Summer • 2011
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Cheryl Tindall
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Summer • 2011
Teresa McCabe Mary Ancheta Sharon Glasco Danny Ramey Brent Moore
Letter from the
Publisher
“S
o, what is this magazine going to be about?” For weeks now, my husband and I have sat on our back porch in the early morning ambiance, sipping our coffee and talking like we are going to go to our respective computers and begin writing the next issue that day. “Well obviously, the change of seasons; it's almost summer,” I say. “Well if not that, it could be Father’s Day,” he says. “We'll probably miss Mother's Day. “And if worst comes to worst, the 4th of July,” I add. “Patriotic is always good.” We smile, acknowledging without words that 39 years together has made us know one another well. And here it is, mid-July. We just finished celebrating the 4th of July. We watched fireworks on TV this year. Both Mother's Day and Father's Day are almost distant memories, and the early days of summer have slipped through our fingers as unbelievably quickly as, well, as the early days of summer. Our life has been crammed full of other things, like oh, doing what it takes to stay alive and stuff like that. We have some of everything from every season we've missed in this issue. Michael talks about his memories as a kid growing up with his grandfather in the golden summers in Michigan. Morthland College's first Heritage Day brings a patriotic celebration to the community. The WFRX story has that sense of history and nostalgia that everyone looks for in the magazine, and even Father's Day gets its appropriate share with Jocelyn Turner's beautiful tribute to her own father. But in all this hodgepodge of topics, if there is one focus that runs through every piece in this issue, it's bringing the title “Good Living in West Frankfort” into focus. Life in a town, small enough and a community close enough, that if you don't know what you’re doing, someone else does. That's not always a bad thing. Even since I wrote my column about the basic goodness of people, we've watched while Relay for Life did it again. This is a town where people aren't afraid to reach out to one another. Ask Bob Lada, who recently treated us with unbelievable kindness. He and his wife, Gloria, have chosen West Frankfort as a new home, moving here from Des Plaines to live this easy community lifestyle. Bob recently donated countless hours helping ro renovate the administrative offices of Morthland College. What an asset they are to West Frankfort. This is a town where hundreds of people already know Dave and Tara's Twinkies, Bella and Zak, from watching them grow up on Facebook. (If you don't. You can meet them in this issue.) This is a town where if you're at Sonic, have already ordered your food and realize you have no money with you, the guy in the car next to you might hear you as you cancel your order and say, "Don't do that. Here, I'll pay for it." Thank you, Patrick Conaughty. This is a town where Jim Hall approaches the city council and asks permission to weed eat the Main Street area using his own time and money just to make it look better. "This is my town too," he tells them. This is West Frankfort. When you count your blessings at night, start out by counting the fact that it's your town too.
Gail Rissi Thomas, Publisher
Summer • 2011
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Please support our advertisers. They make this magazine possible: Aaron Hopkins, Attorney ..................... pg. 30 All American Hearing ............................ pg. 17 BFJ Interiors ............................................ pg. 15 Browning Clark Auto Repair ................ pg. 15 Calico Country Sew & Vac ...................... pg. 27 Coleman-Rhoads ...................................... pg. 9 Dr. Seb Pagano, Dentistry .................. pg. 4 Dr. Fred Whitlatch, Dentistry ............... pg. 27 First Christian Church .......................... pg. 10 Frankfort Area Historical Museum ...... Back G. L. Williams Real Estate .................. pg. 21 Gandy’s Auto Body Shop ..................... pg. 10 Heights Market ...................................... pg. 2 Herron Chiropractic ............................. pg. 16 Howell Insurance ................................... pg. 30 Image Graphics ........................................ pg. 21 JenRuss Glass Design ............................... pg. 21 Johnson Realty ....................................... pg. 31 Kreative Design Showcase ........................ pg. 27 Larry Grimm Auto Repair .................... pg. 27 McCollom Real Estate ........................... pg. 31 McDonald’s ................................................ pg. 20 Mike Riva, Attorney ............................... pg. 19 Miranda’s On Main ................................. pg. 7 Morthland College ................................... pg. 9 Nolen Chiropractic Clinic ...................... pg. 25 Parker-Reedy Funeral Home ................ pg. 21 Ponton Foot Clinic ................................. pg. 15 Professional Pharmacy .......................... pg. 12 Ramey Insurance Agency ....................... pg. 2 Sandy’s Flowers & Gifts ........................ pg. 19 Severin Garden Center............................ pg. 29 Shelter Insurance Agency ...................... pg. 25 Southern Illinois Bank ........................... pg. 30 Stotlar-Herrin Lumber ............................. pg. 29 Union Funeral Home ............................. pg. 2 Volanski Heating & Air ...................... pg. 31 Weeks Chevrolet ...................................... pg. 31 WF Aquatics & Activities Center.......... pg. 4 WF Chamber of Commerce ...................... pg. 31 WF City Council ........................................ pg. 30 Contact Michael A. Thomas at 937-2019 if you wish to advertise in “Good Living in West Frankfort”.
