Looking Back 2-5-25

130 Years Ago

February 2, 1895

A number of young folks met at the home of Howard Beckwith Monday night to celebrate his birthday. The next evening the same group gathered at Miss Nellie Brownson's home and helped her celebrate her birthday.

Belle Prairie — Heman Allen visited Miss Goldie Spence's school Monday. Some few people around here had their heads felt by the Prof. at Fairbury, but their brains seem to be as dull as ever. Sleighing is good and old and young are making the best of it.

Births — To Mr. and Mrs. Willis Shaffer, Friday, January 25, a girl; to Mr. and Mrs. William Bishoff on Tuesday, January 29, a boy; to Mr. and Mrs. Kilgus, Saturday, January 26, a boy; to Mr. and Mrs. John DeMoss, Thursday, January 31, a boy.

120 Years Ago

February 3, 1905

Last night as the Elmer Odell family, residing west of Fairbury, were getting ready to retire, he discovered the house to be on fire. It burned to the ground. The fire had such a big start that they did not stop to dress the children, but wrapped them up and took them to the neighbors. The piano and a few chairs were all that was saved.

Gus Rocke and Henry and Will Sutter went rabbit hunting Tuesday and bagged 61 rabbits between them. There seems to be plenty of rabbits.

Miss Mary Carrithers will leave on Monday for Chicago, where she will enter the Mary Thompson hospital to take nurse's training.

Rev. C. S. Davies, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, received a call yesterday to serve the First Presbyterian Church of Bloomington as their pastor. Rev. Davies stated yesterday afternoon he had not yet made up his mind as to what he would do.

110 Years Ago

February 5, 1915

Howard Alexander has purchased the interest of his partner, Herbert Blohm, in the Fairbury Bakery and took full control of the business on February first.

Rex Williams left on Monday for Champaign, where he is taking a short course in railroad clerkship at the University of Illinois.

Joseph Wright sold his residence property in the northeast part of town last week to Adam Barth for $1,175.

James Armstrong has disposed of his interest in the barber shop to his brother, John, and will engage in farming the Corkhill land just west of Forrest.

The John W. Farley, Jr., home has been quarantined on account of a mild case of scarlet fever.

100 Years Ago

February 6, 1925

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Veatch was quite badly damaged by fire and smoke Tuesday, the smoke doing more damage than the fire. The fire seemed to originate under the kitchen floor in the basement, probably due to defective wiring. When discovered by Mr. Veatch, it had a pretty good start and before it was extinguished, had burned holes through the kitchen and dining room floors and into the living room partition. The fire company responded quickly and soon had the fire under control, but the smoke had filled the house and did heavy damage to the wall paper, draperies and furniture.

Mrs. Henry Williams, residing on West Hickory Street, had the misfortune to fall last Saturday evening and in so doing broke her hip. The accident occurred on the slippery walks near her home. The accident makes her doubly afflicted, as she is afflicted so badly with asthma that she cannot lie down.

Charles Magee, of this city, and Tony Bollatti, of Campus, were released from the county jail yesterday morning after completing sentences. Both men were arrested on different occasions, charged with violation of the prohibition act. Each received a sentence of ninety days and was directed to pay a fine of $100 and costs.

90 Years Ago

February 1, 1935

R. A. McAllister, who on January 11 received notice that he had been appointed acting postmaster here, will take over his new position tomorrow. Postmaster Greene will be checked out at the completion of today's work. Mr. Greene has made Fairbury an efficient and accommodating postmaster and will be missed in that position by his many friends.

An organized fox hunt will be held south of Fairbury Sunday, February 3, sponsored by the Fairbury chapter of the Livingston County Sportsmen's Club and all sportsmen are cordially invited and urged to take part. The group will congregate at the city hall at 9 a.m. sharp and those who do not have cars will be furnished transportation. Hot coffee and lunch will be served on the scene after the roundup. E. P. Compton, president of the local sports club, will be captain of the party.

