- 
ance business  with  the  Equitable  Life  Assur- 
ance Society  of  New  York  on  March  1st,  1927. 
After  establishing  himself  as  a  successful  pro- 
ducer, he  was  appointed  Assistant  Manager 
in   1930  for  the   Equitable.  In  January,   1934, 


he  was  appointed  Agency  Supervisor  in  Chi- 
cago for  the  Connecticut  General  Life  Insur- 
ance Company. 

In  1932  Mr.  Schwemm  received  his  degree 
of  Chartered  Life  Underwriter  which  is  so 
coveted  by  life  insurance  men. 

On  May  1st,  1936  he  accepted  a  position  as 
Agency  Manager  for  the  Chicago  office  of  the 
Great-West  Life  Assurance  Company.  At  that 
time  the  Chicago  Agency  was  in  eleventh 
place  among  all  the  Company's  agencies.  By 
the  end  of  1938  the  Agency  was  in  first  place 
and  has  remained  in  first  place  since  that  date. 
Since  1944  the  annual  business  placed  by  this 
Agency  has  been  in  excess  of  twenty  million 
dollars  each  year  and  the  Agency  is  continu- 
ing at  this  pace  currently.  Another  outstand- 
ing record  of  the  Agency  is  that  it  has  estab- 
lished up  to  the  present  time,  a  record  of  76 
consecutive  months  of  over  a  million  dollars 
or  more  of  monthly  production.  This  and  Mr. 
Schwemm's  leadership  activities  among  his 
colleagues  have  made  his  name  an  outstand- 
ing one  in  the  insurance  world.  He  is  a  fre- 
quent speaker  before  Life  Insurance  Sales 
Congresses  and  Life  Association  meetings  all 
over  the  United  States  and  Canada  and  is 
also  an  extensive  writer  of  insurance  sub- 
jects. 

Mr.  Schwemm's  business  address  is  135  S. 
LaSalle  Street,  Chicago.  He  is  Past  President 
of  the  Life  Underwriters  Association  of  Illi- 
nois, The  Chicago  Agency  Managers  Associa- 
tion, Chicago  Life  Insurance  and  Trust  Coun- 
cil, and  the  Chicago  Chapter  of  the  Chartered 
Life  Underwriters.  For  the  year  1950-51  he 
is  serving  as  President  of  the  Chicago  Asso- 
ciation of  Life  Underwriters.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  National  Bank 
of  Commerce  of  Chicago.  His  club  affiliations 
include  the  Union  League  of  Chicago,  the 
Executive  Club  of  Chicago  and  the  Masonic 
Order. 

HAROLD  EUGENE  WAGNER 

Like  many  another  American  of  unusual 
achievements,  especially  in  the  industrial 
world,  Harold  Eugene  Wagner  of  Urbana  be- 
gan his  career  as  a  machinist.  Today  he  is  a 
partner  in  the  well-known  and  successful  H.- 
W.  Manufacturing  Company  of  Urbana.  He 
was  one  of  those  who  helped  build  the  first 
twenty- five  motors  for  the  Allen  automobile 
of  a  former  day  and  has  since  participated  in 
the  development  of  many  other  and  more 
endurable  items  known  to  Americans.  He  is 
active  in  the  fraternal  world. 


730 


LIBRARY     OF    AMERICAN    LIVES 


EARL  M.  SCHWEMM 


HAROLD  EUGENE  WAGNER 


Born  in  Van  Wert,  Ohio,  on  May  5,  1899, 
Harold  Eugene  Wagner  is  the  son  of  Ernest 
J.  and  Alma  (Jenkins)  Wagner,  both  also 
natives  of  the  Buckeye  State  and  still  making 
their  home  there.  The  father  is  a  stationary 
engineer.  After  attending  the  elementary 
schools  of  Van  Wert,  the  manufacturer  com- 
pleted his  education  in  the  Van  Wert  High 
School   in  1917. 

From  high  school  he  went  to  the  trade  of 
machinist  and  this  started  him  up  the  proverb- 
ial American  ladder  of  success.  For  a  time 
he  worked  for  the  Ohio  Power  Company.  Sub- 
sequently, he  was  also  a  machinist  for  the 
Lakewood  Engineering  Company  at  Cleveland 
and  then  with  the  Ohio  Steel  Company  of  Bu- 
cyrus,  Ohio.  It  was  when  he  worked  for  the 
latter  concern  that  he  participated  in  the 
building  of  the  first  twenty-five  motors  for 
the  Allen  motor  car  which  was  manufactured 
by  the  Allen  Motor  Car  Company  of  Bucyrus. 
It  was  popular  in  the  nation  for  several 
years.  He  later  became  directly  associated 
with  the  Allen  Motor  Car  Company.  For  seven 
years  he  was  with  the  William  A.  Rogers 
Silverware  Company,  of  Niagara  Falls,  as  a 
tool  and  die  maker. 

In  1927  Mr.  Wagner  established  himself  in 
Urbana.  At  first  he  was  associated  with  the 
firm  of  J.  B.  Hays,  Machinist  and  for  ten 
years  he  was  shop  foreman.  In  1937  he  went 
into  business  for  himself,  forming  with  E.  W. 
Harriman,  the  firm  of  H.-W.  Manufacturing 
Company,  with  plant  and  office  at  121  West 
Water  Street,  Urbana.  This  has  become  a 
highly  successful  and  prominent  institution  in 
the  Champaign-Urbana  area. 

On  June  23,  1923,  Mr.  Wagner  married 
Grace  Colvin  of  Champaign,  the  ceremony 
being  performed  at  Niagara  Falls,  New  York. 
They  are  the  parents  of  a  son  and  a  daugh- 
ter— Meldon  E.  Wagner,  who  was  born  Aug- 
ust 4,  1924,  and  who  attended  the  University 
of  Illinois,  and  Merlee  N.  Wagner,  who  was 
born  November  23,  1928,  and  attended  Illinois 
State  Normal  University  at  Bloomington.  The 
family  resides  at  601  East  Clark  Street, 
Champaign,  and  worships  in  the  Christian 
Church  of  Champaign. 

Mr.  Wagner  is  active  in  the  community, 
chiefly  through  his  organizations.  Among 
these  are  the  Masonic  order,  in  which  he 
holds  the  thirty-second  degree  and  in  which 
he  is  a  Noble  of  Ansar  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  at 
Springfield;  and  the  Champaign  Lodge,  Loyal 
Order  of  Moose.  Hunting  and  fishing  are  his 
favorite    sports.    As    a    voter    he    is    an    inde- 


pendent, casting  his  ballot  for  the  candidate 
he  considers  best  qualified.  His  activities  as  a 
machinist  and  manufacturer  have  contributed 
to  industrial  and  business  progress  of  the 
State. 

WILLIAM  JAMES  PATTON 

Among  individuals  to  whom  the  City  of 
Peoria  owes  a  great  debt — because  of  the 
contribution  they  have  made  to  the  commu- 
nity's welfare  and  progress — is.  the  noted 
banker,  William  James  Patton.  Identified  with 
the  Jefferson  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  and 
one  of  its  predecessors,  the  State  Trust  and 
Savings  Bank  of  Peoria,  since  1923,  Mr.  Pat- 
ton  is  today  president  of  this  strong  and 
stable  institution  which  is  exercising  so  great 
an  influence  on  the  entire  region's  growth. 
Also,  he  participates  in  most  of  the  worth- 
while community  activities  and  is  well  known 
in  fraternal  and  civic  as  well  as  banking 
organizations. 

Mr.  Patton  was  born  in  Peoria  County,  on 
his  father's  farm,  on  January  21,  1900.  His 
parents  were  Robert  Patton,  a  farmer  who 
came  to  Illinois  from  Ireland  and  who  died  in 
1938,  and  Belle  (Anderson)  Patton,  a  native 
of  Peoria,  now  making  her  home  there.  The 
banker,  after  attending  Peoria's  elementary 
and  high  schools,  spent  two  years  at  Bradley 
Polytechnic  Institute  there.  In  the  first  two 
years  of  his  business  career  Mr.  Patton  worked 
in  the  accounting  department  of  a  Peoria 
wholesale  grocery  concern.  In  January,  1923, 
he  became  a  bookkeeper  for  the  old  State 
Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  rising  in  responsi- 
bility through  the  ensuing  years  until  in  1929 
he  was  made  assistant  cashier.  Less  than 
two  years  later,  amid  the  depression,  the 
State  Bank  was  closed  and  the  Jefferson 
Trust  and  Savings  Bank  was  organized.  The 
Jefferson  Trust  took  over  the  assets  and  lia- 
bilities of  the  defunct  State  Bank,  and  has  in 
the  years  since  then  grown  into  one  of  the 
great  financial  institutions  of  Illinois.  Among 
the  "assets"  taken  over  from  the  State  Bank 
in  1931  was  Mr.  Patton,  and  he  was  assistant 
cashier  of  the  new  institution  until  January, 
1937,  when  he  was  promoted  to  cashier.  An- 
other promotion  came  on  January  9,  1945, 
with  his  election  to  the  vice  presidency  and 
the  final  promotion  on  February  19,  1947, 
with  his  elevation  to  his  present  office,  the 
presidency.  Among  Peorians  there  is  no  doubt 
of  the  effective  part  he  has  played  in  the 
activities  which  have  established  the  Jefferson 
Trust  among  the  leading  banks  in  the  state. 
Mr.  Patton  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


735 


directors  of  the  Great  Central  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Peoria,  the  only  company  in  the 
United  States  selling  nothing  but  holdup  and 
burglary  insurance. 

'On  June  2,  1927,  Mr.  Patton  married  Mar- 
garet Aileen  Cleveland  of  Tulsa,  Oklahoma, 
the  daughter  of  H.  C.  Cleveland,  a  native  of 
Whitehall,  Illinois,  and  a  contractor  who  died 
in  1945.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patton  have  an  adopted 
son,  William  James  Patton,  Jr.,  who  was  born 
on  April  18,  1946.  They  make  their  home  at 
526   West  Richwood   Boulevard,   Peoria. 

Mr.  Patton  has  held  positions  of  leadership 
in  various  community  groups.  He  is  now  pres- 
ident of  the  Peoria  Clearing  House  Associa- 
tion and  is  also  active  in  the  Illinois  Bankers 
Association  and  the  American  Bankers  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  treasurer  of  the  Peoria  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce  and  is  past  district  de- 
puty of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  being  past  exalted  ruler  of  the  Peoria 
Lodge.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Kiwanis 
Club  of  Peoria,  the  Illinois  State  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
the  United  States,  the  Peoria  Advertising  and 
Selling  Club,  the  Mount  Hawley  Country 
Club  and  the  Creve  Coeur  Club.  Golf  is  his 
favorite  sport.  At  one  time  it  was  football;  he 
was  captain  of  the  football  team  at  Bradley 
Polytechnic  in  1920.  An  outstanding  Peorian, 
he  is  giving  rare  service  to  his  neighbors  and 
is  popular  among  them. 

ROBERT  CURTIS  PREBLE,  SR. 

Engaged  in  reference  book  publishing  con- 
tinously  since  1921,  Robert  Curtis  Preble,  Sr., 
is  now  executive  vice  president  and  treasurer 
of  the  Encylopaedia  Britannica,  Inc.,  with 
headquaners  in  Chicago.  Long  before  he  be- 
came associated  with  this  most  celebrated  of 
reference  works  Mr.  Preble  was  one  of  the 
leading  figures  in  this  field.  He  is  known  also 
for  his  civic  activities  in  Cook  County. 

Born  in  Chicago  on  August  3,  18  97,  Mr. 
Preble  is  the  son  of  Andrew  Curtis  and  Jes- 
sie Grace  (Work)  Preble  and  a  member  of 
one  of  the  nation's  oldest  families,  tracing 
his  ancestry  to  forebears  who  on  his  father's 
side  emigrated  to  the  New  World  from  Eng- 
land about  1630.  His  father,  who  was  born 
at  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  April,  18  70,  was 
brought  to  Chicago  in  18  72  by  his  parents. 
In  the  Windy  City  Andrew  Preble  became 
a  successful  industrial  building  contractor. 
He  has  been  retired  since  1937.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Scotland,  daughter  of  Lawrence 


and  Laura  Work,  of  the  famed  Bruce  clan  of 
.Scotland. 

Robert  Curtis  Preble,  Sr.,  grew  up  in  Oak 
Park.  He  was  graduated  from  the  University 
of  Illinois,  Urbana,  in  1921,  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  Industrial  Engineer- 
ing. From  1923  to  1925  he  attended  the  Kent 
College  of  Law,  Chicago.  He  was  well  known 
in  his  university  days,  and  is  remembered  as 
the  organizer  of  the  first  "Dads'  Day"  at  any 
American  college.  He  was  elected  to  Chi  Psi 
and  Delta  Phi  Fraternities  and  various  col- 
lege societies.  He  was  a  college  journalist, 
president  of  the  Student  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  of  the  Interfraternity  Council  and 
a  member  of  the  Student  Council  and  the 
Honor  Commission.  In  1921,  as  previously 
noted,  Mr.  Preble  went  into  the  reference 
book  publishing  business.  At  first  he  was  a 
salesman  for  the  Midland  Press,  Chicago.  By 
the  time  he  resigned  from  this  firm  in  1925, 
he  was  a  vice  president.  That  year  he  joined 
Quarrie  Corporation,  now  the  Field  Enter- 
prise, Inc.,  also  in  Chicago,  as  advertising 
manager.  He  served  variously  as  sales  pro- 
motion manager,  credit  manager,  treasurer 
and  sales  manager  and  when  he  resigned  in 
1949  he  was  holding  the  posts  of  vice  presi- 
dent and  general  manager.  It  was  in  1949 
that  he  became  executive  vice  president  of 
Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  Inc.  Formerly  of 
the  boards  of  directors  of  Midland  Press,  Rus- 
sell Hampton  Company,  Carter-Adams  Com- 
pany and  the  Quarrie  Corporation,  Mr.  Preble 
is  now  on  the  boards  of  Encyclopaedia  Britan- 
nica, Inc.,  and  Encyclopaedia  Britannica 
Films,  Inc. 

He  married  (first)  Dorothy  Katherine  Sidel 
of  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  1918;  they  were 
divorced  in  1934.  He  married  (second)  Madge 
Jean  Collar  of  Chicago  in  1939.  Mrs.  Madge 
Jean  Preble  was  a  professional  librarian  until 
1942.  She  has  been  active  in  various  health 
and  welfare  organizations  in  Chicago  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Chicago  Chapter  of  the  American  Red  Cross. 
By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Preble  is  the  father 
of  two  sons  and  a  daughter — Robert  Curtis 
Preble,  Jr.,  born  in  December,  1922;  William 
Work  Preble,  born  in  May,  1925,  and  Patte 
Ann  Preble,  born  in  December,  1930.  The 
Prebles  reside  at  2256  Lincoln  Park  West, 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Preble  has,  like  his  wife,  been  active 
in  Chicago  projects  relating  to  the  public  wel- 
fare and  he  has  served  on  various  commit- 
tees of  public  and  semi-public  character.  Hav- 
ing in  World  War  I  served  as  pilot  with  the 


736 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


WILLIAM  JAMES  PATTON 


MR.  AND  MRS.  EDMOND  FRANK  LITOBORSKI 


United  States  Army  Air  Service,  thus  pioneer- 
ing military  aviation,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Legion.  Also  he  belongs  to  trade 
associaiions,  the  Chicago  Club  and  the  Lake 
Shore  Club  of  Chicago.  Reading,  travel  and 
sailing  are  his  recreations.  Mr.  Preble, 
through  his  work,  is  performing  yeoman  serv- 
ice on  behalf  of  culture  and  knowledge. 

EDMOND  FRANK  LITOBORSKI 

Known  throughout  Eastern  Illinois,  Ed- 
mond  Frank  Litoborski  is  the  owner  and  op- 
erator of  Conrad's  Bakery  at  Momence  in 
Kankakee  County.  A  leader  in  that  industry 
in  the  region,  Mr.  Litoborski  is  also  an  out- 
standing personality  in  civic  affairs  and  in 
civic  and  trade  organizations. 

He  was  born  in  Chicago  on  November  24, 
1916,  the  son  of  Edward  and  Sarah  Barbara 
Litoborski.  His  father,  a  native  of  Poland 
who  came  to  the  United  States  at  the  age  of 
twelve,  was  also  a  baker.  He  was  associated 
with  his  brother,  Frank  Litoborski  who  on 
coming  to  America  from  Poland  had  opened  a 
bakery  in  the  Windy  City.  Edward  Litoborski 
died  on  November  16,  1945.  His  widow  who 
survives  him,  is  a  native  of  the  United  States. 
Edmond  Litoborski  has  four  sisters,  all  mar- 
ried— Mrs.  Genevieve  Sikorski,  born  May  18, 
1913;  Mrs.  Bernice  Rose  Stamborski,  born 
January  26,  1915;  Mrs.  Eleanor  Childs,  born 
July  27,  1920,  and  Mrs.  Rose  Madeline  Simek, 
born  February  4,  1906. 

The  Momence  bakery  executive  began  his 
education  in  the  grade  schools  of  Chicago. 
Then  he  attended  St.  Peter's  and  Paul's  Grade 
School  and  finally  Tilden  Technical  High 
School,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1932. 
He  was  about  twelve  when  he  went  to  work 
in  his  father's  bakery,  a  wholesale  and  retail 
enterprise,  in  Chicago.  The  family  moved  to 
Momence,  Kankakee  County,  in  1933,  and  pur- 
chased Conrad's  Bakery,  then  owned  by  H.  W. 
Conrad.  Since  the  death  of  his  father,  Ed- 
mond Litoborski  has  been  president.  When  the 
Litoborskis  took  the  bakery  over,  it  operated 
six  trucks  and  employed  twenty-three  persons. 
Today  the  bakery  has  a  fleet  of  twenty-four 
trucks  and  employs  seventy-eight  persons.  Its 
payroll  is  the  largest  in  Momence.  The  trad- 
ing territory  of  the  business  is  a  radius  of 
sixty-five  miles  of  Momence.  The  trucks  carry 
bread,  pies  and  all  other  bake  goods  to  whole- 
sale dealers  in  this  territory.  Mr.  Litoborski 
buys  his  flour  in  carload  lots,  as  he  uses  at 
least  a  carload  of  flour  a  week  most  of  the 
year.  In  the  summer  months  his  consumption 
goes  up  to  one  and  one-half  cars  a  week,  Al- 


together, he  averages  a  production  of  259,122 
units  each  week.  This  production  and  the  wide 
sale  of  these  products  have  made  him  one  of  the 
influential  men  of  the  community  and  the  in- 
dustry. 

Mr.  Litoborski  married  Dolores  Marie  Stear- 
man,  born  on  May  28,  1918,  the  daughter  of 
Elmer  and  Marie  Stearman,  also  natives  of 
Illinois.  The  marriage  took  place  in  Novem- 
ber, 1936,  at  Momence.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lito- 
borski have  two  children — Diane  Marie,  born 
on  March  12,  1940,  and  Susan  Jane,  born  on 
January  18,  1946.  Mrs.  Litoborski  is  active  in 
women's  circles. 

Active  in  the  community,  Mr.  Litoborski  is 
a  member  of  the  local  and  state  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  the  Lions  Club,  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Chicago 
Bakers  Club.  The  Litoborski  family  are  mem- 
bers of  St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church  in  Mo- 
mence. Few  men  are  doing  as  much  as  he  to 
build  their  communities  and  their  sections  of 
the   state   as   Edmond   Frank   Litoborski. 

GEORGE  RUSSELL  CARR 

A  national  figure  in  railway  supply  circles, 
general  engineering  work  and  industry  as  a 
whole,  George  Russell  Carr  is  chairman  of  the 
boards  of  directors  of  the  Dearborn  Chemical 
Company  and  the  Locomotive  Firebox  Com- 
pany of  Chicago.  He  is  one  of  Chicago's  lead- 
ing citizens,  with  a  reputation  for  work  done 
on  behalf  of  good  government  and  in  the  field 
of  welfare.  He  is  a  Chevalier  in  the  French 
National  Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honor. 

Mr.  Carr  was  born  at  Argenta,  Macon  Coun- 
ty, on  January  23,  1877,  son  of  Dr.  Robert 
Ferrier  and  Emily  Ann  (Smick)  Carr.  His 
father,  a  physician  and  surgeon  and  operator 
of  a  drug  store  at  Argenta,  was  born  in  Sus- 
sex County,  New  Jersey,  May  13,  1832,  the 
son  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Ferrier)  Carr, 
and  died  on  March  13,  1893.  He  was  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  State  Medical  College  at  Albany, 
New  York,  and  helped  work  his  way  through 
college  by  teaching  school.  He  first  practiced 
in  Decatur.  Emily  Ann  Smick  Carr,  the  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Eliza  Ann  (Ferris)  Smick, 
was  born  on  April  10,  1839  and  died  July  2, 
1937.  She  and  Dr.  Carr  were  married  on  April 
28,  1859.  George  Russell  Carr  began  his  school- 
ing at  Argenta.  He  was  graduated  from  Aus- 
tin High  School,  Chicago,  and  in  1901  took  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois,  where  he  had  majored  in 
chemistry.  He  was  manager  of  the  football 
team  in  the  Fall  of  1900  and  served  as  a  mem- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


741 


ber    of    the    Athletic    Advisory    Board    after 
graduation. 

In  1901  Mr.  Carr  joined  the  staff  of  the 
Dearborn  Drug  and  Chemical  Works,  Chicago, 
as  a  salesman.  In  1907  he  was  advanced  to  as- 
sistant general  manager.  Five  years  later  the 
business  name  was  changed  to  Dearborn 
Chemical  Company)  In  1922  Mr.  Carr  was 
made  general  manager  and  vice  president  and 
in  1944  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  execu- 
tive committee.  In  1945  he  was  elected  chair- 
man of  the  board.  He  became  chairman  of  the 
board  of  the  Locomotive  Firebox  Company  in 
1921.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Chem- 
ical Society,  the  American  Railway  Engineer- 
ing Association,  the  Railway  Business  As- 
sociation, the  Western  Railway  Club,  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Power  Engineers  and  is 
on  the  board  of  governors  of  the  Transporta- 
tion Association  of  America.  He  was  nomi- 
nated a  Chevalier  in  the  French  National  Or- 
der of  the  Legion  of  Honor  at  a  dinner  of  the 
Society  of  the  National  Railways  of  France  in 
Paris,  July  19,  1948,  in  recognition  of  assis- 
tance in  repairing  the  damage  that  occurred 
in  France  during  the  war  and  especially  for 
the  cooperation  given  the  French  Railway 
Mission  in  Washington. 

On  July  15,  1913,  at  San  Francisco,  Mr. 
Carr  married  Katherine  Mortenson  (de- 
ceased), daughter  of  Jacob  and  Ida  Mortenson. 
Two  children  were  born  to  them — Katherine, 
now  Mrs.  Robert  Henze,  living  in  Pasadena, 
California,  the  mother  of  Peter,  Christopher 
and  Claire  Henze;  and  Martha,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Omar  John  Fareed,  living  in  Beverly  Hills, 
California,  the  mother  of  Diana  Moon,  Donald, 
George,  Shireen  and  Martha  Fareed.  Mr.  Carr 
himself  makes  his  home  at  209  East  Lake 
Shore  Drive,  Chicago.  He  worships  in  the 
Fourth    Presbyterian    Church   of   Chicago. 

In  his  civic  work  Mr.  Carr  is  a  director  of 
the  Citizens'  Association  of  Chicago,  of  which 
he  was  president  from  1945  through  1948.  He 
is  also  on  the  boards  of  the  Chicago  Nursery 
and  Half  Orphan  Asylum  and  the  Chicago 
Home  for  the  Friendless.  His  other  organiza- 
tions include  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago 
(life  member),  Chicago  Historical  Society, 
Illinois  Historical  Society,  Chicago  Academy 
of  Sciences  and  Chicago  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  Chicago  Club,  Commercial  Club,  Uni- 
versity Club,  Old  Elm,  The  Casino,  Chicago 
Athletic  Association,  Traffic  Club,  South 
Shore  Country  Club,  Newcomen  Society  of 
England,  Annandale  Country  Club  off  Pasa- 
dena, and  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


HON.  FRED  BROSS  HERBERT,  LL.B. 

Born  on  June  29,  1895,  in  the  same  room 
and  bed  in  which  he  now  sleeps  in  his  old 
home  at  1829  Walnut  Street,  Murphysboro, 
Fred  Bross  Herbert  has  devoted  his  entire  life 
and  career  to  that  Jackson  County  seat,  except 
for  the  period  in  World  War  I  when  he  served 
the  nation  at  large  as  a  soldier.  A  lawyer,  he 
was  County  Judge  in  Jackson  County  for 
twenty  years  and  at  present  is  active  as  presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Murphys- 
boro. He  is  one  of  the  notable  citizens  of 
Southern  Illinois. 

Mr.  Herbert  comes  of  a  distinguished  fami- 
ly. His  father,  John  M.  Herbert,  was  a  lawyer 
and  banker  and  a  trustee  of  the  University  of 
Illinois,  as  well  as  State's  Attorney  for  Jack- 
son County  for  eight  years.  Born  in  Wales, 
John  Herbert  came  to  the  United  States  with 
his  father  when  he  was  six  years  old,  his 
family  settling  first  in  Pennsylvania,  but  later 
moving  to  Jackson  County.  Mr.  Herbert's 
mother  was  Matilda  (Bross)  Herbert,  the 
daughter  of  Judge  Fred  Bross  of  Cairo,  Illi- 
nois, the  first  man  to  serve  on  the  Alexander 
County  bench  under  the  Constitution  of  1857. 
He  was  a  native  of  Germany  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  his  youth,  married  in  New 
Orleans  and  traveled  up  the  Mississippi  to 
Cairo. 

Fred  Bross  Herbert  was  graduated  from 
the  Murphysboro  High  School  in  1911.  He 
then  attended  Taft  Preparatory  School  in 
Watertown,  Connecticut,  and  later  Northwest- 
ern University  at  Evanston,  where  he  took  his 
Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  in  1917.  Next,  he 
entered  Harvard  University  School  of  Law  in 
Massachusetts,  but  the  United  States  having 
entered  World  War  I  he  left  Harvard  after 
eight  months  and  went  into  the  Army  as  a 
private,  declining  and  opportunity  to  receive  a 
commission.  He  served  fourteen  months  over- 
seas, and  was  discharged  in  1919.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Harvard,  and  in  1921  was  awarded 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  Returning 
home,  he  passed  the  Illinois  State  Bar  exami- 
nation and  after  a  brief  period  of  practice  be- 
came County  Judge  in  1924.  He  served  on  the 
bench  until  1944.  In  1929  Mr.  Herbert  had 
been  elected  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Murphysboro,  but  he  has  been  active 
in  that  office  only  since  March,  1948.  He  still 
engages,  intermittently,  in  the  practice  of  law. 

On  May  10,  1947,  Mr.  Herbert  married 
Mrs.  Ruby  Hadfield,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Fraley.  Mr.  Herbert  married 
late  in  life,  he  says,  because  he  kept  a  promise 


742 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN    LIVES 


GEORGE  RUSSELL  CARR 


HON.  FRED  BROSS  IIFRBKRT,  I.I..B. 


to  his  father  that  he  would  care  for  his  mother 
and  aunt. 

When  asked  about  his  organization  mem- 
berships Mr.  Herbert  replies  he  is  a  "banquet 
member"  of  the  Illinois,  and  American  and 
other  Bankers  Associations.  This  applies,  too, 
apparently,  to  the  Jackson  County  Bar  As- 
sociation and  the  Illinois  Bar  Association.  In 
the  past  he  was  also  active  in  the  American 
Legion.  He  continues  active  in  the  Lions  Club 
of  Murphysboro,  in  which  he  is  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors,  and  in  the  Republican 
Party.  For  eight  years  he  was  chairman  of  the 
Republican  State  Central  Committee  and  dur- 
ing World  War  II  he  was  chairman  of  the 
draft  board  advisory  committee  in  Murphys- 
boro. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Elks,  the 
Masonic  Order,  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles 
and  the  Murphysboro  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
He  owns  and  operates  six  farms.  Horses,  dogs 
and  guns  are  his  hobby.  He  likes  to  hunt  birds 
and  to  ride.  All  of  Jackson  County  and  the 
State  of  Illinois  know  him  for  his  active  inter- 
est in  the  general  welfare  and  in  progress. 

EDMUND  WILLIAM  TWENHOEFEL 

An  insurance  man  with  interests  in  other 
fields  and  a  most  unusual  avocation,  Edmund 
William  Twenhoefel  of  Belleville,  has  made 
an  outstanding  contribution  to  home  building 
and  home  ownership  and  has  founded  one  of 
the  largest  insurance  agencies  in  southern 
Illinois. 

Born  in  Belleville  on  August  11,  1884, 
Mr.  Twenhoefel  is  the  son  of  William  Au- 
gust and  Lena  (Ehrhardt)  Twenhoefel.  His 
grandfather  Johan  Twenhoefel  was  a  rope 
maker  who  had  learned  his  trade  in  Germany. 
He  came  to  America  with  John  A.  Roebling 
and  Henry  Leschen,  who  were  also  rope  mak- 
ers. Mr.  Roebling  and  Mr.  Leschen  entered 
the  wire  rope  business  and  they  and  their  suc- 
cessors have  since  become  world  leaders  in 
this  field.  Johan  Twenhoefel  continued  in  the 
hemp  rope  business  in  his  yard  at  Belleville. 
Mr.  Tvvenhoefel's  father,  August,  was  a  native 
of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  his  active  business 
life  was  spent  as  a  groceryman  in  Belleville. 
He  was  a  public  spirited  man  and  was  known 
as  the  father  of  the  white  way  in  Belleville. 
Lena  Ehrhardt  Twenhoefel  was  a  native  of 
Belleville.  Her  father  was  a  Captain  in  the 
United  States  Army  and  saw  service  in  the 
nation's   eai-ly   wars. 

Mr.  Twenhoefel  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Belleville  and  went  ahead  to  study  book- 
keeping and  stenography.  He  was  employed 
by  the  Belleville  Deep  Well  Water  Company, 


which  was  largely  owned  by  the  Roebling  and 
Leschen  interests,  and  was  later  employed  in 
the  light  office  in  East  St.  Louis.  The  turn- 
ing point  in  his  life  occurred  in  1905  when 
he  entered  the  insurance  business.  Beginning 
with  nothing  but  the  will  to  do,  he  secured 
the  agency  of  several  outstanding  companies 
and  started  to  build  his  agency.  He  still  rep- 
resents some  of  these  original  companies. 
Since  that  humble  beginning  he  has  built  his 
agency  to  where  it  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
largest  in  southern  Illinois.  During  these  for- 
ty-five years  he  has  acquired  twenty-two  oth- 
er insurance  agencies  and  merged  them  with 
his  own.  The  Twenhoefel  Insurance  Center 
now  represents  twenty-nine  of  the  oldest  and 
strongest  companies  in  the  nation.  No  com- 
pany that  they  have  represented  has  ever 
failed.  With  this  record  of  reliability,  Mr. 
Twenhoefel,  together  with  his  twelve  asso- 
ciates and  employees,  has  earned  the  confi- 
dence of  his  community. 

Mr.  Twenhoefel  married  Martha  B.  Mc- 
Quilkin  on  March  19,  1906,  and  they  have 
two  children,  William  James  and  Ruth.  Wil- 
liam James  Twenhoefel  is  associated  with  the 
Twenhoefel  Insurance  Center.  He  married 
Helen  Mayer  and  they  have  two  children, 
William  C.  and  Helen  Laurine.  Ruth  Twen- 
hoefel married  R.  L.  Johnson  and  they  reside 
in  Baltimore  where  Mr.  Johnson  is  vice-pres- 
ident of  the  Glen  L.  Martin  Company,  one 
of  the  nation's  largest  aircraft  manufacturers. 

Years  ago  Mr.  Twenhoefel  became  inter- 
ested in  sea  shells.  He  acquired  a  large  col- 
lection of  them,  many  of  which  are  very  rare 
specimens.  He  was,  at  the  same  time,  acquir- 
ing a  most  unusual  knowledge  of  them,  and 
he  is  now  recognized  as  an  authority  on  sea 
shells  and  semi-precious  stones.  He  is  one  of 
the  few  members  of  the  Malacological  Society 
of  London  in  the  United  States,  and  he  is 
also  a  member  of  The  American  Malacologi- 
cal Union  and  the  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science.  He  is  a  guaran- 
tor of  the  St.  Louis  Municipal  Opera,  and  is 
one  of  a  few  non-resident  members  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  His  list  of  memberships  in  insurance 
societies  and  associations  is  long  and  impres- 
sive. He  is  a  Mason,  having  advanced  through 
the  York  Rite  to  Knight  Templar,  becoming 
a  Noble  of  Ainad  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S., 
in  East   St.   Louis. 

Mr.  Twenhoefel  has  achieved  leadership  in 
the  region  of  his  birth.  A  recent  article  said 
of  him  "He  has  built  a  remarkable  business 
in  his  community,  under  many  many  difficul- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


747 


ties,  which  made  him  misunderstood  by  some, 
but  his  institution  appreciated  by  many." 

CLARENCE  A.  PATTISON 

Outstanding  in  its  field  of  operations,  the 
Peoria  Malleable  Castings  Company  of  Peoria 
does  an  international  business  in  iron  castings, 
chain  and  marine  hardware.  Of  this  concern 
Clarence  A.  Pattison  is  president.  He  is  also 
active  in  Peoria's  financial  affairs  and  in  its 
civic  life,  and  is  one  of  the  eminent  citizens 
of  that  section  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Pattison  was  born  at  Dowagiac,  Mich- 
igan, on  March  12,  1868,  the  son  of  Edwin  and 
Mary  (Daly)  Pattison,  both  now  deceased.  His 
father,  a  dealer  in  horses,  was  a  native  of 
New  York.  His  mother  was  born  in  Ireland. 
The  manufacturer  was  educated  in  Dowagiac's 
elementary  and  high  schools.  He  began  his 
career,  as  have  many  other  successful  business 
men,  as  a  newsboy.  After  two  years  at  this 
work,  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  Dowagiac  shoe 
store.  Subsequently,  he  held  several  public 
positions — he  was  assistant  postmaster  of 
Dowagiac  for  two  years,  a  page  in  the  Mich- 
igan legislature  at  Lansing  and  secretary  to 
the  speaker  of  the  Michigan  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives during  a  session  of  the  Legislature. 
Back  in  his  native  city  he  worked  for  the  Do- 
wagiac Drill  Company  from  1887  to  1899  and 
from  1899  to  1902  Mr.  Pattison  was  manager  of 
the  Haworth  Corn  Planter  Company  of  Decatur. 
Illinois.  In  1902  Mr.  Pattison  came  to  Illinois 
as  manager  of  the  Selby- Starr  Co.,  a  post  he 
held  three  years.  He  then  organized  and  served 
as  president  of  the  Peoria  Drill  and  Seeder 
Company,  which  purchased  the  Selby-Starr 
Company.  Mr.  Pattison  headed  the  new  concern 
from  1905  to  1923,  when  it  was  sold  to  the 
Vulcan  Plow  Company  of  Evansville.  In  1917 
he  became  vice  president  and  secretary  of  the 
Peoria  Malleable  Castings  Company  and  in 
1947  succeeded  to  the  presidency  of  this  firm. 
The  company,  employing  more  than  three  hun- 
dred fifty  persons,  operates  in  all  sections  of 
the  United  States  and  in  the  foreign  trade. 

Mr.  Pattison  married  Theopheli  Rudolphi, 
daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Theodore  Rudolphi,  a 
native  of  Czecho-Slovakia,  and  Anna  (Win- 
ters) Rudolphi,  a  native  of  Germany,  in  Do- 
wagiac on  January  30,  1889.  Mrs.  Pattison, 
who  was  herself  born  in  Dowagiac,  died  in 
November,  1944,  at  Peoria.  There  is  one  daugh- 
ter, Kathryn,  who  was  born  on  September  8, 
1902.  She  is  the  wife  of  Earl  N.  Batchelor, 
of  Peoria  who  was  president  of  the  Jefferson 
Trust  and  Savings  Bank.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bat- 


chelor have  two  adopted  children,  Betsy  and 
Pat  Batchelor. 

Mr.  Pattison  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Jefferson  Trust  and  Savings 
Bank  of  Peoria,  an  institution  which  he  helped 
organize.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Peoria  Association  of  Commerce  and  is 
a  former  director  of  the  Creve  Coeur  Club. 
Among  his  other  organizations  are  the  Na- 
tional Malleable  Castings  Association,  the  Illi- 
nois Manufacturers  Association,  the  Peoria 
Country  Club  and  the  Masonic  order.  His  of- 
fice is  at  the  foot  of  Alexander  Street,  his 
home  at  214  Barker  Avenue,  Peoria.  Through 
the  half  century  he  has  been  active  at  Peoria, 
Mr.  Pattison  has  proved  himself  a  valuable 
citizen  to  that  community  and  to  Illinois  at 
large. 

HON.  HARROLD  PIERSON  RARDIN 

Rardin  has  long  been  a  familiar  name 
in  Edgar  and  Clark  Counties  and  one  of  the 
holders  of  this  name,  the  Honorable  Harrold 
Pierson  Rardin,  is  a  leading  citizen  of  Edgar 
County.  Aside  from  being  Mayor  of  the  City 
of  Kansas,  he  is  the  operator  of  the  Rardin 
Grain   Company. 

Mayor  Rardin  was  born  at  Dolson,  Clark 
County,  on  September  1,  1910,  the  son  of 
Clarence  and  Odettie  (Edwards)  Rardin.  His 
father,  born  in  the  same  community  on  April 
6,  1885,  is  a  prominent  farmer.  His  own  father, 
a  coal  miner,  came  to  Illinois  from  Indiana  and 
started  the  Rardin  farm  in  Clark  County.  The 
mother  was  born  at  Hutton,  Coles  County,  on 
March  22,  1887,  the  daughteer  of  Will  and 
Hannah  Edwards. 

Mayor  Rardin  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Pleasant  Hill,  Edgar  County,  and 
West  Liberty,  Clark  County.  When  he  was 
fifteen  years  old  he  began  working  a  farm. 
Then,  for  two  years,  he  was  employed  by 
George  Von  Lanken  at  a  wage  of  fifty  cents 
a  day.  Subsequently,  he  spent  three  years  in 
the  employ  of  Paul  Behner,  a  farmer,  and 
afterward  he  was  with  G.  R.  Acord.  From 
1932  to  1940  Mayor  Rardin  was  in  the  truck- 
ing business  on  his  own  and  from  1942  to 
1945  he  operated  the  Sinclair  Service  Station 
in  Kansas.  In  1946,  he  founded  the  Rardin 
Grain  Company  there,  and  he  has  since  de- 
veloped it  into  an  important  enterprise. 

On  June  7,  1930,  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana, 
Mayor  Rardin  married  Freda  Marie  Baker, 
the  daughter  of  Willis  and  Sylvia  Baker.  Mrs. 
Rardin  is  active  in  the  Kansas  Chapter,  Order 
of  the  Eastern  Star,  and  is  well  known 
throughout    the    community.    The    Mayor    and 


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CLARENCE  A.  PATTISON 


HON.  HARROLD  PIERSON  RARDIN 


his  wife  are  the  parents  of  five  children — 
Pierce  Eugene  Rardin,  born  on  January  12, 
1931;  Harrold  Dean  Rardin,  born  on  Decem- 
ber 2,  1932;  Norman  Russell  Rardin,  born  on 
April  25,  1936;  Max  Ray  Rardin,  born  on 
July  6,  1938,  and  Gerrald  Leon  Rardin,  born 
on  May  19,  1941. 

Harrold  Pierson  Rardin's  activities  in  Kan- 
sas, his  pleasant  disposition,  kindness  toward 
others,  sense  of  humor  and  interest  in  fair 
play,  made  him  a  popular  figure  in  Kansas, 
with  the  result  that  in  1945  he  was  elected 
Mayor.  He  has  continued  to  hold  the  office, 
giving  the  community  an  exceptional  admin- 
istration and  constantly  increasing  his  popu- 
larity. In  the  same  year  Mr.  Rardin  was  in- 
ducted into  Masonry  and  today  he  is  a  holder 
of  its  thirty-second  degree,  and  is  a  Noble  of 
Anzar  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  at  Springfield.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Kansas  Lodge,  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows. 

His  political  affiliation  is  with  the  Republi- 
can Party.  As  business  man  and  public  offi- 
cial, Mayor  Rardin  is  rendering  service  of 
the  highest  value  to  his  fellow  citizens  and  is 
receiving  recognition  from  them  for  this 
service. 

JO  VINCENT  WALKER 

To  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Americans 
the  Walker  name  has  come  to  represent  lead- 
ership not  only  in  the  retail  clothing  world 
but  in  banking,  community  and  regional  de- 
velopment, Boy  Scouting,  disaster  and  flood 
relief  and  in  a  myriad  other  fields  of  interest. 
One  of  the  bearers  of  this  illustrious  name, 
Jo  Vincent  Walker  of  Herrin,  seat  of  Wil- 
liamson County,  is  secretary  and  treasurer 
and  general  manager  of  the  J.  V.  Walker  and 
Sons  Clothing  Stores,  with  branches  in  various 
Illinois  communities,  and  of  a  related  concern 
operating  in  three  large  Ohio  cities.  He  is 
also  a  leader  in  the  multitude  of  activities 
which  may  be  gi-ouped  as  civic  affairs. 

Mr.  Walker  was  born  in  Carterville,  Wil- 
liamson County,  on  March  22,  1891.  His 
father,  James  Vincent  Walker,  founded  the 
J.  V.  Walker  and  Sons  Clothing  Stores  in 
1884.  His  mother,  Nellie  (Spiller)  Walker, 
born  in  1864,  was  the  daughter  of  William 
J.  and  Susan  Goodlow  Spiller  both  of  whom 
were  pioneers  of  Williamson  County.  She 
lives  in  Carterville,  111.  Born  in  the  same 
county,  James  V.  was  the  son  of  Benjamin 
Walker,  al^o  a  native,  and  was  active  in 
church  and  school  board  work.  He  died  in 
1913,   and   in   the  twenty-nine   years   he  had 


given  to  the  business  had  established  stores 
not  only  in  Carterville,  where  he  began  his 
career,  but  also  in  Herrin  and  Chi'istopher. 
Since  his  death,  his  sons,  who  took  over  the 
business,  have  established  stores  in  West 
Frankfort,  Benton,  Mount  Vernon,  DuQuoin, 
Carbondale  and  Marion.  Under  a  separate 
company,  they  have  also  opened  stores  in  Co- 
lumbus, Dayton  and  Canton,  Ohio. 

Jo  Vincent  Walker  was  born  third  among 
four  children.  The  others  are  Fred  S.,  Carl 
S.  and  Nell  Walker.  Jo  Vincent  Walker  was 
educated  in  grade  school  in  Carterville,  high 
school  in  Marion  and  at  the  Gem  City  Busi- 
ness College,  Quincy.  In  1911  he  went  into 
the  family  business  as  manager  of  the  Herrin 
store.  Later,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  all 
the  accounting  and  advertising  for  the  firm. 
In  1928,  he  was  made  general  manager  of 
all  the  stores  and  elected  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  corporation.  About  sixty  persons 
are   employed   in  the   business. 

On  April  17,  1919,  Mr.  Walker  married 
Jane  Elizabeth  Mitchell,  the  daughter  of  E.  E. 
Mitchell  of  Carbondale,  one-time  State  Treas- 
urer of  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker's  first 
child,  Suzanne,  died  when  she  was  six.  The 
other  children  are:  Jo  Mitchell  Walker,  man- 
ager of  the  Mount  Vernon  store,  who  mar- 
ried Dorothy  Shaeffer  of  Fairfield  and  is  the 
father  of  John  Vincent  Walker;  James  Carl, 
advertising  manager  for  all  the  stores,  who 
married  Helen  Stotlar  and  is  the  father  of 
James  Warren  Walker;  and  Sally  Jane  Wal- 
ker, attending  Northwestern  University.  The 
family  worships  in  the  First  Clu-istian  Church 
of  Herrin,  in  which  Jo  Vincent  Walker  is  an 
elder. 

Mr.  Walker  in  1938  participated  in  the 
organization  of  the  Bank  of  Herrin,  the  only 
bank  in  Herrin,  and  is  chairman  of  the  board. 
He  was  president  of  the  Herrin  Chamber  of 
Commerce  in  1948-49  and  is  on  the  board 
of  Southern  Illinois,  Inc.,  a  sort  of  regional 
chamber  of  commerce,  to  which  he  has  de- 
voted much  time.  A  charter  member  of  the 
Rotary  Club  of  Herrin,  Mr.  Walker  was  its 
second  president  in  1922-1923.  He  was  pres- 
ident of  the  high  school  board  from  1932  to 
1946.  In  World  War  II,  he  was  county  bond 
chairman  and  U.S.O.  chairman.  He  has  served 
as  disaster  relief  chairman  of  the  Red  Cross 
in  the  county  since  1929,  and  he  has  directed 
relief  work  in  cyclones  and  floods.  He  is 
treasurer  of  the  Egyptian  Council,  Boy  Scouts 
of  America.  He  is  an  Elk  and  holds  the  thir- 
ty-second degree  in  Masonry.  Music  is  one  of 
his  hobbies.    In  World  War  I,  he  played  the 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


753 


trombone  in  the  Navy  Band  at  the  Great 
Lakes  Naval  Training  Station.  His  fellow  cit- 
izens say  that  much  of  the  improvement  of 
Herrin  and  Southern  Illinois  is  due  to  his 
efforts. 

FRED  ARTHUR  POOR 

An  industrialist  of  international  reputation, 
Fred  Arthur  Poor  of  Chicago  is  now  chairman 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  Poor  and  Com- 
pany. He  is  also  director  of  four  other  cor- 
porations and  of  four  organizations  in  the  field 
of  health,  welfare  and  youth  protection  and 
development.  A  man  who  celebrated  his 
eightieth  birthday  in  1950,  Mr.  Poor  remains 
one  of  the  Windy  City's  most  active  citizens. 

Born  in  Andover,  Maine,  on  April  16,  1870, 
Mr.  Poor  is  the  son  of  William  C.  and  Hattie 
A.  (Smith)  Poor.  His  father,  who  was  an 
officer  of  the  Adams  Express  Company,  was 
also  a  native  of  Andover;  his  mother  was  born 
in  Skowhegan,  Maine.  In  1887  Fred  Poor  was 
graduated  from  high  school.  This  was  the 
Union  Free  School  No.  4  at  Port  Chester, 
New  York.  He  began  his  career  at  an  early 
age  with  the  old  Adams  Express  Company, 
and  held  various  positions  until  1892.  In  that 
year  he  joined  the  engineering  department  of 
the  Hall  Signal  Company,  remaining  until 
1893,  when  he  was  taken  into  the  engineering 
department  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 
Mr.  Poor  remained  with  the  railroad  until 
1900  and  then  accepted  appointment  as  West- 
ern representative  of  the  Weber  Rail  Joint 
Manufacturing  Company.  In  1907  the  com- 
pany made  him  its  European  representative 
and  from  1909  to  1914  he  was  back  at  his 
post  as  Western  representative.  In  1914  Mr. 
Poor  was  elected  president  of  the  P.  M.  Com- 
pany, an  office  he  held  until  1929.  In  1928  he 
became  president  of  Poor  and  Company. 
Twenty  years  later  he  was  advanced  to  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  directors.  He  is  also  on 
the  boards  of  directors  of  the  J.  I.  Case  Com- 
pany of  Racine,  Wisconsin;  Combustion  Engi- 
neering-Superheater, Inc.,  New  York  City;  Ken- 
sington Steel  Company,  Chicago,  and  Peerless 
Equipment  Company,  Chicago. 

On  August  4,  1944,  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Poor 
married  Martha  Buehring,  the  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  C.  Buehring.  One  of  Chi- 
cago's well  known  women,  Mrs.  Poor  is  on 
the  women's  boards  of  Chicago  Presbyterian 
Hospital  and  the  Children's  Home  and  Aid 
Society.  Both  she  and  Mr.  Poor  are  active  in 
the  Fourth  Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago. 
Mr.  Poor  is  a  member  of  the  church's  board 
of  trustees.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poor  reside  at  1448 
Lake   Shore   Drive,    Chicago.    Mr.    Poor   has   a 


daughter,  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  C.  Winn  Can- 
field  and  mother  of  Patricia  and  Virginia  Can- 
field. 

In  his  civic  and  welfai'e  activities  Mr.  Poor 
is  a  director  of  the  Presbyterian  Hospital,  In- 
fant Welfare  Society  and  Boys'  Clubs  of  Chi- 
cago. He  is  a  Republican,  and  also  belongs  to 
the  Chicago  Club,  Chicago  Athletic  Club,  Tav- 
ern, Electric,  Racquet,  Knollwood,  Old  Elm 
and  Onwentsia  (Chicago)  Cloud  Clubs,  the 
Metropolitan  and  River  Clubs  of  New  York, 
and  the  Bath  Club,  Indian  Creek  Country  Club, 
Everglades  Club  of  Miami  Beach,  Florida,  and 
the  Bohemian  Club  of  San  Francisco.  One  of 
the  noteworthy  Illinoisans,  he  has  long  taken 
a  leading  part  in  the  building  of  America 
through  industrial  and  social  programs. 

HAROLD  H.  CHAPMAN 

At  101  West  Cook  Street,  Springfield,  San- 
gamon County  residents  find  their  largest 
laundry.  This  is  the  Chapman  Laundry  and 
Dry  Cleaners.  Of  this  large  organization, 
founded  in  1904,  Harold  H.  Chapman  is  the 
controlling  partner  and  general  manager.  Mr. 
Chapman  is  not  only  the  operator  of  Spring- 
field's largest  laundry  but  is  also  one  of  the 
most  active  citizens  of  the  city,  and  is  as 
well  known  in  the  Masonic  world  as  he  is  in 
the  business  and  social  world. 

Born  in  Springfield  on  June  9,  1900,  Mr. 
Chapman  is  the  son  of  Alvin  W.  and  Nora 
(Drury)  Chapman.  His  father  was  also  born 
in  Springfield  and  the  mother  is  another  native 
of  the  state.  In  1904  Alvin  Chapman,  with  a 
partner,  H.  C.  Edwards,  launched  the  business 
known  today  as  Chapman  Laundry  and  Dry 
Cleaners.  Operations,  headquartered  at  514 
East  Monroe  Street,  Springfield,  were  begun 
with  a  minimum  of  machinery  and  a  delivery 
service  consisting  of  one  horse  and  wagon. 
By  1909  the  founders  were  able  to  move  into 
a  new  brick  building  at  101  West  Cook  Street 
which  they  had  built  themselves.  Since  that 
time  three  additions,  with  an  aggregate  front- 
age of  168  by  172  feet,  have  been  consti'ucted.' 
Also  there  are  now  a  large  garage  and  a 
fur  storage  building  with  dimensions  of  160 
by  120  feet.  There  are  three  offices  and  new 
and   modern  equipment  throughout  the  plant. 

The  man  who  was  eventually  to  head  this 
enterprise,  Harold  H.  Chapman,  was  educated 
in  the  elementary  and  high  schools  of  Spring- 
field and  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  where 
he  spent  two  years.  He  was  at  the  university 
in  the  World  War  I  period  and  for  four 
months  was  in  the  United  States  Army.  In 
1920,  when  he  left  college,  Mr.  Chapman 
joined  his  father  in  the  laundry  business,  and 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


FRED  ARTHUR  POOR 


This  Space  Reserved  for  the  Portrait 
of  Harold  H.  Chapman 


as  he  learned  the  business  earned  ten  cents 
an  hour.  His  brother,  Robert  R.  Chapman,  also 
came  into  the  business.  In  1927  the  father  pur- 
chased his  partner's  shares  of  stock  and  in 
1942  Harold  and  Robert  Chapman  bought 
ninety  percent  of  the  business  from  their 
father.  Robert  Chapman  died  in  June,  1948, 
and  at  that  time  Harold  Chapman  acquired 
control  of  the  Chapman  Laundry  and  Dry 
Cleaners.  He  owns  ninety  percent  of  the  stock. 
The  father  still  retains  ten  percent.  In  addi- 
tion, Harold  Chapman  has  sole  responsibility 
for  the  management  of  the  enterprise.  He 
employs  one  hundred  persons  and  operates 
nine  routes,  giving  a  complete  laundry,  dry 
cleaning  and  dyeing  and  fur  storage  service. 

Mr.  Chapman  married  Frances  Easley, 
daughter  of  James  A.  and  Minnie  A.  Easley, 
in  Springfield  in  October,  1922.  They  have  one 
son.  James  Harold  Chapman,  born  on  Janu- 
ary 19,  1927,  in  Springfield.  Now  in  charge  of 
the  laundry's  cleaning  department,  the  son 
married  Dorothy  M.  Mountz  and  is  the  father 
of  Melissa  Ann  Chapman,  born  on  November 
24,  1949.  The  family  worships  in  the  First 
Methodist  Church  of  Springfield. 

Harold  H.  Chapman  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Laundering;  the  Spring- 
field and  Illinois  State  Chambers  of  Commerce; 
the  Springfield  Lodges  of  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  the  Rotary  Club  of 
Springfield;  the  Masonic  order,  in  which  he 
holds  the  thirty-second  degree  and  belongs  to 
the  Shrine;  the  Sangamo  Club;  the  Illini 
Country  Club;  Alpha  Tau  Omega  Fraternity. 
He  is  also  active  in  the  American  Legion.  As 
a  business  man  and  active  citizen,  Mr.  Chap- 
man has  done  more  than  his  share  toward 
the  contemporary  development  of  Springfield. 

CHARLES  VINCENT  O'HERN,  SR., 
LL.B. 

Conducting  a  general  practice  of  law  and 
giving  leadership  to  numerous   civic,   welfare 

I  and  organizational  movements,  Charles  Vin- 
cent O'Hern,  Sr.,  of  Peoria,  has  become  one 
of  the  noteworthy  citizens  of  Central  Illinois. 
He  has  long  been  a  leader  of  the  bar  on  the 

|  local  and  State  level  and  has  interested  him- 
self in  all  civic  projects  devoted  to  the  pub- 

I  lie  welfare. 

Born  at  Vermont,  in  Fulton  County,  on  Oc- 

I  tober  1,  1883,  Mr.  O'Hern  is  the  son  of  John 

O'Hern,   a   farmer   at  Vermont,   who   died   on 

f    October  23,  1928,  and  Maria  (Green)  O'Hern, 

a   native   of   Canton,   another  Fulton    County 

community,  who  died  on  March  12,  1923. 


Mr.  O'Hern  began  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Vermont.  He  attended  the  Ver- 
mont High  School,  and  was  a  student  for  a 
year  at  Western  Illinois  State  College,  Ma- 
comb, and  then  went  to  the  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal University  at  Normal,  Illinois,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1908.  For  three 
years  Mr.  O'Hern  taught  in  the  public  schools 
of  Fulton  County,  but  the  law  kept  attracting 
him  as  a  profession.  Accordingly,  he  con- 
tinued his  education,  taking  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
in  1910,  and  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws 
at  Yale  University,  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
in  1912.  Admitted  to  the  Illinois  State  Bar 
in  1912,  Mr.  O'Hern  established  himself  in 
general  practice  in  Peoria  in  that  same  year, 
in  association  with  his  brother,  Thomas  L. 
O'Hern,  now  deceased.  He  later  became  asso- 
ciated in  the  practice  of  law  with  the  late 
Frank  J.  Quinn,  of  Peoria.  Later  the  firm  of 
O'Hern,  Alloy  and  O'Hern  was  formed  and  it 
has  been  continuous  since  that  time.  It  is 
composed  of  Mr.  O'Hern,  Mr.  Jay  Alloy  and 
Mr.  O'Hern's  son,  Charles  Vincent  O'Hern, 
Jr.  The  senior  Mr.  O'Hern  is  counsel  for  the 
Central  Illinois  Light  Company,  among  other 
corporations. 

On  June  26,  1913,  Mr.  O'Hern  married 
Tressa  Smith  of  Normal,  the  daughter  of  John 
F.  Smith,  a  DeWitt  county  farmer,  who  died 
in  1948,  and  Viola  (Silvers)  Smith,  native 
of  Webster  City,  Iowa,  who  died  in  1926. 
Charles  V.  O'Hern,  Jr.,  is  the  older  of  two 
children  born  to  this  marriage.  He  was  born 
on  January  9,  1915.  Betty,  now  Mrs.  Betty 
O'Hern  Muhlke,  was  born  on  February  9, 
1918.  Mrs.  Tressa  O'Hern  died  on  October  25, 
1940.  Mr.  O'Hern  married  Margaret  Mary 
O'Reilly  of  Peoria  on  August  30,  1947. 

The  extent  of  Mr.  O'Hern's  leadership  in 
legal  circles  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he 
has  been  on  the  board  of  governors  of  the 
Illinois  State  Bar  Association  and  served  the 
Peoria  County  Bar  Association  as  president. 
He  is  also  a  former  board  member  of  the 
F'eoria  School  Board  and  of  the  Peoria  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce,  and  is  active,  in  addi- 
tion, in  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Union 
League  Club  of  Chicago  and  the  American 
Bar  Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the  legal 
fraternity,  the  Order  of  the  Coif,  and  the 
Creve  Coeur  Club.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
communicants  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
Mr.  O'Hern  is  recognized  as  having  made  a 
major  contribution  to  progress  and  welfare  at 
Peoria. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


759 


HON.  CHARLES  LESTER  SWORDS 

Nearly  five  thousand  miles  of  road  linking 
important  communities  and  promoting  pro- 
gress, trade  and  the  gaiety  of  life  are  to  the 
credit  of  the  Honorable  Charles  Lester  Swords, 
contractor,  hotel  owner,  real  estate  man, 
farmer,  orchardist  and  former  Sheriff  of 
Peoria  County.  Mr.  Swords,  who  has  made 
this  outstanding  contribution  to  his  native 
Illinois  is  founder  of  and  a  partner  in  the 
construction  firm  of  C.  L.  Swords  and  Son 
and  is  president  of  the  Pere  Marquette  Hotel, 
both  in  Peoria. 

Born  in  Limestone,  in  Peoria  County,  on 
December  31,  1890,  Mr.  Swords  is  the  son  of 
William  A.  and  Clara  (Stevens)  Swords.  The 
father,  also  a  native  of  Limestone,  who  died 
in  1914,  was  a  contractor  and  farmer.  The 
mother,  born  at  Canton,  also  in  Fulton  County, 
died  in  1948.  C.  L.  Swords  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Limestone  and  at  Brown's 
Business  College  in  Peoria.  For  five  or  six 
years  after  completing  his  education  he  was 
in  the  trucking  business  in  his  native  com- 
munity. In  1920  he  went  into  the  contracting 
business  there.  After  about  eight  years,  he 
moved  this  business  to  Peoria,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  headquarters  at  107  South 
Jefferson  Avenue.  In  1937,  his  son,  Earle  I. 
Swords,  joined  him  in  the  contracting  busi- 
ness and  since  that  time  the  firm  has  been 
called  C.  L.  Swords  and  Son.  In  1943  Mr. 
Swords  bought  the  Pere  Marquette  Hotel,  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  state,  and  since  that  time 
has  been  president  of  the  company  operating 
this  five-hundred-room  hostelry.  They  also 
operate  the  New  National  Hotel  at  200  North 
Jefferson  Street,  Peoria. 

Mr.  Swords  married  Edna  M.  McCartney  of 
Limestone  on  September  12,  1911.  Mrs.  Swords 
is  the  daughter  of  William  I.  McCartney,  a 
native  of  Ohio  who  was  long  a  farmer  at 
Limestone  and  who  died  in  1942,  and  Syrena 
(Smith)  McCartney,  born  at  Gridley,  McLean 
County,  who  died  in  1924.  The  son,  Earle, 
born  on  June  9,  1914,  is  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swords' 
only  child.  The  family  lives  at  226  North 
Orange  Avenue,  Peoria. 

Charles  L.  Swords  has  accepted  every  oppor- 
tunity to  grow  with  Illinois  and  to  help  Illi- 
nois grow.  Active  in  the  real  estate  business, 
he  has  opened  El  Vista  subdivision  of  six  hun- 
dred lots  at  Peoria  and  also  Fernwood  No.  2. 
He  operates  an  apple  orchard  of  125  acres  in 
Macoupin  County — an  orchard  rated  among 
the  best  in  the  state.  Also,  he  has  100  acres 
devoted  to  general  farming.  As  a  contractor 
he  has  not  only  built  roads  but  handled  num- 


erous other  projects  of  immense  value  to 
the  state.  His  popularity  reached  such  a  point 
in  1942  that  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Peoria 
County,  and  this  office  he  held  until  1946.  He 
is  active  in  the  Peoria  Association  of  Com- 
merce, the  Peoria  Ad  Club,  the  Illinois  Con- 
tractors Association  and  the  Black  Top  Con- 
tractors Association.  The  name  of  Swords 
has  come  to  stand  for  progress  and  initiative 
in  Illinois. 


ROBERT  BRENT  AYRES 

In  three  ways  Robert  Brent  Ayres  of  Chi- 
cago has  made  his  impression  upon  the  Illi- 
nois and  American  scenes — as  insurance  agent 
and  broker,  as  a  teacher  of  insurance  and 
as  a  writer  on  insurance.  From  this  it  must 
justifiably  be  surmised  that  he  is  an  impor- 
tant figure  in  the  insurance  world.  The  record 
shows  that,  in  addition,  he  has  attained  great 
stature  in  other  spheres. 

Mr.  Ayres  was  born  in  Hinsdale,  DuPage 
County,  on  August  18,  1901,  the  son  of  Frank 
E.  and  Frances  J.  (Brent)  Ayres.  His  father, 
an  electrical  goods  manufacturer,  was  a  county 
supervisor.  After  he  was  graduated  from  the 
Hinsdale  Township  High  School,  Robert  Brent 
Ayres  attended  the  University  of  Illinois,  and 
in  1924  took  his  Bachelor  of  Science  degree. 
He  was  a  trackman  in  1922,  1923  and  1924 
and  was  elected  to  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon 
Fraternity.  In  his  business  career,  Mr.  Ayres 
has  become  a  graduate  of  the  Aetna  Home 
Office  School  and  he  is  a  Chartered  Property 
Casualty  Underwriter.  In  the  insurance  busi- 
ness since  1924 — his  office  is  at  120  South  La- 
Salle  Street,  Chicago — Mr.  Ayres  became  visit- 
ing lecturer  in  insurance  in  the  University  of 
Illinois  Department  of  Economics  in  1947.  He 
is  also  vice  president  of  the  Kelly  Metal  Pro- 
cessing Company. 

On  February  12,  1927,  at  Hinsdale  (which 
continues  to  be  the  Ayres  home),  Mr.  Ayres 
married  Helen  Joan  Meyer,  daughter  of  Julia 
(Holzgrafe)  and  William  R.  Meyer.  Their 
children  are:  David  B.,  born  May  9,  1930., 
Peter  B.,  born  Aug  11,  1931  and  John  -M. 
Ayres,  born  Feb.  14,  1937.  One  of  the  out- 
standing women  of  Hinsdale,  Mrs.  Ayres  is 
past  president  of  the  Hinsdale  Garden  Club, 
treasurer  of  Friends- of  the  Library,  past  vice 
president  of  the  Hinsdale  Women's  Club,  mem- 
ber of  the  boards  of  the  P.-T.A.  and  Garden 
Club  of  Illinois  and  vice  president  of  the  In- 
fant Welfare  Society.  She  is  also  president 
of  the  Women's  Guild  of  the  Hinsdale  Epis- 
copal Church.  Mr.  Ayres  is  a  former  member 
of  the  vestry. 


760 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


HON.  CHARLES  LESTER  SWORDS 


ROBERT  BRENT  AYRES 


His  activities  cover  many  areas  of  service. 
He  is  a  past  member  of  the  Hinsdale  Plan 
Commission  and  past  president  of  the  Hinsdale 
Community  House  and  in  1940  was  acting- 
treasurer  of  the  DuPage  County  Republican 
Committee.  He  is  also  a  former  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Hinsdale  Club 
and  a  former  president,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Junto  of  Chicago,  in  which  he  con- 
tinues an  influential  member.  He  also  belongs 
to  the  Press  Club  of  Chicago  and  the  Adven- 
turers Club  of  Chicago.  He  was  in  the  tem- 
porary Reserve  of  the  United  States  Coast 
Guard  in  the  World  War  II  period.  Fishing 
is  his  favorite  recreation,  but  sharing  his  in- 
terest with  it  are  such  other  pastimes  or  hob- 
bies as  camping,  travel  and  woodworking.  He 
is  five  feet  ten  inches  tall,  weighs  150  pounds 
and  has  brown  eyes  and  brown  hair.  He  has 
high  rank  among  Illinois'   leading  citizens. 

LEROY  BARHAM 

Once  a  zone  official  for  the  Ford  Motor 
Company  out  of  St.  Louis,  LeRoy  Barham  of 
Harrisburg  is  today  one  of  the  leading  Ford 
automobile  and  tractor  dealers  in  Southern 
Illinois.  He  is  the  supervising  partner  in  the 
firms  of  Barham-Green,  Inc.,  automobiles, 
and  Barham-Green  Tractor  Division,  agricul- 
tural equipment  and  implements,  both  at  Har- 
risburg. Also,  he  is  president  of  the  Keith 
Builders  Supply,  Inc.,  a  development  corpora- 
tion. An  ex-prize  fighter,  Mr.  Barham  is  still 
well  known  to  ring  followers,  especially  those 
interested  in  middleweights.  His  sporting  in- 
terests today  are  in  gaited  horses  and  the 
outdoors.  Mr.  Barham  is  also  known  for  the 
work  he  has  done  on  behalf  of  Southern  Illi- 
nois and  as  a  public  speaker. 

Born  in  Williamson  County,  Mr.  Barham  is 
the  son  of  William  W.  and  Adeline  (Williams) 
Barham.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Williamson 
County,  his  mother  of  Johnson  County,  and  the 
former  was  a  son  of  William  R.  Barham,  who 
was  born  in  Clark  County.  William  W.  Barham 
was  the  first  Postmaster  and  set  the  corner- 
stone of  Johnson  City  Post  Office. 

LeRoy  Barham,  the  oldest  of  three  children, 
first  went  to  school  in  Johnson  City.  In  1913, 
he  entered  the  employ  of  a  man  who  gave 
him  no  salary  but  plenty  of  experience.  The 
choice  of  the  field  in  which  the  young  man 
was  to  make  his  career  was  made  by  his  fath- 
er, and  LeRoy  Barham  has  always  thought 
the  choice  was  a  wise  one.  But  in  any  event, 
on  that  first  job,  which   paid  him  no  salary, 


he  worked  from  six  in  the  morning  to  eight 
or  ten  at  night.  However,  he  did  not  com- 
plain, for  he  was  gaining  valuable  experience. 
He  spent  two  years  without  pay,  as  a  me- 
chanic's helper.  Then  for  three  years  he 
worked  at  the  rate  of  fifty  cents  a  day  and 
for  five  years  he  was  paid  $1  a  day.  Alto- 
gether, he  was  with  the  firm,  Davis  Brothers 
Motor  Company,  from  1913  to  1926.  At  the 
time  he  left  the  firm,  he  was  sales  manager — 
and  he  had  learned  the  business  well.  His 
salary  by  that  time  was  $65  a  week.  From 
1926  to  1928,  Mr.  Barham  was  manager  of 
the  Ford  agency  at  Mount  Vernon.  It  was 
in  1928  that  he  went  to  work  directly  for  the 
Ford  Motor  Company  at  St.  Louis.  He  re- 
mained until  1936,  and  during  the  eight  years 
was  commercial  manager,  zone  manager,  serv- 
ice manager  and  wholesale  manager  of  sales. 

In  1936  Mr.  Barham  established  himself 
at  Harrisburg,  buying,  with  his  partner,  the 
Ford  agency  there.  Mr.  Barham  is  secretary 
and  treasurer  and  general  manager.  In  1937 
he  and  his  partner  established  the  Barham- 
Green  Tractor  Division,  selling  Ford  equip- 
ment. Keith  Builders  Supply,  Inc.,  was  es- 
tablished in  1947.  It  handles  steel  buildings, 
air  conditioners,   oil  furnaces  and  tile  floors. 

On  April  5,  1924,  Mr.  Barham  married 
Hope  E.  Kelley,  the  daughter  of  Patrick  Hen- 
ry Kelley  of  Marion. 

Five  feet  eight  and  three-quarters  inches 
tall  and  weighing  208  pounds  today,  Mr.  Bar- 
ham was  once  a  leader  in  the  welterweight 
division  in  the  pugilistic  world.  He  had  nine- 
ty-one fights  from  Chicago  to  Cuba  and  had 
sixty-four  wins.  He  was,  however,  never 
knocked  out.  To  overcome  his  original  stage- 
fright,  he  announced  fights  without  pay.  To- 
day he  is  an  accomplished  public  speaker,  in 
great  demand.  A  Democratic  leader  in  Saline 
County,  he  was  the  party's  candidate  for  Con- 
gress from  the  Twenty-fourth  Illinois  District 
in  1942.  He  carried  Saline  County  by  367 
votes,  but  lost  by  a  small  margin  in  the  other 
counties.  Mr.  Barham  is  active  in  Masonry, 
being  a  member  of  Ainad  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
at  East  St.  Louis,  and  the  Mississippi  Valley 
Consistory,  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish 
Rite.  He  always  owns  from  one  to  five  gaited 
horses.  A  lover  of  birds,  trees  and  nature  in 
general,  he  is  a  fisherman  and  hunter  and 
owns  a  cabin  on  his  own  sixty-acre  lake. 
He  is  widely  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
ardent  and  effective  workers  on  behalf  of 
conservation,  welfare  and  progress. 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


765 


CARL  AMRHEIN 

Baking  and  bakery  operation  have  been 
the  preoccupations  of  Carl  Amrhein  of 
Springfield  since  his  youngest  days.  Even  when 
he  was  in  the  United  States  Navy  in  World 
War  I,  he  was  a  baker.  Today  he  is  presi- 
dent of  Amrhein  Bakery,  Inc.,  one  of  the 
largest  businesses  in  its  field  in  the  Spring- 
field area,  and  is  one  of  the  better  known  citi- 
zens of  the  region. 

Mr.  Amrhein  was  born  in  Springfield  on 
December  25,  1893,  the  son  of  Christopher 
Amrhein,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and  who 
founded  the  Amrhein  Bakery.  The  father, 
whose  people  were  in  the  baking  business  in 
his  native  Germany,  was  sent  to  America  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  to  learn  New  World  meth- 
ods in  the  industry.  He  learned,  and  remained. 
After  traveling  through  various  parts  of  the 
United  States,  Christopher  Amrhein  settled  in 
Springfield.  There  he  worked  in  a  bakery  for 
a  year.  In  1889,  he  purchased  a  small  bakery 
business.  A  year  or  so  later  he  bought  another 
small  bakery  and  consolidated  the  two.  In 
1895  he  erected  a  new  building,  into  which  he 
moved  his  business  and  in  which  he  remained 
until  he  sold  the  entire  business  to  his  sons 
Carl  and  Nicholas. 

Carl  Amrhein,  educated  in  Springfield,  had 
served  his  baking  apprenticeship  under  his 
father  and  become  active  in  the  business. 
When  the  United  States  entered  World  War 
I,  he  went  into  the  Navy  as  a  baker  and  was 
in  the  service  for  a  year.  His  brother  Nicholas 
had  also  entered  the  family  bakery's  employ 
as  a  boy,  but  in  young  manhood  went  into 
the  banking  business.  When  Carl  Amrhein 
was  called  into  the  Naval  service,  Nicholas 
Amrhein  resigned  his  banking  position  and 
returned  to  the  bakery  to  take  over  its  man- 
agement from  the  aging  father.  Upon  the 
return  of  Carl  Amrhein  in  1919,  the  two 
brothers  bought  the  business  from  their  father. 
The  firm  has  since  been  incorporated,  with 
Carl  Amrhein  as  president  and  Nicholas 
Amrhein  as  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Nicholas  Amrhein,  who  is  also  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Springfield,  is  the  father  of  Ni- 
cholas Amrhein,  Jr.,  sales  manager  of  Amr- 
hein Bakery,  Inc. 

Carl  Amrhein  married  Clare  Werth  of 
Springfield  in  1924.  They  have  one  son,  John, 
better  known  to  all  as  Jack  Amrhein,  who 
was  born  in  1930.  In  1950,  he  was  a  student 
at  Notre  Dame  University,  South  Bend,  In- 
diana. 

Carl  and  Nicholas  Amrhein  so  built  the  bak- 
ery   founded    by    their    father    that    a    new 


building  became  imperative.  In  1929  they 
completed  this  modern  structure  and  in  the 
following  year  occupied  it.  They  have  in- 
stalled all  new  and  modern  equipment  in  this 
structure  and  in  1947  built  an  addition  cost- 
ing more  than  the  original  complete  plant. 
Christopher  Amrhein  operated  the  business 
with  two  horses  and  wagons.  His  sons  find  at 
least  twenty-five  delivery  trucks  necessary. 
They  employ  eighty  persons  and  have  a  trad- 
ing territory  with  a  radius  of  sixty  miles  of 
Springfield.  Amrhein  Bakery,  Inc.,  makes  only 
bread  and  buns.  One  of  its  ovens  has  a  capac- 
ity of  4,500  loaves  of  bread  an  hour.  The 
bun  oven's  capacity  is  12,000  buns  an  hour. 
The  firm  uses  from  800  to  1,000  bags  of  flour 
weekly. 

Carl  Amrhein  is  active  in  the  community 
life  of  Springfield.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Springfield  Lodge,  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks;  the  Springfield  Aerie,  Frater- 
nal order  of  Eagles ;  the  American  Legion ;  the 
Springfield  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the 
Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the 
Illinois  Manufacturers  Association.  He  is  a 
popular  figure  in  his  industry  as  well  as  in 
the  civic  life  of  his  city. 

LEROY  LOUIS  BENOIST 

Since  the  days  when  what  is  known  today 
as  the  Benoist  oil  sand  formation  was  dis- 
covered on  the  Benoist  farm  near  Sandoval, 
the  name  of  Benoist  has  been  famed  in  the 
oil  industry  not  only  of  Illinois  but  of  the 
nation.  One  of  the  family  who  is  a  leading 
figure  in  this  and  other  fields  is  Leroy  Louis 
Benoist  of  Mount  Vernon.  Mr.  Benoist  is  not 
only  an  outstanding  business  man  and  orchard- 
ist  but  a  citizen  who  has  more  than  proved 
his   public   interest   to   his   neighbors. 

The  son  of  Albert  E.  and  Flora  (Dill)  Ben- 
oist, Mr.  Benoist  was  born  at  Bunker  Hill, 
Illinois,  on  October  23,  1891.  His  father,  born 
on  April  23,  1857,  in  St.  Louis,  was  a  farmer 
and  oil  man  who  also  operated  a  chain  of 
meat  markets.  The  famed  oil  sand  formation 
named  after  him  was  found  on  his  farm. 
This  was  the  first  oil  discovered  in  Illinois 
west  of  Robinson,  and  oil  is  still  being  pro- 
duced there.  A.  E.  Benoist  was  also  one  of 
the  big  developers  of  Harlingen,  Texas.  He 
died  in  1938.  Flora  Dill  Benoist  was  a  native 
of  St.  Louis,  where  her  father  edited  the  first 
newspaper  published  in  that  city. 

Educated  at  Sandoval  and  Centralia,  Illi- 
nois, Leroy  L.  Benoist  joined  his  brother 
Charles  in  establishing  the  Benoist  Hardware 
Store   at    117    South    Tenth    Street.   This   suc- 


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LKROV  LOCIS  BENOIST 


cessful  enterprise  is  today  the  oldest  in  its 
field  in  Jefferson  County.  In  1927  the  three 
brothers,  Leroy  L.,  Charles  G.  and  Raymond 
E.,  launched  a  wholesale  heating  equipment 
business  known  as  the  Benoist  Brothers  Sup- 
ply Company,  with  200  dealers  in  Southern 
Illinois.  In  1937  the  firm  won  a  Silver  Cup 
for  the  sale  of  the  greatest  number  of  coal 
stokers   in   the   nation. 

The  Benoists  are  still  active  in  the  oil  pro- 
ducing and  prospecting  business,  operating  in 
seven  states,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  Miss- 
issippi, Alabama,  Georgia  and  Florida.  They 
also  operate  an  orchard  of  20  acres  of  apples 
and  70  of  peaches,  and  are  the  originators  of 
the  "pick-your-own"  system.  Their  orchard 
attracts  individuals  and  whole  families  from 
Indiana,  Missouri  and  other  states  as  well  as 
Illinois  to  pick  peaches  for  their  canning  and 
tables.  Leroy  Benoist  is  manager  of  the 
R.  E.  and  L.  L.  Benoist  Company,  the  Benoist 
Brothers  Oil  Company,  L.  L.  Benoist,  Trustee, 
Oil  Producers,  and  Coast  Producers,  Inc.,  an 
oil  drilling  company,  with  offices  in  Mount 
Vernon. 

He  married  Edna  J.  Humes,  a  native  of 
Patoka,  in  Marion  County,  in  191G.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Benoist  have  three  children,  all  gradu- 
ates of  the  University  of  Illinois — Virginia 
Marie,  born  in  1918,  now  Mrs.  L.  W.  Davis 
and  mother  of  Jenna  and  Steven  Davis;  Aline 
Flora,  born  in  1922,  now  Mrs.  Robert  E. 
Douglas;  and  Donald  Leroy  Benoist,  born  in 
1928,  holder  of  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Science  in  General  Engineering,  who  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  business. 

Leroy  L.  Benoist  is  president  and  manager 
of  the  Illinois-National  Oil  and  Gas  Company, 
a  former  director  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  and  a  trustee  of  the  First 
Methodist  Church  of  Mount  Vernon.  He  is  a 
former  member  of  the  Lions  Club  of  Mount 
Vernon,  and  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  home  is  at  1500 
Main  Street,  Mount  Vernon.  As  the  record 
shows,  Leroy  L.  Benoist  has  done  much  to 
develop  several  fields  of  great  importance, 
thus  contributing  to  the  prosperity  and  wel- 
fare of  his  native  state  and  a  large  portion  of 
other  states. 

HON.  R.  E.  DUVALL 

Saint  Clair  County,  named  tor  General 
Arthur  St.  Clair,  first  Governor  of  the  terri- 
tory which  embraced  what  is  now  Illinois,  is 
the  oldest  county  in  the  state,  having  been 
organized  by  proclamation  in   1790.    And  the 


oldest  of  ihe  living  citizens  who  have  done  the 
most  for  this  county  is  the  leading  citizen  of 
the  county  seat,  Belleville — the  Honorable  R. 
E.  Duvh'1.  Three  times  mayor  of  Belleville 
and  also  former  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Department  of  Conservation  of  which  he  was 
assistant  director,  Mr.  Duvall  continues  active 
in  development  activities,  being  a  real  estate 
operator  specializing  in  land  for  industry.  As 
Belleville's  Mayor,  he  made  a  national  reputa- 
tion for  the  outstanding  fashion  in  which  he 
directed  handling  of  the  pavement  of  Main 
Street,  which  is  still  a  model  for  municipal 
officials   and    engineers. 

R.  E.  Duvall  was  horn  in  Todd  County, 
Kentucky  on  June  2  4.  18  79,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  his  native  state,  where  tor  a  time  he 
was  a  farmer.  He  arrived  in  Belleville  on 
July  1,  1900,  in  a  year  when  the  entire  nation 
was  in  the  throes  of  a  political  campaign: 
William  Jennings  Bryan,  the  silver-tongued 
Democratic  orator,  was  running  against  Wil- 
liam McKinley,  who,  aided  by  Theodore  Roose- 
velt as  the  vice-presidential  candidate  on  the 
Republic;'!)  ticket,  swept  into  office  only  to 
be  assassinated  the  following  year  and  suc- 
ceeded by  the  famous  "Rough  Rider."  For 
two  years  Mr.  Duvall  farmed  in  Saint  Clair 
County  Mid  for  I  wo  more  years  he  was  a 
railroadman.  In  1904  he  went  into  the  real 
estate  business  as  an  associate  of  Frank  Bud- 
erer,  and  in  a  comparatively  short  time  was 
himself  a  big  and  important  land  developer 
and  a  builder  of  the  county  seat  and  the 
county  itself,  a  citizen  whom  a  grateful  citi- 
zenry were  to  elect  to  high  municipal  and 
state  offices. 

In  the  ear'y  days  of  his  Illinois  career  Mr. 
Duvall  married  Luetta  Miller  of  Belleville. 
Mrs.  Duvall  is  the  daughter  of  the  late  Joseph 
Miller,  outstanding  farmer  and  cattle  breeder 
of  Saint  Clair  County  and  one-time  member 
of  the  State  Legislature. 

In  1911,  only  eleven  years  after  he  had,  a 
youth  of  twenty-one,  entered  the  City  of  Belle- 
ville, Mr.  Duvall  was  elected  Mayor.  In  1913, 
he  was  re-elected,  and  so  favorably  did  he  im- 
press the  citizens  that  he  was  elected  twice 
more,  in  1915  and  1917.  The  five-and-one- 
half-mile-long  Main  Street,  which  he  built 
with  twin  roads  each  nineteen  and  one-half 
feet  wide,  has  made  him  famous  among 
municipal  administrators.  He  had  the  street 
laid  with  nine  and  one-half  inches  of  con- 
crete and  a  steel  binder  and  topped  with  two 
and  one-half  inches  of  wearing  surface.  After 
three  decades  the  street  is  still  in  perfect  con- 
dition.    It    cost    $284,000    and    has    returned 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


771 


nine  percent  to  the  taxpayers.  Engineers  still 
visit  Belleville  to  study  the  paving  and  the 
University  of  Illinois  highway  and  street  ex- 
perts awarded  Mayor  Duvall  first  prize  for  the 
best  highway  in  the  United  States.  In  Jan- 
uary. 1919,  Mr.  Duvall  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate,  where  he  served  eight  years. 
Governor  Emerson  appointed  him  to  the  De- 
partment of  Conservation  because  of  his  in- 
terest in  fish  and  game  protection  and  propa- 
gation. Mr.  Duvall  is  an  expert  in  clay  bird 
shooting,  and  is  a  follower  of  all  sports.  He 
is  an  expert  pistol  and  rifle  shot  and  has  com- 
peted in  various  tournaments.  He  has  a  score 
of  94  cloy  pigeons.  Mr.  Duvall  is  engaged  to- 
day in  activities  which  are  benefiting  his  com- 
munity and  state,  and  he  is  one  of  the  most 
honored  men  in  the  region. 

SAMUEL  L.  MARTIN 

A  native  of  Watseka,  Samuel  L.  Martin  is 
now  one  of  that  city's  and  Eastern  Illinois' 
most  prominent  citizens.  A  leader  in  the  lum- 
ber business,  he  makes  packing  boxes  for  big 
home  appliance  and  other  manufacturing  con- 
cerns and,  in  addition,  operates  a  retail  and 
wholesale  lumber  yard.  He  owns  yards  at 
Piper  City,  in  Ford  County,  and  in  Watseka. 
In  World  War  II  Mr.  Martin  made  boxes  di- 
rectly* connected  with  the  war  effort. 

Born  on  May  27,  1900,  Mr.  Martin  is  the 
son  of  A.  W.  and  Jessie  (Loveridge)  Martin, 
both  also  natives  of  Iroquois  County.  The 
father  was  in  the  lumber  business.  Samuel 
Martin  was  educated  in  elementary  and  high 
schools  at  Watseka,  at  Lake  Forest  College 
and  the  University  of  Illinois.  He  joined  his 
father  in  the  lumber  business  in  1922  and 
has  been  in  that  industry  since  then.  In  1942, 
to  make  his  contribution  to  the  all-out  war 
effort,  Mr.  Martin  founded  the  Hemb  and 
Martin  Box  Factory  at  Watseka,  and  through- 
out the  war  devoted  himself  exclusively  to 
war  contracts,  making  gun  mounts,  radio 
boxes  and  food  boxes  and  employing  seventy- 
eight  persons.  He  now  employs  eighty  in  mak- 
ing boxes  for  washing  machine  and  other 
home  appliance  manufacturers  such  as  Bendix 
and  Hurley.  In  his  retail  and  wholesale  lum- 
ber operations,  both  at  Watseka  and  Piper 
City,  he  employs  twenty-four  people.  He  also 
operates  a  ready-mix  concrete  plant  at  Wat- 
seka. In  addition,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  First  Trust  and 
Savings  Bank  of  Watseka  and  vice-president 
of  the  Concrete  Products  Corporation  of  Sko- 
kie,  Illinois,  and  operates  several  farms.  Not 
far  from   Watseka  is  the  little  community  of 


Martinton.  This  was  named  after  Mr.  Mar- 
tin's paternal  grandfather,  James  C.  Martin, 
who  had  been  Sheriff  of  Iroquois  County. 

On  December  26,  1927,  at  Watseka,  Mr. 
Martin  married  Nadean  Meents,  the  daughter 
of  State  Senator  and  Mrs.  Richard  R.  Meents 
and  born  in  Iroquois  County  on  January  12, 
1908.  They  have  one  son,  Richard  Alfred 
Martin,  who  was  born  on  July  12,  1932,  and 
who  was  a  member  of  the  Class  of  1950  at  the 
Watseka   High  School. 

One  of  the  county  seat's  most  civic-mind- 
ed citizens.  Mr.  Martin  has  been  active  in 
all  community  enterprises.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Watseka 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  is  active  also  in 
the  Lions  Club  of  Watseka,  the  Watseka 
Lodge  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Or- 
der of  Elks  and  many  Masonic  bodies,  in- 
cluding both  the  York  and  Scottish  Rite  and 
the  Shrine.  He  worships  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  As  a  lumber  dealer  and  box  maker 
he  has  aided  in  the  development  of  his  city, 
county  and  the  entire  Eastern  Illinois  region. 