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Your Smile Says Hello To The World
Good Living In
West Frankfort 6 10
Vol.5 No.2 Summer 2011
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Table of Contents
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Heroes walk among us everyday. Sometimes they are strangers, sometimes they are the person who lives next door and sometimes they are our father.
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Newly formed Morthland College celebrated the principles of America’s founding fathers in word, dress and music at the first annual Heritage Day Celebration. For those struggling with life changing challenges, there could be no better place to live than a community where people care.
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Good Living in West Frankfort is a magazine about the people, places and pride of West Frankfort. Our goal is to showcase interesting, unique and previously unpublished stories about the citizens, events and places in our community in a positive manner. Good Living in West Frankfort provides businesses the choice to advertise in a high-quality full-color venue at affordable prices. This magazine is free to our readers because of those advertisers. No portion of this publication, including photos and advertisements, may be reproduced in any manner without the expressed consent of Good Life Publications.©2011 Printed quarterly: Spring, Summer, Fall and Holiday Season. Cover Art by Michael Thomas: Zakkary and Isabella Chambers enjoy the Lion at the West Frankfort City Park.
A powerful earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan in March and its ‘aftershocks’ reached all the way to West Frankfort. The simplest memories from our childhood can often time be the most cherished as we grow older.
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In 1951 West Frankfort became one of the few towns in southern Illinois with its own radio station. Enjoy the history and memories of WFRX radio.
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Facebook has changed the way we keep track of our friends and family members. Meet the Twinkies, who are fast becoming the newest twin sensation in West Frankfort.
Good Living In
West Frankfort
A production of Good Life Publications 309 East Oak Street West Frankfort, IL 62896 (618) 937-2019 Published Quarterly: (Spring • Summer • Fall • Winter)
E-mail Contact: GoodLifePublications@Gmail.com Summer • 2011
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A Father’s Day Tribute
John Turner as a young boy, marine and father
(photos provided)
By Joycelyn Turner
T
o honor my humble dad this Father’s Day, I decided to write my first Facebook “note”…one that simply provides a glimpse of the type of man who raised me. Fighting, for my father, began as a young boy. With an alcoholic father—who soon became absentee and imprisoned—dad became “the man of the house” at about age 9. Instead of playing sports and enjoying the life of a carefree child, my father decided to begin his first job in order to help make financial ends meet, as my grandmother took on a new role herself, working her way through nursing classes. As a side note, those who are aware of the athleticism of my father, realize that, had my father grown up playing sports in school, it is likely he would have continued on as a scholarship athlete in college. On more than one occasion, my grandmother proudly relayed to me, the story of a ten year old John Turner who, for about six months, would set aside half of his earnings each week to make layaway payments on a set of silver tin kitchen canisters that he would then give to her as a Christmas gift. (I currently have those tins in my kitchen.)