The new water system at Forrest is expected to begin soon following purchase of $25,000 of water revenue bonds by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The waterworks project of $32,000 was given a start by a PWA grant of $7,000. The bonds, paying 4 percent interest, will mature serially until 1959. The water supply for the new system will be obtained from a new well, 115 feet deep, to be located on the Bennett farm south of Forrest. Water found at this level has been tested and judged exceptionally good, being much softer than the water now used.

80 Years Ago

February 2, 1945

Thomas Currington, who was appointed street commissioner eight years ago this spring, has resigned, the same taking effect yesterday. Mr. Currington has accepted a position at the Honegger Mills. Mr. Currington has made an excellent street commissioner. He was always on the job and was always accommodating.

The largest group of mothers and daughters to attend such a banquet at the Presbyterian Church filled the dining room to capacity and enjoyed a full evening of food, fellowship and music Wednesday evening. Officers of the Auxiliary prepared the dinner which was served by the men of the church. Dolls in crepe paper dresses in pastel shades formed a gay procession down the centers of the tables at which the banquet was served. A musical program followed in the church auditorium given by the music department of Illinois Wesleyan University trio.

Marine (2nd Lt.) Wilmer Nussbaum, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Nussbaum, has finished specialized training at Quantico, Va.

Miss Mary Eleanor Combes, assistant instructor in nursing arts at the Methodist Hospital, Peoria, has been granted a four-month leave of absence and Wednesday left Chicago, on the Pacemaker over the New York Central for New York City, where she had registered at Columbia University for a course in Nursing Education.

70 Years Ago

February 3, 1955

Sandra Schlipf, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eli Schlipf, has been chosen by both the high school faculty and the senior class to receive the D.A.R. good citizenship award.

More than 600 persons (a record turnout) braved frigid temperatures Saturday to attend the I.O.O.F.'s annual pancake and sausage supper.

Fred Wing is featured in this week's Blade because of his unusual hobby, that of raising chinchillas.

Ron Thomas, Fairbury center, was listed fourth among leading Midstate Conference scorers, with an average of 18.2 points per game.

60 Years Ago

February 4, 1965

A 125-ton diesel locomotive and a 35-ton twin tandem semi-truck met corner-to-corner at 11:20 Tuesday night at the intersection of U.S. 66 and the T.P. and W. Railroad in Chenoa. The result was cataclysmic. Dead was the truck driver, Wallace M. Halliburton, 54, of Moberly, Missouri. Ditched in a massive end-over-end jumble were two locomotives and nine cars of freight. Scattered over the countryside was a wild layer of cocoanut, typewriters, electric fans, wire, steel strapping, wire springs, year-book covers and fertilizer, truck cargo mixed and blended with railroad cargo, garnished with dirt and topped with snow. Miraculously, three crewmen rode the cab of the lead engine as it pitched and vaulted end for end, and lived to tell about it.

A parent who "commandeered" a Fairbury-Cropsey School bus last Friday afternoon, in order to go after his daughter who had been kept after school, was interviewed Monday night by the Fairbury-Cropsey School Board in their regular meeting in Lincoln School. Harold Turner of Cropsey, a former substitute driver, met the bus, ascertained that his daughter was not on it, and then was reported to have taken the keys to the bus from Rev. Robert Fitts, a substitute driver, and came to Fairbury to pick up his daughter. In addition, he also "picked up four other Cropsey children and took them home."

Miss Ellen Fugate, daughter of Howard Fugate, Fairbury, has been named the 1965 Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow at Fairbury-Cropsey High School. She scored highest in a written homemaking examination given on December 1 to interested senior girls. Her test paper has been sent with other Illinois school winners to state competition and is currently being judged. State and national winners will receive scholarship awards. Ellen received a pin which was given by General Mills to all local school winners.