LESLIE  FRANK  FULLERTON 

Until  ill  health  forced  him  into  retirement, 
Leslie  Frank  Fullerton  of  Lincoln  was  one  of 
the  most  active  men  in  the  dairy  business  in 
Downstate  Illinois.  His  name  is  still  known 
throughout  the  industry  and  he  is  still  the 
owner  of  the  popular  Fullerton  Dairy  at  Lin- 
coln. 

Mr.  Fullerton  was  born  in  the  Logan  County 
seat  on  September  5,  1883,  the  son  of  Benja- 
min Scott  and  Mary  Ann  (Layton)  Fullerton. 
His  father,  a  native  of  New  York,  was  in  the 
dairy  business  before  him.  In  boyhood  Benja- 
min Scott  Fullerton  was  brought  to  Illinois 
from  his  native  state  by  his  parents,  the 
family  settling  in  Atlanta,  Logan  County. 
When  he  reached  young  manhood  he  opened 
up  a  dairy  at  Atlanta.  In  the  early  1900s  he 
moved  to  Lincoln,  where  he  established  the 
dairy  business  later  taken  over  by  his  son 
Leslie.  He  died  in  192  4.  There  were  two  so;is 
in  the  family,  the  younger  Leslie  F.  Fullerton 
and   Ray  A.  Fullerton. 

Leslie  Fullerton  was  educated  in  the  ele- 
mentary rchools  of  Lincoln.  He  left  when  he 
was  in  the  eighth  grade  and  joined  his  father 
in  the  dairy  business.  After  the  elder  Mr. 
Fullerton  died,  the  son  took  over  the  active 
management  of  the  enterprise.  Until  1930 
he  sold  raw  milk.  Then  he  purchased  pasteur- 
izing equipment  and  since  then  he  has  sold 
pasteurized  milk.  In  1947,  with  the  installa- 
tion of  homogenizing  equipment  in  his  plant, 


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HON.  R.  E.  DUVALL 


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he  added  homogenized  milk  to  his  products 
and  at  the  present  time  is  distributing  milk- 
in  paper  cartons.  He  employs  eight  persons 
and  operates  eight  trucks,  selling  an  average 
of  one  thousand  gallons  of  milk  a  day.  The 
dairy  is  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Fuller- 
ton's  son-in-law,  Warren  Gallagher,  who  took 
over  when  Mr.  Fullerton  retired. 

Mr.  Fullerton  married  Emma  Pedigo  of 
Lincoln  on  April  18,  1913.  She  died  on  July 
17,  11)45.  One  daughter,  Dorothy  May,  was 
born  to  the  marriage.  She  is  Warren  Gal- 
lagher's wife  and  is  the  mother  of  Sharon  Lee 
Gallagher,  who  was  born  in  1940,  and  Les- 
lie  Ann    Gallagher,    who    was    born    in    19  48. 

Mr.  Fullerton  was  active  in  Lincoln's  civic 
affairs  and  in  social  circles.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Lincoln  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  highly 
respected  citizens  of  Logan  County. 

ROBERT  WILLIAMS  GIPSON 

Few  men  have  served  their  communities  with 
the  sincerity,  ability  and  effectiveness  of  the 
late  Robert  Williams  Gipson  of  Bloomington. 
Mr.  Gipson,  who  established  and  headed  the 
R.  W.  Gipson  Agency,  at  Bloomington,  was 
one  of  the  noted  figures  in  this  field  of  en- 
deavor in  Central  Illinois,  and  was  a  man  who 
had  behind  him  many  years  of  experience  in 
the  insurance  field  in  Indiana  and  Florida  be- 
fore establishing  himself  at  Bloomington.  He 
was  one  of  those  who,  as  a  member  of  the 
Bloomington-Normal  Sanitary  District,  helped 
these  communities  with  many  of  their  munici- 
pal problems  and  who  also  worked  to  develop 
Illinois  Wesleyan  University  at  Bloomington, 
the  Bloomington  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation and  the  Bloomington  Country  Club. 
He  died  an  untimely  death  at  the  age  of  forty- 
eight  but  lives  on  in  the  hearts  of  all  those  who 
knew  him — anc  they  were  legion.  His  widow, 
the  former  Naomi  Huli.  who  was  his  partner  for 
years  and  who  is  now  president  of  his  busi- 
ness, carries  on  with  his  traditions  and  poli- 
cies and  has  herself  become  an  outstanding 
figure  in  the  insurance  world  and  in  civic, 
business  and  educational  circles. 

Robert  Williams  Gipson  was  born  at  Con- 
verse, Indiana,  on  February  25,  1900,  the  son 
of  Robert  William  and  Pearl  (Williams)  Gip- 
son. His  father,  also  a  native  of  Converse, 
was  the  operator  of  a  general  store.  He  died 
in  1930.  His  widow,  who  was  born  at  Red 
Key,  Indiana,  died  in  1943.  The  younger 
Robert  Williams  Gipson  received  his  elemen- 
tary education  at  Thorntown,  Indiana  and  his 


high  school  education  at  Kendallville,  Indi- 
ana. In  1922,  he  was  graduated  from  DePauw 
University,  Greencastle,  Indiana,  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  for  three  years 
thereafter  he  was  Freshman  Coach  and  Secre- 
tary of  the  Alumni  Association  at  DePauw 
University.  From  1924  to  1927  Mr.  Gipson 
was  in  the  insurance  business  at  Miami,  Flori- 
da, and  fiom  192  7  to  192  8  he  followed  the 
same  business  at  Elkhart,  Indiana.  In  1928 
he  established  himself  in  Bloomington.  In 
the  first  four  years  there  he  worked,  for  other 
agencies,  but  in  Sept.  1932,  he  established  his 
own  agency.  This  he  operated  until  his  death 
in  September,  19  48. 

Mr.  Gipson  married  Naomi  Hull,  a  native  of 
Alvordton,  Ohio,  on  October  20,  1926.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Burton  and  Lillian  (Elder) 
Hull.  Her  father,  born  in  Ohio,  is  in  the 
lumber  and  real  estate  business.  Her  mother 
is  a  native  of  Iowa.  Three  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gipson — Robert  Hull  Gipson, 
on  September  18,  1927;  David  Williams  Gip- 
son, on  January  9,  1932,  and  Sarah  Gipson, 
on  March  2,  1936.  After  graduation  from 
Bloomington  High  School  in  1945,  Robert 
Hull  Gipson  served  in  the  U.S.  Navy  for  one 
year.  He  attended  DePauw  University,  Green- 
castle, Indiana  for  three  years  and  will  be 
graduated  from  Illinois  Wesleyan  University, 
Bloomington,  Illinois  in  1950  with  Bachelor 
of  Arts  Degree. 

In  February  1950  the  entire  community 
of  Bloomington  was  shocked  to  learn  of  the 
accidental  death  of  David  Williams  Gipson. 
At  the  age  of  18  he  had  become  a  community 
minded  citizen  and  had  learned  to  grapple 
with  the  problems  of  mankind  to  an  extent 
sometime  never  reached  by  adults.  "Dave" 
Gipson  was  a  straight  "A"  student,  an  athlete, 
a  natural  leader,  good  orator,  good  musician, 
and  had  a  charming  personality.  He  gave 
promise  of  becoming  one  of  the  region's  out- 
standing civic  leaders.  A  memorial  idea  initi- 
ated by  his  fellow  students  has  done  much 
to  encourage  the  kind  of  all  'round  ability  he 
demonstrated  so  well. 

Mrs.  Gipson,  always  an  active  woman  in 
civic  and  club  affairs  and  always  interested 
in  business,  assisted  her  husband  in  the  opera- 
tion of  the  Gipson  Insurance  Agency.  In  Jan- 
uary, 194  6,  about  three  years  before  his 
death,  she  was  taken  into  the  business  as  a 
partner.  In  1949,  soon  after  his  death,  the 
business  was  incorporated,  and  since  then 
Mrs.  Gipson  hp.s  been  president,  with  Robert 
H.  Gipson  as  vice  president.  She  is  a  former 
president  of  the  McLean  Co.   Chapter  of  the 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


777 


League  of  Women  Voters.  In  the  World  War 
II  period  Mrs.  Gipson  was  chairman  of  volun- 
teer services  for  the  McLean  County  Chapter, 
American  Red  Cross.  Her  "game"  continues 
to  be  golf.  She  was  Indiana  State  Golf  Cham- 
pion in  192  5  and  has  been  Bloomington  cham- 
pion four  times  and  the  Bloomington  Country 
Club  champion  eight  times.  She  has  given 
considerable  leadership  to  health,  welfare  and 
better  government  programs  in  McLean 
County. 

Mr.  Gipson,  who  served  with  the  armed 
forces  from  1918  to  1919,  was  a  member  of 
the  American  Legion.  He  also  served  on  the 
boards  of  trustees  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan 
University  and  the  Bloomington  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  and  on  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Bloomington  Country  Club. 
During  World  War  II  Mr.  Gipson,  Sr.  served 
continuously  on  the  Ration  Boards  of  McLean 
County.  From  1945  to  1948  Mr.  Gipson  was 
a  member  of  the  Bloomington-Normal  Sani- 
tary District;  for  two  years  he  was  that  body's 
treasurer.  He  also  belonged  to  the  Blooming- 
ton Association  of  Commerce,  the  Normal 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Rotary  Club  of 
Bloomington,  the  Bloomington  Club,  the  Ma- 
sonic order  and  Phi  Delta  Theta  Fraternity. 
He  and  Mrs.  Gipson  maintained  a  home  at 
601  North  Main  Street,  Normal,  and  this  con- 
tinues Mrs.  Gipson's  home.  Mr.  Gipson  was 
fond  of  gardening,  fishing  and  golf.  He  was 
considered  one  of  McLean  County's  great  citi- 
zens and  Mrs.  Gipson,  walking  in  his  foot- 
steps,  is  herself  achieving  similar  status. 

HENRY  PETER  OSCAR  SCHAFALE 

Marion,  the  seat  of  Williamson  County  and 
a  city  of  nearly  10,000  population,  had  no 
banking  institution  until,  in  association  with 
other  forward-looking  business  and  profes- 
sional men,  Henry  Peter  Oscar  Schafale  in 
1937  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Bank  of  Marion.  Today,  Mr.  Schafale,  form- 
erly in  the  farm  machinery  business,  is  presi- 
dent of  the  bank.  He  has  been  a  director  since 
193  7.  He  is  known  throughout  Illinois  for  the 
banking  work  he  has  done  in  a  region  pre- 
dominantly agricultural,  and  he  has  worked 
in  the  cause  of  civic  improvement  and  educa- 
tion in  his  county. 

Mr.  Schafale  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Wil- 
liamson County  on  September  11,  1897,  the 
son  of  Michael  and  Mary  ( Wielmuenster) 
Schafale.  His  father,  a  farmer  and  black- 
smith, moved  to  Marion  in  1906.  Oscar  Scha- 
fale was  graduated  from  grade  school  in  1914 
and  in  the  same  year  joined  his  father  in  the 


farm  machinery  business  in  the  county  seat. 
He  was  in  this  business  for  thirty  years,  sell- 
ing out  to  assume  the  presidency  of  the  Bank 
of  Marion  in  19*4.  He  had  been  elected  vice 
president  in  1941.  His  former  business  was 
known  as  M.  Schafale  and  Son,  carrying  the 
International  Harvester  line  from  1902  to 
1944.  There  were  eleven  employees  and  the 
firm  served  most  of  Williamson  County. 
Michael  Schafale  at  one  time  built  wagons 
and  truck  bodies.  The  farm  implement  busi- 
ness was  the  outgrowth  of  his  blacksmith's 
shop. 

On  July  12,  1921,  Oscar  Schafale  married 
Marie  Mysch,  the  daughter  of  the  Reverend 
and  Mrs.  Theodore  Mysch  of  Marion.  There 
are  five  children — David,  Lloyd,  Dorris,  Her- 
bert and  Ann  Schafale.  The  family  worships 
in  the  Evangelical  Reformed  Church,  in  which 
Mr.  Schafale  has  taught  in  the  Sunday  School 
since  he  was  fourteen  years  old  and  in  which 
he  is  now  on  the  official  board.  Influential 
in  the  Il'inois  Bankers  Association,  Mr.  Scha- 
fale was  chairman  of  the  agriculture  commit- 
tee for  Group  10  in  1946.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Bankers  Association  and 
the  Independent  Bankers  Association.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Marion  since  1926, 
he  was  its  president  in  1933-34.  From  1930 
to  1944  Mr.  Schafale  served  on  the  Marion 
High  School  Board  and  in  the  year  1943-44 
was  its  president.  He  is  a  charter  member 
and  a  director,  and  past  treasurer,  of  the 
Greater  Egyptian  Association  and  is  a  char- 
ter member  and  a  director  of  the  Southern 
Illinois,  Inc.  He  is  past  president  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Marion 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  he  is  active  in  the 
Williamson  County  Farm  Bureau.  Trees  and 
flowers  must  be  included  among  his  hobbies. 
He  is  also  interested  in  education,  and  has 
himself  completed  a  course  in  banking  at  the 
University  of  Wisconsin.  He  is  especially  in- 
terested in  economics  and  professional  publi- 
cations. Through  his  variegated  activities 
Oscar  Schafale  has  stimulated  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  entire  urban-rural  area  in' 
which   he   lives. 

WALKER  SCHWARTZ 

An  important  figure  in  the  financial  world, 
Walker  Schwartz  is  chairman  of  the  board  of 
directors  ol  the  First  National  Bank  of  Car- 
bondale  and  secretary  of  the  First  Building 
and  Loan  Association  of  that  city.  A  military 
veteran  or  World  War  I  who  also  was  active 
in  Illinois  Militia  programs  in  World  War  11, 
Mr.    Schwartz    is    prominent    in    veterans'    af- 


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ROBERT  WILLIAMS  GIPSON 


WALKER  SCHWARTZ 


fairs  in  Jackson  County,  as  well  as  in  fra- 
ternal, educational  and  civic  work.  He  is  a 
former  president  of  the  Carbondale  Board  of 
Education. 

Mr.  Schwartz  was  born  at  Elkville,  Jackson 
County,  on  August  18,  1895.  His  father, 
George  Schwartz,  also  a  native  of  that  county. 
was  one  ol  the  founders  of  Carbondale  Loan 
&  Improvement  Association  of  Carbondale. 
He  was  the  grandson  of  William  A.  Schwartz, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  who  became  a  promi- 
nent farmer  in  Illinois  and  served  in  the 
State  Legislature  at  Springfield.  Walker 
Schwartz's  mother  was  Lora  A.  Walker,  also 
born  in  Illinois.  He  has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Irene 
Patterson,  who  is  his  senior  in  age.  Mr. 
Schwartz  is  a  cousin  of  Chester  Ray  Schwartz 
ol  Elkville,  lumberman  and  paint  manufac- 
turer ;  nd  on.,  lime  postmaster  of  that  city, 
whose  life  story  is  told  elsewhere  in  this  Illi- 
nois edition  of  the  Library  of  American  Lives. 

Walker  Schwartz  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  elementary  schools  of  Carbon- 
dale and  University  High  School,  being  gradu- 
ated from  the  latter  in  1913.  He  then  spent 
iwo  years  at  Southern  Illinois  University,  in 
Carbondale.  In  1917,  he  entered  the  United 
States  Army.  He  went  overseas  with  the 
American  Expeditionary  Force  and  partici- 
pated in  rive  major  battles  with  the  130th  In- 
fantry, attaining  the  rank  of  Sergeant.  Dis- 
charged in  May,  1919,  he  worked  the  next 
twelve  months  or  so  in  the  production  depart- 
ment of  the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber  Com- 
pany of  Akron.  He  returned  to  Carbondale 
in  1921  and  joined  his  brother-in-law,  Sam 
Patterson,  in  the  clothing  business.  Two 
years  later,  however,  he  sold  out  to  Mr.  Pat- 
terson and  joined  his  father  in  the  building 
and  loan  association.  This  had  been  founded 
by  George  Schwartz  in  1905.  Walker  Schwartz 
became  assistant  secretary  of  the  building- 
loan  organization  and  at  the  same  time  took 
over  an  insurance  agency  his  father  had  been 
operating.  In  1934,  on  the  death  of  his  father, 
he  became  secretary  of  the  building  and  loan 
organization,  the  office  he  holds  today.  In 
1935,  he  was  elected  to  the  board  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Carbondale  and  in  1946  was 
made  chairman.  He  is  active  in  the  Illinois 
Savings  and  Loan  League  and  the  United 
States  Savings  and  Loan  League. 

On  September  2  5,  1925,  Mr.  Schwartz  mar- 
ried   Mabe!   Smith,   the   daughter  of   Mr.    and 
Mrs.  George  Smith  of  Omaha,  Illinois.    They 
have   three  children — Barbara   Jane,   who   in 
'1949  was  at  Northwestern  University;  Thomas 


D.,  and   Sara   Marie.    The  family  worships  m 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  Schwartz  was  president  of  the  Carbon- 
dale school  board  in  1930.  He  is  also  past 
commander  of  the  Carbondale  Post  of  the 
American  Legion  and  past  exalted  ruler  of  the 
Carbondale  Lodge  of  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks.  He  has  also  served  as 
commander  of  the  Beauseant  Coinmandery, 
Knights  Templar,  and  is  a  member  of  Ainad 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Slnine,  in  East  St.  Louis.  He  belongs 
to  the  Rotary  Club  and  the  Jackson  Country 
Club,  anicng  other  organizations.  In  World 
War  II  he  helped  organize  the  local  company 
of  Illinois  Militia  and  served  as  its  captain. 
He  has  made  an  outstanding  contribution  to 
the  welfare  of  Carbondale  and  Jackson  County. 

PALL  ROWATT 

The  largest  seller  of  high-priced  perfumes 
in  the  world  is  Dana  Perfumes,  Inc.,  430 
North  Michigan  Avenue,  Chicago.  This  firm 
does  business  throughout  the  United  Slates 
and  its  possessions  and  in  Canada.  Chairman 
of  the  Board  is  Paul  Rowatt,  one  of  the  out- 
standing men  in  this  field  internationally. 

He  was  born  in  Carterville,  Williamson 
County,  on  January  19,  1901,  the  second  of 
lour  children  of  Walter  and  Ellender  Jane 
(Lipsy)  Rowatt.  His  father,  also  born  in 
Carterville,  was  the  son  of  Waller  Stewart 
Rowatt  of  Scotland  and  Mary  Ann  Jackson  of 
Williamson  County.  The  members  of  the  fam- 
ily were  the  oldest  settlers  of  Carterville. 
Walter  Rowatt  was  a  celebrated  merchant  in 
Southern  Illinois  who  after  retiring  in  1930 
assumed  his  present  office  of  president  of  the 
Carterville  State  Savings  Bank.  The  mother, 
daughter  of  Michael  Snyder  and  Janie 
(Hayes)  Lipsy,  died  in  May,  1945.  Her 
parents  and  grandparents  were  pioneer  set- 
tlers at  West  Frankfort  and  most  of  the  land 
there  was  once  owned  by  them.  The  world's 
largest  bituminous  coal  mine,  Orient  No.  2, 
is  located  on  land  formerly  in  the  family.  The 
other  children  of  Walter  and  Ellender  Rowatt 
are  Mrs.  John  Henry  Craig  of  Herrin,  Mrs. 
Charles  Hudgens  of  Carbondale  and  Howard 
Edward  Rowatt.  Howard  Rowatt  studied  at 
the  University  of  Southern  Illinois,  where  he 
was  active  in  football  and  basketball.  Later, 
in  World  War  II,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
best  teams  in  the  armed  forces- — at  Camp 
Gruber.  An  M.P.  in  the  Rainbow  Division,  he 
was  one  of  four  members  of  that  division  who 
through  a  "bluff"  brought  about  the  sur- 
render to  them  of  a  garrison  of  130  German 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


783 


soldiers,  one  of  the  celebrated  incidents  of 
the  war. 

Paul  Rowatt  attended  grammar  school  at 
Carterville.  He  won  the  competitive  scholar- 
ship for  the  University  of  Illinois,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  192  2,  receiving  his  Certi- 
fied Public  Accountant  Certificate  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one.  He  taught  accounting  at  the 
university  the  following  year,  and  practiced 
accounting  until  1941.  In  this  period  he  was 
in  charge  of  the  office  of  Angus  Steven  for 
eleven  and  one-half  years  and  head  of  the 
tax  department  of  Alexander  Grant  Company 
three  and  one-half  years.  In  1941  he  became 
engaged  in  the  cosmetics  business  with  J.  Les- 
lie Younghusband.  In  June,  1944,  their  Chen 
Yu  nail  polish  and  lipstick  line  was  sold  for 
$2,000,000,  after  which  their  attention  was 
given  to  developing  Dana  Perfumes,  Inc.  The 
entire  stock  of  this  company  was  acquired  by 
Paul  Rowatt  in  September,  1947.  Dana  Per- 
fumes, Inc.,  operates  under  a  license  from 
Javier  Serra  and  has  the  distribution  rights 
in  the  United  States,  its  possessions  and 
Canada.  Now  the  largest  seller  of  high-priced 
perfumes  in  the  world,  it  retails  its  products 
at  $17.50  to  $40.00  an  ounce,  and  its  volume 
has  grown  to  several  million  dollars  a  year. 

Mr.  Rowatt,  who  is  unmarried,  still  makes 
his  home  in  Carterville.  He  is  a  Republican 
and  a  Protestant.  Flying  and  golfing  are  his 
major  interests  outside  the  perfume  business. 
He  maintains  a  Seabee  and  two  land  planes 
and  spends  as  much  time  as  possible  flying 
and  golfing.  Standing  six  feet  one  and  weigh- 
ing 240  pounds,  with  dark  hair  and  dark  eyes, 
he  has  made  himself  a  familiar  figure  in 
many  corners  of  the  world.  He  is  a  popular 
man  of  business  and  an  outstanding  citizen  of 
both  Chicago  and  Carterville. 

OSCAR  F.  MAYER 

Oscar  Mayer  and  Co.,  is,  of  course,  the 
celebrated  meat  packing  concern  with  head- 
quarters in  Chicago  and  branches  in  many 
other  major  cities  of  the  United  States.  Its 
founder  is  the  venerable  and  popular  Oscar  F. 
Mayer,  now  chairman  of  the  company's  board 
of  directors,  a  nonagenarian  still  alertly  in- 
terested in  the  business  and  in  the  world  in 
general.  More  actively  engaged  in  guiding 
the  company's  interests  today  is  his  son,  Oscar 
G.  Mayer  (q.v.),  celebrated  Chicagoan  who  is 
president  of  Oscar  Mayer  and   Co. 

Oscar  F.  Mayer  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
on  March  29,  1859.  His  parents  were  Ferdi- 
nand Mayer,  also  a  native  of  that  province  and 
a  forester,  and  Wilhelmina  Mayer.   The  future 


meat  packer  was  educated  in  the  grammar 
schools  of  Germany.  In  1873,  when  he  was 
fourteen,  Mr.  Mayer  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  in  the  same  year  went  to  work 
for  George  Weber  in  Detroit,  Michigan.  He 
remained  with  him  three  years.  After  further 
varied  experience  in  the  meat  business  Mr. 
Mayer  started  the  small  meat  processing  con- 
cern of  Oscar  F.  Mayer  &  Bro.  in  Chicago  in 
1883.  Out  of  this  firm  arose  the  present 
great  house,  Oscar  Mayer  and  Co.,  of  which 
Mr.  Mayer  was  president  until  1931,  when  lie 
became  chairman  of  the  board  of  directors, 
leaving  the  presidency  to  his  son.  Besides  big 
plants  in  Chicago,  the  company  now  has  pack- 
ing houses  in  Madison  and  Prairie  du  Chien, 
Wisconsin;  and  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  a 
processing  plant  in  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Mayer  married  Louise  Greiner,  who 
died  in  1931,  in  Chicago  on  May  12,  1887. 
They  have  five  children  and  sixteen  grand- 
children. Their  only  son,  Oscar  G.  Mayer, 
president  of  the  company,  is  the  oldest  of  the 
five  children.  He  was  born  in  Chicago  on 
March  10,  18  88.  He  married  Elsa  Stieglitz 
and  is  the  father  of  four  children.  His  story 
is  told  in  detail  in  another  section  of  this 
Illinois  Edition  of  Library  of  American  Lives. 
The  daughters  are,  in  the  order  of  their  birth: 
Frieda  Mayer  Collins,  wife  of  Edward  J.  Col- 
lins, pianist  and  composer,  and  the  mother  of 
four  children;  Louise  Mayer  Schein,  who  died 
in  1927,  being  survived  by  her  three  children; 
Elsie  Mayer  Steuer,  widow  of  the  late  Joseph 
T.  Steuer  and  the  mother  of  two  children; 
and  Eugenie  Mayer  Bolz,  wife  of  Adolph  C. 
Bolz  and  mother  of  three  children.  Mr.  Oscar 
F.  Mayer  resides  at  572  7  Sheridian  Road,  Chi- 
cago. He  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  Chicago.  Mr.  Mayer  is  a 
Democrat.  Deer  hunting  is  his  favorite  pas- 
time. He  has  made  a  distinct  contribution  to 
the  nation's  welfare  and  progress  in  develop- 
ing and  making  meat  food  products  of  the 
highest  quality  for  almost  seven  decades. 

OSCAR  G.  MAYER 

In  all  parts  of  the  nation  the  name  of  May- 
er has  become  synonymous  with  progress  in 
the  meat  packing  industry.  Oscar  G.  Mayer, 
of  Chicago,  bearer  of  this  name,  is  president 
of  the  great  house  of  Oscar  Mayer  and  Co.  He 
has  held  some  of  the  highest  posts  in  his 
industry  and  has  given  considerable  leader- 
ship to  educational  activities,  having  at  one 
time  been  president  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of   the    University   of   Illinois  and   serving  at 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


OSCAR  F.  MAYER 


OSCAR  G.  MAYER 


present  on  the  board  of  Beloit  College  in  Wis- 
consin. 

Oscar  G.  Mayer  was  born  in  Chicago  on 
March  10,  1888.  His  father  is  Oscar  F.  Mayer, 
founder  of  Oscar  Mayer  and  Company,  former 
president  of  that  concern  and  at  present  the 
chairman  of  its  board  of  directors.  (The  story 
of  his  life  and  career  is  fully  told  on  other 
pages  of  this  volume.)  The  mother  of  Oscar 
G.  Mayer  is  Louise  (Greiner)  Mayer.  Mr. 
Mayer  completed  his  education  at  Harvard 
University,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  where 
he  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  His 
scholarship  was  of  such  caliber  as  to  win  him 
election  to  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  The  year  he  took 
his  degree  Mr.  Mayer  went  to  work  for  Oscar 
Mayer  and  Company,  assuming  the  duties  of 
assistant  superintendent.  In  1912,  he  was 
elected  secretary  and  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  and  general  manager  and  since  1931 
he  has  been  president. 

Mr.  Mayer  married  Elsa  Stieglitz  in  Chi- 
cago on  May  10,  1913.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren and  seven  grandchildren — Oscar  G.  May- 
er., Jr.,  who  married  Rosalie  Harrison  and  is 
the  father  of  Oscar  H.  Mayer,  Donald  Mayer 
and  William  Mayer;  Harold  M.  Mayer  who 
married  Jane  Leathers  and  is  the  father  of 
Harold  Mayer  and  Richard  Mayer;  Allan  C. 
Mayer,  who  married  Lois  Kurtz  and  is  the 
father  of  Allan  C.  Mayer,  Jr.;  and  Elinor 
Mayer  Russell,  the  wife  of  Robert  S.  Russell 
and  mother  of  Robert  S.  Russell,  Jr.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Oscar  G.  Mayer,  Sr.,  reside  at  1030 
Forest  Avenue,  Evanston,  and  worship  in  St. 
Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Mayer  is  prominent  in  the  civic  life  of 
Chicago.  A  leading  personality  in  the  meat 
packing  industry,  he  was  president  of  the 
American  Meat  Institute  from  1924  to  1928 
and  his  civic  leadership  was  recognized  in 
Chicago  when  he  was  made  president  of  the 
Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  in  1938,  an 
office  he  held  through  1940.  He  began  his 
service  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  in  1934,  remaining  on  that 
body  until  1940;  in  the  years  1938  and  1939 
he  was  its  president.  He  has  been  on  the 
board  of  Beloit  College  since  1944.  Active 
throughout  World  War  II  in  home-front  pro- 
grams of  a  highly  essential  character,  he  was 
chairman  of  the  Chicago  and  Cook  County 
War  Savings  Committee  in  1942  and  1943. 
In  World  War  I  he  was  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
Illinois  National  Guard.  Mr.  Mayer  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chicago,  University,  Commercial, 
Senachwme  Gun,  Glen  View  Golf  and  Lake 
Geneva  Country  Clubs.    He  votes  Democratic. 


Hunting    and    fishing    are    his    main    outdoor 
recreations;   sometimes  he  plays  golf. 

EDWIN  PHILIP  BERGERON 

It  was  onlv  in  1934  that  Edwin  Philip  Berge- 
ron began  an  automobile  dealership — with 
one  car — at  Kankakee.  That  one  vehicle  was, 
of  course,  a  used  car,  but  it  established  Mr. 
Bergeron  in  the  field,  and  today  he  is  one  of 
the  leading  automobile  dealers  in  the  North- 
eastern Illinois  region  outside  Chicago.  At 
one  time  he  bought  used  cars  in  a  widespread 
Eastern  territory  and  shipped  them  by  car- 
loads in  various  directions,  chiefly  the  West. 
As  the  Uptown  Sales,  Inc.,  Mr.  Bergeron  today 
operates  the  Chrysler-Plymouth  agency  in 
Kankakee.  The  Bergeron  Motor  Co.,  Inc.,  at 
Elkhart,  Indiana,  the  Bergeron  Acceptance 
Corporation,  which  carries  the  automobile 
loans  for  his  business,  and  the  Kankakee  Leas- 
ing Company,  which  leases  cars  to  large  fleet 
owners  in  all  sections  of  the  country  are  all 
under  his  management.  He  is  president  of  all 
these  companies  and  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Air-Auto  Insurance  Company  of  Kankakee,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  founders.  He  has 
headed  fund-raising  campaigns  of  all  kinds, 
including  the  National  War  Fund  in  Kanka- 
kee County  in  the  World  War  II  period  and  is 
a  leader  in  all  health,  welfare  and  youth- 
serving  movements.  He  is  one  of  the  leading 
lay  Catholics  of  Northeastern  Illinois. 

Mr.  Bergeron  was  born  on  a  farm  on  Jan- 
uary 5,  1906,  the  son  of  Francis  Xavier  and 
Regina  (LaRoque)  Bergeron.  He  is  one  of 
five  children,  the  others  being,  in  the  order 
of  their  birth,  Herve,  Lionel,  Lorraine,  Clar- 
ence. His  father,  who  was  a  bank  director 
as  well  as  prominent  farmer,  retired  in  1930 
and  died  in  1940.  The  mother,  who  survives 
her  husband,  is  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the 
daughter  of  Canadians.  Edwin  Bergeron  was 
educated  in  grade  schools  and  in  the  Brown 
Business  College  of  Kankakee.  He  first  work- 
ed on  his  father's  farm.  In  1926,  Mr.  Berge- 
ron entered  the  employ  of  the  Pope  Machine 
Shop,  where  he  remained  until  May,  192  7.  On 
June  1,  1927,  he  began  his  career  in  the  auto- 
mobile business.  He  became  the  dealer  for 
Peerless  automobiles,  operating  a  business  he 
called  Bergeron  Auto  Sales.  This  business  he 
discontinued  late  in  1930,  when  he  went  to 
work  for  the  P.  and  G.  Motor  Company  of 
Kankakee.  The  depression  was  in  full  sway 
then,  and  Mr.  Bergeron's  pay  was  $7.50  a 
week,  plus  three  percent  commission  on  every 
car  he  sold.  Nevertheless,  he  remained  with 
P.  and  G.  until  September,  1934. 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


TS-J 


At  that  time  he  leased  a  Kankakee  build- 
ing and  with  one  used  car  resumed  business 
for  himself.  It  was  only  two  years  later  that 
he  was  able  to  take  over  the-  Chrysler-Ply- 
mouth dealership  which  he  operates  today. 
He  built  himself  a  modern  building  in  1937, 
and  since  then  has  averaged  about  six  hun- 
dred cars  a  year.  He  has  continued  his  suc- 
cess, even  expanding  greatly,  despite  handi- 
caps. One  of  the  worst  of  these  was  an  auto- 
mobile accident  which  forced  him  to  undergo 
nine  operations  and  to  spend  a  year  in  the 
hospital.  The  accident  occured  in  1940.  A 
year  before  he  had  opened  a  used  car  store  in 
Joliet,  but  this  he  closed  out  in  1942.  In  his 
used  car  operations,  he  established  a  head- 
quarters in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  bought 
cars  in  various  Eastern  cities,  with  outlets  in 
such  Western  centers  as  St.  Louis,  Kansas 
City  and  Los  Angeles,  among  others.  He  ship- 
ped about  two  thousand  used  cars  a  year,  in 
carloads.  In  19  40  Mr.  Bergeron  formed  the 
Bergeron  Acceptance  Corporation  to  finance 
his  sales,  and  in  1946  he  obtained  the  Chry- 
sler-Plymouth franchise  at  Elkhart  and 
launched  the  Kankakee  Leasing  Company, 
Inc.,  at  Kankakee.  In  this  period  too  he 
helped  organize  Air-Auto  Insurance  Company, 
the  name  of  which  suggests  its  business,  and 
has  since  been  on  its  directorate.  Altogether, 
today,  he  employs  132  persons.  He  is  the 
owner   of   considerable   real   estate. 

In  19  30  he  married  Alice  Guimond,  who 
was  born  in  Illinois  on  February  28,  1909. 
They  have  two  children — Kenneth  F.  Berge- 
ron, born  on  September  25,  1934,  and  Joyce 
Ann  Bergeron,  born  on  May  11,  194  5.  The 
entire  family  worships  in  the  Catholic  Church. 

Mr.  Bergeron  serves  his  community  as  a 
Catholic  and  as  a  citizen  at  large.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Catholic  Charities  of  the  Kanka- 
kee Diocese  and  chairman  of  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  the  Catholic  Youth  Organization, 
of  which  he  is  former  chairman.  He  is  also 
on  the  board  of  the  American  Cancer  Society 
chapter  and  is  former  chairman  of  fund-rais- 
ing drives  for  this  organization  in  the  Kan- 
kakee area.  In  194  5,  he  was  general  chair- 
man for  the  National  War  Fund  for  Kankakee 
County,  and  he  continues  active  in  the  Kan- 
kakee Community  Chest,  which  was  part  of 
the  National  War  Fund  organization  in  the 
war  period.  Another  of  the  most  recent  ac- 
tivities of  Mr.  Bergeron  was  the  assuming  of 
the  responsibility  as  General  Lay  Chairman 
of  the  Southern  Section  of  the  Joliet  Diocese 
and  through  his  leadership  $670,000.00  of  the 
two  million  five  hundred  thousand  was  raised. 


This  campaign  was  conducted  during  the 
month  of  June,  1950.  He  is  also  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  Kankakee  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  in  19  50  was  elevated  from  the  vice  presi- 
dency to  the  presidency  of  the  Kiwanis  Club 
of  Kankakee.  Other  organizations  to  which 
he  belongs  are  the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Holy  Name  Society, 
and  the  Kankakee  Valley  Country  Club  and 
the  Kankakee  Country  Club. 

Outstanding  among  automobile  dealers,  Mr. 
Bergeron  is  a  diretcor  of  the  Illinois  Automo- 
tive Trade  Association  and  the  organization's 
chairman  in  the  Kankakee  area.  Mr.  Berge- 
ron has  a  formula  for  successs  which  he  of- 
fers to  all  car  dealers.  When  he  went  into 
the  new  car  business,  he  established  a  policy 
of  giving  prolonged  free  service  to  customers, 
regardless  of  time  limits  on  warranties.  For 
example,  he  would  replace  a  battery  if  it  be- 
came exhausted  even  after  a  year  of  purchase. 
The  resultant  goodwill  helped  to  pyramid  the 
business  rapidly  into  its  present  great  success. 
Mr.  Bergeron  is  known  for  service  not  only 
in  his  business,  but  in  the  welfare  field  and 
in  the  community  in  general,  and  he  is  among 
the  very  few  who  are  devoting  themselves 
wholeheartedly  to  building  Kankakee  and  its 
section  of  the  State. 

SOL  VAN  PRAAG,  SR. 

A  one-time  associate  of  the  famed  aviation 
pioneer,  Eddie  Stinson,  and  himself  a  pioneer 
in  that  field,  Solomon  Van  Praag,  Sr.,  of  De- 
catur is  one  of  a  celebrated  family  which  has 
been  serving  the  state  and  country  for  many 
years  in  many  fields.  A  military  veteran  of 
World  War  I,  he  was  active  on  the  homefront 
in  World  War  II  and  afterward  in  the  Korean 
War.  He  is  now  president  and  chairman  of 
the  board  of  the  Van  Praag  Equipment  and 
Manufacturing  Company,  Inc.,  of  Decatur. 

Mr.  Van  Praag,  born  on  November  5,  1890, 
at  Fergus  Falls,  Minnesota,  is  the  son  of  the 
late  Alex  Van  Praag,  Sr.,  an  illustrious  De- 
catur citizen,  and  Rachel  (Davis)  Van  Praag. 
Both  his  parents  were  born  in  Holland,  his 
father  in  Utretcht,  his  mother  in  Rotterdam. 
Alex  Van  Praag,  Sr.,  who  was  in  the  tobacco 
and  milling  business  in  Decatur,  served  that 
city  for  twelve  years  as  Commissioner  of  Pub- 
lic Health  and  Safety.  His  hobby  of  playing 
Santa  Claus  at  Christmas  time  furthered  his 
local  fame;  for  twenty-one  years  he  gave 
Christmas  parties,  at  his  own  expense,  for  the 
children  of  Decatur,  and  in  later  years  4,000 
youngsters  attended.  Solomon  Van  Praag,  Sr., 


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was  educated  at  James  Millikin  University, 
Decatur,  the  University  of  Illinois  College  of 
Engineering  at  Urbana  and  the  University  of 
Minnesota  at   Minneapolis. 

When  he  left  the  University  of  Illinois,  Mr. 
Van  Praag  joined  Eddie  Stinson  at  San  An- 
tonio, Texas,  and  participated  in  the  design, 
building  and  flying  of  early  aircraft.  On  July 
13,  1917,  Mr.  Van  Praag  was  commissioned  a 
First  Lieutenant  in  the  United  States  Army 
and  was  attached  to  the  Transportation  Corps 
of  Engineers  and  the  Transportation  Corps, 
with  which  he  was  stationed  at  Brest,  France. 
Honorably  discharged  on  October  31,  1919,  he 
was  with  the  Engineers  Reserve  until  1931. 

Mr.  Van  Praag  had  barely  been  inducted 
into  the  military  service  when,  on  August  4, 
1917,  at  San  Antonio,  he  married  Theodora 
Farque,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Docia 
Farque,  Three  children  have  been  born  to 
this  marriage:  Alex  Van  Praag,  III,  whose 
biography  appears  elsewhere  in  this  publica- 
tion; Sol  Van  Praag,  Jr.,  and  Gloria  Ann,  now 
the  wife  of  Arthur  C.  McConnell.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Van  Pragg,  Sr.,  reside  at  1401  East  Clay 
Street,  Decatur. 

When  Mr.  Van  Praag  left  the  active  mili- 
tary service  in  1919,  he  joined  the  Leader  Iron 
Works  in  Decatur  as  engineer.  Later  he  be- 
came field  erection  engineer  and  then,  until 
1947,  he  was  sales  engineer.  Concurrently, 
beginning  in  1932,  he  also  represented  Erie 
Meter  Systems,  Brodie  Meter  Company  and 
the  Heil  Company  in  like  capacities.  In  the 
World  War  II  period  he  also  supervised  pe- 
troleum bulk  storage  installations  at  large 
Air  Bases  in  a  civilian  engineering  capacity. 
In  January,  1946,  upon  the  return  of  his  two 
sons  from  the  Army,  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  them,  known  as  the  Van  Praag  Equip- 
ment Company,  dealing  in  petroleum  handling 
equipment.  Two  buildings  were  constructed. 
In  1947  the  partnership  was  succeeded  by  a 
corporation,  now  called  Van  Praag  Equipment 
and  Manufacturing  Company,  Inc.,  of  which  he 
has  since  been  president  and  board  chairman. 
In  June,  1947,  Mr.  Van  Praag  resigned  his  po- 
sition with  Leader  Iron  Works  to  devote  more 
time  to  the  newly-formed  corporation. 

Mr.  Van  Praag,  active  in  civic  works,  is 
a  member  of  the  outlying  areas  committee  of 
the  Decatur  Association  of  Commerce,  as  well 
as  in  such  other  organizations  as  the  Veterans 
of  Foreign  Wars,  United  Commercial  Trav- 
elers, Travelers  Protective  Association;  Steph- 
en Decatur  Lodge,  No.  979,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons;  Springfield  Consistory,  An- 


cient Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  and  Ansar  Tem- 
ple of  the  Shrine.  He  is  one  of  the  great  citi- 
zens of   Decatur  and   Illinois. 

ALEX  VAN  PRAAG,  III 

Generation  after  generation  the  Van  Praag 
family  has  served  .  Decatur,  Illinois  and  the 
nation,  and  in  the  process  established  itself 
among  the  leaders  in  industrial,  civic  and  so- 
cial life.  One  of  the  present  generation  of 
the  family  is  Alex  Van  Praag,  III,  vice-pres- 
ident in  charge  of  sales  and  advertising  of 
the  Van  Praag  Equipment  and  Manufactur- 
ing Company  of  Decatur,  World  War  II  vet- 
eran and  active  civic  worker. 

Alex  Van  Praag,  III,  was  born  in  San  An- 
tonio, Texas,  on  June  2,  1918,  the  son  of  Solo- 
mon Van  Praag,  Sr.,  one  of  Decatur's  out- 
standing citizens  whose  story  is  told  on  other 
pages  of  this  history,  and  Theodora  (Farque) 
Van  Prxag.  After  attending  the  public  schools 
in  Decatur,  Alex  Van  Praag,  III,  went  to  the 
University  of  Illinois  at  Urbana.  There  he 
became  a  member  of  the  university  band  and 
orchestra,  of  the  fencing  team  and  the  Wal- 
dron  Club,  which  he  served  as  president.  Upon 
leaving  the  university  Mr.  Van  Praag  joined 
the  United  States  Army  and  in  March,  1941, 
went  on  active  duty.  From  June,  1940,  to 
June,  1942,  he  was  with  the  Infantry,  Illinois 
National  Guard.  Until  June,  1943,  he  was  at 
the  staff  and  faculty  engineer  school,  Fort 
Belvoir,  Virginia,  and  until  June,  1944,  he 
was  with  the  Engineer  School  "Flying  Cir- 
cus," in  the  course  of  which  period  he  helped 
establish  the  Minefield  Technique  for  the 
Army.  From  December,  1944,  to  January, 
1945,  Mr.  Van  Praag  was  Bomb  Disposal  Offi- 
cer at  the  Aberdeen  Proving  Grounds  in  Mary- 
land and  from  July,  1945,  to  the  time  of  his 
separation  from  the  service  in  April,  1946,  he 
was  Captain  in  the  Engineers  and  Engineer 
School.  Since  his  separation  from  active  duty 
he  has  remained  in  reserve  work,  commanding 
the  300th  Engineer  Technical  Intelligence  Unit, 
and  as  Assistant  S-2,  334th  Engineer  Group 
Headquarters    (c). 

Immediately  upon  leaving  the  active  service 
Mr.  Van  Praag  joined  his  father  and  brother, 
Solomon  Van  Praag,  Jr.,  in  a  partnership 
known  as  Van  Praag  Equipment  Company. 
In  January,  1947,  the  corporation  succeeded 
the  partnership,  with  Alex  Van  Praag,  III,  as 
vice-president  in  charge  of  sales  and  advertis- 
ing. The  corporation,  which  later  assumed  its 
present  name,  deals  in  petroleum  equipment 
and  fabrication  of  steel  products,  such  as 
tanks,  loading  docks  and  ornamental  posts. 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


795 


Alex  Van  Praag,  III,  married  Missie  Anne 
Jones,  the  daughter  of  Milton  Edward  and 
Mary  Olive  Jones,  in  St.  Charles,  Missouri,  on 
October  5,  1940.  Two  children  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Praag — Lynne  Carole 
Van  Praag,  on  September  11,  1942,  and  Bruce 
Alexander,  on  September  19,  1948.  The  Van 
Praags  reside  at  148  Melrose  Court,  Decatur, 
and  worship  in  the  Central  Christian  Church 
of  that  City.  Mr.  Van  Praag  was  baptized 
in  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  San  Antonio, 
his  birthplace. 

Active  in  aviation,  Mr.  Van  Praag  is  Air 
Inspector  of  the  Illinois  Wing,  Civil  Air  pa- 
trol, and  a  member  of  the  aviation  committee 
of  the  Decatur  Association  of  Commerce.  He 
is  also  on  the  Oil  Industry  Information  Com- 
mittee. His  other  organizations  include  the 
American  Legion,  the  Reserve  Officers  Asso- 
ciation, the  Aircraft  Owners  and  Pilots  Asso- 
ciation, the  American  Society  of  Military  En- 
gineers, the  United  Commercial  Travelers,  the 
Travelers  Protective  Association,  and  such  Ma- 
sonic bodies  as  the  Stephen  Decatur  Lodge, 
No.  979,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons; 
the  Springfield  Consistory,  Ancient  and  Ac- 
cepted Scottish  Rite;  Ansar  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
and  the  Decatur  Shrine  Club.  His  recrea- 
tional interests  include  flying,  precision  demo- 
lition and  explosive  weapons.  He  is  consid- 
ered one  of  the  more  valuable  of  Decatur's 
younger  citizens,  a  leader  in  many  walks  of 
life  there. 

RUDOLPH  O.  AHLENIUS 

There  was  consternation  in  the  home  of 
Adam  O.  Ahlenius  and  Anna  Gibson  Ahlenius 
the  wintry  morning  of  February  7th,  1872,  in 
Galesburg,  Illinois,  all  because  an  expectant 
mother  slipped  and  fell  on  the  icy  walk  the 
previous  day.  The  tiny  pre-maturely  born  in- 
fant was  bathed  in  olive  oil,  swathed  in  cot- 
ton and  placed  in  a  basket  behind  the  base 
burner.  He  soon  developed  a  will  to  live  and 
thus  began  the  life  of  an  average  American 
boy  in  an  average  American  home.  He  was 
given  the  name  of  Rudolph  Otto,  family  names 
in  the  paternal  line.  Adam  O.  Ahlenius,  born 
in  Sweden  to  a  patrician  family,  early  in  life 
developed  a  wanderlust  and  immigrated  to 
America,  locating  in  Springfield,  Illinois.  In 
response  to  Lincoln's  call  for  volunteers  he 
enlisted  in  the  Illinois  'thirty-third',  serving 
through  the  war.  He  was  unofficially  the  regi- 
mental butcher.  Out  of  service  he  tried  farm- 
ing, running  a  meat  market,  and  cattle  buying, 


but    eventually    took    up    the    practice    of   his 
profession,  that  of  veterinary  surgeon. 

The  mother,  also  born  in  Sweden,  was  the 
daughter  of  a  farmer  in  moderate  circum- 
stances. Intrigued  by  the  tales  of  the  new  coun- 
try she  embarked  for  America  only  to  be 
shipwrecked  and  to  spend  three  months  on 
Anticosta  Isle.  Her  destination  was  Gales- 
burg, Illinois,  where  resided  a  brother  who 
had  preceded  her.  i 

Rudolph  O.  Ahlenius  lived  the  normal  life 
of  boys  of  that  time.  A  better  than  average 
student  his  interests  ran  to  sports,  debate  and 
manual  arts.  In  high  school  his  leadership 
began  to  unfold  to  give  promise  of  real  ability 
in  that  line  Measured  by  the  standards  of 
today,  life  was  rugged.  The  wood-pile,  saw 
and  saw-buck  was  the  gymnasium.  Caring  for 
the  cow,  horse  and  chickens,  left  little  free 
time  for  "Shinnie-on-the-ice"  or  other  sport. 
That  type  of  life  developed  self-reliance,  ini- 
tiative,   and    restraint. 

During  his  high  school  days  Mr.  Ahlenius 
worked  part  time  in  a  local  meat  market,  keep- 
ing the  books,  delivering  meat  and  doing  other 
chores.  Upon  graduation  he  was  offered  a  po- 
sition by  the  leading  grocer  of  the  city.  He 
there  received  a  thorough  training  in  the  fun- 
damentals of  business.  This  was  supplemented 
by  courses  in  business  management,  salesman- 
ship, and  allied  subjects  and  an  occasional 
enrollment  in  some  extension  course.  This 
period  was  uneventful  except  there  was  no 
hour  and  wage  law  to  shorten  the  ten  to  twelve 
hours  at  the  store.  After  this  internship  of 
six  years  there  came  to  him  an  opportunity 
to  purchase  a  half  interest  in  a  small  grocery 
business.  The  business  prospered.  After  two 
years  of  close  application  he  purchased  his 
partner's  interest.  The  business  continued  to 
grow  and  expand  to  where  it  was  recognized 
as  one  of  the  city's  best  food  stores.  In  spite 
of  long  hours  and  hard  work  Mr.  Ahlenius 
entered  into  the  civic  life  of  the  community. 
Both  father  and  mother,  especially  the  mother, 
being  religiously  inclined,  he  was  indoctrinated 
in  the  tenets  of  the  Christian  Religion.  This 
may  explain  his  interest  in  the  Church, 
Y.M.CA.,  and  kindred  organizations.  He  served 
his  church  in  official  capacities,  earlier  having 
been  very  active  in  the  young  peoples  work 
on  the  regional  and  state  levels  as  well  as  in 
the  local  society.  He  is  still  remembered  as 
having  been  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
School  for  a  long  period  terminated  by  his  re- 
moval from  the  city. 

He  was  asked  to  become  a  candidate  for 
school  director  because  of  his  personal  knowl- 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


RUDOLPH  O.  AHLENIUS 


GEORGE  NELSON  ALBON,  JR. 


edge  of  the  school  system  as  a  former  student. 
He  was  elected  and  re-elected  for  four  terms 
to  bring  to  that  board  leadership,  training  and 
interest,  which  is  a  brief  statement  of  a  work 
well  and  ably  done.  In  spite  of  these  duties 
he  found  time  for  more  strictly  community 
service  in  which  he  likewise  was  a  leader.  As 
an  indication  of  a  popular  recognition  of  his 
services  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Gales- 
burg  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  1914  and  re- 
elected  in    1915. 

On  October  2,  1902,  Mr.  Ahlenius  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mabel  Holliday,  the  daughter 
of  Dr.  W.  S.  Holliday,  in  Monmouth,  Illinois. 
To  this  union  was  born  four  children:  The 
eldest,  Marion,  graduated  at  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity and  did  post-graduate  work  in  New 
York  in  dietetics.  Two  sons,  twins,  Edward 
It.,  and  William  H.,  also  graduated  from  Wes- 
leyan University  and  did  post-graduate  work 
in  the  Commerce  School  of  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity. The  youngest,  Ruth  E.,  was  the  fourth 
to  graduate  from  Wesleyan  University  and 
she  did  her  graduate  work  at  Ann  Arbor  after 
securing  a  B.  of  Ed.  degree  from  I.S.N. U. 

In  World  War  I  our  government  was  con- 
cerned about  saving  man  power  and  the  con- 
servation of  food.  To  implement  this  concern 
the  State  Food  Administrator  called  upon  the 
grocers  to  organize  so  as  to  better  lend  their 
help  to  the  end  that  more  men  and  more  food 
would  be  available.  Mr.  Howard  Humphreys, 
then  assistant  Food  Administrator  for  Illinois, 
called  the  meeting  and  explained  the  purpose 
of  such  organization  and  asked  compliance 
with  the  plan.  At  this  meeting  of  the  grocers 
of  the  city  Mr.  Ahlenius  was  elected  president. 
In  the  following  months  Mr.  Humphreys  ap- 
parently was  impressed  with  the  ability  he  saw 
in  Mr.  Ahlenius,  for  even  before  the  armistice 
he  offered  him  the  executive  vice-presidency 
of  the  J.  F.  Humphreys  Co.,  of  Bloomington, 
the  second  largest  wholesale  grocery  in  down- 
state  Illinois.  It  was  accepted.  Then  began 
ten  years  of  interesting,  even  if  challenging, 
service,  for  this  v/as  the  period  of  wholesale 
grocers  vs.  chain  store  system  of  merchandis- 
ing. 

In  1927  Mr.  Ahlenius  was  elected  president 
of  the  Bloomington  Association  of  Commerce 
and  then  re-elected  in  1928  for  a  second  term- 
In  the  meantime  he  was  active  in  Y.M.C.A. 
work,  scouting,  and  the  church  which  he  served 
in  official  capacity.  In  1928  he  was  offered 
and  accepted  the  position  of  General  Manager 
of  the  Williams  Oilomatic  Heating  Corpora- 
tion   to    contribute    to    the    development    and 


growth  of  this  company  in  marketing  an  ad- 
vance step  in  home  comfort,  the  oil  burner  in 
which  this  company  was  a  pioneer. 

This  new  position  offered  increased  opportu- 
nity for  service  with  increasing  responsibility 
and  wide  business  acquaintanceship.  In  1939, 
after  eleven  years  service,  Mr.  Ahlenius  re- 
signed to  organize  a  local  savings  and  Thrift 
Bank.  The  Bloomington  Federal  Savings  and 
Loan  Association  was  chartered  by  the  Federal 
Home  Loan  Bank  on  May  23,  1941.  His  past 
experience  peculiarly  fitted  Mr.  Ahlenius  for 
a  successful  administration  of  this  business 
built  around  human  interest  and  service.  That 
this  Association  has  succeeded  beyond  expec- 
tation is  evidenced  by  its  acceptance  as  a 
leading  institution  of  the  city  by  investors  as 
well  as  borrowers.  It  is  said  that  each  insti- 
tution is  the  "lengthened  shadow  of  some 
man".  Mr.  Ahlenius'  shadow  has  continued 
to  lengthen  through  each  succeeding  change. 

Through  all  these  years  of  close  application 
to  business,  Mr.  Ahlenius  has  maintained  an 
active  and  vital  interest  in  his  church  and  its 
several  organizations.  In  1936  he  was  chair- 
man of  a  committee  for  the  reorganization  of 
the  Illinois  Baptist  State  Convention.  In  1937 
he  was  elected  president,  and  since  that  pe- 
riod of  service  he  has  been  chairman  of  several 
important  committees  and  usually  is  included 
in  counseling  on  important  matters  on  the 
state  level. 

Mr.  Ahlenius  was  modest  when  interviewed 
and  even  reluctant  to  concede  that  what  he 
had  done  was  worthy  of  comment.  His  asso- 
ciates however  esteem  his  achievements  worthy 
of  this  recognition.  It  is  a  simple  story  of 
devotion  to  duty,  and  intensive  work  and  an 
abiding  faith. 

GEORGE  NELSON  ALBON,  JR. 

Possessor  of  a  national  reputation  in  the 
banking  industry,  George  Nelson  Albon,  Jr., 
is  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Carbondale,  vice-president  of  the  Bank  of  De- 
Soto  and  a  director  of  the  Carbondale  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association.  He  is  also  active 
in  educational  and  religious  work  at  Carbon- 
dale and  is  an  outstanding  citizen  of  Southern 
Illinois. 

Born  at  DeSoto  on  May  1,  1891,  Mr.  Albon 
is  the  son  of  George  N.  Albon,  Sr.,  a  famous 
figure  in  Jackson  County,  and  Abbie  Mae 
(Walker)  Albon,  who  died  in  1936.  The  senior 
Mr.  Albon,  born  in  1858,  has  been  Mayor  of 
DeSoto  six  times  and  superintendent  of  the 
Lutheran  Sunday  School  there  since  the  early 
part  of   this    century.     He    is   both    merchant 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


801 


FRED  MITCHELL  JONES,  M.S.,  Ph.D. 


and  banker,  and  the  story  is  told  how  he  went 
into  the  banking  business.  A  partner  in  a 
mercantile  enterprise  at  DeSoto  for  many 
years,  he  became  sole  owner  in  1915,  chang- 
ing its  name  to  George  Albon  and  Sons.  Dur- 
ing the  early  years  of  his  operation  of  the 
store,  customers  had  asked  him  to  hold  mon- 
ey for  them.  After  a  time  Mr.  Albon  had 
bank  books  and  checks  printed.  When  Illinois 
passed  a  law  requiring  all  banks  to  be  incor- 
porated, he  incorporated  as  the  Bank  of  De- 
Soto, with  himself  as  president  and  son, 
George,  Jr.,  as  vice-president,  and  this  ar- 
rangement has  continued.  The  bank  was  in- 
corporated in  1920,  at  a  $15,000  capitaliza- 
tion. Today  the  assets  are  more  than  $300,- 
000. 

George  Albon,  Jr.,  was  ill  in  childhood 
and  did  not  start  to  school  until  he  was 
eight.  He  attended  DeSoto's  public  schools 
for  three  years  and  then  Western  Military 
Academy  at  Alton.  He  was  graduated  in  1910, 
as  a  First  Lieutenant.  He  then  entered  his 
father's  mercantile  business  at  DeSoto,  work- 
ing as  a  clerk  for  two  years.  In  1912  he 
went  to  Carbondale  as  an  employee  of  the 
First  National  Bank.  He  was  then  twenty 
years  old  and  his  salary  was  $40  a  month. 
E.  E.  Mitchell  was  president  of  the  bank 
at  the  time  and  because  Mr.  Albon  was  not 
old  enough  to  be  bonded  Mr.  Mitchell  acted 
as  his  "surety."  Mr.  Albon's  father  is  the 
bank's  oldest  depositor — both  in  age  and  in 
years  of  association  with  the  First  National. 
He  made  a  deposit  in  1893,  when  the  bank 
was  opened,  and  his  account  has  been  active 
since  that  first  day.  The  son  became  assist- 
ant cashier  of  the  First  National  in  1928  and 
in  1936  was  elected  cashier.  He  served  under 
J.  E.  Mitchell,  president,  a  nephew  of  E.  E. 
Mitchell.  In  1946,  when  J.  E.  Mitchell  died, 
Mr.  Albon  succeeded  him  in  the  presidency. 
He  had  then  been  with  the  bank  thirty-four 
years,  and  his  reputation  was  almost  as  wide- 
spread among  bankers  and  the  general  public 
as  it  is  today. 

On  October  11,  1914,  Mr.  Albon  married 
Beatrice  Elliott,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Michael  Elliott  of  Decatur.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Al- 
bon became  the  parents  of  four  children — 
James,  born  in  1916  and  killed  by  an  auto- 
mobile when  he  was  three;  Dean  Elliott,  born 
in  1919,  a  First  Lieutenant  in  the  Army  in 
World  War  II,  serving  nineteen  months  over- 
seas, now  a  chemical  engineer  at  DuQuoin 
and  who  married  Joan  Smith  of  Carbondale 
and  became  the  father  of  Jean  and  Dean  Albon ; 
George  Nelson,   III,  born  in   1921,  who  died 


at  the  age  of  eighteen  months;  and  Alice 
Mae,  born  in  1923,  now  Mrs.  A.  N.  Griffith 
and  the  mother  of  Ann  and  Jack  Griffith. 

Mr.  Albon  is  vice-chairman  of  Group  10, 
American  Bankers  Association,  and  is  also  ac- 
tive in  the  Illinois  Bankers  Association.  He 
has  been  a  director  of  Carbondale  Building 
and  Loan  Association  since  1903.  He  has 
served  as  secretary  of  both  the  high  school 
and  grade  school  boards  and  served  six  years 
as  trustee  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  is  also  active  in  Rotary,  Masonry,  the 
Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Elks.  He  has  made 
a  noteworthy  contribution  to  his  native  South- 
ern Illinois. 

FRED  MITCHELL  JONES,  M.S.,  Ph.D. 

Dr.  Fred  Mitchell  Jones  is  the  well  known 
author  of  various  books  on  marketing,  retail- 
ing and  general  economics  and  is  an  associate 
professor  at  the  University  of  Illinois. 

Dr.  Jones,  born  in  Pearl,  Illinois,  on  Sep- 
tember 24,  1905,  is  the  son  of  Joel  Nicholas 
and  Sarah  Jane  (Schmoll)  Jones.  His  father, 
born  near  Sturgeon,  Missouri,  is  a  building 
contractor.  Fred  Jones  was  graduated  from 
Illinois  College  in  1925  and  then  studied  at 
the  Univeisity  of  Illinois  where  he  took  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  1927.  In 
1930  the  University  awarded  him  the  degree 
of  Master  of  Science  and  in  19  35  he  was 
awarded  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy 
in  Economics.  He  was  employed  as  a  cost  ac- 
countant by  the  Federal  Electric  Company, 
Chicago,  Irom  1927  to  1929.  In  1930  he  be- 
gan his  professional  career  as  a  graduate  as- 
sistant in  the  College  of  Commerce  and  Busi- 
ness Administration,  University  of  Illinois, 
and  by  194  7  had  advanced  to  the  rank  of 
associate  professor.  He  has  taught  market- 
ing, retailing,  industrial  management,  sales- 
manship, economic  geography,  principles  of 
economics,  accounting  and  airline  manage- 
ment. His  specialities  are  marketing  and  re- 
tailing. 

Dr.  Jones'  books  are  "Economic  Develop- 
ment of  the  United  States"  with  C.  M.  Thomp- 
son, 1939;  "Introduction  to  Marketing"  with 
P.  D.  Converse,  1948;  "Principles  of  Retail- 
ing", 1949,  and  "Middlemen  in  the  Domestic 
Trade  of  the  United  States,  1800-1860",  1937. 

On  June  16,  1932,  Ruth  Berneice  Smith 
and  Fred  Mitchell  Jones  were  married  in  Ur- 
bana,  and  on  October  6,  1941,  a  daughter, 
Ruth  Ellen  Jones,  was  born  to  them.  Their 
home  is  at  202  East  Washington  Street, 
Urbana. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


805 


Dr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  the  Kiwanis  Club 
of  Champaign-Urbana,  Kappa  Delta  and 
Alpha  Kaopa  Psi,  and  is  a  Republican.  Fish- 
ing and  hunting  are  his  favorite  sports  while 
gardening  is  his  hobby. 

RUTH  BERNEICE  SMITH  JONES 

Prominent  among  the  citizens  of  Cham- 
paign and  Urbana,  Mrs.  Ruth  Berneice  Smith 
Jones  may  point  with  pride  to  an  extraordi- 
nary record.  She  began  her  career  as  a  win- 
dow decorator  for  a  department  store, 
switched  to  a  job — after  taking  special 
courses — as  a  bookkeeper  for  a  savings  and 
loan  organization  and  today  she  is  the  manag- 
ing executive  of  that  organization,  the  Citi- 
zens Building  Association  of  Urbana,  with 
the  title  of  executive  secretary.  She  also 
serves  on  the  asociation's  board  of  directors. 

Mrs.  Jones  began  life  as  Ruth  Berneice 
Smith.  She  was  born  at  Urbana  on  January 
22,  1910,  the  daughter  of  Rodney  R.  Smith, 
a  farmer  born  near  Lexington,  Kentucky,  on 
June  1,  1884,  and  Cora  Belle  (Johnson) 
Smith,  whose  parents  were  John  Wesley  and 
Anna  Pearl   (Garrison)  Johnson. 

Mrs.  Jones  was  graduated  from  the  Urbana 
High  School.  She  attended  the  University  of 
Illinois  for  one  semester  and  since  then  has 
completed  five  courses  on  savings  and  loan. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Bethany  Circle,  a 
church-sponsored  sorority  on  the  campus,  and 
after  she  left  school  she  became  president  of 
the   organization's   corporation   board. 

Mrs.  Jones'  first  job  after  leaving  school 
was  show  card  drawing  and  window  decorat- 
ing for  an  Urbana  store.  In  192  9  she  became 
bookkeeper  for  the  Citizens  Building  Associa- 
tion of  Urbana  and  in  193  7  she  was  elected 
secretary  and  member  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors. She  also  owns  and  operates  a  general 
insurance  agency  in  Urbana.  Her  business 
address  in  that  city  is  107  South  Race  Street. 

On  June  16,  1932  Ruth  Berneice  Smith  and 
Fred  Mitchell  Jones  were  married  in  Urbana, 
and  on  October  6,  1941,  a  daughter,  Ruth  Ellen 
Jones,  was  born  to  them.  Their  home  is  at 
202  East  Washington  Street,  Urbana. 

Mrs.  Jones,  prominent  in  her  field,  has 
served  on  various  committees  of  the  Illinois 
Savings  and  Loan  League  and  at  present  is  a 
member  of  its  education  committee.  She  has 
also  served  on  the  housing  and  youth  commit- 
tees of  the  Urbana  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
She  has  held  the  office  of  president  and  other 
chairs,  including  committee  chairmanships, 
in  the  Business  and  Professional  Women's 
Club  of  Champaign-Urbana  and  has  been  on 


8()(! 


the  board  of  directors  of  the  State  organiza- 
tion  since  1937  as  editor  of  the  State  publica- 
tion.   In  1949  she  was  elected  president  of  the 
Illinois     Federation     of     Business     Women's 
Clubs.    Mrs.   Jones  is  a  member  of  the  Uni-B 
versity  Place  Christian  Church  in  Champaign. 
It  was  she  who  organized  the  Junior  Chris-M 
tian   Endeavor  of  the  church.    She  taught  in 
the  primary  classes  of  the  Sunday  School  for 
seven    years    and    at    present    herself    attends 
the  adult  classes.    For  more  than  seven  years 
she    was    president    of   the    Missionary    Guildfl 
for   working   girls.    She   is   a   Republican   and 
crocheting  is  her  hobby. 

She  is  certainly  one  of  Illinois'  outstanding 
women  and  with  her  husband  makes  one  of 
the  truly  notable  couples  in  the  nation. 

ANDY  HALL,  M.D. 

Andy  Hall,  the  son  of  Colonel  Hiron  W.  and 
Mrs.  Julia  McLean  Hall,  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Hamilton  County,  Illinois,  January  8,  1865M 
His   father   served   in   the   Mexican   War,   and 
commanded   an   Illinois   Regiment  during  the 
Civil  War.    His  mother's  family  gave  to   Illi- 
nois a  United  States  Senator  after  whom  Mc- 
Lean county  was  named.    He  was  the  eighth 
child  in  a  family  of  nine.    His  early  education 
was  obtained  in  a  one  room,  log  school  house, 
later  in  the  McLeansboro  public  schools  andB 
the  Northern  Illinois  Normal  and  Dixon  Busi-B 
ness  College  from  which  he  entered  the  medi-B 
cal    department    of    Northwestern    University,  I 
graduating  from  that  institution   in   18  90. 

Following  graduation,  he  located  in  Mt 
Vernon,  Illinois  where  he  has  been  a  resident 
ever  since.  Mt.  Vernon,  at  that  time,  had  a 
population  of  less  than  4,000  people,  which 
now  has  20,000;  neither  the  city  streets  or 
the  country  roads  were  graveled  or  hard  sur- 
faced, hence,  during  the  winter  time  they 
were  almost  impassable  by  horse  and  buggy. 
By  close  application  to  business,  rendering 
efficient  service  to  patients,  regardless  of . 
their  financial  ability  to  pay,  and  regardless 
of  weather  and  road  conditions  when  called, 
he  soon  built  up  a  very  extensive  practice  fn 
both  the  city  and  surrounding  country.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  season  when  the  roads  were* 
almost  impassable,  he  often  made  country 
calls  ten  or  fifteen  miles  distance  horseback. 
Occasionally  when  the  roads  were  almost  im- 
passable for  a  horse  and  buggy,  lie  went  on 
foot.  On  one  occasion  he  walked  more  than 
thirty  miles  in  one  day  making  country  ami 
city  calls. 

January  1.  1892,  Dr.  Hall  was  united  in 
marriage    to    Miss    Anna    Laura    Glazebrook, 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


: 


RUTH  BERNEICE  SMITH  JONES 


who  was  then  a  teacher  in  the  Mt.  Vernon 
public  schools,  From  this  union  three  sons 
were    born. 

In  18  9  7,  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  city 
of  Mt.  Vernon,  but  when  the  Spanish  Ameri- 
can War  was  declared  in  18  98,  he  resigned 
as  Mayor  and  entered  the  Medical  Corp  of 
the  United  States  Army  serving  as  major  and 
surgeon  in  the  9th  Illinois,  accompanying 
that  Regiment  to  Cuba.  Following  muster 
out,  he  again  opened  his  office  in  Mt.  Vernon, 
but  at  the  end  of  five  weeks  received  a  tele- 
gram from  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  United 
States  Army  requesting  him  to  accompany  the 
volunteer  army  to  the  Philippine  Islands  dur- 
ing the  insurrection.  He  immediately  closed 
his  office,  kissed  his  wife  and  two  little  boys, 
one  three  years  and  one  eleven  monts  old, 
goodbye  and  started  for  Manila.  Arriving 
there  in  October  18  99,  he  was  assigned  to  a 
field  hosnital  at  San  Isidro,  and  later  as  sur- 
geon of  an  expedition  under  General  Funsten. 
He  accompanied  Infantry  troops  afoot  chas- 
ing the  insurrectoes  throughout  the  jungles 
of  Luzon   for   more  than   one   year. 

Returning  to  Mt.  Vernon,  he  opened  an  of- 
fice in  1901,  and  soon  built  up  a  very  ex- 
tensive practice.  Two  years  later  his  nephew, 
Dr.  Charles  W.  Hall,  formed  a  partnership 
with  him  which  continued  for  thirty-six  years. 
Dr.  Hall  v  as  one  of  the  early  physicians  in 
Southern  Illinois  to  attempt  major  surgery. 
Before  any  hospital  was  ever  made  available, 
he  did  laparotomies,  mastoid  operations,  and 
other  major  surgery  in  the  country  homes  on 
the  dining-room  and  kitchen  tables.  His  skill 
and  success  brought  patients  from  all  sur- 
rounding counties. 

Notwithstanding,  he  and  his  nephew  had  a 
large  lucrative  practice,  when  the  first  World 
War  was  declared,  they  both  volunteered  and 
closed  their  office  and  entered  the  Medical 
Corp  of  the  United  States  Volunteer  Army. 
Dr.  Hall  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the  surgical 
staff  at  the  Base  Hospial  at  Camp  Upton 
where  he  remained  until  the  armistice  was 
signed.   ' 

Returning  to  Mt.  Vernon,  he  again  opened 
his  office,  and  was  soon  busily  engaged  in 
taking  care  of  his  old  clientele  until  his 
nephew,  Major  Charles  W.  Hall,  returned 
from  Europe  one  year  later.  They  soon  had 
more  business  than  they  could  well  care  for, 
and  later,  the  doctor's  son,  Marshall  W.  Hall, 
joined  in  the  firm.  The  firm,  Drs.  Hall,  Hall, 
and  Hall  built  up  a  splendid  lucrative  busi- 
ness, general  practice,  obstetrical  and  surgi- 
cal. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


In  recognition  of  his  ability  as  a  progres- 
sive outstanding  physician,  he  was  appointed 
Director  of  Public  Health  for  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois in  1929,  being  the  first  down-state  physi- 
cian who  had  ever  held  that  position.  To  the 
office  of  State  Director  of  Public  Health,  Dr. 
Hall  brought  the  same  restless  vigor  and  en- 
thusiasm, which  had  characterized  his  entire 
life.  During  the  four  years  that  Dr.  Hall  be- 
came the  head  of  the  Department  of  Health, 
it  enjoyed  the  most  favorable  health  condi- 
tions ever  recorded  up  to  that  time.  Within 
that  period,  the  general  death  rate  of  the 
state  fell  to  an  all  time  low  point,  while  the 
mortality  from  such  specific  and  controllable 
diseases  as  typhoid  fever,  tuberculosis,  dip- 
theria,  and  diarrhea  reached  levels  substanti- 
ally below  any  previous  experience. 

Under  Dr.  Hall's  administration  the  State 
Sanitary  Water  Board,  the  functions  of  which 
are  to  abate  and  prevent  the  pollution  of 
streams  and  other  waters,  came  into  existence 
through  legislative  action  and  operated  under 
his  chairmanship.  Another  law  gave  the  State 
Department  of  Public  Health  "Supervisory" 
instead  of  "advisory"  powers  over  public 
water  supply  and  sewerage  disposal  systems, 
a  statue  which  is  already  resulting  in  far 
reaching  beneficial  effects.  Other  laws  clari- 
fied the  duties  of  coroners  in  respect  to  sign- 
ing death  certificates  and  raised  the  standard 
of  public  health  nurses. 

Two  new  projects  of  important  significance 
which  were  initated  by  Dr.  Hall  were  those 
related  to  trachoma  and  undulant  fever.  In 
respect  to  trachoma,  a  disease  confined  to 
southern  Illinois,  a  searching  survey  brought 
to  light  more  than  4  00  active  cases,  over  2  00 
of  which  were  hospitalized  in  an  effort  to  save 
their  vision  and  restore  their  health.  To  com- 
bat the  threatening  rise  of  undulant  fever,  a 
state  committee,  representing  all  the  cattle, 
milk  producing,  packing,  veterinarian,  medi- 
cal, public  health,  and  other  interests  in- 
volved, was  organized  and  put  to  work  on  a 
program  based  upon  a  detailed  epidemiologi- 
cal study  of  the  disease  in  Illinois. 

In  addition  to  his  other  duties,  Dr.  Hail 
found  time  to  deliver  between  four  and  five 
hundred  public  addresses  during  his  term  as 
Director  of  Public  Health.  His  audiences 
ranged  from  school  children  and  parent-teach- 
er associations  to  graduating  classes  of  nurses 
and  universities  and  from  county  medical 
societies  to  the  Conference  of  State  and 
Provincial   Health   Authorities. 

In  1933,  Dr.  Hall  resigned  his  position  as 
Director  of  Public  Health  and  returned  to  Mt. 


809 


Vernon  and  joined  the  firm  of  Drs.  Hall,  Hall 
and  Hall,  which  included  his  nephew  and  his 
son.  In  1937,  Dr.  Charles  W.  Hall's  health 
became  impaired,  and  he  withdrew  from  the 
firm.  When  the  second  World  War  came,  Dr. 
Marshall  Hall,  the  doctor's  son,  volunteered 
and  entered  the  Medical  Corps  of  the  United 
States  Navy,  and  seived  3%  years  in  the 
Mediterranean,  African  Campaign,  and  in  the 
Pacific;  being  discharged  at  the  end  of  the 
war  with  the  rank  of  Commander. 

Practically  all  the  young  active  physicians 
in  Mt.  Vernon  were  engaged  with  the  Armed 
Services,  leaving  a  few  older  ones  to  look 
after  the  sick  and  infirm.  Dr.  Hall,  by  work- 
ing early  and  late,  not  only  carried  his  own 
burdens,  but  those  of  many  other  physicians 
who  were  away  with  the  armed  forces.  In 
addition  io  this,  he  was  chairman  of  the 
Medical  Board  of  Appeals  for  the  29th  Dis- 
trict, comprised  of  some  eight  or  ten  sur- 
rounding counties.  In  1946,  Dr.  Andy  Hall 
was  given  the  Mt.  Vernon  Civic  Award  for 
"Outstanding  and  Distinguished  Community 
Service."  Dr.  Hall  received  the  Alumni  Medal 
in  1950,  the  highest  distinction  that  is  grant- 
ed or  which  may  be  granted  by  the  Alumni 
Association    of    Northwestern    University. 

Dr.  Hall,  has  always  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  medical  organizations,  and  has  mis- 
sed only  two  district  and  state  medical  meet- 
ings in  the  past  forty  years.  These  absences 
were  due  to  his  serving  in  the  armed  forces 
outside  of  the  state.  He  served  as  Secretary 
of  his  local  county  society  for  more  than  fif- 
teen years.  He  has  also  been  President  of 
his  local  and  southern  Illinois  Medical  Socie- 
ties. He  served  for  a  number  of  years  on  the 
Medical  Legal  Committee  of  his  State  Society 
and  was  Councillor  from  the  9th  Illinois  Dis- 
trict in  the  state's  society  for  nineteen  years. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  committee  that  orga- 
nized the  Fifty-Year  Club,  and  each  year  Dr. 
Hall,  sends  an  invitation  to  each  and  every 
one  inviting  them  to  attend  a  noon  day  lunch- 
eon during  the  Illinois  State  Medical  meet- 
ings. Usually,  ninety  or  more  of  the  "Old 
Docs"  attend  the  banquet,  at  which  time,  Dr. 
Hall  has  always  presided. 

Dr.  Hail  served  as  President  of  the  Mt. 
Vernon  Township  High  School  Board  for  eignt 
years  and  was  Chairman  of  the  Jefferson 
County  Republican  Committee  for  ten  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation, charter  member  of  the  American 
Legion,  Veteran  of  Foreign  Wars,  and  is  now 
the  Illinois  Department  Surgeon  of  the  United 


American  Wars  Veterans.  Dr.  Andy  is  a  Bap- 
tist and  a  Knight  Templar. 

Dr.  Hall  gave  his  three  sons  a  medical  edu- 
cation, all  of  whom  are  now  eminent  physi- 
cians: Dr.  Marshall  Hall,  the  eldest,  after  his 
discharge  from  the  Navy  after  three  and  one- 
half  years  service,  is  associated  with  his 
father.  Dr.  Andy,  Jr.,  is  an  Urologist  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri;  and  Dr.  Wilfred  F.,  is  a 
Colonel  in  the  regular  army,  and  is  a  Flight 
Surgeon  in  the  United  States  Air  Corps. 

Dr.  Hall  received  the  Illinois  State  award 
for  the  outstanding  practitioner  of  the  year  in 
Illinois,  in  1949,  and  in  December  was  given 
the  American  Medical  Association  gold  medal 
award  as  "outstanding  practitioner  of  the 
United  States  for  the  year  1950". 

At  an  age  at  which  most  business  and  pro- 
fessional men  have  long  ago  retired,  Dr.  Hall 
now  more  than  eighty-five  years  of  age,  is 
actively  engaged  in  his  profession  doing  a 
large  general  practice  and  industrial  surgery. 
He  drives  his  own  car,  often  making  night 
and  day  calls,  twenty  or  thirty  miles  distant. 

He  never  takes  a  vacation  except  when  at- 
tending medical  meetings  or  going  quail  hunt- 


OTTO  A.  KIELSMEIER 

In  1920  Otto  A.  Kielsmeier  of  Watseka 
won  a  national  award  for  his  work  in  the 
cheese  industry  and  was  compared  favorably 
with  the  work  of  Dr.  S.  M.  Babcock,  Madison, 
Wis.,  Prof.  E.  H.  Farrington,  Madison,  Wis., 
and  Prof.  G.  H.  Benkendorf,  Modesto,  Calif., 
who  all  received  national  recognition.  Since 
then  this  noted  Illinois  citizen,  who  has  been 
in  the  dairy  products  business  since  he  was 
a  boy  back  in  the  last  century,  has  continued 
making  cheese  and  other  dairy  products  of 
the  highest  quality  and  greatest  prestige.  He 
has  four  plants — the  Watseka  Dairy  Products 
Company,  in  the  Iroquois  County  seat;  Crystal 
Dairy  Products,  Crystal  Falls,  Michigan;  Crys- 
tal Dairy  Products,  Remington,  Indiana,  arid 
Thorntown  Dairy  Products,  Thomtown,  In- 
diana. He  is  known  throughout  the  nation's 
cheese  industry. 

Mr.  Kielsmeier  was  born  at  Centerville, 
Manitowoc  County,  Wisconsin,  on  April  3, 
1880,  the  son  of  Fred  A.  and  Meta  (Bahr) 
Kielsmeier.  His  father,  born  in  Germany,  was 
brought  to  the  United  States  when  he  was  a 
year  old.  He  was  in  the  milk  and  dairy  prod- 
ucts business,  operated  a  grocery  store  and  a 
lumber  yard.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
Wisconsin.  Mr.  Kielsmeier's  schooling  includ- 
ed attendance  at  Oshkosh  Normal  College,  the 


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ANDY  HALL,  M.D. 


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University  of  Wisconsin  and  a  Minnesota  dairy 
school.  For  four  years  in  between  he  taught 
school.  Then  he  went  into  the  dairy  products 
business  with  his  father,  teaching-  school  in 
the  winter  time  and  making  cheese  in  his 
father's  plant  in  the  summer  time.  He  taught 
in  the  dairy  department  of  Ohio  State  Univer- 
sity for  one  year.  Then,  in  1904,  he  bought 
his  own  cheese  factory  at  Newton,  Wisconsin, 
and  this  he  operated  until  1918.  At  that  time 
he  went  into  the  creamery  and  milk  business 
at  Manitowoc,  seat  of  his  native  county, 
where  he  also  made  cheese.  In  1935  Mr. 
Kielsmeier  moved  to  Watseka,  where  he  estab- 
lished another  cheese  factory  and  where  he 
has  expanded  steadily  including  house  to 
house  distribution  of  milk  and  butter.  His 
dairy  products  include  condensed  milk,  cheese 
and  milk  powder.  In  his  Watseka,  Reming- 
ton, Thorntown  and  Crystal  Falls  plants  he 
now  does  an  annual  business  of  about  three 
million  dollars.  In  addition,  he  operates  a 
400-acre  farm. 

Mr.  Kielsmeier  married  Clara  Toepel  on 
February  22.  1904.  She  was  born  on  Septem- 
ber 25,  1881,  in  Centerville,  the  place  of  his 
birth.  They  have  two  children — Meta,  born 
on  October  17,  1906,  and  Karl,  born  on  Au- 
gust 30,  1908.  To  his  wife  and  children  Mr. 
Kielsmeier  gives  much  credit  for  the  develop- 
ment of  his  business,  for  all  three  have  long 
been  active  in  it.  Meta  Kielsmeier  is  now 
in  charge  of  all  the  offices,  while  Karl  Kiels- 
meier is  general  manager  in  charge  of  all  the 
plants.  He  married  Evelyn  Johnson  of  Cum- 
berland, Wisconsin,  and  is  the  father  of  Karl 
Frederick  Kielsmeier,  born  on  March  16,  1946. 
Both  Meta  Kielsmeier  and  Karl  Kielsmeier  are 
officers  in  each  business.  They  also  take  an 
active  part  in  all  community  affairs. 

Otto  Kielsmeier  is  active  in  the  Illinois 
Dairy  Association,  the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Wat- 
seka and  the  Watseka  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
He  worships  in  the  Lutheran  Church.  One  of 
the  builders  of  the  nation's  great  milk,  cheese 
and  butter  industry,  he  is  also  one  of  those 
contributing  to  the  development  of  Illinois. 

CARL  HENRY  HORSTMAN,  D.V.M. 

When  Carl  Hortsman  was  in  high  school, 
the  love  of  animals  which  had  been  with  him 
from  his  earliest  days  persuaded  him  to  adopt 
ihe  profession  of  a  second  cousin — that  of 
veterinarian.  Today  Dr.  Horstman,  whose 
headquarters  are  Collinsville,  is  one  of  the 
best  known  figures  in  this  professional  field 
not  only  in  Southwest  Illinois  but  in  the 
entiic  Greater  St.  Louis  region — a  man  who  is 


making  his  reputation  not  only  through  his 
therapeutic  and  surgical  skill  but  also  through 
his  battles  to  strengthen  enforcement  of  the 
State  iairy  laws,  to  control  Bangs'  Disease 
and  otherwise  to  elevate  the  profession. 

Dr.  Horstman  was  born  at  Round  Lake, 
Minnesota,  on  October  28,  1906,  the  son  of 
Philip  Charles  and  Louise  (Antritter)  Horst- 
man. His  father  anu  his  grandfather,  Henry 
Horstman,  were  farmers.  After  attending  a 
country  school  at  Shadyrock,  Minnesota,  the 
future  veterinarian  went  to  high  school  at 
Hound  Lake,  graduating  in  1914.  He  spent 
the  school  year  192  4-25  at  the  State  Univers- 
ity of  Iowa,  Iowa  City,  and  then  worked  on 
the  family  farm  for  two  years.  In  192  7  he 
resumed  his  education  at  the  University  of 
Illinois,  which  in  1930  awarded  him  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Veterinary  Medicine.  In  his 
college  days  Dr.  Horstman  earned  his  way  by 
waiting  on  tables  and  working  in  a  private 
dairy. 

Following  his  graduation,  Dr.  Horstman 
went  to  Iowa,  where  he  practiced  for  eighteen 
months.  On  February  12,  1932,  he  reported 
for  duty  in  St.  Louis  as  an  inspector  for  the 
Board  of  Health,  for  which  he  worked  seven 
years.  In  his  first  five  years  he  was  a  meat 
inspector,  in  the  last  two  milk  inspector.  In 
those  two  final  years,  1937  to  1939,  he  was  a 
resident  of  Collinsville.  In  July,  1939,  Dr. 
Horstman  discovered  he  was  ill  of  tubercu- 
losis— so  ill  that  he  was  not  expected  to  live. 
But  by  1941  treatment,  including  the  removal 
of  6  ribs,  made  it  possible  for  him  to  return 
to  work,  and  for  the  next  three  years  and 
two  months  he  was  associated  with  Dr.  C.  S. 
Watt  of  Collinsville.  In  August,  1945,  Dr. 
Horstman  went  into  practice  independently, 
and  since  that  time  has  cared  for  both  large 
and  small  animals.  He  serves  in  a  radius  of 
thirty  miles  of  Collinsville,  and  has  never 
been  known  to  refuse  or  delay  a  call  regard- 
less of  time  of  night  or  weather.  He  enjoys 
especially  his  work  with  harness  horses  and 
has  a  big  practice  at  the  Fairmont  Track  out- 
side of  Collinsville.  He  finds  surgery  the  most 
interesting  phase  of  his  profession,  and  also 
he  is  constantly  studying  the  use  of  new  drugs 
and  new  techniques,  as  well  as  working  in 
i  he  general  interest.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Greater  St.  Louis  Veterinary  Medicine  Associ- 
ation and  the  Illinois  State  Veterinary  Medi- 
cine Association.  He  is  nationally  accredited, 
having  taken  a  Federal  examination. 