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Living in Decatur in the 1950’s, my father was one of the only white students at his high school. I believe this situation caused him to gain perspective and wisdom in regards to individuals and community. I have always known my father to be blind to race (even in Southern Illinois!), and to naturally treat everyone equally despite class, race, gender, culture and ethnicity; and this is how I was raised. What came next for my dad was the Vietnam War. My father was eighteen years old, knew the likelihood of being drafted, and chose to enlist…. and enlist big. He signed on with the Marine Corps. So, during the years in battle that followed this choice, an “adult boy” became a man of character and valor. The following was written by Captain Thorvald Holm, USMC on April 5, 1969, in recommendation for my father to receive the Bronze Star. My mother found this amongst his Veterans Affairs paperwork only a year ago: “Sgt Turner performed the duties here-in reported in under combat conditions in Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam. Sgt. Turner is a Marine of many assets and talents. His outstanding ability to quickly recognize a marginally performing Marine, to analyze the reason why he is so, and to properly motivate him to do better is unequalled. This ability is one of his strongest
assets. His use of exactly the right amount of force at all times and his outstanding personal relations with his subordinates are the keys to his exceptional garrison leadership. Another of Sgt. Turner’s remarkable strengths is his versatility and adaptability. As a result of his outstanding initiative to learn about anything new and his exceptional attention to duty he very quickly adapts to any change in billet, mission, area of operations, or method of operations. Upon arrival in Vietnam, he immediately became a platoon sergeant and, although he had no previous FMF experience, he quickly developed into one of the very strongest platoon sergeants I have ever observed. After four months he became a platoon commander, and since then, he has proven himself to consistently be as effective a rifle platoon commander as there is in the company; and the other two are lieutenants. Sgt. Turner has proven himself to be an extremely calm and capable platoon sergeant and commander, especially under fire. During Operation Meade River, his platoon was heavily engaged and completely pinned down by the enemy. The platoon began to take heavy casualties and the commander was killed. Sgt. Turner immediately took charge and, in a calm and reassuring manner, set up a steady base of fire to minimize friendly casualties, extracted those already wounded or killed from the battlefield, retrieved all weapons and important equipment of the casualties, and, upon cover of darkness, withdrew to a tenable night position. This is just one instance of his fine leadership under fire. Sgt. Turner’s excellent combat leadership is a direct result of his outstanding judgment and presence of mind, supplemented by his extraordinary endurance under the most trying conditions. Sgt. Turner is just as effective in garrison as he is in combat. His remarkable attention to duty and initiative are augmented by his remarkable military presence, loyalty to his men and to the Marine Corps, and personal relations with all whom he comes into contact. Constantly concerned for the combat readiness of his unit, he tirelessly trained and prepared his men, and molded them into an effective fighting force.
River and Taylor Common, he repeatedly distinguished himself by his courage and composure under fire. On 24 November 1968, Company “H” was participating in operation Meade River in the Dodge City area of Quang Nam Province, Republic of South Vietnam. Hotel Company was attacking east to tighten the allied corridor, when the 2nd Platoon became pinned down by unknown size enemy force. As the 3rd Platoon moved to aid the 2nd Platoon, it encountered heavy enemy fire from what appeared to be a company sized force. Continually exposing himself to the intense enemy fire, Sgt. Turner skillfully enabled the Marines of the 3rd Platoon to continue the attack. Sgt. Turner took quick and calm command of the 3rd Platoon when he received word that the Platoon Commander was mortally wounded. It is because of his expert leadership that Sgt. Turner is recommended for the Bronze Star with Combat ‘V’.” This description of the character, loyalty, and overcoming nature of a soldier mirrors the type of father, husband, coach, farmer and community member that my father became after returning home from Vietnam. It has always been interesting to me to ask what it is that creates and maintains such a level of uprightness, honor, and determination in a person. It is overwhelming to think that I am here today because my father’s character and “fight” kept him alive. He is physically alive and his heart is alive. I have not even touched on the intelligence, integrity, humility, and love displayed through his parenting and coaching, but these areas do nothing but support the consistency of his character. The simplest way I can think to describe this is: “He did it with all his heart, and prospered.” 2 Chronicles 31:21 I can’t imagine a daughter being any more proud of the man that her father is than I am of mine. I love you, dad.
Sgt. Turner is the finest sergeant I have witnessed in the Marine Corps. Participating in 13 major combat operations, including operations Sabine Draw, Meade Summer • 2011
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Morthland College pays Tribute to America and the Principles of its Founding Fathers
Story and Photos by Michael A. Thomas
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Harrisburg resident Earl Webb was impressive as he portrayed the”Great Emancipator,”Abraham Lincoln.
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n April 16, 2011—with the boom of a Civil War cannon and the sound of drums— Morthland College announced to the world its first annual Heritage Day. Early morning rains held off long enough for approximately 100 people to brave the chilly weather and march from Strand Park to the West Frankfort City Park. Morthland College teachers, staff and trustees joined with members of The Sons of the American Revolution, The Sons of Confederate Veterans, The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Civil War cannoneers, a Union band, military veterans from World War II to today to honor America and the heritage of its founding fathers.