50 Years Ago

February 6, 1975

Judge William Caisley has delayed his verdict in the Charles Lane suit against the Fairbury-Cropsey board of education, possibly for several weeks. Although he did not set a definite date for announcing a verdict, the judge told both attorneys last Friday at the conclusion of the two-day bench trial that he would review the evidence as soon as possible and furnish a written verdict. Lane, a former high school principal in the Fairbury-Cropsey system, filed suit against the school board claiming "subterfuge" on the board's part in the spring of 1973, when he was not extended a principal's contract for the following school year and, later, was reassigned to the teaching staff.

Sale of the Gridley News was announced today by Publisher Robert Murray. New owners of the property are Mr. and Mrs. James H. Roberts, of Fairbury, who will make the publication a part of the group published by their Corn Belt Press, Inc. Litta Kinsella will continue as editor, a post she assumed two months ago when Murray purchased the News from Mrs. Charlotte Isaac, the former publisher. Murray, who is the production foreman of Cornbelt Press, had been filling that post on a partial basis since Dec. 1 when he purchased the Gridley News, but is resuming that post on a full-time basis.

Pranksters Monday night came up with their answer to solving the current financial difficulties of Fairbury-Cropsey Community Unit 3 schools: "Sell 'em!" proclaimed the signs stuck in the school's front yard as students arrived Tuesday morning. The school budgetary woes have been a principal topic of community discussion for the past six months, especially since the advent of a referendum March 15, on a 40c educational tax rate. The school board has also announced $58,000 in cuts, but the board has not yet indicated they are ready to take such drastic action as the unknown pranksters suggested.

40 Years Ago

January 31, 1985

Take two inches of newly-fallen snow which arrived before dawn Thursday, spread it across an existing four or five inches and whip with steadily increasing winds which gusted to 40 to 50 mph over a 36-hour period and you have the recipe for the ground blizzard which paralyzed most of northern Illinois both Thursday and Friday. Conditions grew steadily worse Thursday night as trucks jack-knifed and slid into ditches, often overturning and blocking traffic lanes. By dawn Friday, State Police and Sheriff's dispatchers were reporting most roads closed and "visibility zero," a condition that lasted well past noon on Friday.

The racers were rollin' Monday night at the annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby held at the Methodist Fellowship Hall. In the winners circle were Danny Reeves, fourth place; Jason Whitfill, third place; Chris Dameron, second place; and Jeff Paternoster, first place. Greg Broquard received the Best-of-Show trophy. About 40 racers were entered in the event.

John ""Jack" Bowers is Fairbury Hospital's new Director of Pharmaceutical Services. He moved here in early January from his home in Columbus, Ind. Prior to coming to Fairbury, Bowers was a licensed pharmacist for 2½ years at Bartholomew County Hospital in Columbus. A graduate of Purdue University School of Pharmacy, he spent six years there working toward his doctor of pharmacy.

30 Years Ago

February 1, 1995

A fire last Thursday afternoon at Diller Tile in Chatsworth was caused by an electrical spark, according to owner Jed Diller. He said he was in the process of tearing the building down and believed all the electrical power was turned off. The 200 by 100-foot building was constructed of brick with a metal roof and wooden rafters. The building had housed clay tile-making equipment but that operation was discontinued over a year ago and equipment had been removed, Diller said. The fact that the century-old building caught fire, Diller said, was "not going to hurt nothing," but fire fighters are required to extinguish fires. Volunteer firemen from Cullom, Piper City and Forrest responded to the call.

The flu bug has sunk its royal fangs into the attendance records at Prairie Central's five school buildings, placing a high 248 students in the absent column as of Monday, Jan. 30. Last Wednesday, Prairie Central High School had a high 91 absent with the flu. At PC Junior High last Thursday, 20 students were out, but by Monday, that figure had doubled to 40 absent. At Westview Elementary, there were 90 students on Monday. Meadowbrook showed 22 absent Monday and Chatsworth had 21 absent.