Dr.  Horstman,  a  leader  in  his  field,  helped 
organize  the  Southern  Illinois  Veterinary 
Medicine  Association  and  was  its  first  presi- 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


815 


dent.  In  1949  he  served  his  second  con- 
secutive term  in  that  office.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  American  Veterinary  Associa- 
tion, the  Collinsville  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
the  Lions  Club  of  Collinsville,  in  which  he  has 
served  as  vice  president,  and  is  a  sponsor  of 
4-H  Club  work,  in  which  he  was  active  in  his 
younger  days.  He  worships  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

Dr.  Horstman  married  Eugenia  Salel, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  Salel  of  Collins- 
ville, on  June  6,  1936.  Mrs.  Horstman,  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  taught 
school  for  ten  years.  She  is  president  of  the 
Women's  Auxiliary  of  the  Illinois  State  Vet- 
erinary Medicine  Association.  Thus  she 
shares  in  her  husband's  great  contribution  to 
his  profession. 

VICTOR  CULLIN 

Victor  Cullin  is  not  only  a  leading  figure 
in  the  banking  world  but  he  is  one  of  those 
who  is  making  that  world  a  better  place  for 
those  engaged  in  the  business  and  for  those 
who  are  their  customers — which  means  every- 
body. He  is  vice-president  of  the  Chicago  Ti- 
tle and  Trust  Company,  a  specialist  in  public 
relations  and  a  leader  in  numerous  commer- 
cial, educational,  religious  and  welfare  pro- 
grams. 

He  was  born  oh  May  14,  1896,  at  Taylor- 
ville,  the  son  of  William  Thomas  and  Leonora 
Bess  Cullin,  the  former  a  native  of  Wheeling, 
West  Virginia,  the  latter  of  Rosemond,  Illi- 
nois. Victor  Cullin,  after  attending  the  Tay- 
lorville  Township  High  School,  went  to  and 
in  1920  was  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Illinois  School  of  Commerce.  Prominent  at  the 
University,  which  awarded  him  the  Bachelor 
of  Science  degree,  he  was  business  manager 
of  the  Illinois  Union,  1918-19;  chairman,  Sen- 
ior Memorial  Committee;  and  member  of  Chi 
Phi  and  Alpha  Kappa  Psi.  In  1918,  as  the 
first  World  War  neared  its  end,  he  was  com- 
missioned a  Second  Lieutenant,  Field  Artil- 
lery, at  the  Officers'  Training  School,  Camp 
Zachary  Taylor,  Kentucky.  From  1921  to 
1923  Mr.  Cullin  was  with  the  Federal  Reserve 
Bank  at  St.  Louis.  From  1923  to  1928  he  was 
with  Halsey-Stuart  and  Company,  Chicago, 
and  from  1928  to  1943  with  the  Mississippi 
Valley  Trust  Company,  St.  Louis.  Since  1943 
he  has  been  vice-president  of  the  Chicago 
Title  and  Trust  Company. 

On  April  19,  1924,  in  Centralia,  Mr.  Cullin 
married  Rowena  Agnes  Kohl,  daughter  of  Fer- 
dinand and  Cora  (Row)  Kohl  of  that  city. 
Also  the  holder  of  a  Bachelor's  degree  from 


the  university,  Mrs.  Cullin  is  a  member  of 
the  Women's  Club  of  Winnetka,  where  she 
and  Mr.  Cullin  and  their  family  make  their 
home;  the  Winnetka  Women's  Guild  of  Christ 
Church;  Kappa  Gamma,  Mortar  Board,  and 
is  a  former  president  of  Hill  Road  Circle. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cullin  have  a  daughter,  Jean 
Kathryn,  born  October  6,  1929,  and  educated 
at  North  Shore  Country  Day  School,  Winnet- 
ka, Frances  Shimer  College,  Mt.  Carroll,  and 
Holton  Arms  Junior  College,  Washington,  D. 
C.  She  married  Charles  Mertz  III,  a  graduate 
of  the  United  States  Naval  Academy,  class  of 
1948,  who  now  holds  the  rank  of  ensign  in  the 
Navy.  The  Cullin  family  worships  in  Christ 
Church  (Episcopal),  Winnetka. 

Mr.  Cullin,  prominent  as  a  speaker  and 
writer  in  the  banking  industry,  is  affiliated 
with  many  organizations,  holding  high  office 
in  nearly  a  dozen.  He  is  a  director  and  pres- 
ently president  of  the  Chicago  Life  Insurance 
and  Trust  Council;  member,  Illinois  Commit- 
tee, Public  Affairs  Reception  Committee  and 
Committee  on  Committee  Personnel,  Chicago 
Association  of  Commerce  and  Industry;  sen- 
ior advisory  counsel,  Financial  Public  Rela- 
tions Association.  He  is  past  president  of  the 
last  named  and  also  of  the  General  Alumni 
Association  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  He  is  a 
member  and  former  director  of  the  University 
of  Illinois  Foundation  and  former  director  of 
the  Metropolitan  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation of  St.  Louis;  past  genei"al  chairman  of 
both  the  Y.M.C.A.  and  U.S.O.  fund-raising  cam- 
paigns in  St.  Louis;  past  member  of  the  board 
of  governors  of  the  Missouri  Athletic  Club  of 
St.  Louis;  and  former  member  of  the  Univer- 
sity Club  of  St.  Louis.  Also,  he  is  affiliated  with 
the  Illinois  Bankers  Association,  the  Illinois 
State  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  the  United 
States  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Among  his 
other  organizations  are  Mound  Lodge,  No. 
122,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  Tay- 
lorville;  Chicago  Consistory,  Ancient  and  Ac- 
cepted Scottish  Rite;  Medinah  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine; 
Winnetka  Post,  No.  10,  American  Legion;  Chi- 
cago Athletic  Club  and  Executives  Club.  The 
leadership  he  is  giving  to  many  movements 
inside  and  outside  banking  has  made  him  a 
national  figure. 

JOHN  H.  SCHMALE 

Known  throughout  Illinois  for  his  leader- 
ship in  the  savings  and  loan  field,  and  in  the 
related  insurance  and  real  estate  and  gen- 
eral banking  businesses,  John  H.  Schmale  of 
Belleville    has    won    a    position    of    eminence 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


VICTOR  Ct'LLIN 


m 

JOHN  H.  SCHMAL] 


among  his  fellow  citizens  in  Saint  Clair  Coun- 
ty. Mr.  Schmale  is  the  organizer  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Greater  Belleville  Savings  and 
Loan  Association  and  is  former  vice-president 
of  the  Belleville  National  Bank.  He  is  an  im- 
portant figure  in  the  Federal  Home  Loan 
Bank  of  Chicago  and  in  Savings  and  Loan 
League  activities.  Another  sphere  in  which 
he  gives  leadership  is  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  Schmale  was  born  in  Belleville  in  1896, 
the  son  of  John  H.  and  Mary  Louise  (Glueck) 
Schmale.  His  father,  also  a  native  of  Belle- 
ville, was  a  grocer  there  for  thirty  years.  He 
and  the  mother  were  married  in  1894.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  William  Glueck,  a  Ger- 
man steelworker.  The  present  John  H. 
Schmale  went  through  grammar  school  and  a 
Belleville  commercial  college  and  studied  law 
at  home.  In  1911  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Wolleson  Wolf  Abstract  Company,  and 
became  a  title  examiner.  It  was  Mr.  Wolleson 
who  encouraged  him  to  start  the  Greater 
Belleville  Savings  and  Loan  Association,  and 
this  he  did  in  1919.  In  the  first  twenty-three 
years  Mr.  Schmale  was  secretary-manager  of 
the  organization.  His  first  annual  salary  was 
$200.  In  1942  he  became  president,  retaining 
the  title  of  manager.  Through  the  years  he 
has  been  active  in  banking,  real  estate,  in- 
surance and  civic  affairs. 

In  1917  Mr.  Schmale  married  Marie  Lorenz, 
also  a  native  of  Saint  Clair  County.  They 
have  one  son,  John  W.  H.  Schmale,  who  is 
manager  of  the  Schmale  Realty  Company  and 
the  Schmale  Insurance  Company.  The  son, 
who  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, was  also  president  of  the  Belleville  Real 
Estate  Board  and  active  in  the  Belleville 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  In  1917,  too,  Mr. 
Schmale,  Sr.,  went  off  to  war.  He  served  in 
United  States  Army  Intelligence,  mapping 
enemy  machine  gun  positions. 

Mr.  Schmale's  family  worships  in  the  Luth- 
eran Church  of  Belleville,  in  which  he  is  an 
outstanding  communicant.  He  is  chairman 
of  the  building  committee,  which  in  1950  was 
completing  plans  for  a  group  of  buildings  to 
include  the  church  edifice,  a  parish  hall  and 
a  parochial  school.  Mr.  Schmale  is  president 
of  the  Belleville  Savings  Loan  League.  He 
formerly  served  on  the  executive  board  of  the 
Illinois  Savings  and  Loan  League  and  is  ac- 
tive also  in  the  United  States  Savings  and 
Loan  League  and  the  National  Savings  Loan 
League.  His  association  became  a  member  of 
the  Federal  Savings  and  Loan  Corporation  in 
1935  and  he  is  a  charter  member  and  former 
director  of  the  Home  Loan  Bank  of  Chicago. 


He  was  chairman  of  the  bank's  review  com- 
mittee, and  he  was  the  first  G.I.  appraiser  in 
Belleville.  He  is  the  only  living  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Belleville  Real  Estate  Board,  which 
he  served  years  ago  as  president,  the  posi- 
tion recently  occupied  by  his  son.  He  is  also 
past  president  of  the  Belleville  Credit  Bureau 
and  served  for  years  as  vice-president  of  the 
Belleville  National  Bank.  He  was  active  in 
the  Optimist  Club,  of  which  he  is  former  pres- 
ident, and  in  the  Belleville  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Belle- 
ville Insurance  Agents  Association. 

Mr.  Schmale  attributes  the  fact  that  the 
Greater  Belleville  Savings  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion is  the  largest  insured  organization  of  its 
type  in  Saint  Clair  County  to  the  aggressive 
advertising  he  developed.  During  the  "bank 
holiday"  of  1933,  the  firm  remained  open, 
obtaining  funds  from  the  Federal  Home  Loan 
Bank  of  Chicago.  In  the  depression  period 
Mr.  Schmale  aided  his  clients  by  obtaining 
funds  for  them  so  that  they  would  not  lose 
their  homes.  He  has  reaped  the  rewards  of 
this  activity,  in  popularity  and  in  financial 
success. 

GEORGE  WILLIAM  PEERS 

Born  on  a  farm  near  Baraboo,  Wisconsin, 
on  November  29,  18  79,  the  late  George  Wil- 
liam Peers  gave  the  final  thirty  years  of  his 
life  to  the  undertaking  profession  and  to  the 
development  of  Central  Illinois.  His  estab- 
lishment, located  in  Mattoon,  was  known  in 
his  lifetime  as  Peers  Funeral  Chapel,  but 
since  194  2,  the  year  of  his  death,  it  has  been 
called  Peers  Memorial  Chapel — and  it  is  a 
memorial  in  every  sense  of  the  word  to  a  man 
who  left  the  impress  of  his  leadership  and 
personality  on  every  phase  of  life  in  that 
region. 

Mr.  Peers'  parents  were  Reuben  H.  and 
Ada  (Wilcox)  Peers.  His  father,  a  farmer 
born  October  15,  1850,  in  Hudson  Township, 
Walworth  County,  Wisconsin,  was  the  son 
of  William  Peers,  a  native  of  Surrey,  England. 
Reuben  Peers  farmed  in  the  Dakotas,  Wis- 
consin and  Tennessee  before  settling  in  Mat- 
toon,  where  he  entered  the  Livery  business. 
He  retired  in  March,  1917,  and  died  in  May, 
192  4.  George  Peers'  mother,  born  in  St.  Louis 
County,  New  York,  on  January  7,  1857,  died 
in  Mattoon  on  November  1,  192  3. 

George  Peers  was  given  his  academic  edu- 
cation in  the  Baraboo  schools.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Barnes  School  just  as  it  was  be- 
ing consolidated  with  the  Worsham  School  of 
Mortuary    Science    and    Funeral    Directing    of 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


821 


Chicago  in  March,  1912.  He  helped  on  his 
father's  farms  and  in  the  livery  business  until 
he  went  into  the  undertaking  profession.  He 
served  apprenticeships  with  the  late  E.  P. 
Thomas  in  Mattoon  and  with  the  M.  J.  Walz 
Funeral  Home  in  Danville.  On  September  1, 
1912,  he  opened  Peers  Funeral  Chapel,  now 
the  Peers  Memorial  Chapel,  and  in  a  short 
time  was  a  leading  figure  in  the  region. 

On  July  17,  1912,  at  Baraboo,  Mr.  Peers 
married  Leora  Adrian,  daughter  of  Mordicai 
Melville  and  Mary  (Hughart)  Adrian.  Mrs. 
Peers,  a  graduate  of  the  Worsham  School  of 
Mortuary  Science  and  the  Burnham  School  of 
Hair  Dressing,  the  only  licensed  woman  em- 
balmer  and  funeral  director  in  Coles  County, 
was  actively  engaged  with  him  in  the  funeral 
profession.  She  carries  on  the  business  today, 
with  the  assistance  of  Ray  H.  Shadwick,  Mr. 
Peers'  nephew,  also  a  graduate  of  the  Wor- 
sham School  and  a  licensed  embalmer  and 
funeral  director.  Mrs.  Peers  is  famed  for  the 
artistry  of  her  floral  arrangements  at  funer- 
als. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peers  had  one  son,  George 
Adrian  Peers,  who  was  born  March  29,  1917, 
and  died  March  31,  1917.  They  reared  the 
nephew,  Kay  Shadwick,  and  a  niece,  the  for- 
mer Eileen  May  Shadwick,  now  Mrs.  Michael 
Middlesworth  of  Wichita  Falls,  Texas,  and  the 
mother  of  Michael  Peers  and  Patrick  Lamson 
Middlesworth.  Ray  Shadwick  married  Fern 
Giberson  and  they  have  one  son,  Larry  Mac 
Peers  Shadwick. 

George  Peers  became  so  influential  in  Mat- 
toon  that  he  was  elected  to  'numerous  civic 
organization  offices  as  well  as  to  offices  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  sang  in 
the  choir  at  various  times  and  was  a  deacon 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Mattoon  Country  Club. 

In  th3  Masonic  bodies  he  advanced  from 
the  Blue  Lodge  through  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree to  membership  in  Ansar  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
and  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  Eastern 
Star  and  the  D.O.K.K  He  had  been  the  pre- 
siding officer  in  most  of  these  Masonic  bodies. 
He  also  held  membership  in  the  Elks,  Moose, 
Odd  Fellows,  and  Knights  of  Pythias  lodges. 

His  philanthropy  and  kindness  are  part  of 
the  history  of  Mattoon,  and  the  stories  of  the 
instances  of  his  kindness  are  legion.  After 
World  "War  I,  he  refused  to  charge  for  under- 
taking services  to  families  whose  sons  or 
husbands  were  returned  from  overseas  for 
internment.  This  was  out  of  respect  to  his 
brother-in-law,   Sergeant-Major  John   Willard 


Adrian,    who    passed    away    at    Camp    Pike, 
Arkansas,   on  December   17,   1918. 

Mr.  Peers  himself  passed  away  on  October 
4,  1942,  in  the  Methodist  Memorial  Hospital. 
On  October  6,  he  was  interred  in  Dodge  Grove 
Cemetery.  Mattoon  remembers  him  as  one  of 
its  great  citizens — and  his  family  continues 
his  traditions. 

JOHN  WILLIAM  CORRINGTON 

One  of  the  well  known  members  of  the  in- 
vestment banking  and  stock  and  bond  brok- 
erage business  is  John  William  Corrington, 
a  general  partner  in  the  firm  of  Paine,  Web- 
ber, Jackson  and  Curtis,  with  offices  at  209 
South  LaSalle  Street,  Chicago.  Mr.  Corring- 
ton is  known  to  investors  and  brokers  in 
many  other  parts  of  the  nation  and  is  an  ac- 
tive citizen  of  both  Chicago  and  Evanston, 
where  he  makes  his  home. 

Born  at  Alexander,  Illinois,  on  September 
3,  1898,  Mr.  Corrington  is  the  son  of  Clifton 
and  Pauline  B.  (Kaiser)  Corrington.  His  fa- 
ther, also  a  native  of  Alexander  and  a  farmer, 
was  the  son  of  John  William  Corrington,  an 
early  settler  in  Illinois  who  moved  in  from 
Kentucky  with  others  from  that  state.  The 
mother,  a  native  of  Alexander,  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Mary  Kaiser.  The  invest- 
ment banker  and  broker  was  graduated  from 
the  Jacksonville  High  School  in  Morgan 
County  and  then  went  on  to  the  University  of 
Illinois,  where  he  was  awarded  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science.  He  completed  his  edu- 
cation with  postgraduate  work  at  the  Harvard 
Graduate  School  of  Business  Administration, 
where  he  took  the  degree  of  Master  of  Busi- 
ness Administration.  He  was  elected  to  Sigma 
Phi  Epsilon  and  Delta  Sigma  Pi  Fraternities. 

In  1924  Mr.  Corrington  entered  the  invest- 
ment banking  business  with  Lee  Higginson 
and  Company,  in  Chicago.  From  1930  to  1932 
he  was  a  broker  associated  with  David  A. 
Noyes  and  Company,  also  in  Chicago,  and  in 
1932  he  entered  the  firm  of  Jackson  and  Cur- 
tis as  a  salesman.  This  firm  later  became 
Paine,  Webber,  Jackson  and  Curtis,  the  of- 
ficial date  being  1942.  In  April,  1944,  Mr. 
Corrington  was  admitted  as  a  general  partner 
of  the  firm,  and  he  has  continued  as  such 
since  that  time,  constantly  enlarging  his  ac- 
quaintanceship among  investors  and  col- 
leagues and  extending  his  reputation  as  in- 
vestment banker  and  broker. 

Mr.  Corrington  returned  to  Morgan  County 
to  marry,  on  February  7,  192  3,  Aileen  B. 
Fitch,  daughter  of  Maurice  K.  and  Clara  B. 
Fitch.    The  ceremony  was  performed  at  Jack- 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


GEORGE  WILLIAM  PEERS 


This  Space  Reserved  for  the  Portrait 
of  Gene  Tumbleson 


sonville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Corrington  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  tvo  sons — John  William 
Corrington,  Jr.,  and  Richard  F.  Corrington. 
They  make  their  home  at  425  Grove  Street, 
Evanston,  and  worship  in  the  First  Methodist 
Church  of  Evanston.  Mr.  Corrington  is  a 
member  of  the  church's  official,  board  and  is 
chief  usher.  Mrs.  Corrington  is  also  active  in 
the  church  and,  in  addition,  in  philanthropic 
projects  in  Evanston.  The  family  is  socially 
prominent  in  that  community. 

Mr.  Corrington  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club  of  Chicago,  The  Attic  Club  and 
the  Knollwood  Club.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. A  World  War  I  veteran,  Mr.  Cor- 
rington enlisted  in  the  aviation  section  of  the 
United  States  Signal  Corps  on  October  17, 
1917,  and  served  in  France  from  March,  1918, 
to  March,  1919.  He  was  honorably  discharg- 
ed on  March  19,  1919.  Golf  is  his  favorite 
amusement.  His  work  in  stimulating  private 
investment  and  hence  private  enterprise  is 
in  the  best  American  tradition,  and  hence  has 
had  much  to  do  with  his  repuatation  among 
the  investing  public. 

GENE  TUMBLESON 

A  flyer  who  served  the  United  States  in 
World  War  II  as  a  civilian  flight  instructor 
for  Army  cadets  and  who  later  was  a  pilot 
for  Transcontinental-Western  Airlines,  Gene 
Tumbleson  is  today  one  of  the  outstanding 
operators  in  the  field  of  aviation  in  the  State 
of  Illinois.  With  a  partner,  M.  D.  Walston, 
Mr.  Tumbleson  operates  four  fixed  base  opera- 
tions in  the  mid-west.  One  in  Springfield, 
111.,  Alton,  111.,  East  St.  Louis,  111.,  and  Kansas 
City,  Mo.  The  Walston  Aviation  enterprises 
handle  Cessna  aircraft,  new  and  used,  and 
also  service  planes  and  provide  flying  in- 
struction. Mr.  Tumbleson  is  known  to  avi- 
ators and  airline  developers  across  the  nation. 

He  was  born  at  Worden,  Madison  County, 
on  May  9,  1914,  and,  after  attending  the 
grammar  school  there,  went  to  high  school  at 
Wood  River  in  the  same  county.  For  nine 
years  after  leaving  high  school  Mr.  Tumble- 
son  was  in  the  grocery  business  with  his  step- 
father. They  operated  three  retail  stores. 
Aviation  has  always  interested  Mr.  Tumble- 
son.  In  1937  he  took  flying  lessons,  and  in 
the  same  year  soloed.  By  1940  he  was  able 
to  become  a  flying  instructor  and  charter 
pilot.  It  was  then  he  became  associated  with 
Mr.  Walston.  Together,  they  operated  an  air- 
port at  Granite  City,  Madison  County.  From 
1941    to    1944    Mr.    Tumbleson    served    as    a 


civilian  flight  instructor  for  the  United  States 
Army  Air  Forces  at  Cuero,  Texas,  and  then 
for  a  year  and  one-half  he  was  a  pilot  for 
Transcontinental-Western  Airlines  (T.W.A.). 
In  19  4  5  Mr.  Tumbleson  and  Mr.  Walston 
opened  their  airport  at  Alton.  There  and  at 
Kansas  City  they  are  distributors  for  the 
entire  Cessna  aircraft  line.  In  the  years  1948- 
1950,  they  were  among  the  top  four  in  sales 
of  this  make  of  aircraft,  and  had  every  pros- 
pect of  continuing  to  do  so.  In  1947  the  part- 
ners leased  all  the  facilities  at  the  new  Capi- 
tal Airport  in  Springfield,  where  they  are 
dealers  for  Cessna  aircraft  and  have  all  the 
rights  for  the  sorvicing  of  all  aircraft  at  the 
field.  They  also  carry  on  full-scale  flight  in- 
struction, arrange  charter  flights  and  engage 
in  all  other  types  of  flying  activities.  Mean- 
time they  continue  to  build  their  business  at 
the  Alton  airport.  Mr.  Tumbleson  himself  has 
11,000  flying  hours  to  his  credit,  as  of  April, 
1950. 

On  March  11,  1933,  Mr.  Tumbleson  mar- 
ried Eileen  Crouch,  who  was  born  in  1917. 
They  have  one  son,  Billy  Jean  Tumbleson, 
who  was  born  in  1935.  Mr.  Tumbleson  belongs 
to  the  Quiet  Birdmen,  the  Airport  Operators 
Association,  the  United  States  and  the  Spring- 
field Chamber  of  Commerce.  Aviation  men 
attribute  to  him  a  large  share  of  the  recent 
development  of  flying  in  the  United  States, 
especially  among  enthusiasts  who  are  in  avia- 
tion for  personal  pleasure  and  small  business 
ventures. 

ORLA  VIVIAN  LASHBROOK 

Noted  for  the  fine  canvas  goods  in  his 
products,  Orla  Vivian  Lashbrook  of  Mount 
Vernon  sells  tents  throughout  the  United 
States  and  awnings  in  all  sections  of  Southern 
Illinois.  His  company,  the  Mount  Vernon  Tent 
and  Awning  Company,  is  one  of  the  best 
known  in  its  field  in  the  nation.  Mr.  Lash- 
brook is  also  known  for  the  high  quality  of 
the  cattle  he  breeds  as  a  hobby. 

He  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Charleston, 
Coles  County,  on  August  2  6,  1884,  the  son  of 
Jarrett  and  Lucy  (Case)  Lashbrook.  His  fa- 
ther, a  native  of  Bowling  Green,  Kentucy,  was 
a  teamster  and  railroadman.  The  mother, 
born  at  Winston-Salem,  North  Carolina,  was 
well  educated  and  for  some  years  taught  at 
the  Fowler  School  in  Coles  County,  outside 
Charleston.  Her  father,  the  Reverend  Pascal 
Case,  also  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  was  a 
Baptist  minister  who  served"  with  the  Con- 
federate forces  in  the  War  Between  the  States. 
He  was  taken  prisoner  and  held  at  the  Ander- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


827 


sonville  Prison.  He  was  finally  pardoned  by 
President  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom  he  knew 
personally.  After  the  war  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Case  settled  in  Coles  County,  where  he  was 
pastor  of  a  Baptist  Church  three  miles  east 
of  Charleston. 

Orla  Vivian  Lashbrook  was  educated  in 
Charleston's  public  schools.  While  still  at 
school  he  worked  part  time  in  Mike  Miller's 
Furniture  and  Undertaking  Store  in  the  county 
seat.  He  continued,  full  time,  when  he  left 
school.  After  ten  years  with  Mr.  Miller,  he  re- 
signed in  1911,  when  he  went  to  Indianapolis 
and  entered  his  present  field  as  an  employee  of 
the  Indianapolis  Tent  and  Awning  Company. 
After  one  year  in  Indiana,  Mr.  Lashbrook  be- 
came an  employee  of  the  Danville  Tent  and 
Awning  Company  at  Danville,  Illinois.  There 
he  remained  until  in  1918  he  established  him- 
self in  Mount  Vernon,  founding  the  Mount 
Vernon  Tent  and  Awning  Company.  With  the 
motto,  "If  its  made  of  canvas,  we  make  it," 
Mr.  Lashbrook  has  built  a  nationwide  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  large  rentor  of  tents,  chairs, 
bleacher  seats,  and  portable  grandstands, 
serving  county  and  state  fairs  throughout 
fourteen  states.  He  serves  the  Indianapolis 
Speedway  with  20,000  chairs  for  the  annual 
race  and  the  Chicago  Air  Fair  15,000  chairs 
as  well  as  some  of  the  largest  horse  and  cat- 
tle shows  in  the  United  States.  In  his  far- 
flung  operations  he  uses  a  fleet  of  eight  trail- 
ers and  five  small,  trucks.  General  Motors 
Company  thought  enough  of  his  fine  equip- 
ment to  have  pictures  taken  of  his  fleet  of 
trucks  to  be  used  in  their  national  advertis- 
ing. He  is  currently  producting  some  of  the 
largest  tents  ever  made  in  the  United  States. 
There  is  hardly  a  circus  that  does  not  use 
Lashbrook  tents.  To  mention  a  few,  they  in- 
clude the  John  Robinson  Shows,  Hagenback- 
Wallace  Shows  and  numerous  carnivals  and 
fairs.  And  wherever  Mr.  Lashbrook's  tents  or 
awnings  are  sold,  Mr.  Lashbrook's  is  a  famil- 
iar  name. 

On  October  2  6,  1922,  in  Mount  Vernon,  Mr. 
Lashbrook  married  Sybil  Boston,  who  was 
born  in  Ironton,  Missouri,  on  January  8,  1908, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Wood  and  Mattie 
(Flanigan)  Boston.  Mrs.  Lashbrook's  father, 
a  native  of  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  was  a 
stove  repair  man.  Mrs.  Boston  was  also  a 
native  of  that  Kentucky  community.  Mrs. 
Lashbrook's  parents  took  her  to  Mount 
Vernon  in  1910.  After  attending  that  city's 
public  schools,  she  worked  for  a  time  in  the 
shoe  factory  there.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Missouri  Showwoman's  Club  of  St.  Louis.    On 


April.  13,  1924,  at  Ina,  Illinois,  a  son,  Wallace 
Ray  Lashbrook,  was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lashbrook.  He  attended  Mount  Vernon's 
schools,  then  the  Missouri  Military  Academy 
at  Mexico,  Missouri.  From  1943  to  1946 
he  was  with  the  United  States  Army  Air 
Forces.  Since  his  return  home,  Wallace 
Lashbrook  has  been  associated  with  his  fa- 
ther in  business  and  is  now  general  manager 
of  the  company.  He  is  a  Shriner  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  married 
Evangeline   Tamez   of   San   Antonio    in   June, 

1945,  and  is  the  father  of  Orla  Ray,  born  in 

1946,  and  Stella  Christine,  born  in  1947. 
Orla  V.   Lashbrook,  friend  of  such  men  as 

William  Jennings  Bryan  and  Billy  Sunday, 
worships  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Elks,  Moose,  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Mount  Vernon  Chamber  of  Commerce — 
a  popular  and  valuable  citizen. 

PETE  GAERDNER,  JR. 

There  have  been  two  Pete  Gaerdners,  both 
prominent  citizens  of  Saint  Clair  County.  The 
present  Pete  Gaerdner,  son  of  the  first,  is, 
like  his  late  father,  an  outstanding  mortician 
of  Western  Illinois.  He  operates  the  Pete 
Gaerdner  Funeral  Home  in  Belleville,  sup- 
ports movements  for  welfare  and  education 
and  the  development  of  the  city  and  county 
and  encourages  young  men  seeking  to  make 
their  way  in   the  world. 

The  present  Pete  Gaerdner  was  born  in 
Belleville  in  1910.  His  father,  who  was  the 
founder  of  the  Pete  Gaerdner  Funeral.  Home, 
was  born  in  the  same  city — seat  of  Saint 
Clair  County — on  December  16,  18  75,  and 
died  there  on  March  15,  1934.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  and  parochial  schools  of 
the  county  seat  and  remained  interested  in 
education  all  his  life.  He  was  active  in  many 
civic  groups  and  served  on  the  St.  Clair 
County  Board  of  Supervisors  for  twenty-seven 
years;  part  of  that  period  he  was  board  chair- 
man. He  was  one  of  the  county's  staunche'st 
and  outstanding  Republicans.  He  married 
Jennie  Stewart  in  Belleville  in  1900.  The 
daughter  of  a  prospector,  Mrs.  Gaerdner  was 
born  in  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado,  in  18  8  0.  She 
died  in  1929,  neariy  five  years  before  her 
husband. 

Pete  Gaerdner,  their  son,  also  was  edu- 
cated in  Belleville,  completing  his  academic 
schooling  at  the  Cathedral  High  School  there. 
This  he  supplemented  with  a  course  in  under- 
lain ing  and  embalming.  Already  well  trained 
in  mortuary  work  by  the  time  his  father  died 
in   1934,   Mr.  Gaerdner  was  prepared   for  the 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


MR.  AND  MRS.  ORLA  VIVIAN  LASHBROOK 


VERNER  WALLACE  KURTH 


responsibility  of  taking  charge  of  the  Fete 
Gaerdner  Funeral  Home,  and  he  has  demon- 
strated his  ability  to  the  entire  community, 
for  the  institution  has  grown  in  prestige  and 
in  volume  of  business  through  the  services  he 
offers.  R.  P.  Ackerman,  the  husband  of  one 
of  Mr.  Gaerdner's  sisters,  is  associated  with 
him  in  the  operation  of  the  home.  Mr.  Gaerd- 
ner is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles  and  the  B.  P.  O.  Elks.  He  is  active 
in  the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Belleville  and  the 
Illinois  Funeral  Directors  Association.  He 
is  a  communicant  of  St.  Luke's  (RC)  Church. 

Mr.  Gaerdner  married  Leona  Dittle,  also  a 
native  of  Belleville  and  well  known  in  the 
community  through  her  activities  in  many  civic 
organizations. 

Mr.  Gaerdner  stresses  higher  education  as 
a  means  for  achieving  success  and  making 
one's  greatest  contribution,  and  believes  that 
business  has  many  rewards  for  those  willing 
to  put  forth  the  required  effort.  He  is  prov- 
ing this  every  day,  and  has  come  to  hold  a 
position  of  great  public  confidence. 

VERNER  WALLACE  KURTH 

At  1104  North  Main  Street,  Bloomington, 
stands  an  institution  which  through  the  ex- 
traordinary service  it  has  rendered  the  com- 
munity has  developed  tremendous  prestige 
and  won  great  public  confidence — the  Flin- 
spach  and  Kurth  Memorial  Home.  In  this  en- 
terprise Verner  Wallace  Kurth  is  a  partner. 
Mr.  Kurth,  aside  from  the  reputation  he  has 
built  in  the  region  as  a  funeral  director,  a 
reputation  which  has  extended  into  other  cor- 
ners of  the  state,  is  prominent  in  civic  affairs. 

Born  at  Bloomington  on  November  5,  1905, 
Mr.  Kurth  is  the  son  of  August  R.  and  Anna 
(Reichardt)  Kurth,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Germany.  His  father,  a  shoemaker,  was 
for  many  years  engaged  in  business  in  Bloom- 
ington, where  he  died  in  1938,  seven  years 
after  the  mother.  The  funeral  director  ob- 
tained his  academic  education  in  Blooming- 
ton's  elementary  and  high  schools  and  his 
professional  training  at  the  Worsham  College 
of  Embalming  in  Chicago,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1930.  For  three  years  he 
worked  in  the  advertising  department  of  the 
Eureka-Williams  Corporation  of  Blooming- 
ton. Since  1930  he  has  been  associated  with 
his  father-in-law  in  the  Flinspach  and  Kurth 
Memorial  Home,  and  in  January,  1946,  he  be- 
came a  partner.  This  institution  employs  three 
persons  in  addition  to  the  owners. 

Mr.  Kurth  married  Caroline  Flinspach,  a 
native  of  Bloomington,  on  May  12,  1925.  Mrs. 


Kurth's  lather  is  Ferdinand  H.  Flinspach,  also 
born  in  Bloomington.  He  organized  what  was 
originally  the  Flinspach  Funeral  Home  in 
Bloomington.  Mrs.  Kurth's  mother  is  the  for- 
mer Marie  Froelich,  also  a  native  of  Bloom- 
ington. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kurth  are  the  parents 
of  two  children — Verner  Warren  Kurth,  who 
was  born  on  April  5.  1933,  and  Christine  Marie 
Kurth,  who  was  born  on  January  30,  1938. 
The  Kurth's  home  is  at  20  Norbloom  Avenue, 
Bloomington.  Mr.  Kurth  worships  in  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Bloomington.  His  wife  is 
a  Lutheran. 

Mr.  Kurth  has  achieved  such  leadership  in 
his  professional  activities  as  to  have  been 
elected  vice  president  of  the  Illinois  State  Fu- 
neral Directors  Association.  He  continues  an 
influential  figure  in  that  association  and  is 
also  active  in  the  National  Funeral  Directors 
Association.  He  is  a  former  president  of  the 
Bloomington  Junior  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  is  at  present  active  in  the  senior  chamber. 
Also,  he  belongs  to  the  Exchange  Club  of 
Bloomington,  the  Young  Men's  Club,  the  Lake 
Side  Club  and  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Wood- 
working is  his  hobby.  The  community  accepts 
him  as  one  of  its  leading  figures. 

HONORABLE  PARK  LIVINGSTON 

For  the  work  he  has  done  in  the  develop- 
ment of  -he  University  of  Illinois  and  for  the 
veterans  who  have  been  students  there  since 
the  end  of  World  War  II,  Park  Livingston  has 
won  the  highest  praise  from  citizens,  news- 
papers and  other  sources.  A  lawyer  and  busi- 
ness man  with  a  "weakness"  for  helping  oth- 
ers, Mr.  Livingston  holds  many  volunteer 
positions,  among  them  the  presidency  of  the 
university's  board  of  trustees.  In  the  business 
world,  he  is  vice-president  and  general  coun- 
sel of  the  Dean  Milk  Company  of  Chicago,  and 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Ameri- 
can Television,  Inc. 

Born  in  Phillip,  South  Dakota  (in  a  "rude, 
sod-banked  cabin  on  a  treeless  prairie,"  as 
one  newspaper  described  it),  on  December  9, 
1906,  Mr.  Livingston  is  the  son  of  George  H. 
and  Grace  Genevra  (Sheehan)  Livingston. 
His  father,  born  at  Midway,  Wisconsin,  June 
11,  1872,  died  September  11,  1940.  The  moth- 
er, born  at  Black  River  Falls,  Wisconsin,  Oc- 
tober 14,  1878,  died  February  2,  1921.  His 
mother  had  died  when  he  was  in  the  seventh 
grade,  and  when  he  went  back  to  High  School 
he  had  to  make  his  own  way.  This  he  did  by 
working  as  the  school's  janitor,  each  night 
sweeping  rooms  at  ten  cents  a  room,  and  pick- 
ing up   odd  jobs  such  as  grocery  clerk,  auto 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


833 


washer,  and  pan  scraper  in  a  bakery.  Park  Liv- 
ingston took  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  Degree  at 
the  University  of  Illinois  in  1930.  In  1938,  he 
was  awarded  the  degree  of  Juris  Doctor  at 
John  Marshall  Law  School  and  in  1943  that 
of  Master  of  Laws  at  John  Marshall.  He  was 
elected  to  Theta  Chi,  Ma  Wan  Da  and  Sachem, 
and  at  the  University  was  president  of  the 
senior  class.  By  the  time  he  took  his  bachelor's 
degree  Mr.  Livingston  had  made  so  impres- 
sive a  record  that  he  was  one  of  twenty 
young  men  selected  in  1930  by  the  National 
City  Bank  of  New  York  for  its  training  pro- 
gram. From  1930  to  1932  Mr.  Livingston 
was  assistant  dean  of  men  of  the  University 
of  Illinois  under  the  late  Thomas  Arkle 
Clark,  and  then  under  Dean  Fred  H.  Turner. 
Since  1933  he  has  been  vice-president  and 
general  counsel  of  the  Dean  Milk  Company. 
Other  positions  he  has  held  with  this  con- 
cern include  those  of  sales  and  advertising 
manager. 

On  December  19,  1936,  at  LaGrange,  Mr. 
Livingston  married  Elizabeth  Murdock,  daugh- 
ter of  L.  O.  and  Ruby  V.  Murdock.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Livingston  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren— Barry,  born  in  1938;  David  Otis,  born 
in  1941;  Park  Thomas,  born  in  1945,  and 
Linda  Elizabeth,  born  in  1947.  The  family  re- 
sides at  202  South  Kensington  Avenue,  La 
Grange,  while  Mr.  Livingston's  office  is  at 
20  North  Wacker  Drive,  Chicago.  The  family 
worships  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Livingston,  whose  fame  has  taken  his 
name  into  "Who's  Who  in  America"  and 
"World  Biography,"  has  interested  himself  in 
education  since  his  own  school  days,  and  he  is 
today  one  of  the  big  proponents  of  advanced 
education  and  educational  opportunities.  He 
is  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  John 
Marshall  Law  School  and  in  1940  was  first 
elected  to  the  board  of  the  University  of  Il- 
linois. When  he  was  re-elected  in  1946,  with 
tremendous  support,  it  was  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  He  was  the  only  Republican  to  carry 
the  City  of  Chicago  on  the  State  Ticket  since 
1928.  In  supporting  him  for  re-election,  the 
Chicago  Herald-American  summed  it  up,  "Mr. 
Livingston  already  has  a  degree,  his  B.A., 
which  he  obtained  from  the  school  years  back. 
Perhaps  the  state  should  give  him  another, 
an  M.A. — Master  of  Achievement."  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Economic,  Legal  and  Electric 
Clubs  of  Chicago.  For  his  contribution  to  ed- 
ucation and  to  the  welfare  of  veterans  and 
others,  Park  Livingston  will  take  his  place 
among  the  immortal  figures  in  Illinois  his- 
tory. 


TRUMAN  JAMES  POCKLINGTON 

Pocklington  is  a  name  renowned  in  Macou- 
pin County  and  in  Western  Illinois,  and  has 
been  associated  for  decades  with  the  growth 
of  agriculture  in  the  county.  Truman  James 
Pocklington,  in  association  with  his  father-in- 
law,  Alfred  G.  Schoeneman,  operates  a  dairy 
business  which  has  become  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  region,  and  is  a  leading  figure  in  rural 
life. 

Born  on  the  Pocklington  family  farm  in 
Macoupin  County,  east  of  Carlinville,  the 
county  seat,  Truman  J.  Pocklington  is  the  son 
of  the  late  Frank  W.  and  Emma  Pocklington. 
His  birth  occurred  on  October  28,  1911, 
and  he  obtained  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  cf  his  native  county.  He  was  first  as- 
sociated with  his  father  and  six  brothers  in 
the  hybrid  seed  corn  business  in  the  Town  of 
Nilwood,  Macoupin  County.  But  in  1940  he 
entered  the  dairy  business  with  Mr.  Schoene- 
man. In  1950,  he  and  his  father-in-law  had 
240  acres  of  land,  with  30  cows  and  10  young 
calves,  and  were  producing  120  gallons  of 
milk   daily. 

On  June  22,  1940,  Truman  J.  Pocklington 
married  Allene  Schoeneman,  who  was  born  in 
Macoupin  County  on  October  26,  1911.  Her 
parents,  Alfred  G.  and  Hallie  (Baxter) 
Schoeneman,  are  leading  figures  in  the  coun- 
ty. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pocklington  have  three 
adopted  children:  Roy,  born  in  1938;  Ruth, 
born  in  1940;  and  Wilma,  born  in  1942.  Mr. 
Pocklington,  active  in  all  important  rural  pro- 
jects, is  popular  among  the  farmers  of  his 
native  county. 

FRANCIS  MARION  HEWITT,  JR. 

The  Hewitt  Drug  Store  in  Carbondale  is 
one  of  the  institutions  of  that  university  town 
which  dates  back  to  the  last  century  and  is  a 
center  of  activity  for  students  and  those  far 
beyond  school  age.  Founded  by  the  father  of 
Francis  Marion  Hewitt,  Jr.,  who  is  well  known 
among  pharmacists  throughout  the  State  of 
Illinois,  the  drug  store  is  now  wholly  owned 
by  the  son. 

Francis  Marion  Hewitt,  Jr.,  was  born  in 
Carbondale  on  July  28,  1908.  Both  his  father 
and  his  mother,  Winifred  (Harker)  Hewitt, 
were  also  natives  of  Illinois.  The  father,  a 
registered  pharmacist  who  established  a  drug 
store  in  Carbondale  in  1898,  became  one  of  Il- 
linois' outstanding  figures.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  the  old  Northwestern  School  of  Pharmacy 
which  was  taken  over  by  the  University  of 
Illinois.    In  the  term  1916-1918  he  was  a  State 


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FRANCIS  MARION  HEWITT,  JR. 


Senator  and  also  served  on  the  governing- 
board  for  the  five  Illinois  normal  colleges. 
He  was  a  City  Commissioner  of  Carbondale 
and  City  Treasurer  and  was  vice-president 
and  a  director  of  the  Carbondale  National 
Bank  and  a  director  of  the  Carbondale  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association.  He  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Carbondale  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  was  active  in  the  Lions  Club,  the  Elks 
and  Masonic  lodges. 

The  younger  Mr.  Hewitt  was  graduated 
from  the  Carbondale  High  School  in  1926  and 
then  spent  one  year  at  Southern  Illinois  Uni- 
versity in  Carbondale  and  three  years  at  the 
University  of  Illinois,  where  he  took  his  pre- 
professional  degree.  In  1933  he  won  his  de- 
gree in  pharmacy  at  the  St.  Louis  College  of 
Pharmacy.  He  was  co-editor  of  the  college's 
yearbook,  Mortar  and  Pestle.  Upon  his  grad- 
uation, he  returned  to  Carbondale  as  mana- 
ger of  his  father's  drug  store  and  the  two 
operated  it,  with  the  aid  of  two  employees, 
until  the  elder  Mr.  Hewitt's  death  on  May  1, 
1947.  In  1936  father  and  son  had  remodeled 
the  store,  but  in  October,  1947,  it  was  com- 
pletely redone,  so  that  today  it  is  modern 
in  every  respect.  Ten  persons  are  now  em- 
ployed in  it,  and  it  serves  the  people  living 
within  a  radius  of  twelve  miles  of  Cai'bondale. 
Mr.  Hewitt  has  been  the  sole  owner  of  the 
business  since  his  father's  death. 

On  August  9,  1933,  Mr.  Hewitt  married 
Frances  Hill,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  G.  and 
Ethel  Hill  of  Carbondale.  Mrs.  Hewitt  is  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  is 
active  in  Pi  Beta  Phi  Sorority,  church  work 
and  is  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Teen  Town 
Youth  Club,  an  organization  for  young  peo- 
ple. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hewitt  have  two  children — 
Anne,  born  May  18,  1934,  and  Francis  Ma- 
rion, III,  born  September  28,  1937. 

Mr.  Hewitt,  a  registered  pharmacist  in  Illi- 
nois, is  on  the  legislative  committee  of  the 
Illinois  Pharmacy  Association  and  serves  as 
district  representative  of  the  organization  in 
the  25th  Illinois  District.  He  is  a  second  vice- 
president  of  the  Illinois  Rexall  Association 
and  also  belongs  to  the  International  Associa- 
tion of  Rexall  Clubs,  as  well  as  to  the  Carbon- 
dale Chamber  of  Commerce,  of  which  he  is 
past  president;  the  Elks  Lodge,  in  which  he 
has  been  through  all  the  chairs;  the  Lions 
Club  and  the  First  Methodist  Church  of  Car- 
bondale, in  which  he  is  a  steward.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Carbondale  National  Bank  and 
is  Commander  of  Donald  Forsythe  Post,  No. 
514,  American  Legion,  and  a  member  of  the 
Veterans   of  Foreign   Wars.     He   is   chairman 


of  the  Executive  Committee,  Official  Board 
of  Holden  Hospital,  serving  in  this  capacity 
since  1948.  In  World  War  II  Mr.  Hewitt 
served  in  the  Navy  from  March  10,  1943,  to 
December  10,  1945.  He  was  a  gunnery  offi- 
cer who  saw  action  in  the  Atlantic  and  Pa- 
cific. He  went  in  a  Lieutenant  Junior  Grade 
and  came  out  a  Lieutenant  Senior  Grade. 
Like  his  father  he  is  giving  extraordinary 
service  to  the  people  of  his  community. 

FREDERICK  MUELLER 

The  Mueller  name  has  been  known  in  the 
wholesale  liquor  business  in  Illinois  since 
1870,  and  three  members  of  the  family  are 
still  active  in  that  field,  as  well  as  in  the 
wholesale  candy  business — Frederick  Mueller, 
known  to  friends,  family,  customers  and  ac- 
quaintances as  merely  "Fred"  Mueller,  his 
sister,  Eda  Mueller,  and  his  son,  Grant  F. 
Mueller.  All  the  Muellers  are  not  only  prom- 
inent in  the  liquor  and  candy  worlds,  but  in 
civic  activities.  Frederick  Mueller  has  won  a 
reputation  not  only  in  Springfield,  the  head- 
quarters of  his  businesses  and  his  home,  but 
also  in  Decatur,  Bloomington  and  Mattoon, 
where  the  Mueller  enterprises  maintain  branch 
firms. 

Fred  Mueller  was  born  in  Springfield  in 
1890,  the  son  of  Gerhardt  A.  and  Regina 
(Huber)  Mueller.  His  father,  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1849,  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1867.  The  mother  was  born  in  Osage,  Missou- 
ri. Gerhardt  Mueller  worked  as  a  bookkeeper 
until  he  and  his  brother  founded  the  Mueller 
business  in  1870.  The  business  was  called 
H.  E.  Mueller  and  Brother,  Gerhardt  Mueller 
being  the  "Brother"  in  the  firm  name.  The 
establishment  burned  down  a  few  years  after 
it  was  opened,  and  the  brothers'  partnership 
was  dissolved.  In  1879,  Gerhardt  Mueller  re- 
turned to  the  wholesale  liquor  business  on  his 
own.  He  operated  his  firm  until  National  Pro- 
hibition was  adopted  in  1919,  and  then  he 
retired.  His  oldest  son,  George,  and  his 
daughter,  Eda,  took  over  the  business  and 
changed  the  firm  name  to  George  A.  Mueller 
and  Company.  They  engaged  exclusively  in 
the  wholesale  candy  business  until  in  1933, 
with  repeal  of  Prohibition,  they  added  a 
wholesale  liquor  department.  At  that  time 
Fred  Mueller  entered  the  business,  taking 
charge  of  the  liquor  end  of  the  operations. 
In  1936  George  Mueller  died,  and  Fred  and 
Eda  Mueller  bought  the  entire  business.  They 
have  since  added  the  three  branches.  The 
Springfield  establishment  and  home  office 
is  at  511   E.  Jefferson   Street.    The  branches 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


839 


are  in  Decatur,  opened  in  1936  and  known  as 
George  A.  Mueller  Co.,  Inc. ;  in  Bloomington, 
opened  in  1939  and  known  as  Mueller  Dis- 
tributing Company;  and  in  Mattoon,  opened 
in  1946  and  known  as  Mueller  Disti'ibuting 
Company.  All  four  units  of  the  business 
cover  about  one-third  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
or  thirty-two  counties.  Fifteen  trucks  are  op- 
erated and  seventy-eight  persons  employed. 

Eda  Mueller,  who  has  done  so  much  to 
build  the  enterprises  into  their  present  great 
size  and  prosperous  condition,  was  born  in 
Springfield  in  1886  and  was  graduated  from 
the  Springfield  High  School.  She  joined  her 
father  in  business  in  1918.  She  is  a  former 
Secretary  of  the  Illinois  Wholesale  Confec- 
tioners Association  and  is  one  of  the  out- 
standing women  citizens  of  Springfield  and 
Sangamon  County  and,  is  known  throughout 
downstate   Illinois. 

Fred  Mueller  married  Margery  Scales,  a 
native  of  Iowa  and  a  graduate  of  Cornell 
University  at  Ithaca,  New  York,  in  1919.  The 
son  who  is  now  associated  with  his  father  in 
business,  Grant  F.  Mueller,  is  also  a  graduate 
of  Cornell  University.  He  served  four  years 
in  the  U.  S.  Naval  Air  Forces,  two  and  one 
half  years  of  which  was  in  the  Pacific  Theatre 
of  War.  Among  other  medals  and  decorations 
he  was  awarded  the  Distinguished  Flying 
Cross.  He  married  Nell  Hawkins  of  Hamilton, 
Illinois.  Grant  Mueller,  the  older  of  two  chil- 
dren, is  well  known  in  Springfield  civic  life. 
Fred  Mueller's  other  child  is  Regina  Mueller, 
another  Cornell  graduate  who  in  1950  was 
working  toward  a  Master's  degree  in  Social 
Science. 

Fred  Mueller  spent  thirteen  months  in  the 
armed  forces  in  World  War  I.  He  has  been 
active  in  every  worthwhile  program  offered 
for  the  public  good  in  Springfield.  He  likes 
golf  and  people,  and  is  known  for  his  interest 
in  participating  in  all  efforts  to  develop  the 
city,  county  and  state. 

LYLE  VINSON  DEWITT,  A.I.A. 

The  name  of  Lyle  Vinson  DeWitt,  Archi- 
tect, has  come  to  be  associated  with  every 
type  of  construction — educational,  religious, 
commercial,  industrial  and  residential — in 
Downstate  Illinois.  Mr.  DeWitt  is  well  known 
among  fellow  architects  in  the  central  part 
of  the  state  and  in  civic  and  welfare  activi- 
ties. 

Born  in  Green  City,  Missouri,  on  June  28, 
1915,  Mr.  DeWitt  is  the  son  of  Shirley  P.  and 
Mary  Elizabeth  (Caldwell)  DeWitt,  both  also 
natives  of  Missouri.  His  father,  born  at  Milan, 


is  a  farmer.  The  mother  is  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Catherine  Ann  Caldwell.  Lyle  De- 
Witt  spent  three  yearsi  at  the  Community 
High  School,  Green  City,  being  graduated  in 
1931.  In  June,  1936,  he  was  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Illinois,  where  he  had  studied 
five  years,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Science  in  Architecture.  The  following  year 
he  was  granted  the  degree  of  Master  of  Sci- 
ence in  Architecture. 

From  August,  1934,  to  August,  1937,  Mr. 
DeWitt  served  successively  as  draftsman,  en- 
gineer and  field  superintendent  (part  time 
only  in  the  schooling  period)  for  Berger  and 
Kelley  of  Champaign.  From  June,  1937,  to 
February,  1938,  he  was  engineer  draftsman 
with  Swift  and  Company  in  Chicago.  Then  he 
returned  lo  Berger  and  Kelley  in  Champaign, 
working  as  architectural  engineer  from  Feb- 
ruary, 1938,  to  August,  1938.  From  the  lat- 
ter time  to  March,  1943,  he  was  with  Allen 
and  Kelley-V.  Jobst  and  Sons,  Decatur,  and 
during  part  of  this  period  he  was  assistant 
chief  engineer  at  the  Victory  Ordnance  Plant 
in  that  city.  From  March,  1943,  to  November, 
1945,  Mr.  DeWitt  served  as  project  engineer 
for  the  A.  E.  Staley  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, also  in  Decatur.  Then,  in  November, 
1945,  he  established  his  own  practice  as  ar- 
chitect. At  first  he  occupied  a  small  office 
and  employed  only  one  engineer  and  a  secre- 
tary. Since  then  he  has  built  his  own  office 
building  at  263  South  Park  Street,  Decatur. 
He  moved  into  this  structure  in  December, 
1949,  and  now  employs  there  ten  men  (archi- 
tects, engineers  and  draftsmen)  and  a  secre- 
tary and  receptionist.  His  work  consists  of 
designing  schools,  churches,  residences,  in- 
dustrial and  commercial  buildings  and  all 
other  types  of  structures. 

Mr.  DeWitt  married  Kathryn  E.  Johnson, 
the  daughter  of  Frank  and  Norma  Johnson, 
in  Trenton,  Missouri,  on  May  4.  1940.  Mrs. 
DeWitt,  who  is  active  in  Decatur's  civic  and 
social  life,  is  former  secretary  of  the  Girls' 
Welfare  Home  board  of  directors.  The  DeWitts 
reside  at  1420  West  Riverside  Avenue,  De- 
catur. 

Mr.  DeWitt,  a  Methodist,  is  active  aiso  in 
the  community  affairs  of  Decatur.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Association  of  Commerce  and 
a  member  of  the  advisory  board  of  the  Sal- 
vation Army.  Influential  in  the  Central  Illi- 
nois Chapter  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Architects,  he  serves  that  body  as  a  director 
also.  In  addition,  he  is  a  director  of  the  Trail 
Riders  Association  of  Decatur  and  secretary- 
treasurer  and  a  director  of  the  Decatur  Rid- 


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EDA  MUELLER 


CHARLES  THOMAS  HOUGHTEN 


ing  Club.  He  is  independent  in  politics.  The 
riding  and  training  of  horses  is  his  favorite 
avocational  activity.  Mr.  DeWitt's  associates 
and  friends  describe  him  as  a  man  of  "won- 
derful personality,  pleasant,  even  tempered, 
very  likeable  and  very  capable,"  and  his  repu- 
tation in  the  world  at  large  more  than  bears 
out  this  estimate. 

CHARLES  THOMAS  HOUGHTEN 

If  the  Southern  Illinois  cities  of  Carbon- 
dale  and  Metropolis  were  known  for  nothing 
else,  they  would  be  known  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  gloves — and  Charles  Thomas  Hough- 
ten  would  be  the  man  who  made  them  thus 
famed.  For  Mr.  Houghten,  who  makes  cot- 
ton work  gloves  at  Carbondale  and  leather- 
reinforced  work  gloves  at  Metropolis,  employs 
nearly  seven  hundred  persons  in  the  two  com- 
munities and  has  a  national  sale  of  his  prod- 
ucts bearing  the  Carbondale  and  Metropolis 
mark  upon  them.  He  is  president  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Good  Luck  Glove  Company  and 
makes  his  headquarters  in  Carbondale.  He 
is  also  known  for  his  civic  work  and  his  ac- 
tivities on  behalf  of  health  and  welfare,  and 
religion. 

Born  at  Redford,  Michigan,  on  November 
3,  1874,  Mr.  Houghten  is  the  son  of  Thomas 
Charles  Houghten,  also  a  native  of  the  Wol- 
verine State  who  was  mainly  a  farmer  but 
in  later  life  organized  and  operated  a  small 
town  bank,  and  Eliza  (Besancon)  Houghten, 
a  native  of  France.  The  glove  manufacturer 
learned  his  three  "R's"  in  a  rural  school  in 
Michigan  and  worked  on  the  farm  with  his 
father  until  he  was  twenty-six  years  old.  Farm 
work  was  not  to  his  liking,  but  he  remained 
on  the  farm  because  his  father  needed  his 
help.  When  he  left  home,  finally,  Mr.  Hough- 
ten had  sixty-five  dollars,  his  total  savings. 
He  went  to  Detroit,  and  there  found  a  job 
with  a  creamery  paying  eight  dollars  a  week. 
Later  he  worked  in  a  wholesale  hardware 
house  and  other  concerns.  When  he  quit 
working  for  others  at  the  age  of  thirty-four 
he  was  making  seventy-five  dollars  a  month. 
Convinced  he  wasn't  "cut  out"  for  a  career 
in  retail  store  work,  and  owning  $1,800  he 
had  saved,  he  decided  to  look  around  for  a 
business  he  could  enjoy.  This  was  decided 
for  him  when  he  saw  an  advertisement  read- 
ing "Get  Rich  Quick  in  the  Glove  Business." 
Interested,  he  rode  over  to  nearby  Toledo, 
Ohio,  and  there  went  through  a  glove  factory 
—  unauthorized — to  see  what  kind  of  machin- 
ery was  needed.  Mechanically  inclined  to  be- 
gin with,  and  full  of  knowledge,  gained  in  the 


wholesale  hardware  business,  of  machinery 
sources  and  merchandising  methods,  he  was 
able  to  get  the  equipment  he  needed  at  low 
prices. 

With  four  machines  he  purchased  at  the 
time,  Mr.  Houghten  began  his  glove-making 
career  in  Detroit  in  1909.  Only  five  girls 
worked  for  him.  They  cut  their  own  gloves 
by  hand — out  of  canvas.  Then  Mr.  Houghten 
himself  peddled  them  to  retail  stores,  making 
deliveries  by  street  car.  When  he  left  Detroit 
in  1916,  Mr.  Houghten  was  employing  thirty 
persons.  He  then  opened  up  a  plant  at  Me- 
tropolis, where  at  first  he  employed  one  hun- 
dred persons  and  now  employs  450,  making 
leather-reinforced  work  gloves.  In  1929  he 
established  his  Carbondale  plant,  where  225 
men  and  women  produce  cotton  work  gloves 
for  him.  In  1931  Mr.  Houghten  consolidated 
his  business  with  the  Good  Luck  Glove  Com- 
pany, Marissa,  Illinois,  of  which  he  is  now 
president  and  treasurer.  His  products  are 
sold  by  commission  men  to  distributors 
throughout  the  United  States.  He  is  one  of 
the  best  known  individuals  in  his  field. 

Mr.  Houghten  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
Manufacturers  Association,  the  Illinois  State 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Associated  Em- 
ployers of  Illinois,  the  Conference  of  Small 
Business  Organizations  and  the  Carbondale 
Business  Men's  Association.  In  his  voluntary 
activities,  he  is  on  the  board  of  the  Holden 
Hospital  of  Caibondale,  as  well  as  on  the 
official  board  of  the  First  Methodist  Church 
of  Carbondale.  He  is  a  Mason  and  Shriner, 
and  an  Elk.  His  contribution  to  business  prog- 
ress and  to  the  general  welfare  has  been  of 
extraordinary  character. 

HAROLD  WILLIAM  GROB 

Much  of  the  industrial  and  other  develop- 
ment at  Murphysboro  is  attributed  by  his 
fellow  citizens  to  Harold  William  Grob.  A 
civic  leader  for  years,  Mr.  Grob  is  a  dealer  in 
Chevrolet  and  Buick  automobiles,  in  J.  I. 
Case  farm  machinery  and  is  an  insurance 
man.  Among  the  companies  in  which  he  is 
interested  are  the  Harold  W.  Grob  Motor 
Sales,  Inc.,  the  Reliance  Sales,  Inc.,  and  Grob 
Agency,  Inc.,  a  corporation  for  insuring  and 
financing  of  cars  and  trucks.  This  corporation 
also  is  a  Hertz  Licensee  handling  the  renting 
and  leasing  of  cars  and  trucks.  He  has  held 
numerous  important  offices  in  civic,  educa- 
tional, religious  and  other  organizations,  anil 
is  especially  well  known  among  Baptists  of 
Illinois. 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


845 


Born  in  Evansville  on  September  12,  1908, 
Mr.  Grob  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Charlotte 
(Schmellmyer)  Grob.  Both  his  father,  who 
was  in  the  transfer  business,  and  his  mother 
were  also  born  in  Illinois.  Harold  Grob  was 
educated  in  the  elementary  and  high  schools 
of  Murphysboro.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
went  to  work  in  a  Murphysboro  grocery 
store.  Later,  he  was  employed  in  highway 
construction  in  Missouri.  But  finally  he  re- 
turned to  Murphysboro  and  joined  his  father 
in  the  operation  of  Nehi  bottling  plant.  The 
elder  Mr.  Grob  sold  the  business,  but  the  son 
continued  to  work  under  the  new  owner. 
Subsequently,  however,  he  resigned  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Dr.  Pepper  bottling 
works,  doing  sales  and  service  work. 

In  1933  Mr.  Grob  obtained  the  Chevrolet 
franchise  and  became  president  of  the  Wright 
Motor  Sales,  Inc.,  the  name  of  which  he 
changed  to  Reliance  Chevrolet  Sales,  Inc., 
of  which  he  was  also  president.  This  latter 
corporation  was  dissolved  in  19  40,  but  Mr. 
Grob  continued  as  sole  owner  of  the  business 
until  1947.  He  then  reincorporated  as  the 
Harold  W.  Grob  Motor  Sales,  Inc.,  and  has 
since  been  president  and  general  manager.  In 
1934  he  had  added  the  Buick  franchise,  and 
today  he  handles  both  this  and  the  Chevrolet 
automobile.  In  19  33,  when  he  began,  Mr. 
Grob  employed  eight  persons.  Today  he  em- 
ploys thirty-seven.  He  has  a  completely  mod- 
ern show  room,  offices  and  full  shop  facilities. 
In  194  7,  a  peak  year,  he  had  a  payroll  of 
$88,000.  He  is  also  president  of  Reliance 
Sales,  Inc.,  the  dealership  for  J.  I.  Case  farm 
machinery.  His  insurance  agency  is  a  separ- 
ate business. 

On  September  16,  1928,  in  Murphysboro, 
Mr.  Grob  married  Vivian  L.  Tuthill,  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Tuthill  of 
that  city.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  sons 
—Harold  Eugene,  born  May  11,  19  30;  Henry 
Charles,  born  March  2  0,  1932,  and  Robert 
Allen,  born  December  2  7,  19  43.  The  family 
worships  in  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Murphysboro.  Mr.  Grob  is  president  of  the 
church's  Agoga  Class  and  former  superin- 
tendent of  its  Sunday  School,  for  the  years 
1943-44-45.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Illi- 
nois Baptist  State  Convention.  He  serves  on 
the  executive  committee  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors of  Shurtleff  College  at  Alton.  Is  a  former 
president,  now  serving  on  the  board,  of  the 
Murphysboro  Chamber  of  Commerce.  As 
president  of  the  chamber  he  traveled  30,000 
miles,  with  the  result  that  he  brought  three 
new    industries    to    the    community    and    also 


promoted  its  products  throughout  the  nation. 
In  World  War  II  Mr.  Grob  was  chairman  of 
the  OPA  price  panel  and  director  of  the  Of- 
fice of  Defense  Transportation  for  Murphys- 
boro. He  has  also  been  active  in  the  Red 
Cross  and  Community  Chest  campaigns  and 
in  1947,  as  Chest  chairman,  made  110  percent 
of  quota.  He  is  also  active  in  Masonic  bodies, 
including  the  Shrine;  in  the  Fraternal  Order 
of  Eagles,  the  Elks  Club  and  White  Shrine  of 
Jerusalem,  and  the  Jackson  Country  Club. 
Member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  Secre- 
tary-Treasurer of  Lake  Benton  Northern  Bap- 
tist Camp,  a  summer  camp  for  Baptist  Youth. 
Active  in  the  promotion  of  the  camp  and  donor 
of  the  41  acres  and  a  building  for  the  camp  site. 
Also,  he  is  working  for  the  further  develop- 
ment of  the  entire  region  through  his  active 
membership  in  Southern  Illinois,  Inc.  Growth 
has  been  greatly  accelerated  in  the  area 
through  Mr.  Grob's  leadership. 

GEORGE  WALLACE  CARR,  A.I.A. 

Architecture,  a  field  in  which  he  has  spent 
nearly  six  decades,  has  been  the  channel 
through  which  George  Wallace  Carr  has  made 
a  valuable  contribution  to  progress  and  the 
general  welfare.  He  has  served  the  public 
by  artistic  design  and  practical  supervision 
in  public  and  private  housing  and  in  all  other 
fields  of  construction.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  architectural  firm  of  Nimmons,  Carr  and 
Wright,  333  North  Michigan  Avenue,  and  now 
senior  partner  in  present  firm,  Carr  &  Wright, 
in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Carr  was  born  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
on  March  19,  1879,  the  son  of  Henry  Moore  and 
Sarah  (Burke)  Carr.  For  his  early  education 
he  was  sent  to  both  public  and  private  schools 
in  his  native  city.  In  1899-1900  he  was  a 
special  student  in  architecture  at  the  Art 
Institute  of  Chicago  and  in  1903-1904  he 
studied  architecture  abroad.  In  1893  Mr.  Carr 
went  to  work  as  a  draftsman  in  the  office  of 
Crane  and  Barkhausen,  Architects,  in  Mil-' 
waukee,  where  he  remained  until  189  9.  From 
1901  to  1913  he  was  in  the  office  of  Pond 
and  Pond  CIrcago  architectural  firm,  and  in 
1913  he  became  associated  with  what  is  his 
present  firm.  His  first  position  in  this  orga- 
nization was  a  chief  of  staff  in  the  office  of 
George  C.  Nimmons.  After  four  years  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  George  C. 
Nimmons  and  Company.  In  1927,  the  firm  be- 
came Nimmons,  Carr  and  Wright,  later  Carr 
&  Wright.  Mr.  Carr  has  been  in  the  public 
service  in  both  Chicago  and  Highland  Park 
(he  makes  bis  home  at  614  Woodpath  Avenue 


846 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


HAROLD  WILLIAM  GROB 


HON.  VIRGIL  TRAMMELI.  BAILEY 


in  the  latter  community).  In  Chicago,  he  has 
served  as  chairman  of  the  planning  commit- 
tee for  South  Park  Gardens,  a  Federal  hous- 
ing project.  In  Highland  Park,  he  served  on 
the  Building  Code  Committee  and  Zoning 
Board  and  as  chairman  of  Buildings  and 
Grounds,  School  District  108. 

Mr.  Carr  married  Helen  Demarest  Taylor 
on  May  3,  1905.  She  died  on  November  26, 
1940.  To  this  marriage  two  children  were 
born — Janet  Carr  and  Wallace  T.  Carr.  Mr. 
Carr  married  (second)  Caryl  Cody  Pfanstiehl 
on  March  18,  1943. 

Mr.  Carr  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Institute  of  \rchitects,  the  Cliff  Dwellers 
and  the  Sunset  Valley  Golf  Club.  In  his  long 
career  he  has  done  much  to  forward  accept- 
ance of  utilitarian  designs  which  have  also 
adhered   to   the   highest   artistic   standards. 

HON.  VIRGIL  TRAMMELL  BAILEY 

Born  in  Hamilton  County  and  a  resident  of 
Mount  Vernon,  seat  of  Jefferson  County,  since 
childhood,  Virgil  Trammell  Bailey  has  render- 
ed signal  service  to  Southern  Illinois  and  the 
entire  "Egyptian"  region  through  activities 
in  public  affairs,  the  automobile,  electrical 
appliance  and  real  estate  business  and  radio 
and  television  broadcasting.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  Radio  Station  WMIX,  the 
first  FM  broadcasting  station  in  Illinois.  He 
has  given  leadership  to  religious  and  health 
and  welfare  programs,  to  the  Republican 
Party  and  other  organizations  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Bailey  was  born  in  Dahlgren  on  May 
29,  1906,  the  son  of  Edward  S.  and  Flora 
(Crisel)  Bailey.  His  father,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
was  for  many  years  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  Mount  Vernon.  He  died  in  1947.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Hamilton  County,  the 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Alice  (Hullit)  Crisel. 
The  Baileys  came  to  America  from  England. 
For  years  Edward  Bailey  lived  in  Hamilton 
County.  When  his  son  Virgil,  was  a  child  he 
moved  the  family  to  Mount  Vernon  (about 
1910)  and  it  was  there  that  the  future  lead- 
ing citizen  was  educated.  In  high  school  he 
played  basketball  and  was  in  the  debating 
club  and  in  the  Glee  Club.  For  a  time  he  at- 
tended Mount  Vernon  Business  College  and 
then  completed  an  engineering  course  with 
the  International  Correspondence  Schools.  His 
first  employment  was  with  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  at  East  Saint  Louis.  In  his  two 
years  there,  Mr.  Bailey  helped  construct  the 
railroad  yards  with  their  automatic  scales, 
automatic  retarders  and  floodlight  towers,  all 
initiated   by   the   IC.    When   this   engineering 


project  was  completed,  Mr.  Bailey  returned 
to  Mount  Vernon,  and  since  192  5  has  been  in 
the  real  estate  business.  Later,  he  organized 
an  electrical  appliance  center,  in  which  he  has 
since  done  both  a  wholesale  and  retail  busi- 
ness. Still  later,  he  acquired  the  Packard  and 
Hudson  automobile  franchises.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Virgil  T.  Bailey  Motors,  Inc., 
Virgil  T.  Bailey  Electrical  Appliances,  Inc., 
and  Virgil.  T.  Bailey,  Inc.,  Real  Estate.  Also, 
in  the  broadcasting  field,  he  is  secretary-treas- 
urer of  the  Mount  Vernon  Radio-  and  Tele- 
vision Company,  and  Loan  Correspondent  of 
the  Prudential  Insurance  Co. 

Mr.  Bailey  married  Thelma  Arline  Black- 
ledge  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  Manse, 
Mount  Vernon,  on  December  31,  1935.  Mrs. 
Bailey,  born  in  Jefferson  County  and  educated 
in  Mount  Vernon,  Decatur  and  St.  Louis,  is 
the  daughter  of  William  O.  Blackledge,  an 
iron  molder  of  Hamilton  County,  and  Ollie 
G.  (Bumpes)  Blackledge  of  Jefferson  County. 
Her  grandfather  was  Theodore  Blackledge,  a 
hosteler  and  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Hamil- 
ton County  who  fought  in  the  Civil  War.  Mr. 
and  Mrs  Bailey  had  one  son,  John  David, 
who  died  in  infancy.  They  adopted  four  chil- 
dren— Beverly  Jean,  born  in  1936;  Judith 
Ann,  born  in  1940,  Jarvis  Paul,  born  in  1942, 
and  Daniel  Golf  Bailey,  born  in  1943.  Mrs. 
Bailey  is  a  fervent  church  worker. 

With  the  motto,  "One  percent  of  success 
is  intelligence,  ninety-nine  percent  is  work," 
Virgil  T.  Bailey  has  made  a  renowned  figure 
of  himself.  He  was  president  of  the  New  Jef- 
ferson Memorial  Hospital  at  the  time  it 
opened  and,  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  was  largely 
responsible  for  the  magnificent  new  $300- 
000.00  church  edifice  by  purchasing  the  old 
church  property,  making  a  substantial  per- 
sonal contribution  to  the  new  building  fund 
and  purchasing  75%  of  their  bonded  indebted- 
ness. He  was  on  the  advisory  board  of  the 
Good  Samaritan  Hospital  and  has  served  as 
a  Republican  committeeman  and  as  Alderman 
from  the  Third  Ward  of  Mount  Vernon.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Mt.  Vernon  Lions  Club 
for  13  years,  also  member  of  the  Mt.  Vernon 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  has  given  extra- 
ordinary service  in  Southern  Illinois  and  in 
consequence  is  a  popular  citizen. 

REV.  JAMES  MARION  LIVELY, 
M.A.,  B.D.,  D.D. 

When  in  1943,  as  a  Mother's  Day  Memorial, 
the  Reverend  James  Marion  Lively,  M.A., 
B.D.    (Chicago),    published   a   little   pamphlet 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


851 


entitled  "Meet  My  Mother" — the  story  of  his 
mother  and  his  own  life — the  writing  was 
immediately  acclaimed  for  its  tender  and  rev- 
erend quality  and  for  its  understanding  of  the 
great  debt  mankind  owes  to  its  womankind, 
who,  as  Dr.  Lively  might  himself  say,  "leads 
us  all  to  the  throne  of  God  in  prayer."  Pastor 
of  the  Mattoon  Baptist  Church  in  Mattoon, 
Coles  County,  Dr.  Lively  led  in  the  develop- 
ment of  that  great  institution  and  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  church  edifice,  with  full  time 
pastorate,  and  has  for  years  been  an  outstand- 
ing figure  in  the  Illinois  Baptist  Pastors' 
Union  and  the  Illinois  Baptist  State  Conven- 
tion. He  is  also  outstanding  in  the  lay  com- 
munity and  its  organizations  and  in  World 
Wars  I  and  II  was  active  in  Red  Cross  work. 

The  Reverend  Dr.  Lively  was  born  near 
Louisville,  Clay  County,  on  October  31,  1882, 
the  son  of  Elder  William  Benton  Lively  and 
Mary  Ann  (Faverty)  Lively.  His  father,  born 
in  Jasper  County,  Missouri,  en  July  9,  1840, 
became  a  "boy  preacher"  in  Eastern  Ohio, 
and  in  his  later  life  was  both  preacher  and 
farmer.  He  was  the  father  of  sixteen  chil- 
dren, among  whom  the  Mattoon  minister  was 
born  ninth.  He  recruited  Company  D,  117th 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  wounded  at 
Kenesaw  Mountain.  After  the  war,  he  moved 
to  Southern  Illinois.  Space  does  not  permit,  a 
full  account  of  Dr.  Lively's  writings  of  his 
mother,  but  he  does  say  of  her,  "Family  tra- 
dition has  it  that  Mother's  grandfather  came 
from  France  to  America  with  General.  La- 
fayette. After  the  Revolution,  he  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  and  reared  a  family.  Mother's 
father  came  to  Southeastern  Ohio,  Sciota 
County,  where  his  children  were  born  and 
reared — Mother  being  the  youngest."  She 
was  born  on  January  13,  1847,  married  Wil- 
liam Benton  Lively  when  she  was  fifteen,  be- 
came the  mother  of  ten  children  and  died  on 
November  6,  188  6,  at  the  age  of  forty.  She 
was  the  first  convert  of  Elder  Lively's  minis- 
try. Without  repeating  every  one  of  Dr. 
Lively's  words  in  "Meet  My  Mother",  it  is  im- 
possible to  project  the  great  spiritual  quality 
:-nd  other  traits  of  this  wonderful  woman,  for 
the  minister  has  imbued  his  words  with  the 
passion  of  his  conviction  and  tied  them  togeth- 
er in  the  bond  of  God. 

The  future  Baptist  leader  received  some  of 
his  education  at  Blue  Mound  and  Illinois 
State  Normal.  College  at  Normal.  Then  he 
taught  in  a  rural  school  for  two  years.  A 
year  at  Shurtleff  College  Academy  followd 
and  then  a  year  at  James  Millikin  University 
Academy.    After  four  years  at  the  university 


itself,  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  Then  he  spent  three  years  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  where  he  was  awarded  the 
degrees  of  Master  of  Arts  and  Bachelor  of 
Divinity.  Later,  the  James  Millikin  University 
conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity.  At  Millikin,  he  was  one  of  the 
twelve  founders  of  Beta  Chapter  of  Tau  Kappa 
Epsilon  Fraternity.  Also,  he  won  a  number  of 
gold  medals  for  debating  and  oratory.  Besides 
teaching  school,  Dr.  Lively  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  and  sold  Bibles.  He  began  his  clerical 
career  as  a  student  pastor  near  Monticello. 
He  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  new  Riverside 
Baptist  Church  in  Decatur  and  after  three 
years  there  did  evangelistic  work  for  one  year. 
During  his  tii^e  at  the  University  of  Chicago, 
he  was  student  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church 
at  Dundee.  In  1914,  he  was  called  to  the 
Tuscola  and  Bourbon  Baptist  Churches.  He 
led  in  the  remodeling  of  the  Bourbon  Church 
building.  In  May,  1916,  he  took  over  the  pul- 
pit of  the  Mattoon  Baptist  Church.  At  the 
time,  this  church  had  22  9  members;  its  prop- 
erty was  valued  at  $5,000;  its  expenditures 
totaled  $981.74  and  it  spent  $198  on  missions. 
After  Dr.  Lively  had  given  thirty-one  years  of 
service,  by  1947,  there  were  581  members; 
the  property  was  valued  at  $100,000,  and  was 
debt-free;  the  operating  expenses  totaled 
$7,8  33  and  $1,2  6  6  was  spent  on  missionary 
work.  Dr.  Lively  led  in  the  organization  and 
erection  of  a  new  church  building  on  the  east 
side  of  Mattoon,  known  as  the  East  Side  Bap- 
tist Church,  with  a  full-time  pastorate,  and  he 
himself  had  become  one  of  the  noteworthy 
clerical  leaders  in  the  Illinois  Baptist  world. 

On  June  23,  1908,  Dr.  Lively  married 
Edna  O.  Furstenberg  of  Blue  Mound,  the 
daughter  of  Christolph  H.  and  Mary  (Ellrich) 
Furstenberg.  Mrs.  Lively  has  participated  in 
the  work  of  organizing  the  church.  She  is  a 
pianist  and  she  has,  of  course,  devoted  her- 
self to  her  home  and  her  children  and  five 
grandchildren.  The  children  are:  1.  Edna 
Doris,  who  holds  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Science  from  the  University  of  Illinois  and  is 
also  a  graduate  of  the  West  Surburban  Hos- 
pital School  of  Nursing,  Oak  Park.  She  served 
with  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant  in  the  Army 
Nurse  Corps  in  World  War  II.  On  June  14, 
1938,  she  was  married  to  Dr.  Kenneth  Hughes, 
who  three  months  later  was  killed  in  an  auto- 
mobile accident.  On  December  22,  1945,  she 
married  Professor  Harold  Christensen.  She 
has  one  daughter,  Carol  Ann.  2.  James  K. 
Lively,  A.B.,  A.M.,  University  of  Chicago.  He 
is  making  a  career  in  the  United  States  Army, 


852 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


REV.  JAMES  MARION  LIVELY,  M.A.,  B.D.,  D.D. 


EDWARD  HENRY  JOSHUA  MEEK,  JR. 


in  which  lie  holds  the  rank  of  Captain.  He 
is  unmarried.  3.  Gerald  M.  Lively,  A.B., 
Washington  and  Lee  University;  J.D.,  Uni- 
versity 01  Michigan.  He  was  a  Lieutenant 
Senior  Grade  in  the  Navy  in  World  War  II. 
He  married  Selma  Hensler  and  is  the  father 
of  Karen  Sue  and  Kristen  Gay.  4.  Mary 
Margaret  Lively,  junior  degree  from  Stephens 
College  and  A.B.,  Millikin  University.  She 
was  married  on  January  14,  1946,  to  Lieu- 
tenant Frank  Winninger,  nephew  of  famed 
actor  Charles  Winninger,  and  is  the  mother  of 
Nancy  Allyn  and  Judith  Jane  Winninger. 

Dr.  Lively  is  now  pastor  of  the  Tuscola 
Baptist  Church,  is  the  director  of  church 
pages  in  three  newspapers,  a  political  leader 
rind  a  writer  of  religious  songs.  In  1941,  his 
address  to  the  Illinois  Baptist  State  Conven- 
tion received  wide  publicity  and  was  read  be- 
fore the  United  States  Senate  by  Senator  Scott 
Lucas  of  Illinois.  Prominent  in  the  Derao- 
cractic  Party,  he  was  called  to  deliver  the 
memorial  address  on  President  Franklin  De- 
lano Roosevelt  in  Mattoon.  In  1950,  he  filed 
for  the  Democratic  nomination  for  member  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  from  his  Con- 
gressional district.  He  was  president  of  the 
Illinois  Baptist  Pastors  Union,  1926-27;  presi- 
dent of  the  Illinois  Baptist  State  Convention, 
1940-41,  and  entertained  this  organization  in 
1926  and  1940;  president  of  the  Mattoon  Pas- 
tors Union  two  years;  moderator  of  the 
Champaign-Urbana  Baptist  Association,  1924- 
2  7.  Dr.  Lively  has  been  secretary-treasurer  of 
the  national  association  of  the  Lively  Family 
every  since  its  organization.  Gardening  is  his 
hobby.  He  also  likes  hunting  and  fishing. 
The  "grand  old  man"  of  the  Baptist  clergy 
of  Illinois,  Dr.  Lively — described  by  the  un- 
witting as  "retired" — goes  on  and  on,  fight- 
ing for  God  and  his  church  and  for  humanity. 

EDWARD  HENRY  JOSHUA  MEEK,  JR. 

With  the  whimsical  slogan,  "If  your  clothes 
are  not  becoming  to  you,  they  should  be 
"coming  to  us,"'  Edward  Henry  Joshua  Meek, 
Jr.,  of  Mount  Vernon,  has  developed  a  tre- 
mendous cleaning  and  dyeing  business  in  Jef- 
ferson County  and  nearby  points.  His  firm 
was  formerly  the  Kurley  Dry  Cleaners  at 
909  South  Tenth  Street,  Mount  Vernon.  Mr. 
Meek  is  noted  in  the  area  for  his  work  in 
church,  civic,  and  fraternal  organizations  and 
on  behalf  of  youth  and  other  worthwhile 
causes.  He  now  operates  the  Meek's  Dry 
Cleaners  in  Mt.  Vernon,  111. 

He  was  born  at  Normal,  111.,  near  Bloom- 
ington,  on  April  24,  1917,  the  son  of  Edward 


Vinson  and  Tillie  (Schilling)  Meek.  His  father, 
who  was  born  in  Kentucky  has  long  made  his 
home  at  Centralia,  and  is  with  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad.  The  mother  was  born  in 
the  vicinity  of  Centralia.  Both  of  Edward 
Meek,  Jr.'s,  paternal  grandparents,  Joshua 
and  Annie  Meek,  were  also  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky and  of  Irish  descent.  Joshua  Meek  was 
a  farmer  in  Kentucky.  Mr.  Meek's  maternal 
grandparents,  the  Schillings,  came  to  Illinois 
from  Germany,  where  the  grandfather  began 
as  a  farmer.  He  continued  in  Illinois  as  a 
farmer. 

When  Edward  H.  J.  Meek,  Jr.,  was  a  year 
old  his  parents  moved  the  family  from  Normal 
to  Centralia.  Mr.  Meek  received  his  first-to- 
seventh  grade  education  in  the  parochial 
school  of  Trinity  Lutheran  Church  of  Cen- 
tralia. He  then  entered  the  eighth  grade  in 
the  public  school  system  of  Wamac,  outside 
Centraiia.  On  being  graduated  from  elemen- 
tary school,  he  went  to  work  in  the  Johanson 
Brothers  shoe  factory  at  Centralia,  Illinois. 
There  he  remained  two  and  one-half  years. 
Subsequently,  he  was  salesman,  working  as 
such  until  he  was  twenty  years  old.  At  that 
time  he  established  a  route  for  a  dry  cleaning 
company  at  Centralia,  111.  which  he  operated 
.for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  Mr. 
Meek  started  his  own  dry  cleaning  shop  on 
Apple  Street  in  Centralia.  In  1942,  when  the 
American  war  effort  was  getting  into  full 
swing,  he  sold  this  shop  and  went  to  Evans- 
ville,  Indiana,  where  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Evansville  Ship  Yards.  He  worked 
there  until  194  4.  In  November,  1945,  Mr. 
Meek  bought  the  Kurley  Cleaning  plant  in 
Mount  Vernon,  and  has  since  operated  this 
with  increasing  success  until  May  2  5th,  19  50, 
when  he  sold  the  business  and  started  anew 
at  912  South  10th  St.,  under  the  name  of 
Meek's  Quality  Service  Cleaners. 

Mr.  Meek  has  been  active  in  virtually  all 
major  movements  in  Mount  Vernon.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  Mount  Vernon  Junior  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  he  is  chairman  of  all  its  money- 
making  projects,  which  he  has  guided  to  great 
success.  He  was  the  first  to  serve  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Mount  Vernon  Aerie,  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles  .  For  two  years  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  canister  collections  for  the  March 
of  Dimes,  so  important  in  research  and  thera- 
peutic work  for  infantile  paralysis.  At  the 
Faith  Lutheran  Church,  Mount  Vernon,  Mr. 
Meek  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
and  president  of  the  Men's  Club.  He  was  ac- 
tive in  the  Optimist  Club  of  Mount  Vernon. 
Bowling    and    motor   travel    are    his    only   di- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


857 


versions.  Mr.  Meek  married  Ruth  Marie 
Braden,  December  10th,  1938,  at  a  Lutheran 
Church  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  They  have  no  chil- 
dren of  their  own.  However,  on  their  eleventh 
anniversary,  December  10th,  1950,  they  took 
three  children  into  their  home  to  raise  as 
their  own.  They  are  brothers  and  sisters  and 
their  names  are;  Lynden,  age  7;  Norman,  age 
9;  and  Lovane  Sarver.  As  the  record  shows 
he  is  one  of  Mount  Vernon's  outstanding  and 
valuable  citizens — a  progressive  business  man 
and  civic  leader. 