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Once at the park, the reenactors— dressed in period dress including Native American, Colonial, Revolutionary War, Civil War and ReconstrucDr. Tim Morthland, dressed tion—mingled with welcomes guests and partici the public, providing Heritage Day. a living history of their respective eras. A cannonade demonstration was held outside the Aquatics Center.. A short historical ceremony featured the words as well as impersonations of William Bradford (Dr. Jerry Jackson), George Washington (Rev. David Utley), Thomas Jefferson (Paul Lemmon), John Adams (Dr. Tim Morthland), Abraham Lincoln (Earl Webb) and Robert E. Lee (Robert J. Samuels). Historical
“Southern Belles” Kelly Hall, Jill Morthland and Dr. Andrea Humphrey provided beauty and charm to the proceedings.
women were also represented in Revolutionary War hero Molly Pitcher (Debra Bussler) and Clara Barton (Fran Mings), the founder of the American Red Cross. The Southern Illinois Concert Band provided patriotic selections including four musical compositions that were used at one time or another as our National Anthem.
as John Adams, ipants at the first
“Heritage Day was a visible representation to the community of the founding principles of Morthland College,” said Morthland College founder Dr. Tim Morthland. “The day was very successful. We had excellent community support from West Frankfort as well as regional representation and participation by various members of the college and Board of Trustees.” Plans are already underway for Heritage Days 2012 which be held sometime in May.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War march proudly,
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People are Good at Heart
During times of personal struggles small gestures can make a big difference By Gail Rissi Thomas I’ve had a thought that’s keeps going through my mind lately. Sometimes it comes to me when I’m watching the news and hearing another unwanted detail about Casey Anthony, and wondering how anyone could possibly kill their own child. Sometimes it comes as a refrain when I go the mailbox and find a get-well card from someone whom I know only
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casually. It’s odd that unimaginable evil and unexpected kindness can both instantly conjure up the same thought. “I still believe in spite of everything that people are really good at heart.” There are a lot of villains out there. We read about them and hear about them everyday. I wonder how the media manages to choose one missing coed or one vicious hate crime to turn into a household name. We
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all hear about it whether we want to or not, and I find myself recognizing the names of the defendants, the attorneys and the witnesses on each side even when I think I’m not listening. There’s so much crime in this country. How do the networks ever decide who will be the next one that they will make into a star when they have so many to choose from. I’ve thought about that for a long
time, but lately I’ve been able to focus more on the unexpected and unexplained kindness that people, even strangers, show to one another. As I sit in the chemo lab at the Siteman Center in St. Louis, the thought is brought home to me by my son, who flew in from Michigan because my husband thought it would be good for me to have him here to be with me during my last treatment. OK, so we raised him to be a good person. But I am reminded of the kindness of friends and strangers in a small town who stop me at the store to inquire how I am and how my sister is doing, who send me cards and messages on Facebook. They remember when my last treatment is coming up and inquire about it. How do they do that? They send me cards and letters wishing me well and asking permission to put my name on prayer lists. Are they kidding me? When it comes to cancer, it seems that everyone has entered the fight. Relay for Life in Franklin County—as well as all around the country—was a dynamic force long before I ever felt it’s need. Five or six hours of sitting in a chair and getting chemotherapy gives one lots of time for thinking and observing. I see the staff, the relatives and the caregivers giving kindnesses to the patients and to all the strangers around them. No act of compassion or understanding goes unnoticed. I see the members of
our community giving up a whole day to take a patient to treatment, spending so much time and effort raising money in Relay for Life without even needing the nudge of a cancer diagnosis of someone close to them. And once you start looking for the kindness in your life, you begin to see it in the world. There have been so many natural disasters and tragedies lately. Shelley and Don Athen Wilburn have made trips down to Joplin, Missouri to bring truckloads of supplies to tornado victims that they have never met and most whom they will never meet. Don and Jan Kragness have joined with so many others from the Baptist disaster relief teams who have given days of their lives and backbreaking labor to help victims from the Southern Illinois flooding this spring. We all know the compassion and the responsibility for others ranging from our local churches to the American Red Cross who make the hardships of their fellow man, friend or strangers their own burden. I wish I knew every name of every person who gives so generously of their time and labor, whether it’s a personal kindness such as reaching out to make a cancer patient’s day easier, or an ongoing effort, a miner’s memorial, a community garden, a summer feeding program for kids, to make this community better for everyone. It’s not enough. It’s
never enough, but it’s never ending. The kindness people have shown to me when I meet them in the store or on the street is sincere. As I stand answering their questions, telling them about my last treatment, my next treatment, how I’m really feeling, the question, “Is this too much information?” crosses my mind. Can they really be interested? But I stop talking, and they ask another question. A week later we cross paths again. They ask about some detail that tells me they were listening, and that they do care about me and others in this community who are experiencing struggles of one kind or another. When they tell me I am in their prayers I believe them. I can feel them. And I am grateful. It may not happen often on the city street in Chicago, but it probably is characteristic of any small town— neighbors helping neighbors with their words and their deeds. It’s a part of the Good Living in West Frankfort that we believe in. I repeatedly remember those words of Anne Frank, who lived through one of the cruelest and most inhumane periods in our history, but still found it in her spirit to write as the last line in her diary, “I still believe in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart.”
