Home | Alumni |    Editorial |   Events |  About |  Schools |  News |  History |   Obituaries |   Photos |   Maps

Emails for December

It is only within one's self to cure boredom

Dear Dave,
Amen! I agree wholeheartedly with your editorial/sermon. It is only within one's self to cure boredom. I am afraid that I notice too many times that boredom and laziness go hand in hand though. You are absolutely right that young people wouldn't have time to be bored if they were busy helping others.

As a youth I lived on a farm, and don't remember boredom being one of my major problems. Probably because in a time when many people had only one family car, and dads usually drove that to work, one had to put more effort into visiting with friends. That is, if I wanted to see a friend, I had to ride my bike to get there. Of course that eliminated the exercise problem also. I would have given anything to live in town and be bored.

Anyway, I hope some young people in Minonk take your editorial to heart, and make their lives a little less boring.

Thanks for some wise thoughts.

Joyce Limbaugh

Additional thoughts on raising youngsters

Dave - Dean shared your web site with me and it is wonderful! Your editorial is 'right on' with how children don't assist themselves. An additional thought of mine is that often we as parents are the problem in that we have taught our youngsters that everything has to be organized (by them or other adults) and that instant gratification is upper-most in their process to solving problems. End of sermon.

I will read more of the web site - so neat! It is such a good way for people in the community to learn about each other and to communicate to each other.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Carolyn and Paul Carpenter
West Hartford, CT

Concerned about memorial tree in City Park

Just a quick question. Where in the City Park is this proposed new pavilion going? A few years ago the MDR Class of 1966 planted a tree in memory of Bob Janssen. We dedicated it in a solemn ceremony and put a very nice plaque in the ground next to it. I believe the city needs this pavilion, but am concerned for this tree.

Thanks,

Dave Hinkle

Editors reply: As far as I know the well will be dug in the northwest corner of the park. The Swamp White Oak tree you are referring to was planted by James Liner and I in the northeast side of the park. So the tree should be safe.

You get sappy when your're over 70

Dave, earlier this evening I was watching a program on TV which featured the cast of the Lawrence Welk show as they are now. I was never a great fan of Welk, but my parents' generation was. After my father died, my mother would come to visit. She knew the Welk program was filmed at the Hollywood Palladium and asked me to take her there. I was stunned at the adulation she and others gave to the performers. Few danced, but stood on the dance floor around the stage and watched just as I did at ISNU in 1950 watching the Big Bands perform. I also told her that we had once lived not far from the Lennon Sisters' home in Venice, CA. and she wanted to drive by. Locating Hollywood stars' homes was big in those days.

On another visit she found out that Liberace was performing locally so we went. Again, I was not a fan of his work, but the older folks worshiped him. After seeing him on stage, I began to appreciate his showmanship.

I suppose what I'm saying is that when you get past 70 you get sort of sappy. What else can you say when I talked my wife into slow dancing lessons prior to our anniversary in case the children played swing music. It wasn't easy, as I couldn't dance when I was younger and could move faster. Thank goodness they didn't ask! Thanks for listening.

Albie Johnson (I use Albie when I feel younger.)

Identifies student in piano recital class

Hi Dave,
I enjoyed the pictures of your bother's 50th anniverasry. It was nice of you to share the pictures. In the piano recital picture I think the girl in the second row next to Eileen Krull Sutter is Elaine Spires Smith. Elaine's father was Lester Spires, but I do not remember her mother's name. They lived on the corner across from the Spires School east of Minonk. I think that she graduated from Minonk Dana High School in 1950. My cousins, Carmen and Clifford Bachman attended that school and I sometimes visited school with them. Adalin Baumann was the teacher there for years. (In fact I think that she was the only teacher that Carmen had in grade school.) I always thought that she was the nicest teacher, and a lovely lady, and at the time I wished I could have attended that school. Was Adalin your aunt?

Sherry Lindeman

Editor's reply: Yes. Adalin Baumann was my mother's sister.

Enjoyed article on Mine Mules

Dave, I wanted to write and tell you how much I enjoyed the article on the mules and the Minonk mine. Barth's story and research are something all the school kids should read . Toluca and Wenona both had mines where things must have been similar. I used to hunt fossils on the jumbo and have taken my kids up many years ago. I also used to swim in the claypit where we were led to believe it was a bottemless pit! The elephant part adds so much to the mystique. Tell Barth to keep writing. Hopefully all us oldsters can appreciate how dangerous and hard work was to those early miners.

Albin Johnson

Alderman wants to clarify his position on sewer

It is hard to vote your conscience at city council. It is harder when the local paper does not print all the facts.

At a public works meeting on Nov. 14 we discused the sewer project, both the sanitary and storm. The meeting was attended by the City Treasurer who told us if we did all three projects, storm sewer, sanitary sewer, and new well we would have to borrow to the max. This would mean that if Minonk had a problem, we could not borrow money.

I came to the next regular meeting with the idea tht we could use the dairy pond as a money saver. We could divert the water from 1st and Chestnut into that pond saving some of the $200,000.00 cost.

I must say this was not my idea, it has been around for years.

After explaining the plan, Alderman Cunningham asked Farnsworth representative Brendan Daly if it would work. He said he had not looked at it but he didn't think it would work and that was the end of the discussion. We were then told that the City Treasurer had found more money allowing them to do all three projects.

I freely admit that I do not understand city budgets and how they work, but it must be nice to find money when you want it.

I did not vote against the sewer system, I voted for Minonk.

Alderman Dean Barth