JOHN  JOSEPH  SPRINGMAN 

A  family  that  has  been  prominently  active 
in  the  development  of  Alton  and  much  of 
the  surrounding  area  in  Madison  County  is 
that  of  John  Joseph  Springman  of  the  Spring- 
man  Lumber  Company.  This  family,  with  Mr. 
Springman  latterly  its  most  active  represen- 
tative, has  been  responsible  for  the  develop- 
ment of  subdivisions  in  many  parts  of  the 
area  and  city,  among  them  the  famed  Spring- 
man  Addition.  He  is  also  well  known  in  wel- 
fare and  civic  activities. 

Mr.  Springman  was  born  in  Fayette  County, 
Illinois,  on  March  26,  1900,  the  son  of  George 
Springman,  a  farmer  and  lumberman,  and 
Elizabeth  (Stieren)  Springman,  both  also  na- 
tives of  Illinois.  George  Springman  entered 
the  manufacturing  lumber  business  in  Texas 
in  1907  and  the  following  year  opened  a  re- 
tail yard  in  Alton.  Since  July,  1916,  the  Alton 
business  has  been  known  as  the  Springman 
Lumber    Company. 

Under  his  father's  influence  John  Joseph 
Springman  developed  a  childhood  ambitiou 
to  win  success  in  the  lumber  business  and 
aimed  in  that  direction  as  he  went  through 
school.  From  his  earliest  manhood  he  has 
been  in  the  business,  and  has  found  that  the 
selling  end  is  its  most  fascinating  facet.  It 
has  been  through  his  help  that  the  enterprise 
has  grown  to  the  point  where  it  employs  forty 
persons.  It  carries  a  complete  line  of  build- 
ing materials.  The  employes  receive  up  to 
fifteen  percent  of  the  company's  earnings  as 
bonus  through  a  profit-sharing  plan.  The 
firm  has  developed  fourteen  subdivisions,  in- 
cluding Springman  Addition,  and  built  five 
hundred  homes.  This  is  a  contribution  of 
which  the  Springmans  are  justly  proud. 

John  Joseph  Springman  married  Marie 
Wood,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  F. 
Wood  of  Alton.  The  children  born  to  this 
marriage  are  Bernard  W.  Springman,  route 
clerk    in    the   business,    who   married    Harriet 


Meyers  and  is  the  father  of  John  Henry 
Springman;  Virginia  M. ;  Angela  E.;  John  J. 
Springman,  Jr.,  also  associated  with  the  fa- 
ther in  the  business,  and  Thomas  E.,  who  in 
1949  was  in  high  school  in  Alton.  The  family 
worships  in  the  Cathedral  of  Saints  Peter  and 
Paul,  Alton.  Mr.  Springman's  business  ad- 
dress is  East  Broadway,  Alton.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Illinois  Retail  Lumber  Dealers  As- 
sociation, the  National  Retail  Lumber  Deal- 
ers Association,  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of 
Commerce;  the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Alton,  of 
which  he  is  former  treasurer;  the  Alton 
Lodge,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Alton  Catholic  Chari- 
ties Association.  As  president  of  the  Spring- 
man  Lumber  Company  and  the  Springman 
Realty  Development  Company  and  as  a  citizen 
vitally  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  he  has  earned  a  position  of  leader- 
ship in  the  community. 

WILLIAM  THOMAS  MACKAY 

Back  in  1875  in  a  small  plant  in  Florence, 
Massachusetts,  the  first  Florence  Oil  Stove 
made  its  appearance.  This  was  the  beginning 
of  the  Florence  Stove  Company,  whose  steady 
growth  and  progress  has  resulted  in  today's 
large  three-plant  industry.  At  Kankakee, 
where  one  of  the  three  plants  is  located,  is 
also  the  company's  western  sales  office.  The 
vice-president  and  general  manager  of  opera- 
tions at  Kankakee  is  William  Thomas  MacKay, 
who  has  been  a  figure  of  importance  in  the 
industrial  world  for  many  years.  He  is  also 
prominent  in  Kankakee's  community  affairs. 

Mr.  MacKay  was  born  on  June  3,  1900,  at 
Rhodesport,  South  Africa,  the  son  of  Robert 
and  Mary  (Wagstaff)  MacKay.  His  father, 
a  mechanical  and  civil  engineer,  was  a  native 
of  Philadelphia,  his  mother  of  Scranton,  Penn- 
sylvania. Brought  back  to  the  United  States 
when  he  was  still  a  young  boy,  William  Mac- 
Kay received  his  formal  education  in  the' 
grade  and  high  schools  of  Schenectady,  New 
York.  Then  he  became  an  apprentice  tool  and 
machine  designer  at  the  General  Electric  Com- 
pany there.  He  supplemented  his  training  with 
business  courses  at  Columbia  University  in 
New  York  and  designing  courses  at  Purdue 
University  in  Indiana.  In  time  Mr.  MacKay 
was  transferred  to  the  Radio  Corporation  of 
America  radio  division  at  Camden,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  in  1928  he  was  made  works  manager 
for  RCA  at  Montreal,  Canada.  There  he  re- 
mained five  years.  In  1933  he  became  an  ex- 
ecutive of  the  Addressograph  and  Mimeograph 


K.-.K 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


This  Space  Reserved  for  the  Portrait 
of  John  Joseph  Springman 


WAYNE  ANDREW  JOHNSTON 


Corporation  at  Euclid,  Ohio.  Three  years  later 
he  resigned  to  become  works  manager  for  the 
National  Metals  Corporation  of  Chicago.  This 
post  he  held  until  1942,  when  the  company 
went  into  war  production.  Throughout  World 
War  II  Mr.  MacKay  was  in  charge  of  the  con- 
cern's radar  manufacturing.  In  1945,  he  was 
transferred  to  Kankakee.  Elected  as  vice-pres- 
ident and  director  of  the  Florence  Stove  Com- 
pany, he  was  made  general  manager  of  oper- 
ations at  Kankakee,  where  1485  persons  are 
employed.  The  company  has  plants  also  at 
Gardner,  Massachusetts,  and  Lewisburg,  Ten- 
nessee. The  Kankakee  factory  was  built  in  the 
1920s.  Florence  products,  which  include  near- 
ly every  type  of  modern  cooking  and  heating- 
appliance,  are  marketed  directly  to  dealers 
and  sold  in  more  than  10,000  furniture,  hard- 
ware and  department  stores  throughout  the 
nation. 

Mr.  MacKay  married  Janet  Marshall  Wan- 
nan,  a  native  of  Dundee,  Scotland,  on  April 
17,  1934.  By  a  previous  marriage  Mr.  Mac- 
Kay is  the  father  of  Muriel  and  Ruth  Mac- 
Kay. Muriel  MacKay  is  now  Mrs.  Richard 
Nye,  of  Ashland,  Kentucky,  and  the  mother 
of  David  and  Clinton  Nye.  Ruth  MacKay  is 
now  Mrs.  Thomas  Ambrose  of  Schenectady, 
New  York.  A  stepson,  William  Carson,  is  mar- 
ried and  has  two  children — Brooke  and  Ian. 
Mrs.  Janet  MacKay  is  active  in  the  women's, 
art  and  book  clubs  of  Kankakee. 

Mr.  MacKay  is  chairman  of  the  manufac- 
turing division  of  the  Kankakee  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  He  is  also  active  in  Community 
Chest  work  and  in  the  Masonic  order.  His  fa- 
vorite sports  are  golf  and  fishing  and  his  hob- 
by is  the  collecting  of  antique  ink  wells. 
Through  all  his  activities  he  has  become  one 
of  Illinois'  most  valuable  citizens. 

WAYNE  ANDREW  JOHNSTON 

The  name  of  Wayne  Andrew  Johnston  is 
immediately  recognized  as  that  of  one  of  the 
nation's  outstanding  railroad  men.  For  Mr. 
Johnston  is  president  not  only  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  but  also  an  officer  of 
various  other  railroads  and  related  enterpris- 
es. In  the  civic  life  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Johnston 
is  usually  found  participating  on  the  leader- 
ship level  in  all  worthwhile  programs.  He  has 
a  reputation  for  his  interest  in  education,  wel- 
fare and  boys'  work. 

Mr.  Johnston  was  born  at  Urbana  on  No- 
vember 19,  1897,  the  son  of  Harry  W.  John- 
ston, a  native  of  South  Point,  Ohio,  and  De- 
Etta  Bird  (Boomer)  Johnston,  a  native  of 
Philo,   Illinois  and  daughter  of  Andrew   Bur- 


ton and  Pamela  (Seymour)  Boomer.  In  1919, 
Mr.  Johnston  was  awarded  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science  at  the  University  of  Il- 
linois, where  he  became  a  member  of  Phi 
Gamma  Delta,  social  fraternity,  and  the  two 
honor  societies,  Beta  Gamma  Sigma  and  Al- 
pha Phi  Omega. 

Mr.  Johnston's  entire  career  has  been  with 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  his  is  a  typ- 
ical American  success  story,  for  he  rose  from 
a  modest  beginning  to  his  present  high  place 
in  the  railroad  world.  His  first  position  was 
that  of  accountant  in  the  office  of  the  divi- 
sion superintendent  at  Champaign,  to  which 
he  was  appointed  on  October  1,  1919.  The 
record  then  reads:  chief  clerk  to  superinten- 
dent, September,  1920;  chief  clerk  to  super- 
intendent, northern  lines,  Chicago,  October, 
1921;  correspondence  clerk,  office  of  vice- 
president  and  general  manager,  September, 
1925;  general  agent,  traffic  department, 
April,  1934;  office  manager,  vice-president, 
traffic  department,  February,  1935;  general 
traffic  agent  in  charge  of  mail,  baggage,  ex- 
press and  merchandise  traffic,  September, 
1937;  assistant  to  vice-president  and  general 
manager,  operating  department,  January, 
1938;  acting  superintendent,  Kentucky  Divi- 
sion, Paducah,  November,  1940;  assistant  to 
vice-president  and  general  manager,  opera- 
ting department,  Chicago,  June,  1941;  assist- 
ant general  manager,  March,  1942;  assistant 
vice-president,  April,  1944;  general  manager, 
September,  1944.  On  February  23,  1945,  Mr. 
Johnston  was  advanced  to  president  and  in 
March,  1945,  he  was  elected  to  the  board  of 
directors.  He  is  also  chairman  of  the  board 
and  director  of  the  Madison  Coal  Corpora- 
tion, and  the  Peoria  and  Pekin  Union  Rail- 
way; president  and  a  director  of  the  Chicago 
and  Illinois  Western  Railroad  and  the  Padu- 
cah and  Illinois  Railroad;  and  a  director  of 
the  Terminal  Railroad  Association  of  St. 
Louis,  the  Railway  Express  Agency  and  the 
Harris  Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  Chicago. 

On  June  17,  1922,  in  Chicago,  he  married 
Blanche  Lawson  of  that  city.  Mrs.  Johnston 
is  active  in  the  American  Red  Cross,  Old  Peo- 
ple's Home  of  Chicago,  and  the  P.E.O.  Sister- 
hood. There  are  two  children — Wayne  An- 
drew Johnston,  Jr.,  who  married  Cynthia  Ann 
Hillman  and  is  the  father  of  Wayne  Andrew 
Johnston,  III;  and  Bette  Jane,  the  wife  of 
Bryce  C.  Boothby,  and  mother  of  Bryce,  III. 
The  Johnstons,  whose  home  is  on  Braeburn 
Road,  Flossmoor,  are  Protestants. 

In  his  community  work  Mr.  Johnston  is 
vice-president  and  a  member  of  the  executive 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


863 


board  of  the  Chicago  Council,  member  of  the 
executive  committee  of  Region  Seven  and  the 
National  Council,  Boy  Scouts  of  America,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers, 
YMCA  of  Chicago,  and  stabilization  commit- 
tee, University  of  Illinois  YMCA;  board  of 
trustees,  Illinois  Conference,  Congregational 
Church;  University  of  Illinois  Foundation  and 
Advisory  Council,  past  president  of  the  Dad's 
Association  and  trustee,  DePauw  University; 
trustee  ,  University  of  Illinois;  trustee,  Chi- 
cago Sunday  Evening  Club;  director,  Travel- 
ers Aid  Society  of  Chicago;  president  Old 
Peoples  Home.  He  is  a  member  of  Beta  Gam- 
ma Sigma,  Alpha  Phi  Omega  and  Phi  Gamma 
Delta,  the  Masonic  order  and  a  variety  of 
clubs.  He  is  an  outstanding  American. 

VICTOR  CHARLES  DEWEIN 

The  Dewein  Grain  Company  is  an  Illinois 
corporation  which  under  the  leadership  of 
Victor  Charles  Dewein  of  Decatur  has  grown 
to  tremendous  proportions  and  is  serving  the 
state  in  distinguished  fashion.  With  head- 
quarters at  244  North  State  Street,  Decatur, 
Mr.  Dewein  does  custom  milling  at  his  Emery 
grain  elevator.  He  is  a  prominent  figure  in 
civic  affairs,  in  the  field  of  feed  and  grain 
and  general  agriculture  and  organizational, 
activities. 

Born  on  August  10,  19  04,  at  Warrensburg, 
Mr.  Dewein  is  the  son  of  Victor  Dewein,  a 
native  of  Peoria  who  was  also  in  the  grain 
and  feed  business  and  who  died  on  March  8, 
192  6,  and  Grace  Temple  Faith  Dewein,  the 
daughter  of  Charles  H.  Faith.  Mr.  Faith  was 
born  on  May  21,  1857  and  died  on  January 
11,  1925.  He  was  also  in  the  grain  business 
having  started  in  1881.  Victor  C.  Dewein  was 
educated  in  grade  school  at  Warrensburg,  at 
St.  John's  Military  Academy  in  Delafield,  Wis- 
consin, and  at  James  Millikin  University,  De- 
catur. From  the  time  he  left  college  until 
May  1,  192  7,  he  served  as  clerk  at  the  De- 
catur Milling  Company.  Then  he  took  over 
the  operation  of  grain  elevators  at  Forsyth 
and  Emery,  inherited  by  the  family  at  the 
lather's  death.  In  September,  1933,  without 
discontinuing  operation  of  the  elevators,  he 
took  a  position  in  the  grain  department  of 
the  A.  E.  Staley  Manufacturing  Company, 
Decatur.  In  1940  he  installed  machinery  at 
the  Forsyth  elevator  for  the  manufacture  of 
commercial  feeds  and  in  November,  1942,  he 
left  the  Staley  concern  to  give  full  time  to 
his  elevators  and  to  expand  his  feed  mill 
operations.  The  business  grew  tremendously, 
but   fire   destroyed   the   mill   and   elevator   on 


December  17,  19  45.  Mr.  Dewein  then  leased 
a  warehouse  in  Decatur  and  in  a  month's  time 
was  again  manufacturing  feed.  At  the  same 
time  he  moved  his  office  to  Decatur  and  he 
gradually  started  merchandising  cash  grain 
until  now  he  is  president  of  the  Dewein  Grain 
Company.  At  the  expiration  of  his  lease  on 
the  Decatur  warehouse,  Mr.  Dewein  on  De- 
cember 31,  1948,  discontinued  manufacturing 
feed  in  volume  and  moved  his  machinery  and 
equipment  to  the  Emery  elevator,  where  he  ;s 
now  doing  custom  milling. 

On  June  2  4,  1944,  at  Grace  Methodist 
Church,  Decatur,  Mr.  Dewein  married  Eve 
Welch,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Margaret 
Welch.  Mrs.  Dewein  was  house  mother  of  the 
railroad  canteen  in  Decatur  during  World 
War  II.  In  1948-4  9  she  was  co-chairman  of 
the  residential  division  of  the  Decatur  and 
Macon  County  Community  Chest,  and  in  1949- 
50  was  president  of  the  Decatur  and  Macon 
County  Welfare  Home  for  Girls.  From  1948 
to  1950  she  was  on  the  house  committee  of 
the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dewein  reside  at  2  05  North 
Taylor  Avenue,  Decatur. 

Mr.  Dewein  is  a  former  president,  treas- 
urer and  director  of  the  Illinois  Feed  Associa- 
tion. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
Farmers  and  Grain  Dealers  Association,  the 
Illinois  Grain  Dealers  Association,  the  Ameri- 
can Feed  Manufacturers,  Inc.,  the  Grain  and 
Feed  Dealers  National  Association;  the  Junior 
Association  of  Commerce  of  Illinois;  the  De- 
catur Club;  the  Decatur  Association  of  Com- 
merce, and  the  Decatur  Country  Club.  He  is 
a  trustee  and  former  deacon,  and  Moderator 
in  194  9,  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Decatur.  A  Republican,  he  was  asked 
by  the  Democratic  Party  to  run  for  Mayor  of 
Decatur  in  1936,  but  declined.  He  is  a  boat- 
ing enthusiast,  owning  a  2  2-foot  Chris  Craft 
on  Lake  Decatur.  Also,  he  likes  golf  and 
photography  and  travel.  HTs  travels  have 
been  throughout  the  United  States,  in  South 
America  as  far  south  as  Buenos  Aires  and  in 
Hawaii.  This  has  been  written  of  him:  "Keen 
mind,  keen  sense  of  humor  and  most  under- 
standing of  others'  problems  .  .  .  kind  and 
generous  almost  to  a  fault.'" 

HON.  RICHARD  PETTIS  ROTH 

First  to  use  the  paper  container,  to  pas- 
teurize and  then  to  homogenize  milk  in  the 
Little  Egyptian  area,  Richard  Pettis  Roth  of 
Mount  Vernon  is  known  throughout  the  dairy 
industry.  He  is  president  of  the  Roth  Dairy 
Company,  with  headquarters  and  a  plant  in 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


VICTOR  CHARLES  DEWEIN 


Mount  Vernon  and  other  plants  at  Centralia 
and  New  Baden.  He  has  served  the  people  of 
Jefferson  County  not  only  as  a  dairyman  but 
as  a  public  official,  being  a  County  Super- 
visor. 

Mr.  Roth  was  born  at  Ina,  in  the  same  coun- 
ty, on  July  4,  1901,  the  son  of  Pettis  and 
Clara  E.  (Logan)  Roth.  His  father,  born  at 
Spring  Garden,  was  a  carpenter  and  grocer 
first  at  Ina  and  then,  from  1912  on,  at  Mount 
Vernon;  he  died  in  1937,  aged  seventy-four. 
He  worshiped  in  the  Central  Church  of  Christ 
and  served  on  the  Ina  Village  Board  of  Trus- 
tees. The  mother,  a  native  of  Richview,  Wash- 
ington County,  was  outstanding  in  church 
work  and  as  a  singer.  The  supervisor's  pater- 
nal grandfather  came  to  America  from  Ger- 
many in  1819  and  was  a  merchant  at  Burnt 
Prairie.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Captain 
James  Benson  Logan,  served  with  the  Union 
Army  in  the  Civil  War.  He  was  a  famed  pub- 
lic speaker  and  writer  of  popular  songs  as 
well  as  an  inventor  with  several  patents. 

Richard  P.  Roth  was  educated  in  Mount 
Vernon.  He  has  been  in  his  present  field  of 
business  since  leaving  school.  For  a  year  he 
worked  for  Staar  Brothers  Creamery  Com- 
pany, Mount  Vernon,  and  then  was  a  butter- 
maker  for  the  United  Dairy  at  Salem  and  as- 
sistant buttermaker  for  Swift  and  Company 
at  Mount  Vernon.  In  1922  he  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  Mount  Vernon  Pure  Milk  Company 
by  buying  a  half  interest.  The  following  year 
the  concern's  name  was  changed  to  the  Roth 
Dairy  Company  and  was  established  at  its 
present  address,  820  Harrison  Street,  Mount 
Vernon.  At  the  beginning  Mr.  Roth  did  all 
the  delivery  work,  while  his  partner  took 
charge  of  plant  operations.  They  produced  the 
only  pasteurized  milk  in  their  territory  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  Then  they  pioneered  in 
Southeim  Illinois  as  homogenizers  of  milk  and 
cream,  without  discontinuing  pasteurization. 
They  now  operate  three  plants,  employ  forty- 
eight  persons,  and  sell  most  of  their  milk 
through  stores. 

Mr.  Roth  married  Flossy  Reece  of  Mount 
Vernon,  the  daughter  of  William  Reece,  one 
time  police  chief  of  Mount  Vernon,  deputy 
sheriff  of  Jefferson  County  and  head  watch- 
man at  the  car  shops,  and  Mary  (Thomas) 
Reece.  There  are  two  children — Nadine,  born 
in  1924,  and  Richard  Pettis  Roth,  Jr.,  born 
in  1927,  both  of  whom  are  associated  with 
their  father  in  the  dairy  business.  The  son, 
who  is  manager  of  the  Centralia  plant,  served 
with  the  United  States  Navy  in  World  War 
II.  He  was  educated  at  Mount  Vernon  High 


School,  where  he  was  active  in  athletics,  at 
Westminster  College,  Fulton,  Missouri,  Long 
Beach  City  College,  Long  Beach,  Cali- 
fornia, and  Culver-Stockton  College,  Canton, 
Missouri.  He  majored  in  business  administra- 
tion. The  entire  family  worships  in  the  Cen- 
tral Church  of  Christ. 

The  senior  Mr.  Roth,  active  in  the  Repub- 
lican Party,  has  given  public  service  in  the 
county  and  county  seat  for  many  years.  In 
1931  he  was  elected  to  the  Mount  Vernon 
City  Council  and  later  to  the  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty Board  of  Supervisors.  He  is  now  chairman 
of  the  finance  committee  of  the  county  board. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  and 
of  the  .Masonic  order,  being  a  Noble  of  the 
Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  served  three  years  as  a  director  of 
the  Mount  Vernon  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
in  World  War  II  was  on  the  District  Dairy 
Advisory  Committee.  His  favorite  sport  is 
fishing.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  Jeffer- 
son County  natives  who  have  done  the  most 
for  their  county. 

ELWYN  LEROY  SIMMONS 

A  construction  engineer  for  more  than 
three  decades,  Elwyn  LeRoy  Simmons  of  De- 
catur has  made,  a  reputation  not  only  in  Illi- 
nois but  most  of  the  other  North  Central 
States  in  the  general  contracting  field.  His 
firms  have  offices  in  Decatur,  Rantoul  and 
Detroit,  Michigan. 

Mr.  Simmons,  born  in  Chicago  on  August 
24,  1898,  is  the  son  of  John  Lavelle  and  Har- 
riet Luella  (Thompkins)  Simmons.  After  at- 
tending Chicago's  public  schools,  he  completed 
his  education  and  training  at  the  University 
of  Illinois,  which  awarded  him  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science  in  Architectural  Engi- 
neering in  1920.  He  has  been  active  in  con- 
struction ever  since,  and  is  now  president 
and  treasurer  of  the  J.  L.  Simmons  Company, 
general  contractors,  with  headquarters  in  the 
Citizens'  Building,  Decatur,  having  been  elect- 
ed to  these  offices  in  1936.  Also,  he  is  vicfr- 
president  of  Kuehne-Simmons  Construction 
Associates,   of  Rantoul  and  Detroit. 

Mr.  Simmons  married  Elizabeth  Snider  on 
April  21,  1923,  and  they  have  a  daughter  and 
son,  Susan  Simmons  and  John  LeRoy  Sim- 
mons. The  family  worships  in  the  Methodist 
Church.  The  Simmons  residence  is  on  South- 
moreland  Place,  Decatur. 

In  World  War  I  and  afterward,  1918-1919, 
Mr.  Simmons  served  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
United    States   Army    Coast    Artillery    Corps. 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


867 


He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Society  of  En- 
gineers, the  University  Club  of  Chicago,  the 
Decatur  Club  and  Decatur  Country  Club.  His 
contribution  to  development  as  a  contractor 
is  widely  recognized  in  private  and  public 
circles. 

HON.  CHARLES  C.  DOERR 

As  former  Fire  Chief  of  Pinckneyville  and 
former  Coroner  of  Perry  County,  the  Honor- 
able Charles  C.  Doerr  is  well  known  for  the 
service  he  renders  the  public.  He  has  given 
service  in  yet  another  way — as  operator  of 
the  Doerr  Funeral  Home  of  Pinckneyville,  an 
institution  founded  by  his  father  in  1898,  and 
now  owned  and  operated  by  the  son. 

Mr.  Doerr  was  born  on  the  family  farm  in 
Perry  County  on  March  8,  1882,  the  third  of 
the  four  children  of  Jacob  and  Louisa  (Heg- 
gemeyer)  Doerr.  His  father,  a  native  of 
Waterloo,  seat  of  Monroe  County,  farmed  in 
that  county  until  a  month  or  so  before  his 
third  child  was  born,  and  then  moved  to  Per- 
ry County.  He  was  a  farmer  in  the  latter 
county  until  1898,  when  he  established  a  fur- 
niture and  undertaking  business  in  Pinckney- 
ville, the  county  seat.  Charles  C.  Doerr  has  a 
brother,  William  P.  Doerr,  and  two  sisters, 
Christina  and  Bertha. 

After  he  had  finished  his  schooling,  Mr. 
Doerr  worked  for  a  time  in  his  father's  fu- 
neral home.  Then  he  took  employment  in  the 
mines,  but  after  a  short  period  became  a 
brakeman  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 
When  he  left  the  railroad,  he  returned  to  the 
Doerr  Funeral  Home. 

On  October  16,  1904,  Mr.  Doerr  married 
Dorothea  Clark,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Clark  of  Perry  County.  One  son  was 
born  to  this  marriage- — Karl  Doerr  ,who  oper- 
ates a  photographic  shop  in  Pinckneyville  and 
also  assists  his  father  in  the  operation  of  the 
Doerr  Funeral  Home.  Karl  Doerr  is  married 
and  has  two  daughters,  Corla  Marie  and  Eliz- 
abeth Doerr. 

In  1904,  too,  Charles  C.  Doerr  went  to 
work  as  a  fireman  and  engineer  in  the  Wink- 
ler Mines  in  Perry  County.  In  1906  he  moved 
to  Murphysboro,  where  he  worked  as  an  en- 
gineer in  the  mines  until  1910.  Returning 
to  Pinckneyville,  he  operated  a  livery  busi- 
ness. Also  in  1910,  he  became  a  partner  of  his 
father's  in  the  funeral  business.  In  1922  he 
bought  out  Jacob  Doerr's  interest,  and  has 
since  been  the  owner  of  the  Doerr  Funeral 
Home.  He  is  active  and  well  known  in  the  Il- 
linois Funeral  Directors  Association  and  the 
National    Funeral    Directors    Association.    He 


served  as  Fire  Chief  in  Pinckneyville  for  a 
short  time,  but  was  County  Coroner  for  six- 
teen years.  He  is  a  leading  Republican  of  the 
county.  Farming  as  a  hobby,  he  belongs  to 
the  Perry  County  Farm  Bureau.  Also,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Pinckneyville, 
the  Pinckneyville  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the 
Odd  Fellows  Lodge  and  various  Masonic  bod- 
ies, including  the  Shrine.  Golf  is  his  favorite 
sport.  He  won  the  Class  B.  tournament  at  the 
Elks  Country  Club  in  DuQuoin  in  1946.  He 
has  also  won  the  admiration  of  his  fellow  cit- 
izens for  the  extent  and  variety  of  his  public 
services. 

HARRY  ALLEN  WHITTENBERG 

As  a  banker  and  citizen  interested  in  the 
growth  of  his  community,  Harry  Allen  Whit- 
tenberg  of  Herrin  has  made  an  outstanding 
contribution.  He  is  cashier  and  trust  officer 
of  the  Bank  of  Herrin,  which  he  helped  to 
organize,  and  is  a  leader  in  banking  organi- 
zations on  the  regional  and  State  level.  He 
is  also  the  half  owner  of  an  insurance  busi- 
ness he  founded.  He  is  also  prominent  in  the 
Baptist  Church. 

Mr.  Whittenberg  was  born  in  Murphysboro 
in  November,  1891,  the  son  of  John  and  Lo- 
retta  (Ellis)  Whittenberg.  After  attending 
the  grade  schools  of  Murphysboro,  he  went  to 
Herrin  High  School,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1912.  This  he  followed  up  with  a 
course  in  Brown's  Business  College,  at  Ma- 
rion. Mr.  Whittenberg's  first  job  was  that  of 
payroll  clerk  for  the  Big  Muddy  Coal  and 
Iron  Company  at  Herrin.  At  the  time  he 
severed  his  association  with  this  concern,  he 
was  assistant  cashier.  In  1917,  after  five 
years  with  the  coal  and  iron  company,  he  be- 
came assistant  cashier  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Herrin.  Two  years  later,  without 
leaving  the  bank,  he  founded  the  insurance 
business  then  called  The  Whittenberg  Agen- 
cy. In  1932,  he  left  the  First  National  Bank 
and  began  devoting  himself  entirely  to  his  in-, 
surance  business.  When  the  Bank  of  Herrin 
was  organized,  he  became  cashier  and  trust 
officer.  Today  he  is  half  owner  of  the  insur- 
ance agency,  which  operates  under  the  name 
of  the  Whittenberg  and  Adams  Insurance 
Agency. 

On  April  4,  1921,  Mr.  Whittenberg  married 
Mildred  Flanigan,  the  daughter  of  Charles  and 
May  Flanigan  of  Cobden,  in  Union  County. 
Their  son,  Charles,  a  musician  and  composer, 
now  a  teacher  of  music,  resides  in  New  York. 
One  of  his  compositions  has  been  played  by 
the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra. 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


IIOX.  CHARLES  C.  DOERR 


CLARENCE  PAUL  McCLELLAND,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Litt.D. 


Mr.  Whittenberg  is  a  member  of  the  exec- 
utive committee  of  Group  10  of  the  Illinois 
Bankers  Association  and  is  also  active  in  the 
American  Bankers  Association  and  the  Egyp- 
tian Conference  of  the  National  Association 
of  Bank  Auditors  and  Comptrollers.  He  is  a 
former  president  of  the  Conference.  He  has 
also  served  as  president  of  the  Lions  Club  of 
Herrin  and  the  Herrin  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
Also  a  former  secretary  of  the  chamber,  he  is 
now  on  its  board  of  directors.  Another  or- 
ganization in  which  he  is  serving  as  a  direc- 
tor is  the  Herrin  Community  Council,  which  he 
helped  organize.  A  teacher  and  deacon  in  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Herrin,  Mr.  Whitten- 
berg is  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  Southern 
Baptist  Theological  Seminary  at  Louisville, 
Kentucky.  His  wife  is  the  pianist  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Whittenberg  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  high  school  board  of  Herrin  for 
twenty-one  years,  serving  through  part  of  this 
time  as  secretary.  He  holds  the  third  degree 
in  Masonry.  He  has  achieved  considerable 
leadership  in  all  phases  of  community  life. 

CLARENCE  PAUL  McCLELLAND, 
D.D.,  LL.D.,  Litt.D. 

When  Dr.  Clarence  Paul  McClelland,  pres- 
ident of  MacMurray  College  at  Jacksonville, 
Morgan  County,  delivered  the  centennial  ad- 
dress at  the  centennial  convocation,  October 
10,  1946,  reviewing  the  hundred-year  history 
of  the  institution,  he  said:  "MacMurray  Col- 
lege faces  the  future  with  confidence  and 
hope  .  .  .  The  College  is  well  endowed  .  .  .  The 
physical  plant  seems  adequate  .  .  .  The  faculty 
deserve  the  highest  praise  .  .  .  And  if  there  is 
a  more  conscientious,  competent  or  happier 
community  of  scholars  anywhere,  I  cannot 
imagine  it."  The  happy  state  of  the  college, 
as  thus  summed  up  by  Dr.  McClelland,  is,  all 
agree,  due  to  its  president  himself.  Dr.  Mc- 
Clelland, an  educator  with  a  nationwide  repu- 
tation, ranks  high  in  the  Methodist  Church 
and  in  community  affairs  as  well  as  in  liter- 
ary circles. 

He  was  born  on  January  18,  1883,  at  Dobbs 
Ferry,  New  York,  the  son  of  Charles  P.  and 
Meta  J.  (Babcock)  McClelland.  In  1907  he 
took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  at  Wes- 
leyan  University,  Middletown,  Connecticut, 
and  in  1910  that  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity  at 
Drew  Theological  Seminary,  Madison,  New 
Jersey.  He  began  his  career  as  a  Methodist 
minister  in  1910,  continuing  until  191(5.  In 
1917  he  was  called  to  Drew  Seminary  for 
Young  Women  as  president  and  this  office  he 


held  until  1925.  In  1921  he  received  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Sacred  Theology  from 
Syracuse  University  and  the  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Divinity  from  Wesleyan  University  in 
1925.  That  was  the  year  he  was  made  presi- 
dent of  MacMurray  College,  the  post  he  con- 
tinues to  occupy  with  such  distinction.  In 
1942,  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  conferred 
upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws  and  in  1946  MacMurray  College  that 
of  Doctor  of  Letters. 

On  April  26,  1910,  Dr.  McClelland  married 
Mary  E.  Adams.  They  have  five  children — 
Janet  Meta,  Charles  Paul,  David  Clarence, 
Betty  Belle  and  Mary  Carol  McClelland.  They 
also  have  eleven  grandchildren. 

In  1950,  the  enrollment  of  MacMurray  Col- 
lege had  risen  to  774,  and  there  was  every  in- 
dication it  would  continue  to  grow  under  Dr. 
McClelland's  leadership.  Founded  in  1846  with 
the  aid  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  especial- 
ly in  its  Illinois  Annual  Conference,  MacMux1- 
ray  College — named  for  its  greatest  benefac- 
tor, James  E.  MacMurray,  whose  gifts  totaled 
about  four  and  one-half  million  dollars — has 
had  the  following  presidents,  in  addition  to 
the  incumbent;  James  Frazier  Jaquess,  Charles 
Adams,  William  H.  DeMotte,  William  H. 
Short  and  Joseph  R.  Harker,  all  of  whom 
made  their  impression  on  the  entire  field  of 
education  and  certainly  forwarded  higher  ed- 
ucation for  women  in  America.  It  was  Dr. 
Harker,  the  immediate  predecessor  of  Dr.  Mc- 
Clelland, who  enabled  the  college  to  receive 
full  recognition  from  all  the  accrediting  agen- 
cies as  a  standard  college  and,  as  Dr.  McClel- 
land puts  it,  "laid  a  sure  foundation  for  all 
that  has  been  achieved"  since  then. 

Dr  McClelland  has  been  president  of  the 
National  Association  of  Schools  and  Colleges 
of  the  Methodist  Church  and  a  director  of  the 
Association  of  American  Colleges.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Libra- 
ry; and  former  president  of  the  Board  of  Pas- 
savant  Hospital,  Jacksonville,  a  member  of 
the  Illinois  State  Commission  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  and  of  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  the  Y.M.C.A. ;  a  member  of 
the  Governor's  Advisory  Commission  on  Vet- 
erans Education  in  Illinois;  a  director  of  the 
Jacksonville  Chamber  of  Commerce;  a  former 
president  of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Jacksonville, 
and  a  Mason.  His  fraternity  is  Alpha  Delta 
Phi.  He  is  the  author  of  "Question  Marks  and 
Examination  Points,"  published  in  1935,  and 
of  numerous  articles  that  have  appeared  in 
various  educational  journals.  He  has  made 
MacMurray   College   a   liberal   institution   and 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


873 


in  doing  so  has  established  himself  among  out- 
standing contemporary  educators  and  reli- 
gious leaders. 

HERBERT  WILLIAM  WARD 

Though  his  home  and  office  are  in  St.  Lou- 
is, Herbert  William  Ward  must  be  counted 
among  those  who  are  doing  their  utmost  to 
build  the  State  of  Illinois,  for  he  is  president 
of  a  public  service  corporation  which  has  been 
serving  what  might  be  called  the  Greater  St. 
Louis  Area  of  Illinois  since  1895 — the  Illinois 
Terminal  Railroad  Company.  Like  this  line, 
Mr.  Ward  has  a  foremost  position  in  the 
railroad  industry. 

Mr.  Ward  was  born  in  Spooner,  Wisconsin, 
on  April  24,  1894,  the  son  of  William  G.  and 
Marion  R.  (Church)  Ward,  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  Minnesota 
College  of  Law,  where  he  received  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1934.  For  many  years 
he  has  combined  a  practice  of  law,  chiefly  in 
the  transportation  field,  with  his  career  as 
railroad  administrator.  He  began  his  railroad 
career  in  1908,  as  clerk  in  the  tariff  de- 
partment of  the  Minneapolis  and  St.  Louis 
Railway  Company,  with  which  he  remained 
until  1909.  In  1910,  he  became  a  clerk  in 
the  local  freight  office  of  the  Chicago,  St. 
Paul,  Minneapolis  and  Omaha  Ry.,  in  which 
he  rose  to  brakeman  in  1911,  conductor  in 
1918,  traveling  and  freight  and  passenger 
agent  in  1924,  at  Duluth,  Minnesota;  and 
city  freight  agent,  at  Minneapolis,  in  1930. 
In  1935  he  returned  to  the  M.  &  St.  L.,  as 
traffic  manager  and  in  1938  he  was  made 
general  traffic  manager  of  that  line.  From 
1943  to  April,  1948,  he  was  vice-president 
of  the  M.  &  St.  L.  and  the  Railway  Transfer 
Company  of  Minneapolis.  On  May  1,  1948, 
he  took  over  as  president  of  the  Illinois  Ter- 
minal Railroad  Company,  with  offices  at  710 
North  Twelfth  Boulevard,  St.  Louis.  The 
railroad,  incorporated  in  1895,  began  doing 
business  in  1896.  It  was  built  primarily  to 
supply  terminal  facilities  to  the  railroads  en- 
tering the  Alton  district  and  to  develop  the 
manufacturing  interests  of  the  Alton  indus- 
trial area.  It  has  since  considerably  expanded 
its  purposes,  and  has  become  in  addition  both 
a  diesel  and  an  electric  lines  operator.  The 
electric  lines  were  born  in  1899,  with  a  mod- 
est six-mile  run  called  the  Danville,  Faxton 
and  Northern  Railroad  Company.  The  first 
section  of  what  is  now  called  the  "main  line" 
was  started  in  1902  from  Champaign,  and  was 
built  to  St.  Joseph.  Other  developments,  in- 
cluding the  erection  of  the  McKinley  Bridge 


across  the  Mississippi  to  extend  the  lines  into 
St.  Louis,  followed.  In  1928  the  Illinois  Ter- 
minal Railroad  leased  and  consolidated  into 
one  railroad  system  the  Illinois  Traction  Sys- 
tem, the  St.  Louis,  Troy  and  Eastern  Rail- 
road, the  St.  Louis  and  Illinois  Belt  Railway 
and  the  St.  Louis  Electric  Terminal  Railway 
Company.  On  June  30,  1930,  the  Alton  and 
Eastern  Railroad  and  the  St.  Louis  and  Alton 
and  "O'Fallon  Freight"  of  the  East  St.  Louis 
and  Suburban  Railway  Company  were  absorbed 
by  the  lessee.  As  the  line  developed,  it  ran  into 
downtown  St.  Louis  and  erected  stations  at  Pe- 
oria, Decatur  and  Springfield,  with  such  points 
also  connected  as  Champaign,  Urbana,  Bloom- 
ington  and  Danville.  All  the  most  modern  im- 
provements, both  in  track  and  signal  systems 
and  in  rolling  stock,  have  been  adopted.  Consid- 
erable additional  progress  is  planned  by  Mr. 
Ward. 

Mr.  Ward  married  Lillian  E.  McCrudden  on 
December  18,  1912.  They  have  three  children 
— Donald  W.  Ward;  Lois,  now  Mrs.  A.  C. 
Schendel;  and  Joyce,  now  Mrs.  G.  D.  Larra- 
bee. 

Mr.  Ward,  who  has  been  admitted,  as  a 
lawyer,  to  practice  in  the  State  of  Minnesota, 
the  United  States  Courts  and  before  the  Inter- 
state Commerce  Commission,  is  a  member  of 
the  American  and  Minnesota  State  Bar  As- 
sociations. He  is  a  former  president  of  the 
Minneapolis  Traffic  Club,  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Minneapolis  Club,  the  Minnesota 
Club  of  St.  Paul,  the  Union  League  Club  of 
Chicago,  the  Chicago  Club,  the  Metropolitan 
and  Bankers  of  New  York,  and  others.  He  is  a 
leading  figure  among  railroad  men. 

RICHARD  WENDELL  WARD 

Prominent  in  the  industrial  and  civic  life 
of  Peoria  and  central  Illinois,  Richard  Wen- 
dell Ward  was  president  and  founder  of  the 
Ward  Plywood  Company,  with  plant  and  of- 
fice at  2700  South  Washington  Street,  in  the 
state's  second  city,  until  his  death. 

Mr.  Ward  was  a  native  of  Chicago.  Born  on 
July  2,  1910,  he  was  the  son  of  William  Mul- 
len Ward,  a  native  of  Maryland  who  was  a 
livestock  broker  in  the  Windy  City's  famed 
stockyards  and  who  died  in  1926,  and  of  Cora 
Olive  (Morgan)  Ward,  a  native  of  Belle 
Plaine,  Iowa,  now  living  in  Peoria. 

Educated  in  the  elementary  and  high 
schools  of  his  native  Chicago,  Mr.  Ward  first 
went  to  work  for  the  Coca-Cola  Company  at 
Sioux  City,  Iowa.  After  seven  years  with  that 
concern,  he  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Michael   Leonard 


874 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


HERBERT  WILLIAM  WARD 


HON.  GEORGE  WILLIAM  SMITH 


Company.  He  was  a  salesman  for  this  organi- 
zation for  a  year  and  a  half.  His  next  posi- 
tion, again  as  salesman,  was  with  the  Aetna 
Plywood  Company  of  Chicago,  with  which  he 
worked  seven  years.  In  August,  1946,  Mr. 
Ward  established  the  Ward  Plywood  Company 
in  Peoria  and  since  that  time  had  been  its 
president.  The  company  distributes  plywood 
and  doors  in  Illinois  and  Iowa  and  employs 
ten  persons. 

Mr.  Ward  married  Julia  Judnick  of  Joliet 
on  November  30,  1939.  Mrs.  Ward's  parents 
were  the  late  John  and  Josephine  Judnick, 
natives  of  Czecho-Slovakia.  Her  father  was 
a  millwright  at  Joliet.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward, 
who  made  their  home  at  2112  Peoria  Avenue, 
Peoria,  became  the  parents  of  two  children 
— Susan  Ann  Ward,  born  on  June  19,  1941, 
and  Richard  William  Ward,  born  on  March  17, 
1946.  Mr.  Ward  worshiped  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  his  wife  in  the  Roman  Catholic. 

Mr.  Ward  was  active  in  the  Peoria  Associa- 
tion of  Commerce,  the  Peoria  Better  Business 
Bureau,  the  Peoria  Lodge  of  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Creve  Coeur 
Club  and  the  Mount  Holly  Country  Club.  In 
1949-50  he  was  president  of  the  Country 
Club.  His  favorite  recreations  were  golf,  fish- 
ing and  hunting.  He  was  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  Central  Illinois,  and  will  be  sorely 
missed  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

HON.  GEORGE  WILLIAM  SMITH 

The  Honorable  George  William  Smith  of 
Mattoon,  Coles  County's  biggest  municipality, 
calls  himself  retired,  but,  always  responsive 
to  the  call  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citi- 
zens, he  works  day  and  night  on  their  behalf 
as  Mayor.  Mayor  Smith  has  been  active  in 
public  affairs  since  the  day  in  1928  when  he 
took  office  as  a  member  of  the  Mattoon 
Board  of  Aldermen  and  he  has  been  Mayor 
since  1945.  Before  "retiring,"  Mayor  Smith 
was  a  machinist  and  railroad  man,  and  at 
one  time  he  played  baseball.  He  is  active 
in  many  organizations. 

Mayor  Smith  was  born  at  Rockport,  Indi- 
ana, on  August  10,  1881.  He  is  the  son  of  the 
late  Lincoln  and  Ella  (Morris)  Smith.  His  fath- 
er, "Line"  Smith,  who  was  born  at  Madison,  In- 
diana, on  October  6,  1860,  was  a  machinist  and 
railroad  engineer  and  was  the  son  of  Benja- 
min W.  Smith,  who  was  the  first  master  me- 
chanic on  the  first  railroad,  the  old  Madison 
&  Jefferson,  laid  in  the  State  of  Indiana  and 
who  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-three,  the  oldest 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.    Mayor  Smith  was  educated  in  grade 


schools  at  Rockport,  Huntingburg  and  Prince- 
ton, Indiana.  The  third  generation  of  his 
family  to  enter  the  railroading  field,  he  be- 
came an  apprentice  machinist  on  the  Louis- 
ville and  Nashville  Railroad  at  Evansville,  In- 
diana, in  1898.  Later,  for  two  years,  he  was 
a  fireman  on  the  Chicago  and  Eastern  Illinois 
Railroad,  out  of  Danville,  Illinois.  Then  he 
served  eighteen  months  as  an  engineer  at  the 
electrical  plant  of  the  Atlas  Engine  Works 
in  Indianapolis.  In  1908  he  came  to  the  Mat- 
toon Big  Four  shops  and  remained  there  un- 
til on  April  25,  1949,  when  he  retired  from 
vocational  activities. 

On  July  14,  1912,  at  Shelbyville,  Shelby 
County,  Mayor  Smith  married  Nellie  Pearl 
Miller,  the  daughter  of  John  and  Lottie  A. 
Miller.  Mrs.  Smith  is  active  in  the  Central 
Community  Church  of  Mattoon,  the  church 
at  which  the  entire  family  worships  and  in 
which  Mayor  Smith  is  also  a  well  known  fig- 
ure. Mayor  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  one  daugh- 
ter, Dorothy,  now  the  wife  of  Floyd  C.  Hegg. 
She  was  first  married  to  Harold  M.  Tracy, 
on  August  31,  1932,  but  he  died  in  1945. 
She  has  two  children  by  the  first  marriage, 
Jack  W.  and  David  H.  Tracy.  A  third  child, 
Janet  Lee  Tracy,  died  at  the  age  of  two 
months.  Mayor  and  Mrs.  Smith  reside  at 
920  Marshall  Avenue,  Mattoon. 

A  resident  of  Mattoon  since  1908,  Mayor 
Smith  has  always  intex-ested  himself  in  its 
welfare,  and  he  has  always  been  active  in 
the  Republican  organization  of  Coles  County. 
In  1928,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
City  Board  of  Aldermen,  representing  Ward 
Two.  He  served  as  Alderman  for  nine  years. 
In  1945  he  was  elected  Mayor  for  a  four- 
year  term  and  in  1949  was  reelected  to  that 
office.  He  has  served  on  various  boards  in 
connection  with  both  his  Aldermanic  and  May- 
oral offices.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
International  Association  of  Machinists  since 
1908  and  is  also  active  in  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Loyal  Order 
of  Moose,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Dokeys.  He  is  five  feet  eight  inches  tall,  has 
blue  eyes  and  gray  hair.  Fishing,  hunting 
and  baseball  are  his  favorite  sports.  He  played 
baseball  in  his  Princeton,  Rockport  and 
Evansville  days.  His  service  to  the  commu- 
nity has  made  him  one  of  the  popular  figures 
in   Downstate  Illinois. 

HON.  JAMES  ARTHUR  HEDRICK 

Dedicated  to  every  phase  of  public  welfare, 
the  Honorable  James  Arthur  Hedrick  of  De- 
catur has  risen  to  a  position  of  great  promi- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


879 


nence  in  Illinois.  He  is  the  holder  of  various 
public  offices,  including  the  Mayorship  of  De- 
catur, and  is  a  leading  figure  in  the  oil  busi- 
ness. 

Mayor  Hedrick  is  the  son  of  Thomas  D. 
and  Anna  M.  (Casey)  Hedrick.  His  father, 
born  at  Athens,  Menard  County,  July  12, 
1850,  died  July  8,  1935.  He  was  a  black- 
smith and  the  father  of  seven  boys  and  six 
girls.  The  mother  was  born  on  January  25, 
1855,  and  died  June  8,  1934.  Decatur's  fu- 
ture Mayor  was  educated  in  grade  school  and 
by  way  of  a  mechanical  and  electrical  engi- 
neering correspondence  course.  He  began  as 
an  apprentice  in  the  machinist  and  tool-and- 
die-making  trades.  At  the  age  of  19  he  was 
promoted  to  toolroom  foreman.  Later  he  was 
made  machine  shop  foreman,  motor  foreman, 
then  assistant  superintendent  at  the  Bartholo- 
mew Company,  Peoria,  makers  of  Glide  auto- 
mobiles. In  1909  and  1910  Mr.  Hedrick  drove 
cars  in  the  Glidden  Tours.  In  1913  he  became 
a  salesman  and  territory  manager  for  the  Ca- 
dillac Motor  Car  Company  and  in  1917  he 
opened  a  Cadillac  agency  in  Decatur,  in  part- 
nership with  A.  R.  Coggan.  He  lectured  on 
the  first  V-type  eight  cylinder  Cadillac  at 
auto  shows  for  two  years.  This  business  was 
sold  nine  years  later.  Then  Mr.  Hedrick  en- 
tered the  retail  and  wholesale  oil  business. 
He  sold  his  enterprise  in  1941,  but  continues 
prominent  in  the  oil  industry. 

On  October  8,  1909,  at  Lincoln,  Mayor 
Hedrick  married  Rilla  M.  Martin,  daughter 
of  Robert  R.  and  Kitty  M.  Martin.  Mrs.  Hed- 
rick, also  well  known  in  Decatur  and  Macon 
County,  is  especially  noted  for  her  work  in 
connection  with  philanthropies.  She  and  the 
Mayor  worship  in  the  Christian  Church  at 
Decatur. 

Mr.  Hedrick's  prominence  in  the  automo- 
tive and  oil  businesses  brought  him  election 
to  such  offices  as  president  of  the  Decatur 
Automobile  Dealers  Association  and  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Illi- 
nois State  Petroleum  Association.  He  was 
named  to  the  Illinois  State  Welfare  Board 
in  1945  and  is  also  now  on  the  Illinois  Mu- 
nicipal League  Advisory  Board.  In  1950,  he 
was  serving  his  second  term  as  Mayor  of 
Decatur.  His  reputation  as  a  city  adminis- 
trator is  such  that  he  has  served  as  president 
of  the  Illinois  Municipal  League,  in  which  he 
continues  influential.  Since  1944  Mayor  Hed- 
rick has  been  president  of  the  Decatur  Base- 
ball Club,  and  thus  has  contributed  further 
to  the  welfare  of  the  community.  He  is  a 
Mason  and  a  Republican.    In  addition  to  base- 


ball, football  and  basketball  are  his  favorite 
sports.  Mayor  Hedrick  has  attracted  much 
attention  in  the  state  because  of  his  progres- 
sive, business-like  approach  to  the  municipal 
problems  of  Decatur  and  his  wholehearted, 
interested  devotion  to  the  solution  of  these 
problems. 

ROBERT  CHARLES  McMILLAN 

"Have  a  goal;  then  be  willing  to  put  forth 
the  effort  to  attain  that  goal."  With  this 
philosophy,  Robert  Charles  McMillan  of 
Mount  Vernon  has  made  himself  an  important 
figure  in  the  car  building  world  and  an  out- 
standing citizen  of  Southern  Illinois.  He  is 
the  general  manager  of  the  Mount  Vernon 
Car  and  Manufacturing  Company,  a  subsid- 
iary of  the  Pressed  Steel  Car  Company,  Inc., 
noted  for  the  quality  of  its  cars. 

Mr.  McMillan  was  born  in  Fairmount,  Ver- 
milion County,  on  December  31,  1893,  the 
son  of  Robert  Hope  and  Phoebe  (Williamson) 
McMillan.  His  father,  a  native  of  County 
Cork,  Ireland,  came  to  the  United  States  with 
his  parents  when  he  was  two  years  old.  The 
family  settled  at  Hanover,  Indiana,  where  for 
many  years  he  was  a  railroader.  He  died  in 
1941,  at  the  age  of  89.  The  mother,  born 
in  Veedersburg,  Indiana,  died  in  1930.  Her 
father,  Conrad  Williamson,  was  a  farmer  at 
Veedersburg.  The  car  manufacturer's  pater- 
nal grandfather,  Robert  Hope  McMillan,  also 
born  in  County  Cork,  was  a  machinist. 

Robert  Charles  McMillan  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  where 
the  family  had  moved  when  he  was  six  years 
old,  and  then  continued  at  Mount  Vernon, 
to  which  the  family  moved  when  he  was  thir- 
teen years  old.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
Mount  Vernon  High  School,  where  he  had 
distinguished  himself  as  a  long  distance  run- 
ner. The  family  returned  to  Terre  Haute, 
Robert  with  the  others,  but  a  year  later  he 
returned  again  to  Mount  Vex-non.  The  real 
reason  was  a  girl — Mary  O'Riely — and  they 
were  married.  Mrs.  McMillan,  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Mount  Vernon,  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Andrew  O'Riely,  who  was  born  in  Ire- 
land. Brought  to  the  United  States  by  his 
parents  when  he  was  four,  he  became  a  school 
teacher  in  Jefferson  County,  where  the  fam- 
ily settled.  He  taught  for  more  than  forty 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMillan  have  two  chil- 
dren— Robert  Howard,  born  March  7,  1917, 
who  married  Virginia  Lyle  of  Mount  Vernon 
and  is  the  father  of  Robert  Richard  born 
March  12,  1939  and  Charles  Michael  McMillan 
born  January  7,  1941;  and  Mary  DeElla  born 


880 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


HON.  JAMES  ARTHUR  HEDRICK 


January  7,  1920,  now  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Cortwright,  residing-  at  Berwick,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  mother  of  Joella  Cortwright  born 
March  29,   1946. 

Upon  his  return  to  Mount  Vernon  and  mar- 
riage, Mr.  McMillan  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Mount  Vernon  Car  and  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. His  first  job  was  that  of  helper  in  the 
fabricating  shops.  Step  by  step  he  rose  until 
he  was  steel  car  superintendent.  On  March 
15,  1940,  Mr.  McMillan  resigned  to  accept 
the  general  superintendency  of  the  American 
Car  and  Foundry  Company  at  Berwick,  where 
he  was  soon  promoted  to  manager  of  the 
freight  car  division.  On  January  15,  1949, 
he  resigned  the  Pennsylvania  post  because  he 
was  given  the  opportunity  to  return  to  the 
Mount  Vernon  Car  and  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany as  general  manager.  He  immediately 
began  guiding  the  concern  in  its  resolve  to 
produce  high  quality  cars  in  the  tradition  of 
the  Pressed  Steel  Car  Company.  Pressed 
Steel  was  the  first  builder  of  all-steel  freight 
cars  in  the  world.  Mr.  McMillan  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  the  Elks  and  Moose 
lodges  of  Mount  Vernon,  the  Kiwanis,  Rotary 
and  Lions  Clubs  of  Mount  Vernon  and  the 
Mount  Vernon  Chamber  of  Commerce.  He 
worships  in  the  First  Baptist  Church  and  golf 
and  hunting  are  his  chief  diversions.  His  lead- 
ership in  his  field  are  not  only  helping  the 
development  of  Southern  Illinois  but  also  the 
transportation  and  commerce  of  the  nation. 

FERREL  M.  BEAN 

Having  devoted  his  entire  business  life  to 
the  John  Hancock  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company,  Ferrel  M.  Bean  is  today  General 
Agent  for  that  fine  old  Boston  company  at 
Chicago.  That  he  is  known  among  insurance 
men  throughout  the  United  States  follows  as 
a  matter  of  course.  He  is  active  in  civic  work 
and  in  the  affairs  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

The  son  of  P.  L.  and  Maude  (Eubank) 
Bean,  Hancock's  Chicago  chief  was  born  in 
Farmer  City,  DeWitt  County,  on  September 
13,  1900.  Both  parents  were  also  natives  of 
that  community.  P.  L.  Bean,  the  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  James  H.  Bean,  spent  his  entire 
business  life  as  a  salesman.  The  mother  is 
the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  L.  Eu- 
bank. 

Ferrel  M.  Bean  was  graduated  from  the 
Farmer  City  High  School  and  then  attended 
Eureka  College  and  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, and  is  a  member  of  Tau  Kappa  Epsilon 
Fraternity.  Many  years  after  he  had  begun 
his  career  with  the  John  Hancock  Mutual  Life 


insurance  Company,  he  attended  and  in  1941 
was  graduated  from  the  Life  Insurance  Agen- 
cy Management  Association's  School  in  Agen- 
cy Management.  In  1949,  he  took  a  graduate 
course  in  that  school.  It  was  in  February, 
1920,  that  Mr.  Bean  started  as  an  agent  at 
Farmer  City.  He  continued  to  sell  insurance 
while  attending  the  University  of  Illinois.  On 
January  1,  1924,  he  was  made  district  agent 
at  Champaign  and  in  July,  1928,  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  agency  supervisor  at  Decatur.  From 
November  15,  1934,  to  February  1,  1943,  he 
was  General  Agent  at  Oklahoma  City  and  on 
February  1,  1943,  he  was  transferred  to  the 
John  Hancock  home  office  in  Boston  as  su- 
perintendent of  agencies.  This  post  he  held 
until  on  February  20,  1946,  he  returned  to 
Illinois  as  General  Agent  at  Chicago.  As  re- 
ported in  "The  National  Insurance  Leader," 
the  year  1943,  Mr.  Bean's  last  full  year  as 
General  Agent  at  Oklahoma  City,  was  the  big- 
gest year  that  agency  ever  had,  the  total  paid 
volume  of  business  exceeding  $4,000,000. 
When  he  left  to  take  up  his  post  in  Boston, 
the  agency  had  eight  full  time  agents  in  the 
main  office  and  about  forty  agents  in  other 
parts  of  the  State  of  Oklahoma. 

On  January  19,  1924,  about  two  weeks  aft- 
er he  had  been  appointed  district  agent  at 
Champaign,  Mr.  Bean  married  Irene  Battaile, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  A.  Battaile 
of  the  university  city.  Mrs.  Bean,  who  has 
been  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  communities 
in  which  she  has  lived  as  Mr.  Bean's  wife, 
was  active  in  the  American  Red  Cross 
throughout  World  War  II,  serving  as  a  staff 
assistant  in  both  the  Oklahoma  City  and  Bos- 
ton Chapters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bean  have  one 
daughter,  Nancy,  now  Mrs.  John  W.  Jones  of 
Oklahoma  City  and  mother  of  Douglas  B. 
Jones.  The  Beans  reside  at  5555  Sheridan 
Road,  Chicago,  and  attend  St.  Chrysostoms 
Episcopal  Church.  When  they  were  in  Okla- 
homa City  Mr.  Bean  was  on  the  vestry  and 
Bishop's  Council  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  there. 

Mr.  Bean,  who  launched  the  Oklahoma 
agency  for  his  company  in  1934,  became  one 
of  Oklahoma  City's  leading  citizens.  He  was 
active  not  only  in  insurance  organizations  but 
in  many  civic  groups  and  for  a  time  was 
chairman  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  med- 
ical committee  and  a  director  of  the  state 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  is  now  on  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Chicago  Life  Man- 
agers Association,  and  also  that  organization's 
program  chairman;  on  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Chicago  Life  Underwriters;  on  the 
board   of  directors   of  the   Illinois   State   Life 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


883 


Underwriters;  on  the  membership  committee 
of  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  is  vice-president  and  on  the  advisory 
committee  of  the  John  Hancock  General 
Agents  Association.  He  also  belongs  to  va- 
rious Masonic  bodies,  including  the  Shrine; 
the  Union  League  Club;  the  Executives  Club; 
the  Illini  Club;  the  Chicago  Association  of 
Commerce  and  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
Golf,  fishing  and  horseback  riding  are  his 
recreations.  He  is  a  noted  citizen  of  Chicago 
and  the  insurance  world. 

KENNETH  W.  MOORE 

A  leading  figure  at  Bloomington  both  as 
funeral  director  and  as  citizen,  Kenneth  W. 
Moore  also  has  a  reputation  as  a  proponent 
of  pre-paid  burial  insurance.  He  is  vice-pres- 
ident of  the  undertaking  firm  of  John  A. 
Beck  Company  and  president  of  the  Urbane 
Burial  Insurance  Society  of  Bloomington.  He 
is  also  a  cotton  grower. 

Mr.  Moore  was  born  in  Chicago  on  June 
3,  1890,  the  son  of  Otto  W.  and  Mary  L. 
(Talty)  Moore.  His  father,  also  a  native  of 
Chicago,  was  with  the  Chicago  Daily  News 
for  many  years.  He  died  in  1929.  The  moth- 
er, a  native  of  Moline,  died  in  1939.  The 
future  executive  of  the  John  A.  Beck  Co. 
was  educated  in  Chicago's  elementary  and 
high  schools  and  at  Northwestern  Academy, 
spending  two  years  at  the  latter.  For  twenty- 
two  years  after  completing  his  education  he 
was  associated  with  the  Peabody-Houghteling 
Company  of  Chicago.  Then  he  worked  for 
Otis  and  Company,  also  in  Chicago,  for  two 
and  one-half  years.  In  1934  Mr.  Moore  moved 
to  Bloomington  to  join  the  John  A.  Beck 
Company  organization,  of  which  he  was  made 
vice-president  in  1936.  He  has  since  assumed 
the  presidency  of  the  Urbane  Burial  Insur- 
ance Society.  His  cotton  plantation  is  lo- 
cated in  Mississippi. 

Mr.  Moore's  first  wife  was  Grace  Beck, 
daughter  of  the  late  John  A.  Beck,  the  found- 
er of  the  John  A.  Beck  Co.,  and  she  died 
May  2,  1936. 

On  June  22,  1937,  Mr.  Moore  married  Eliz- 
abeth B.  Birkoff,  a  native  of  Chicago  and 
daughter  of  Nicholas  Birkoff,  who  was  born  in 
Holland  and  who,  after  coming  to  the  United 
States,  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business 
and  died  in  1935.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  have 
two  children — John  Beck  Moore,  who  was 
born  on  December  14,  1939,  and  Kate  Isa- 
belle  Moore,  who  was  born  on  February  13, 
1941.    The  Moore  home  is  at  1309  East  Wash- 


ington Avenue,  Bloomington.  Mr.  Moore  is 
a  Methodist  and  his  wife  a  Christian  Scient- 
ist. 

Mr.  Moore  belongs  to  the  Bloomington 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Bloomington 
Country  Club,  the  Rotary  Club  of  Blooming- 
ton and  the  Union  League  Club  of  Chicago. 
His  community  work — he  is  active  in  every 
important  phase  of  life  at  Bloomington — his 
public  service  and  related  activities  are  his 
hobbies.  He  likes  golf  and  traveling  for  di- 
version. Mr.  Moore's  activities,  professional 
and  civic,  have  endeared  him  to  the  Blooming- 
ton public. 

T.  A.  CHAPIN 

National  fame  has  enveloped  the  Illinois 
Steel  Bridge  Company  of  Jacksonville,  Mor- 
gan County,  for  many  years,  especially  since 
World  War  II  when  the  company  made  such 
a  distinguished  contribution  to  the  all-out  war 
program.  The  company  has  helped  the  na- 
tion in  other  wars  also,  especially  World  War 
I,  for  it  was  founded  in  1900  and  has  always 
been  led  by  men  of  national  vision  and  in- 
terest, such  as  T.  A.  Chapin,  the  president. 
Mr.  Chapin,  an  outstanding  figure  in  the  in- 
dustrial world,  is  also  one  of  Illinois'  lead- 
ing citizens. 

Mr.  Chapin,  born  in  1870  at  White  Hall, 
Illinois  and  educated  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich., 
and  Dixon  College,  Illinois,  became  associated 
with  the  company  in  1902.  It  had  been  found- 
ed in  February,  1900,  under  the  name  of 
Jacksonville  Bridge  and  Machine  Company. 
Its  founders  were  Charles  A.  Slaughter, 
Charles  Radjohns,  Grace  Ayers,  J.  W.  Wal- 
ton, John  R.  Robertson  and  W.  E.  Crane, 
and  it  was  incorporated  for  $20,000,  with 
Mr.  Crane  as  president.  The  firm  began 
on  a  small  scale,  its  founders  furnishing  tools 
and  capital.  Dedicated  to  the  purpose  of 
building,  erecting  and  repairing  steel  bridges, 
making  and  repairing  steel  boilers  and  gen- 
eral machine  work,  the  company  has  adhered 
to  this  program  through  its  more  than  half 
century  of  existence. 

When,  two  years  after  the  founding,  Mr. 
Chapin  joined  the  company,  it  was  as  general 
manager  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors. Working  closely  with  Mr.  Crane,  the 
president,  he  helped  build  the  concern  to  its 
present  great  success  and  standing  in  the  field 
of  industry  and  public  service.  Mr.  Crane  con- 
tinued as  president  until  his  death  in  1943, 
and  at  that  time  Mr.  Chapin  succeeded  him 
in  the  company's  top  executive  post.  In  1905, 
incidentally,  the  corporate  name  was  changed 


884 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


KENNETH  W.  MOORE 


EDWIN  L.  HAUSMANN 


to  Illinois  Steel  Bridge  Company,  Inc.  In  ad- 
dition to  Mr.  Chapin,  the  present  officers  are 
H.  W.  Keadey,  vice-president,  and  J.  T.  Flynn, 
secretary-treasurer. 

In  World  War  II  the  company  fabricated 
boat  sections,  steel  for  ordnance  plants  and 
other  material  for  the  prosecution  of  the  war. 
Also,  it  manufactured  for  the  Lockheed  Air- 
craft Company  of  California  the  world's  larg- 
est three-hinged  counter-balanced  trussed 
arches  for  the  famous  Burbank  plant.  For 
this  enormous  piece  of  work  the  Illinois  Steel 
Bridge  Company  received  national  attention. 
Mr.  Chapin  married  Miss  Ada  Tunson  of 
White  Hall,  Illinois.  They  have  four  children: 
Conine  who  died  in  1946;  she  was  the  wife  of 
Captain  T.  P.  Wilson  of  the  U.  S.  Navy.  T.  A. 
Chapin,  Jr.,  now  living  in  Chicago;  Eleanor 
who  married  Captain  T.  P.  Wilson  in  1949; 
Clara  who  is  married  to  George  Louden  and 
lives  in  New  York  City.  Mr.  Chapin  also  has 
four  grandchildren:  Diane  Wilson,  Barbara 
Wilson,  Thomas  Wilson,  Jr.,  and  Gail  Wilson. 
Like  his  company,  Mr.  Chapin  holds  a  distin- 
guished position  in  industry.  He  is  also  active 
in  civic  and  philanthropic  affairs. 

EDWIN  L.  HAUSMANN 

A  famous  address  in  western  Illinois,  es- 
pecially in  Saint  Clair  County,  is  203-11  East 
Main  Street,  Belleville.  This  is  the  site  of  the 
Fellner-Ratheim  Inc.  Department  Store,  head- 
ed by  one  of  the  region's  most  honored  citi- 
zens—  Edwin  L.  Hausmann.  Mr.  Hausmann 
not  only  directs  the  destinies  of  the  depart- 
ment store,  but  is  active  in  banking,  in  city 
planning  and  in  civic,  service  and  fraternal 
organizations.  He  traces  his  success  back  to 
the  days  when,  as  a  boy  of  fourteen,  he  went 
to  work  in  St.  Louis  for  a  salary  of  twenty 
dollars  a  month,  resolved  to  succeed  no  mat- 
ter how  hard  he  had  to  work. 

Mr.  Hausmann  was  born  in  Belleville  on 
September  15,  1896,  the  son  of  Joseph  P.  and 
Anna  (Berkel)  Hausmann.  His  father,  a  re- 
tail merchant  in  Belleville,  was  born  in  1867 
on  a  farm  near  Smithton,  Saint  Clair  County; 
he  died  in  1907.  Anna  Berkel  Hausmann  was 
born  in  Smithton  in  1874  and  died  in  1941. 
The  department  store  prasident  was  educated 
in  the  Cathedral  Parochial  School  of  Belle- 
ville, taking  a  commercial  course  in  the  sev- 
enth and  eighth  grades.  He  then  went  to  St. 
Louis  to  work  in  a  bank.  He  was  fourteen  and 
the  salary  was  the  meager  twenty  dollars  a 
month.  But  he  was  an  expert  typist,  willing 
to  give  long  hours  to  his  work,  and  this  meant 
promotion  for  him.  Today  he  is  president  of 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


Fellner-Ratheim,  Inc.,  a  director  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Building  and  Loan  Association,  a 
director  of  the  Belleville  Savings  Bank,  and  a 
noted  figure  not  only  in  the  retailing  world 
but  in  civic  and  municipal  affairs. 

Mr.  Hausmann  married  Clotilda  Fellner, 
native  of  Belleville  and  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Catherine  Fellner,  in  the  county  seat  in 
1919.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hausmann  have  three 
children — a  daughter,  Dolores,  who  is  as- 
sistant secretary-treasurer  of  the  Home  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association  of  Belleville,  and 
two  sons,  Joseph,  who  married  Jean  Wey- 
gandt,  and  is  associated  with  him  in  business 
as  secretary  of  the  firm;  and  Eugene,  who 
( 1950 )  is  a  student  at  the  University  of  Notre 
Dame  in  South  Bend,  Indiana.  The  family  wor- 
ships at  St.  Luke's  Catholic  Church,  Belleville, 
and  Mr.  Hausmann,  prominent  in  the  Catholic 
laiety,  is  a  member  of  the  Holy  Name  Society. 

Mr.  Hausmann,  interested  in  serving  his 
city,  is  a  member  of  the  Belleville  City  Plan- 
ning Commission.  He  was  also  treasurer  of 
the  Belleville  Board  of  Trade  and  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club  of  Belleville.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  and  vice-president  of 
the  Illinois  Federation  of  Retail  Associations, 
and  is  past  president  of  the  Retail  Merchants 
Association  of  Belleville.  He  is  a  past  presi- 
dent also  of  both  the  Belleville  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  the  Rotary  Club  of  Belleville 
and  is  also  active  in  the  Belleville  Lodge,  Be- 
nevolent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  is 
a  leading  figure  in  the  Belleville  Council,  No. 
1028,  Knights  of  Columbus,  in  which  order 
he  holds  the  fourth  degree.  To  be  successful, 
Mr.  Hausmann  contends,  a  firm  must  have 
the  constant  supervision  of  its  heads  and  its 
methods  of  doing  business  and  of  serving 
customers  must  constantly  be  improved.  A 
business  man  must  strive  to  be  the  best  in 
his  field  and  to  keep  his  mind  on  his  goal  rather 
than  on  the  hours  he  works.  Civic  groups 
should  be  supported  by  every  business  man 
because  the  success  of  the  merchants  de- 
pends on  the  success  of  the  community,  is 
another  belief  of  Mr.  Hausmann.  He  has  fol- 
lowed all  these  beliefs  throughout  his  career, 
and  has  achieved  for  himself,  his  firm  and  his 
community  all  that  he  has  wished. 

FRANK  McCRORY 

The  contribution  which  the  late  Frank  Mc- 
Crory  made  through  activity  in  agriculture 
and  the  clothing  business  and  in  civic  and 
cultural  affairs  to  the  development  of  Central 
Illinois  will  long  remain  in  the  history  of 
that   region,    and    continue    to    influence    the 


889 


work  of  future  generations.  At  first  a  farm- 
er, Mr.  McCrory  was  in  the  last  30  years  of 
his  life  active  in  the  operation  of  McCrory 
Brothers  Daylight  Clothing  Store  at  Charles- 
ton, seat  of  Coles  County,  and  he  became 
known  and  popular  throughout  that  county. 

Mr.  McCrory  was  born  in  Cynthiana,  Ken- 
tucky, on  March  24,  1847,  the  son  of  James 
and  Mary  Ellen  (Chambers)  McCrory,  and 
came  of  Scottish  and  Irish  stock.  His  father, 
who  was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky, 
on  November  16,  1814,  was  the  son  of  James 
and  Sara  (Vance)  McCrory.  Frank  McCro- 
ry's  parents  were  married  on  March  20,  1838, 
in  Kentucky.  His  mother,  also  born  at  Cyn- 
thiana, was  the  daughter  of  James  and  Sally 
(Rankin)  Chambers.  Her  father  was  a  grand- 
son of  the  James  Chambers  who  came  to 
America  from  Chambers,  Scotland,  and  gave 
his  name  to  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania. 
Frank  McCrory  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Charleston,  his  family  having 
moved  to  that  city  in  1850.  The  father  had 
been  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Cynthiana. 
At  Charleston,  he  became  County  Clerk,  an 
office  he  held  eight  years.  Then  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business.  Finally,  in  1867, 
he  moved  to  his  160-acre  farm  on  the  old 
Lafayette  State  Road,  now  Route  16,  between 
Mattoon  and  Charleston.  As  a  young  man 
Frank  McCrory  followed  his  father  into  ag- 
riculture, and  so  continued  until  about  1885. 
In  that  year  he  left  the  farm  and  moved 
back  to  Charleston,  where  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  McCrory  Brothers  Day- 
light Clothing  Store.  He  remained  in  this 
business  for  thirty  years.  His  brothers  were 
William  Edward,  Henry,  Joe  and  Charles  Dun- 
lap  McCrory.  He  also  had  two  sisters,  Sarah 
Ellen,  who  became  Mrs.  L.  F.  Wilson,  and 
Elizabeth,    who    became    Mrs.    J.    W.    Neal. 

On  April  21,  1875,  Mr.  McCrory  married 
Elizabeth  Jane  Balch,  the  daughter  of  George 
Beall  and  Margaret  (Walker)  Balch.  The  cer- 
emony was  performed  at  Pleasant  Grove 
Township.  Mrs.  McCrory,  who  was  born  on 
September  18,  1853,  in  Coles  County,  is  re- 
membered as  a  great  homemaker.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McCrory  were  active  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  McCrory  founded 
the  first  Sunday  School  in  Munroe  Church, 
Lafayette  Township,  later  serving  for  nine 
years  as  ruling  elder  of  the  church  in  Charles- 
ton. Mrs.  McCrory,  assisted  by  her  sisters, 
had  published  a  collection  of  her  father's 
poetry  in  book  form  about  1912.  She  and 
Mr.  McCrory  became  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,    six    of    whom    grew    to    adulthood: 


Si)0 


1.  Mary,  who  died  in  1937.  She  was  the  wife 
of  E.  M.  Pierce  and  the  mother  of  Elizabeth 
McCrory  Pierce.  2.  Clara,  now  Mrs.  Frank 
H.  Wescott  and  mother  of  Mrs.  Clara  Jean 
Galyan  and  Mrs.  Lois  Catherine  Daily.  3. 
James,  who  died  on  March  22,  1909,  while 
attending  Oberlin  College.  4.  Bertha,  now 
Mrs.  J.  L.  Wilson,  and  mother  of  Dr.  James 
McCrory  Wilson,  George  Tinnin  Wilson  and 
O.  Lee  Wilson.  5.  Esther  McCrory.  6.  Marga- 
ret, who  died  in  1935.  She  was  the  wife  of 
Dr.  G.  F.  Corley  and  the  mother  of  Edward 
McCrory  Corley.  On  their  mother's  side  these 
children  are  related  to  the  Amos  Balch  who 
fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  One  of 
Amos'  brothers  was  on  the  committee  which 
prepared  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence at  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  in 
May,  1775.  This  was  Hezekiah  J.  Balch.  An- 
other brother,  Stephen  Bloomer  Balch,  was 
a  famed  Presbyterian  minister  in  the  George- 
town section  of  the  District  of  Columbia.  Both 
Hezekiah  and  Stephen  Balch  were  Princeton 
graduates. 

Frank  McCrory  was  a  former  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  was  a 
great  lover  of  music  and  nature  and  also  was 
interested  in  national  and  civic  affairs.  He 
died  on  May  15,  1922 — one  of  the  truly  be- 
loved men  of  his  community. 

AVERY  BRUNDAGE 

Internationally  famous  as  an  amateur 
sportsman,  for  many  years  president  of  the 
United  States  Olympic  Association,  vice-chair- 
man of  the  International  Olympic  Commit- 
tee, and  chairman  of  the  Comite  Deportivo 
PanAmericano,  Avery  Brundage  is  also  noted 
in  Chicago  and  vicinity  as  an  engineer,  builder 
of  outstanding  skyscrapers  and  as  a  real  es- 
tate and  hotel  operator. 

This  celebrated  Illinoisan  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Michigan,  on  September  28,  1887,  the 
son  of  Charles  and  Amelia  (Lloyd)  Brundage. 
His  father,  a  native  of  Steuben  County,  New 
York,  was  the  descendant  of  Scottish-English 
ancestors  who  settled  in  New  England  and 
New  York  in  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth 
Centuries.  Mr.  Brundage  distinguished  him- 
self in  athletics  and  other  school  activities 
throughout  the  years  he  was  obtaining  his 
education.  He  was  graduated  from  Chicago 
English  High  School  in  1905  and  took  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  Civil  Engi- 
neering at  the  University  of  Illinois  in  1909. 
That  same  year  he  was  intercollegiate  cham- 
pion, editor  of  the  college  magazine,  and  was 
elected  to   the   honor  societies,   Tau    Beta  Pi 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


FRANK  McCRORY 


and  Sigma  Xi.  In  1912  he  was  a  member  of 
the  United  States  Olympic  Team.  In  1914, 
1916  and  1918  he  was  Amateur  All-Round 
Champion  of  America.  At  one  time  he  was 
Handball  Champion  of  Chicago. 

For  six  year's  Mr.  Brundage  was  an  archi- 
tects' and  engineers'  superintendent  in  charge 
of  the  construction  of  Chicago  skyscrapers. 
In  1915,  he  established  and  became  presi- 
dent of  the  Avery  Brundage  Company,  Gen- 
eral Contractors,  which  erected  many  of  Chi- 
cago's outstanding  buildings.  In  1932  he  was 
made  chairman  of  the  board  of  the  Roanoke 
Real  Estate  Company  and  in  1939  president 
of  the  Roanoke  Hotel  Corporation.  He  is  also 
chairman  of  the  board  of  the  LaSalle-Madi- 
son  Hotel  Company  which  owns  and  operates 
the  LaSalle  Hotel  in  Chicago.  At  various 
times  he  has  been  a  director  of  other  compa- 
nies and   financial   institutions. 

In  1927  Mr.  Brundage  married  Elizabeth 
Dunlap,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
Carrol  Dunlap  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Brundage 
shares  her  husband's  interest  in  athletics  and 
is  herself  active  in  music  and  art.  She  has 
been  his  companion  on  world  travels  during 
which  they  have  accumulated  a  large  and  im- 
portant collection  of  objet  d'art.  He  has  one 
of  the  finest  private  collections  in  the  world 
of  Chiness  ritual  bronzes,  porcelain  sculpture, 
jade,  Japanese  pottery,  ivory  carvings,  net- 
suke,  lacquer  and  sword  fittings.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brundage  maintain  homes  at  229  Lake 
Shore  Drive,  Chicago,  and  159  Ashley  Road, 
Santa  Barbara,  California. 

To  continue  the  story  of  Mr.  Brundage's 
place  in  the  world  of  athletics,  it  should  be 
pointed  out  he  was  president  of  the  Inter- 
collegiate Conference  Athletic  Association  in 
1919.  From  1928  through  1933,  he  was  pres- 
ident of  the  Central  A.A.U.,  and  in  1928  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  National  A.A.U., 
an  office  to  which  he  was  reelected  seven 
times.  In  1929  he  was  first  elected  to  his 
present  office  as  president  of  the  United 
States  Olympic  Association  and  chairman  of 
the  United  States  Olympic  Committee.  To 
this  position  he  has  been  reelected  unani- 
mously six  times  for  four-year  terms.  He  be- 
came chairman  of  the  United  States  Pan- 
American  Games  Committee  in  1941  and  was 
elected  first  president  of  Comite  Deportivo 
Panamericano  in  Buenos  Aires  in  1940.  This 
post  he  also  continues  to  hold.  Incidentally, 
at  Santa  Barbara,  in  1949,  he  was  given  the 
Excelentisimo  Senor  Don  de  Santa  Barbara 
Award,  the  fifth  person  so  honored.  He  is  on 
the  executive  council  of  the  Comite  Interna- 


tional Olympique  and  is  vice-president  and  a 
member  of  the  Council  of  the  International 
Amateur  Athletic  Federation,  the  Federation 
Internationale  des  Sports  de  Handball  d'ama- 
teur  and  the  Federation  Internationale  de 
Basketball  Amateur.  In  1934  he  was  awarded 
the  special  James  E.  Sullivan  trophy  for  "out- 
standing service  to  amateur  sport."  The  au- 
thor of  various  articles  on  amateur  sport,  he 
was  awarded  an  honorary  degree  by  Spring- 
field College  in  1940.  He  is  the  owner  of  the 
Montecito  Country  Club  at  Santa  Barbara 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Athletic  Asso- 
ciation, Chicago  Engineers'  Club  and  the  Glen- 
view  Country  Club.  A  famed  sports  writer 
once  called  Mr.  Brundage.  "the  high  priest  of 
amateur  athletics  in  America."  He  is  one  of 
the  great  agents  of  peace  in  the  world. 

HARLAN  LEE  CALDWELL 

An  organization  which  has  contributed 
greatly  to  the  progress  and  welfare  of  Morgan 
County  and  the  surrounding  territory  is  the 
Caldwell  Engineering  Company  of  Jackson- 
ville, the  county  seat.  Of  this  corporation 
Harlan  Lee  Caldwell,  a  civil  engineer,  is  presi- 
dent. Mr.  Caldwell,  prominent  in  the  con- 
struction and  industrial  fields,  is  also  a  man 
with  a  reputation  in  civic,  organizational  and 
educational  affairs,  and  in  the  Congregational 
Church. 

Born  on  March  16,  1886,  in  Minnehaha 
County,  South  Dakota,  Mr.  Caldwell  is  the  son 
of  George  and  Mary  (Draper)  Caldwell.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Hartford,  Indiana,  and  a 
Civil  War  veteran,  traveled  to  South  Dakota 
in  a  covered  wagon  in  18  72  and  homesteaded. 
He  became  a  successful  and  influential  farm- 
er. The  mother,  a  native  of  Cambridge,  Illi- 
nois was  the  daughter  of  Clinton  and  Har- 
riet (Vertner)  Draper.  Harlan  Lee  Caldwell 
attended  the  University  of  Minnesota,  at  Min- 
neapolis, in  the  summers  of  1908  and  1909 
and  from  1908  to  1911  he  was  a  regularly- 
enrolled  student  at  the  University  of  South 
Dakota,  at  Vermillion.  He  was  elected  to 
Sigma  Alpha  Epsilon  and  Sigma  Tau  Fra- 
ternities. Since  completing  his  education  Mr. 
Caldwell  has  been  in  the  engineering  and  con- 
struction business.  He  operated  his  present 
enterprise  as  an  individual  from  1912  to 
1948.  In  July,  1948,  the  Caldwell,  Engineer- 
ing Company  was  incorporated,  with  Mr. 
Caldwell  as  president. 

On  June  24,  1913,  at  Vermillion,  South 
Dakota,  Mr.  Caldwell  married  Vera  Kahl,  the 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Stella  Kahl.  They  are 
the  parents  of  two  sons  and  two  daughters — 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


895 


Robert  H.  Caldwell;  Donald  L.  Caldwell,  who 
married  Anne  Grover;  Margaret,  the  wife  of 
T.  R.  Coleman;  and  Betty,  the  wife  of  Jack 
Mathews  and  mother  of  Constance  .Lee 
Mathews.  Like  her  husband  Mrs.  Caldwell  is 
prominently  identified  with  important  activi- 
ties in  Jacksonville.  She  is  active  in  the  P. 
E.  O.  Sisterhood,  various  women's  clubs,  the 
Fortnightly,  Monday  Conservation  Club,  and 
ihe  Jacksonville  Country  Club.  The  family 
home  is  at  255  North  Webster  Avenue,  Jack- 
sonville, and  the  family  worships  in  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cald- 
well are  active  in  this  church.  Mr.  Caldwell, 
a  member  of  the  church's  board  of  trus- 
tees, is  past  chairman  of  the  prudential  com- 
mittee and  present  chairman  of  the  building 
committee,  is  property  custodian  and  hospital 
representative  of  the  church  and  member  of 
the  Board  of  Governors  of  the  Memorial  Hos- 
pital. 

In  the  community  at  large  Mr.  Caldwell  has 
served  on  the  school  board  15  years,  1920 
to  1935;  is  past  exalted  ruler  of  the  Jackson- 
ville Lodge,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  and  is  vice  president  of  the  Jackson- 
ville Community  Chest  and  chairman  of  the 
Council  of  Social  Agencies.  Formerly  presi- 
dent of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Jacksonville,  he 
was  an  official  delegate  to  the  Rotary  Inter- 
national convention  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil, 
in  1948.  Has  been  interested  in  Boy  Scout 
work  many  years  and  is  past  Chairman  of  the 
Honest  Abe  District  of  Boy  Scouts  of  America, 
and  is  presently  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Board  Abraham  Lincoln  Council  Boy  Scouts 
of  America  and  in  1948  was  awarded  the 
National  Silver  Beaver  Award,  the  highest 
honor  in  scouting.  Golf  and  hunting  are  his 
favorite  sports.  Mr.  Caldwell,  five  feet  eleven 
inches  tall  and  weighing  175  pounds,  is  de- 
scribed as  of  jovial  disposition.  His  business 
address  is  803  West  College  Avenue,  Jackson- 
ville. He  is  one  of  Morgan  County's  most 
influential  citizens,  as  well  as  one  of  its  more 
popular  personalities. 