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By Sherri Murphy Summer is a wonderful time for family reunions. Sharing hugs and hearing stories from generations past keep family connections alive and well. Usually, it is the older members of the clan who captivate us with their remembrances. However, sometimes, it’s the younger generation who has some fascinating stories to tell, as was the experience of one family here in West Frankfort. Elsie Mann, a lifelong resident of West Frankfort, was recently reunited with her family. A granddaughter-inlaw and two great-grandchildren had several stories they wanted to share. Topping the list was their firsthand experience of the major earthquake and Tsunami that ravaged Japan on March 11. Elsie’s grandson, Staff Sergeant Jason Murphy, a 1995 graduate of Zeigler High School, is stationed at the United States Air Force base in Misawa, Japan. His wife Miriam, and their two children, Brandon, 7 and five-month old daughter Brianna, were living with him on base when the earthquake struck and literally rocked their world. Miriam and children were recently visiting in
West Frankfort and she was willing to tell of her live-changing experience, as it was cathartic for her. The quake, aftershocks, Tsunami warnings and worries about radiation leakage from the damaged nuclear reactor not too far from the base had taken their toll on Staff Sergeant Jason Murphy, grandson of lifelong resident the family. Their trip to Elsie Mann, survived the Southern Illinois was part March 14 earthquake in Japan of their healing process. and helped with the rescue They needed to travel effort. back to America to gain (photo provided) strength and comfort from friends and family in order to find that stable ground once again. Miriam remembers in vivid detail the day of the quake. “I was lying down with the baby upstairs. She was Summer • 2011
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“We had one candle to light and I spent the night trying to keep my kids warm. We all wore lots of clothes and our winter coats and shoes, and stayed under the blankets. This lasted for three days.”
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way to keep my children warm and fed.” Sgt. Murphy returned home about an hour after the quake and was relieved to find his family safe, although a bit shaken up. Not long after his return, the Tsunami sirens
there, however there were no warnings for an earthquake of this magnitude and Miriam shared her frustration and fears of being unprepared. “We were not prepared for this, so we tried to go and get something
Photo: UPI/Devon Dow/U.S. Navy.
taking her afternoon nap, and I looked at the clock and knew that I should go downstairs because Brandon would be coming home from school soon. At around 2:45 pm, he walked through the door as usual and said, ‘Hi, Mom. I’m home.’ Just a little bit after that the whole house started shaking. It started small but quickly got more intense. I yelled for him to stand in the doorway while I tried to go upstairs to get the baby. It was very hard to climb the stairs because I was being tossed from side to side. I don’t know how, but I was finally able to make it to the bedroom to get her. I ran downstairs with the baby in my arms to join Brandon, and we stood in the doorway till it was over (about 20 minutes or so, but it felt much longer). I had grabbed a coat for the baby because it was very cold.” While the earth was still shaking, Miriam recalls seeing cars on the road lifting up and going back down. When the violent shaking had stopped, there were mothers running in the streets looking for their children as many of them had just been coming home from school. Frantically, she crossed the street to check on the safety and well being of her neighbors, and was relieved to find that they were all unharmed. “Everyone was fine, but none of us had electricity and the cell phones were not working. It was very cold, like 40 degrees. It was winter in Japan. So I had to figure out a
Sailors assigned to Naval Air Facility Misawa carries debris to a dumpsite during a cleanup effort at the Misawa Fishing Port, in Misawa, Japan, March 14, 2011. More than 90 Sailors from Naval Air Facility Misawa volunteered in the relief effort, assisting Misawa City employees and members of the community following the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country.