Wendy Sue Slagel and Alan Kent Edelman, both of Fairbury, exchanged wedding vows in a 12:30 p.m. ceremony on Jan. 8, 1995 at Apostolic Christian Church in Fairbury. Parents of the couple are Raymond and Gladys Slagel of Fairbury and Fred and JoAnn Edelman of Sabetha, KS. The bride is a 1994 graduate of Prairie Central High School. She is employed at Fairbury Auto Parts/Radio Shack. The bridegroom is a 1993 graduate of Sabetha High School, KS. He is employed at Caterpillar in Pontiac.

20 Years Ago

February 2, 2005

Brad Gillette, formerly of Chatsworth and a 1997 graduate of Prairie Central High School, will be publishing his first book of poetry. Bush Publishing Company, of Tulsa, Okla. will publish "Beyond the Door," a book containing poetry that Gillette has written over the last few years. Gillette plans to continue writing poetry, and will focus on the creation of a line of children's books in the near future.

Caleb Rathbun won for the 100th time in his wrestling career as Prairie Central claimed two victories in a Corn Belt Conference triangular match on Tuesday. Pontiac lost twice in the match that included host Eureka. Rathbun won by forfeit at 189 pounds against Eureka and registered a 21-4 technical fall with 50 seconds left in his bout with Kale Minnaert of Pontiac to reach the 100-win plateau.

Westview Elementary students didn't let their age or size stop them from making a contribution to the area blood supply. Approximately one hundred and fifty first through fourth graders recruited family, neighbors and friends to donate blood at Westview's first Pint Size Heroes blood drive held on Monday, Jan. 24 in the school gym. The students learned about blood transfusions and the need for blood at an assembly on January 7 held by the American Red Cross Heart of America Blood Services Region based in Peoria. The students then tripled their original goal of 40 to schedule nearly 150 donors.

10 Years Ago

February 4, 2015

The Fairbury Community Fund has once again surpassed its goal! The 2015 campaign target was $42,000, but the board is grateful to announce $46,487 was collected. All organizations received the full amount of money they requested. All board members are volunteers. The campaign mailing was prepared by the residents of Fairview Haven Nursing Home. No professional solicitors are ever used. The 2014 Fairbury Community Fund Board of Directors were Nicole Winterland, president; Karyl Kafer, secretary; Lori Maley, treasurer; Shayla Wenger, assistant treasurer; Jeanie Ingram, Deb Moran and Connie Rich, directors.

Howard and Maxine Payne of rural Fairbury will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary with family and friends. Payne and Maxine Wyant were married Feb. 11, 1950 at the Colfax Methodist Church. Their attendants were Donna Beecher and Joseph Freehill. They are the parents of John (the late Sharon) and Steven (Kelly) Payne, all of Fairbury. They have three granddaughters, Sara (Ryan) Fehr of Fairbury, Katie (Pete Kinate) of Bloomington and Mandy (Tyson) Fehr of Forrest.They also have two great-grandsons, Traetyn John Fehr and Emmett Eugene Fehr. He is a retired farmer and she is retired as a nurse's aide and dietary aide at Octavia and Heritage Manor in Colfax.

Prairie Central High School's annual induction ceremony for the National Honor Society will be Monday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Prairie Central High School gymnasium. NHS president Brittany Hari, vice president Tyler Edelman, secretary Hannah Miller, treasurer Nathan Somers and historian Kassadee Ifft will preside over the candle lighting ceremony. This year, the following 12 members will be inducted to the Prairie Central chapter of National Honor Society: Joelle Bachtold, Kyle Brauman, Hannah Conlisk, Michael Conlisk, Luke Dotterer, Luke Hale, Mitchell Lanz, Ashley Maurer, Noah Meister, Katelyn Steidinger, Tyson Stork and Avery Walter.

Looking Back is sponsored each week on Fairbury News by Duffy-Pils Memorial Home.