EDWARD  H.  MEYER 

On  the  outskirts  of  Mount  Vernon,  in  Jef- 
ferson County,  stands  a  modern  establishment, 
operated  with  the  most  up-to-date  equipment 
and  rendering  tremendous  service  to  Southern 
Illinois  and  a  large  part  of  Kentucky — the  Ed. 
Meyer  Tractor  Company.  Founded  and  operat- 
ed by  Edward  H.  Meyer,  a  native  of  the  area, 
this  company  sells  road  machinery  and  con- 
struction equipment.  Mr.  Meyer,  renowned  in 


the  area,  is  active  in  the  county  and  city's  civic 
affairs. 

He  was  born  at  St.  Jacob,  Madison  Coun- 
ty, on  October  20,  1899,  the  son  of  Hugo 
Meyer,  a  livestock  dealer,  and  Louisa  (Adler) 
Meyer,  both  of  whom  were  also  born  in  that 
community.  The  father  died  in  1945.  Ed 
Meyer's  paternal  grandfather  was  Conrad 
Meyer,  who  lived  most  of  his  life  in  St.  Louis. 
Ed  Meyer  was  educated  in  St.  Jacob's  public 
schools.  When  he  completed  his  education 
he  went  to  work  on  his  father's  farm  in  Mad- 
ison County.  Then,  for  awhile,  he  worked 
for  the  Brooks  Tomato  Products  Company 
at  Collinsville,  in  charge  of  field  production. 
Afterward  he  was  with  the  G.  S.  Suppiger 
Company  of  Belleville  as  supervisor  of  field 
work  and  salesman.  From  this  work  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Scientific  Tablet  Company, 
also  of  Belleville,  a  subsidiary  of  the  Suppi- 
ger Company,  as  special  salesman.  In  1928, 
he  left  this  concern  to  sell  milking  machines 
and  other  farm  equipment  for  the  Babson 
Brothers  of  Chicago.  From  1933  to  1945  he 
was  in  the  sales  department  of  the  Allis-Chal- 
mers  company's  tractor  division.  During  the 
war  years  Mr.  Meyer  was  expeditor  for  Allis- 
Chalmers  Manufacturing  Co.  Then,  in  1946, 
Mr.  Meyer  established  the  Ed.  Meyer  Tractor 
Company,  with  plant  on  the  Salem  Road,  at 
Stanley  Avenue,  just  north  of  the  Mount 
Vernon  city  limits.  The  building  is  sixty  by 
one  hundred  forty.  His  firm  represents  six- 
teen leading  manufacturers  of  construction 
equipment.  He  is  represented  on  the  road 
by  six  salesmen.  Operating  with  a  stream- 
lined organization,  Mr.  Meyer  has  an  office 
manager,  shop  foreman,  service  manager, 
sales  manager,  credit  manager  and  parts  de- 
partment. The  repair  shop  has  space  of  sixty 
by  seventy  feet,  with  ten  expert  mechanics 
working  full  time,  five  of  them  in  the  shop 
itself  and  the  other  six  on  the  road  with  the 
company's  six  service  trucks.  There  are  $50,- 
000  worth  of  parts  in  the  parts  department. 
One  of  Mr.  Meyer's  customers  is  his  only 
brother,  Fred,  who  owns  an  eighty-acre  farm 
in  Madison  County.  Mr.  Meyer  is  a  member 
of  the  Associate  Equipment  Distributors,  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  the  Mount  Vernon  Lodge 
of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  the  Mount  Vernon  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  He  is  considered  one  of  the  more 
aggressive  and  far-seeing  leaders  in  the  com- 
munity. 


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LIBHARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


EDWARD  H.  MEYER 


HARRY  JOHN  SCHMOEGER 


HARRY  JOHN  SCHMOEGER 

President  of  the  Peoria  Builders  Supply 
Company,  with  headquarters  at  1412-14  South 
Washington  Street,  Peoria,  Harry  John 
Schmoeger  is  a  familiar  figure  in  construc- 
tion operations  in  the  area.  He  not  only  leads 
this  firm  but  is  president  of  the  J.  C.  Proc- 
tor Lumber  Company  and  the  Peoria  Ready- 
Mixed  Concrete  Company  and  was  a  pioneer 
in  the  ready-mixed  concrete  field.  His  firms 
play  an  important  part  in  the  growth  of  the 
region. 

Mr.  Schmoeger  was  born  in  Sterling, 
Whiteside  County,  Illinois,  on  September  19, 
1883,  the  son  of  Sebastian  A.  and  Katherine 
(Salzman)  Schmoeger,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Germany.  His  father,  who  died 
m  1937,  was  a  butcher,  farmer,  banker  and 
stockman.  The  mother  died  in  1939.  Harry 
Schmoeger  first  attended  the  elementary  and 
high  schools  of  Sterling.  He  then  attended 
the  Pennsylvania  Military  College  and  the 
University  of  Wisconsin  at  Madison.  For  sev- 
en years  after  leaving  school  he  worked  in 
the  sales  department  of  the  United  States 
Gypsum  Company.  In  1911  Mr.  Schmoeger 
moved  to  Peoria,  where  he  bought  out  the 
branch  of  the  United  States  Gypsum  Com- 
pany, in  association  with  a  partner.  The  name 
of  the  company  was  then  changed  to  Peoria 
Builders  Supply  Company,  and  until  1931  Mr. 
Schmoeger  was  vice-president  and  manager-. 
In  1931,  he  was  made  president,  and  since 
then  he  has  continued  to  occupy  that  office. 
The  firm  carries  a  general  stock  of  building 
supplies,  hardware,  mason  supplies  and  sim- 
ilar items.  It  covers  the  Peoria  trade  terri- 
tory and  employs  forty  persons.  The  Proctor 
Lumber  Company  is  the  oldest  firm  in  its 
field  in  Peoria,  having  been  established  in 
1845.  Mr.  Schmoeger's  other  Company,  the 
Ready-Mixed  Concrete,  is  the  oldest  or  one 
of  the  oldest  in  its  field. 

Mr.  Schmoeger  married  Irene  Louise  Craw- 
ford of  Sterling  on  May  12,  1912.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Elmer  E.  Crawford,  also  a 
native  of  Sterling,  and  Jennie  (Burdick) 
Crawford,  who  was  born  in  Chicago  and  died 
in  1943.  Mr.  Crawford,  who  died  in  1941,  was 
a  utilities  executive.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schmoe- 
ger are  the  parents  of  three  children — Kath- 
erine, born  in  1914,  now  the  wife  of  Joseph 
E.  Cook;  Ann,  born  in  1916,  now  Mrs.  Oli- 
ver E.  Day,  Jr.,  and  mother  of  Barbara  Day, 
born  in  1946;  and  Barbara,  born  in  1917, 
now  Mrs.  Bert  Wheeler,  Jr.,  and  mother  of 
Mark  Wheeler,  born  in  1947.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harry  J.  Schmoeger  reside  at  Ankabar  Acres, 


Washington,  in  Tazewell  County.  Mr.  Schmoe- 
ger worships  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  his  wife 
in  the  Presbyterian. 

Ankabar  Acres,  the  Schmoeger  home,  is  a 
thousand-acre  farm  operated  by  Mr.  Schmoe- 
ger. It  is  devoted  to  general  farming.  An- 
other of  Mr.  Schmoeger's  activities  in  the 
rural  world  is  the  operation  of  one  of  the 
major  Standard  Bred  horse  farms  of  the  na- 
tion. Horses  are  his  hobby  and  he  has  owned 
world  champions  Ankabar,  Promoter,  Eddie 
Havens  and  Mclwin.  Horses  from  Ankabar 
Acres  Farms  are  winners  and  contenders  at 
the  nation's  leading  raceways  and  state  and 
county  fairs.  Twenty-five  colts  are  sold  an- 
nually from  Ankabar  Acres.  Mr.  Schmoeger 
is  a  popular  figure  among  horsemen  and 
sportsmen  in  general.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Materials  Dealers  Association,  the  Peoria  As- 
sociation of  Commerce,  the  Creve  Coeur  Club, 
the  Masonic  order  and  Phi  Kappa  Psi  Fra- 
ternity. He  has  contributed  to  progress  and 
welfare  at  Peoria  and  is  one  of  that  city's 
eminent  citizens. 

CHESTER  R.  DAVIS,  LL.D. 

Possessor  of  a  national  reputation  as  a 
banker  and  trust  officer,  Chester  R.  Davis  is 
senior  vice  president  and  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Chicago  Title  and 
Trust  Company.  He  has  held  positions  of 
great  responsibility  and  influence  in  banking 
and  fiduciary  organizations  and  is  one  of  the 
leading  figures  in  regional  planning  and  con- 
servation in  Cook  County,  and  is  also  noted  in 
educational   work. 

Born  at  Saint  Charles,  Kane  County,  on 
February  2  7,  1896,  Chester  R.  Davis  is  the 
son  of  the  late  Perry  H.  Davis  and  Lydia 
(Buhl)  Davis.  His  father  was  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Moline  Malleable  Iron  Com- 
pany which  he  moved  from  Moline  to  Saint 
Charles;  he  was  the  son  of  the  late  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  Elrick  Davis.  Chester  Davis 
took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  at  Lake 
Forest  College  in  1917  and  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
in  1922.  He  was  elected  to  such  fraternities 
as  Alpha  Delta  Phi,  social;  Phi  Delta  Phi, 
legal;  Phi  Pi  Epsilon,  social,  and  Scabbard 
and    Blade,    honorary    military. 

Mr.  Davis  began  his  career  in  the  trust  de- 
partment of  the  Chicago  Title  and  Trust  Com- 
pany in  192  2.  Two  years  later  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  assistant  trust  officer,  a  post  he 
held  until  1936.  In  1932  Mr.  Davis  was  elec- 
ted a  vice  president  and  in  1936  he  was  made 
vice  president  and  trust  officer.    From  these 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


901 


posts  he  rose  to  senior  vice  president  in 
November,  194  7,  having  been  elected  to  the 
board   of   directors   in    1938. 

Mr.  Davis  married  Mead  Scoville,  daughter 
of  George  F.  and  Valina  Mead  Scoville,  in  the 
Fourth  Presbyterian  Church,  Chicago,  on  Oc- 
tober 12,  1929.  They  have  three  children — 
Chester  R.  Davis,  Jr.,  Richard  Scoville  Davis 
and  Jean  Kathleen  Davis.  The  family  makes 
its   home  at   Wayne,   on   Oakenwald   Farm. 

Mr.  Davis  has  an  outstanding  position  in 
the  banking  world.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
American  Bankers  Association  executive 
council  from  1947  to  1948,  was  chairman  of 
the  organization's  committee  on  service  for 
war  veterans  from  1944  to  1947  and  was  a 
member  of  its  executive  committee  in  the 
trust  division  from  1943  to  1947.  In  1938 
and  again  in  1943  he  was  president  of  the 
Corporate  Fiduciaries  Association.  Outside 
the  banking  business,  he  is  a  director  of  such 
firms  as  Kramer  Opticians,  Inc.,  Chicago 
Gravel  Company,  Zeigler  Coal  Company,  Crib- 
ben  and  Sexton  Company,  DuPage  Title  Com- 
pany and  Kane  County  Title  Company.  In  the 
field  of  education  and  welfare,  he  has  been 
active  with  the  Morrison  Old  Peoples  Home, 
the  Shriners  Hospitals  for  Crippled  Children, 
been  a  trustee  of  the  University  of  Illinois 
(194  0-49),  Lake  Forest  College  and  Hektoen 
Institute  for  Medical  Research,  been  an  as- 
sociate of  Northwestern  University  and  a 
member  of  the  Citizens  Board  of  the  Univers- 
ity of  Chicago.  Also,  himself  a  veteran  of 
World  War  I,  Mr.  Davis  has  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  advisory  committee,  Department 
of  Public  Welfare,  by  appointment  of  Gov- 
ernor Emmerson,  handling  veterans  problems, 
particularly  the  distribution  of  unclaimed 
funds  under  World  War  I  bonus  legislation. 
In  1929-30,  he  was  chairman  of  the  rehabili- 
tation committee,  American  Legion,  Depart- 
ment of  Illinois.  In  World  War  I,  he  was  Cap- 
tain of  Company  K,  320th  Infantry,  80th 
division,  American  Expeditionary  Force,  and 
wounded  in  action  in  France,  was  decorated 
with  the  Order  of  the  Purple  Heart.  In  the 
World  War  II  period  (1940-47)  Mr.  Davis 
was  a  Brigadier  General,  commanding  the 
First  Brigade,  Illinois  Reserve  Militia.  He  is 
now  Major  General,  Retired.  For  his  many 
contributions  to  life  in  America,  Mr.  Davis 
received  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws  from  Lake  Forest  College  in  19  49.  His 
clubs  include  Legal  (president  in  1944);  Ex- 
ecutives (director  in  1949-51);  University, 
Mid-Day,  Economic,  Commercial.,  Army  and 
Navy,  Sky  Line,  Law,  Rehearsal,  St.  Charles 


Country,  Dunham  Woods  Riding.  He  is  a 
Mason  and  Shriner.  His  honorary  degree  is 
but  one  of  the  many  forms  of  recognition  of 
his  contribution. 

HON.  J.  WES.  GENTRY 

The  Mayor  of  Carterville  is  a  public-spirited 
citizen  well  known  in  the  Southern  Illinois 
coal  mine  industry — the  Honorable  J.  Wes. 
Gentry-  He  is  owner  of  the  Pure  Coal  Com- 
pany and  president  of  the  No.  6  Coal  Com- 
pany, Inc.  Mayor  Gentry  is  also  noted  for 
his  work  on  behalf  of  welfare  and  boys  and 
for  his  devotion  to  the  development  of  the 
entire  Southern  Illinois  region. 

Born  in  Carterville  on  June  15,  1916,  Mr. 
Gentry  is  the  son  of  Edward  and  Jennie  (Cole- 
man) Gentry.  Both  the  parents  were  also 
born  in  Illinois.  They  are  now  divorced.  Ed- 
ward Gentry,  a  coal  mine  operator,  is  the 
son  of  the  late  Thomas  J.  Gentry,  who  was 
one  of  Illinois'  Republican  leaders.  The  Mayor 
of  Carterville  was  educated  in  the  elemen- 
tary and  high  schools  of  that  city,  graduating 
from  high  school  in  1934.  He  completed  his 
more  formal  education  at  Southern  Illinois 
University  in  Carbondale,  where  he  partici- 
pated in  the  staging  of  school  plays  and  was 
cheer  leader  at  rallies  and  athletic  events.  He 
supplemented  his  education  with  correspon- 
dence courses  in  engineering  and  mining. 

While  attending  school  Mr.  Gentry  operated 
a  newspaper  agency  in  Carterville,  working 
in  coal  mines  on  weekends.  In  19  43,  he,  his 
father  and  brother  bought  a  small  mine, 
which  was  operated  under  the  name  of  t lie 
Gentry  Coal  Company.  The  father  and  bro- 
ther later  withdrew  from  this  business,  and 
J.  Wes.  Gentry  became  its  owner.  Subse- 
quently, also  he  assumed  the  presidency  of 
the  No.   6   Coal.  Company,   Inc. 

Mr.  Gentry  married  Nelle  Mae  Boren,  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  D.  Boren 
of  Carterville,  in  that  city  on  April  3,  1938. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gentry  are  the  parents  of  throe 
children — Lynn  Carol,  Jennifer  and  Joan.  The 
latter  two  are  twins.  Mr.  Gentry  himself 
comes  of  a  family  of  four  children,  among 
whom  he  was  born  second.  The  others  are 
James,  William  and  Genevieve  Gentry.  The 
Gentry  family  worships  in  the  Second  Bapiisi 
Church  of  Carterville.  Mr.  Gentry  is  a  devout 
Christian  and  aside  from  being  active  in  liis 
church  lives  in  accordance  with  strict  Christian 
principles. 

His  devotion  to  the  public  welfare  brought 
him  election  as  Carterville's  Mayor.  Also,  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Carterville  High  School 
Board  and,  a  sponsor  of  the  Boy  Scout  move- 


902 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


HON.  J.  WES.  GENTRY 


This  Space  Reserved  for  the  Portrait 
of  Edgar  Monroe  Stephens,  Jr. 


ment,  serves  as  member-at-large  on  the  Egyp- 
tian District  Committee,  Boy  Scouts  of  Ameri- 
ca. He  is  president  of  the  Carterville  High 
School  Alumni  Association  and  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Greater  Egyptian 
Association.  In  addition,  he  belongs  to  the 
Southern  Ilinois,  Inc.,  the  Lions  Club  of 
Carterville,  the  Carterville  Lodges  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Fra- 
ternal Order  of  Eagles.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  Hunting  and  fishing  are  his 
favorite  recreations,  and  related  to  these  are 
two  of  his  hobbies — bird  dogs  and  guns.  He 
is  president-elect  of  the  Crab  Orchard  Sports- 
men's Association  and  a  member  of  the  Illi- 
nois Federation  of  Sportsmen's  Clubs  of 
which  he  is  presently  director  for  the  south- 
ern zone.  Another  major  interest  is  classical 
music,  especially  grand  opera,  and  he  owns 
eight  hundred  of  the  best  recordings  for  his 
radio-phonograph  combination.  He  has  long 
served  his  community  and  region  in  a  manner 
to  make  him  one  of  the  most  popular  figures 
there. 

EDGAR  MONROE  STEPHENS,  JR. 

Not  only  in  Illinois  but  also  in  Kentucky 
and  Missouri  the  name  of  Stephens  has  been 
associated  for  three  generations  with  high 
quality  contracting  work  and  major  construc- 
tion projects.  Though  as  a  firm  the  big  con- 
struction organization  bearing  this  name, 
Edgar  Stephens  and  Sons,  Inc.,  of  Cairo,  bar- 
kens back  only  to  1906,  when  it  was  taken 
into  the  general  field  by  the  father  of  Edgar 
Monroe  Stephens,  Jr.,  its  antecedents  are  far- 
ther back — to  the  days  when  the  latter's 
mandfn ther  operated  as  a  masonry  and  con- 
crete contractor.  Like  the  earlier  men  of  the 
family,  Edgar  Monroe  Stephens,  Jr.,  now  the 
head  of  the  business,  takes  a  leading  part  in 
civic  movements,  and  is  a  highly  honored 
citizen  of  the  community. 

He  was  born  in  Cairo  on  December  3,  1917. 
His  father,  Edgar  Monroe  Stephens,  was  a 
native  of  Mayfield,  Kentucky.  The  senior  E. 
M.  Stephens  was  one  of  Cairo's  most  promi- 
nent citizens.  He  was  active  in  Rotary  and 
Masonry,  and  served  on  the  board  of  educa- 
tion for  twenty-five  years.  James  M.  Stephens, 
who  called  the  masonry  and  concrete  con- 
tracting business  "J.  M.  Stephens  and  Son, 
Masonry  and  Concrete,"  was  also  prominent 
in  the  community.  The  mother  of  Edgar  M. 
Stephens,  Jr.,  is  the  former  Iva  Mae  Bateman, 
a  native  of  DeSoto,  Illinois.  She  is  active  in 
the  city's  affairs  and  in  the  Women's  Club 
and  in  the  First  Methodist  Church. 


Mr.  Stephens  was  graduated  from  the  Cairo 
High  School  in  1935.  In  1937,  1938  and  1939 
he  attended  the  University  of  Illinois,  where 
lie  was  elected  to  Phi  Delta  Theta  Fraternity. 
He  left  school  in  1939  to  manage  his  father's 
business,  which  had,  in  1906,  been  named 
Edgar  Stephens  and  Sons.  The  other  sons 
were  Eugene  and  Russell  Stephens.  E.  M. 
Stephens,  Jr.,  is  now  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  business,  which  has  a  branch 
at  Carbondale.  The  firm  does  a  general  con- 
tracting operation,  but  specializes  in  com- 
mercial and  industrial  construction.  Mr. 
Stephens  owns  and  operates  the  Stephens 
Ready-Mixed  Concrete  Company  of  Cairo. 
Both  the  companies  operate  in  Illinois,  Ken- 
tucky and  Missouri.  By  late  1949  the  con- 
struction firm  had  built  twelve  school  edifices. 
Extent  of  recent  operations  include;  Tele- 
phone buildings  at  Carmi  and  Fairfield,  Illi- 
nois; Physical  and  Vocational  Building,  Har- 
risburg,  111.,  Lincoln  Junior  High  School  and 
Springmore  Grade  School  at  Carbondale,  111., 
Clinic  and  hospital  at  Carbondale,  111..,  Wash- 
ington Junior  High  School,  Cairo  Junior  High 
school  and  an  addition  to  Sumner  High  School 
at  Cairo,  Illinois.  St.  Mary's  Nurses  Home, 
Cairo,  111.,  Reiss  Dairy  at  Sikeston,  Mo.,  Coca- 
Cola  bottling  plant,  Sikeston,  Mo.,  Sections 
No.  1  and  No.  2  of  the  Ohio  River  flood  wall 
improvements,  Cairo,  111.,  R.E.A.  Office  build- 
ing, Donzola,  Illinois  and  Rodgers  Theatre  at 
Popular  Bluff,  Mo.,  opened  in  May,  1949,  one 
of  the  chain  owned  by  I.  Walter  Rodgers  of 
Cairo,  whose  life  story  is  also  told  in  this  his- 
tory of  Illinois. 

Edgar  M.  Stephens,  Jr.,  married  Virginia 
Shelton,  in  Cairo  on  January  1,  1941.  Mrs. 
Stephens  was  reared  by  an  uncle  and  aunt, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  E.  Dunn,  in  Cairo.  Her 
uncle  at  one  time  owned  the  Hotel  Cairo.  She 
is  active  in  the  First  Methodist  Church  and  ?s 
past  president  of  the  Junior  Women's  Club. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephens  are  the  parents  of 
Ronald  Bruce  Stephens,  who  was  born  on 
January  14,  1943. 

Mr.  Stephens  is  a  director  of  the  Junior  As- 
sociation ot  Commerce  of  Cairo  and  is  active 
in  the  Association  of  General  Contractors  of 
America,  the  Egyptian  Country  Club  of  Cairo 
and  the  Masonic  order.  In  Masonry,  he  be- 
longs to  the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish 
Rite  and  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  as  well  as  other  bodies. 
His  construction  work  and  community  activi- 
ties enable  him  to  do  his  share  in  the  build- 
ing of  Southern  Illinois. 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


907 


RICHARD  ANTHONY  DOOLEY 

"Peoria's  factories  are  nationally  famous 
for  modern  mass  production  and  precision 
standards."  So  says  a  statement  of  the  As- 
sociation of  Commerce  of  Illinois'  second 
city,  famed  for  its  live  and  prosperous  spirit. 
Among  the  plants  which  have  helped  give 
the  city  its  reputation  is  that  operated  by 
Dooley  Brothers,  Inc.,  at  1201  South  Wash- 
ington Street,  of  which  Richard  Anthony 
Dooley  is  president.  This  firm  not  only  manu- 
factures electric  cold  drills  but  is  also  the 
agent  for  the  explosives  produced  by  E.  I. 
duPont  de  Nemours  and  Company.  Mr.  Dooley 
is  not  only  one  of  Peoria's  leading  citizens 
but  is  also  a  leading  figure  among  lay  Ca- 
tholics and  industrialists.  James  B.  Dooley, 
grandfather  of  Richard  A.  Dooley,  was  one 
of  Peoria's  most  highly  respected  citizens  and 
was  well  known  in  business  circles,  being  not 
only  an  extensive  dealer  in  coal,  but  also  the 
manufacturer  of  a  line  of  coal  drills  which 
were  in  demand  throughout  the  coal  indus- 
try, both  domestic  and  foreign.  He  was  born 
at  Albion  Mines,  Pictou  county,  Nova  Scotia 
on  June  21,  18  54  and  was  the  son  of  Ed- 
ward and  Joanna  (Bradshaw)  Dooley.  He 
was  of  the  third  generation  of  his  family  in 
this  country,  his  paternal  grandfather,  James 
Dooley,  having  been  born  in  County  Wexford, 
Ireland,  whence  he  came  to  America  in  Young 
manhood. 

James  B.  Dooley  received  a  very  limited 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Nova  Scotia, 
for  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  he  went  to  work 
in  the  mines.  In  1881  he  came  to  Peoria  to 
work  in  the  mines  and  in  188  4,  in  associa- 
tion with  others,  started  a  cooperative  mine 
below  Bartonville.  In  1913  Dooley  Bros,  pur- 
chased the  business  of  Wantling  Brothers, 
makers  of  coal,    drills. 

On  February  8,  18  84,  Mr.  Dooley  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  to  Miss  Fredericka  Schultz,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  a  son  Edward  J.  Dooley,  who  was 
born  on  September  11,  1885.  He  married 
Miss  Catherine  O'Gorman,  who  was  born  in 
Peoria,  on  July  30,  1883.  To  this  union  were 
born  eleven  children,  namely,  Emma,  Mil- 
dred, James  Eileen,  Mary,  Rita,  Lucille, 
Richard,  Edward,  Fredericka,  and  Eugene. 
Edward  J.  Dooley  was  made  Secretary  of 
Dooley  Bros.  December  2  0,  1917  and  was  an 
officer  in  this  capacity  until  his  death,  May 
13,   1929. 

Richard     Anthony     Dooley     was     born     in 


<)08 


Peoria  on  June  16,  1922,  the  son  of  Edward 
J.  and  Catherine  L.  (O'Gorman)  Dooley,  both 
also  natives  of  that  city.  He  was  educated 
in  the  primary  and  high  schools  of  Peoria, 
and  at  Brown's  Business  College,  Peoria, 
where  for  sixteen  months  he  studied  busi- 
ness administration.  In  1941  Mr.  Dooley 
went  to  work  for  the  family  company  and  be- 
gan learning  the  business.  It  was  not  many 
months  later  that  the  Japanese  made  their 
"sneak  attack"  at  Pearl  Harbor  and  plunged 
the  United  States  directly  into  World  War  II. 
Mr.  Dooley  took  a  military  leave  from  the 
plant  and  went  into  the  United  States  Army 
Air  Force.  He  served  in  the  Asiatic  and 
Pacific  Theaters  of  War,  attaining  the  rank 
of  Sergeant.  Separated  from  the  service  in 
December,  1945,  he  returned  to  Dooley 
Brothers  in  1946  and  was  elected  to  his  present 
post  of  president.  He  has  done  much  to  ex- 
tend the  company's  business  and  prestige  and 
supervises  a  personnel  of  forty-nine.  The  elec- 
tric cold  drills  produced  by  the  company  are 
sold  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Dooley,  who  is  unmarried,  is  active  in 
the  Peoria  Association  of  Commerce,  the  Illi- 
nois State  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  of  the  United  States,  the 
Peoria  Association  of  Credit  Men,  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  the  Te  Deum  Institute  and  the 
Creve  Coeur  Club.  Photography  is  his  hobby. 
He  makes  his  home  at  812  Stratford  Drive, 
Peoria.  Carrying  on  traditions  made  famous 
by  his  grandfather,  and  other  members  of 
his  family,  Richard  Anthony  Dooley  is  mak- 
ing an  outstanding  contribution  as  indus- 
trialist,  citizen  and  churchman. 

HON.  SAMUEL  THOMPSON  BUSEY 

One-time  Mayor  of  Urbana,  one-time  mem- 
ber of  the  United  States  Congress  represent- 
ing Champaign  and  adjoining  counties,  Civil 
War  veteran,  banker,  friend  of  the  farmer 
and  farmer  himself,  sportsman — Such  wis 
the  record  of  the  late  Samuel  Thompson 
Busey,  whose  service  to  his  fellow  citizens 
of  Illinois  contributed  so  highly  to  the  devel- 
opment and  welfare  of  the  State. 

Born  at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  on  November 
16,  1835,  Mr.  Busey  was  the  son  of  Matthew 
Wales  Busey,  a  farmer,  and  Elizabeth  (Bush) 
Busey,  who  was  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  Bush  of  Washington  County,  Indiana. 
The  future  statesman  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  in  a  seminary  located  in 
Urbana   in  the  early  days. 

Mr.  Busey  became  a  merchant,  in  partner- 
ship with  a  friend,  in  tha  days  preceding  the 

LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


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Civil  War.  Also,  he  farmed,  and  this  interest, 
dating  from  the  time  of  his  birth,  remained 
with  him  to  the  end  of  his  life.  On  August 
2  2,  1862,  he  took  a  military  leave  from  all 
his  civilian  activities  to  be  mustered  into  the 
Seventy-sixth  Infantry,  in  which  he  was  com- 
missioned a  Lieutenant-Colonel.  The  follow- 
ing February  he  was  promoted  to  Colonel  in 
command  of  the  regiment.  This  rank  he  re- 
tained until  the  end  of  the  war,  at  which 
time  he  was  breveted  Brigadier-General,  in 
recognition  of  his  gallantry  at  Fort  Blakeley. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  out  on  August  4, 
1865. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Busey  continued  his 
farming  and  Mercantile  activities.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1868,  he  and  his  brother,  S.  H.  Busey 
and  a  Mr.  Earhart  launched  Busey's  Bank  in 
Urbana.  In  the  following  years  Samuel  Busey 
established  his  reputation  as  an  earnest,  hard- 
working civic  leader  and  in  18  8  0  the  citizens 
of  the  city  harnessed  his  interest  and  ener- 
gies officially  by  naming  him  Mayor.  He 
served  until  1889.  In  1891,  he  was  elected  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  to  the  United  States 
Congress  and  he  served  for  one  term,  18  92-4. 
At  the  time  of  his  election  as  a  Representa- 
tive, he  severed  active  relations  with  the 
bank,  though  he  kept  a  desk  in  the  execu- 
tive's section,  where  he  advised  his  numerous 
friends  and  carried  on  his  farming  interests. 
He  had  about  1400  acres.  Toward  the  end  of 
his  life  he  laid  out  Woodlawn  Cemetery  in 
Urbana.  Though  he  did  not  belong  to  any 
church,  Mr.  Busey  was  a  deeply  religious  man 
who  found  God  in  his  service  to  his  fellow 
man.  He  sang  in  the  choir  of  the  First  Meth- 
odist Church  of  Urbana.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order. 

Mr.  Busey  was  a  Democrat  through  most  of 
his  career,  the  first  man  to  defeat  the  famed 
and  almost  indomitable  Joe  Cannon.  But 
later  in  his  career  he  was  unable  to  agree 
with  Bryan  on  the  free  silver  issue  and  broke 
away  from  the  Democratic  Party  to  vote  Re- 
publican. He  was  fond  of  horses  and  not  only 
ode  them  but  kept  a  team  to  drive.  He  also 
liked  outdoor  games  and  fishing.  It  was  fish- 
ing that  brought  about  his  death.  August, 
1909,  when  he  drowned  at  Mantrap  Lake,  Min- 
nesota. His  body  was  brought  back  to  Urbana 
and  buried  in  the  family  lot  in  Woodlawn. 

Mr.  Busey  married  Mary  Elizabeth  Bowen, 
the  daughter  of  Abner  T.  and  Catherine  T. 
Bowen,  at  Delphi,  Indiana,  on  December  2  5, 
187  7.  His  wife  was  also  active  in  public  af- 
fairs and  in  1904  was  elected  to  the  Univers- 


ity of  Illinois  board  of  trustees.  She  served 
on  that  body  until  her  death  in  1930.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Busey  were  the  parents  of  three 
children — Marietta,  who  was  married  to  Guy 
Allan  Tawney  on  April  6,  1909.  Her  children 
are  George  Busey  Tawney,  born  July  7,  1912, 
who  died  in  the  military  service  on  June  27, 
19  43,  the  husband  of  Lenore  Gallagher,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Paige  Tawney,  and  Catherine 
Tawney,  born  February  3,  1922,  married  to 
John  Guyon  and  living  in  New  York  City,  the 
mother  of  two  boys;  Bertha  Busey,  who  died 
in  1923;  Charles  Bowen  Busey,  who  was 
killed  in  the  service  in  World  War  I.  He  mar- 
ried Louise  Carter  in  1911  and  one  son  was 
born  to  them:  Charles  B.  Busey,  Jr.,  who, 
married,  and  is  the  father  of  three  children. 
Tall  and  strong,  the  late  Samuel  Thomp- 
son Busey  was  a  familiar  figure  along  the 
streets  of  Urbana.  He  was  known  for  his 
kindness  and  for  the  wisdom  and  efficacy  of 
his  advice.  He  belonged  to  that  group  of  men 
who  gave  their  utmost  to  the  development  of 
their  country. 

GUY  ALLAN  TAWNEY,  M.A.,  Ph.D. 

Two  generations  of  Americans  in  the  East 
and  Middle  West  knew  and  loved  the  late  Dr. 
Guy  Allan  Tawney,  philospher  and  teacher  of 
philosophy,  who  served  on  the  faculties  of 
four  institutions  of  higher  learning,  includ- 
ing the  University  of  Illinois  at  Urbana.  Aside 
from  holding  a  position  of  great  prominence 
in  the  educational  world,  Dr.  Tawney  was  at 
the  time  of  his  death  an  outstanding  figure 
in  the  civic  life  of  Urbana  and  was  an  officer 
in  two  of  its  financial  institutions  and  the 
head  of  the  Woodlawn  Cemetery  Association. 
He  was  also  a  leader  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  active  in  the  work  of  McCormick 
Theological  Seminarj. 

Born  at  Tippecanoe  City,  Ohio,  Dr.  Tawney 
was  the  son  of  the  Reverend  Daniel.  A. 
Tawney,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  Adele 
(Paige)  Tawney  of  Johnston,  Ohio.  He  was 
educated  at  MacAlester  College,  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota;  Wabash  College,  Crawfordsville, 
Indiana;  Princeton  University,  and  Leipzig 
University  in  Germany.  At  Princeton,  where 
he  was  active  in  debating,  he  took  the  de- 
grees of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  Master  of  Arts. 
Lepizig  awarded  him  the  degrees  of  Doctor  of 
Philosophy. 

Dr.  Tawney  then  taught  philosophy  at 
Beloit  College,  Belcit,  Wisconsin;  Columbia 
University  in  New  York  City;  Squire  pro- 
fessor  and    head   of   the   department   at   the 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


911 


University  of  Cincinnati,  and  finally  profes- 
sor at  the  University  of  Illinois. 

On  April  6,  1909,  in  Urbana,  Dr.  Tawney 
married  Marietta  Busey,  the  daughter  of  Gen- 
eral S.  T.  and  Mary  E.  Busey  of  the  Cham- 
paign County  seat.  Mrs  Tawney  died  of  heart 
failure  on  December  31,  1949.  Mrs.  Tawney 
was  one  of  Urbana's  best  known  and  beloved 
women.  She  was  influential  and  popular  in 
Cincinnati.  She  was  actve  in  many  spheres 
of  interest  in  Champaign  County,  especially 
in  the  League  of  Women  Voters.  At  Cincin- 
nati she  served  on  the  City  Charter  Commit- 
tee which  drew  up  one  of  the  model  municipal 
government  structures  of  the  world.  She  took 
her  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  at  Vassar  Col- 
lege in  1899  and  after  a  period  of  graduate 
study  at  the  University  of  Cincinnati  was 
awarded  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Tawney  became  the  parents  of  a  son 
and  two  daughters — George  Busey  Tawney, 
who  married  Lenore  Gallagher  and  died  in 
service  in  World  War  II,  on  June  2  7,  1943; 
Miss  Elizabeth  Paiee  Tawney;  and  Catherine 
Jane,  who  on  October  7,  19  43,  was  married 
to  John  Guyon  and  is  the  mother  of  George 
Denis  Guyon,  born  January  6,  1946,  and  Paul 
Joris  Guyon,  born  June  22,  1948.  Mrs. 
Tawney  made  her  home  at  502  West  Main 
Street,  Urbana,  and  was  active  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

Dr.  Tawney,  who  was  well  known  in  the 
church,  was  a  life  member  of  its  board  of 
elders.  He  also  served  on  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  McCormick  Theological  Seminary.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  board  of  the  Busey  First 
National  Bank  of  Urbana,  treasurer  of  the 
Citizens  Building  and  Loan  Association  of 
Urbana  and  president  of  Woodlawn  Cemetery. 
Also,  served  on  the  board  of  the  University  of 
Illinois  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Rotary  Club  and 
Chamber  of  Comerce  of  Urbana.  His  fratern- 
ity was  Phi  Delta  Theta.  In  politics  he  was 
independent.  His  death  occurred  on  January 
5,  1947,  at  Urbana,  and  he  was  buried  at 
Woodlawn  Cemetery. 

A  man  nearly  six  feet  tall,  Dr.  Tawney  was 
a  modest,  unassuming  individual  who  in- 
spired confidence  with  his  wisdom  and  human 
understanding  and  who  was  especially  loved 
by  his  students. 

I.  WALTER  RODGERS 

"There's  no  business  like  show  business," 
as  the  saying  goes,  and  in  show  business  there 
are    few    individuals    with    more    spectacular 


success  stories  or  popularity  than  I.  Walter 
Rodgers  of  Cairo,  Illinois.  The  string  of  mo- 
tion picture  houses  operated  by  Mr.  Rodgers 
under  the  name  of  Rodgers  Theaters,  Inc., 
stretches  from  the  southeast  corner  of  Ar- 
kansas to  the  northeast  corner  of  Missouri 
and  to  Southern  Illinois,  and  the  policies  un- 
der which  these  theaters  operate  have  made 
Mr.  Rodgers'  name  one  to  conjure  with  in 
that  region. 

Mr.  Rodgers  was  born  in  Neoga,  Cumber- 
land County,  Illinois,  on  April  3,  1875,  the 
son  of  Carson  Porter  and  Martha  (Veatch) 
Rodgers.  His  grandfather,  Isaac  Rodgers,  was 
born  near  Huntsville,  Alabama,  and  came  to 
Illinois  before  the  Civil  War,  where  his  son, 
Carson  Porter  Rodgers,  established  himself 
as  a  general  merchant  at  Farmington  and 
Janesville.  Isaac  Rodgers,  settled  on  a  Govern- 
ment land  grant  more  than  a  century  ago  near 
Janesville.  Martha  Veatch  Rodgers  came  of  a 
family  which  originated  in  the  area  near  Mam- 
moth Cave,  Kentucky.  Her  grandfather,  when 
sixteen  years  old,  was  with  Washington's  Army 
in  the  Revolution,  and  was  wounded  in  battle 
during  Gates'  Defeat  and  was  captured  by  the 
Pritish. 

Mr.  Rodgers  attended  school  near  Charles- 
ton while  he  worked  on  the  family  farm.  Even 
after  leaving  school,  he  remained  on  the  farm 
awhile.  Then  he  went  to  Mattoon,  where  he 
worked  as  a  clerk  in  the  Big  Four  shops. 
Later  he  was  assistant  secretary  of  the  Mat- 
toon  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  To 
this  day  he  never  touches  coffee,  tobacco  or 
alcohol.  In  1893,  when  he  was  eighteen,  Mr. 
Rodgers  went  into  "show  business,"  having, 
as  he  says,  "been  born  with  show  business  in 
my  blood."  He  bought  a  phonograph,  at  that 
time  one  of  the  great  wonders  of  the  world, 
and  with  it  traveled  the  country  and  ap- 
peared in  lodge  halls,  schools  and  churches, 
sharing  the  profits  with  sponsoring  groups. 
People  came  and  paid  money  to  listen  to  the 
first  "talking  and  music  machine."  When  the 
x-ray  was  invented,  Mr.  Rodgers  bought  one 
of  the  machines  and  exhibited  it  in  the  South, 
where  it  attracted  as  much  attention  as  the 
phonograph.  Mr.  Rodgers  used  his  own  body 
to  demonstrate  the  workings  of  the  machine, 
receiving  25  cents  from  each  customer.  He 
received  one  of  the  first  x-i-ay  burns  in  his- 
tory. In  1896  came  the  motion  picture,  and 
Mr.  Rodgers  was  among  the  first  to  open  a 
"store  show."  or  "nickelodeon,"  this  being  in 
New  Orleans.  Later,  he  had  a  "store  show"  in 
Chattanooga.  Mr.  Rodgers  was  forced  to  buy 
his  films  and  he  more  or  less  prophesied  the 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


I.  WALTER  RODGERS 


HON.  HERMAN  CROVER  WANGEI.IN 


future  of  the  film  industry  when  he  sought, 
in  vain,  to  induce  other  "store  show"  opera- 
tors, also  forced  to  buy  films,  to  establish  a 
film  exchange.  When  business  in  Chattanoo- 
ga dwindled,  Mr.  Rodgers  obtained  a  hydro- 
gen and  oxygen  outfit  to  make  light  for  his 
movie  projector  and  made  another  tour  of  the 
South,  showing  his  pictures  in  towns  where 
there  were  no  electric  light  plants.  Thus  he 
was  able  to  show  again  and  again  the  films 
he  had  bought  in  Chattanooga  but  could  no 
longer  exhibit  there  because  they  had  become 
"old  stuff." 

In  June,  1906,  Mr.  Rodgers  married  Grace 
Sawyer  of  Clarksville,  Tennessee,  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Lyda  (Williamson)  Sawyer. 
Mr.  Rodgers  acquired  a  business  partner  as 
well  as  a  wife,  for  in  later  years  Mrs.  Rodgers 
was  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  building  of 
the  Rodgers  chain  of  theaters.  One  son,  Car- 
son W.  Rodgers,  was  born  to  them  in  Mont- 
gomery, Alabama,  on  July  31,  1907.  He  is 
now  president  and  general  manager  of  Rodg- 
ers Theaters,  Inc.  He  married  Helen  Pease 
of  Poplar  Bluff,  Missouri,  and  is  the  father 
of  Grace  Culp,  Phyllis  Ann  and  Helen  Car- 
son Rodgers. 

At  about  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr. 
Rodgers,  discouraged  over  the  state  of  the 
film  industry,  left  show  business  temporarily 
and  operated  hotels  at  Cleveland  and  Clarks- 
ville, Tennessee,  LaGrange,  Georgia,  and  Ful- 
ton, Kentucky.  Also,  for  a  time,  he  operated 
a  billiard  parlor  in  Tampa,  Florida.  When 
the  film  industry  took  on  a  new  lease  of  life, 
with  the  telling  of  stories — as  Mr.  Rodgers 
had  once  predicted — he  returned  to  the  field. 
He  and  his  wife  purchased  a  theater  at  Jones- 
boro,  Arkansas,  and  in  March,  1914,  took  over 
the  Princess  Theater,  and  closed  it,  and  still 
later  the  Jewel  Theater,  which  they  continue 
to  operate.  Also,  they  acquired  and  closed 
the  Lyceum  Theater  of  Poplar  Bluff.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  Criterion  and  Jewel  in  that  city, 
the  Rodgerses  have  built  a  modern  motion  pic- 
ture palace,  the  Rodgers  ,which  opened  to 
busy  theatergoers  in  May,  1949.  Other  thea- 
ters now  in  the  chain  are  in  Caruthersville, 
.Missouri;  Anna,  Carbondale  and  Cairo,  Illinois, 
and  Blytheville,  Arkansas. 

In  1914,  Mr.  Rodgers  was  one  of  a  trio 
which  organized  the  Motion  Picture  Theater 
Owners  Association  of  Southeast  Missouri 
and  Southern  Illinois,  and  Mr.  Rodgers  was 
the  organization's  first  president.  Since  1921, 
when  he  bought  the  theaters  in  Cairo,  he  has 
made  that  city  the  headquarters  of  the  chain. 
Mr.   Rodgers  is  active   in  The   Committee  of 


100,  an  exclusive  club  at  Miami,  Florida — 
with  about  400  members,  all  multi-million- 
aires and  representing  every  section  of  the 
United  States.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Surf  Club  and  the  LaGorce  Country  Club  of 
Miami  Beach,  the  Rotary  Club  of  Cairo,  the 
Egyptian  Country  Club  of  Cairo,  the  Variety 
Club  of  Miami  Beach,  the  Masonic  Order  and 
its  various  bodies,  such  as  the  Shrine  and  Scot- 
tish Rite,  the  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
Though  in  his  seventies,  Mr.  Rodgers  still 
plays  18  holes  of  golf.  He  owns  a  home  in 
Miami  Beach  as  well  as  in  Cairo.  A  great 
portion  of  the  Middle  West  has  been  stimu- 
lated to  development  and  to  culture  through 
the  activities  of  this  leader  of  show  business 
— I.    Walter   Rodgers. 

HON.  HERMAN  GROVER  WANGELIN 

A  leader  in  many  fields,  the  Honorable 
Herman  Grover  Wangelin  of  Belleville  may 
be  said  to  have  pioneered  in  the  retail  sale 
of  automobiles — not  only  because  he  entered 
the  business  at  an  early  age  in  the  early  part 
of  the  present  century  but  because  he  per- 
suaded, even  before  then,  his  father  to  enter 
that  business.  Today  Mr.  Wangelin  is  an  out- 
standing figure  in  the  industry.  But  he  has 
also  made  a  reputation  for  himself  in  public 
affairs,  in  the  political  world,  in  local  and 
state  chamber  of  commerce  activities  and  in 
the  field  of  education.  He  is  a  former  post- 
master of  Belleville — an  office  held  by  his 
grandfather  in  post-Civil  War  days — and  by 
his  father  under  the  administration  of  Grover 
Cleveland.  Mr.  Wangelin  comes  of  an  illus- 
trious family  closely  identified  with  develop- 
ments in  Illinois.  Boi'n  in  Belleville  on  Au- 
gust 5,  1890,  he  is  the  son  of  Irvin  Hugo 
and  Johanna  (Weber)  Wangelin.  His  father, 
a  native  of  Lebanon,  in  the  same  county,  was 
the  son  of  Colonel  Hugo  Wangelin,  who  came 
to  the  United  States  from  Germany  about 
1848.  The  Colonel,  who  won  his  title  with 
the  Union  forces  in  the  Civil  War,  was  a 
merchant  in  Lebanon.  Later,  he  lived  in  Belle- 
ville, which  he  served  as  Postmaster  by  ap- 
pointment of  Presidents  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
U.  S.  Grant.  Irvin  Hugo  Wangelin  grew  up 
in  Belleville  and  was  also  in  the  mercantile 
business,  though  later  he  switched  to  the  in- 
surance business.  He  was  appointed  postmas- 
ter of  Belleville  by  President  Grover  Cleve- 
land and  served  four  years.  In  1909,  at  the 
request  of  his  son,  Herman,  he  entered  the 
automobile  business  as  a  Buick  dealer.  Jo- 
hanna Weber  Wangelin  was  the  daughter  of 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


917 


Mr.    and   Mrs.    Herman    G.    Weber,   who   also 
came  to   Illinois  from   Germany. 

Herman  Grover  Wangelin  was  educated  in 
Belleville's  public  schools  and  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois,  where  he  spent  three  years. 
On  his  return  home  he  joined  his  father  in 
the  automobile  business.  Their  firm,  Modern 
Automobile  and  Garage  Company,  sold  Buick, 
White,  Steamer  and  Cadillac  cars.  In  1911, 
they  became  the  Ford  dealers.  In  1924,  Her- 
man Wangelin  took  over  the  business  under 
his  own  name  and  in  1936  became  the  Chrys- 
ler-Plymouth dealer,  which  franchise  he  still 
represents.  He  has  been  in  business  on  East 
Main  Street  for  forty  years  (as  of  1950)  and 
owns  considerable  real  estate.  In  1936  he 
was  appointed  Postmaster  of  Belleville  by 
President  Franklin  D.  Roosevelt.  This  office 
he  occupied  until  on  May  1,  1948,  he  resigned 
to  return  to  his  automobile  business. 

In  1914  Mr.  Wangelin  married  Magdalen 
Heidinger  of  Belleville,  daughter  of  Julius 
Heidinger.  Two  sons  were  born  to  them — 
Don  J.,  who  is  in  the  research  department  of 
Pure  Oil  Company  at  Northfield,  who  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Moe  of  Detroit  and  who  is 
father  of  two  children,  Carolyn  and  James 
Wangelin;  and  Jack  J.  The  latter  was  a  B-17 
pilot  in  World  War  II.  He  was  killed  by  flak 
over  Germany  on  his  thirteenth  mission  and 
was  buried  in  England.  Previously  wounded 
and  awarded  the  Purple  Heart,  he  had  been 
restored  to  active  duty. 

A  leader  in  his  field,  Mr.  Wangelin  is  past 
president  of  the  local  and  state  automobile 
associations  and  for  three  years  was  secretary 
of  the  National  Automobile  Dealers  Associa- 
tion and  a  member  of  the  National  Control 
Committee  during  the  NRA.  He  was  first 
president  of  the  Belleville  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  a  director  of  the  Illinois  State 
Chamber.  He  is  also  past  president  of  the 
Rotary  Club  and  for  five  years  was  president 
of  the  Belleville  School  Board.  He  was  pres- 
ident of  the  Illinois  Postmasters  Association 
and  founded  the  Illinois  Postmasters  News, 
which  he  edited  nearly  three  years.  He  is 
vice-president  of  the  First  Mutual  Building 
Association,  an  Elk  and  a  Democrat.  Further- 
more, he  is  one  of  the  state's  valuable  citi- 
zens. 

PHILIP  MILSTER  KIMMEL 

At  Carbondale  the  man  who  runs  the  Yellow 
taxis  and  also  five  city  buses  is — Philip  Mil- 
ster  Kimmel.  He  is  sole  owner  of  the  Yellow 
Taxi    Company   of   Carbondale   and    president 


of  The  City  Bus  Lines,  Inc.  He  is  one  of  the 
leaders  in  community  affairs  and  one  of  the 
better  known  builders  of  Southern  Illinois. 

Mr.  Kimmel  was  born  in  Elkville,  Jackson 
County,  on  February  1,  1902,  the  son  of  Ed- 
ward Everett  ("Red  Ed")  Kimmel,  a  native  of 
this  State  who  became  prominent  as  farmer 
and  banker,  and  Susan  R.  (Milster),  born  in 
Missouri.  A  graduate  of  the  Elkville  High 
School,  Class  of  1926,  Philip  Kimmel  spent 
a  few  months  at  Southern  Illinois  Univer- 
sity in  Carbondale.  He  then  went  to  work 
for  a  coal  company  at  Elkville,  operating  its 
liquid  oxygen  plant.  He  remained  with  the 
company  for  twelve  years  altogether,  and  in 
that  time  also  operated  an  electrical  shovel 
for  the  loading  of  coal.  In  the  Spring  of  1937 
Mr.  Kimmel  went  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil, 
where  he  worked  for  the  Portland  Cement 
Company  for  a  year,  during  which  time  he 
also  operated  a  loading  shovel.  In  1939  he 
returned  to  Carbondale  and  bought  out  the 
Taxi  business  of  the  late  Earl  Throgmorton, 
famed  as  the  founder  and  operator  of  the 
Carbondale  and  Harrisburg  Coach  Lines,  Inc. 
At  that  time  Mr.  Kimmel  took  over  five 
taxis  and  two  public  buses.  Today  he  oper- 
ates seven  cabs — all  radio-controlled — and 
five  buses. 

On  June  3,  1934,  Mr.  Kimmel  married 
Phyllis  Prosser,  the  daughter  of  Everett 
Prosser  of  Carbondale,  and  they  have  become 
the  parents  of  two  children — Everett  Dan, 
born  May  5,  1936,  and  Philip  Michael,  born 
March  21,  1946.  The  family  worships  in  the 
Baptist  Church.  Mrs.  Kimmel  is  also  promi- 
nent in  Carbondale.  She  is  vice-president  of 
the  Carbondale  Women's  Club  and  teaches 
in  the  primary  department  of  the  Baptist 
Church  Sunday  School. 

Mr.  Kimmel,  a  former  president  of  the  Ro- 
tary Club  of  Carbondale,  now  serves  on  the 
organization's  board  of  directors.  He  was 
president  of  the  Business  Men's  Association 
of  Carbondale  for  two  years  and  he  is  now  a 
member  of  the  Carbondale  Grade  School 
Board.  He  is  active  in  Red  Cross  and  Com- 
munity Chest  drives  and  in  such  Masonic 
bodies  as  the  Blue  Lodge,  the  Royal  Arch 
Masons,  the  Knights  Templar  and  Ainad  Tem- 
ple, Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  at  East  St.  Louis.  A  flying 
enthusiast,  he  has  a  Luscombe  plane  of  his  own. 
He  has  flown  for  six  years  and  clocked  off 
500  hours  of  flying  time.  Golf,  his  favorite 
game,  he  plays  at  the  Jackson  Country  Club. 
A  man  of  strong  and  aggressive  but  popular 


918 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


PHILIP  MILSTER  KIMMEL 


PAUL  FURGESON  McROY 


personality,  Mr.  Kimmel  has  made  a  reputa- 
tion as  a  citizen  devoted  to  community  bet- 
terment. 

PAUL  FURGESON  McROY 

As  early  as  his  high  school  days  Paul  Fur- 
geson  McRoy  of  Carbondale  was  a  figure  of 
note  in  Southern  Illinois  and  even  Southeast- 
ern Missouri,  for  he  directed  a  dance  band 
of  his  own  and  traveled  with  it  throughout 
that  region.  Today  he  is  even  better  known, 
for,  after  a  teaching  career  and  service  with 
the  United  States  Navy  in  World  War  II,  he 
is  owner  and  operator  of  Radio  Station  WCIL, 
Carbondale's  only  broadcasting  outlet,  serv- 
ing  a   large    Illinois-Missouri-Kentucky    area. 

Mr.  McRoy  was  born  in  Carbondale  on  June 
25,  1912,  the  son  of  Robert  D.  and  Ann  Eliza- 
beth (Furgeson)  McRoy.  His  father  was  a 
locomotive  engineer.  After  the  death  of  his 
father  in  1939  his  mother  married  John  H. 
Soaring,  a  prominent  Southern  Illinois  law- 
yer. Paul  McRoy  was  graduated  from  high 
school  in  1930.  He  not  only  had  his  own  dance 
band  in  his  high  school  days,  but  was  also 
athletic  editor  of  the  school  paper,  manager 
of  the  cross-country  team,  member  of  the 
school  band  and  orchestra,  president,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  debating  society 
and  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Hi-Y 
Club  and  actor  in  school  plays.  In  1934, 
Southern  Illinois  University,  also  in  Carbon- 
dale, granted  him  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Education.  At  the  university  he  had  been 
president  of  Kappa  Phi  Kappa  and  of  the  ed- 
ucation club,  program  director  of  the  YMCA 
and  member  of  numerous  organizations  as 
well  as  the  staff  of  the  school  paper,  The 
Egyptian.  He  was  a  member  of  the  track 
team,  as  in  high  school,  and  represented  the 
senior  class  on  the  school  council. 

Mr.  McRoy  began  his  career  as  assistant 
principal  and  coach  at  the  Lowell  School  in 
Mound  City  in  1934.  From  1935  to  1937  he 
taught  mathematics  and  was  coach  at  Loves 
Park  Elementary  School  in  Rockford.  In  1939 
he  took  his  degree  of  Master  of  Philosophy 
at  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  For  five  years 
he  was  with  the  Houston,  Texas,  schools.  He 
taught  in  both  junior  and  senior  high  schools 
there,  and  was  director  of  visual  education 
for  the  entire  school  system.  In  1941  he 
served  on  the  faculty  of  the  University  of 
Houston,  teaching  visual  education  on  Satur- 
days and  in  the  summer  session. 

In  January,  1942,  Mr.  McRoy  entered  the 
United  States  Navy,  with  a  commission  as 
Lieutenant  Junior  Grade.   He  emerged  in  Sep- 


tember, 1946,  a  Lieutenant  Commander,  the 
rank  he  holds  in  the  Naval  Reserve  today. 
He  was  in  charge,  during  the  war,  of  the 
training  section  of  the  Sixth  Naval  District, 
with  headquarters  at  Charleston,  South  Car- 
olina. In  the  service  he  became  acquainted 
with  a  man  in  the  radio  business  and  through 
him  became  interested  in  broadcasting.  Upon 
separation  from  the  active  service,  Mr.  Mc- 
Roy returned  to  Carbondale  and  opened  its 
first  and  only  radio  station,  WCIL,  now  em- 
ploying eighteen  persons  and  handling  250 
accounts  in  seventy-one  towns  in  Illinois,  Mis- 
souri and  Kentucky.  The  station  began  broad- 
casting on  November  14,  1946. 

On  June  12,  1937,  Mr.  McRoy  married 
Mary  E.  Helm,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
N.  S.  Helm  of  Benton.  Their  childi^en  are 
Paul  Helm,  born  December  4,  1939,  and  Elea- 
nor Ann,  born  June  22,  1942.  The  family 
worships  in  the  First  Methodist  Church  of 
Carbondale,  in  which  Mr.  McRoy  is  chairman 
of  the  board  of  stewards.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  Holden  Hospital, 
Carbondale,  111.,  president  of  the  Carbondale 
Rotary  Club,  chairman  of  the  Carbondale  In- 
ter-Service Club  Council,  secretary  of  South- 
ern Illinois  Incorporated.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  National  and  Illinois  Associations  of 
Broadcasters,  the  Associated  Press,  the  Elks, 
the  Busines?  Men's  Association,  the  Jackson 
Country  Club,  York  rite  Mason  and  Shriner, 
the  Greater  Egypt  Association,  and  the  Chi- 
cago Radio  Management  Club.  He  is  public- 
ity chairman  of  his  American  Legion  post. 
His  broadcasting  and  civic  work  have  given 
him  great  prestige  in  a  tremendous  area  of 
the  Middle  West. 

HERMAN  H.  WALLACE 

To  Herman  H.  Wallace  of  Carbondale  there 
is  no  field  of  interest,  commercial  or  volun- 
tary, with  value  to  the  community  at  large  in 
which  he  would  refuse  to  be  active.  As  a  con- 
sequence Mr.  Wallace  has  become  known  for 
the  tremendous  contribution  he  is  making 
toward  the  general  welfare.  As  a  business- 
man, he  owns  the  Down-State  Chevrolet  Com- 
pany in  Carbondale  (with  his  son  Orlen  H. 
as  a  par'ner)  and  the  Wallace  Service  Station 
(with  his  son  James  R.  as  manager),  also 
handling  farm  machinery,  heating  equipment 
and  airconditioning  devices.  In  his  voluntary 
activities  as  a  public  spirited  citizen  Mr.  Wal- 
lace is  a  leader  in  Boy  Scout  work — on  a  na- 
tional as  well  as  local  scale — in  community 
education  and  welfare  agency  programs  and 
in  religious  affairs.    And  in  World  War  II  he 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


923 


led  an  extremely  successful  series  of  salvage 
drives. 

Mr.  Wallace  was  born  in  White  County  on 
February  9,  1900,  the  son  of  Robert  P.  and 
Lorena  (Phillips)  Wallace,  and  after  attend- 
ing the  public  schools  of  his  native  county 
became  a  student  at  Southern  Illinois  Uni- 
versity in  Carbondale.  He  was  at  the  univers- 
ity three  years,  working  his  way  as  a  janitor, 
firing  furnaces  and  doing  other  menial  tasks. 
After  leaving  the  university  he  taught  school 
in  a  German  section  of  White  County  for 
three  years.  He  then  attended  Gem  City  Busi- 
ness College  in  Quincy,  completing  an  eighteen- 
months'  course  in  thirteen  months  and  emerg- 
ing an  honor  student  with  an  average  of  96. 

For  the  next  two  and  one-half  years  Mr. 
Wallace  worked  for  the  Goodrich  Tire  and 
Rubber  Company  in  St.  Louis  as  a  stenog- 
rapher and  clerical  work  in  sales  department. 
In  this  period  he  completed  a  correspondence 
course  in  accounting.  He  then  worked  for  the 
R.  J.  Brown  Petroleum  Company  of  St.  Louis 
for  two  years  and  after  this  was  associated 
with  the  General  Motors  Acceptance  Corpora- 
tion for  nine  years  in  a  variety  of  capacities, 
including  credit  manager  and  finally  field 
manager  for  Southern  Illinois,  with  head- 
quarters at  Carbondale.  His  experience  with 
General  Motors  gave  him  the  background  for 
his  present  activities.  On  May  9,  1934,  he 
bought  out  the  Chevrolet  agency  in  Carbon- 
dale, paying  $5000  for  a  business  he  has  built 
to  the  point  where  its  value  far  exceeds  $100,- 
000.  He  had  only  four  employees  at  the  start. 
Today  he  has  twenty-five.  Also,  he  has  a 
$50,000  stock  of  parts  and  $15,000  shop  equip- 
ment. He  also  operates  the  Wallace  Service 
Station,  with  Minneapolis-Moline  Farm  ma- 
chinery, Delco  heating  equipment  and  Carrier 
air  conditioning. 

Mr.  Wallace  married  Mattie  Scudamore,  the 
daughter  of  James  Scudamore  of  White 
County,  on  August  16,  1919.  Of  the  two  sons 
born  to  this  marriage,  Orlen  is  a  graduate  of 
Southern  Illinois  University  and,  married,  has 
a  son  named  Robert  Orlen;  and  James  is  also 
married  and  the  father  of  a  son,  James  Terry. 
There  is  also  a  daughter,  Virginia,  married  to 
Jack  Lee  Reno,  who  has  one  -daughter, 
Sharan  Kay.  The  family  worships  in  the 
First  Baptist  Church,  in  which  Herman  Wal- 
lace is  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  and 
a  former  Sunday  School  teacher. 

Mr.  Wallace  is  president  of  the  Egyptian 
Council,  Boy  Scouts  of  America,  covering  fif- 
teen Southern  Illinois  counties,  and  is  a  mem- 


ber of  the  National  Council  of  this  organiza- 
tion. He  was  president  of  the  Lions  Club  in 
1936  and  of  the  grade  school  board  in  1940. 
He  has  been  chairman  of  the  Community 
Chest  many  times  and  during  wartime  was 
chairman  of  the  salvage  committee  that  was 
so  preeminently  successful.  He  is  prominent 
in  all  bodies  of  the  Masonic  order,  up  to  Ainad 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  at  East  St.  Louis,  and  is  past 
Worthy  Patron  of  Eastern  Star  and  Past 
Watchman  of  White  Shrine  of  Jerusalem, 
Also,  he  is  active  in  the  Elks  and  the  Carbon- 
dale Business  Men's  Association.  A  popular 
vote  would  place  Mr.  Wallace  among  the 
first  five  who  have  done  the  most  for  Carbon- 
dale and  Jackson  County. 

HENRY  RICHARDSON  HELMLE, 
A.  I.  A. 

Member  of  an  old  Springfield  family  ren- 
owned for  the  contribution  it  has  made  to 
architecture  both  in  America  and  in  Europe, 
the  late  Henry  Richardson  Helmle  was  an  out- 
standing practitioner  among  architects  of  the 
Middle  West.  Numerous  buildings  in  Spring- 
field  and  elsewhere  stand  today,  in  their  beauty 
and  usefulness,   to  his  memory. 

Mr.  Helmle  was  born  in  Springfield  on  De- 
cember 11,  1888,  the  son  of  George  Henry  and 
Mimi  (Whitehurst)  Helmle.  The  family  is  de- 
scended from  William  Helmle,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1849  from  Karlsruhe,  Bavaria. 
The  Helmles  made  their  reputation  in  architect 
and  woodcarving  in  Europe  and  then  proceeded 
to  do  the  same  in  the  New  World.  William 
Helmle  established  a  planing  mill  and  furniture 
carving  shop  at  426-28  South  Fifth  Street, 
Springfield— famed  as  "The  Old  Helmle  Place." 
Two  of  his  sons  became  architects,  George 
Henry  and  Charles  Helmle.  George  Henry 
Helmle  designed  and  built  the  old  St.  John's 
Hospital,  Springfield,  and  his  son,  the  late 
Henry  Richardson  Helmle,  designed  and  built 
the  new  one. 

Henry  Richardson  Helmle  took  his  degree  in 
architecture  and  engineering  at  the  University 
of  Illinois  in  1911.  He  was  the  valedictorian  of 
the  graduating  class.  He  began  his  career  im- 
mediately on  leaving  college.  He  served  in 
World  War  I  and  on  December  2,  1919,  soon 
after  his  discharge  from  the  Army,  married 
Ida  May  Huff,  who  was  born  on  December  26, 
1893,  in  Indiana,  the  daughter  of  William  Huff, 
a  farmer,  and  Annie  (James)  Huff. 

In  the  course  of  his  career  Mr.  Helmle  de- 
signed   and     supervised    the    construction    of 


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numerous  residences,  industrial  plants,  office 
buildings,  public  structures  and  hospitals. 
Among  his  "credits"  are:  The  First  National 
Bank  of  Springfield,  the  Springfield  Marine 
Bank,  the  Illinois  State  Journal  Building,  the 
Old  Franklin  Life  Insurance  Building,  the 
Abraham  Lincoln  Hotel,  Broadwell  Building, 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association  Building, 
the  Sangamo  Club,  the  Chicago  Motor  Club 
Building,  the  Illinois  Motor  Building,  the  Cen- 
tral Baptist  Church  addition,  the  Sangamo 
Electric  Company  Building,  the  Allis-Chalmers 
plant,  Gothard  Manufacturing  Company  plant, 
Baker  Manufacturing  Company  plant,  all  in 
Springfield;  the  Crescent  Forge  and  Shovel 
Manufacturing  Company,  Havana,  Illinois;  the 
Allis-Chalmers  super-charger  plant,  built  in  the 
course  of  World  War  II  in  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin, one  of  the  largest  in  the  world.  Among  the 
hospitals  to  his  credit  are,  in  addition  to  St. 
John's  in  Springfield,  such  as  St.  John's  Sani- 
tarium, St.  John's  Crippled  Children's  Hospital 
and  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  Convent,  all  in  Spring- 
field; the  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  Decatur;  St. 
Joseph's,  Highland,  Illinois;  St  .  Elizabeth, 
Belleville;  St.  Mary's,  Streator;  St.  Clara,  Lin- 
coln; St.  Francis,  Litchfield,  and  St.  Anthony's, 
Effingham.  Also,  he  designed  and  supervised 
erection  of  the  Catholic  Girls'  School  at  the  base 
of  the  Wasatch  Mountains  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah. 

An  amateur  astronomer,  Mr.  Helmle  built 
his  own  telescope  and  ground  his  own  lenses 
and  became  noted  among  both  professional 
astronomers  and  those  who  follow  this  science 
as  a  hobby.  Another  of  his  avocational  inter- 
ests was  his  1,000-acre  farm.  Mr.  Helmle  won 
widespread  popularity  and  affection  not  only 
because  of  his  valuable  architectural  contribu- 
tion, his  farming  and  other  activities  but  also 
because  of  a  good  heart  which  impelled  him 
to  give  time  and  money  to  civic  and  philan- 
thropic projects.  He  died  on  April  24,  1949,  a 
few  months  after  his  sixtieth  birthday,  and  is 
survived  by  his  widow,  who  is  also  one  of 
Springfield's  outstanding  citizens.  Mr.  Helmle 
enjoyed  prominence  in  the  Masonic  order,  the 
American  Legion,  the  Illinois  Chapter  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Ai-chitects,  the  Ameri- 
can Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science  and  the  Sangamo  Club.  He  was  a  life- 
long communicant  of  the  Episcopal  church  and 
as  a  boy  sang  in  the  choir.  He  was  past  master 
of  his  Masonic  lodge — a  citizen  long  to  be 
remembered. 


WILL  LESTER  GRIFFITH 

Southern  Illinois,  or  the  section  known  as 
"Egypt"  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude,  to  Will  Grif- 
fith and  it  will  cherish  his  memory,  for  it  was 
he  who  established  and  published  Egyptian 
Key,  the  magazine  of  southern  Illinois,  and 
founded  the  Greater  Egypt  Association.  The 
entire  area  was  shocked  and  saddened  to  learn 
of  the  death  of  Mr.  Griffith  on  May  24,  1950, 
in  Carbondale. 

Mr.  Griffith  was  born  in  Terre  Haute,  In- 
diana, October  2,  1889,  the  son  of  William  Al- 
bert Griffith.  The  Griffith  family  have  been 
residents  of  Edgar  county  since  1850,  when 
William  Burrow  Griffith  moved  there  from 
Pennsylvania.  He  built  a  home  two  miles  west 
of  Paris  and  it  became  a  popular  resting]  place 
for  others  who  were  westward-bound.  It  be- 
came known  as  Griffith's  two-mile  house  and 
is  still  standing  at  the  junction  of  highways 
133  and  16. 

Will  Griffith  grew  up  in  Terre  Haute  where 
he  completed  the  public  grade  and  high 
schools.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  Rose 
Polytechnic  Institute.  At  the  close  of  his  second 
year  he  left  college  and  continued  his  education 
in  his  own  way.  He  had  originally  intended  to 
be  a  civil  engineer,  and  during  his  college  years 
he  had  summer  employment  in  the  Maintenance 
of  Ways  Department  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road. He  was  only  eighteen  when  he  went  into 
the  office  supply  business  for  himself. 

From  1916  through  1925,  Mr.  Griffith  trav- 
elled Southern  Illinois  for  the  Commercial  Lith- 
ographing Company  of  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
selling  bank  supplies.  During  those  days,  be- 
fore hard  roads  were  built,  he  said,  "I  made 
my  towns  anyway  I  could  get  there — freight 
trains,  driving,  or  rowing  if  necessary."  From 
1924  through  1938  he  published  telephone  direc- 
tories, meantime  operating  the  Griffith-Norris 
Printing  Company  in  Indianapolis  and  the  Mil- 
roy  Press.  The  latter  was  a  weekly  newspaper. 
The  metropolitan  newspapers  frequently  quoted 
from  his  column  facetiously  called  the  "League 
of  Notions."  In  1935  he  went  to  Quincy,  Illi- 
nois, finding  this  a  better  center  from  which  to 
operate  the  directory  business,  and  there  estab- 
lished the  state  magazine  known  as  the  Illi- 
nois Quest.  The  publication  was  along  historical 
lines,  each  issue  featuring  a  different  county. 
When  Illinois  Quest  became  a  World  War  II 
casualty  Mr.  Griffith  did  free  lance  writing  for 
some  time.  He  then  returned  to  Southern  Illi- 
nois and  in  March  1943  founded  the  Egyptian 
Key.  This  was  followed  by  the  founding  of 
Greater  Egypt  Association  in  September,  1945. 
The  Egyptian  Key  and  the  Greater  Egypt  Asso- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


927 


ciation  became  a  team  implementing  one  an- 
other. Both  were  under  the  guiding  hand  of 
Mr.  Griffith  and  both  had  the  same  purpose — 
the  promotion  of  Southern  Illinois. 

Will  Griffith  and  Katharine  Quick  Bicknell 
were  married  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  on  July 
29,  1921.  From  that  time  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  they  shared  interests  and  activities, 
work  and  pleasures,  the  "better"  and  the 
"worse." 

Professor  E.  G.  Lentz  of  Southern  Illinois 
University,  writing  of  Mr.  Griffith  in  the  Egyp- 
tian Key  summarized — "His  position  among  his 
fellow  men  was  quite  an  unusual  one.  He  was 
the  dreamer  of  a  dream.  He  had  a  vision  for 
the  future  of  an  entire  area.  He  gave  his 
thought  and  energies  with  unwearying  devotion 
to  that  dream  and  that  vision.  Because  of  his 
faith  and  his  efforts  the  dream  caught  on,  and 
it  came  to  life  in  the  minds  of  a  large  number 
of  his  fellow  citizens.  In  relatively  few  years 
the  dream  began  to  bear  fruit.  The  harvest 
began  to  increase.  To  an  unusual  degree,  Mr. 
Griffith  invested  his  life  in  the  future." 

HON.  PAUL  H.  DOUGLAS 

Born  in  Salem,  Massachusetts  in  1892,  Paul 
H.  Douglas  has  had  a  varied  and  distinguished 
career,  as  an  internationally  known  economist, 
Marine  Corps  War  hero,  and  lecturer.  Paul 
Douglas  was  graduated  from  Bowdoin  College 
in  1913.  Graduate  work  at  Harvard  and  Co- 
lumbia Universities,  with  a  Ph.D.  degree  at  the 
latter  school.  He  entered  a  teaching  career  and 
later,  government  service,  then  came  to  the 
University  of  Chicago  in  1920,  where  he  was 
promoted  to  Professor  of  Economics  in  1925. 

Mr.  Douglas  served  as  Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Arbitration  for  the  Newspaper  Publishing 
Industry  from  1925  to  1942,  handing  down 
eighty-five  decisions.  He  served  the  longest 
term  on  record  in  this  work.  He  has  served  on 
many  state  and  national  commissions.  He  was 
drafted  by  Franklin  D.  Roosevelt,  then  Gover- 
nor of  New  York,  to  serve  as  Secretary  of  the 
New  York  Committee  to  Stabilize  Employment. 
He  later  worked  under  President  Roosevelt  on 
the  Consumers  Advisory  Board  and  the  N.R.A., 
was  active  in  drafting  the  original  Social  Sec- 
urity Act,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Advisory 
Committee  to  the  U.  S.  Senate  on  the  revision 
of  this  Act. 

Mr.  Douglas  drafted  the  first  old  age  pension 
act  passed  by  the  Illinois  Legislature  in  1935 
and  helped  draft  the  State  unemployment  in- 


surance act  of  1937.  Appointed  to  the  State 
Housing  Commission  in  1930  serving  to  1933. 
He  led  the  fight  in  the  1930's  to  reduce  elec- 
tricity and  gas  rates  and  to  protect  investors 
in  private  utilities  from  financial  manipula- 
tion. He  was  recruited  to  draft  the  Utilities 
Act  of  1933.  Elected  a  Chicago  Alderman  from 
the  Fifth  Ward  in  1939  and  made  a  notable 
record  urging  municipal  economies. 

Mr.  Douglas  enlisted  as  a  private  in  United 
States  Marine  Corps  in  May  1942;  served 
with  First  Marine  Division,  advancing  through 
ranks  to  grade  of  Lieutenant  Colonel.  He  was 
twice  wounded,  at  Pelelieu  and  Okinawa  and 
was  awarded  Bronze  Star  for  "heroic  achieve- 
ment in  action."  Returned  to  Chicago  in  late 
1946  and  resumed  his  position  on  the  University 
of  Chicago  faculty.  Author  of  many  books  on 
economic  subjects,  which  have  made  him  inter- 
nationally known  in  this  field. 

Mr.  Douglas  was  elected  Senator  on  No- 
vember 2,  1948,  for  the  term  expiring  Janu- 
ary 3,  1955.  Elected  President  of  the  American 
Economic  Association  in  1949  which  is  the  high- 
est honor  in  his  profession. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
(Quakers)  and  a  member  of  the  American  Le- 
gion, Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars,  the  Elks,  and 
the  Chicago  Literary  Club.  Married  Emily 
Taft  Douglas,  daughter  of  the  famous  sculp- 
tor, Lorado  Taft.  Mrs.  Douglas  was  Congress- 
woman-at-Large  from  Illinois  from  1945  to 
1947.  They  have  one  daughter,  Jean,  and  live 
at  5658  Blackstone  Avenue,  Chicago. 

HON.  ADLAI  EWING  STEVENSON 

Adlai  Ewing  Stevenson,  member  of  a  family 
long  prominent  in  public  life,  became  the  31st 
Governor  of  Illinois  January  10,  1949.  His  elec- 
tion was  by  the  largest  majority  in  the  history 
of  the  State. 

Governor  Stevenson  is  a  fifth  generation 
Illinoisan  whose  career  has  sustained  the 
family  tradition  of  public  service.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  the  first  Adlai  E.  Stevenson  of 
Bloomington,  was  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States  in  the  administration  of  Grover  Cleve- 
land. Governor  Stevenson's  father,  Lewis  G. 
Stevenson,  was  Secretary  of  State  of  Illinois. 
His  great-grandfather,  Jesse  Fell,  was  a  pio- 
neer in  the  development  of  central  Illinois  and 
an  intimate  friend  and  leading  supporter  of 
Abraham  Lincoln. 

Born  February  5,  1900,  Governor  Stevenson 
attended  the  public  schools  in  Bloomington. 
After  serving  in  the   Navy  as  an  apprentice 


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seaman  in  World  War  I,  he  graduated  from 
Princeton  University  and  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity Law  School.  Following  college  he  en- 
gaged in  newspaper  work  for  a  time  in  Bloom- 
ington  and  for  many  years  was  a  partner  in 
one  of  the  leading  law  firms  in  Chicago. 

Governor  Stevenson's  public  career  has  in- 
cluded major  federal  administrative  and  diplo- 
matic assignments.  He  has  written  and  lectured 
extensively,  particularly  in  the  field  of  foreign 
affairs.  He  served  as  special  counsel  to  the 
Agricultural  Adjustment  Administration  in 
1933  and  1934.  For  the  first  three  years  of  the 
war  he  was  special  assistant  to  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  Frank  Knox.  He  headed  the  first 
Economic  mission  to  Italy  in  1943,  and  served 
on  an  Air  Forces  mission  to  the  European  thea- 
ter in  1944.  As  assistant  to  the  Secretary  of 
State  he  was  a  member  of  the  U.  S.  Delegation 
to  the  San  Francisco  Conference  in  1945  and 
later  was  U.  S.  Minister  in  London  and  head 
of  the  American  Delegation  to  the  Preparatory 
Commission  of  the  United  Nations.  He  was 
appointed  by  the  President  as  a  U.  S.  delegate 
to  the  several  assemblies  of  the  United  Na- 
tions in  New  York  in  1946  and  1947. 

Unopposed  in  the  1948  primary,  he  was 
elected  by  a  majority  exceeding  570,000,  win- 
ning widespread  independent  support. 

Governor  Stevenson  practiced  law  and  re- 
mained active  in  civic  affairs  in  Illinois  during 
intervals  between  his  federal  service.  He  has 
been  a  director  or  trustee  of  many  business  cor- 
porations, charitable  and  educational  organiza- 
tions, including  Hull  House,  the  Illinois  Chil- 
dren's Home  and  Aid  Society,  the  Chicago 
Council  on  Foreign  Relations,  among  others. 
He  was  the  first  chairman  of  the  civil  rights 
committee  of  the  Chicago  Bar  Association.  Hon- 
orary degrees  have  been  conferred  upon  him 
by  Illinois  Wesleyan,  Northwestern  and  Brad- 
ley universities;  Centre  College  of  Kentucky, 
Illinois  College  and  Lake  Forest  College. 

Governor  Stevenson  has  three  sons :  Adlai 
E.,  Ill,  Borden  and  John  Fell  Stevenson. 

HON.  SHERWOOD  DIXON 

Sherwood  Dixon  was  born  June  19,  1896,  in 
Dixon,  which  city  has  been  the  home  of  his  fam- 
ily since  it  was  first  settled  in  1830. 

Mr.  Dixon  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Dixon  and  the  University  of  Notre  Dame, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1920  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  He  has  been  engaged 


in  the  general  practice  of  law  in  Dixon  since 
that  time. 

His  college  career  was  interrupted  by  two 
years  military  service  in  World  War  I,  during 
which  he  became  an  infantry  sergeant  in  the 
A.E.F.  After  his  discharge,  he  entered  the 
129th  Infantry  Regiment  of  the  Illinois  Na- 
tional Guard  and  served  more  than  twenty 
years  in  that  organization,  with  which  he  en- 
tered Federal  service  in  1941.  He  was  released 
from  active  duty  in  1946  as  a  Colonel  of  Infan- 
try. He  took  part  in  the  reorganization  of  the 
Illinois  National  Guard  after  World  War  II 
and  is  still  the  Commanding  Officer  of  the  129th 
Infantry. 

Mrs.  Dixon  is  the  former  Miss  Helen  M. 
Cahill  of  Dixon.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven 
children:  Henry,  Mary,  William,  Louise,  James, 
Patrick  and  David. 

Mr.  Dixon  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Bar  Association,  American  Bar  Association, 
American  Legion,  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars, 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  Elks. 

HON.  EDWARD  J.  BARRETT 

Born  in  Chicago,  March  10,  1900,  Edward  J. 
Barrett  has  made  a  career  of  military  and  civil 
public  service.  Mr.  Barrett  has  the  distinction 
not  only  of  having  been  elected  to  three  major 
State  offices,  but  of  having  served  as  an  over- 
seas enlisted  man  in  World  Wars  I  and  II.  He 
was  the  sole  Democrat  elected  to  State  office  on 
two  occasions. 

When  the  United  States  became  involved  in 
World  War  I,  Mr.  Barrett  immediately  en- 
listed with  the  131st  infantry  and  was  at 
that  time  but  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  ob- 
served his  eighteenth  birthday  in  France  as  a 
private  in  the  A.E.F.,  and  his  next  anniversary 
found  him  in  Germany  with  the  American 
Army  of  Occupation.  He  had  been  wounded 
and  gassed,  awarded  the  Purple  Heart,  and 
cited  for  performance  "above  and  beyond  the 
call  of  duty." 

After  being  mustered  out  of  the  U.  S.  Army 
in  1920,  Mr.  Barrett  continued  his  studies  at 
Spaulding  Institute  and  finished  at  Mayo  Col- 
lege, where  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science.  He  then  entered  advertising  and 
sales  promotion  work  in  Chicago,  and  was  later 
active  in  organized  labor. 

In  1930,  Mr.  Barrett  was  elected  State  Treas- 
urer. Two  years  later,  he  was  elected  to  a  four- 
year  term  as  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts,  being 
re-elected  in  1936  and  serving  until  1940. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


929 


During  World  War  II,  he  again  enlisted, 
although  he  was  forty-three  years  of  age. 
Again  he  went  overseas,  this  time  to  the  South 
Pacific  as  a  private  in  the  United  States  Marine 
Corps.  He  was  discharged  a  Sergeant  in  No- 
vember, 1944,  to  become  Illinois  Secretary  of 
State.  As  a  candidate  for  Secretary  of  State, 
Mr.  Barrett  was  in  the  unusual  position  of  a 
man  being  sought  for  the  office.  Although  he 
was  thousands  of  miles  from  home,  friends  and 
supporters  from  all  sections  of  the  state  in- 
sisted that  he  permit  himself  to  be  drafted  as 
a  candidate  for  the  office  he  now  holds. 

As  an  executive  officer,  he  has  been  actively 
concerned  in  beneficial  legislation  affecting  the 
Old  Age  pensioners,  administration  of  State 
Banks,  Building  and  Loan  Associations  and 
Credit  Unions.  He  has  recommended  construc- 
tive amendments  to  the  Securities  Act,  Corpo- 
ration Act,  Drivers'  License  Law,  Motor  Ve- 
hicle Act  and  Library  Laws.  He  has  supported 
constructive  legislation  for  the  veteran  and  his 
family  and  has  been  active  in  labor's  cause. 

Secretary  Barrett,  a  widower,  married  Miss 
Jeanne  Townsend  in  December  of  1948.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  American  Legion ;  the  Disabled 
Veterans;  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars,  the  Ma- 
rine Corps  League,  and  Thirty-third  Division 
War  Veterans  Association  and  numerous  civic, 
social  and  fraternal  organizations. 

JAMES  ROLAND  ANSLEY,  D.C. 

Member  of  a  family  which  settled  in  Ameri- 
ca long  before  the  Revolutionary  War,  Dr. 
James  Roland  Ansley  of  Mount  Vernon  has 
made  a  reputation  as  a  chiropractor  through- 
out Southern  Illinois  and  the  "Egyptian" 
area.  Formery  of  the  staff  of  the  Southmoor 
Medical  Health  Center,  Dr.  Ansley  is  now 
in  private  practice,  with  offices  at  616  Main 
Street,    Mount   Vernon. 

He  was  born  in  Warrenton,  Warren  County, 
Georgia,  on  November  18,  1916.  His  parents 
were  James  Thomas  and  Josie  (Ivey)  Ansley, 
the  father  also  a  native  of  Warren  County, 
the  latter  of  McDuffie  County,  Georgia.  Born 
April  7,  18  79,  his  father  was  a  building  con- 
tractor and  planter  in  Warren  County.  He 
served  as  a  school  trustee  for  years  and  was 
active  in  the  school  consolidation  movement 
and  in  the  Camak  Baptist  Church  at  Camak, 
Georgia.  The  mother  was  born  on  December 
23,  1874.  The  chiropractor's  paternal,  grand- 
father, James  Capers  Ansley,  a  planter,  was 
born  in  Warren  County  on  October  3,  18  53, 
and  died  there  on  April  10,  1897.  He  was  a 
trustee  and  steward  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,   South.    The  grandmother,  also 


a  native  of  Georgia's  Warren  County,  was  the 
former  Anna  Ivey.  Dr.  Ansley's  great-grand- 
parents, Elum  F.  and  Epsey  (Granade)  An- 
sley were  still  other  natives  of  that  county. 
The  great-grandfather,  born  on  November  20, 
1826,  died  on  August  24,  1883;  his  wife,  born 
April  26,  1827,  died  September  2,  1855.  Dr. 
Ansley's  great-great-grandparents  were  James 
and  Betty  (Jones)  Ansley.  James  Ansley  was 
born  in  1779  at  Mecklenburg,  West  Virginia. 
He  was  given  a  land  grant  by  the  government 
in  what  is  now  Warren  and  Columbia, 
Counties,   Georgia. 

Dr.  Ansley  began  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Camak,  Georgia,  and  was 
graduated  from  high  school,  in  1934.  In  1936 
he  entered  the  National  College  of  Chiro- 
practors, Chicago,  and  in  19  41  was  graduated 
with  the  degrees  of  Doctor  of  Chiropractic 
and  Doctor  of  Naturopathy.  While  at  this 
school,  he  worked  at  the  Presbyterian,  St. 
Luke's  and  Michael  Reese  Hospitals,  Chicago, 
doing  general  nursing  work.  From  19  41  to 
1943  Dr.  Ansley  was  on  the  staff  of  South- 
moor  Medical  Health  Center  in  charge  of  the 
department  of  x-ray  diagnosis.  In  May,  1943, 
he  established  his  office  in  Mount  Vernon  and 
has  since  then  built  a  tremendous  practice  as 
a  chiropractor. 