sounded which added to the fear and anxiety of those involved. Thankfully, the area in which they lived was high above the water, so they were not affected by the Tsunami; however, Tsunami damage was only minutes away from their base. The Murphys, as well as other residents of Japan, are well acquainted with the experience of earthquakes, a common occurrence Summer • 2011
to eat, but all the stores were closed. We went back home, and my next-door neighbor and I decided on what we would eat--and that we would grill together the food that we had. Although we ate, it was very cold in the house. We had one candle to light and I spent the night trying to keep my kids warm. We all wore lots of clothes and our winter coats and shoes, and stayed under the blankets. This lasted for three days. In the daytime, we would
just sit on the couch with the kids. At night, they could all sleep, but I could not. There were so many after shocks, and I was still very scared. Every time I felt one, I wanted to run outside with the kids, but my husband would try to calm me down.” Living on a military base, they were able to witness the outpouring of help from other countries as well. “The second day after the quake, we saw rescue workers from France and the United States. They used our base to land their planes and bring help, including dogs to help find people missing from the Tsunami. Each day at noon and 4 pm, the Commander would meet with everyone for one hour, getting them updates.” 7 year-old Brandon added his memories of the tense days following the earthquake during the continuous aftershocks, “One night there was a really bad one, and I yelled, ‘Daddy!’ Daddy!’ He said, ‘It’s OK, Bud. I’m here.’ “ The Air Force allowed Sgt. Murphy to stay with his family for 4-5 days afterward. They had no electricity, but did have running water. After the third day, they were able to go to Moker Techi, one of the few restaurants that were open for business. They were able to get a good meal and had access to the Internet. That’s when they learned how bad things really were. “We were about 2 hours from the epicenter of the earthquake, but only minutes from Tsunami damage,”shared Miriam as she recalled her shock at the photos and news footage she viewed. She Summer • 2011
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was very thankful and amazed that the buildings, for the most part, were able to withstand such a powerful quake- a 9.1 on the Richter scale. It was the powerful Tsunami that did most of the damage. At the restaurant, they were able to call their families to let them know that they were safe, although they were only allowed a few minutes to relay the message. Just as there seemed to be relief from the threat of the earthquake, a new anxiety was introduced due to the subsequent threat of the radiation leak from the towers destroyed by the Tsunami. The radiation traveled south, 250 miles, but the Murphy’s were North of it. They were not allowed to travel more than 50 miles away from the base. Although Sergeant Murphy works as a dental lab technician in the Air Force hospital there, his job description soon changed. He was then trained to check incoming
time for our family. I was alone most of the time with the kids, and I became very depressed. Brandon was shaking at times when the aftershocks would start again. We all decided that it would be best for me to take the kids back to the states, where things could be more normal, so we could heal. Jason did not want us to leave, but he understood. He always puts his kids first. I needed to get away and feel the love of my family and feel safe again...for a little while.” Staff Sgt. Murphy with his wife Miriam, son As a part of the healing process, Brandon and daughter Becky. Miriam and the two children (Photo provided) departed from Japan and returned to the USA while damage control trucks for radiation. He wore began there. Sergeant Murphy protective gear, and tirelessly worked the midnight shift, 12-hour remains in Japan and will be shifts for 2-3 weeks following the reunited with his family in quake. The air, food and water had approximately one month when they return to their home. Miriam to be checked continuously for admitted that although she is very radiation as well. excited to be reunited with her husband, she is still reluctant to “We were still having after return. Brandon was not looking shocks, everyday, and I was very forward to returning to Japan, but scared of the radiation,” recalled couldn’t wait to see his Dad again, Miriam. “It was a very emotional as well as his friend and school mate, Alex, and to eat Raman noodles again “the real kind”, which he says are nothing like the packages of noodles sold here. I asked Brandon what he thought his Dad would say when he saw him again. “He’ll say, I love you! And I missed you!” And another family reunion will commence. Complete with hugs and stories to share that will be passed along for generations.