On  January  2  5,  1941,  Dr.  Ansley  married 
Amelia  Gumienny,  who  was  born  at  Indiana 
Harbor,  Indiana,  on  December  31,  1912.  Mrs. 
Ansley  first  attended  Holy  Angels  Parochial 
School  and  then  Horace  Mann  High  School,  in 
Chicago,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1931. 
In  1932  she  entered  the  St.  Mary  School  of 
Nursing  at  Rochester,  Minnesota,  and,  grad- 
uated in  193  6,  has  since  been  a  Registered 
Nurse.  She  was  a  member  of  the  University 
Hospital  staff  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  until 
August,  1938,  and  of  the  Michael  Reese  Hos- 
pital staff  until  January,  1941.  She  is  active 
in  the  Brownie  Scouts  in  Mount  Vernon.  Mrs. 
Ansley's  parents  were  Edmund  P.  and  Louise 
(Chudzinski)  Gumienny,  both  born  near 
Reading,  Pennsylvania.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Ansley 
have  five  children — Amelia  Louise,  born  Oc- 
tober 3  0,  1941;  Barbara  Jean,  born  November 
2,  1942;  Janice  Elaine,  born  September  14, 
1944;  Caryl  Christine,  born  August  15,  1946, 
and  Marsha  Jo,   born  November  21,   1947. 

Dr.  Ansley  was  secretary  of  the  Southern 
Illinois  Chiropractors  Association  in  1948.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  National  Chiropractors  As- 
sociation, the  National  Council  of  Chiropractic 
Roentgenologists,  the  Illinois  Chiropractic 
Society,  the  Optimist  and  Kiwanis  Clubs  and 
the  Masonic  order.  He  has  become  one  of 
Southern  Illinois'  noteworthy  citizens. 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


HON.  FRED  W.  WANLESS 

The  sudden  death  of  Fred  W.  Wanless  ift 
his  Springfield  office  in  1949  left  the  state's 
capital  not  only  stunned  but  bereft  of  a  citi- 
zen who  for  years  had  been  dedicating  his 
daily  life  to  the  advancement  and  prosperity 
of  the  community.  For  30  years  Mr.  Wanless 
had,  as  the  Illinois  State  Register  described 
it,  "been  a  part  of  the  business,  financial,  po- 
litical and  community  life  of  this  city."  He 
had  been  a  leader  in  all  those  phases  of  the 
civic  picture.  Among  those  of  his  family  who 
remain  to  carry  on  in  his  traditions  is  his  son, 
the  distinguished  Paul  Fyffe  Wanless,  attor- 
ney and  executor  of  his  father's  estate. 

Fred  W.  Wanless  was  born  in  Riverton, 
Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  on  March  16,  1881, 
and  after  completing  his  education  embarked 
on  an  educator's  career.  He  was  at  first  a 
teacher.  Then  he  served  as  principal  of  the 
Riverton  Schools.  About  1919  he  moved  to 
Springfield,  the  county  seat,  and  began  the 
series  of  activities  which  were  to  have  such 
marked  value  to  the  entire  county.  In  the  be- 
ginning he  was  associated  with  Albert  S. 
Spaulding  in  the  real  estate  business,  but  la- 
ter and  for  many  years  he  and  his  brother, 
Charles  S.  Wanless,  operated  the  real  estate 
firm  of  Wanless  and  Wanless.  When  the  firm 
was  dissolved,  the  brothers  established  sep- 
arate real  estate  offices.  "The  rise  of  the  two 
brothers  in  the  business  world  was  marked 
with  great  success,"  says  the  Illinois  State 
Register.  "Many  of  the  city's  building  addi- 
tions were  laid  out  by  them.  Their  develop- 
ments of  residential  and  business  property 
were  extensive."  As  he  made  his  career  in 
real  estate  and  land  subdivision,  Fred  W. 
Wanless  also  rose  to  leadership  in  political 
and  other  fields,  and  he  became  one  of  the 
popular  citizens  of  his  section  of  the  state. 

On  December  30,  1903,  at  Riverton,  Illi- 
nois, Mr.  Wanless  married  Alva  Fyffe,  and 
two  sons  and  a  daughter  were  born  to  them — 
Paul  Fyffe  Wanless  and  J.  Thor  Wanless,  at- 
torneys in  Springfield,  and  Virginia,  now  the 
wife  of  Henry  R.  Barber,  also  an  attorney  at 
the  capital.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  these 
children  survived  him,  along  with  his  widow, 
who  is  prominent  in  Springfield's  civic  and 
social  circles;  his  sister,  Mrs.  Margaret  Jones, 
also  of  Springfield,  and  his  brother,  Thomas 
Wanless,  of  Riverton,  as  well  as  seven  grand- 
children. The  family  home  is  at  1700  Wiggins 
Avenue. 

In  his  rise  in  politics  Mr.  Wanless  became 
chairman  of  the  Sangamon  County  Republi- 
can  Committee,   retiring  from  the   chairman- 


ship in  1934  but  not  from  his  interest  in  the 
party  and  its  program.  In  1918  he  served  on 
the  Sangamon  County  Board  of  Supervisors 
and  in  1920  was  elected  to  the  State  House 
of  Representatives.  He  served  only  one  term, 
declining  to  run  for  re-election.  In  his  civic 
work  Mr.  Wanless  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  raising  of  funds  for  the  construction 
of  the  new  Memorial  Hospital  in  Springfield, 
and  for  ten  years  he  served  as  president  of 
the  hospital's  board  of  directors.  Again  the 
Register  says,  "During  his  service  as  director 
his  success  in  clearing  the  hospital  indebted- 
ness and  at  the  same  time  making  many  im- 
provements stimulated  the  interest  which 
made  possible  the  raising  of  the  money  for 
construction  of  the  new  hospital.  He  donated 
his  time  and  work  to  make  the  hospital  a  suc- 
cess." In  World  War  II  Mr.  Wanless  was 
chairman  of  the  Sangamon  County  rationing 
board  for  automobile  tires  and  tubes,  gaso- 
line, and  gave  five  hours  a  day  to  the  work. 
He  was  a  director  of  The  First  National  Bank 
of  Springfield,  a  member  of  the  Springfield 
Rotary  Club  and  of  the  Masonic  order.  His 
Masonic  affiliations  were  with  the  Riverton 
Union  Lodge,  of  which  he  was  past  master; 
Springfield  Chapter,  No.  1,  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
sons; Elwood  Commandery,  No.  6,  Knights 
Templar;  Springfield  Consistory,  Ancient  and 
Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  and  Ansar  Temple, 
Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  was  also  prominent  in  the  First 
Methodist  Church  of  Springfield.  He  not  only 
served  for  many  years  on  its  board  of  trus- 
tees, but  also  acted  as  chairman  of  the  fund- 
raising  campaign  for  remodeling  the  church 
edifice  in  the  late  1920's.  More  recently  he 
was  chairman  of  the  financial  drive  which  led 
to  the  purchase  of  the  property  immediately 
north  of  the  church  structure.  He  was,  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  one  of  the  two  Rotarians 
who  had  not  missed  a  club  meeting  in  twen- 
ty-five years.  This  long  and  useful  life  came 
to  a  sudden  end  through  a  heart  attack  on 
September  3,  1949.  Mr.  Wanless  was  then 
sixty-eight  years  old.  He  lies  buried  in  Oak 
Ridge  Cemetery.  His  memory  lingers  on  in 
Sangamon  County,  which  he  did  so  much  to 
develop. 

The  executor  of  Mr.  Wanless'  estate,  his 
son  Paul,  was  born  in  Springfield  on  August 
10,  1912.  After  he  was  graduated  from  the 
Springfield  High  School,  he  went  to  Green- 
castle,  Indiana  to  study  at  DePauw  Universi- 
ty. When  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  from  DePauw  he  prepared  for  the 
legal    profession   at   Northwestern    University 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


931 


School  of  Law,  receiving  the  degree  of  Juris 
Doctor  and  being  admitted  to  the  practice  of 
law  in  Illinois  in  1937.  That  same  year  Mr. 
Wanless  began  a  general  practice  of  the  law 
in  the  capital.  He  became  one  of  the  most 
active  and  prominent  attorneys  in  Sangamon 
County  and  Central  Illinois,  and  is  counsel 
for  many  large  corporations  as  well  as  for 
some  of  the  state's  most  important  citizens. 
When  his  father  died  in  1949,  Paul  Wanless 
took  over  active  management  of  the  firm 
called  Fred  Wanless,  Real  Estate  Broker, 
and  through  his  leadership  the  business  con- 
tinues to  serve  the  community  and  area  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  high  standards  established 
by  the  founder.  As  executor  of  Fred  Wanless' 
entire  estate,  Paul  Wanless  has  further  op- 
portunities to  serve  his  fellow  citizens.  He 
married  Berenice  McAlester  on  October  14, 
1940,  and  they  have  three  children — -Virginia 
Fyffe,  born  in  1942;  Kirk  M.,  born  in  1944, 
and  Berry  Fred,  born  in  1946.  Mr.  Wanless 
served  with  Military  Intelligence  and  The 
Judge-Advocate  General's  Departments  in 
World  War  II.  His  period  of  service  began 
June,  1942,  and  ended  July,  1946.  Like  his 
late  father,  Paul  Wanless  is  an  active  Repub- 
lican. Also,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  the  Rotary  Club  of  Springfield,  the 
Illini  Country  Club,  and  the  Sangamon  Coun- 
ty Bar  Association  and  the  Springfield  Real 
Estate  Board.  He  is  adding  luster  to  a  name 
already  brilliant  in  the  history  of  the  state. 

GORDON  LANG 

The  leadership  which  Gordon  Lang  has  giv- 
en to  civic  projects  in  Chicago  has  accelera- 
ted the  growth  and  promoted  the  welfare  of 
the  nation's  second  city.  This  has  made  Mr. 
Lang  a  figure  of  national  prominence.  To  his 
reputation  as  a  civic  leader  he  has  added  that 
of  a  business  leader,  for  he  is  president  of 
Spaulding  and  Company,  the  Middle  West's 
leading  jewelers,  silversmiths,  goldsmiths  and 
stationers  for  six  decades. 

Mr.  Lang,  born  in  Sayre,  Pennsylvania,  on 
November  3,  1895  ,is  the  son  of  the  Reverend 
Herman  and  Martha  (Levis)  Lang.  His  father, 
who  held  the  degrees  of  Master  of  Arts  and 
Doctor  of  Divinity  was  born  at  Kitchener, 
Canada,  was  a  Baptist  clergyman,  lecturer 
and  author.  Gordon  Lang  completed  his  edu- 
cation at  Denison  University,  Granville,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  awarded  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science  in  1918,  though  he  had  already 
left  his  classes  to  become  a  soldier  in  World 
War  I.  At  college  he  was  four-letter  man  in 
the  sophomore,  junior  and  senior  years;  also, 


he  was  president  of  Lamda  Deuteron   Chap- 
ter, Phi  Gamma  Delta,  and  a  member  of  the 

Masquers. 

Mr.  Lang  became  a  Second  Lieutenant  and 
instructor  in  mechanism  in  the  Machine  Gun 
Officers'  Training  School  in  the  war.  When 
he  returned  to  civilian  life,  he  began  his 
business  career  as  sales  correspondent  for  the 
B.  F.  Goodrich  Rubber  Company.  The  posi- 
tions which  followed  included  bond  salesman 
for  Borton  and  Borton,  Cleveland;  manager, 
bond  department,  Guarantee  Title  and  Trust 
Company;  director  of  sales  development,  The 
Gorham  Company;  vice-president  and  man- 
ager, Black  Starr  and  Frost-Gorham,  Inc.; 
president,  Spaulding-Gorham  and  director  of 
Spaulding-Gorham,  Black  Starr  and  F'rost- 
Gorham,  Inc.,  Gorham,  Inc.,  Gomanco,  Inc.  In 
1943  Mr.  Lang  became  president  and  owner 
of  the  great  firm  of  Spaulding  and  Company. 
He  is  also  consultant  and  director  of  Lyon 
and  Healy.  His  business  is  located  at  959 
North  Michigan  Avenue,  Chicago. 

On  August  2,  1927,  at  Akron,  Ohio,  Mr. 
Lang  married  Harriet  Kendig,  daughter  of 
Karl  and  Evalyn  (Hill)  Kendig.  Mrs.  Lang, 
who  holds  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
from  Wells  College  and  Master  of  Social  Sci- 
ence from  Western  Reserve  University,  is 
past  president  of  the  Junior  League  of  Chica- 
go and  currently  president  of  the  women's 
board  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lang  are  the  parents  of  Gordon  Lang,  Jr. 
They  are  communicants  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  and  reside  at  1420  Lake  Shore  Drive, 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Lang  has  held  some  of  the  outstanding 
posts  in  Chicago's  civic  life.  He  is  president 
of  the  board  of  the  Chicago  Latin  School  for 
Boys;  director  and  past  president  of  the  Chi- 
cago Better  Business  Bureau;  vice-chairman 
and  director  of  the  Chicago  Area  Project; 
vice-president  and  director  of  the  Chicago 
Crime  Commission;  director  of  the  Chicago 
Retail  Merchants  Association;  president  of 
the  North  Michigan  Avenue  Association; 
chairman  of  the  City  Planning  Advisory 
Board,  and  member  of  the  Chicago  Plan  Com- 
mission. He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago,  Rac- 
quet, Casino,  Indian  Hill,  Old  Elm,  Shove 
Acres,  Les  Cheneaux,  Commercial,  Common- 
wealth and  Adventurers  Clubs.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican. Golf  and  sailing  are  his  favorite  sports. 
Chicagoans  have  long  recognized  the  contri- 
bution Mr.  Lang  is  making  toward  education, 
crime  prevention,  city  beautification  and  other 
major    developments. 


932 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


GEORGE  NYLE  HUFFMAN 

George  Nyle  Huffman  is  perhaps  best 
known  as  the  operator  of  the  Huffman  Fu- 
neral Home  at  Carbondale,  an  institution 
which  has  been  serving  the  people  of  Jackson 
County  for  decades.  But  he  is  also  known  for 
his  leadership  in  the  many-faceted  programs 
for  veterans — he  is  a  veteran  of  World  War 
I  himself — and  in  civic  and  fraternal  affairs, 
not  to  mention  another  of  his  business  enter- 
prises, the  Hamilton  Service  Station. 

Born  at  Murphysboro  on  July  18,  1898,  Mr. 
Huffman  is  the  son  of  George  R.  and  Maggie 
M.  (Will)  Huffman.  George  R.  Huffman,  now 
retired,  founded  the  Huffman  Funeral  Home. 
He  was  also  in  the  furniture  business  for 
years.  Nyle  Huffman  was  educated  in  the  ele- 
mentary schools  of  Carbondale  and  the  Uni- 
versity High  School  there,  graduating  from 
the  latter  in  1916.  He  then  attended  South- 
ern Illinois  University  for  one.  year.  By  this 
time  the  United  States  had  become  a  bellig- 
erent in  World  War  I,  and  he  broke  off  his 
education  to  enter  the  Navy.  He  reported  at 
the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  in 
April,  1918,  and  was  attached  to  the  Naval 
Air  Station. 

Upon  his  discharge  from  the  Navy  Mr. 
Huffman,  who  had  worked  in  the  post  office 
at  Carbondale  in  his  student  days,  returned 
to  that  Federal  job.  Soon  afterward,  how- 
ever, he  became  associated  with  his  father 
in  the  undertaking  business.  Meantime,  he 
continued  his  education  and  training.  In  1922, 
after  completing  a  two-year  course  at  South- 
ern Illinois  University,  he  resumed  his  work 
with  his  father,  but  later,  to  perfect  himself 
for  a  career  in  the  conduct  of  a  funeral 
home,  he  attended  Worsham  School  of  Mor- 
tuary Science  in  Chicago  for  nine  months, 
finishing  in  January,  1925.  In  1929  he  bought 
out  his  father's  business  and  since  then  has 
been  the  sole  owner  of  the  Huffman  Funeral 
Home. 

On  March  1,  1925,  Mr.  Huffman  married 
Gwen  Hamilton,  the  daughter  of  W.  W.  Ham- 
ilton of  Carbondale.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huffman 
are  the  parents  of  two  children — William 
Nyle  Huffman,  born  on  February  11,  1926, 
now  married  and  a  former  college  professor 
in  Ohio,  and  at  present  preparing  to  enter 
business  with  his  father;  and  Imogene  Huff- 
man, born  on  June  23,  1928,  now  1950,  a  sen- 
ior at  the  State  University  of  Iowa,  Iowa 
City,  from  which  she  will  graduate  with  a 
degree  in  Physical  Education.  Mrs.  Huffman 
is  active  in  Girl  Scout  Work  in  Carbondale, 
and   the   entire   family  is   active   in   the   First 


Christian   Church   of  that  city,  Mr.   Huffman 
being  a  member  of  the  official  board. 

Mr.  Huffman  is  a  former  president  of  the 
City  Park  Board,  on  which  he  served  as  a 
member  for  nine  years,  and  is  intensely  in- 
terested in  youth  and  recreational  programs. 
He  was  on  the  Carbondale  City  Council  in 
1927.  He  is  also  past  president  of  the  Lions 
Club  of  Carbondale  and  of  the  Carbondale 
Business  Men's  Association  and  is  past  exalted 
ruler  of  the  Carbondale  Lodge,  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Also,  he  is  ac- 
tive in  Masonic  bodies,  including  Ainad  Tem- 
ple, Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mys- 
tic Shrine,  East  St.  Louis.  He  is  past  com- 
mander of  the  American  Legion  post  in  Car- 
bondale and  now  serves  on  the  draft  board. 
In  1945-46  he  served  on  the  re-employment 
committee  of  that  board.  He  has  also  been 
active  in  Red  Cross  and  Community  Chest 
work.  Few  men  have  devoted  themselves  so 
whole-heartedly  to  the  betterment  of  their 
home  cities  than  George  Nyle  Huffman. 

ALBERT  MOHR,  JR. 

As  president  and  a  director  of  John  Mohr 
and  Sons  of  Chicago,  Albert  Mohr,  Jr.,  is 
known  throughout  the  nation.  A  leading  man- 
ufacturer, he  has  given  much  attention  to 
education  and  college  athletics.  He  is  one  of 
the  great  American  athletes  of  the  period 
1918-1921. 

Mr.  Mohr  was  born  in  Chicago  on  Oct.  11, 
1899,  the  son  of  Albert  and  Emily  Alice 
(Sutton)  Mohr.  His  father,  also  a  manufac- 
turer and  also  a  native  of  Chicago,  was  one 
of  the  Windy  City's  outstanding  citizens.  He 
served  as  a  South  Park  Commissioner  for  ten 
years.  The  mother,  another  Illinoisan,  was 
the  daughter  of  Isaac  Terry  and  Susan  (Chau- 
craft)  Sutton.  Albert  Mohr,  Jr.,  went  through 
University  Elementary  School  in  Chicago  and 
then  University  High  School.  In  1922  he  was 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Illinois,  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  He  played 
varsity  football  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
in  1918,  1919,  1920,  and  1921.  The  1918 
team  was  the  Big  10  Champion  and  the  1919 
team  was  the  national  champion.  Mr.  Mohr 
was  a  member  of  Walter  Echersoll's  All-West- 
ern team  while  in  college.  He  also  received 
All-American  mention  from  Walter  Camp. 
In  1918,  he  was  an  apprentice  seaman  in  the 
United  States  Naval  Reserve,  the  Armistice 
being  signed  before  he  could  be  called  to 
active  duty. 

Since  the  beginning  of  his  business  career 
in   1922,   Mr.   Mohr  has  been   identified   with 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


933 


John  Mohr  and  Sons,  with  offices  at  3200  E. 
96th  St.,  Chicago  17,  Illinois.  He  began  as  an 
apprentice  and  rose  step  by  step  in  responsi- 
bility until  he  was  elected  president  and  a  di- 
rector in  1938.  He  has  continued  to  serve  in 
that  capacity  since  then,  and  to  guide  the 
firm  to  greater  prestige  and  production  and 
distribution  volume. 

On  October  8,  1924,  at  Champaign,  Mr. 
Mohr  married  Dorothy  Dobbins,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Oliver  Beard  and  Edith  Emma  (Leon- 
ard) Dobbins.  Mrs.  Mohr  is  a  director  of  The 
Home  for  the  Friendless  in  Chicago.  The 
Mohrs  have  two  children — Courtney  Ann 
Mohr  and  Marjory  Lloyd  Mohr.  They  reside 
at  7221  Crandon  Avenue,  Chicago,  and  wor- 
ship in  the  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Mohr's 
favorite  hobby  at  home  is  gardening. 

Continuing  his  associations  with  his  Alma 
Mater,  Mr.  Mohr  is  president  of  the  Alumni 
Association  of  the  University  of  Illinois  Chap- 
ter of  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  and  is  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Dads'  Association  of  the  University 
of  Illinois.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Flossmoor 
Country  Club  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  South 
bhore  Country  Club,  the  Chicago  Athletic  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Duquesne  Club  of  Pittsburgh. 
He  votes  as  a  Republican.  Golf  is  his  favorite 
game.  Mr.  Mohr  has  become  a  popular  figure  in 
the  industrial  world  as  well  as  in  community 
life  at  Chicago. 

FREDERICK  HENRY  EBERSOLD 

In  both  Chicago,  where  he  operates  his  busi- 
ness, and  in  Downers  Grove,  where  he  lives  on 
a  twenty-acre  farm,  Frederick  Henry  Eber- 
sold  has  demonstrated  extraordinary  qualities 
of  leadership  in  public  affairs  and  an  equal 
zeal  in  carrying  out  programs  for  the  gen- 
eral welfare.  In  Chicago  he  is  the  president 
of  the  firm  of  Fred  H.  Ebersold,  Inc.  He  is 
an  officer  or  director  of  a  variety  of  organi- 
zations devoted  to  the  public  interest. 

Mr.  Ebersold  was  born  in  Chicago  on  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1902,  the  son  of  Frederick  Anthony 
and  Emma  T.  (Rieke)  Ebersold.  Both  parents 
were  also  natives  of  the  Windy  City.  The 
father,  prominent  in  banking,  was  the  son 
of  the  Frederick  Ebersold  who  won  fame  as 
the  man  who  quelled  the  notorious  Haymar- 
ket  Riot.  He  was  general  superintendent  of 
the  Chicago  Police  Department  from  1886  to 
1888  and  it  was  in  this  capacity  that  he  led 
the  police  against  the  rioters.  Emma  Rieke 
Ebersold  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  E.  Rieke, 
one  of  Chicago's  early  real  estate  and  man- 
agement brokers.  He  subdivided  part  of  the 
city's    near   north    side    and    founded    several 


Methodist  churches  in  that  area  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Frederick  Henry  Ebersold  achieved  such 
standing  scholastically  and  otherwise  as  to 
be  salutatorian  of  his  class  when  graduated 
from  Oak  Park  High  School  in  1920.  In  1924, 
he  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  at 
the  University  of  Illinois  College  of  Com- 
merce. His  fraternities  were  Delta  Upsilon, 
Alpha  Kappa  Psi,  Sigma  Delta  Chi,  Ma-wan- 
da,  Skull  and  Crescent  and  Phi  Eta  Sigma.  He 
was  news  editor  of  The  Daily  Illini;  editor 
of  The  Illini  Weekly,  publication  of  the  Dads' 
Association;  president  of  the  Wesley  Foun- 
dation Council  and  chairman  of  the  final  Me- 
morial Stadium  campaign.  He  has  continued 
prominent  in  the  university's  affairs  and  is 
noted  for  his  interest  in  education.  From 
1924  to  1927  Mr.  Ebersold  was  assistant  ad- 
vertising manager  of  the  Universal  Portland 
Cement  Company  in  Chicago.  From  1928  to 
1932  he  was  account  executive  for  the  Dosch- 
Kircher  Organization,  Chicago.  In  1932,  he 
participated  in  the  formation  of  Ebersold-Oli- 
ver,  Inc.,  Chicago,  becoming  its  president 
Since  1937  he  has  been  president  of  Fred  H. 
Ebersold,  Inc. 

On  September  1,  1928,  at  River  Forest,  Mr. 
Ebersold  married  Marguerite  G.  Sander, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Sander.  Mrs. 
Ebersold  is  active  in  the  League  of  Women 
Voters  at  Downers  Grove.  They  live  with 
their  two  sons  at  6000  South  Main  Street, 
Downers  Grove,  this  being  the  address  of  the 
twenty-acre  farm.  The  sons  are  Kenneth 
Frederick  Ebersold,  born  on  March  31,  1931, 
a  graduate  of  the  Downers  Grove  Commu- 
nity High  School  and  The  Avery  Coonley 
School,  and  now  (1950)  at  the  University  of 
Illinois,  and  Keith  Sander  Ebersold,  born  on 
September  13,  1935,  who  following  gradua- 
tion from  The  Avery  Coonley  School  entered 
the  Downers  Grove  Community  High  School. 
The  family  worships  in  the  Downers  Grove 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

In  his  civic  activities  Mr.  Ebersold  is  direc- 
tor and  past  president  of  The  Junto  of  Chi- 
cago, is  serving  a  two-year  term  (1949-1951) 
as  president  of  the  University  of  Illinois 
Alumni  Association,  and  is  president  of  the 
Downers  Grove  Village  Forum.  He  is  also  a 
co-founder  and  vice-president  of  the  Downers 
Grove  Community  Chest,  a  director  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  Foundation  and  mem- 
ber of  the  administrative  board  of  The  Avery 
Coonley  School.  He  belongs  to  the  Chicago 
Federated  Advertising  Club,  the  Electric  Club 
of    Chicago,    the    Advertising    Federation    of 


934 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


America,  the  Farm  Bureau,  the  S.P.E.B.S. 
Q.S.A.  (Barber  Shoppers)  of  Downers  Grove 
and  the  Kiwanis  Club  of  Downers  Grove.  His 
recreational  interests  include  farming,  an- 
tiques, civic  work  and  university  affairs.  He 
is  a  Republican.  Known  for  his  enthusiasm, 
he  has  instigated  and  led  numerous  civic 
movements  which  have  resulted  in  much  good. 

IRA  GOODSELL  NICHOLS,  SR., 
D.D.S.,  ScD. 

"Prosthetic  Dentistry"  is  an  authoritative 
textbook  in  the  dental  profession,  fully  recog- 
nized  by  the  profession  and  used  in  dental  col- 
leges throughout  the  world.  It  was  written 
and  compiled  by  Dr.  Ira  Goodsell  Nichols  of 
Champaign,  with  the  collaboration  of  the 
world's  foremost  men  in  this  field.  Through 
this  work,  his  other  writings,  his  researches, 
teachings,  lectures,  inventions  and  other  activi- 
ties, Dr.  Nichols  has  himself  become  a  world 
figure.  He  also  practices  dentistry  and,  in 
addition,  is  a  farmer  and  a  sculptor. 

Dr.  Nichols  was  born  in  Horton,  Kansas, 
on  November  9,  1888,  the  son  of  John  Good- 
sell  and  Odelia  Johnson  Nichols  and  the  grand- 
son of  Lorenzo  Dow  Nichols.  His  father,  a 
native  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  was  a  civil  engi- 
neer and  contractor  on  Government  projects. 
The  grandfather,  author  and  poet,  was  also 
a  banker  and  landowner.  He  wrote  fifty  arti- 
cles and  volumes  for  the  Esoteric  Fraternity, 
established  in   1887  at  Applegate,   California. 

Dr.  Nichols  attended  high  school  at  Biloxi, 
Mississippi.  He  did  his  dental  studies  at  the 
University  of  Louisville  and  completed  his 
training  in  the  Northwestern  University  Den- 
tal School.  He  holds  the  degrees  of  Doctor  of 
Dental  Sui'gery  and  Doctor  of  Science.  He 
has  operated  a  farm  in  Marshall  County,  Illi- 
nois, throughout  the  years  that  he  has  also 
practiced    dentistry. 

Besides  "Prosthetic  Dentistry,"  Dr.  Nichols 
has  written  "Action  of  Hypotonic,  Isotonic 
and  Hypertonic  Solutions  Upon  Blood,  Muscles 
and  Nerve  Tissues  of  Living  Animals,"  Jour- 
nal of  the  American  Dental  Asociation,  Feb- 
ruary, 1922;  "Photomicrographic  Moving  Pic- 
tures Using  Living  Animals:  Changes  in 
Blood  Cells  from  Local  Anesthetic,  Blood  Cells 
in  Circulation  and  Heart  in  Action,  with  En- 
tire Circulatory  System  of  Embryo  Chick," 
Journal  of  the  American  Dental  Association, 
September,  1930;  "Some  Important  Factors 
that  Enter  into  the  Construction  of  Success- 
ful, Complete  Dentures,"  Massachusetts  Den- 
tal Society  Bulletin,  July,  1940.  His  researches 


have  been  into  local  anesthesia,  and  these  have 
been  described  in  the  book  "Block  Anesthesia 
and  Allied  Subjects,"  by  Arthur  E.  Smith, 
M.D.,  D.D.S.;  in  moving  pictures  in  local  an- 
esthesia, in  which  Dr.  Nichols  opened  a  new 
field  for  further  investigation,  by  using  a 
high-powered  microscope  with  the  films,  for 
the  study  of  disease  and  the  use  of  drugs  on 
the  circulatory  system ;  motion  pictures  in 
"Complete  Denture  Prosthesis";  rubbers,  vul- 
canization and  acrylics,  the  results  having 
been  quoted  in  the  book  "Acrylics  and  Other 
Synthetic  Resins  Used  in  Dentistry,"  by  Stan- 
ley D.  Tylman,  M.S.,  D.D.S.  He  designed  frac- 
ture appliance,  universal  for  all  fractures  of 
the  head,  which  he  contributed  to  the  Navy 
and  used  in  World  War  II ;  stress-breaker  for 
partial  dentures;  impression  trays  for  class- 
ification of  partial  dentures  and  made  the 
formula  for  treatment  in  desensitizing  hyper- 
sensitive teeth  in  cavity  preparation.  He  has 
given  lectures  and  held  clinics  before  all  the 
major  dental  and  denture  prosthetic  associa- 
tions of  the  nation  and  given  post-graduate 
courses  to  various  other  organizations,  espe- 
cially in  the  West.  His  motion  pictures  have 
been  used  by  the  American  armed  forces,  by 
medical  and  dental  organizations  and  by  for- 
eign countries,  and  he  has  been  recognized 
as  one  of  the  outstanding  contributors  to  the 
entire  field  of  visual  education.  He  was  invited 
by  the  dean  of  the  University  of  Athens, 
Greece,  to  give  a  thirty-day  post-graduate 
course  in  full  denture  prosthetics.  He  is  also 
known  as  one  of  the  first  four  to  make  nerve 
blocking  of  the  second  division  of  the  fifth 
nerve,  blocking  tonsils  and  extra  oral  injec- 
tions under  the  direction  of  the  original  de- 
veloper of  this  technique,  Dr.  Arthur  E. 
Smith,  of  Los  Angeles,  California.  He  pre- 
sented a  full-day  program,  including  lectures 
and  clinic,  before  the  Centennial  Celebration 
of  the  University  of  Louisville  and  the  Ken- 
tucky State  Dental  Association  in  1937.  He 
has  won  gold  medals,  honorable  mention  and 
other  awards.  His  was  the  highest  award  for 
research,  presented  by  the  American  Inter- 
national Academy.  Most  of  Dr.  Nichols'  ex- 
periments were  carried  out  in  the  department 
of  Experimental  Surgery,  University  of  Min- 
nesota, Medical  School  and  in  the  animal 
Pathology  Department,  College  of  Veterinary 
Medicine,  University  of  Illinois. 

Dr.  Nichols  is  past  president  of  the  North 
Dakota  State  Dental  and  the  North  Dakota 
State  Post  Graduate  Associations;  past  secre- 
tary-treasurer, North  Dakota  State  Dental 
Post    Graduate    Association;    delegate    to    thf 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


935 


American  Dental  Association  from  North 
Dakota,  1921;  chairman,  executive  committee, 
North  Dakota  Dental  Association,  1921 ;  pro- 
gram committee  member,  National  Dental 
Society  Denture  Prosthetists,  Los  Angeles, 
1922;  and  a  member  of  the  American  Inter- 
national Academy,  the  Association  of  Military 
Surgeons,  the  American  Dental  Association, 
the  Illinois  State  Dental  Society,  the  Cham- 
paign-Urbana  Dental  Society,  the  Champaign- 
Danville  District  Dental  Society,  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  National  Society  of  Denture  Pros- 
thetists, Army  and  Navy  Club,  U.  S.  Reserve 
Officers  Association,  University  of  Illinois 
Quarterback  Club,  Champaign  and  Urbana 
Country  Clubs,  Masonic  order,  Moose  and 
Elks.  He  holds  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  Com- 
mander in  the  Naval  Reserve.  His  home  is  at 
2104  Grange  Drive,  Urbana;  his  office  at  113 
North    Neil    Street,    Champaign. 

Dr.  Nichols  married  Blanche  Marie  David- 
son in  LaPrairie  Centre,  Illinois,  on  June  21, 
1916.  Mrs.  Nichols  was  a  graduate  of  North- 
western University  and  was  a  teacher  prior 
to  her  marriage.  She  was  very  active  in  club 
and  church  work  in  the  Champaign-Urbana 
area.  She  died  March  31,  1942.  Dr.  Nichols 
has  one  daughter  and  one  son.  Eolyne  Yvette 
Nichols  is  a  pilot  and  aeronautical  engineer 
and  served  with  the  WASPS  in  the  United 
States  and  Great  Britain  in  World  War  II. 
Ira  Goodsell  Nichols,  Jr.,  has  received  his 
M.D.  degree  and  has  specialized  in  obstetrics 
and  gynecology.  He  served  in  the  U.  S.  Navy 
in  World  War  II.  He  married  Dorothy  Blair 
and  is  the  father  of  two  daughters,  Nancy 
Ann  and  Claire.  On  December  9th,  1949,  Dr. 
Nichols  was  married  to  Mary  Corbett  Buckner 
of  Urbana. 

EOLYNE  YVETTE  NICHOLS 

A  renowned  flyer  of  vast  civilian  and  mili- 
tary experience — of  whom  General  H.  H. 
Arnold,  commander  of  the  United  States  Army 
Air  Forces  in  World  War  II  said,  "Her  serv- 
ices have  been  of  great  value  to  the  Army  Air 
Forces  in  World  War  II" — Eolyne  Yvette 
Nichols  of  Champaign,  Chicago,  New  York  and 
the  world  at  large  is  today  an  outstanding 
personality  in  the  fields  of  aeronautical  engi- 
neering and  airline  research  and  development. 
She  is  frequently  called  on  for  airline  effici- 
ency advisor  work  and  as  an  airline  operations 
consultant  and  airline  commerce  and  finance 
advisor.  To  her  has  been  attributed  much  of 
the  forward-looking  developments  in  aviation 
in  the  world  over  in  the  years  since  World 
War  II.    She  has  been  active  in  many  other 


fields  of  interest,  including  teaching,  horse- 
manship, dancing,  ice  skating,  bowling,  shoot- 
ing and  world  travel.  In  connection  with  her 
travels,  it  is  interesting  to  note  she  has  gone 
by  plane,  car,  boat,  bicycle,  horse,  train  and 
afoot,  and  there  is  hardly  a  country  or  spot  in 
the  world  she  has  not  visited. 

Miss  Nichols,  born  in  Mandan,  North  Dako- 
ta, on  January  22,  1919,  is  the  daughter  of 
Dr.  Ira  Goodsell  Nichols,  Sr.,  dental  surgeon, 
researchist,  teacher  and  writer  whose  own 
story  appears  in  other  pages  of  this  edition, 
and   Blanche   Marie    (Davidson)    Nichols. 

The  distinguished  record  this  young  woman 
made  in  her  childhood  as  she  went  through 
school,  or  gave  piano  concerts  beginning  at 
the  age  of  five,  would  fill  pages  of  description. 
She  began  her  education  under  the  Winnetka 
system  in  Dr.  Howard's  School  and  later  at- 
tended the  University  of  Illinois  High  School. 
She  was  active  in  Girl  Scouting,  Girl  Reserves 
and  various  extra-mural  programs.  She  was 
fifteen  when  she  entered  the  University  of 
Illinois.  On  the  campus  and  in  her  classes 
she  was  again  distinguished.  To  prepare  for 
her  career  in  aeronautics  Miss  Nichols  went 
to  the  Lane  Technical  School,  University  of 
Chicago,  Harbican  Air  College  and,  later,  to 
the  Naval  Air  Station  at  Pensacola,  Florida, 
and  the  primary  and  secondary  flight  and 
ground  schools  of  the  Civil  Aeronautics  Ad- 
ministration. Meantime  she  was  winning 
championships    in   many   fields   of    sport. 

Miss  Nichols  was  on  the  faculty  of  Starrett 
School  for  Girls  in  Chicago  and  in  World  War 
II  served  twenty-four  months  with  the  Wom- 
en's Army  Ferrying  Service  (WAFS)  and  the 
Women's  Air  Force  Service  Pilots  (WASPS), 
receiving  a  special  commendation  from  Gen- 
eral Arnold  at  the  conclusion  of  her  service. 
She  was  graduated  as  an  advanced  ferry 
pilot  and  received  a  certificate  of  graduation 
from  a  course  in  the  piloting  of  radio  con- 
trolled aircraft.  She  flew  special  missions 
with  tow  target  squadrons  and  on  detailed 
service  and  flew  on  radio  controlled  aircraft 
missions,  and  was  one  of  the  first  women  ever 
to  check  out  in  B-29's,  B-17's,  and  B-24's.  She 
flew  operational  missions  with  light,  medium 
and  heavy  bomber  squadrons,  and  had  much 
to  do  with  development  of  training  programs 
for  other  women  flyers,  and  there  are  few 
military  planes  of  any  type  she  has  not  piloted. 

In  her  civilian  career  Miss  Nichols  has  been 
with  the  Royal  Dutch  Airlines  (KLM),  the 
Trans-Canada  Air  Lines,  Iranian  Airways, 
British  European  Airways  and  guest  consult- 
ant of  boards  of  directors  of  aviation  manu- 


936 


LJBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


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facturing  corporations  and  airlines.  She  was 
a  delegate  from  KLM  to  the  International 
Aeronautical  meeting  of  forty-one  countries 
which  was  held  in  Montreal,  Canada. 

Miss  Nichols  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Aeronautical  Association,  the  Institute  of 
Navigation,  the  Order  of  Fifinella  (WASPS), 
Alpha  Gamma  Delta  Alumni  Association,  the 
International  Civil  Aviation  Organization,  the 
International  Air  Transport  Association  and 
numerous  international  organizations.  She  is 
one  of  the  leading  women  in  world  aviation. 

JAMES  OLIVER  SHANAFELT 

A  farmer  and  oil  man  of  great  reputation 
in  Southern  Illinois,  James  Oliver  Shanafelt 
is  one  of  the  venerable  and  most  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  that  region.  His  farm  and 
oil  lands  are  in  Marion  County,  near  the 
county  seat,  Salem. 

Mr.  Shanafelt  was  born  on  the  Salemville 
Eoad,  at  an  address  which  is  now  Route  2, 
Salem.  His  parents  were  Jacob  and  Annie  M. 
(Houchen)  Shanafelt.  The  father,  a  native  of 
Seneca  County,  Ohio,  and  the  son  of  Adam 
Shanafelt,  a  farmer  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
came  to  Illinois  at  a  young  age  and  settled  in 
the  vicinity  of  Salem,  where  he  became  a 
prominent  farmer.  The  mother,  a  native  of 
Chambershire,  England,  was  brought  to  the 
United  States  by  her  parents  when  she  was 
six  years  old;  her  father  and  mother  were 
Charles  and  Susan  Houchen. 

James  Oliver  Shanafelt  grew  up  at  Salem- 
ville and  attended  the  district  public  schools. 
He  recalls  that  he  began  doing  his  first  farm 
work  when  he  was  six  years  old,  working  on 
his  father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty-one. 
Then  he  rented  a  farm  of  his  own  near  Salem. 
Later  he  acquired  his  father's  farm,  where 
he  still  lives.  Oil  was  found  on  the  land  in 
1938. 

Mr.  Shanafelt  married  Nettie  Rebecca  Web- 
ster, a  native  of  Wisconsin.  The  ceremony 
took  place  in  Salem,  to  which  community  Mrs. 
Shanafelt  was  brought  when  she  was  a  child. 
Her  parents  were  Van  Buren  Webster,  a 
farmer  and  carpenter,  and  Susan  (Carrigan) 
Webster.  Three  children  were  born  to  the 
marriage.  All  are  well  known  today.  There 
are  two  daughters  and  a  son — 1.  Shirley  Ann, 
now  the  wife  of  Dwight  Young  and  residing 
on  Rural  Route  2,  Salem,  or  Salemville,  and 
the  mother  of  four  children,  Jean,  Mildred, 
Betty  and  John  Young;  her  husband  is  a 
retired  farmer  and  oil  man.  2.  Ella  S.,  now 
Mrs.  Featherling,  also  living  near  Salem,  who 
has    two    children,    LaDon    Featherling,    born 


in  1930,  and  Jacquelin  Sue,  born  in  1931.  3. 
Estle  Paul  Shanafelt,  engineer  on  the  Cotton 
Belt  Railroad,  also  married,  and  the  father  of 
three  children,  Helen,  Paul  Jacob  and  Donald 
Shanafelt. 

James  Oliver  Shanafelt  has  made  his  in- 
fluence felt  throughout  Marion  County  and 
he  is  one  of  its  most  popular  citizens.  The 
growing  of  roses  and  dahlias  is  his  hobby. 
Television  is  another  of  his  interests.  He  has 
made  an  important  contribution  to  agricul- 
tural and  other  developments  in  his  native 
county. 

ROY  ESTEE  FRAZIER,  SR. 

Carrying  a  newspaper  route  and  working 
as  a  railroad  telegrapher  have  been  two  tradi- 
tional American  avenues  to  success.  Roy  Estee 
Frazier,  Sr.,  of  Centralia,  has  traveled  both. 
Today  he  is  one  of  the  best  known  fruit 
growers  and  shippers  in  his  part  of  the  state, 
being  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Frazier  and 
Wooters.  He  is  also  one  of  those  men  who 
give  public  service  and  are  always  ready  to 
help  out  in  the  community  when  needed  and 
called  on. 

Born  in  Rockbridge,  Greene  County,  on 
July  4,  1888,  Mr.  Frazier  is  the  son  of  Samuel 
Harvey  and  Lucy  Eleanor  (Finch)  Frazier. 
His  father,  a  native  of  Peoria  who  moved 
with  his  parents  to  Burlington  in  childhood, 
was  with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy 
Railroad  for  many  years.  The  mother,  born 
in  Concord,  Kentucky,  lived  in  Concord,  Illi- 
nois, in  early  life.  Her  parents  were  John 
Thomas  and  Nancy  (Johnson)  Finch,  also 
natives  of  Kentucky.  Roy  Frazier's  paternal 
grandfather,  John  Frazier,  an  Illinoisan  by 
birth,  was  a  bridge  foreman  for  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy. 

Roy  Estee  Frazier,  Sr.,  grew  up  in  Brigh- 
ton, Macoupin  County.  At  the  age  of  twelve 
he  moved  with  his  family  to  Rock  Island.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  both 
communities.  His  first  job  was  that  of  news- 
paper carrier.  When  he  was  fourteen  he  began 
learning  telegraphy,  and  at  fifteen  he  was  a 
telegraph  operator  and  agent  for  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy.  Two  years  later  he 
attended  Brown's  Business  College  at  Jackson- 
ville. Then  he  returned  to  the  railroad  and 
for  four  and  one-half  years  was  in  the  super- 
intendent's office.  In  1912  Mr.  Frazier  left 
the  railroad  to  take  a  position  with  the  travel- 
ing brokerage  firm  of  Harmon  and  Evans, 
well  known  in  the  fruit  business.  After  two 
years  with  this  firm  he  became  associated  with 
the  Fruit  Supply  Company  of  St.  Louis,  Mis- 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


939 


souri,  as  traffic  manager.  He  was  with  this 
concern  for  five  years.  In  1919,  Mr.  Frazier 
established  himself  at  Centralia,  where  at  first 
he  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  fruit  and 
vegetable  business  in  association  with  J.  C. 
Clovinger  and  L.  E.  Porter.  In  1928  the 
firm  name  became  Frazier  and  Wooters,  and 
so  it  continues.  In  addition  to  growing  fruit 
and  shipping  it,  this  firm  handles  orchard 
supplies  and  electric  appliances.  Mr.  Frazier 
and  his  partner  grow  and  buy  strawberries  in 
Tennessee,  green  beans  in  Mississippi  and 
Florida  and  peaches  in  Arkansas.  Their  South- 
ern Illinois  operations  in  peaches,  apples  and 
strawberries  are  tremendous:  they  handle  the 
output  of  600  acres  and  500  growers  in  that 
region  alone. 

Mr.  Frazier  married  Mildred  Marie  Greve, 
a  native  of  Beardstown  and  daughter  of  Anton 
Fred  and  Marie  Ann  (Paul)  Greve,  of  Ger- 
man extraction.  Her  father  was  a  cigar  manu- 
facturer in  Beardstown.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frazier 
have  three  children — Roy  Estee  Frazier,  Jr., 
born  in  1917,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Michigan  College  of  Law,  Ann  Arbor,  who 
married  Lucy  Mallory  of  Centralia  and  is  the 
father  of  Roy  E.  Frazier,  III,  born  in  1944; 
Elda  M.,  born  in  1923,  now  the  wife  of  Lapsey 
Hensley  of  Chicago,  a  graduate  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois  School  of  Fine  Arts,  who  has 
become  well  known  for  her  excellent  art  work, 
which  has  been  widely  shown;  and  Glen  G. 
Frazier,  born  in  1927,  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  School  of  Architecture,  now 
practicing  in  association  with  the  Clanson 
Architectural  Company  of  Decatur,  though 
residing  in  Urbana. 

The  senior  Mr.  Frazier  was  a  member  of 
the  Centralia  City  Health  and  Safety  Com- 
mittee for  four  years.  A  Mason,  he  belongs  to 
such  bodies  as  the  Knights  Templar  and  the 
Shrine.  Also,  he  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Fruit  and  Vegetable  Association,  the  Centralia 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Methodist 
Church.  He  is  a  trustee  of  his  church  and  a 
member  of  its  finance  committee.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  Hunting,  football  and 
baseball  are  his  favorite  sports;  gardening  is 
his  hobby.  Mr.  Frazier  has  won  high  distinc- 
tion at  Centralia  and  in  his  field  of  business 
operations. 

ROBERT  MINER  CAPPS 

In  1839  Joseph  Capps  of  Kentucky,  the  son 
of  a  wealthy  and  influential  planter  named 
Caleb  Capps,  settled  in  Jacksonville,  seat  of 
Morgan  County,  and  proceeded  not  only  to 
establish  what  is  now  the  famed  woolen  cloth- 


ing firm  of  J.  Capps  and  Sons,  Ltd.,  but  to 
promote  the  cause  of  education,  civic  better- 
ment and  good  government,  making  the  Capps 
name  forever  renowned  in  Illinois  history. 
Today  his  great-grandson,  Robert  Miner 
Capps,  continuing  family  traditions,  adds  to 
the  fame  and  success  of  J.  Capps  and  Sons, 
Ltd.,  as  its  president,  and  furthers  the  civic 
and  educational  program  so  closely  identified 
with  the  family. 

Robert  Miner  Capps  was  born  in  Jackson- 
ville on  November  16,  1894,  the  son  of  Alfred 
T.  Capps,  born  1863,  died  1935,  a  one-time 
president  of  the  Illinois  Anti-Saloon  League 
and  of  the  clothing  company.  Alfred  T.  Capps 
was  the  son  of  another  important  figure  in  the 
business  and  the  community,  Stephen  Reid 
Capps,  born  1838,  died  1914.  The  first  Joseph 
Capps  was  born  in  1811  and  died  in  1872. 
Like  numerous  members  of  his  family,  Robert 
M.  Capps  received  all  his  education  in  Jack- 
sonville. He  was  graduated  from  the  county 
seat's  grade  and  high  schools  and  in  1917 
took  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  at  Illinois 
College,  an  institution  founded  in  Jackson- 
ville only  ten  years  before  the  Capps  plant. 

Mr.  Capps  had  barely  been  graduated  from 
the  college  when,  the  United  States  having 
entered  World  War  II,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Army.  He  was  commissioned  a  Second  Lieu- 
tenant in  the  Army's  Ordnance  Corps.  For  a 
few  months  after  the  war  Mr.  Capps  worked 
for  the  Sangamo  Electric  Company  in  Spring- 
field. But  he  returned  to  Jacksonville  and 
joined  other  members  of  his  family  in  the 
employ  of  J.  Capps  and  Sons,  Ltd.,  the  firm 
once  called  the  Jacksonville  Woolen  Mills  and 
built  by  the  Capps  family  into  a  world  re- 
nowned enterprise.  For  twelve  years  Robert 
M.  Capps  was  a  traveling  salesman  for  the 
firm.  Then  he  was  taken  into  the  administra- 
tive offices  where  he  rose  from  one  responsible 
position  to  another  as  he  demonstrated  his 
executive  and  other  abilities.  In  1931  he  was 
elected  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  corpora- 
tion  and   in   1946,  president. 

On  February  1,  1921,  Mr.  Capps  married 
Lucy  Gatling  of  Tarboro,  North  Carolina. 
They  have  two  daughters — Frances,  now  Mrs. 
A.  D.  Robinson,  residing  in  Grosse  Isle,  Michi- 
gan, the  mother  of  Sarah  Gray  Robinson;  and 
Helen  P.  Capps,  who  is  in  the  advertising 
business  in  Chicago.  The  family  worships  in 
the  Congregational  Church,  the  church  sup- 
ported for  years  by  the  Capps. 

Mr.  Capps,  one  of  the  nation's  outstanding 
business  men  and  industrialists,  is  a  director 
of  the  United  States  Clothing  Manufacturers 


940 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


Association.  Active  in  Jacksonville's  and 
Morgan  County's  civic  life,  he  has  given  lead- 
ership to  the  Jacksonville  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  other  groups  and  movements  and 
serves  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  Illinois  Col- 
lege, thus  following  another  family  tradition. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Jack- 
sonville and  of  the  Manhattan  Club  of  New 
York  City.  Golf  and  fishing  are  his  favorite 
forms  of  relaxation.  An  historian  of  the 
Capps  family  and  J.  Capps  and  Sons,  Ltd., 
has  said  of  Jacksonville  that  it  "took  leader- 
ship in  civic,  political,  educational  and  re- 
ligious affairs  in  Illinois."  To  this  may  be 
added  that  the  Capps  family  has  given  the 
leadership  to  the  community,  the  mantle  of 
which  has  fallen  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
present  company  president,  Robert  Miner 
Capps. 

EUGENE  PHILIP  REINHARD 

Through  two  companies  at  Pekin,  the  Taze- 
well County  seat,  Eugene  Philip  Reinhard  has 
aided  a  home  and  general  building  program 
which  has  helped  maintain  progress  and  pros- 
perity in  the  area.  These  companies,  in  both 
of  which  he  is  a  partner,  are  Philip  Reinhard 
and  Son  and  the  Reinhard  and  Meyer  Lumber 
Company.  Mr.  Reinhard  is  well  known  in  the 
banking  business  at  Pekin  and  as  an  amateur 
photographer   and   flyer. 

He  was  born  in  Pekin  on  May  22,  1900, 
the  son  of  Philip  H.  and  Fannie  (Hummel) 
Reinhard.  His  father,  who  was  a  native  of 
Heidelberg,  Germany,  founded  Philip  Rein- 
hard and  Son  in  1912.  He  died  in  1932.  Fannie 
Hummel  Reinhard,  born  at  Bishop,  Illinois, 
survives  her  husband.  Eugene  P.  Reinhard 
was  educated  in  grade  and  high  school  in 
Pekin  and  on  leaving  school  went  to  work  in 
his  father's  business.  In  1921  he  was  made 
a  partner  and  he  continues  in  this  capacity. 
Philip  Reinhard  and  Son  does  a  general  mill- 
work  business  and  manufactures  sash  and 
door.  Its  territory  is  the  entire  Pekin  trade 
area  and  it  employs  twenty-five  persons.  The 
Reinhards  organized  Reinhard  and  Meyer 
Lumber  Company  in  1925.  This  is  a  retail 
lumber  and  building  materials  concern,  operat- 
ing throughout  the  Pekin  trade  territory. 

Eugene  P.  Reinhard  married  Lillian  Presley 
of  Bloomfield,  Missouri,  on  July  30,  1925,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Phyllis  Jean  Rein- 
hard, who  was  born  on  July  19,  1926,  and  is 
now  the  wife  of  Charles  Hanson.  Mrs.  Rein- 
hard's  parents,  both  also  born  at  Bloomfield, 
Missouri,  were  Joseph  Presley,  a  railroad 
storekeeper     who     died     in     1941,     and     Tina 


(Heinze)  Presley,  now  living  at  Pekin.  The 
Reinhard  home  is  at  1021  South  Fourth  Street, 
Pekin.  The  Reinhards  worship  in  the  Grace 
Methodist  Church  of  that  city. 

Besides  flying — for  which  he  has  his  own 
plane — and  photography,  fishing  is  Mr.  Rein- 
hard's  favorite  diversion.  He  belongs  to  the 
American  Photographic  Society,  the  Pekin 
Lodge  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  and  the  Masonic  order.  He  is  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Herget  National  Bank  of  Pekin.  An 
outstanding  citizen  of  Pekin,  he  is  contributing 
to  the  development  of  Illinois. 

CHARLES  ERNEST  LOVEJOY,  JR. 

A  member  of  the  publishing  business  since 
1923,  Charles  Ernest  Lovejoy,  Jr.,  is  now  vice- 
president  of  Bill  Brothers  Publishing  Corpo- 
ration, Chicago,  publishers  of  seven  well- 
known  trade  journals,  among  them  "Sales 
Management."  He  is  also  prominent  in  the 
affairs    of    the    University    of    Illinois. 

Mr.  Lovejoy  was  born  in  Chicago  on  No- 
vember 20,  1899,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles 
Ernest  and  Anna  (Thompson)  Lovejoy.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Bangor,  Maine.,  now  de- 
ceased, opened  the  Chicago  plant  for  Chase 
and  Sanborn's  coffee  and  tea  during  the 
World's  Fair  of  1893.  He  was  active  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  though  his  own  father,  who 
was  the  captain  of  Negro  troops  in  the  Civil 
War,  was  a  Unitarian  minister.  The  mother, 
also  deceased,  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts. Her  father  was  on  the  Monitor  when 
it  fought  the   Merrimac   in   the   Civil   War. 

The  publisher  received  his  early  education 
in  the  Clissold  Grade  School  and  Morgan 
Park  High  School.  In  1920,  he  took  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Science  at  the  University 
of  Illinois.  He  was  one  of  the  outstanding 
students  in  his  time  at  the  university  and  he 
has  continued  so  as  an  alumnus.  He  was 
on  the  varsity  football  team  for  three  years, 
having  been  a  member  of  the  Big  Ten  cham- 
pionship teams  of  1918  and  1919.  Also,  he 
was  president  of  the  junior  class  and  mem- 
ber of  Ma-Wan-Da  Senior  Honorary  Society 
and   Phi   Gamma   Delta. 

For  three  years  after  his  graduation  from 
the  university  Mr.  Lovejoy  worked  as  super- 
intendent and  salesman  for  the  Case  Harden- 
ing Service.  Company  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In 
the  meantime,  he  studied  in  the  night  classes 
of  the  Case  School  of  Applied  Science,  in 
Cleveland.  In  1923,  Mr.  Lovejoy  returned 
to  Chicago  as  assistant  advertising  manager 
of  Sales  Management  Magazine,  then  owned 
and   published   by   The   Dartnell   Corporation. 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


941 


Later  Mr.  Lovejoy  became  advertising  man- 
ager of  this  publication  and  in  1928  vice- 
president.  In  1945,  Mr.  Lovejoy  became  vice 
president  of  Bill  Brothers  Publishing  Corpora- 
tion, which  had  acquired  "Sales  Management" 
and  which  publishes  six  other  business  publi- 
cations. 

On  June  14,  1923,  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Lovejoy 
married  Doris  Martin,  the  daughter  of  Charles 
B.  and  Alice  G.  Martin.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren— Alice  Lovejoy  Hine,  born  in  1927,  who, 
like  her  husband,  Manford  Doyle  Hine,  is  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Illinois;  Sally 
Clare  Lovejoy,  born  in  1929,  also  a  graduate 
of  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  Charles  Er- 
nest Lovejoy,  III,  born  in  1933,  now  (1950) 
a  student  at  Morgan  Park  Military  Academy. 
The  family  resides  at  10315  South  Hoyne 
Avenue,  Chicago,  and  worships  in  the  Epis- 
copal Church  of  Morgan  Park. 

Mr.  Lovejoy's  five-foot-eight-and-one-half- 
inch,  stocky  figure  is  a  familiar  one  in  Chi- 
cago's civic  life  and  among  University  of  Illi- 
nois students  and  graduates.  He  is  former 
president  of  both  the  Illini  Club  of  Chicago 
and  the  board  of  directors  of  the  University 
of  Illinois  Athletic  Association  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  University  of  Illinois  Foundation. 
In  his  classroom  days,  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Student  Army  Training  Corps  (1918)  at 
the  university.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  his 
favorite  sport  is  golf. 

JOHN  FRANCIS  O'KEEFE 

Formerly  business  manager  of  the  Chicago 
Daily  News,  John  Francis  O'Keefe  is  now 
secretary  of  the  Chicago  Newspaper  Publish- 
ers Association.  He  has  had  a  long  career  in 
the  newspaper  world,  but  he  has  also  been 
long  associated  with  public  utilities  and  invest- 
ments. His  career  began,  like  that  of  many 
another  business  man,  when  he  took  a  job  as 
stenographer. 

Mr.  O'Keefe  was  born  in  Chicago  on  Au- 
gust 24,  1904,  the  son  of  John  F.  and  Kath- 
erine  (Harte)  O'Keefe,  and  he  was  educated 
in  the  parochial  schools  of  Chicago.  In  1920, 
he  became  a  stenographer  in  the  employ  of 
the  Chicago  Police  Department.  Later  he  be- 
came an  official  reporter,  via  the  notebook 
and  typewriter,  for  the  department.  When 
he  left  the  police  force  in  1925  Mr.  O'Keefe 
became  a  stenographer  and  secretary  in  the 
office  of  Samuel  Insull  in  Chicago.  Later, 
he  was  promoted  to  private  secretary  to  Mr. 
Insull,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1932. 
From  1930  to  1932  he  was  secretary  and 
treasurer    of   the    Insull    Utility    Investments, 


Inc.,  and  also  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Corporation  Securities  Company  of  Chicago. 
From  1928  to  1934  Mr.  O'Keefe  was  assist- 
ant secretary,  and  subsequently  assistant  to 
the  vice  chairman  of  the  Commonwealth  Edi- 
son Company.  In  1934  he  became  secretary 
of  the  Chicago  Daily  News,  an  office  he  held 
until  1942;  from  1942  to  1944  he  was  vice- 
president,  and  in  October,  1944  he  became 
business  manager  and  assistant  secretary  of 
the  company  and  of  the  Chicago  Daily  News 
Printing  Company,  of  which  he  was  later  made 
vice-president.  He  has  been  secretary  of  the 
Chicago  Newspaper  Publishers  Association 
since  January  1946.  His  office  is  at  211  West 
Wacker  Drive,  Chicago. 

Mr.  O'Keefe  married  Elizabeth  P.  Burton 
in  Chicago  on  June  12,  1937,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  five  children — John  Francis, 
Jr.,  Mary  Sheila,  Denis,  James  Paul  and 
Philip  Joseph  O'Keefe.  All  the  members  of 
the  family  are  communicants  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  The  O'Keefe  home  is  at 
3020  Normandy  Place,  Evanston.  Mr.  O'Keefe, 
a  Republican,  is  a  member  of  the  Electric  Club, 
the  Economic  Club,  and  various  newspaper 
groups.  From  1940  to  1942  he  was  special  as- 
sistant to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  Vice- 
President  of  Catholic  Charities  of  Chicago  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Community  Fund  of  Chicago.  He  is  well  known 
among  publishers  throughout  the  United  States 
and  Canada  and  has  done  much  to  promote 
cooperative  relationships  among  them. 

WALTER  HENRY  REASOR,  JR. 

The  man  behind  the  Midwest  Building  Com- 
pany and  the  residences  famed  as  "Midwest 
Homes"  is  Walter  Henry  Reasor,  Jr.,  who  went 
into  the  lumber  and  home  building  business 
after  World  War  II.  In  that  war  he  served 
the  nation  as  an  Air  Force  pilot.  He  is  one  of 
the  best  known  men  in  Coles  County,  and . 
has     offices  in  both  Mattoon  and  Charleston. 

Mr.  Reasor  was  born  in  Charleston  on  June 
8,  1918,  the  son  of  Walter  Henry  and  Marie 
Sayre  (Gramesly)  Reasor.  Both  his  parents 
were  born  in  Coles  County,  his  father  in  the 
county  seat.  The  father  is  now  retired,  having 
served  thirty-five  years  with  the  Railway  Ex- 
press Agency.  Mrs.  Reasor  is  the  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Keturah  Gramesly.  Walter  Rea- 
sor, Jr.,  attended  grade  and  high  school  and 
Eastern  Illinois  State  College,  Charleston.  In 
high  school  he  played  football. 

Mr.  Reasor  began  his  career  in  1936  as  an 
office  boy  for  a  Chicago  real  estate  firm.  In 


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LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


1937  he  returned  to  Charleston  and  then 
spent  six  months  at  Eastern  Illinois  State 
College.  In  1938  and  1939  he  was  a  clerk  in  a 
Mattoon  shoe  store.  From  1940  to  1942  he 
worked  as  an  insurance  agent  for  the  Wash- 
ington National  Insurance  Company  in  Cham- 
paign. In  April,  1942,  he  entered  the  United 
States  Army  Air  Forces,  in  which  he  served 
the  next  forty-six  months.  After  completing 
his  aviation  cadet  training,  Mr.  Reasor  became 
a  troop  carrier  pilot  with  the  46th  Troop 
Carrier  Squadron.  He  was  with  the  317th 
Troop  Carrier  Group  in  the  Southwest  Pacific 
Theater  of  Operations  for  nineteen  months. 
He  is  now  an  officer  in  the  Air  Force  Re- 
serve. Upon  his  separation  from  the  active 
service  in  February,  1946,  Mr.  Reasor,  return- 
ing home,  bought  an  old  house  and  six  acres 
of  land.  He  remodeled  the  house,  converting 
it  into  three  separate  apartments.  He  subdi- 
vided part  of  the  land  and  built  houses  on 
the  lots.  This  was  his  beginning  in  his  present 
field  of  operations.  In  1948  Mr.  Reasor  started 
a  small  lumber  yard  and  since  then  has  op- 
erated under  the  name  of  Midwest  Building 
Company.  He  dismantled  barracks  at  various 
military  installations  and  sold  them.  In  1949 
he  began  the  manufacture  of  "Midwest 
Homes,"  which  are  prefabricated  dwellings. 
His  business  keeps  growing  and  in  1950  he 
was  building  a  new  factory  as  well  as  start- 
ing an  addition  in  Charleston  (his  headquar- 
ters are  in  Mattoon).  He  is  also  building 
homes  for  rentals. 

On  January  7,  1938,  in  Knox,  Indiana, 
Mr.  Reasor  married  Ruth  Hawley,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Mabel  and  Dennis  Hawley  of  Danville, 
Illinois.  Mrs.  Reasor,  one  of  the  well  known 
women  of  Coles  County,  is  active  in  the  Par- 
ent-Teacher Associations,  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Mattoon,  the  Coles  County  Home 
Bureau  and,  the  leader  of  a  bowling  team, 
in  the  Woman's  International  Bowling  Con- 
gress. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reasor  are  the  parents 
of  four  children — William  Sayre  Reasor,  born 
on  March  9,  1939,  a  Boy  Scout;  Maribeth 
Reasor,  born  on  November  15,  1940,  a  Girl 
Scout;  Julie  Reasor,  born  on  April  10,  1947, 
and  Margaret  Ann  Reasor,  born  on  Febru- 
ary 13,  1948.  The  family  home  is  at  820  A 
Street,  Charleston. 

Mr.  Reasor  is  a  member  of  the  Mattoon  As- 
sociation of  Commerce,  the  Illinois  Retail 
Lumber  Dealers  Association,  the  Charleston 
Country  Club  and  the  Air  Force  Association. 
Flying  and  hunting  are  his  favorite  pastimes. 
A  vigorous  energetic  individual  who  tends 
to    become   restless   when    conditions   become 


static,  Mr.  Reasor  has  worked  his  business 
rapidly  from  one  small  operation  to  bigger 
and  better  operations,  until  today  he  is  one 
of  the  outstanding  figures  in  his  field  in  the 
state. 

GEN.  ROBERT    ELKINGTON  WOOD 

One  of  the  most  distinguished  American 
careers  in  history  has  been  that  of  General 
Robert  Elkington  Wood  of  Chicago.  General 
Wood  is  not  only  chairman  of  the  board  and 
former  president  of  the  great  Sears,  Roebuck 
and  Company,  but  he  is  the  possessor  of  an 
extraordinary  record  as  military  man,  as  for- 
mer chairman  of  the  Federal  Reserve  Bank 
of  Chicago  and  former  member  of  the  War 
Resources  Board  and  as  an  ardent  worker  on 
behalf  of  youth,  health  and  welfare,  agricul- 
ture and  industry. 

General  Wood  was  born  in  Kansas  City, 
Missouri,  on  June  13,  1879,  the  son  of  Robert 
W.  and  Lillie  (Collins)  Wood.  His  father,  a 
native  of  Herkimer,  New  York,  was  a  mer- 
chant. After  his  graduation  from  Central 
High  School  of  Kansas  City,  the  future  gen- 
eral and  merchant  entered  United  States  Mil- 
itary Academy  at  West  Point.  Graduated  from 
West  Point  as  a  Second  Lieutenant  in  1900, 
he  served  as  Second  and  First  Lieutenant  of 
Cavalry  with  troops  in  the  Philippine  Islands 
during  the  insurrection  of  1900-1902  and  at 
Fort  Assinniboine,  Montana,  1902-03.  From 
1903  to  1905  he  was  an  instructor  at  West 
Point  and  in  March,  1905,  he  was  sent  to 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  where  he  was  de- 
tached from  the  Army  for  duty  with  John 
F.  Wallace,  first  Chief  Engineer  employed  by 
the  Isthmian  Canal  Commission  during  the 
construction  of  the  canal,  1905-1915.  Sub- 
sequently, General  Wood  served  as  superin- 
tendent, assistant  chief  quartermaster,  chief 
quartermaster  and  chief  of  building  depart- 
ment in  charge  of  recruiting,  housing,  dis- 
tribution of  labor,  requisition,  purchase  and 
distribution  of  supplies  for  the  Panama  Canal 
and  the  Panama  Railroad  and  Steamship  Line. 
In  May,  1915,  General  Wood  resigned  from 
the  service  and  from  July  to  October  of  the 
same  year  was  assistant  to  the  vice-president 
of  E.  I.  duPont  de  Nemours  Company.  From 
1915  to  1917  he  was  assistant  to  the  presi- 
dent of  the  General  Asphalt  Company.  In 
May,  1917,  less  than  a  month  after  the  United 
States  entered  World  War  I,  he  reentered 
Government  service  as  general  purchasing  of- 
ficer, Emergency  Fleet  Corporation.  Then 
he  sailed  for  France  with  the  42nd  Division, 
as  Colonel  of  Infantry;  was  assigned  to  the 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


943 


General  Staff  in  charge  of  transportation  on 
arrival,  and  later  as  assistant  to  General  At- 
terbury  as  director  of  Army  Transport  Serv- 
ice in  charge  of  all  ports,  water  terminals 
and  shipping  in  France  and  England.  Recalled 
to  the  United  States  in  1918,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  Brigadier  General,  Acting  Quarter- 
master General,  later  director  of  purchase 
and  storage  in  charge  of  all  Army  supplies 
except  ordnance  and  aircraft.  On  March  1, 
1919,  he  returned  to  civil  life.  In  World 
War  II  General  Wood  served  on  the  Advis- 
ory Staff  of  the  Chief  of  Ordnance  and  as 
General  Consultant  and  Adviser  to  the.  Com- 
manding General  of  the  Army  Air  Forces  in 
reorganization  of  supply  functions  of  the  Air- 
Forces  and  as  such  visited  all  the  theaters  of 
war,  flying  a  total  of  200,000  miles  and 
around  the  world  twice  by  air. 

When  he  left  the  Army  in  March,  1919, 
General  Wood  became  general  merchandise 
manager  and  vice-president  in  charge  of  mer- 
chandising of  Montgomery  Ward  and  Com- 
pany, and  this  office  he  held  until  in  1924 
when  he  left  M.W.  &  Co.  He  went  to  Sears, 
Roebuck  &  Co.  as  vice-president  and  in  1928 
he  was  made  president  of  the  company  and 
in  1939  he  was  elevated  to  the  chairman- 
ship of  the  board,  his  present  office.  It  has 
been  in  the  years  since  General  Wood  be- 
came president  that  Sears  has  made  some 
of  its  greatest  strides,  especially  in  the  ex- 
pansion of  its  retail  establishments,  and  Gen- 
eral Wood  has  himself  become  a  world  figure 
in  merchandising  and  other  affairs.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Chicago,  North  Amer- 
ican Car  Corporation,  McGraw  Electric  Cor- 
poration, International  Minerals  and  Chemi- 
cal Corporation. 

On  April  30,  1908,  in  Augusta,  Georgia, 
General  Wood  married  Mary  Butler  Hard- 
wick,  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Anna  (Sto- 
vall)  Hardwick.  They  have  five  children — 
Anne  Wood,  now  Mrs.  William  H.  Mitchell 
and  mother  of  Mary  Tullis  Kinnear,  Robert 
Wood  Tullis  and  Edwin  E.  Tullis,  Jr.;  Fran- 
ces Wood,  now  Mrs.  Calvin  Fentress,  Jr.,  and 
mother  of  Audrey,  Calvin,  III,  Mary  H.  and 
Robert  W.  Fentress;  Sarah  Wood,  now  Mrs. 
James  R.  Addington  and  mother  of  Keene 
H.,  Whitney  W.  and  Anne  H.  Addington;  Rob- 
ert W.  Wood,  who  married  Martha  Cook  and 
is  the  father  of  Robert  E.  Wood,  II,  Daphne, 
Katherine  K.  and  Sarah  H.  Wood;  and  Mary 
Wood,  now  Mrs.  Hugo  V.  Neuhaus,  Jr.,  and 
mother  of  W.  S.  Farish,  III.  General  and 
Mrs.  Wood  reside  at  700  South  Ridge  Road, 


Lake    Forest,    and    worship    in    the    Episcopal 
Church. 

The  General  has  always  been  active  in  pub- 
lic affairs.  In  1933-34  he  was  on  the  Indus- 
trial Advisory  Board  of  the  N.R.A.  and  in 
1934-38  on  the  Business  Advisory  Council  of 
the  Department  of  Commerce,  being  since 
1938  a  Graduate  Member  of  the  Council. 
From  1936  to  1940  he  was  deputy  chairman 
of  the  Federal  Reserve  Bank  of  Chicago  and 
in  1940  was  chairman.  From  1938  to  1940 
he  was  public  representative  on  the  board  of 
the  New  York  Stock  Exchange.  From  1939 
to  1943  he  was  on  the  Committee  for  Civil 
Service  Improvement  and  in  1939  on  the  War 
Resources  Board.  From  1938  to  1940  he  was 
a  member  of  the  American  Youth  Commission 
of  the.  American  Council  on  Education  and 
from  1940  to  1942  he  was  on  the  board  of 
the  National  Association  of  Manufacturers. 
In  the  1946  campaign  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Committee  of  the  National  Service 
Fund  of  the  Disabled  American  Veterans  and 
was  vice-president  of  the  Community  Fund  of 
Chicago  for  several  years  and  one  year 
headed  the  Community  Fund  drive.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  the  Museum 
of  Science  and  Industry,  Farm  Foundation, 
Midwest  Research  Institute,  Advisory  Coun- 
cil of  Southern  Research  Institute  and  Inter- 
American  Council  of  Commerce  and  Produc- 
tion; president  of  the  Chicago  Boys  Clubs 
and  a  director  of  the  Foundation  for  Amer- 
ican Agriculture;  honorary  president  of  the 
North  Shore  Area  Council,  Boy  Scouts  of 
America;  member  of  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois General  Advisory  Committee,  Salvation 
Army  Association  of  Chicago  and  board  of 
Cradle  Society.  The  entire  world  has  long 
honored  him  and  his  achievements. 

EARL  THROGMORTON 

On  December  31,  1948,  "The  Rotary  Spur," 
official  organ  of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Carbon- 
dale,  wrote  the  following,  under  the  title  "Ro- 
tary's  Great  Loss":  "Thursday  night,  at  ten 
o'clock,  Carbondale  lost  a  friend.  Past  Presi- 
dent Earl  Throgmorton  died.  He  had  been 
ill  for  several  months.  The  story  of  Earl's 
life  is  a  regular  Horatio  Alger  tale.  Born 
in  a  log  cabin  on  land  now  covered  by  Little 
Grassy  Lake,  Earl  fought  his  way  to  the  top. 
At  his  death  he  was  the  largest  independent 
operator  of  bus  lines  in  the  United  States. 
There  is  a  gap  in  Carbondale  today.  It  will 
be  years,  if  ever,  before  this  gap  is  filled. 
Kindly,  generous,  civic  minded,  everybody's 
friend,   Earl   did   a   great  amount   of   good   in 


944 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


and  for  Carbondale."  Mr.  Throgmorton  was 
an  outstanding  citizen  of  that  section  of  the 
United  States  called  "Egypt,"  and  he  worked 
day  and  night  for  its  welfare  and  prosperity, 
and  he  was  also  known  for  his  sponsorship 
of  collegiate  athletics  in  the  North  Central 
States.  The  company  through  which  he  be- 
came so  prominent  in  motor  coach  transpor- 
tation in  the  United  States  was  the  Carbon- 
dale  and  Harrisburg  Coach  Lines,  Inc.,  of 
which  he  was  founder  and  president.  Today 
this  great  corporation  is  being  directed  by 
Mr.  Throgmorton's  widow,  the  former  Ruth 
Keith  of  Alto  Pass,  who  is  herself  developing 
a  reputation  of  great  proportions  for  leader- 
ship  in   the  transportation   world. 

Earl  Throgmorton  was  born  on  June  3, 
1899,  on  a  farm  south  of  Carbondale,  and  he 
attended  rural  schools,  Carbondale  Univer- 
sity High  School  and  Southern  Illinois  Uni- 
versity. Unable  to  finish  his  formal  educa- 
tion, Mr.  Throgmorton  obtained  employment 
with  the  Illinois  Central,  and  in  time  became 
a  freight  and  passenger  brakeman.  In  1924, 
with  the  few  dollars  he  had  accumulated,  he 
started  the  taxi  service  at  Carbondale  now 
known  as  the  Yellow  Cab  Company.  Four 
years  later  he  inaugurated  his  chartered  bus 
service,  buying  out  the  Carbondale-Harris- 
burg  Coach  Line,  Inc.,  then  operating  two 
buses  bewteen  those  two  communities.  In 
1938,  Mr.  Throgmorton  built  the  new  bus 
station  in  Carbondale,  doubling  the  building 
in  size  in  1941.  In  1947  six  large  new  buses 
were  put  into  operation  on  the  line,  which 
had  expanded  to  include  transportation  serv- 
ice for  practically  all  of  Southern  Illinois, 
parts  of  Central  Illinois,  Missouri  and  Indi- 
ana. New  depots  and  new  buses  were  later 
added  to  the  system.  Mr.  Throgmorton's  en- 
try into  this  field  really  began  when  he  op- 
erated a  charter  bus  primarily  for  athletic 
teams  of  Southern  Illinois  University.  At  the 
start  of  his  business,  he  was  his  own  driver, 
sleeping  in  the  bus  to  save  hotel  expenses  on 
long  trips.  Through  the  "national  emergency" 
period  preceding  World  War  II  and  the  war 
period  itself,  Mr.  Throgmroton's  coaches  car- 
ried thousands  of  workers  to  essential  jobs 
in   war  plants. 

Mr.  Throgmorton  served  as  president  of 
the  Rotary  Club  of  Carbondale,  was  a  char- 
ter member  and  director  of  the  Greater  Egypt 
Association  and  active  also  in  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Masonic 
order.  In  the  latter,  he  belonged  to  Shekinah 
Lodge,  No.  241,  A.  F.  and  A.  M. ;  Reynolds 
Chapter,   No.   75,   Royal  Arch  Masons;   Beau- 


sant  Commandery,  No.  86,  Knights  Templar; 
and  Ainad  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  East  St.  Louis.  He  was  a  past  patron 
of  the  Carbondale  Chapter,  No.  467,  Order 
of  the  Eastern  Star.  He  was  one  of  the  two 
men  honored  with  honorary  membership  in 
the  "I"  Club  of  Southern  Illinois  University 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Carbondale  Com- 
munity High  School  board  and  otherwise  ac- 
tive in   civic  affairs. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Throgmorton  were  married 
in  1923.  Mrs.  Throgmorton,  whose  parents  are 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.J.  Keith,  still  residing  at  Alto 
Pass,  is  a  graduate  of  Southern  Illinois  Uni- 
versity and  taught  at  Chicago  before  her 
marriage.  She  succeeded  her  husband  as  pres- 
ident of  the  C.  and  H.  Coach  Lines  and  since 
then  has  helped  further  development  of  the 
system  through  participation  in  the  manage- 
ment. She.  has  been  a  leader  in  the  Order 
of  the  Eastern  Star  and  is  now  Associate 
Grand  Matron  of  the  Grand  Chapter  of  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  of  Illinois,  having 
previously  served  as  Worthy  Matron  of  her 
chapter.  In  1951  she  will  serve  as  Worthy 
Grand  Matron  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern 
Star  of  Illinois,  the  highest  office  in  the 
Order.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Throgmorton, 
which  occurred  on  December  30,  1948,  when 
he  was  forty-nine  years  old,  Mrs.  Throgmorton 
has  preserved  the  Throgmorton  reputation  for 
a  contribution  of  a  high  order  to  progress 
and  welfare. 

WATSON  GAILEY,  M.D. 

Possessor  of  an  international  reputation  as 
a  specialist  in  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of 
diseases  of  the  eye,  Dr.  Watson  Gailey  of 
Bloomington  is  also  noted  as  a  teacher  in  this 
field  and  as  a  leader  in  work  for  the  visually 
handicapped  and  in  movements  aimed  at  eye- 
sight conservation.  He  is  the  founder  and 
chief  ophthalmologist  of  the  Gailey  Eye  Clinic 
of  Bloomington  and  president  of  the  Wat- 
son Gailey  Eye  Foundation. 

Dr.  Gailey  was  born  in  Ashland,  Cass  Coun- 
ty, on  September  7,  1882,  the  son  of  Dr. 
William  Watson  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Sinclair) 
Gailey.  His  father,  who  was  born  on  July 
19,  1842,  near  Newcastle,  Pennsylvania,  was 
graduated  from  Westminster  College,  Wil- 
mington, Pennsylvania,  when  he  was  17.  Later 
he  took  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  at 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  enlisted 
as  a  medical  cadet  soon  after  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War  and  served  in  Army  hos- 
pitals and  also  on  the  high  seas  on  the  war- 
ship  Commodore   Vanderbilt.     Later  he   prac- 


I    L    L    I    N    O    I 


EDITION 


945 


ticed  medicine  in  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and 
also  Ashland. 

Dr.  Watson  Gailey,  a  graduate  of  Ashland 
High  School  of  the  Class  of  1900,  received 
the  Doctor  of  Medicine  degree  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  College  of  Medicine  in  Chi- 
cago in  1904.  For  18  months  he  interned 
at  Cook  County  Hospital,  Chicago,  and  for 
a  like  period  afterward  served  as  resident  at 
the  Illinois  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary.  Subse- 
quently, he  did  graduate  study  in  ophthalmol- 
ogy in  all  the  leading  medical  centers  of  the 
country,  and  since  1909  he  has  been  practic- 
ing his  specialty  in  Bloomington.  He  has 
studied  ophthalmology  in  Vienna,  Berlin,  Chi- 
na, India,  England,  Japan  and  Spain.  In  1931- 
1932  he  spent  six  months  in  India  doing  noth- 
ing but  cataract  surgery,  and,  previously,  in 
World  War  I,  he  spent  18  months  in  the 
United  States  Army  Medical  Corps  as  a  Cap- 
tain stationed  at  General  Hospital  No.  9,  Lake- 
wood,  New  Jersey.  When  he  began  his  prac- 
tice, he  opened  offices  in  the  Griesheim  Build- 
ing, Bloomington,  where  he  remained  until 
1941.  Then  he  built  the  Gailey  Eye  Clinic, 
at  1008  North  Main  Street.  Because  of  the 
rapid  growth  of  the  clinic,  it  became  neces- 
sary in  1950  to  build  a  new  structure,  a 
duplication  in  size  of  the  original.  On  March 
1,  1949,  Dr.  Gailey  founded  the  Watson  Gail- 
ey Eye  Foundation,  a  non-profit  corporation 
formed  to  afford  a  means  by  which  private 
funds,  in  the  way  of  contributions  and  gifts 
of  any  kind,  can  be  channeled  into  uses  pro- 
moting and  improving  the  science  of  ophthal- 
mology. In  addition  to  being  president  of  the 
foundation  and  chief  ophthalmologist  of  his 
clinic,  Dr.  Gailey  is  chief  ophthalmologist  of 
Mennonite  Hospital  and  is  extramural  oph- 
thalmologist for  the  University  of  Illinois  Di- 
vision of  Services  for  Crippled  Children.  He 
is  consultant  in  the  special  education  pro- 
gram for  the  visually  handicapped  at  Illinois 
State   Normal  University. 

Dr.  Gailey  married  Louise  Huffaker,  daugh- 
ter of  Frank  and  Liza  Huffaker,  at  Jackson- 
ville, and  one  daughter,  Janet,  was  born  to 
them.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Charles 
Digges  Branch,  physician  and  surgeon,  and 
mother  of  Watson  Gailey  (Twig)  Branch  and 
Charles  Digges  Branch,  II.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Gail- 
ey reside  at  8  Country  Club  Place,  Blooming- 
ton. 

Dr.  Gailey  is  a  member  of  the  McLean 
County  Medical  Society,  Illinois  State  Medi- 
cal Society,  American  Medical  Association, 
Pan-American  Congress  of  Ophthalmology, 
American    Academy    of    Ophthalmalogy,    the 


Central  Illinois  Society  of  Ophthalmology  and 
Otolaryngology  (of  which  he  was  first  presi- 
dent), and  also  Bloomington  Lodge,  No.  43, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  Bloom- 
ington Consistory,  Ancient  and  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite,  and  coordinate  bodies;  Louis 
E.  Davis  Post,  No.  56,  American  Legion,  at 
Bloomington.  His  profession  is  his  hobby.  He 
is  known  for  his  generosity  and  charitable- 
ness as  well  as  his  leadership  in  the  world 
of    ophthalmology. 

JAMES  EVERETT  ETHERTON 

The  leadership  of  James  Everett  Etherton 
of  Carbondale,  one  of  Illinois'  best  known  cit- 
izens, extends  into  many  fields.  A  lawyer 
who  has  not  only  practiced  privately  but 
served  as  special  prosecutor  for  the  Illinois 
Pure  Food  Commission  and  on  the  Illinois 
State  Board  of  Bar  Examiners,  he  is  also 
president  of  The  Carbondale  National  Bank 
of  Carbondale.  He  has  headed  some  of  the 
most  important  civic  and  health  and  welfare 
organizations  in  his   community. 

Mr.  Etherton  comes  of  a  family  whose 
progenitor  in  America  settled  in  Jamestown, 
Virginia,  in  1640,  after  coming  to  the  New 
World  from  England.  His  father  was  James 
Marcus  Etherton,  a  native  of  Illinois  who  was 
also  president  of  the  Carbondale  National 
Bank  and  his  grandfather  was  William  Carroll 
Etherton,  another  native  of  this  State,  who 
served  as  Sheriff  of  Jackson  County.  James 
Everett  Etherton's  mother  was  Lavannia  J. 
(Lee)  Etherton,  also  born  in  Illinois. 

Born  at  Pomona,  Illinois,  on  February  21. 
1889,  Mr.  Etherton  began  his  education  in 
Carbondale's  elementary  schools.  He  has  at- 
tended Southern  Illinois  University  in  Car- 
bondale, Shurtleff  College  at  Alton  and  the 
University  of  Illinois.  He  was  graduated  with 
a  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  at  Urbana  in  1913,  and 
when  he  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  State . 
Bar  in  1914  he  achieved  an  ambition  to  which 
he  had  clung  since  boyhood.  He  practiced 
in  Carbondale  until  1917,  when  he  became 
assistant  cashier  of  the  Carbondale  National 
Bank.  In  1938,  he  rose  to  the  presidency  of 
the  bank.  The  bank  grew  with  the  career  of 
Mr.  Etherton's  father,  who  became  one  of  the 
State's  leading  Democrats  and  who  served  in 
the  State  Legislature,  and  has  continued  to 
grow  with  the  career  of  its  present  presi- 
dent. Mr.  Etherton  has  continued  his  law 
work,  chiefly  in  probate  matters  and  in  ad- 
visory capacities.  His  legal  practice  has,  how- 
ever, been  intermittent  in  character. 


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From  1916  to  1918  Mr.  Etherton  was  spe- 
cial prosecutor  for  the  Illinois  Pure  Food 
Commission;  from  1919  to  1920  he  was  super- 
visor of  the  census  for  the  17th  District  of 
Illinois;  from  1920  to  1922  he  was  a  member 
of  the  52nd  General  Assembly,  representing 
the  44th  District,  and  from  1935  to  1945  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Board  of 
Bar  Examiners.  He  was  chairman  of  Local 
Board  No.  2,  Selective  Service  System,  Jack- 
son County,  from  its  organization  until  its 
dissolution.  He  has  also  been  a  member  and 
president  of  the  local  school  boards,  and  is 
active  in  civic  affairs  in  general. 

Mr.  Etherton  married  Julia  Rachel  Mitchell 
on  October  21,  1918,  and  they  have  a  son, 
William  C.  Etherton,  and  daughter,  Annabel 
L.  Etherton.  The  son,  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Illinois,  was  a  Technical  Ser- 
geant in  the  United  States  Army  Air  Forces 
in  World  War  II,  serving  in  the  Mediterra- 
nean Theater  of  Operations.  He  married 
Helen  Morlock  of  Champaign,  also  a  grad- 
uate  of  the   University   of   Illinois. 

The  banker  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Bankers  Association;  the  Illinois  Bankers  As- 
sociation, of  which  he  is  currently  (1949- 
1950)  vice-chairman;  the  Illinois  Bar  Asso- 
ciation, the  American  Bar  Association;  the 
Missouri  Athletic  Club  of  St.  Louis;  The  Car- 
bondale  Business  Men's  Association,  of  which 
he  was  president  in  1921-1923;  the  Lions 
Club,  of  which  he  is  past  president;  and  the 
Elks  Lodge,  of  which  he  is  past  exalted  ruler. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Uni- 
versity Foundation,  the  Carbondale  Building 
and  Loan  Association  and  the  Good  Luck 
Company  of  Carbondale,  Illinois.  Through 
his  hobby,  civic  work,  and  his  other  activi- 
ties he  serves  his  community  and  State. 

FLOYD  PARKER  BRACY 

Acknowledged  for  many  years  as  a  leader 
in  the  insurance  business  of  Illinois,  especially 
in  the  southern  region,  Floyd  Parker  Bracy 
of  Herrin  has  been  identified  with  the  prog- 
ress of  ths  State  since  the  early  1920's.  He 
is  the  founder  and  operator  of  the  Floyd  P. 
Bracy  Insurance  Agency  and  is  district  super- 
visor for  the  Sun  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
Canada,  though  he  writes  all  types  of  insur- 
ance for  many  companies.  He  is  the  only 
Southern  Illinois  member  of  the  Illinois  De- 
velopment Committee,  under  appointment  of 
both  Governors  Horner  and  Green,  and  has 
also  served  as  City  Treasurer  of  Herrin  and 
member  of  the   board  of  education  and  high 


school  board  in  Herrin.  He  is  well  known  in 
church  and  organizational  work. 

Mr.  Bracy  was  born  in  Williamson  County, 
about  three  miles  from  Marion,  on  January 
23,  1897,  the  son  of  Samuel  L.  Bracy,  a  farm- 
er, and  Mae  (Parker)  Bracy.  Both  parents 
were  also  born  in  Illinois.  Samuel  Bracy  was 
active  in  the  Methodist  Church  and  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board  for  District  51  for 
twenty-one  years.  Floyd  Bracy  attended  the 
rural  schools  of  his  native  county  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Marion  Township  High 
School  in  1916.  For  a  year  he  studied  at 
Southern  Illinois  University  at  Carbondale 
and  then  taught  for  two  semesters  in  the  Ma- 
rion school  system.  In  the  summer  of  1918, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Navy  and  was  stationed  at 
the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  and  at 
Norfolk,  Virginia. 

Discharged  from  the  service  in  1919,  Mr. 
Bracy  returned  to  Herrin,  where  he  worked 
for  the  wholesale  fruit  and  produce  business 
of  Harry  W.  Bracy.  At  first  he  was  office 
manager,  but  later,  upon  acquiring  an  intei'- 
est  in  the  enterprise,  he  was  made  vice-pres- 
ident. In  1926,  he  sold  out  his  share  of  the 
business  and  entered  the  University  of  Illinois, 
where  for  a  year  he  studied  economics  and 
insurance.  In  1927,  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  father-in-law,  Mark  Woodley,  and  en- 
tered the  insurance  business.  This  partner- 
ship was  dissolved  in  1930  and  since  then 
Mr.  Bracy  has  operated  alone,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Floyd  P.  Bracy  Insurance  Agency. 
He  became  district  supervisor  for  Sun  Life 
in  1940.  He  is  active  in  the  Life  Underwrit- 
ers  Association. 

On  December  30,  1922,  Mr.  Bracy  married 
Ruth  Woodley,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mark  Woodley  of  Williamson  County.  Their 
children  are:  William  Thomas,  born  June  3, 
1927,  a  graduate  of  Southern  Illinois  Uni- 
versity and  now  associated  in  business  with 
his  father;  James  Richard,  born  November  4, 
1930,  now  doing  pre-medical  work  at  the  same 
university. 

The  family  worships  at  the  First  Methodist 
Church  of  Herrin  in  which  Mr.  Bracy  has 
served  in  various  official  capacities  and  is 
former  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School. 

Active  in  public  affairs  for  years,  Mr.  Bra- 
cy became  City  Treasurer  of  Herrin  in  1930. 
In  1940,  Southern  Illinois  Incorporated  was 
organized  by  a  group  of  leading  business  men 
of  Southern  Illinois,  to  promote  industry,  ag- 
riculture and  recreation  in  that  part  of  the 
state.     Mr.   Bracy,   one   of  the   founders,   was 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


94" 


first  Treasurer  of  the  group  which  is  still 
operating. 

Active  in  Boy  and  Girl  Scout  work  for  the 
past  ten  years,  Mr.  Bracy  was  one  of  the 
group  that  organized  the  Egyptian  Council, 
Boy  Scouts  of  America.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  State  Welfare  Commission  of  William- 
son County.  He  was  a  leader  in  the  sale  of 
bonds  in  Williamson  County  during  the  late 
war,  and  is  still  Chairman  of  the  bond  selling 
group  in  1950.  He  received  several  citations 
for  his  War  Bond  work  as  well  as  for  his  ac- 
tivities in  the  Defense  Council  for  the  County. 
Active  in  Red  Cross  work  during  the  war, 
he  is  serving  on  the  Board  of  Directors  for 
Williamson  County  at  the  present  time. 

He  is  former  president  and  secretary  of 
the  Lions  Club  of  Herrin  and  former  Deputy 
District  Governor.  He  is  now  a  Master  Key 
Member  of  the  organization.  On  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Herrin  Chamber  of  Commerce 
several  years,  he  is  now  chairman  of  its  pub- 
lic relations  committee.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Illinois  State  Chamber  of  Commerce.  In 
Masonry  he  is  a  member  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  Consistory  of  the  Scottish  Rite  and 
Ainad  Temple  of  the  Shrine  at  East  St.  Louis. 
Fishing  and  boating  are  his  chief  recreations. 
The  contribution  he  has  made  to  the  entire 
State  is  widely  recognized. 

FLOYD  FLEMMING  STABLES 

"Believe  you'ro  right.  Then  go  ahead  with 
all  your  might."  That  is  the  motto  Floyd 
Flemming  Stables  of  Mount  Vernon  has  fol- 
lowed all  his  life.  It  has  brought  him  suc- 
cess and  the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 
Well  known  for  years  as  an  educator,  Mr. 
Stables  is  now  in  the  lumber  business.  His 
firm  is  the  Mount  Vernon  Lumber  Company. 
He  is  also  a  leading  figure  in  civic,  fraternal 
and  religious  affairs,  and  an  active  worker  on 
behalf  of  education. 

Mr.  Stables  was  born  in  Bethany,  Moultrie 
County,  on  February  2G,  1890,  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Oriana  (Crowder)  Stables. 
Thomas  Stables'  father,  a  native  of  England, 
was  Edward  Stables,  a  farmer  and  harness 
maker  who  settled  in  Moultrie  County  in  the 
1860's.  Thomas  Stables  was  born  in  that 
county,  near  Bethany.  He  too  became  a  har- 
ness maker,  and  operated  harness  stores  in 
Bethany  and  Lexington.  He  lived  at  Lexing- 
ton from  1905  until  his  death  in  1944,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-seven.  Oriana  Stables,  born  in 
Bethany,  was  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  in  the  Bethany  section,  J.  H.  Crowd- 
er.   Her  father,  who  bought  his  land  from  the 


Government,  was  a  farmer.  He  served  in  the 
Union  Army  in  the  Civil  War  and  for  a 
time  afterward  was  State  Commander  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  credited 
with  having  imported  the  first  red  polled  cat- 
tle into  the  United  States.  Floyd  F.  Stables 
has  one  brother,  Glenn  C.  Stables,  a  voice 
instructor  at  Converse  College,  Spartanburg, 
S.  C.  He  received  his  training  in  New  York 
and  Paris. 

Floyd  F.  Stables  attended  the  public  schools 
at  Bethany  and  Decatur,  completing  his  high 
school  work  at  Lexington.  At  high  school  he 
was  on  the  track,  basketball  and  baseball 
teams,  and  also  active  in  dramatics.  For  three 
and  one-half  years  he  was  at  James  Millikin 
University,  Decatur,  majoring  in  industrial 
arts.  At  the  university  he  was  also  active  in 
athletics,  and  for  one  year  he  was  captain  of 
the  basketball  team.  He  was  named  the  All- 
State  Forward  in  1911,  1912  and  1913.  On 
leaving  the  university  Mr.  Stables  became 
the  teacher  of  industrial  arts  and  athletic 
coach  in  the  Centralia  Township  high  school. 
He  then  moved  to  Mount  Vernon,  after  a  year 
in  Centralia,  and  held  the  same  faculty  posi- 
tions until  1921.  One  basketball  team  he 
coached  at  Mount  Vernon  won  the  state 
championship  in  192  0.  He  gave  up  coaching 
in  1921,  but  continued  as  a  teacher  until 
194  4.  Back  in  1919  Mr.  Stables  had  become 
financially  interested  in  the  Mount  Vernon 
Lumber  Company.  When  in  1944  he  gave  up 
pedagogy  as  a  career,  he  took  over  active 
management  of  this  lumber  business. 

On  June  9,  1915,  Mr.  Stables  married 
Laura  Belle  Howenstine,  a  native  of  Decatur. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  L. 
Howenstine  of  Decatur — was  active  in  Church 
and  social  life.  She  died  December  31,  1936. 
Two  sons  were  born  to  the  marriage — James 
G.,  a  Certified  Public  Accountant  at  Hannibal, 
Missouri,  he  married  Ruth  Lee  of  Duquoin  Illi- 
nois in  1941 — have  3  children;  John  Richard, 
James  William,  Peggy  Lee;  and  John  L.,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  with  his 
father  in  Mount  Vernon.  Both  sons  are  grad- 
uates of  the  University  of  Illinois.  In  1938 
Mr.  Stables  married  Mrs.  Helen  M.  P'ord  of 
Peoria,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chas. 
P.  Heald.  Her  father  was  a  Harvard  Law 
graduate  and  business  man.  Mrs.  Stables  was 
born  in  Kingston,  Jamaica.  Her  parents  were 
missionaries.  Mrs.  Stables  majored  in  art  at 
James  Millikin  University,  Decatur,  111.  She  has 
a  daughter  by  her  first  marriage,  Artys  Ford, 
a  graduate  of  James  Millikin  University  and 
also    an    artist.     The    daughter    flew    to    Ger- 


948 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


many  in  194  6  to  be  married  to  Captain  Ray 
Galligar  of  the  United  States  Army.  They 
have  one  child,  Vincent  Robert. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stables  are  both  active  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Stables,  a  former 
Sunday  School  superintendent,  served  for 
about  twenty  years  as  a  trustee.  He  is  now 
serving  as  building  committee  chairman  of 
an  attractive  new  church  edifice.  He  is  a 
former  chancellor  commander  of  the  Mount 
Vernon  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  a 
former  president  of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Mount 
Vernon,  of  which  he  is  a  charter  member.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Sigma  Alpha  Epsilon  fra- 
ternity and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
and  the  Mount  Vernon  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
His  many-sided  contribution  to  progress  and 
culture  at  Mount  Vernon  has  brought  him 
widespread   recognition. 

HAROLD  ABBOTT  WRIGHT 

The  possessor  of  a  national  reputation  in 
the  fields  of  industrial  and  labor  relations, 
Harold  Abbott  Wright  is  now  a  partner  in  the 
management  consulting  firm  of  A.  T.  Kearney 
and  Company,  Chicago.  He  has  done  con- 
siderable research  and  writing  in  these  fields 
and  collaborated  in  the  book,  "Management 
and  the  Worker:  An  Account  of  a  Research 
Program  Conducted  by  the  Western  Electric 
Company,  Hawthorne  Works,  Chicago." 

Mr.  Wright  was  born  in  Hopedale,  Massa- 
chussetts,  on  May  5,  1901,  the  son  of  William 
C.  and  Florence  (Smith)  Wright.  His  father, 
a  native  of  Sandgate,  Vermont,  was  a  consult- 
ing foundry  engineer.  His  mother  was  born 
at  Williamstown,  Massachusetts.  H.  A.  Wright 
was  graduated  from  high  school  at  Oak  Park 
and  then  attended  the  University  of  Illinois, 
Urbana,  for  three  years.  He  was  elected  to 
Chi  Phi  Fraternity. 

Mr.  Wright  began  his  business  career  in 
1923  in  the  industrial  relations  organization 
of  the  Western  Electric  Company  at  its  Haw- 
thorne Works  in  Chicago.  For  twenty  years 
he  remained  with  that  company  having,  at 
various  times,  charge  of  training,  personnel 
research  and  the  coordination  of  the  com- 
pany's relations  with  the  labor  union.  It  was 
under  his  direction  that  the  well-known  Haw- 
thorne studies  in  employee  relations  devel- 
oped. "Management  and  the  Worker,"  pre- 
pared by  F.  J.  Roethlisberger  and  W.  J.  Dick- 
son, with  Mr.  Wright's  collaboration,  is  a 
written  report  of  these  studies.  It  was  pub- 
lished by  the  Harvard  University  Press  in 
1939,  and  immediately  accepted  by  manage- 
ment,  personnel   authorities   and   professional 


journals,  has  since  been  a  part  of  the  litera- 
ture of  the  field.  In  1944,  Mr.  Wright  became 
associated  with  McKinsey,  Kearney  and  Com- 
pany, management  consultants,  the  firm  now 
called  A.  T.  Kearney  and  Company.  He  be- 
came a  partner  on  September  1,  1945.  He 
is  a  director  of  the  Herman  Nelson  Corpora- 
tion at  Moline.  Mr.  Wright's  work  at  Western 
Electric  was  reviewed  by  Stuart  Chase  in  a 
Reader's  Digest  article  called  "What  Makes 
the  Worker  Like  to  Work?"  and  appearing 
in  February,  1941.  Many  of  his  discoveries 
in  his  Hawthorne  researches  were  outlined 
in  this  article.  He  has  himself  written  articles 
for  various  publications,  among  them  a  timely 
contribution  called  "Personal  Adjustment  in 
Industry,"  which  appeared  in  Occupations, 
the  Vocational  Guidance  Magazines,  in  May, 
1940,  just  as  Americans  were  preparing  for  a 
"national  emergency"  and  were  soon  to  be 
"all-out"  for  victory  in  World  War  II. 

On  September  18,  1926,  in  Chicago,  Mr. 
Wright  married  Dorothy  Dennett,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  M.  Dennett  and  also 
a  former  student  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 
She  is  active  today  in  the  West  Suburban 
Auxiliary  of  the  Cradle  Society  at  Evanston. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  have  one  son,  Stephen 
A.  Wright.  Their  home  is  at  4032  Ellington 
Avenue,   Western  Springs. 

In  World  War  II,  Mr.  Wright  aided  the  war 
effort  not  only  by  his  work  at  the  Western 
Electric's  Hawthorne  Works  but  also  his  ac- 
tivities with  his  present  firm,  which  speeded 
production  at  some  of  the  nation's  most  im- 
portant war  plants.  In  addition,  he  served 
on  the  rationing  board  at  Western  Springs. 
Another  of  his  public  activities  has  been  serv- 
ice on  the  Zoning  Appeal  Board  of  that  com- 
munity. He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League 
Club  of  Chicago  and  worships  in  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Western  Springs.  His 
contribution  to  the  understanding  of  indus- 
trial and  employee  problems  has  received 
widespread  recognition,  and  he  is  himself  a 
popular  figure  in   the  industrial   world. 

RYBURN  ROBERT  COLP 

The  Colp  Wholesale  Lumber  Company,  with 
headquarters  in  Carbondale  and  yards  in  Mis- 
souri and  Kentucky,  serves  five  States  and  is 
an  outstanding  enterprise  in  its  field  in  the 
entire  region.  Its  founder  is  Ryburn  Robert 
Colp  of  Carbondale,  a  leading  citizen  of 
Downstate  Illinois  who  is  also  known  for  his 
hobby,  the  buying  and  selling  of  cattle,  and 
for  his  other  agricultural  pursuits  and  his 
civic  work.    He  is  a  veteran  of  World  War  I 


ILLINOIS 


EDITION 


049 


who  has  taken  a  leading  part  in  veterans' 
work,  as  well  as  in  business  men's  organiza- 
tions. 

Mr.  Colp  was  born  in  Carterville,  William- 
son County,  on  September  22,  1897,  the  son 
of  Monroe  D.  and  Calla  (Vick)  Colp,  both  al- 
so natives  of  Illinois.  Monroe  Colp  was  in  the 
flour  milling  and  wholesale  grocery  business. 
Graduated  from  high  school  in  1916,  Mr.  Colp 
attended  the  University  of  Illinois  for  a  year 
and  one-half.  In  January,  1918,  he  entered 
the  United  States  Navy.  Stationed  at  the 
Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  as  a  radio 
electrician,  he  remained  there  until  his  dis- 
charge in  1919.  Before  he  went  into  business, 
Mr.  Colp  spent  some  nine  months  at  the  Gem 
City  Business   College,  in   Quincy. 

He  then  went  to  California,  where  he  work- 
ed as  a  service  station  attendant  for  the 
Standard  Oil  Company.  On  his  return  to  Illi- 
nois, he  served  as  a  salesman  for  the  Black 
and  White  Milling  Company  for  eighteen 
months.  On  October  23,  1923,  Mr.  Colp  went 
into  the  retail  lumber  business  in  Carbondale. 
For  a  decade  or  so  he  operated  six  different 
businesses  in  as  many  cities.  In  June,  1938,  he 
established  the  Colp  Wholesale  Lumber  Com- 
pany in  Carbondale,  and  now  serves  Southern 
Illinois,  southeast  Missouri  and  all  of  Arkan- 
sas, Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  maintaining 
wholesale  yards  at  S-ikeston,  Missouri,  and 
Fulton,  Kentucky.  He  continues  in  the  retail 
lumber  business  in  Carbondale  and  Sikeston, 
Missouri.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Southeast 
Missouri  Lumber  Dealers  Association  and  the 
Illinois   Lumber   Dealers   Association. 

Mr.  Colp  married  Eula  Harris,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  S.  Harris  of  Carbon- 
dale, on  June  22,  1920.  The  marriage  took 
place  in  California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colp  have 
a  son,  Bill,  who  is  in  charge  of  sales  in  his 
father's  business.  He  married  Shirley  Smith 
of  Sikeston,  Missouri  and  is  the  father  of 
Robert  Ryburn  Colp.  The  entire  family 
worships  in  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church  of 
Carbondale. 

Buying  and  selling  cattle  is  Mr.  Colp's  hob- 
by. He  maintains  an  average  herd  of  500 
head  of  cattle,  and  does  an  annual  volume  of 
business  in  his  "hobby"  running  more  than 
$100,000.  He  owns  and  operates  three  farms, 
with  a  total  of  300  acres,  and  rents  1250 
acres  of  pastureland  from  the  Government  in 
Jackson  and  Williamson  Counties.  As  a  side- 
line to  his  lumber  business,  Mr.  Colp  has  de- 
veloped four  subdivisions  in  Carbondale, 
named    Randelman,    Sprague,    Etherton    and 


Oakland.  Also,  he  has  built  more  than  one 
thousand  homes.  He  has  twice  been  presi- 
dent of  the  Carbondale  Business  Men's  As- 
sociation and  also  headed  the  Lions  Club  of 
Carbondale  and  has  been  commander  of  the 
American  Legion  post  in  that  city.  He  con- 
tributes further  to  the  growth  and  welfare  of 
the  region  through  active  membership  in  the 
Greater  Egypt  Association  and  Southern  Illi- 
nois, Inc.  Mr.  Colp's  philosophy  is  summed  up 
in  these  words:  "A  man's  ability  to  conduct 
business  does  not  rest  purely  on  his  ability  to 
do  business  but  dots  rest  on  his  ability  to 
handle  the  irregularities  of  business." 

PAUL  L.  MATON 

The  roses  grown  by  Paul  L.  Maton  in  Pana, 
Christian  County,  are  known  to  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  persons  in  the  United  States. 
His  company,  of  which  he  is  president,  is  the 
Pana  Rose  Company.  Mr.  Maton,  a  World 
War  I  veteran  who  is  active  and  popular  in 
Christian  County,  is  known  to  retail  mer- 
chants and  flower  men  the  nation  over  as  the 
Eastern  pioneer  in  the  idea  of  prepacking 
roses  for  sale  in  five-and-ten-cent  stores. 

Mr.  Maton  was  born  in  Belgium  on  April 
17,  1894,  and  came  to  the  United  States  at 
an  early  age.  In  1923,  Mr.  Maton  and  his 
brother,  the  late  Arthur  L.  Maton,  built  their 
first  greenhouse  in  Pana.  This  was  known  as 
the  Maton  Brothers  Greenhouse,  and  they 
grew  roses  only.  They  continued  this  busi- 
ness until  1932  when  litigation  with  a  gas 
company  forced  them  to  close  up.  This  liti- 
gation arose  out  of  the  Maton  Brothers' 
charge  that  the  gas  company's  pipes  were 
leaking  enough  gas  into  their  greenhouses  to 
kill  their  roses.  The  litigation  lasted  three 
years. 

,  Arthur  L.  Maton  died  in  1941.  That  same 
year  Paul  L.  Maton  re-acquired  the  same 
business.  He  renamed  the  business  Pana  Rose 
Company,  Inc.  In  1944,  Mr.  Maton  also  pur- 
chased the  Webb  Greenhouses  in  Pana.  A 
few  months  later,  his  nephews,  Arthur  and 
Walter  Maton,  sons  of  his  late  brother,  re- 
turned from  military  service  and  he  gave 
this  business  to  them. 

Mr.  Maton  married  Verma  White  in  19  36. 
By  a  former  marriage  the  present  Mrs.  Maton 
has  two  children,  Jack,  born  in  1928,  and 
William,  born  in  1932.  By  the  present  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maton  have  a  son,  Phillip 
Maton,  who  was  born  in  1941.  Five  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  Maton's  first  marriage — 
Paul  L.  Maton,  Jr.,  in  1925;  Donald  B.  Maton, 


950 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


PAUL  L.  MATON 


in  1927;   Robert  M.  Maton,  in  1930;   Jean  L. 
Maton   in   1931,   and   Carl   Maton,   in   1933. 

Mr.  Maton  served  in  World  War  I  as  a 
member  of  the  United  States  Army  Band, 
with  which  he  went  overseas.  He  is  today  a 
member  of  the  American  Legion  in  Pana,  as 
well  as  of  the  Pana  Country  Club.  His  green- 
houses occupy  280,000  square  feet,  this  be- 
ing the  growing  area  under  glass.  He  em- 
ploys fifty  persons  and  ships  more  than  3,000- 
000  roses  every  year.  His  annual  coal  bill  is 
$30,000  alone.  Mr.  Maton  was  the  first  big 
rose  grower  in  the  East  to  prepack  roses  for 
sale  in  the  five-and-ten-cent  stores  and  other 
retail  outlets.  The  process  includes  the  gass- 
ing of  the  flowers  and  their  packing  in  sealed 
waterproof  lead  boxes.  Under  these  condi- 
tions they  maintain  their  freshness  for  about 
a  week.  Flowers  sold  in  this  form  have  proved 
exceedingly  popular.  Tall,  well  built  and 
white-haired,  and  possessed  of  an  attractive 
personality,  Paul  L.  Maton  is  one  of  Christian 
County's  and  the  flower  world's  leading  citi- 
zens. 

FRANK  MERRILL  LINDSAY,  JR. 

A  dominant  figure  among  broadcasting 
men  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  Frank  Merrill 
Lindsay,  Jr.,  is  general  manager  of  Radio 
Station  WSOY  in  Decatur,  as  well  as  vice- 
president  and  treasurer  of  the  Illinois  Broad- 
casting Company,  licensee  of  the  station,  and 
a  director  of  WTAX,  Inc.,  Springfield.  In 
addition,  he  is  treasurer  of  Decatur  Newspa- 
pers, Inc.,  a  director  of  East  Shore  Newspa- 
pers, Inc.,  publisher  of  the  East  St.  Louis 
Journal,  and  business  manager  of  the  Deca- 
tur Herald  and  Review. 

Mr.  Lindsay  was  born  in  Decatur  on  Jan- 
uary 3,  1910,  the  son  of  Frank  Merrill  and 
Vivian  (Simpson)  Lindsay.  His  father  is  pres- 
ident of  Decatur  Newspapers,  Inc.,  and  East 
Shore  Newspapers,  Inc.  Frank  M.  Lindsay, 
Jr.,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Decatur  grade  and 
high  schools,  New  Hampton  (N.H.)  School, 
Kenyon  College,  and  the  Harvard  School  of 
Business  Administration. 

Mr.  Lindsay  became  general  manager  of 
Radio  Station  WSOY  in  1939.  Two  years 
prior  to  that  the  newspaper  interests  with 
which  he  is  affiliated  purchased  a  substantial 
minority  interest  in  the  station  and  in  1939 
acquired  control.  The  station  originally  went 
on  the  air  as  WJBL,  licensed  to  the  William 
Gushard  Co.,  at  that  time  Decatur's  largest 
department  store.  It  later  was  licensed  to 
Commodore  Broadcasting,  Inc.  under  the  own- 
ership of  Indiana  interests.    In  1949  the  cor- 


porate structure  was  modified  and  the  Illinois 
Broadcasting  Co.  (Delaware)  became  the  li- 
censee. 

WSOY  operates  on  a  frequency  of  1340 
kilocycles  and  a  power  of  50  watts.  WSOY- 
FM,  its  frequency  modulation  affiliate,  was 
the  pioneer  fulltime  FM  station  in  downstate 
Illinois.  It  operates  on  a  frequency  of  102.1 
megacycles  with  a  power  of  32  kilowatts. 
The  stations  are  affiliated  with  the  Columbia 
Broadcasting  System.  In  the  decade  between 
1939  and  1949  the  station  has  been  developed 
into  one  of  the  most  influential  stations  of 
its  size  in  the  United  States. 

On  October  19,  1940,  Mr.  Lindsay  married 
Margery  Crawford,  who  is  active  in  the  civic 
and  social  life  of  Decatur.  They  have  two 
daughters,  Lucy,  who  was  born  March  2,  1944, 
and  Katherine  Ann,  who  was  born  April  18, 
1946.  The  Lindsays,  whose  home  is  at  538 
Bradley  Court,  Decatur,  are  members  of  the 
First    Presbyterian    Church. 

Mr.  Lindsay,  who  early  in  his  career  in  the 
field  of  radio  established  a  reputation  for 
leadership  and  progressive  ideas,  has  served 
as  President  of  the  Illinois  Broadcasters  As- 
sociation for  two  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Broadcasters  and  is  active  in  mem- 
bership in  the  Rotary  Club,  Country  Club  of 
Decatur,  and  the  Decatur  Club.  In  World 
War  II  he  served  with  the  United  States 
Navy,  leaving  the  service  as  a  Lieutenant 
Commander  in  1945.  In  the  Navy  he  attended 
radar  schools  at  Noroton  Heights  (Conn.), 
Harvard,  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technol- 
ogy, and  the  Naval  Air  Technical  Training 
Center  at  Corpus  Christi,  Texas.  The  last 
twenty-one  months  of  service  he  was  in  charge 
of  the  radar  maintenance  section  of  the  Bu- 
reau of  Aeronautics.  Golf  is  his  favorite 
sport.  Through  his  radio  and  newspaper  work 
Mr.  Lindsay  has  made  himself  invaluable  to 
his  fellow  citizens  and  his  state. 

JAMES  WESLEY  HAYTON 

When  James  Wesley  Hayton  opened  the 
Hayton  Theater  at  Carterville  in  Williamson 
County  at  the  beginning  of  the  depression  in 
1929,  he  established  an  admission  price  of  ten 
cents,  thus  making  available  to  persons  of  ev- 
ery circumstance  the  pleasures  of  motion  pic- 
tures and  other  entertainment.  From  this 
beginning  in  show  business  Mr.  Hayton  has 
come  to  be  known  throughout  Southern  Illi- 
nois. Among  his  activities  today  is  leadership 
in  the  operation  of  the  Williamson  County 
Fair  at  Marion. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


953 


Mr.  Hayton  was  born  in  Carterville  on 
July  1,  1885,  the  son  of  William  and  Cora 
(Fox)  Hayton.  He  is  a  grandson  of  the  late 
Dr.  James  Hayton,  a  native  of  England  who 
practiced  medicine  in  the  Carterville  area  for 
years.  James  Hayton,  the  theater  owner,  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  William- 
son County.  He  remained  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  twenty-one.  In  1907,  he 
entered  the  livery  business,  and  for  the  next 
ten  years  operated  the  Hayton  Livery  Stable 
in  Carterville.  In  1912,  he  went  into  the  au- 
tomobile business,  operating  as  Hayton  Mo- 
tor Sales.  He  left  livery  and  automobile  busi- 
ness behind  him  when,  in  1929,  he  established 
the  Hayton  Theater.  By  1939  he  had  pros- 
pered to  such  a  degree  as  to  build  a  new 
theater  structure,  seating  six  hundred  per- 
sons, and  it  is  in  this  building  that  he  oper- 
ates today.  Through  a  few  years  as  theater 
man  Mr.  Hayton  also  had  a  farm,  but  he  sold 
it. 

On  October  12,  1910,  Mr.  Hayton  married 
Zella  West,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  C.  West  of  Carterville.  In  1926  a  son, 
Jacob  William  Hayton,  was  born  to  them. 
Following  his  early  education  in  Carterville's 
elementary  and  high  schools,  the  son  went  to 
Chicago  to  prepare  for  a  career  as  a  lawyer. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayton  worship  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church. 

Mr.  Hayton  was  chairman  of  bond  drives 
in  both  World  Wars  I  and  II  and  has  also 
been  active  in  Red  Cross  work.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Williamson  County  Fair  Associa- 
tion and  also  active  in  Southern  Illinois,  Inc., 
of  which  he  is  a  charter  member.  He  was  one 
of  those  who,  through  this  regional  promo- 
tion organization,  helped  establish  such  com- 
munity projects  as  Crab  Orchard  Lake.  He 
is  treasurer  of  the  Century  Club  of  Southern 
Illinois  and  is  the  only  surviving  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Lions  Club  of  Carterville.  A  pro- 
found believer  in  education,  he  participates 
in  all  movements  to  improve  the  school  sys- 
tems. In  his  promotion  of  the  Williamson 
County  Fair,  Mr.  Hayton  brings  to  bear  not 
only  his  experience  as  show  man  but  also  as 
one  who  in  early  life  traded  horses,  mules, 
cattle  and  other  livestock.  He  is  generally 
recognized  in  Southern  Illinois  as  among  the 
leading  figures  in  regional  development  and 
improvement    activities. 

KENNETH  ALBERT  PAUTLER 

A  man  who  has  worked  in  a  store  since  he 
was  big  enough  to  walk,  Kenneth  Albert 
Pautler  of  Chester  is  now  the  owner  and  op- 


erator of  the  Pautler  Super-Market  in  that 
community  and  is  one  of  the  outstanding 
food  men  of  Southern  Illinois.  Mr.  Pautler 
is  prominent  outside  the  food  industry,  being 
one  of  the  leading  figures  in  Catholic  lay 
circles  and  in  developmental  and  public  af- 
fairs. He  is  one  of  the  ten  men  credited  with 
bi-inging  about  erection  of  the  Mississippi 
River  bridge  at  Chester. 

Born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  on  January 
10,  1905,  Mr.  Pautler  is  the  son  of  Albert 
John  and  Ida  (Schnier)  Pautler,  and  he  is  the 
oldest  of  eight  children.  His  father,  native  of 
Evansville,  another  Randolph  County  commu- 
nity, was  for  a  time  in  the  meat  business  in 
St.  Louis.  Later,  he  moved  to  Ava,  in  Jackson 
County,  where  he  also  operated  a  meat  mar- 
ket. Finally,  in  1900,  he  established  himself 
at  Murphysboro,  where  he  ran  a  grocery  and 
meat  market,  and  it  was  in  this  establishment 
that  Kenneth  Pautler  virtually  learned  to  walk 
and  to  sell  at  the  same  time.  Mr.  Pautler's 
paternal  grandfather  was  P'aulus  Pautler,  a 
native  of  Alsace-Lorraine,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1844  and  died  in  1918.  Ida 
Schnier  Pautler  was  a  native  of  Washington, 
Missouri. 

Kenneth  Pautler  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic and  parochial  schools  of  Murphysboro.  He 
was  graduated  from  high  school  in  1923.  In 
that  same  year  he  established  a  window  shade 
and  radio  business,  known  as  the  Pautler 
Shade  Company.  This  he  operated  until  1927, 
when  he  went  to  Johnston  City  to  manage 
the  meat  department  of  a  Daniel  Grocery 
Company  store.  In  July,  1928,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Chester  as  manager  of  the  grocery 
and  meat  departments  of  a  Daniel  store  there. 
This  position  he  retained  until  in  1937  he  es- 
tablished his  own  retail  grocery  and  meat 
business  in  Chester.  He  made  this  a  self-serv- 
ice store  in  1943  and  in  1947  he  remodeled 
and  doubled  the  establishment  in  size,  and  it 
is  now  one  of  the  biggest  enterprises  in  the 
independent  field  in  the  area.  In  1941  Mr. 
Pautler  installed  a  locker  plant  in  the  base- 
ment of  his  store.  It  had  238  lockers  for 
frozen  meats  and  other  foods  and  did  a  tre- 
mendous volume  of  business.  In  1943  he  in- 
creased the  number  of  lockers  to  454,  and 
the  business  has  kept  pace  with  this  increase. 
Mr.  Pautler  processes  much  of  the  meat  he 
sells,  curing  and  smoking  hams  and  bacon. 

On  June  9,  1930,  when  he  was  still  with 
the  Daniel  Grocery  Company,  Mr.  Pautler 
married  Lydia  Decker,  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Decker  of  Chester.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.   Pautler  have  two  children — Janice  Ida, 


D.V1 


LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


born  June  21,  1931,  and  Donna  Lois,  born 
October  26,  1939.  Mr.  Pautler  and  the  chil- 
dren are  communicants  of  St.  Mary's  Roman 
Catholic  Church  of  Chester.  Mrs.  Pautler  wor- 
ships in  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Pautler  is 
treasurer  of  the  Holy  Name  Society. 

He  is  also  president  of  the  Twin  Rivers 
Club  and  is  a  member  of  the  Chester  Bridge 
Commission,  in  which  he  continues  to  look 
after  the  interests  of  the  bridge  across  the 
Mississippi  which  he  helped  bring  into  ex- 
istence. He  is  a  former  member  of  the  Ches- 
ter City  Park  Board  and  was  president  in 
1948-49  and  1950  for  the  Chester  Chamber 
of  Commerce.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Greater 
Egypt  Association  and  active  also  in  the  Ches- 
ter Sportsman's  Club,  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus, the  Illinois  Locker  Association  and  the 
National  Locker  Association.  His  civic  work 
being  a  hobby  with  him,  Mr.  Pautler  rejoices 
in  every  opportunity  to  serve  his  fellow  citi- 
zens in  Southern  Illinois. 

HORACE  BRYAN  CARMAN,  LL.B. 

A  national  reputation  as  lawyer  and  worker 
for  standards  in  the  legal  profession  has  been 
developed  by  Horace  Bryan  Garman  of  Deca- 
tur. He  is  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Mc- 
Millen,   McMillen   and   Garman,   Decatur. 

Mr.  Garman  was  born  in  Decatur  on  July 
19,  1897,  and  is  the  son  of  Isaac  Henry  and 


Minnie  B.  (Garrison)  Garman.  He  completed 
his  education  in  the  University  of  Illinois, 
taking  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1919 
and  that  of  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1922.  From 
1919  to  1922  he  was  assistant  dean  of  men  at 
the  university.  Admitted  to  the  Illinois  State 
Bar  in  1922,  he  has  since  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  Decatur.  In  1927  he  became  a 
member  of  his  present  law  firm,  McMillen, 
McMillen  and  Garman,  which  maintains  of- 
fices in  the  Millikin  Building  in  Decatur.  Mr. 
Garman's  efforts  to  elevate  standards  in  the 
profession  brought  him  appointment  as  secre- 
tary-treasurer of  the  Illinois  Board  of  Law 
Examiners  and  as  a  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  National  Conference  of  Bar 
Examiners.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Play- 
ground and  Recreation  Board  of  Decatur.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Bar  Associa- 
tion, the  Illinois  State  Bar  Association,  the 
Chicago  Bar  Association  and  Phi  Delta  Phi 
Fraternity.  His  other  organizations  include 
the  Lions  Club  of  Decatur,  Masonic  bodies, 
University  Club,  Decatur  Club  and  Decatur 
Country  Club.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  a  Meth- 
odist. 

On  February  1,  1930,  he  married  Ethel 
Stuart.  They  reside  at  2096  West  William 
Street,  Decatur. 

Mr.  Garman's  is  one  of  the  most  respected 
names  in  the  legal  profession. 


ILLINOIS         EDITION 


955 


HARRY  N.  PERLMUTTER 


ILLINOIS 


A  GREAT  INLAND  EMPIRE 

This  is  a  brief  story  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  truly  an  "Empire 
Within  Itself."  No  similar  area  in  all  the  world  has  such  a  diversity  of 
wealth  of  rich  farm  lands,  minerals,  navigable  rivers  and  industrial  and 
recreational  advantages.  In  agriculture,  industry,  mining,  oil,  trans- 
portation, trade — in  all  those  economic  elements  that  make  a  state  or 
nation  great — Illinois  stands  among  the  leaders. 

Billions  of  dollars  in  manufactured  products  roll  endlessly  from 
the  state's  mighty  industrial  plants  to  markets  all  over  the  world.  Car- 
rying these  products  of  the  field  and  the  factory  to  neighboring  states 
and  faraway  lands  is  a  highly  developed  system  of  rivers,  lakes,  high- 
ways, railroads,  canals  and  airports. 

Illinois  is  rightfully  proud  of  these  economic  advantages  but  its 
citizens  are  equally  proud  of  their  fine  homes,  their  modern  schools,  the 
vast  system  of  parks  and  memorials  extending  from  one  end  of  the 
state  to  the  other;  proud  of  their  state  government  which  is  so  deeply 
conscious  of  its  obligations  to  all  citizens. 

FROM  SLEEPING  PRAIRIES  TO  RICH  FERTILE  FIELDS 

When  the  signatures  that  give  life  and  vitality  to  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States  were  yet  fresh  and  unblotted,  the  area  that  is  now 
Illinois  was  but  a  wilderness.  Although  Pere  Jaques  Marquette  and 
Louis  Joliet  discovered  the  Illinois  country  in  1673,  it  was  not  until 
1818  that  the  state  was  formally  admitted  into  the  Union. 

During  the  interim  between  the  discovery  of  the  Illinois  territory 
and  its  admission  to  the  Union  as  a  state,  the  French  and  English  each 
controlled  the  area  for  a  period.  Robert  Cavelier,  Sieur  de  La  Salle, 
and  his  lieutenant  and  successor,  Henry  de  Tonty,  carried  the  standard 
for  France.  Fort  de  Crevecoeur  was  established  near  Peoria  in  1680, 
followed  in  1682  by  Fort  St.  Louis  on  Starved  Rock.  One  of  the  first 
white  villages,  Pimitoui,  later  called  Peoria,  was  established  in  1691. 
Cahokia  was  organized  in  1699,  and  Kaskaskia  four  years  later.  Fort 
de  Chartres  was  completed  in  1720. 

ILLINOIS        EDITI    a. N  957 


Defeated  by  Great  Britain  in  the  Seven  Years  War,  France  ceded 
her  American  possessions  east  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  victors  in  1763. 
The  British  rule  was  short  lived,  however,  as  a  handful  of  American 
militia  led  by  George  Rogers  Clark  in  1778  captured  the  villages  of 
Kaskaskia,  Cahokia  and  Vincennes  and  ended  forever  foreign  rule  in 
the  Illinois  country. 

Established  as  a  county  of  Virginia  in  1778,  the  Illinois  country 
remained  so  until  1782.  During  the  next  five  years  the  area  had  no 
legally  constituted  government,  but  in  1787,  it  became  part  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  in  which  it  remained  until  1800.  In  1800  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Indiana  was  established  and  Illinois,  including  the  present 
state  of  Wisconsin,  was  made  a  territory  in  its  own  right.  Kaskaskia 
was  designated  as  the  capital,  and  Ninian  Edwards  of  Kentucky  served 
as  the  first  territorial  governor.  On  December  3,  1818,  Illinois,  having 
a  population  of  about  35,000  was  admitted  to  statehood.  Kaskaskia 
was  selected  as  the  state  capitol  and  Shadrach  Bond,  the  first  governor, 
was  inaugurated. 

The  last  great  Indian  uprising  in  Illinois  was  the  Black  Hawk  War 
in  1832.  Chief  Black  Hawk  and  his  Sauk  and  Fox  Warriors  defeated 
the  white  militia  at  Stillman's  Run,  but  retreated  into  Wisconsin  where 
the  band  was  decisively  defeated. 

In  1839  the  capital  was  moved  to  Springfield  from  Vandalia, 
which  had  succeeded  Kaskaskia,  the  first  capital,  and  soon  the  state 
was  divided  on  the  question  of  whether  the  territory  farther  west  was 
to  be  slave  or  free.  Abraham  Lincoln  emerged  from  political  retirement 
in  1858  to  challenge  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  United  States  Senator  from 
Illinois,  and  the  national  policy  on  slavery  which  he  advocated.  The 
eyes  of  the  nation  focused  on  the  state  as  the  two  men  engaged  in  their 
historic  series  of  debates  on  the  question.  There  they  remained  until 
Lincoln  left  Springfield  in  1861  for  his  inauguration  as  the  first  Repub- 
lican president  of  the  United  States. 

Invention  in  1837  by  John  Deere  of  the  Prairie  plow  gave  great 
impetus  to  Illinois  agriculture  and  its  broad  prairies  soon  turned  into 
rich  farmlands  which  have  made  this  state  one  of  the  leaders  in  agri- 
culture. 

After  the  Civil  War,  Illinois  turned  to  the  development  of  its  na- 
tural resources  and  to  extension  of  its  transportation  system.  By  1870 
coal  mining  had  become  one  of  Illinois'  largest  industries.  Improved 

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transportation,  an  abundance  of  coal  and  the  westward  movement  of 
industry  combined  to  make  Illinois  a  great  industrial  area. 

By  1850  the  state  had  a  population  of  850,000.  By  1870  this  figure 
had  been  tripled.  In  1948  the  population  was  estimated  at  8,670,000. 

Sprawling,  vigorous  Chicago  was  destined  early  in  American 
industrial  development  to  become  the  manufacturing  center  not  only 
of  Illinois,  but  of  the  entire  midwestern  inland  empire.  From  its  earliest 
days,  the  destiny  of  the  village  lay  in  its  geographic  setting  on  the 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan;  and,  later,  its  position  as  the  terminus 
of  railroads  from  the  east  and  subsequent  extensions  to  the  north,  west 
and  south;  to  its  wide-spread  hinterland  of  rich  and  varied  natural 
resources  and  the  favorable  climate — all  were  potent  factors  in  stimu- 
lating one  of  the  greatest  industrial  developments  in  the  world. 

Illinois  is  distinguishd  as  a  great  industrial  state,  the  third  in  the 
nation,  the  first  in  the  midwest.  From  Pearl  Harbor  to  V-J  Day,  Illinois 
produced  about  one-twelfth  of  all  the  weapons  and  materials  of  war- 
fare, valued  at  more  than  $27,000,000,000.  According  to  the  last  census, 
Illinois  ranked  second  in  the  value  of  wholesale  trade — almost  $5,000,- 
000,000;  fourth  in  the  value  of  retail  trade— $3,000,000,000;  and  third 
in  banking  assets — more  than  $9,000,000,000.  Chicago's  Union  Stock- 
yards, the  largest  in  the  world,  are  an  integral  part  of  the  greatest  meat 
packing  business  in  the  nation. 

Farm  property  in  Illinois  has  a  value  of  more  than  $3,000,000,- 
000;  no  state  surpasses  it  in  modern  farming.  Agricultural  experiment- 
ation and  study  at  the  University  of  Illinois  has  long  been  a  major 
factor  in  the  state's  development. 

Scientific  farming  in  Illinois  increases  the  corn  yield  per  acre  each 
year.  In  1948  the  average  was  57  bushels  per  acre  with  top  fields  soar- 
ing above  the  100  bushel  mark.  Increased  acreage  devoted  in  recent 
years  to  soybeans  has  developed  a  new  major  crop. 

In  the  important  field  of  production  of  hybrid  seed  corn,  Illinois 
ranks  first  in  the  nation.  It  bows  only  to  Iowa  in  total  bushels  of  field 
corn  produced  annually,  surpassing  all  other  states.  The  production  of 
corn  is  a  major  item  in  the  state's  economy. 

Second  in  the  nation  in  agricultural  production,  Illinois  grows  43 
different  field  crops  on  19,000,000  acres.  Since  1850,  the  state  has 
ranked  high  in  the  production  of  corn  and  other  crops,  in  livestock  and 

ILLINOISEDITION  959 


poultry  and  in  dairy  products.  Illinois  also  ranks  high  in  the  production 
of  fruit,  in  an  average  year  growing  about  3,500,000  bushels  of  apples, 
1,500,000  bushels  of  peaches. 

Traffic  moves  in  an  almost  continuous  stream  down  Illinois  water- 
ways to  the  ports  of  the  world.  Chicago  is  one  of  the  greatest  inland 
ports.  First  in  heavy  duty  railroad  mileage  and  second  in  total  railroad 
mileage,  Illinois  is  the  transportation  hub  of  the  nation.  Chicago  is  the 
greatest  rail  terminal.  A  network  of  167  commercial  airports  serve  the 
people  of  Illinois  in  the  newest  branch  of  transportation. 

Chicago,  the  giant  of  the  midwest,  is  secure  in  its  position  as  the 
second  city  of  the  nation,  the  eighth  city  of  the  world !  Metropolitan  in 
every  aspect,  Chicago  is  not  only  a  center  of  trade,  manufacturing, 
transportation  and  finance,  but  of  education  and  culture.  Its  colleges 
and  other  educational  activities  are  unsurpassed  and  in  the  fields  of 
the  theater  and  opera  it  has  maintained  high  standards.  Museums  house 
treasures  of  art,  science,  industry,  history  and  archaeology,  while  con- 
servatories, zoos  and  aquaria  display  exotic  plants  and  strange  animal 
and  marine  life  for  study  or  leisurely  enjoyment. 

Illinois  is  more  than  a  state  of  rich  agricultural  fields  and  mighty 
industrial  plants.  Generously  endowed  by  nature,  Illinois  is  abundantly 
supplied  with  sources  of  recreation.  Her  numerous  waterways  and  the 
broad  expanse  of  Lake  Michigan  offer  the  finest  kind  of  cruising  and 
boating  waters.  The  same  waters,  supplemented  by  the  state's  numerous 
lakes,  furnish  excellent  fishing  facilities  for  the  state's  anglers.  On  the 
broad  plains  and  on  the  hills  and  in  the  river  valleys,  Illinois'  hunters 
find  many  kinds  of  small  game  and  waterfowl.  The  northeast  section 
offers  some  of  the  finest  pheasant  shooting  in  the  midwest;  in  the  west- 
ern, central  and  southern  sections  are  found  the  quail  ranges.  Along  the 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  waterways  are  located  the  finest  waterfowl 
hunting  grounds  in  the  nation.  Rabbits  abound  throughout  the  state. 

KNOW  YOUR  ILLINOIS 

The  highest  portion  of  Illinois  lies  in  Jo  Daviess  county  where  the 
general  surface  has  an  elevation  of  1,000  feet  and  the  mounds  rise  more 
than  200  feet  above  this  level.  Charles  Mound,  near  the  Wisconsin 
border,  is  1,241  feet  above  sea  level.  Highest  point  in  southern  Illinois 
is  William  Hill  in  Pope  county,  an  extension  of  the  Ozark  Mountains. 

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Lowest  point  in  the  state  is  at  Cairo  on  the  Ohio  River,  268.58  feet 
above  sea  level. 

About  agriculture:  90  percent  of  Illinois'  farms  are  electrified.  Illi- 
nois has  27  rural  electric  cooperatives,  serving  105,000  members  .  .  . 
Grows  in  a  normal  fruit  season  over  1,494,000  bushels  of  peaches  .  .  . 
Has  a  smaller  percentage  of  waste  land  in  proportion  to  total  area  than 
any  other  state  .  .  .  Chicago  is  the  largest  cut  flower  market  in  the 
world  .  .  .  Average  investment  per  farm  in  Illinois  is  $18,000  .  .  .  20,- 
030,571  acres  are  now  included  among  the  88  soil  conservation  districts 
.  .  .  Corn  products  of  Illinois  are  marketed  throughout  the  world. 

Annual  value  of  milk  produced  in  Illinois  is  $162,000,000  .  .  . 
Illinois  has  204,239  farms;  87,527  are  operated  by  owners,  35,266  by 
part  owners,  81,446  by  tenants  and  hired  managers  .  .  .  Three  to  six 
thousand  acres  of  cotton  are  grown  annually  .  .  .  Farm  property  is 
valued  at  3.7  billion  dollars  .  .  .  Forty-three  different  field  crops  are 
grown  on  an  annual  acreage  of  19,000,000  acres  .  .  .  Illinois  has  526 
refrigeration  plants;  1,727  rural  routes  serving  327,687  patrons. 

No  other  state  has  so  many  important  "firsts"  as  Illinois:  First  in 
soybean  production  .  .  .  meat  packing  .  .  .  cash  receipts  for  feed  grains 
.  .  .  baby  chicks  .  .  .  county  corn  yield  .  .  .  oleomargarine  manufactur- 
ing .  .  .  county  hog  production  .  .  .  railroads  entering  and  leaving  state 
.  .  .  farm  machinery  .  .  .  hybrid  seed  corn  and  wall  paper  production  .  .  . 
manufacturing  of  railroad  cars  .  .  .  airport  construction  .  .  .  candy  and 
confectionery  products  .  .  .  food  processing  plants  and  kindred  activ- 
ities .  .  .  commercially  grown  flowers.  .  .  . 

MANUFACTURING 

Third  in  the  nation  and  first  in  the  middle  west  in  manufacturing, 
Illinois  industry  produces  practically  every  known  type  of  commercial 
product.  In  many  of  these  products  Illinois  holds  a  commanding  lead 
and  in  each  of  twenty  industries  produces  20  percent  or  more  of  the 
national  total.  Among  these  20  leading  groups  are  tractors,  candy,  con- 
fectionery products,  tin  cans,  other  tin  ware,  agricultural  machinery, 
radios,  tubes,  phonographs,  steam  fittings,  cars  and  equipment,  electri- 
cal appliances,  roofing,  asphalt  shingles,  secondary  smelting,  non-fer- 
rous metals,  iron  and  steel  forgings,  coin-operated  machines,  surgical 
supplies  and  equipment,  orthopedic  appliances,  soybean  oil,  cake,  meal, 

ILLINOISEDITION  961 


coal  tar  products,  printing  trades  machinery,  laundry  equipment,  print- 
ing ink,  baking  powder  and  yeast. 

While  the  Chicago  area  dominates  the  state  as  well  as  the  middle 
west  with  its  enormous  volume  of  industrial  products,  downstate  manu- 
facturing has  made  enormous  strides  in  recent  years  with  new  indus- 
trial centers  expanding  throughout  the  state. 

POPULATION 

Illinois'  population  is  73.6  percent  urban  and  26.4  rural.  More 
than  50  percent  of  the  state's  population  is  located  in  Cook  and  adjoin- 
ing counties. 

FORESTS,  FISH  AND  GAME 

Illinois  today  is  operating  a  long-range,  practical  program  of 
conservation.  Millions  of  trees  are  being  replanted,  streams  stocked 
with  fish,  and  quail,  pheasants  and  other  wild  life  restored.  The  State 
Department  of  Conservation,  the  State  Natural  History  Survey  and 
the  University  of  Illinois  are  all  cooperating,  as  are  many  private 
agencies. 

ELECTRICITY  AND  GAS 

Illinois  is  unusually  favored  with  basic  requirements  for  the  pro- 
duction of  cheap  elecetric  power — extensive  bituminous  coal  fields  and 
an  abundance  of  condensing  water.  Total  capacity  of  the  state's  gener- 
ating plants  is  over  3,000,000  kilowatts.  Natural  gas  pools  are  aug- 
mented by  Mid-Continent  pipe  lines. 

OILS  AND  MINERALS 

Nearly  two-thirds  of  Illinois  is  underlayed  with  coal  veins.  Largest 
coal  shaft  mine  in  the  world  is  Orient  No.  2  in  Franklin  county.  Among 
other  minerals  produced  in  quantity  are  cement,  silica,  lime,  stone  and 
fluorspar.  Vast  oil  deposits  underlie  the  southern  and  southeastern  part 
of  the  state  with  annual  production  around  140,000,000  barrels.  The 
state  has  326  active  coal  mines  (1949)  and  28,897  producing  oil  wells. 

WATER 

Illinois  has  an  abundance  of  surface  and  underground  water  in 
nearly  every  portion  of  the  state.  On  the  west  border  is  the  mighty 

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Mississippi,  in  the  South  the  Ohio,  the  east  the  Wabash,  and  at  the 
northeastern  tip  Lake  Michigan.  Through  the  heart  of  the  state  flows 
the  Illinois  river  with  its  many  tributaries.  Numerous  natural  and 
artificial  lakes  abound. 

AGRICULTURE 

Since  1850  Illinois  has  been  one  of  the  top  ranking  agricultural 
states,  leading  all  others  in  many  products  as  well  as  in  quality  and 
variety  of  crops.  Second  only  to  Iowa  in  the  annual  production  of  corn, 
its  land  value  per  acre  is  the  highest  in  the  middle  west.  Chief  among 
its  grain  crops  are  corn,  oats,  soybeans,  wheat,  barley,  rye  and  cow 
peas.  More  than  two  million  acres  are  devoted  to  hay  crops  of  which 
red  clover  is  the  leader.  Upwards  of  a  million  acres  are  planted  annually 
in  miscellaneous  crops  such  as  sweet  corn,  flax,  pop  corn,  cotton,  broom 
corn,  truck  and  garden  crops  and  sorghums.  The  state's  204,239  farms 
have  a  total  acreage  of  31,602,186  acres.  Although  general  farming  is 
prevalent  throughout  the  state,  southern  Illinois  has  concentrated  on 
fruits  and  vegetables. 

MANUFACTURING 

Third  in  the  nation  and  first  in  the  middle  west  in  manufacturing, 
Illinois  industry  produces  practically  every  known  type  of  commercial 
product.  In  many  of  these  products  Illinois  holds  a  commanding  lead 
and  in  each  of  twenty  industries  produces  20  percent  or  more  of  the 
national  total.  Among  these  20  leading  groups  are  tractors,  candy,  con- 
fectionery products,  tin  cans,  other  tin  ware,  agricultural  machinery, 
radios,  tubes,  phonographs,  steam  fittings,  cars  and  equipment,  electri- 
cal appliances,  roofing,  asphalt  shingles,  secondary  smelting,  non-fer- 
rous metals,  iron  and  steel  forgings,  coin  operated  machines,  surgical 
supplies  and  equipment,  orthopedic  appliances,  soybean  oil,  cake,  meal, 
coal  tar  products,  printing  trades  machinery,  laundry  equipment,  print- 
ing ink,  baking  powder  and  yeast. 

While  the  Chicago  area  dominates  the  state  as  well  as  the  middle 
west  with  its  enormous  volume  of  industrial  products,  downstate  manu- 
facturing has  made  enormous  strides  in  recent  years  with  new  industrial 
centers  expanding  throughout  the  state. 

ILLINOIS         EDITION  963 


BANKING 

With  a  total  of  850  banks,  Illinois  ranks  third  in  the  nation  in 
banking  assets.  Two  Federal  Reserve  Districts  bisect  the  state — one 
with  its  bank  in  Chicago  and  the  other  in  St.  Louis.  These  reserves,  in 
addition  to  the  funds  stored  up  from  local  endeavors,  are  available  for 
the  encouragement  of  business  and  enterprise  in  the  state  and  district. 

TAX  SYSTEM 

Local  governments  in  Illinois  are  financed  almost  wholly  by  prop- 
erty taxes.  State  government  obtains  its  funds  mostly  from  taxes  on 
retail  sales,  motor  fuel  (shared  with  county  and  cities),  motor  vehicles, 
alcoholic  beverages,  cigarettes,  public  utilities,  corporations,  insurance 
premiums  and  inheritances.  There  is  no  state  income  tax  or  property 
tax. 

WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL  TRADE 

In  a  normal  year  Illinois'  wholesale  trade  amounts  to  better  than 
five  billion  dollars,  second  in  the  nation.  Of  this  amount  $4,000,000,000 
is  handled  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  Retail  trade  represents  sales  valued 
at  three  billions  with  salaries  and  wages  approximating  $340,000,000. 
The  food  group  ranks  first  in  sales. 

TRANSPORTATION 

Illinois'  exceptional  facilities  for  commerce  are  due  to  its  geog- 
raphical location,  high  degree  of  industrial  development,  level  topo- 
graphy and  unexcelled  systems  of  transportation.  By  1870  it  was  in 
first  place  in  railroad  mileage.  Its  vast  system  of  heavy  duty  highways, 
14,636  miles,  exceeds  that  of  any  other  state.  Waterways,  which  con- 
tributed to  the  state's  first  development,  now  total  1,068  miles,  internal 
and  bordering.  Chicago  is  one  of  the  great  air  terminals  of  the  world, 
and  nearly  every  sizeable  downstate  city  has  access  to  a  public  or  private 
airfield. 

HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS  CAPITOLS 

On  December  3,  1818,  Illinois  became  the  twenty-first  state  to  be 
admitted  to  the  Federal  Union  and  the  more  than  a  century  and  a 

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quarter  that  has  passed  since  that  historic  day  has  provided  Illinois 
with  three  seats  of  government  and  six  Capitols. 

Illinois'  first  State  Capitol  was  Kaskaskia,  a  thriving  community 
of  French  origin,  which  had  played  a  prominent  role  in  early  middle- 
west  history.  This  little  city  and  Shawneetown  were  in  1818  the  most 
important  settlements  in  the  territory. 

Situated  on  the  Kaskasia  River,  in  what  was  later  to  become  Ran- 
dolph County,  Kaskaskia  was  founded  in  1703,  when  the  Jesuits  were 
transferred  there  from  the  Illinois  Indian  Mission  at  Des  Peres  (present 
St.  Louis). 

In  1778,  George  Rogers  Clark  and  the  little  army  of  Virginians 
that  accompanied  him  captured  Kaskaskia  from  the  British  and  made 
it  a  part  of  the  County  of  Virginia. 

When  Illinois  territory  was  created  by  Act  of  Congress  in  1809, 
Kaskaskia  became  the  territorial  Capital  and  nearly  a  decade  later  on 
January  16,  1818,  Nathaniel  Pope  petitioned  Congress  for  Statehood 
for  his  adopted  territory.  The  Congressional  Enabling  Act  admitting 
Illinois  to  the  select  company  of  States  was  duly  passed  and  Illinois  be- 
came a  part  of  the  Union  on  December  3,  1818. 

FIRST  CAPITOL  WAS  RENTED 

The  first  Capitol  or  State  House  was  a  rented  two-story  limestone 
building.  The  lower  floor  was  occupied  by  the  House  of  Representatives 
and  the  chamber  above  by  the  Senate.  Appropriations  made  to  cover 
the  rent  of  this  building  for  the  first  two  sessions  of  the  First  General 
Assembly  of  the  State  as  well  as  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1818 
were  as  follows: 

"To  George  Fisher  for  use  of  three  rooms  of  his  house 
during  the  present  and  preceding  session,  $4.00  per  day;  also 
for  the  use  of  one  room  during  the  sitting  of  the  Convention, 
$2.00  per  day." 

Meeting  in  this  small  building,  the  first  General  Assembly  com- 
posed of  13  Senators  and  27  Representatives  petitioned  Congress  for  a 
grant  of  land  to  serve  as  a  site  for  a  new  Capital.  This  request  was 
granted  and  a  committee  of  five  was  named  to  choose  a  site.  They 
selected  Reeves  Bluff,  later  to  be  known  as  Vandalia,  which  was  then 

I    L    L    I    N    O    I    S         E    D    I    T    I    O    N  965 


a  heavily  wooded  tract  80  miles  northeast,  up  the  Kaskaskia  River  from 
Kaskaskia. 

Removal  of  the  Capitol  to  Vandalia  was  caused  by  land  specu- 
lators who  thought  they  might  profit  by  starting  a  land  boom  in  some 
new  location. 

KASKASKIA  DETERIORATES 

After  Vandalia  became  the  Capital  in  1820,  Kaskaskia  deterior- 
ated, gradually  disappearing  under  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  River 
which  lapped  its  shores.  In  1881  the  river  went  on  one  of  its  many 
rampages,  changed  its  course,  moving  eastward  and  then  southwest 
to  find  its  old  channel.  This  action  created  an  island  and  washed  away 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  ancient  capital.  Each  recurring  spring- 
flood  encroached  further  upon  the  site  until  the  last  vestige  of  Kaskas- 
kia slipped  into  the  Mississippi. 

On  the  remaining  portion  of  the  island  is  a  farming  community 
of  about  131  persons  and  it  still  bears  the  name  of  Kaskaskia,  perhaps 
to  perpetuate  in  memory  the  little  Capitol  which  lies  beneath  the  murky 
Mississippi. 

FIRST  VANDALIA  CAPITOL  OF  WOOD 

The  original  Capitol  at  Vandalia  was  a  two-story  wooden  build- 
ing, with  one  big  room  on  the  ground  floor  for  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives, and  two  rooms  on  the  second  floor  which  were  used  by  the  Senate 
and  the  Council  of  Revision.  The  Secretary  of  State,  Auditor  and 
Treasurer  occupied  rented  offices  detached  from  the  Capitol. 

The  first  session  of  the  Second  General  Assembly  met  in  the  first 
Capitol  owned  by  Illinois  on  December  4,  1820,  and  during  its  sitting 
passed  an  act  making  Vandalia  the  seat  of  government  for  the  next  20 
years. 

On  December  9,  1823  fire  destroyed  this  first  State-owned  Capitol. 
During  the  summer  of  1824  a  new  building  was  constructed  of  wood 
and  cost  $15,000.  Soon  thereafter  agitation  was  started  for  the  removal 
of  the  Capital  to  a  site  nearer  the  geographical  center  of  the  State. 
This  sentiment  caused  the  General  Assembly  to  pass  an  act  in  1833 
whereby  the  voters  at  the  following  general  election  could  decide  the 
location  for  a  new  Capitol  city. 

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The  sites  on  which  the  vote  was  to  be  taken  were  Vandalia,  Jack- 
sonville, Springfield,  Peoria,  Alton,  and  the  State's  Geographical  cen- 
ter. Alton  received  the  greatest  number  of  votes  but  the  margin  was  so 
small  as  to  be  inconclusive,  and  the  vote  was  not  announced  officially 
as  it  would  undoubtedly  have  been  rejected  by  the  next  General  As- 
sembly. So  the  suggested  removal  from  Vandalia  was  dropped  until  the 
1836-'37  session  revived  the  question. 

LINCOLN  SUGGESTS  SPRINGFIELD 

Matters  then  took  a  very  different  turn  for  the  proposal  was  inter- 
esting a  rising  young  lawyer  known  as  Abraham  Lincoln  who  repre- 
sented Sangamon  County.  Lincoln  introduced  a  bill  providing  for  re- 
moval of  the  Capital  of  Illinois  to  Springfield,  and  he  was  backed  by 
eight  fellow  members  who  with  him  were  known  as  the  Long  Nine 
because  their  aggregate  height  was  54  feet. 

Residents  of  Vandalia  were  determined  that  they  should  retain 
the  capitol  so  in  the  summer  of  1836,  without  authorization,  and  while 
the  legislature  was  recessed,  they  tore  down  the  old  Capitol.  In  its  stead 
they  erected  a  State  House  costing  $16,000.  This  gesture,  however,  was 
in  vain  for  with  the  return  of  the  General  Assembly  Lincoln  was  success- 
ful in  having  Springfield  named  as  Illinois'  new  Capitol. 

On  February  25,  1837,  the  Assembly  passed  a  bill  providing  that 
the  Capitol  be  moved  from  Vandalia  to  some  place  nearer  the  center 
of  the  State  and  three  days  later — February  28,  1837 — Springfield  was 
chosen  as  the  new  Capitol  City.  Because  of  the  Act  of  the  Assembly 
in  1820,  Vandalia  was  to  continue  as  the  Capital  until  December  1, 
1840,  but  on  June  20,  1839,  Governor  Thomas  Carlin  issued  a  pro- 
clamation that  all  State  records  be  removed  to  Springfield  by  July  4, 
1839.  However,  the  State  Government  did  not  actually  function  in 
Springfield  until  December,  1839. 

The  Eleventh  General  Assembly  returned  the  Vandalia  Capitol 
to  the  county  of  Fayette  and  the  city  of  Vandalia,  and  the  old  State 
House  still  stands,  but  once  again  is  State  property. 

The  cornerstone  of  the  State's  fourth  Capitol  was  laid  at  Spring- 
field on  July  4,  1837.  After  many  delays  the  building  was  finally  com- 
pleted in  1853  at  a  total  cost  of  $260,000  double  its  original  estimate. 

ILLINOISEDITION  967 


The  building  occupied  the  center  of  the  square  nearly  three  acres 
in  extent,  and  was  constructed  of  cut  stone  brought  from  a  quarry  six 
miles  away.  The  building  took  15  years  to  complete  but  was  considered 
one  of  the  architectural  wonders  of  the  State. 

SPRINGFIELD  SITE  OF  FAMOUS  SPEECH 

This  building  is  rich  in  Lincoln  associations.  After  Lincoln  became 
a  resident  of  Springfield  in  1837  he  was,  of  course,  one  of  the  regular 
frequenters  of  the  State  House.  In  addition  to  serving  in  the  legislature 
he  appeared  and  argued  cases  befor  the  Supreme  Court,  located  in  the 
edifice,  and  made  frequent  use  of  the  State  and  Supreme  Court  libraries. 
In  this  building  he  first  took  public  issue  with  Douglas,  here  he  made 
his  famous  "House  divided  against  itself"  speech,  here  were  his  head- 
quarters during  his  1860  campaign  for  the  Presidency,  and  here  finally 
his  remains  rested  on  May  4,  1865  before  burial  at  Oak  Ridge  Ceme- 
tery. 

PRESENT  STATE  HOUSE  PLANNED  IN  1867 

Illinois  continued  to  prosper  and  gain  in  population  and  soon  it 
was  apparent  that  a  much  larger  Capitol  would  be  needed.  The  en- 
abling act  was  passed  by  the  25th  General  Assembly  on  February  24, 
1867.  This  was  the  fifth  of  the  buildings  owned  by  the  State  and  the 
one  in  use  today. 

When  the  new  Capitol  was  completed,  the  old  Capitol  was  sold 
to  Sangamon  County  for  $200,000.  Certain  alterations  were  made  to 
this  old  building,  the  most  remarkable  one  being  that  of  raising  the 
massive  two-story  structure  off  the  ground  and  building  under  it,  while 
it  was  suspended,  what  now  is  the  ground  floor  of  the  Sangamon  Coun- 
ty Court  House. 

Ground  was  broken  for  the  present  Capitol,  March  11,  1868. 
Formal  laying  of  the  cornerstone  took  place  October  5th  of  the  same 
year.  Still  unfiinished,  the  building  was  first  occupied  in  1876.  Twenty- 
one  years  after  the  Legislature  first  authorized  its  construction,  the 
building  finally  was  completed.  Originally  construction  costs  were 
limited  to  $3,000,000,  but  before  completion  expenditures  amounted 
to  more  than  $4,500,000. 

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RICH  COAL  VEIN  UNDER  CAPITOL 

The  present  Capitol,  situated  on  a  nine  acre  plot,  is  in  the  form 
of  a  Latin  Cross.  The  circular  foundation,  92/2  feet  in  diameter,  upon 
which  the  vast  dome  rests,  is  25 /2  feet  below  the  grade  line,  based  on 
solid  rock.  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  many  feet  below  runs  one  of 
the  richest  veins  of  Illinois  coal. 

The  walls  supporting  the  dome  are  1 7  feet  thick  from  the  founda- 
tion to  the  first  story.  They  are  built  of  granular  magnesian  limestone 
from  the  sonora  quarries  of  Hancock  County. 

The  outer  walls  of  the  superstructure  are  of  Niagara  limestone, 
that  of  the  lower  stories  from  the  quarries  of  Jolict  and  that  of  the 
upper  stories  from  Lemont. 

The  extreme  length  of  the  building  from  north  to  south  is  379 
feet,  and  from  east  to  west  268  feet.  The  height  from  the  ground  line 
to  the  top  of  the  dome  is  361  feet,  and  to  the  tip  of  the  flagstaff  405  feet, 
the  highest  building  in  central  Illinois.  This  led  to  the  choice  of  the 
State  House  dome  for  the  installation  of  the  red  beacon  which  glows 
throughout  the  night  as  a  guidance  for  aviators.  In  1949  the  beacon 
was  equipped  with  an  electronic  "eye"  which  turns  the  lights  on  when 
visibility  reaches  a  certain  low — day  or  night.  It  used  to  operate  on  a 
clock  device  which  turned  the  lights  on  in  the  evening  and  off  in  the 
morning,  making  no  provision  for  foggy  or  overcast  days. 

ILLINOIS  STATE  PARKS  AND  MEMORIALS 

Apple  River  Canyon  State  Park.  In  Jo  Daviess  County,  south  and 
west  of  Warren  near  State  Route  78.  157.1  Acres.  Here  in  the  hilly 
northern  part  of  Illinois  is  a  beautiful  canyon  which  has  been  formed 
by  the  action  of  the  waters  of  winding  Apple  River.  Footpaths  along 
its  bank  take  visitors  to  vantage  points  affording  close-up  views  of  the 
colorful  canyon  walls  dotted  with  mosses,  lichens  and  bushes.  Other 
footpaths  lead  to  the  tops  of  hills,  from  which  Charles  Mound,  the 
highest  point  in  Illinois,  1,241  feet  above  sea  level,  can  be  seen  ten  miles 
to  the  northwest. 

Bishop  Hill  State  Park.  In  Henry  County  at  Bishop  Hill,  north  of 
U.S.  Highway  34.  4.3  Acres.  Principal  point  of  interest  in  this  State 
Park  is  the  Old  Colony  Church  which  was  built  in  1848  by  the  group 

ILLINOISEDITION  969 


of  Swedish  immigrants  led  by  Eric  Jensen  who  settled  in  Henry  Coun- 
ty in  1846.  In  the  church  building  are  many  relics  dealing  with  this 
pioneer  Swedish  settlement. 

Black  Hawk  State  Park.  In  Rock  Island  County  on  State  Route 
2  at  the  south  edge  of  Rock  Island.  207.3  Acres.  The  hilly,  wooded 
terrain  included  within  the  boundaries  of  Black  Hawk  State  Park  is 
the  oldest  recreational  area  in  the  Middle  West  if  not  in  the  entire 
country.  It  has  never  been  devoted  to  any  other  use  except  recreation  or 
ceremonial  rites  from  times  immemorial.  One  of  the  principal  settle- 
ments of  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indian  tribes  was  in  the  flat  Rock  River  Val- 
ley beneath  the  bluffs.  It  was  here  that  the  famed  Chief  Black  Hawk 
was  born  and  raised.  The  most  commanding  point  in  the  park  has  been 
known  for  generations  as  Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower  and  according 
to  legend,  it  was  there  that  he  stood  to  watch  for  the  approach  of  ene- 
mies. Today,  beautiful  stone  Watch  Tower  Inn  and  the  museum  hous- 
ing the  famed  Hauberg  Indian  collection  occupy  this  spot. 

Bryant  Cottage.  In  Piatt  County  at  Bement  on  State  Route  105 
east  of  Decatur.  The  tiny  frame  cottage,  home  of  Francis  E.  Bryant, 
where  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas  met  the  evening  of 
July  29,  1858,  to  make  arrangements  for  their  famous  series  of  seven 
debates. 

Buffalo  Rock  State  Park.  Near  Ottawa  in  LaSalle  County.  43 
Acres.  Seen  from  across  the  Illinois  River,  Buffalo  Rock  resembles  a 
sleeping  bison  if  one's  imagination  is  reasonably  active.  The  top  of  the 
rock  is  a  plateau-like  level  area  with  foot  trails  leading  to  cliff  brinks 
which  afford  delightful  views  of  the  Illinois  River.  A  shelter  house  and 
an  enclosure  with  a  herd  of  Buffalo  adjoin  the  parking  area  atop  the 
rock. 

Cahokia  Court  House.  In  St.  Clair  County,  south  of  East  St. 
Louis,  State  Route  157.  1.5  Acres.  The  Cahokia  Court  House,  with 
many  of  the  original  timbers,  is  the  oldest  house  in  Illinois  and  most 
certainly  the  elder  of  all  court  houses  west  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains. 
Thought  to  have  been  built  shortly  after  1737,  it  was  the  home  of 
Captain  Jean  Baptistc  Saucier,  builder  of  Fort  de  Chartres,  and  was 
sold  by  his  son,  Francois,  in  1  793  for  a  court  house  and  jail,  as  which 
it  served  until  1814  when  Belleville  displaced  Cahokia  as  county  seat. 

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Cahokia  Mounds  State  Park.  In  St.  Clair  and  Madison  Counties, 
northeast  of  East  St.  Louis  on  U.S.  Highway  40.  144.6.  The  famed 
Cahokia  Indian  mounds  are  relics  of  an  ancient  Indian  race  living  here 
a  century  or  more  before  Columbus.  There  are  twelve  mounds  in  the 
park,  the  largest  of  which  is  huge  Monk's  Mound  a  few  steps  away  from 
busy  Highway  40.  This  mound,  which  represents  a  greater  expenditure 
of  human  labor  than  the  construction  of  the  Great  Pyramid  of  Egypt, 
is  covered  with  trees  and  shrubbery  that  have  grown  up  on  it  through 
the  passage  of  years,  but  natural  though  the  hill  appears,  it  actually  is 
man-made.  At  the  base  of  Monk's  Mound  is  a  museum  in  which  may 
be  seen  Indian  relics  and  artifacts. 

Cave-In-Rock  State  Park.  In  Hardin  County  near  Cave-In-Rock, 
State  Route  1.  64.5  Acres.  Cave-In-Rock,  extending  108  feet  back  into 
the  cliff  on  the  Illinois  shore  of  the  Ohio  River,  was  once  the  lair  of 
blood-thirsty  river  pirates  who  preyed  upon  the  thriving  Ohio  river 
traffic.  Later  the  notorious  Harpe  brothers  used  Cave-In-Rock  as  head- 
quarters for  their  outlaw  band  which  held  the  surrounding  country  in 
a  grip  of  terror.  Federal  troops  eventually  captured  the  survivors  of 
the  gang  in  1834  and  the  bloody  history  of  Cave-In-Rock  ended  at  that 
time. 

Dickson  Mounds  State  Park.  In  Fulton  County  northwest  of  Ha- 
vana, near  State  Routes  78  and  97.  24.5  Acres.  Here  is  one  of  the  most 
important  archeological  discoveries  ever  made  in  Illinois,  an  Indian 
mound  that  has  been  excavated,  revealing  over  two  hundred  and  thirty 
skeletons  which  have  been  left  in  their  original  postures  together  with 
their  possessions  such  as  pottery,  weapons  and  oraments.  A  museum 
houses  artifacts  and  other  material  taken  from  the  excavation. 

Dixon  Springs  State  Park.  In  Pope  County  between  Vienna  and 
Golconda  between  State  Routes  145  and  146.  391.4  Acres.  The  rugged- 
ness  of  the  region  around  Golconda,  situated  on  the  southern  slope  of 
the  Illinois  Ozarks,  is  due  in  part  to  earth  movements.  Dixon  Springs 
State  Park  is  located  on  a  giant  block  of  rock  which  was  dropped  down 
two  hundred  feet  along  a  fault  line  that  extends  across  Pope  County 
just  to  the  northwest.  Rapid  erosion  has  produced  fantastic  rock  forma- 
tions, with  rivulets  everywhere  cascading  down  the  hillsides,  forming 
more  than  1,500  waterfalls  of  varying  size  and  height. 

ILLINOISEDITION  971 


Fort  Armstrong  Blockhouse.  On  Rock  Island  in  the  Mississippi 
River  between  Illinois  and  Iowa  near  U.S.  Highway  150.  This  is  an 
authentic  reproduction  of  one  of  the  buildings  of  old  Fort  Armstrong 
on  the  northwest  tip  of  the  island. 

Fort  Chartres  State  Park.  In  Randolph  County  near  Prairie  du 
Rocher  at  the  end  of  State  Route  155.  19.6.  At  Fort  Chartres,  another 
of  the  early  French  and  English  fortresses  guarding  the  farthest  frontier 
in  the  18th  century,  a  unique  method  has  been  utilized  to  convey  to  the 
visitor  a  true  impression  of  the  appearance  of  the  original  Fort.  In 
addition  to  the  reconstruction  of  the  massive  gateway  and  faithful  re- 
production of  some  of  the  barracks  buildings  to  serve  as  custodian  quar- 
ters and  museum,  the  parade  ground  has  been  excavated  to  a  depth  of 
several  feet  to  expose  the  foundations  of  the  original  buildings.  It  re- 
quires but  little  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  project  those  foundations 
to  walls  the  height  of  the  other  buildings  and  to  visualize  the  way  Fort 
Chartres  appeared  over  two  centuries  ago  when  it  housed  French 
troops,  and  a  little  later  British  Redcoats.  The  oldest  building  in  the 
Middle  West,  the  original  powder  house,  dating  back  over  two  centu- 
ries, is  still  preserved  to  intrigue  the  imagination  of  visitors. 

Fort  Creve  Coeur  State  Memorial.  In  Tazewell  County  on  State 
Route  29,  southeast  of  Peoria.  The  site  of  a  temporary  fort  built  by 
LaSalle  in  1680.  It  was  destroyed  by  mutinous  French  troops  after  the 
departure  of  LaSalle  and  Tonti  to  explore  Starved  Rock  as  a  site  for  a 
permanent  fort. 

Fort  Kaskaskia  State  Park.  In  Randolph  County  on  State  Route  3, 
north  of  Chester.  201  Acres.  In  1778,  two  years  after  the  start  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  George  Rogers  Clark  and  his  band  of  "Kentucky 
Long  Knives"  undertook  their  history-making  expedition  to  wrest  Illi- 
nois from  the  hands  of  the  British,  and  it  was  at  Fort  Kaskaskia  that 
the  decisive  encounter  in  this  expedition  took  place.  Fort  Kaskaskia 
occupied  the  summit  of  the  hill  overlooking  the  town  of  Kaskaskia 
which  had  been  founded  in  1703  by  a  group  of  French  traders.  It  re- 
mained under  French  control  until  1765  when  the  British  took  over  the 
territory  only  to  lose  it  a  few  years  later  to  George  Rogers  Clark.  The 
log  stockades  have  long  since  rotted  away  but  the  earthen  ramparts  of 
the  Fort  can  still  be  easily  seen  by  visitors  to  the  State  Park.  Adjoining 
the  site  of  the  fort  is  Garrison  Hill  Cemetery,  burial  place  of  pioneer 

972  LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


residents  of  Kaskaskia.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  is  the  white  frame  Home- 
stead of  Pierre  Menard,  first  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Illinois,  complete 
with  its  original  furnishings  and  slave  house  at  the  rear.  Shortly  before 
the  turn  of  the  century,  flood  waters  of  the  Mississippi  River  broke 
through  the  narrow  strip  of  land  separating  it  from  the  Kaskaskia  River 
a  few  miles  upstream  and  the  Mississippi  changed  its  course,  washing 
away  the  last  vestiges  of  the  old  town,  the  first  capital  of  Illinois,  on 
the  plain  below. 

Fort  Massac  State  Park.  In  Massac  County  adjoining  Metropolis 
on  U.  S.  Highway  45.  456  Acres.  Here  in  June,  1778  Clark  and  his 
"Kentucky  Long  Knives"  hid  their  canoes  up  Massac  Creek,  east  of 
the  then  abandoned  fort,  setting  out  by  foot  for  Kaskaskia.  The  spot 
occupied  by  the  original  wood  stockade  fort  has  been  excavated  by 
State  archaeologists  and  many  interesting  and  informative  relics  have 
been  uncovered.  Posts  outline  the  compound  and  buildings,  and  the  sur- 
rounding moat  has  been  restored. 

Fox  Ridge  State  Park.  In  Coles  County  near  Charleston,  west  of 
State  Route  130.  690.3  Acres.  In  sharp  contrast  to  the  flat  prairies  of 
the  central  eastern  part  of  Illinois  is  the  area  included  in  Fox  Ridge 
State  Park,  a  heavily  wooded  tract  on  rolling  hills  rising  from  the  banks 
of  the  Embarras  River.  The  Natural  History  Survey  maintains  an  ex- 
perimental area  in  Ridge  Lake  for  the  study  of  fish  and  aquatic  life. 

Giant  City  State  Park.  In  Jackson  and  Union  Counties  south  of 
Carbondale,  east  of  U.  S.  Highway  51.  1,522.6  Acres.  It  is  not  surprising 
that  this  area  was  christened  with  such  an  imaginative  name  as  "Giant 
City,"  for  here  in  the  Illinois  Ozarks  is  found  one  of  the  most  amazing 
rock  formations  in  the  nation.  The  ridge  to  the  west  of  the  Lodge  is  a 
maze  of  huge  blocks  of  stone  with  walls  as  vertical  as  the  sides  of  a  sky- 
scraper aligned  along  "streets"  as  straight  as  though  laid  out  by  a  sur- 
veyor's transit,  the  result  of  some  upheaval  in  the  dim  and  distant  past 
which  caused  a  bed  of  sandstone  to  slip  over  a  deposit  of  shale.  Other 
strange  formations  are  "Natural  Amphitheater"  and  "Devil's  Stand 
Table."  All  of  this  is  surrounded  by  the  great  natural  beauty  that  is 
found  in  the  Ozark  Mountains,  where  flourish  many  southern  species 
of  plants  and  animals.  A  beautiful  stone  lodge  contains  a  comfortable 
lounge  and  a  very  attractive  dining  room  and  is  located  atop  the  highest 
hill  within  the  park,  with  comfortable  guest  houses  nearby. 

ILLINOISEDITION  973 


Grand  Marais  State  Park.  In  St.  Clair  County  east  of  East  St. 
Louis  between  U.  S.  Highways  50  and  460.  1,125  Acres.  Serving  the 
large  populace  of  the  East  St.  Louis  region  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
and  complete  recreational  parks  of  the  State.  Its  facilities  include  lakes 
for  boating  and  fishing,  an  18-hole  golf  course,  horseback  riding,  picnic 
facilities  and  playgrounds. 

Grant  Home.  At  Galena,  in  Jo  Daviess  County  on  U.  S.  Highway 
20.  Shortly  before  the  Civil  War  a  tanner  named  Ulysses  S.  Grant 
brought  his  family  to  live  in  Galena.  With  the  start  of  hostilities,  he 
donned  the  uniform  of  his  country  and  became  the  most  successful 
general  in  the  Union  Armies.  When  he  returned  home  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  grateful  citizens  gave  him  a  new  home  as  a  token  of  their 
gratitude  and  esteem.  This  square  brick  house  is  now  preserved  as  a 
State  Memorial  to  General  U.  S.  Grant.  It  contains  many  of  the  orig- 
inal furnishings  and  military  trophies. 

Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  State  Parkway.  In  Grundy  and  La- 
Salle  Counties  extending  from  Channahon  to  Utica,  paralleling  U.  S. 
Highway  6.  More  than  a  century  ago  one  of  the  principal  arteries  of 
trade  was  the  newly  constructed  Illinois-Michigan  Canal,  the  forerunner 
of  the  present  Illinois  Waterway.  At  Channahon,  in  the  center  of  a  very 
attractive  State  Park,  is  one  of  the  original  locks  of  the  old  canal,  re- 
stored to  working  condition.  It  appears  almost  toy-like  today  by  com- 
parison with  the  tremendous  locks  and  dams  of  the  Illinois  Waterway. 
Across  from  the  park  entrance,  a  narrow  one-way  road  branches  off 
south  from  the  highway.  This  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  beauti- 
ful drives  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  State,  the  "Towpath  Drive" 
which  follows  the  original  towpath  along  the  top  of  the  dike  separating 
the  old  canal  and  the  Illinois  River.  The  Illinois-Michigan  Canal  State 
Parkway  also  includes  Illini  State  Park  across  the  river  from  Marseilles, 
the  Aux  Sable  and  Split  Rock  areas,  and  Gebhard  Woods. 