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Simple moments make the best memories
The Boathouse By Michael A. Thomas Grampa’s boathouse was a magical place for a thirteen-year old boy and his four brothers. It was there that great adventures began, secrets were revealed and treasures waited. Boathouses were rare at the lake. Most boat owners simply tied their boats to a dock and took their chances with the rains and occasional violent summer storms. But ‘our’ boathouse was a refuge, not only for Grampa’s beloved green wooden fishing boat, but also a place where a man—young or old—could go to be alone with his thoughts and take refuge from all those other storms that buffet men’s lives. It was built entirely in the water, not even touching the shore. A
short plank connected shore to entrance. The head of a largemouth bass, mouth agape, was nailed above the door. It served not only as a gruesome reminder to fish everywhere that here was a man to be feared, but also, to at least one boy, a hope that one day he would be lucky enough to catch a bass worthy enough to be so enshrined. It was here that our fishing expeditions began and ended, with Grampa taking two of us out in the morning in his long, green fishing boat and two others in the evening. The interior of the boathouse was a complex combination of light, smell and sound. The 2-foot gap between the water line and the exterior walls allowed the sunlight to enter with a reflection that danced in mesmerizing patterns across the walls and ceiling of the
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windowless interior. The crystal clear water inside took on a golden, emerald-green glow that showcased the sandy bottom and allowed frequent glimpses of small bluegill and sunfish who lazily swam in relative safety and waited patiently for the handful of oats that Grampa would toss their way at least once during the day. It smelled old and weathered, and faintly of gasoline. Fishing poles, lures, nets, a pair of waders and other fisherman necessities had their proper spots along the walls and added their smell to the mix. The sounds of the waves lapping on the shoreline as well as the whine of the outboard motors on boats outside were strangely muffled, not daring to intrude onto the cathedral-like solitude inside. Long retired as a tobacco and
candy salesman, Grampa had also adorned the walls with some advertising posters. The most prominent was a Chesterfield cigarette poster featuring a buxom woman in shorts. She stood coyly, glancing adoringly at a male smoker. It always caught my attention. I wondered what the man was thinking as he smoked his Chesterfield. At age 13 I think I knew. I also knew Grandma must have thought the boathouse was the perfect place for it. Several red Prince Albert tins and blue Maxwell House coffee cans, now served as storage containers for assorted nuts, bolts and screws or a convenient scrap container for fish entrails. Other touches revealed Grampa’s whimsical nature. Two old wooden theater seats—perhaps a throwback to the days when he played clarinet and saxophone for the silent movie theaters in Kalamazoo—sat with their backs to the water. They were directly in front of the bow of the boat and served as a railing as well as a handy accessory when we grandkids used the boathouse to change into our swimming trunks for our daily dip in the lake An old Coca-Cola cooler held large boxes of night crawlers and red worms. Grampa was generous with the red worms, but the night crawlers were to be used sparingly, and usually only when fishing with him. A mailbox somehow found its way in there. We learned early on that it held the supply of Quaker oats he used for feeding his ‘helpers’ and it also contained a bottle or two of bourbon. I never saw him drink much and learned later that Grandma frowned on this habit, hence his unusual storage place. I imagine when he and his fishing buddies came in off the lake from a day of fishing, Grampa might have enjoined them with a round or two after they had finished cleaning their catch. But the treasure chest that most absorbed our attention was the Westinghouse refrigerator that sat in one corner. We were allowed to take one soda a day from the Westinghouse. Usually this would occur after an afternoon of swimming. The ‘one-a-day’ rule would sometimes be bent on very hot days or Fourth of July, but the rationing only served to heighten the experience.
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Many years as a salesman had taught Grampa that in order to guarantee at least one sale, you provide your customers with as many choices as possible. The anticipation felt while opening the door to that refrigerator almost rivaled Christmas morning. The gleaming bottles—not cans—revealed their liquid contents in rainbow hues. In addition to the usual cola flavors, Upper-10, Sundrop, cream soda, Vernor’s ginger ale and several varieties of Nehi including strawberry, grape, lemon-lime, orange and root beer beckoned to us. It was difficult to decide which flavor to consume that day. The dilemma intensified when the stock
got low and there may be only one bottle of a particular flavor. If it was your day to have ‘first pick’ you had fewer worries. But somehow, the five of us managed to work things out and we were all able to imbibe the sweet nectar without serious bloodshed. Each summer this pattern repeated itself. Each summer I relished my time in the boathouse. While the world around me seemed to be changing at a dizzying pace with the civil rights movements, the assination of JFK, and the beginning of the war in Viet Nam, the boathouse never changed. Each year the fishing boat received another coat of forest green
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paint, the young couple in the Chesterfield poster still smiled at each other and the Westinghouse still kept the sodas ice-cold. Grampa died the fall of my sophomore year of college. The next summer I again went to the boathouse. His boathouse. Out of habit, I looked in the Westinghouse. It was empty and unplugged. I took the Chesterfield poster off the wall as carefully as I could, rolled it up and took it home with me. That winter, the water level of the lake was at a record high and the winter colder than usual. The thick ice of that Michigan winter destroyed the boathouse. I was glad Grampa was not alive to see it, but, in an odd way, I secretly thought if he had been living, it could never have happened.