Illinois  Beach  State  Park.  In  Lake  County  between  Waukegan  and 
Zion,  east  of  State  Route  42.  1,114.5  Acres.  A  summer  playground 
easily  accessible  to  more  than  half  of  the  population  of  the  State  is  Illi- 
nois Beach  State  Park  with  its  clean  sandy  beach  stretching  3-and-a- 
half  miles  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  When  development  of 
this  park  has  been  completed  there  will  be  ten  separate  sections  each 
with  its  own  beach  house,  parking  facilities,  refreshment  stands  and 

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guard  service  stations,  connected  by  a  40-foot  wide  boardwalk.  On  the 
inland  side  of  the  boardwalk,  between  parking  areas,  will  be  recreational 
areas,  and  a  nature  preserve,  with  a  profusion  of  flowers,  shrubs,  and 
trees,  many  rare,  and  birds  and  small  animals.  Beach  house,  picnic 
tables  and  adequate  parking  areas  are  already  provided. 

Jubilee  College  State  Park.  In  Peoria  County  northwest  of  Peoria, 
near  U.  S.  Highway  150.  96  Acres.  In  Jubilee  College  State  Park  is 
preserved  a  building  of  one  of  the  earliest  educational  institutions  to  be 
established  in  Illinois.  Founded  by  the  Right  Reverend  Philander  Chase, 
first  Bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Illinois,  the  College  was  char- 
tered in  1847  and  continued  to  function  until  the  Bishop's  death  in 
1852.  After  that  time  the  College  fell  into  financial  straits  and  was 
abandoned  during  the  Civil  War.  In  the  small  graveyard  nearby,  the 
grave  of  Bishop  Chase  is  marked  by  a  stone  lectern. 

Kankakee  River  State  Park.  In  Kankakee  County  near  Kankakee, 
State  Route  1 13.  266  Acres.  The  Kankakee  River,  with  its  facilities  for 
boating  and  fishing,  is  a  focal  point  for  the  area  along  its  banks  which 
has  been  acquired  by  the  State  for  park  purposes.  It  is  planned  as  a 
purely  recreational  park  with  a  minimum  of  artificial  facilities. 

Kickapoo  State  Park.  In  Vermilion  County  near  Danville,  State 
Route  10.  1,578.7  Acres.  Kickapoo  State  Park  is  not  only  a  source  of 
much  enjoyment  to  the  outdoor  lover  for  its  beautiful  scenery  and  its 
boating,  fishing,  picnic,  camping,  hiking  and  riding  facilities,  but  it  is 
also  a  striking  demonstration  of  reclamation.  Strip-mining  operations  left 
the  area  a  veritable  "bad  lands,"  with  bare  ridges  of  sub-soil  separated 
by  deep  gullies.  Nature's  efforts  to  camouflage  this  were  aided  by  the 
State  and  the  result  is  an  area  of  remarkable  beauty  with  many  lakes. 

Lincoln  Home.  The  Lincoln  Home  at  Eighth  and  Jackson  Streets, 
Springfield,  the  only  home  that  Abraham  Lincoln  ever  owned,  is  an  un- 
pretentious white  frame  two-story  building  where  he  spent  the  early 
years  of  his  marriage,  where  three  of  his  children  were  born  and  whence 
he  left  to  go  to  Washington  to  assume  the  Presidential  chair.  Visitors 
see  many  of  the  original  furnishings  of  the  home  as  they  are  conducted 
through  the  rooms  in  which  the  Lincoln  family  actually  lived. 

Lincoln  Log  Cabin  State  Park.  In  Coles  County,  south  of  Charles- 
ton, near  State  Route  16.  86  Acres.  Here  is  another  Lincoln  shrine,  the 
reproduction  of  the  last  home  built  and  occupied  by  Abraham  Lincoln's 

ILLINOISEDITION  975 


father,  constructed  in  1837,  where  Thomas  Lincoln  lived  until  his  death 
in  1851.  The  present  reproduction  has  been  so  faithfully  constructed 
that  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  it  seems  to  have  endured  a  century  of 
withstanding  the  elements.  Surrounding  the  park  is  a  rail  fence  of  the 
exact  type  which  Abraham  Lincoln  built  to  earn  for  himself  the  nick- 
name, "The  Rail  Splitter."  Three  miles  from  the  park  is  the  cemetery 
where  Lincoln's  father  and  step-mother  are  buried. 

Lincoln  National  Memorial  Highway.  The  approximately  250 
miles  of  highways  designated  as  the  Lincoln  National  Memorial  High- 
way extend  from  the  Illinois-Indiana  border  east  of  Lawrenceville,  west 
and  north  over  U.  S.  Highways  50  and  36  and  State  Routes  33,  1,  121, 
97,  and  connecting  county  roads  to  Beardstown.  This  route  takes  the 
tourist  to  many  Lincoln  Shrines,  including  the  Lincoln  Trail  Monu- 
ment, Lincoln  Log  Cabin  State  Park,  the  Moore  Home,  Lincoln  Home, 
Lincoln  Tomb  and  New  Salem  State  Park. 

Lincoln  Tomb.  The  Lincoln  Tomb  in  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  Spring- 
field, is  visited  annually  by  many  thousands  of  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, including  many  visitors  from  foreign  countries.  As  they  stand  be- 
fore the  huge  marble  sarcophagus  none  can  fail  to  feel  the  tremendous 
surge  of  reverence  which  comes  over  one  upon  beholding  the  resting 
place  of  the  Great  Emancipator. 

Lincoln  Trail  Monument.  Nine  miles  east  of  Lawrenceville  on 
U.  S.  Highway  50.  In  a  small  roadside  park  at  the  approach  to  the 
Illinois  end  of  the  Lincoln  Memorial  Bridge,  stands  the  impressive  Lin- 
coln Trail  Monument.  This,  the  work  of  sculptress  Nellie  Walker,  de- 
picts the  youthful  Abraham  Lincoln  walking  beside  the  covered  wagon 
carrying  the  worldly  possessions  of  the  Lincoln  family  when  they  en- 
tered Illinois  at  this  point  in  March,  1830.  This  is  the  starting  point  of 
the  Lincoln  National  Memorial  Highway. 

Lowden  Memorial  State  Park.  In  Ogle  County  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Rock  River  near  Oregon,  north  of  State  Route  64.  274.2  Acres.  As 
the  motorist  drives  north  or  south  on  Highway  2  between  Dixon  and 
Rockford,  at  a  point  just  north  of  Oregon  his  eyes  are  caught  by  a 
tremendous  concrete  statue  towering  250  feet  above  Rock  River  on  a 
high  hilltop  on  the  opposite  bank.  This  is  the  so-called  "Black  Hawk 
Statue,"  created  by  the  famous  American  sculptor  Lorado  Taft  to 
typify  the  Redman  who  once  roamed  this  area.  A  close-up  view  of  the 

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statue  is  afforded  by  visiting  Lowden  Memorial  State  Park  which  sur- 
rounds it. 

Matthiessen  State  Park.  In  LaSalle  County  near  Oglesby,  south  of 
State  Route  71.  174.6  Acres.  In  Matthiessen  State  Park,  one  of  the 
more  recently  acquired  State  Park  properties,  the  visitor  sees  a  rare 
combination  of  scenic  beauties  and  plant,  animal  and  bird  life.  Over 
fifty  varieties  of  birds  may  be  counted  in  the  park  and  found  here  also 
are  many  small  animals  such  as  rabbits,  raccoons,  opossums,  muskrats, 
and  a  herd  of  deer.  The  natural  beauties  are  similar  to  those  of  nearby 
Starved  Rock  State  Park.  Another  point  of  interest  is  a  reconstruction 
of  a  block  house  of  the  type  which  was  common  on  the  frontier  a 
century  and  more  ago. 

Metamora  Court  House.  In  Woodford  County  on  State  Route  116, 
northeast  of  Peoria.  Preserved  here  as  one  of  the  many  Lincoln  Memo- 
rials, is  one  of  the  court  houses  on  the  old  Eighth  Circuit  where  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  practiced  law. 

Mississippi  Palisades  State  Park.  In  Carroll  County  on  State  Route 
80  north  of  Savanna.  895.9  Acres.  The  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
River  in  the  northern  part  of  Illinois  is  a  series  of  lofty  bluffs  with 
vertical  out-croppings  of  limestone  which  give  this  area  its  name.  The 
most  beautiful  part  of  this  entire  stretch  of  scenic  grandeur  has  been 
set  aside  as  a  State  Park.  Well-marked  foot  trails  lead  the  visitors  along 
paths  once  worn  smooth  by  the  moccasined  feet  of  Indians  to  the  very 
tops  of  high  palisades  and  sweeping  views  of  the  mighty  "Father  of 
Waters"  and  the  distant  Iowa  shore.  Most  striking  of  the  strange  rock 
formations  are  "Indian  Head  Rock"  and  "Twin  Sisters."  Bob  Upton's 
Cave  is  a  tiny  fissure  in  the  high  wall  in  which  the  white  youth  lay  con- 
cealed while  marauding  Indians  sought  him  to  complete  their  grim 
work  of  wiping  out  the  population  of  his  nearby  village. 

Mt.  Pulaski  Court  House.  In  Logan  County  on  U.  S.  Highway  54, 
26  miles  northeast  of  Springfield.  One  of  the  court  houses  on  the  old 
Eighth  Circuit  where  Abraham  Lincoln  practiced  law,  preserved  as  a 
State  Memorial. 

Nauvoo  State  Park.  In  Hancock  County  on  State  Route  96.  In  this 
town  of  some  1,000  population  are  preserved  memories  of  its  former 
glory,  when  as  home  of  the  Mormons,  from  1839  to  1846,  it  attained  a 
population  of  nearly  20,000  .  .  .  then  the  largest  city  in  Illinois.  Points 

ILLINOIS         EDITION  977 


of  interest  are  the  Orient  Hotel,  home  of  Joseph  Smith,  founder  of  Mor- 
monism,  site  of  the  Mormon  Temple  and  other  buildings  relating  to 
the  Mormons. 

New  Salem  State  Park,  "The  Lincoln  Village."  In  Menard  County 
on  State  Routes  123  and  97,  20  miles  northwest  of  Springfield.  280.4 
Acres.  Most  impressive  of  all  Lincoln  Memorials  is  New  Salem  State 
Park.  Here,  reproduced  in  flawless  authenticity,  is  the  village  where 
Abraham  Lincoln  studied  law  by  the  light  of  the  burning  shavings  in 
the  fireplace  of  Henry  Onstott's  cooperage,  where  he  clerked  in  a  store, 
embarked  upon  his  own  ill-fated  business  venture  as  a  storekeeper, 
served  as  postmaster,  where  he  met  and  loved  Ann  Rutledge.  It  was 
from  New  Salem  that  he  was  first  elected  to  public  office  as  a  Repre- 
sentative in  the  State  Legislature.  The  visitor  seems  to  step  back  a  cen- 
tury in  time  as  he  enters  the  village  of  log  buildings.  From  dwelling  to 
dwelling,  from  cooperage  to  store  to  doctor's  office  to  tavern  to  carding 
mill  and  to  grist  mill,  the  visitor  makes  his  way  through  New  Salem, 
pausing  to  view  the  interiors  of  all  these  buildings.  Each  has  been  fur- 
nished exactly  as  it  appeared  during  the  years  that  Lincoln  lived  there. 
In  the  Lincoln-Berry  store  and  the  Hill-McNeil  store  are  the  actual 
type  of  wares  that  the  storekeepers  dealt  in.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
away  from  the  village  itself,  and  just  off  the  highway,  is  a  delightful 
rustic  restaurant,  The  Wagon  Wheel,  where  luncheons  and  dinners  are 
served  daily  throughout  most  of  the  year. 

Pere  Marquette  State  Park.  In  Jersey  County  on  State  Route  100, 
6  miles  west  of  Grafton.  5,179.9  Acres.  Largest  of  all  Illinois  State 
Parks  is  the  one  named  for  Father  Jacques  Marquette,  whose  journal 
records  the  first  entrance  of  white  men  into  Illinois.  A  simple  but  maj- 
estic cross  marks  the  point  where  Father  Marquette,  Louis  Joliet  and 
five  companions  turned  their  canoes  up  the  Illinois  River  one  autumn 
day  in  1673.  In  the  nature  museum  within  the  park  can  be  seen  animal 
and  bird  life  indigenous  to  the  region.  The  roadway  leading  into  the 
park  winds  up  to  the  tops  of  many  of  the  hills  from  which  vantage 
points  the  Illinois  River  Valley  spreads  out  before  the  beholder.  Com- 
plete facilities  for  vacationers  are  provided  at  Pere  Marquette  State 
Park.  These  include  a  fine  lodge  with  guest  rooms,  lounge  and  splendid 
restaurant  and  delightful  stone  rustic  guest  houses. 

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Red  Hills  State  Park.  In  Lawrence  County  between  Sumner  and 
Lawrenceville  near  U.  S.  Highway  50.  797.7  Acres.  One  of  the  newest 
State  Parks,  this  wooded,  rolling  area  is  one  of  wild  natural  beauty. 
The  northwestern  boundary  of  the  historic  "Vincennes  Tract,"  ceded 
by  the  Indians  in  1795  to  Gen.  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne  at  Greenville, 
Ohio,  crosses  the  park. 

Shawneetown  State  Memorial.  In  Gallatin  County  at  Shawnee- 
town,  State  Route  13.  40  Acres.  Shawneetown,  settled  in  the  early  part 
of  the  19th  century,  was  the  gateway  to  the  Illinois  country.  The  teem- 
ing traffic  of  the  Ohio  River  bringing  freight  and  passengers  to  settle 
the  Midwest,  passed  through  Shawneetown  on  the  way  to  the  great 
Middle  Border.  The  memorial  occupying  the  site  of  the  original  village 
preserves  many  of  the  landmarks,  such  as  the  Bank  Building  and  the 
historic  Posey  Building. 

Siloam  Springs  State  Park.  In  Adams  and  Brown  Counties  near 
Kellerville,  north  of  State  Route  104.  2,047  Acres.  This  newly-acquired 
tract  of  land  in  west-central  Illinois  occupies  a  beautifully-wooded  area 
of  rolling  country  mid-way  between  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  Rivers 
east  of  Quincy.  Plans  for  developing  recreational  and  other  facilities 
are  under  way. 

Spitler  Woods  State  Park.  In  Macon  County  near  Mt.  Zion,  State 
Route  121.  202.5  Acres.  Deeply  shaded  ravines  and  towering  trees  in  a 
true  "forest  primeval"  are  the  lures  which  attract  city  dwellers  of  Illi- 
nois to  Spitler  Woods  State  Park,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  areas  of  its 
kind  in  the  State. 

Springfield.  In  Sangamon  County,  on  U.  S.  Highways  66,  36  and 
54.  Springfield,  in  addition  to  being  the  seat  of  government  for  all  of 
Illinois,  is  a  tourist  objective  with  many  points  of  interest.  Dominating 
the  entire  city  is  the  dome  of  the  Capitol  Building.  On  the  second  floor 
around  the  circular  well  beneath  the  dome  are  statues  of  numerous 
Governors  of  the  State,  and  below  the  dome  the  interior  is  a  circular 
bas  relief  frieze  depicting  scenes  in  the  lives  of  pioneer  settlers  of  Illi- 
nois. The  State  House  grounds  are  dotted  with  the  statues  of  men 
famous  in  Illinois  history.  The  Centennial  Building,  south  of  the  State 
House,  commemorates  the  centenary  of  the  admission  of  Illinois  into 
the  Union  in  1818.  On  the  first  floor  is  magnificent  Memorial  Hall  on 
each  side  of  which  are  displayed  the  flags  of  the  Illinois  Regiments,  and 

ILLINOISEDITION  979 


the  Gold  Star  Mothers  Memorial.  The  Illinois  State  Museum  on  the 
fifth  floor  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  places  to  visitors.  The  San- 
gamon County  Court  House,  in  the  center  of  the  business  district,  was 
the  building  started  in  1837,  which  served  as  the  fifth  Capitol  of  the 
State.  It  was  here  that  Lincoln  made  his  famous  "house  divided  against 
itself"  speech.  Numerous  markers  in  the  downtown  section  commemo- 
rate events  in  Lincoln's  life. 

Starved  Rock  State  Park.  In  LaSalle  County  between  Ottawa  and 
LaSalle  on  State  Route  71.  1,436.65  Acres.  Throughout  this  park, 
reached  by  inviting  foot-trails  or  by  boat  trips  from  the  river,  are  amaz- 
ing rock  formations  and  canyons  filled  with  a  profusion  of  plant  life 
and  exhibiting  nature's  imaginative  handiwork  formed  in  sandstone  by 
water,  minerals  and  unceasing  wind.  When  Father  Jacques  Marquette 
and  Louis  Joliet  first  visited  here  in  1673  they  found  a  tremendous  en- 
campment of  the  Kaskaskias  in  the  shadows  of  Starved  Rock.  It  was 
on  the  very  top  of  Starved  Rock  that  Robert  Cavalier  Sieur  de  LaSalle 
ordered  the  construction  of  Fort  St.  Louis  du  Rocher.  The  name  Starved 
Rock  is  derived,  according  to  tradition,  from  the  incident  in  1769  when 
a  band  of  Illinois  Indians,  besieged  on  its  top  by  the  Pottawatomies, 
and  unable  to  secure  food  or  water,  perished  rather  than  surrender. 
Facilities  at  Starved  Rock  are  complete.  The  rustic  lodge  offers  de- 
lightful accommodations  for  overnight  stays,  weekends  or  complete 
vacations.  The  restaurant  is  open  to  the  public  throughout  the  year. 
Ample  parking  facilities,  a  camping  ground  with  modern  conveniences, 
children's  playground,  and  rest  rooms  are  provided. 

Vandalia  State  House.  In  Fayette  County,  on  U.  S.  Highways  40 
and  51.  Here  is  preserved  the  fourth  State  Capitol  of  Illinois,  erected  in 

1836.  Abraham  Lincoln  served  here  as  one  of  Sangamon  County's  Rep- 
resentatives in  the  State  Legislature.  He  was  instrumental  in  having 
Springfield  designated  as  the  new  State  Capital  in  the  1837  session.  In 
this  building  also  was  issued  the  city  charter  of  Chicago,  on  March  4, 

1837.  In  front  of  the  building  stands  the  magnificent  "Madonna  of  the 
Trail"  Monument,  honoring  the  pioneer  women  who  accompanied  their 
husbands  to  the  Middle  Border. 

White  Pines  Forest  State  Park.  In  Ogle  County,  9  miles  west  of 
Oregon,  between  State  Route  2  and  U.  S.  Highway  52.  385  Acres.  In 
this  beautiful  State  Park  is  preserved  the  southernmost  large  stand  of 

980  LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


White  Pines  in  the  United  States.  The  terrain  which  lends  so  much 
beauty  to  White  Pines  Forest  also  served  to  protect  the  timber  from 
the  ravages  of  the  woodsman's  axe.  Entering  the  park,  the  roadway 
leads  first  into  a  broad  sheltered  valley  almost  completely  surrounded 
by  majestic  bluffs  rising  sheer  from  the  surface  of  winding  Pine  Creek. 
High  atop  the  bluffs  rise  the  mighty  white  pines,  towering  as  high  as 
90  to  100  feet,  many  with  diameters  of  2-and-one-half  feet.  Parking 
areas  are  provided  at  intervals  along  the  highway  within  the  park,  and 
inviting  footpaths  lead  up  to  the  tops  of  the  bluffs.  In  the  center  of  a 
level  hilltop  area,  there  is  a  clearing  upon  which  faces  the  rustic  lodge 
which  houses  a  lounge  and  dining  room.  Surrounding  it  are  modern 
overnight  cottages  of  the  same  rustic  construction  to  harmonize  with 
their  setting. 

Chicago,  "Wonder  City  of  the  World."  The  early  history  of  Chi- 
cago is  a  record  of  overcoming  difficulties  and  doubts  about  the  future. 
When  Illinois  was  admitted  to  the  Union  in  1818  and  many  downstate 
towns  were  already  well  established,  only  a  few  traders  and  settlers 
had  located  in  the  vicinity  of  the  new  Fort  Dearborn,  built  on  the  site 
of  the  earlier     fort  which  had  been  burned  by  the  Indians  after  the 
bloody  massacre  of  August  15,  1812.  In  fact  it  took  a  second  Indian 
War — the  Black  Hawk  War  of   1832 — to  open  northern  Illinois  to 
settlement  and  bring  Chicago  to  the  attention  of  large  numbers  of 
people.  After  that  its  destiny  was  not  to  be  denied.  By  1833  it  had 
enough  settlers  to  be  incorporated  as  a  town,  and  in  1837  it  received 
its  charter  from  the  State  as  a  city.  From  then  until  1870  was  a  period 
of  steady  growth.  Then  in  October,  1871  came  the  fire  that  leveled  the 
entire  business  district  and  much  of  the  best  residntial  section,  taking 
300  lives  and  leaving  90,000  people  homeless.  From  these  ashes  rose 
the  new  Chicago,  bigger  and  greater  than  ever  before.  Today  Chicago  is 
the  second  city  of  the  nation,  famed  as  a  center  of  meat  packing,  indus- 
try, trade,  manufacturing,  culture  and  transportation.  To  the  visitor 
its  more  interesting  aspects  are  its  many  recreational  facilities  and  its 
countless  points  of  interest  .  .  .  the  twenty-two  miles  of  beaches  that 
line  the  lake  front  and  such  famed  museums  as  the  Chicago  Natural 
History  Museum  (formerly  known  as  the  Field  Museum  of  Natural 
History),  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Industry,  the  Adler  Planetarium, 
the  Shedd  Aquarium,  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago  and,  in  Lincoln  Park, 

ILLINOIS         EDITION  981 


the  Chicago  Historical  Society  and  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 
In  addition  to  the  museums  named  above  which  are  in  Jackson,  Grant 
and  Lincoln  Parks,  are  the  famed  Lincoln  Park  Zoo  and  the  huge  Con- 
servatory in  Garfield  Park,  one  of  the  world's  greatest  collections  of 
floral  and  plant  life.  Surrounding  Chicago  are  bands  of  wooded  areas 
in  the  Forest  Preserve  District  of  Cook  County.  Southwest  of  the  city 
is  the  Chicago  Zoological  Gardens,  more  familiarly  known  as  the 
Brookfield  Zoo,  one  of  the  finest  zoological  gardens  in  the  world. 

COUNTY  NAMES  AND  THEIR  ORIGINS 

Six  counties  of  Illinois,  Washington,  Jefferson,  Madison,  Monroe, 
Adams,  and  Jackson,  were  named  for  Presidents  of  the  United  States; 
Adams  for  John  Quincy  Adams,  sixth  President,  and  not  for  John 
Adams,  second  President,  as  is  sometimes  stated. 

Four  counties,  Bond,  Coles,  Edwards,  and  Ford,  were  named,  res- 
pectively for  the  first,  second,  third  and  seventh  Governors  of  Illinois. 
Bond  received  its  name  the  year  before  the  election  of  the  first  Governor 
of  the  State. 

Sixteen  counties  were  named  for  other  citizens  of  the  State,  promi- 
nent in  different  walks  of  life. 

Alexander,  for  William  M.  Alexander,  an  early  settler  of  the 
county  bearing  his  name  and  Senator  in  the  second  and  third  General 
Assemblies  of  the  State. 

Cook,  for  Daniel  P.  Cook,  a  pioneer  lawyer,  first  Attorney  General 
of  the  State  and  Representative  in  Congress  from  1819  to  1827. 

Douglas,  for  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  an  eminent  lawyer,  brilliant  pol- 
itical orator,  Secretary  of  State  (1840),  Representative  in  Congress 
(1843-1847),  United  States  Senator  (1847-1861),  and  candidate  for 
the  Presidency  in  1860. 

Edgar,  for  John  Edgar,  a  pioneer  merchant,  politician  and  land 
speculator. 

Kane,  for  Elias  Kent  Kane,  a  pioneer  lawyer,  Territorial  judge,, 
prominent  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1818,  first  Sec- 
retary of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  later  United  States  Senator. 

Logan,  for  Dr.  John  Logan,  a  pioneer  physician,  father  of  General 
John  A.  Logan. 

982  LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


McHenry,  for  William  McHenry,  a  pioneer  of  White  County, 
soldier  of  the  War  of  1812  and  the  Black  Hawk  war,  Representative  in 
the  first,  fourth,  fifth  and  ninth  General  Assemblies,  and  Senator  in  the 
sixth. 

McLean,  for  John  McLean,  a  pioneer  lawyer,  Territorial  judge, 
first  Representative  in  Congress  from  Illinois  (1818),  and  United  States 
Senator  (1824-1825). 

Menard,  for  Pierre  Menard,  a  pioneer  Indian  trader,  Colonel  of 
Territorial  militia,  and  first  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  State. 

Ogle,  for  Joseph  Ogle,  pioneer  politician  and  Lieutenant  of  Terri- 
torial militia. 

Piatt,  for  Benjamin  Piatt,  a  pioneer  lawyer  and  Attorney  General 
of  the  Territory  (1810-1813). 

Pope,  for  Nathaniel  Pope,  first  Territorial  Secretary  of  State 
(1809-1816),  and  last  Territorial  Delegate  to  Congress  from  Illinois. 

Stephenson,  for  Benjamin  Stephenson,  prominent  pioneer,  a  Colo- 
nel, Territorial  militia,  and  Adjutant  General  of  the  Territory  (1813- 
1814). 

White,  for  Leonard  White,  pioneer  of  Gallatin  County,  Major  of 
Territorial  militia,  member  of  Constitutional  Convention  of  1818,  State 
Senator  in  second  and  third  General  Assemblies,  and  killed  at  battle  of 
Tippecanoe,  Nov.  7,  1811. 

Whiteside,  for  Samuel  Whiteside,  a  Colonel  of  Territorial  militia, 
Representative  in  the  First  General  Assembly,  and  Brigadier  General 
of  militia  during  Black  Hawk  War. 

Will,  for  Conrad  Will,  a  pioneer  politician,  Territorial  Recorder  of 
Jackson  County,  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1818, 
and  member  of  the  General  Assemblies  of  the  State  from  the  first  to 
ninth  inclusive. 

Twenty-two  counties  were  named  in  honor  of  military  heroes, 
generally  of  the  Revolution,  but  some  of  later  wars. 

McDonough,  for  Thomas  McDonough,  a  Commodore  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  who  commanded  the  fleet  on  Lake  Champlain  in 
a  successful  engagement  with  the  British  fleet,  near  Plattsburg,  1814. 

Perry,  for  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  a  Commodore  of  the  United 
States  Navy,  who  won  distinction  as  Commander  of  the  fleet  in  the 
battle  of  Lake  Erie,  in  1813. 

ILLINOISEDITION  983 


Twenty-one  counties  were  named  for  statesmen  and  politicians, 
not  citizens  of  Illinois  some  of  whom  had  distinguished  themselves  in 
military  as  well  as  civilian  life. 

Calhoun,  for  John  C.  Calhoun,  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  Repre- 
sentative in  Congress  and  United  States  Senator  from  South  Carolina, 
Secretary  of  War  under  Monroe,  Vice-President  of  the  United  States, 
and  Secretary  of  State  under  Tyler,  and  was  recognized  as  the  "Father 
of  Nullification." 

Carroll,  for  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton,  a  statesman  of  the 
Revolutionary  period,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and 
United  States  Senator  from  Maryland. 

Cass,  for  Lewis  Cass,  a  soldier  as  well  as  statesman,  Territorial 
Governor  of  Michigan,  Minister  to  France,  United  States  Senator  from 
Michigan,  Secretary  of  War  under  Jackson,  Secretary  of  State  under 
Buchanan,  and  at  one  time  a  prominent  candidate  for  the  Presidency. 

Clay,  for  Henry  Clay,  a  statesman  and  political  orator,  Repre- 
sentative in  Congress  and  United  States  Senator  from  Kentucky,  three 
times  Speaker  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives,  famous 
as  the  author  of  the  political  measures  known  as  the  "Missouri  Com- 
promise," and  a  prominent  candidate  for  the  Presidency. 

Clinton,  for  DeWitt  Clinton,  a  distinguished  lawyer,  financier  and 
statesman,  Mayor  of  the  city  and  Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
United  States  Senator  and  chief  promoter  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

Crawford,  for  William  H.  Crawford  of  Georgia,  United  States 
Senator,  Minister  of  France,  Secretary  of  War,  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury, and  a  prominent  candidate  for  the  Presidency  in  1824. 

Franklin,  for  Benjamin  Franklin,  philosopher,  statesman,  diplomat- 
ist, author,  printer,  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress,  Ambassador 
to  France,  and  (before  the  Revolution)  Deputy  Postmaster  General  of 
the  British  Colonies  in  America. 

Gallatin,  for  Albert  Gallatin,  a  statesman  and  financier,  Repre- 
sentative in  Congress  from  Pennsylvania,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of 
the  United  States,  and  Minister  to  PVance  and  England. 

Grundy,  for  Felix  Grundy,  a  lawyer  and  politician,  United  States 
Senator  from  Tennessee,  and  Attorney  General  of  the  United  States. 

Hamilton,  for  Alexander  Hamilton,  a  soldier,  statesman,  author 
and  financier,  aid  to  the  staff  of  Washington  during  the  Revolution, 

984  LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress,  first  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
(1789-1795),  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  United  States  Army  in 
1799. 

Hancock,  for  John  Hancock,  a  prominent  figure  of  the  Revolution- 
ary period,  a  Major  General  of  militia,  President  of  the  Continental 
Congress,  first  signer  of  the  Declaration,  and  first  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts. 

Henry,  for  Patrick  Henry,  a  lawyer,  orator  and  statesman  of  the 
Revolutionary  period,  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress,  and 
Governor  of  Virginia. 

Kendall,  for  Amos  Kendall,  a  successful  politician  and  journalist, 
Postmaster  General  under  Jackson,  and  as  partner  of  S.  F.  B.  Morse, 
the  inventor  of  the  electric  telegraph,  he  contributed  largely  to  the  com- 
mercial success  of  that  invention. 

Lee,  for  Richard  Henry  Lee,  an  orator  and  statesman  of  the  Rev- 
olutionary period,  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress,  a  Represent- 
ative in  Congress  and  United  States  Senator  from  Virginia. 

Livingston,  for  Edward  Livingston,  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  Mayor 
of  New  York  City,  Representative  in  Congress  from  New  York  and 
later  from  Louisiana,  United  States  Senator  from  the  latter  state,  Sec- 
retary of  State  under  Jackson,  and  United  States  Minister  to  France. 

Macon,  for  Nathaniel  Macon,  a  Colonel  during  the  Revolution 
and  later  a  Representative  and  United  States  Senator  in  Congress  from 
North  Carolina.  He  strenuously  opposed  the  adoption  of  the  United 
States  Constitution  as  conferring  powers  on  the  Federal  government 
which  should  be  reserved  to  the  States. 

Marshall,  for  John  Marshall,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  states- 
man, author  and  jurist,  Ambassador  to  France,  Representative  in  Con- 
gress from  Virginia,  Secretary  of  State  and  Chief  Justice  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court. 

Randolph,  for  Edmund  Randolph,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  a 
lawyer  and  statesman,  member  of  the  Continental  Congress,  Attorney 
General  and  Governor  of  Virginia,  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United 
States  and  Attorney  General  under  Washington. 

Shelby,  for  Isaac  Shelby,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  Indian 
wars,  Governor  of  Kentucky  (1792-1796)  and  again  ( 1812-1816).  He 

ILL1NOISEDITION  985 


commanded  the  Kentucky  troops  in  the  battle  of  the  Thames  in  the 
War  of  1812. 

Tazewell,  for  Lyttleton  W.  Tazewell,  an  eminent  lawyer,  Gover- 
nor, Representative  in  Congress,  and  United  States  Senator  from  Vir- 
ginia. 

Nine  counties  of  Illinois  adopted  the  names  of  counties  of  other 
states  through  the  influence  of  immigrants  from  the  counties  whose 
names  were  thus  adopted:  Champaign  and  Richland  from  Ohio;  Chris- 
tian, Hardin,  Henderson,  Mason,  Scott,  and  Woodford  from  Kentucky; 
and  Williamson  from  Tennessee. 

Seven  counties  bear  Indian  names,  given  originally,  as  a  general 
rule,  to  a  creek,  river  or  lake,  and  afterward  transferred  to  the  county. 
These  named  are  Iroquois,  Kankakee,  Macoupin,  Peoria,  Sangamon, 

Fourteen  other  counties  derive  their  names  from  sources  so  diverse 
that  they  cannot  easily  be  classified  under  any  special  head. 

Boone,  for  Daniel  Boone,  a  pioneer  hunter,  Indian  fighter  and 
pathfinder  of  the  early  days. 

Bureau,  for  Pierre  Buero,  a  French  trader  with  the  Indians. 

Cumberland,  from  the  Cumberland  road,  named  in  its  turn  from 
the  town  of  Cumberland,  Maryland,  which  derived  its  name  from  the 
mountain  range  of  the  same  name  adopted,  presumably,  from  the  Cum- 
berland mountains  of  Great  Britain. 

DuPage,  from  a  small  river  of  the  same  name  said  to  have  derived 
its  name  from  a  French  trapper  and  trader  of  that  region. 

Effingham,  for  Lord  Edward  Effingham,  who  resigned  his  com- 
mission as  general  in  the  British  army,  1775,  refusing  to  serve  in  the 
war  against  the  colonies. 

Fulton,  for  Robert  Fulton,  the  first  successful  builder  of  steam- 
boats on  American  waters. 

Jersey,  for  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  which  derived  its  name  from 
the  Isle  of  Jersey,  Great  Britain. 

Lake,  for  Lake  Michigan. 

LaSalle,  for  Robert  de  LaSalle,  the  French  explorer  who  effected 
the  first  white  settlements  in  Illinois  and  explored  the  Mississippi  to 
the  Gulf. 

Massac,  from  Fort  Massac,  a  corruption  of  a  French  surname, 
Massiac. 

986  LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


Rock  Island,  from  the  rock  island  of  that  name  in  the  Mississippi. 

Saline,  from  Saline  creek,  so  called  on  account  of  numerous  salt 
springs  in  that  locality. 

Union,  from  the  federal  union  of  the  American  States. 

Vermilion,  from  the  river  of  that  name,  the  principal  branches 
of  which  flow  through  the  county. 

A  REPORT  ON  THE  ECONOMIC  PROSPECTS 
OF  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 

By  Richardson  Wood  &  Company,  Chicago 

THE  GIFTS  OF  NATURE 

Southern  Illinois  is  at  the  very  heart  and  center  of  an  enormously 
rich  continent  still  being  actively  developed.  The  winters  in  this  heart- 
land are  mild,  the  summers  tolerable.  Here,  two  great  navigable  rivers 
join,  one  tapping  the  wheat  and  corn  of  the  northern  plains,  the  other 
tapping  the  iron  and  coal  from  Pittsburgh  and  Wheeling.  Together, 
they  form  a  stream  that  is  a  highway  for  cotton,  lumber  and  oil,  and 
an  outlet  to  the  oceans  of  the  world.  Here,  many  railways  pass,  seeking 
all  points  of  the  compass.  Here,  a  highway  network  converges  on  two 
great  bridges  spanning  the  rivers.  Transcontinental  pipelines  carrying 
natural  gas  and  petroleum  products  furrow  the  fields.  Within  a  few 
hundred  miles,  a  number  of  large  cities  are  located.  Bursting  out  of 
the  earth  right  across  the  area  are  thick  seams  of  coal.  A  few  miles 
northeast  of  them,  hundreds  of  wells  pump  crude  oil  to  the  surface. 
Small  wonder  that  such  a  scene  has  given  rise  to  visions  of  Empire. 
But  the  visions  have  failed  to  materialize  for  the  most  part.  Instead  of 
Empire,  there  is  a  dwindling  population  and  a  rising  relief  load. 
Hence  this  brief  outlining  the  situation  and  suggesting  certain  efforts 
to  remedy  it. 

A  "ONE-CROP^  ECONOMY 

A  hundred  years  of  modern  technology  and  energetic  enterprise 
have  swept  through  Southern  Illinois  and  passed  on,  leaving  little  more 
than  a  desperately  struggling  coal  industry.  For  coal  is  the  one  natural 
resource  of  Southern  Illinois  that  has  invited  exploitation  on  a  relatively 

ILLINOISEDITION  987 


large  scale.  The  area  has  for  many  years  been  a  convenient  mid-con- 
tinent fueling  station  for  the  country's  railroads.  The  thick  seams  that 
outcrop  along  the  east-west  line  running  through  Harrisburg,  Marion 
and  Carbondale  were  first  dug  in  a  series  of  small  claims.  Many  of  the 
remaining  mines  here  are  still  small.  As  one  goes  north,  the  seams  lie 
deeper  and  the  scale  of  the  operation  required  to  mine  them  becomes 
larger.  Finally  the  seams  dip  too  deep  for  economical  mining  and  are 
no  longer  sought  until  they  rise  nearer  to  the  surface  in  Central  Illinois. 

.  .  .  FINDS  A  LIMIT 

There  will,  in  all  probability,  be  an  important  coal  mining  business 
in  Southern  Illinois  for  many  years  to  come,  since  the  reserves  are 
enormous.  However,  the  area  can  no  longer  safely  look  to  coal  as  the 
economic  mainstay  of  its  existence,  and  this  for  several  reasons.  The 
market  for  coal  is  sharply  limited  by  competitive  power  sources.  The 
railroads  are  resorting  increasingly  to  Diesel  locomotives.  Industries 
and  homes  are  using  more  oil  and  natural  gas.  To  combat  this  process 
of  market  attrition  and  to  meet  the  wage  requirements  of  labor,  the 
coal  industry  has  devised  ways  and  means  of  mining  coal  with  fewer 
men.  Mechanization  of  the  mines  has  virtually  doubled  man-hour  out- 
put. The  industry  is  constantly  seeking  new  and  better  ways  of  using 
coal,  but  these  efforts  often  result  in  a  net  diminution  of  coal  demand, 
since  each  pound  of  coal  is  made  to  render  more  energy.  The  high  sul- 
phur content  of  Illinois  coal  precludes,  or  at  best  sharply  restricts,  its 
use  for  metallurgical  coke  except  when  blended  with  other  coals,  and 
impairs  its  usefulness  as  a  source  of  raw  chemicals. 

OTHER  RESOURCES  MARGINAL 

Besides  coal,  Nature  gave  Southern  Illinois  very  little,  and  what 
few  small  gifts  were  offered,  notably  forests  and  some  rich  bottom 
lands,  have  claimed  relatively  little  attention.  Just  south  of  the  coal 
outcropping,  a  line  of  low  hills  rises,  almost  filling  the  entire  tip  of 
the  State.  These  hills,  sometimes  called  the  "Illinois  Ozarks,"  are  an 
eastward  extension  of  the  Ozark  Plateau  of  Arkansas  and  Southern 
Missouri.  They  will  grow  trees,  and  they  provide,  here  and  there  where 
the  slopes  are  not  too  steep,  some  pasture.  In  the  center  are  many  apple 
and  peach  orchards.  Flanking  them  and  running  to  the  bluffs  over- 

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looking  either  river  are  forest  lands.  Below  the  bluffs  lie  strips  of  bottom 
land,  for  the  most  part  drained  and  protected  by  levees  from  floods, 
and  capable  of  growing  many  crops. 

North  of  the  line  of  hills,  above  the  coal  measures,  an  almost  im- 
permeable hardpan  reaches  up  to  the  shallow  grass  roots.  Here  and 
there  it  is  cultivated,  but  the  yield  scarcley  repays  the  effort.  Heavy 
rains  falling  on  this  surface  often  make  flash  floods  in  the  low-lying 
spots.  Surface  water  such  as  this  is  impounded  in  Crab  Orchard  Lake 
and  other  smaller  ponds.  It  runs  off  to  either  river  in  a  number  of 
smaller  creeks.  Impounded  surface  water  is  about  all  that  is  available 
for  use.  Sub-surface  water  is  rare,  and  where  it  is  found,  it  is  often 
polluted  with  sulphur  from  the  coal.  River  water  along  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  is,  of  course,  abundant,  but  usually  requires 
treatment  for  industrial  or  municipal  use. 

The  oil  fields  lie  to  the  north  of  the  coal  area  and  extend  into 
Central  Illinois.  They  bring  in  a  satisfactory  income,  but,  as  oil  fields 
go,  they  are  small  producers  and  provide  no  such  base  for  refining  and 
chemical  operations  as  do  the  great  fields  along  the  Gulf  Coast. 

A  GEOGRAPHICAL  PARADOX 

It  is  surprising  that  an  area  bounded  by  the  confluences  of  the 
Missouri,  the  Mississippi,  the  Tennessee  and  the  Ohio  should  be  short 
of  water.  Yet,  such  is  the  case! 

It  is  surprising  that  land  in  the  center  of  a  continental  river  basin 
should  be  for  the  most  part  too  poor  to  support  normal  crops.  But 
Southern  Illinois,  despite  its  popular  nick-name  of  "Egypt,"  is  no  valley 
of  the  Nile,  no  Mesopotamia. 

It  is  surprising  that  a  land  rich  in  coal,  the  bed-rock  of  the  Indus- 
trial Revolution,  should  have  been  passed  by  in  the  race  for  indus- 
trialization. But,  as  in  many  another  place  where  Nature  has  placed 
coal,  other  more  common  gifts  have  been  withheld  or  have  seemed  too 
meager  to  exploit. 

THE  HAND  OF  MAN 

The  five  or  six  principal  coal  mining  counties  of  Southern  Illinois 
offer  an  ethnographic  feature  that  may  be  unique  in  the  U.  S.  In  a 
belt  that  stretches  approximately  seventy  miles  east  and  west  and  is 

ILLINOISEDITION  989 


about  fifty  miles  across  at  its  widest,  there  are  many  small  towns,  only 
two  of  them  just  exceeding  ten  thousand  in  population.  Yet  the  popu- 
lation of  this  belt  approaches  250,000,  nearly  half  of  whom  live  out- 
side of  the  towns — very  few  of  them  full-time  farmers.  The  belt  has 
properly  been  called  a  "dispersed  city."  It  is  a  city  of  miners,  many  now 
employed  intermittently  and  all  of  them  accustomed  to  drive  as  far 
as  twenty-five  miles  to  the  pithead  that  calls  for  their  labor. 

The  highways  of  this  section  are  the  avenues  of  the  Dispersed  City, 
and  the  back  roads  are  its  residential  streets.  Automobiles  run  to  and 
fro  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night.  Traffic  counts  show  far  higher 
densities  than  are  customary  in  country  districts  between  towns  of 
the  size  found  here.  The  automobile  business  has  flourished  in  spite  of, 
perhaps  partly  because  of,  the  irregularities  of  coal  mining. 

IMPROVED  REAL  ESTATE— AN  ASSET  IN  DANGER 

The  dollar  value  of  the  social  plant  in  this  area — the  homes,  high- 
ways, stores,  schools  and  other  buildings  and  utilities  necessary  to  the 
residents— is  of  the  order  of  $200,000,000  to  $300,000,000.  Unemploy- 
ment has  caused  the  premature  obsolescence  of  part  of  this  investment 
and  threatens  the  obsolescence  of  much  more.  The  burden  of  this  loss  is 
concentrated  in  the  area  for  the  reason  that  mortgage  lenders  from 
outside  avoid  loans  in  the  area.  They  shun  the  area  not  only  because 
of  its  economic  condition,  but  because  many  houses  and  buildings  are 
undermined. 

Just  what  the  annual  loss  may  be  from  accelerated  obsolescence  is 
not  closely  calcluable,  but  it  must  be  at  least  $10,000,000  a  year  in  ex- 
cess of  normal  obsolescence.  In  addition  to  this  intangible  depreciation 
there  is  a  direct  cost  to  government  in  relief.  The  amount  of  relief  in 
Southern  Illinois  that  can  be  traced  to  abnormal  unemployment  re- 
quires a  direct  annual  expenditure  by  the  State  alone  well  in  excess  of 
$6,000,000. 

Under  such  circumstances  it  is  often  asked  whether  emigration 
may  not  be  the  only  answer.  Many  people  have  left  the  area  to  find  jobs 
in  more  flourishing  parts  of  the  country.  Should  not  more  people  be  en- 
couraged to  follow  them?  The  question  may  be  considered  on  a  dollars- 
and-cents  basis  and  on  the  basis  of  human  attitudes. 

990  LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


As  to  dollars  and  cents,  the  investment  in  the  social  plant  of  an 
area — the  houses,  stores,  schools  and  roads — normally  is  three  to  five 
times  as  great  as  the  investment  in  the  direct  productive  capacity  that 
supports  the  social  plant.  Since  the  social  plant  is  indispensable  to  pro- 
duction and  must  be  provided  if  it  does  not  already  exist,  the  tendency 
is  wherever  possible  to  bring  the  jobs  to  the  people  rather  than  move 
the  people  to  the  job.  There  are  familiar  exceptions.  A  war-time  ship- 
yard, a  valley  newly  opened  by  irrigation,  a  boom  anywhere  will  draw 
population  and  justify  the  building  of  new  homes  and  stores  and  utili- 
ties. A  played-out  mine  in  remote  mountains  will  leave  a  ghost  town 
that  is  seldom  worth  salvaging.  But  in  most  times  and  in  most  places 
the  existance  to  people  and  their  homes  can  be  made  to  attract  jobs. 

Southern  Illinois  is  obviously  such  a  place.  It  is  reasonably  near 
to  many  large  cities.  It  has  good  transportation.  It  has  proved  its  case 
already  by  attracting  such  well-established  firms  as  Norge,  Sangamo 
Electric  and  Hoosier-Cardinal  Corporation,  and  by  inducing  Pickens, 
Roberts  and  Mayor,  a  lively  young  team  of  Free  Enterprisers  who  came 
to  strip  coal,  to  remain  to  start  a  couple  of  spirited  new  ventures. 

THE  COUNTRYSIDE— AN  ASSET  STILL 
UNDERDEVELOPED 

There  are  a  few  minor  assets  that  might  well  be  developed  some- 
what further  than  they  have  been.  They  are:  Land  along  the  river  bot- 
toms suitable  for  growing  truck  crops;  land  in  the  hills  and  north  of 
them  suitable  for  pasturage;  timber  lands  now  ready  for  cutting  in  two 
national  forests  and  on  farmers'  lots;  orchards  whose  produce  might 
bring  more  income  to  the  area  if  it  were  processed  before  shipping. 

Not  one  of  these  assets  is  strictly  first  class  in  current  commercial 
terms.  There  is  better  developed  country  for  canning  and  freezing 
operations  in  Indiana,  New  Jersey  and  Minnesota.  There  is  better 
pasturage  in  parts  of  Kansas,  Kentucky  and  Pennsylvania.  There  are 
better  forests  in  Louisiana,  Oregon  and  even  present-day  Maine.  There 
are  better  apple  orchards  in  New  York  and  Washington,  and  better 
peach  orchards  in  Georgia.  Commercial  firms  interested  in  resources 
such  as  these  will  look  in  many  places  for  them  before  they  look  any 
further  here.    Although  the  commercial  principle  may  no  longer  be 

ILLINOISEDITION  991 


the  "mine-and-move-on"  of  the  frontier,  no  commercial  firm  seeks  a 
marginal  source  of  supply  if  it  can  find  anything  better. 

Since  the  minor  assets  of  Southern  Illinois  are  marginal,  their 
further  development  calls  for  a  modest  and  cautious  approach,  in  a 
European  spirit  of  conservation,  patience,  and  making  the  best  one  can 
of  what  is  there.  For  this  reason,  we  have  shown  in  one  of  our  exhibits 
the  minimum  in  a  timber  collecting,  cutting  and  grading  operation. 
Such  an  operation  could  grow  into  a  small  wood  fabricating  and  pro- 
cessing center.  Other  such  operations  could  be  started  in  other  parts 
of  the  area  as  the  national  forests  in  this  part  of  Illinois  reach  a  continu- 
ous yield  basis.  The  total  value  of  all  timber  now  standing  in  Southern 
Illinois,  if  cut  and  sawed,  exceeds  $100,000,000.  There  is  a  chance  that 
income  from  wood  can  reach  a  sustained  yield  of  $50  per  acre  per  year 
over  a  large  area.  This  might  not  be  a  bonanza,  but  it  would  not  be 
destitution  either. 

The  opportunities  in  pasturage  arise  from  the  fact  that  much  of  the 
land  adaptable  to  pasture  is  so  poor  that  it  can  be  acquired  for  around 
$15  an  acre.  Expenditure  of  another  $30  to  $40  per  acre  can  bring 
it  to  the  point  at  which  it  will  produce  a  value  of  $60  to  $80  in  cattle 
per  year  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  year  and  lesser  returns  somewhat  sooner. 
Similarly,  a  part  of  the  fallow  bottom  lands  along  the  rivers  can  be 
quickly  brought  back  into  use  by  heavy  harrowing  at  a  cost  of  $10  to 
$15  per  acre.  Further  cultivation  can  fit  this  land  for  canning  and 
freezing  crops.  Planting  of  these  crops  might  be  stimulated  by  the  ex- 
istence of  nearby  processing  facilities,  such  as  we  have  suggested  in 
another  exhibit  forming  a  part  of  this  report. 

THE  WILL  OF  THE  PEOPLE 

The  natural  inclinations  of  the  people  of  the  area  reinforce  the 
conclusion  that  the  existing  social  plant  and  the  resources  of  the  coun- 
tryside should  be  used  to  the  full  rather  than  gradually  abandoned  in 
part.  The  people  like  the  place.  It  has  been  observed  in  many  other 
coal  mining  districts  less  pleasant  to  live  in  than  this  one  that  miners 
are  reluctant  to  move  away  when  the  mines  can  no  longer  support  them. 
Whatever  that  tendency  may  be,  it  is  strengthened  in  this  area  by  the 
agreeableness  of  the  surroundings.  Unlike  many  other  coal  mining  dis- 
tricts, the  climate  is  mild.  Unlike  many  other  mining  districts,  the  land 

992  LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


is  flat  and  easy  to  come  by.  With  care  it  will  grow  a  few  vegetables  and 
support  a  few  chickens.  The  people  are  devoted  to  it.  The  slightest 
rumor  that  a  mine  may  be  opening  up  will  bring  hundreds  native  sons 
back  from  the  northern  cities  to  which  they  have  migrated.  They  re- 
turn often  for  vacations  and  regularly  inquire  whether  is  any  work  for 
them  locally.  A  recent  call  for  tool  and  die  makers  issued  from  the  area 
on  behalf  of  a  prospective  metal  working  operation  brought  out  five 
hundred  applications  from  qualified  men.  Most  of  them  were  located 
in  Detroit,  Toledo,  Chicago  or  Milwaukee,  but  they  had  all  been  raised 
in  Southern  Illinois  and  they  all  wanted  to  get  back  there.  There  is 
no  question  but  what  the  greatest  asset  of  the  area  is  its  people — those 
who  are  there  now  and  those  who  wish  they  could  come  back. 

The  economic  resources  of  a  region  are  largely  determined  by 
human  attitudes  towards  the  gifts  of  nature.  To  the  American  Indians 
economic  resources  were  deer  and  buffalo.  To  the  nineteenth  century 
empire  builders  economic  resources  were  stands  of  virgin  timber,  de- 
posits of  high-grade  ores  and  coal,  prime  plowlands,  low-cost  hydro 
sites,  and  gusher  oil  wells.  In  modern  communities  concerned  with 
their  own  survival  and  progress,  economic  resources  are  found  increas- 
ing in  the  ingenuity  and  efforts  of  their  own  members.  In  the  insepara- 
ble union  of  people  and  things  that  constitutes  an  economic  resource  the 
emphasis  is  shifting  from  the  quality  and  suantity  of  the  fortuitious 
gifts  of  nature  to  the  acquired  skills  of  men's  hands  and  to  the  deliberate 
imagination  of  the  heads  that  guide  them. 

Insofar  as  the  people  of  Southern  Illinois  accept  this  shift  and 
make  the  most  of  it,  they  can  pull  themselves  out  of  their  recent 
troubles.  Their  attitude,  as  well  as  we  have  been  able  to  observe  it, 
is  one  of  determination  to  do  all  they  can  for  the  land  they  love,  and 
to  accept  outside  help  in  their  tasks  only  as  a  supplement  to  their  own 
efforts  and  initiative. 

AN  OPERATING  AGENCY 

Resolution  to  make  the  best  of  the  situation  as  it  stands  is  a  begin- 
ning. But  resolution  alone  will  not  solve  the  intricate  problems  of  eco- 
nomic development.  Some  skilled  agency  must  shape  up  the  economic 
projects  that  seem  to  make  sense  and  keep  after  them  until  they  are 
established  as  going  concerns,  or  else  abandoned  as  hopeless. 

ILLINOISEDITION  993 


Southern  Illinois  already  has  such  an  agency.  Its  name  is  "South- 
ern Illinois  Incorporated."  Its  office  is  at  Carterville.  Its  directors  and 
supporters  are  local  businessmen  and  Chambers  of  Commerce.  Its  staff 
is  a  graduate  engineer  and  a  secretary.  Its  disbursements  this  year  have 
been  at  an  annual  rate  of  $12,000. 

Under  the  circumstances  the  achievement  of  Southern  Illinois  Inc. 
has  been  remarkable.  It  has  had  a  hand,  along  with  others,  in  the 
establishment  in  the  area  of  several  manufacturing  plants.  It  has  built 
up  contacts  with  about  a  hundred  manufacturing  concerns  that  have 
from  time  to  time  considered  a  location  in  the  area.  It  has  prepared 
plans  for  the  conversion  of  a  portion  of  the  Crab  Orchard  Lake  Arsenal 
property  into  a  modern  industrial  estate.  But  all  of  this  has  not  been 
enough  to  meet  adequately  the  unemployment  situation  that  Southern 
Illinois  Inc.  was  created  to  meet.  The  funds  available  have  been  too 
meagre  to  maintain  a  minimum  rounded  job  of  economic  development, 
even  after  allowing  for  all  the  services  such  an  organization  can  com- 
mand free  of  charge. 

ESSENTIAL  ACTIVITIES 

A  minimum  job  of  economic  development,  as  we  see  it,  has  the 
following  elements: 

1.  a  continuous  survey  of  specific  employment  opportunities; 

2.  a  staff  competent  to  shape  up  as  projects  the  opportunities  re- 
vealed from  time  to  time  by  the  survey; 

3.  a  staff  capable  of  securing  capital  and/or  management  for  the 
worthwhile  projects  not  provided  with  these  essentials. 

The  survey  requires  one  or  two  men  at  least,  traveling  almost  con- 
stantly. They  call  on  corporations,  on  banks,  and  on  scientific  centers, 
seeking  to  find  out  what  branch  plants  are  under  consideration  and 
what  new  processes  and  new  products  may  require  manufacturing  faci- 
lities. It  will  take  them  many  months  to  make  the  rounds  the  economic 
picture  will  have  changed  enough  so  that  another  round  will  produce 
different  results.  This  is  the  reason  why  the  survey  should  be  continu- 
ous. 

When  the  survey  men  make  their  calls,  they  seek  to  match  up  the 
resources  of  their  home  area  with  the  requirements  of  the  new  plants 

994  LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


under  consideration.  If  there  seems  to  be  any  possibility  of  a  successful 
matching  up,  then  the  survey  man  marks  down  a  prospect  and  goes  on 
with  his  calls.  A  project  manager  takes  over  the  prospect  and  begins 
to  collect  the  detailed  facts  on  sites,  utilities,  labor  supply  and  so  on 
that  are  required  before  any  decision  can  be  reached  to  locate  a  plant. 
Each  prospect  calls  for  a  separate  study,  and  this  study  may  extend 
over  a  period  of  months.  Because  of  the  intensity  of  the  study  required 
and  the  length  of  time  it  lasts,  no  one  man  can  do  the  survey  work  and 
the  project  study  at  the  same  time.  No  one  man  can  handle  adequately 
more  than  a  very  limited  number  of  active  projects. 

To  the  extent  that  the  prospects  uncovered  can  supply  all  of  their 
own  capital,  the  operation  so  far  outlined  should  be  enough.  But  many 
worthwhile  prospects  may  be  found  where  capital  is  lacking  or  restrict- 
ed. For  instance,  it  may  not  be  possible  to  find  any  large  outside  com- 
mercial operator  to  take  on  either  the  wood  collecting  project  or  the 
fruit  processing  project  described  in  our  exhibits.  To  get  either  project 
going  it  may  be  necessary  to  locate  management  and  get  capital  to 
back  it.  One  would  have  to  put  the  pieces  together  for  each  business. 
This  takes  more  time,  and  a  special  skill  on  the  part  of  the  staff  charged 
with  economic  development. 

There  are  other  instances  where  a  desirable  manufacturer  from 
outside  wants  to  come  into  an  area,  but  expects  the  community  to  build 
a  plant,  which  he  will  then  rent  with  option  to  buy.  Such  cases  require 
a  local  campaign  to  raise  funds  for  the  plant.  Again,  the  job  calls  for  a 
great  deal  of  staff  time  and  skill  to  set  up  the  deal  and  raise  the  money. 

UNIVERSITIES  CAN  SUPPLEMENT  LOCAL 
ORGANIZATION 

The  skills  and  manpower  needed  to  staff  such  an  economic  develop- 
ment program  are  not  often  found  in  any  one  place,  but  a  large  part  of 
them  may  be  assembled  through  the  facilities  offered  by  a  university. 
Presumably  a  university  faculty  either  knows  something  about  almost 
any  common  technical  or  sociological  problem  or  can  readily  find  the 
people  who  do  know.  It  also  knows  how  to  do  report  work,  and  must 
teach  that  important  art.  A  co-ordinating  officer  within  a  university 
can  call  on  faculty,  on  students,  and  on  outside  experts  as  needed,  and 
can  thus  offer  all-around  support  for  an  economic  development  pro- 
gram. 

ILLINOISEDITION  995 


In  Southern  Illinois  this  channel  seems  particularly  fitting.  The 
University  of  Southern  Illinois  has  only  recently  achieved  university 
status  and  is  still  in  the  process  of  shaping  its  program.  Those  respon- 
sible for  it  are  interested  in  making  the  University  a  truly  regional  in- 
stitution with  an  active  relation  to  the  communities  it  serves.  The  busi- 
ness education  provided  by  work  on  local  projects  would  be  invaluable 
to  both  faculty  and  students. 

Aid  along  many  lines  of  special  knowledge  can  be  secured  from 
the  University  of  Illinois.  Close  and  harmonious  working  relations  can 
doubtless  be  established  between  the  University  of  Southern  Illinois, 
the  University  of  Illinois  and  Southern  Illinois  Inc.,  especially  since 
the  executive  of  the  latter  organization  is  a  one-time  faculty  member  of 
the  University  of  Illinois.  Southern  Illinois  Inc.  can  handle  those  parts 
of  the  program  that  are  more  appropriate  to  a  business  organization, 
such  as  traveling  and  selling.  The  Universities  can  handle  the  specific 
research  projects. 

In  order  to  do  a  proper  industrial  survey  and  selling  job,  Southern 
Illinois  Inc.  will  have  to  secure  considerably  more  money  than  it  is  now 
getting  from  its  backers.  The  allocation  of  State  funds  to  research  pro- 
jects supplementing  the  work  of  Southern  Illinois  Inc.  might  be  made 
contingent  upon  the  support  given  to  Southern  Illinois  Inc.  by  local 
busiessmen.  In  any  event,  a  program  that  is  ( 1 )  paced  by  a  local  non- 
profit organization  broadly  representing  an  area,  (2)  closely  supported 
by  a  local  educational  and  research  institution,  and  (3)  backed  by 
the  broad  facilities  of  the  big  State  University  as  they  are  required — 
can,  in  our  opinion,  most  quickly  and  effectively  help  the  people  of 
Southern  Illinois  to  help  themselves.  In  addition,  it  may  set  a  pattern 
for  other  parts  of  the  State,  and  for  other  States  as  well.  A  grant  from 
the  State  to  the  Universities  can  bring  such  a  program  into  being. 


996  LIBRARY     OF     AMERICAN     LIVES 


INDEX 


A 

Abbott,  Robert  L 415 

Abbott,  St.  Clair  C 415 

Adams,  Thurmond  Ingram 295 

Adrian,  Roy  L 221 

Ahlenius,  Rudolph  0 796 

Albon,  George  Nelson,  Jr 801 

Alderman,  Mrs.  Eileen 541 

Alexander,  Rufus  C 308 

Alfred,  Russell  W 500 

Allen,  George  WoodrufF 125 

Amrhein,  Carl 766 

Amsbary,  Frank  Clifford,  Jr 162 

Anderson,  Hon.  Benjamin  F 610 

Anderson,  George  Harold 42 

Ansley,  James  Roland,  D.  C 930 

Arterburn,  Rev.  Marion  W 633 

Arterburn,  Mrs.  Marion  W 632 

Austin,  Jack,  B.Ed.,  LL.B 105 

Avis,  Edmond  Jewell 126 

Ayers,  Robert  Brent 760 

15 

Bailey,  Captain  Edward 210 

Bailey,  Fred  S 215 

Bailey,  Hon.  Virgil  Trammell 851 

Barham,  LeRoy 765 

Barrett,  Hon.  Edward  J 929 

Batchelor,  Horace,  D.D 427 

Bauer,  Eugene  C 499 

Baumgart,  Carl  II 652 

Bayer,  Kenneth  M 166 

Bean,  Ferrel  M 883 

Becken,  Albert  Charles,  Jr 717 

Becker,  Walter  John 615 

Behrend,  Martin  F 496 

Beich,  Paul  Frank 58 

Belinson,  Louis,  M.D 189 

Bell,  Clarence  William 357 

Bell,  Mrs.  Lucleda 356 

Bennis,  Steve  L 556 

Benoist,  Leroy  Louis 766 

Benoist,  Raymond  Emil 66 

Benoit,  Raymond  Joseph 74 

Bergeron,  Edwin  Philip 789 

Bertram,  Peter  Andreas,  Sr 27 

Bills,  Robert  Daniel 36 

Bills,  Robert  Daniel,  Jr 39 

Bisch,  Charles  T 286 

Bitterman,  Norman  George 663 

Blades,  Francis  Raymond 664 

Blaine,  Shields  Adams 242 

Blake,  Hon.  Frank  E 537 

Bloom,  Frederick  E 700 

Bolen,  Major  General  Harry  Lynn 511 

Bond,  Hon.  Rufus  Jeremiah 479 


Bower,  Arthur  Oliver 169 

Bower,  Irvin  J 712 

Boyd,  John  Lee 147 

Bracy,  Floyd  Parker 947 

Braden,  Hon.  Glen  William 250 

Bray,  Hon.  Alvin  Alfred 181 

Bretscher,  Carl  Eduard,  A.I.A 129 

Brookby,  Raymond  French 158 

Browder,  Olin  Lorraine,  A.B.,  LL.B 301 

Brown,  Clyde  A 376 

Brown,  Gilbert  B 15 

Brown,  William  Carroll 129 

Brundage,  Avery 890 

Bryant,  Loton  Elisha 178 

Buchanan,  Hon.  William  Paul,  A.B.,  LL.B.  .712 
Bucher,  Clarence  Sylvester, 

D.V.M.,  M.D.,  F.A.C.A 351 

Buckley,  Homer  John 616 

Buford,  John  Lester,  LL.D 257 

Burgett,  Hon.  Burley  S 394 

Burnett,  Hal  L 158 

Burnett,  Hon.  Henry  Bruce 538 

Burns,  Byron  Benoit 400 

Burns,  Hon.  John  Milton  (Brother)    381 

Burns,  William  Walker  (Bill)  313 

Busey,  Charles  Bowen 241 

Busey,  Hon.  Samuel  Thompson 908 

Bush  Brothers 457 

Bush,  Henry  Charles 457 

Bush,  John  William 458 

Bush,  Robert  James  461 

C 

Cain,  Sidney  Vincent 610 

Caldwell,  Harlan  Lee 895 

Campbell,  Theodore  F 20 

Capps,  Robert  Miner 940 

Carpenter,  Hon.  C.  Dale 490 

Carr,  George  Russell 741 

Carr,  George  Wallace,  A.I.A 846 

Carter,  Hon.  Clyde  A 633 

Case,  J.  Borries 562 

Center,  Hon.  Virgil  Harvey 549 

Chambers,  H.  L 95 

Chambers,  Robert  Lawrence 94 

Champion,  Hon.  Horace  Edward 369 

Chapin,  T.  A 884 

Chapman,  Harold  H 754 

Charleston  National  Bank 462 

Cherry,  James  Albert 699 

Chicago  &  Illinois  Midland  Railway  Co.  ...   81 

Clancy,  Joseph  Thomas 376 

Clark,  Horace  Wesley   140 

Clarke,  John  Earl 265 

Clesson,  Marion  Sylvester 370 

Cole,  Austin   541 


997 


Coleman,  Fletcher  Bennett 16 

Colp,  Harrison  E 687 

Colp,  Ryburn  Robert 949 

Comte,  Eugene  August 533 

Conley,  James  Henry 86 

Connor,  John  Maurice,  A.B.,  LL.B 93 

Cook,  Joseph  Edward,  Sr. 363 

Coolley,  Hon.  Isaac  N.,  Sr 597 

Cornell,  F.  Shepard 154 

Corrington,  John  William   822 

Cote,  Ulyssess  A 148 

Courtney,  Robert  Gordon 550 

Covington,  Charles  J 503 

Crisp,  Hon.  Harry  Lee 516 

Cullin,  Victor 816 

Curry,  Harold  Ellsworth 21 

D 

Dallenbach,  John  Christian,  M.D 218 

Daniels,  Richard   547 

Danks,  George  I 338 

Darmstaedter,  George  William    474 

Davis,  Carl  E 230 

Davis,  Chester  R.,  LL.D 901 

Davis,  Griffith  1 669 

Day,  Harry  Warren 676 

Decatur,  Warren  Linell 442 

Deem,  Kate  Sargent  Wilmeth 269 

Deem,  Max  E 266 

Degler,  G.  F 233 

Dewein,  Victor  Charles 864 

DeWitt,  Lyle  Vinson,  A.I.A 840 

Dirks,  Edward 277 

Dixon,  Hon.  Sherwood 929 

Dodson,  Virgil  Ivan 364 

Doerr,  Hon.  Charles  C 868 

Dole,  Stephen  Dexter 344 

Doll,  Clarence  Warren,  A.I.A 28 

Dooley,  Edward  J 909 

Dooley,  James  B 909 

Dooley,  Richard  Anthony 908 

Doran,  John   296 

Douglas,  Hon.  Paul  H 928 

Driscoll,  Hon.  John  Edward 409 

Dunlap,  Leonard  Eugene 676 

Duvall,  Hon.  R.  E 771 

E 

Eastern  Illinois  Clay  Co 278 

Ebersold,  Frederick  Henry 934 

Ellison,  Hon.  Richard  Earl 217 

Engelhard,  Eugene  Field 585 

Engelhard,  Paul  R 584 

Engelhard,  Willard  Paul 580 

Enloe,  Roy  Everett,  Ph.G 237 

Erickson,  Louis  Hyland 621 

Etherton,  James  Everett 946 


Evans,  J.  Clyde 69' 

Ewing,  James  Tillman 229 

F 

Farr,  Newton  Camp 561 

Farris,  Hon.  Joseph 97 

Feldman,  Hon.  Alois  M 254 

Fetzer,  Wade 640 

Fetzer,  Wade,  Jr 645 

Flanigon,  James  Steven 627 

Flewelling,  Carrel  Wesley,  D.D 216 

Frank,  Raymond  W 706 

Frazier,  James  William,  II 320 

Frazier,  James  William,  III 325 

Frazier,  Roy  Estee,  Sr 939 

Freiman,  Samuel 118 

Frick,  Hon.  Gottlib  James 580 

Frisina.  Domenic 230 

Fuller,  Morris  Greenleaf 16 

Fullerton,  Leslie  Frank 772 

Fulton,  Lawrence  Irving 98 

Funk,  Hon.  Donald  Shores 143 

Funk,  Eugene  Duncan,  Jr 694 

G 

Gaerdner,  Pete,  Jr 828 

Gailey,  Watson,  M.D 945 

Gaines,  John  Donald 173 

Gallagher,  Warren  White 776 

Garbe,  Martin  T 274 

Garman,  Horace  Bryan,  LL.B 955 

Garrison,  Ernie  L 546 

Gebhardt,  Richard  Karl 693 

Gentry,  Hon.  J.  Wes 902 

Giles,  William  Spargo 57 

Gipson,  Robert  Williams 777 

Goble,  George  Washington  161 

Gordon,  Allan  Thomas,  D.D 31 

Gothard,  Ralph  W 174 

Gray,  Frank  S 121 

Great  Central  Insurance  Co.,  Peoria 622 

Green,  Kenneth  Annin,  LL.B 45 

Greider,  Harvey  David 177 

Griffith,  Will  Lester 927 

Grimm,  Melbourne  William,  O.D 507 

Grob,  Harold  William   845 

H 

Hall,  Andy,  M.D 806 

Hall,  Charles  Wesley,  Jr 174 

Hall,  Ruel  Elden,  M.A 621 

Halliday,  Norman  Remington 447 

Hamel,  William  Bryan 670 

Hamilton,  Roy  McGuire 253 

Handlin,  William  Clyde,  M.A 205 

Hanft,  John  Frank 717 

Hannah,  Harry  Ingalls,  A.B.,  J.D 49 


998 


Hansen,  Carl  Nicolai 363 

Harrington,  Edward  Patrick 270 

Harry,  Mark  C 422 

Hart,  Troy  Edwin 144 

Hattenburg,  Hon.  Albert  Frederick 50 

Hausmann,  Edwin  L 889 

Hayes,  James  Burton 154 

Hayes,  Orville  Joseph 723 

Hays,  Okley  41 

Hayton,  James  Wesley 953 

Heberling,  George  Clyde 574 

Hedrick,  Hon.  James  Arthur 879 

Heineke,  Henry  L 512 

Heineke,  Martin  Louis 513 

Helm,  Hon.  Grover  Cleveland 35 

Helmle,  Henry  Richardson,  A.I. A 924 

Herbert,  Hon.  Fred  Bross,  LL.B 742 

Hewitt,  Francis  Marion,  Jr 834 

Higgins,  Norman  France 169 

Hill,  Donald  Watson 273 

Hindman,  Wayne  R 281 

Hirschfeld,  Julius  James,  LL.B 609 

Hoag,  Francis  August 496 

Hoag,  Hon.  Harry  Earl 394 

Holbert,  James  Ransom,  Ph.D 113 

Holt,  Ruby  Witters 62 

Holton,  Campbell 70 

Holzweg,  Edward  G 23 

Horsley,  Jack  Everett,  A.B.,  LL.B 480 

Hott,  Maxwell  Rhoades 519 

Horstman,  Carl  Henry,  D.V.M 815 

Houde,  Thomas  P 579 

Houghten,  Charles  Thomas 845 

Howard  and  Kirkpatrick 589 

Howard-Kirkpatrick  House  Furnishing  Co.  590 

Hudson,  Alfred  Eugene 628 

Hudgens,  William  Charlie 65 

Huffman,  George  Nyle 933 

Huxtable,  Delos  Lloyd 352 

I 

Icenogle,  Hon.  Carus  Stanley,  LL.B 499 

Ichkowsky,  Harry 118 

Illinois  Commercial  Telephone  Co 89 

Illinois  Odd  Fellows  Children's  Home 26 

Impey,  Frank  J 603 

Irions,  Jacob  Henry 711 

J 

Jachino,  Peter 130 

Johnson,  John  Luke 106 

Johnston,  George  Seely 473 

Johnston,  Wayne  Andrew 863 

Jones,  Fred  Mitchell,  M.S.,  Ph.D 805 

Jones,  Hon.  Fred  Monroe 202 

Jones,  Harold  Clyde,  LL.B 110 

Jones,  John  Willard 480 

Jones,  Ruth  Berneice  Smith 806 


Jorgensen,  Frederick  A 202 

Joseph,  Oliver  C 134 

K 

Kaufman,  Lt.  Col.  Stanley  Louis 206 

Keller,  Oliver  J 89 

Kelly,  Fred  Hanford,  LL.B 24 

Kemper,  Howard  K 277 

Kendall,  Harry  Frederick 592 

Kennedy,  George  Robert 693 

Kent,  Everett  Frank 62 

Kidwell,  William  Kenneth 54 

Kielsmeier,  Karl  F 814 

Kielsmeier,  Otto  A 810 

Kimmel,  Philip  Milster 918 

Kimmel,  Roger  Q 634 

Kirkpatrick,  Charles  S 590 

Kirkpatrick,  Edward  R 590 

Kirkpatrick,  Colonel  J.  H 586 

Kizer  Oil  Co.,  Mattoon 201 

Kizer,  Hon.  George  Andrew 447 

Klein,  Adolf  E 664 

Klein,  Ernest  S.,  M.D 568 

Klinke,  Harold  P 489 

Koeneman,  Bruno  William 555 

Kroehler,  Clarence  B 523 

Kuehne,  Fred  Oren,  Jr 85 

Kull,  Adolph  Franklin 523 

Kull,  Frederick  Jacob 523 

Kull,  Joseph  Albert 523 

Kull,  Robert  Carl  John 523 

Kull,  Rudolph  Charles 523 

Kull,  William  Christian 523 

Kull,  William  Frederick 520 

Kurth,  Verner  Wallace 833 

Kurz,  Armin  C 534 

L, 

Lang,  Gordon 932 

Larson,  Carl  Clarence,  M.S 24 

Lashbrook,  Orla  Vivian 827 

Laughlin,  Robert  Neil 682 

Laughlin,  Hon.  William  Martin 681 

Lecas,  George  H 688 

Lemna,  James  F.,  LL.B 189 

Lindsay,  Frank  Merrill,  Jr 953 

Link,  Edward  Xavier,  M.D 542 

Linn,  William  H 261 

Litoborski,  Edmond  Frank 741 

Lively,  Rev.  James  Marion,  M.A.,  B.D.,  D.D.  851 

Livesay,  James  Ray 375 

Livingston,  Hon.  Park 833 

Lockwood,  William  Frederick 22 

Loeb,  Hamilton  Moritz 675 

Lone  Elm,  The 348 

Long,  John  Earle 441 

Long,  Wallace 530 


999 


Lovejoy,  Charles  Ernest,  Jr 941 

Lucas,  Hon.  William  Watson 245 

Luehrs,  Hon.  George  Ernest 724 

Lutz,  John  A.,  Sr 598 

Lutz,  John  A.,  Jr 598 

Lynn,  Hon.  William  Wyman 134 

Mc 

McClelland,  Clarence  Paul, 

D.D.,  LL.D.,  Litt.D 873 

McClerren,  Bennie  Frank 687 

McConnell,  Harry  J 77 

McConnell,  Robert  G 77 

McCormick,  John  Floyd 358 

McCrory,  Frank 889 

McDougal,  Robert  Davis,  Jr 436 

McGehee,  Dennis  Burdette  226 

McGrath,  James  W 348 

McMillan,  Robert  Charles 880 

McRoy,  Paul  Furgeson 923 

M 

MacKay,  William  Thomas 858 

Mackey,  Harry  Joseph 549 

Mackin,  Henry  Joseph 573 

Madden,  George  Bowman 181 

Malone,  John  Walter,  Jr.,  D.D 296 

Martin,  Samuel  L 772 

Maton,  Paul  L 950 

Mattoon,  The  National  Bank  of 493 

Mayer,  Oscar  F 784 

Mayer,  Oscar  G 784 

Mecherle,  George  Ermond 10 

Mecherle,  George  Jacob,  LL.D 4 

Mecherle,  Ramond  Perry 9 

Meek,  Edward  Henry  Joshua,  Jr 857 

Meier,  Albert  F 278 

Meier,  Arnold    278 

Meier,  Byron 278 

Meier,    Earl    278 

Meier,    Louis    G 278 

Messick,  Harry  Hill 165 

Meyer,  Edward  H 896 

Meyer,  H.  Edward 515 

Miller,  James  Samuel 257 

Miller,  Leonard  Samuel 254 

Mitchell,  Harry  Arthur 454 

Mitchell,  John  Franklin 234 

Mitchell,  Orvall  Oran 209 

Modahl,  Adolph  Carl 289 

Modert,  Alson  W.,  M.D 110 

Mohr,  Albert,  Jr. 933 

Montgomery,  Robert  DuFay 534 

Moore,  Kenneth  W 884 

Morgan,  Kent  H 646 

Moroff,  Edward  Henry 73 

Morris,  Lossie  E.,  A.B.,  B.D 591 


Morrison,  Frank  Eugene 61 

Morrow,  George  William,  M.D 122 

Motel  Marion,  Marion,  Illinois 432 

Mueller,  Charles  A 262 

Mueller,  Eda 841 

Mueller,   Frederick    839 

Mueller,  Victor  James 658 

Mugge,  George  Hudson 486 

Munson,  Irving,  M.A 197 

Myers,  Harold  Henry 201 

N 

Neisewander,  Ray  H 700 

Nelch,  Franklyn  C 242 

Nelson,  Lewen  Russell  669 

Newhouse,  Durward  Martin 114 

Nichols,  Eolyne  Yvette 936 

Nichols,  Ira  Goodsell,  Sr.,  D.D.S.,  Sc.D.  .  .  .935 

Nichols,  Ira  Goodsell,  Jr.,  M.D 937 

Nickell,  Hon.  Vernon  L.,  Ed.D 724 

Niesing,  Hon.  John  Charles 416 

Nordheden,  Carl,  M.A 170 

O 

Oblinger,  Daniel  Harry 347 

O'Brien,  Martin  J 50 

O'Hair,  Hon.  Karl  R 639 

O'Hair,  Zollie  P 399 

O'Hern,  Charles  Vincent,  Sr.,  LL.B 759 

O'Keefe,  John  Francis 942 

Osgood,  Harold  M 185 

Ozee,  Carl  Harding 102 

P 

Parker,  Lloyd  Lee 326 

Parkhill,  Theodore  Dennis 137 

Parris,  Ace  C 215 

Parsons,  James  Henry 21 

Partlow,  Henry 409 

Pattison,  Clarence  A 748 

Patton,  William  James 735 

Pautler,  Kenneth  Albert 954 

Peers,  George  William 821 

Perlmutter,  Harry  N 956 

Peters,  Walter  C 369 

Pflanz,  Karl  V 512 

Phillips,  Enos  Leslie 302 

Phipps,  Harvey  Otis 498 

Pike,  Harry  Wardell 90 

Pinnell,  Hon.  Charles  R 282 

Pocklington  Brothers   249 

Pocklington,  Truman  James 834 

Pollitz,  Hiram  C 519 

Poor,  Fred  Arthur   754 

Poorman,  Hon.  John  W 319 

Poorman,  Hon.  Paul  W 382 

Pope,  Harry  Odell 343 


1000 


Poston,  Emmett  Vincent 77 

Powell,  Rev.  George  Harold,  S.T.B 226 

Preble,  Robert  Curtis,  Sr 736 

R 

Rardin,  Bruce    468 

Rardin,  Hon.  Harrold  Pierson 748 

Reasor,  Walter  Henry,  Jr 942 

Reed,  Harold  W.,  A.B.,  M.S.,  Th.D 555 

Reif steck,  Fred 651 

Reinhard,  Eugene  Philip 941 

Reisch,  Carl  M 286 

Reynolds,  Charles  William 467 

Robinson,  Ben  Dwight   421 

Robinson,  John  William 435 

Roche,  Frank  Louis 101 

Rodgers,  I.  Walter 912 

Rohweder,  Claus   615 

Roth,  Franklin  Waldo 46 

Roth,  Hon.  Richard  Pettis 864 

Routson,  Charles  William 73 

Rowatt,  Paul 783 

Rowatt,  Walter,  Jr 53 

Russell,  John  Walker 524 

Rust,  Adlai  H.,  LL.B 9 

Ryan,  Willis  Pierce,  A.B.,  LL.B 57 

S 

Sanner,  Truman  Judson 453 

St.  Patrick's  Church,  Decatur,  Illinois 225 

Schafale,  Henry  Peter  Oscar 778 

Scheef ,  Victor  Melvin 393 

Schlitt,  Frederick  Philip,  Sr 285 

Schmale,  John  H 816 

Schmoeger,  Harry  John 901 

Schrader,  Fred  L 82 

Schrader,  Hon.  Henry  C.  G 705 

Schriver,  Hon.  Lester  Osburne,  LL.D 270 

Schwartz,  Hon.  Chester  Ray 314 

Schwartz,  Walker   778 

Schwemm,  Earl  M 730 

Scofield,    Leo    497 

Scruggs,  William  R 261 

Seek,  Joseph  A 157 

Shalla,    Dominick    567 

Shanafelt,  James  Oliver 939 

Sheeks,  John  William 497 

Shelby,  Mervin  Russell 290 

Shoff,  Frank  Joseph 473 

Sholem,  Jerome  J 485 

Short,  Herbert  Dwight 250 

Simmons,  Elwyn  LeRoy 867 

Skinner,  Fred  Edwin 314 

Smith,  The  A.  O.  Corporation 154 

Smith,  Hon.  George  William 879 

Smith,  Robert  G 421 

Smith,  Robert  1 420 

Snell,  Clarence  Eastlake 657 


Solomon,  Robert  C 343 

Sommer,  Henry  Getz 718 

Sperry,  Floyde  D 31 

Springman,  John  Joseph 858 

Stables,  Floyd  Flemming 948 

Stalcup,  Murl 182 

Staley,  William  Converse 147 

Starr,  Lester  Eli 387 

State  Farm  Fire  Insurance  Company, 

Bloomington    3 

State  Farm  Life  Insurance  Company, 

Bloomington   3 

State  Farm  Mutual  Automobile  Insurance 

Company,  Bloomington 3 

Steiger,  Hon.  William  A 218 

Stephens,  Edgar  Monroe,  Jr 907 

Stetson,  Joseph  W 85 

Stevenson,  Hon.  Adlai  Ewing 928 

Stewart,  Medf ord   337 

Stewart,  Winfred  E 332 

Stoltey,  Raymond  W 185 

Storme,  Albert  Graves 729 

Stotlar,  Val 222 

Stout,  Robert  Carl 307 

Stubblefield,  Ivan  Reual 117 

Suddes,  Ralph  Edward,  LL.B 78 

Sullivan,  William  Edward '. 337 

Sunderland,  Joseph  Lawrence 32 

Suttelle,  Miss  Leona 144 

Sweney,  Jack  Charles 474 

Swickard,  Clinton  Daniel,  M.D. 238 

Swickard,  Mrs.  Ruth  Elizabeth 239 

Swords,  Hon.  Charles  Lester 760 

T 

Tawney,  Guy  Allan,  M.A.,  Ph.D 911 

Taylor,  Guy  Clifton,  Ph.G 410 

Thatcher,  John  Thomas 45 

Thomas,  Simeon  E.,  B.Ph.,  M.A 462 

Thompson,  Charles  Manfred IV 

Thornton,  James  Franklin 26 

Thrasher,  Jesse  William 209 

Throgmorton,  Earl   944 

Thurmond,  Ralph 428 

Tick,  Jean  Q 186 

Tompkins,  Arthur  W 19 

Trettin,  Walter  0 93 

Tucker,  Joseph  Townsley 194 

Tumbleson,  Gene 827 

Turner,  Oscar  Lee 258 

Twenhoefel,  Edmund  William 747 

U 

Upchurch,  Hon.  John  David 504 

Underfanger,  Charles 198 


1001 


V 

Van  Meter,  Hon.  James  Craig,  LL.B 130 

Van  Praag,  Alex,  III 795 

Van  Praag,  Sol.,  Sr 790 

Van  Praag,  Sol,  Jr 794 

Vaughn,  James  Howard 101 

Vaught,  Gilbert  Reinhardt,  D.D.S 524 

Vollmer,  Edward  William  495 

W 

Wagner,  Harold  Eugene 730 

Wagner,  Robert  Christian  Herman 193 

Wagner,  William  Andrew,  B.S 193 

Wahlfeld,  Otto  William  Henry 652 

Walker,  Adriel  Joseph  331 

Walker,  Chester  Evert 545 

Walker,  Clegg   25 

Walker,  Jo  Vincent 753 

Walkup,  W.  E 658 

Wallace,  Herman  H 923 

Wangelin,  Hon.  Herman  Grover 917 

Wanless,  Hon.  Fred  W 931 

Wanless,  Gail  Montgomery 427 

Wanless,  Paul  F 931 

Ward,  Herbert  William 874 

Ward,  James  Walter 723 

Ward,  Richard  Wendell 874 

Wareham,  Darrell  E 699 

Wareham,  Orville  F 698 

Wasson,  Fred  Harold 529 


Watson,  Calvin  Earl 387 

Wegener,  Otto  William 122 

Weir,  Benjamin 404 

Weis,  Joseph  Stanley 494 

Welsh,  0.  Lloyd 109 

Wenthe,  Hon.  Fred  Christopher 153 

White,  Frederick  Webster   448 

White,  Glynn  William  568 

Whiting,  Albert  Lemuel,  B.Sc,  M.Sc,  Ph.D.  190 

Whittenberg,  Harry  Allen 868 

Wilkins,  Charles  Lincoln 537 

Will,  John  Albert 35 

Williams,  Delbert  0 441 

Wilson,  George  Worth 246 

Wilson,  Llewellyn  James 97 

Wilton,  Ralph  Eugene 562 

Winkelmann,  Roland  E.,  LL.B 508 

Wohlwend,  Lawrence  John 307 

Wollrab,  Louis  Edward 646 

Wood,  Hon.  F.  W.  "Bo" 388 

Wood,  Gen.  Robert  Elkington 943 

Wright,  Harold  Abbott 949 

Wright,  Hugh  T 545 

Wrisley,  George  Alfred 249 

Y 

Yaffe,  Saul  (Red)   106 

Z 

Zarbuck,  Gwain  R.,  D.C 604 


1002