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By Gail Rissi Thomas
T
he world was a lot smaller when we were growing up. Of course there was no Internet to amuse us, mesmerize us and answer our most obscure questions. We thought twice about calling someone several miles away just to say hello. We didn’t hop in the car and drive 15, 30 or even 100 miles to find the perfect store with the perfect pair of shoes. But on the other hand, in West Frankfort, we had a busy Main Street with shops to meet most of our needs. We had three television stations on good days. And in West Frankfort we had WFRX. Having your own radio station was something that was probably coveted
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by many communities in the Fifties and even the early Sixties. There wasn’t a lot of competition for your own set of call letters that gave a voice to your community. It took several things to achieve that success. The most important of those was money. Secondly it took someone with a vision, and that person with the vision also had to have some knowledge about business and broadcasting. J. R. Minton was the man with the vision. Luckily, he combined that idea and fascination with broadcasting that gave West Frankfort a radio station that still exists today, 60 years after it’s birth. The memories of that beginning were shared with us by several local residents. Former school superintendent L. Goebel Patton, one of the original shareholders of the Summer • 2011
station and the last president of the corporation remembers well Minton and the beginning of the venture. “Minton owned an appliance store across from the post office near where Mike Riva’s office is now.” Patton recalls. “He had kind of a fascination with broadcasting, and he bought one hour’s worth of time from WEBQ in Harrisburg. That was one of the first radio stations around. He did a onehour show from his store or out on the street in front of his store about once a week, maybe later it got to be once a day. He did local news, music, man on the street,’ or whatever he felt like doing. Later he had an appliance store on Rt. 37 south of West Frankfort. That’s when he got the idea for having a local radio station.”
Patton’s memories of the establishment of the station are first hand, as he was heavily involved in creating its success. “I was the one who went out and got the investors,” he says.” We had 10 investors who bought in at $5,000 each, and Ed Paxton, who had experience in radio broadcasting, gave us all the equipment we needed instead of a cash investment. The equipment was worth $15,000.” Patton ticked off the names of some of the others who were responsible for the financial support of the project. “There was Bob Veach,” Patton remembers, “The Glodich boys were in on this also, Ed Griffin, Dr. Lambert, George Lockard, Minton, and several others. Leonard Dunn provided legal services as his share.”
to work full time in 1954. He left the station for a short stint at WSIL TV in Harrisburg and WMIX Radio Station in Mr. Vernon, but returned to WFRX in 1962 at the request of manager, Walt Schafer and finished out his career there. Tom Little was another of the students who fondly recalls that time spent at the station. “We had a program called ‘Tunes for Teens,’ which aired on Saturday mornings from 10 to 11 am,” Little says. “We played the popular music of the time. There were also football and basketball scores along with interviews with Redbird athletes. I was teamed up with Ron Dorris, and after he graduated, I did the show on my own. I thought at the time that radio would be my life’s
joining the Illinois State Police.” But if anyone did make radio their life’s work from that experience and WFRX their home, it was Ron Clem. Clem spent 42 years in radio broadcasting. For all but four of them, he was the voice of West Frankfort for the many residents who acquired their knowledge of community news and easy listening entertainment from the local station. Frankfort’s citizens often heard the first word about friends and neighbors who had passed away, as well as community happenings and upcoming events. Children and their parents listened intently on snowy winter mornings to hear if schools had been canceled for the day, and they gathered around
WFRX AM took to the airwaves on May 2, 1951. We got our license in Delaware, “ Patton explained. “Most everyone got their licenses in Delaware at that time, because it was easier to get and a lot faster.” Another resident who has nearly a lifetime of memories is Ron Clem, whose name and voice were synonymous with the station for 39 years. He and Patton shared the explanation of how several area young people got their start in broadcasting. “We had an English teacher at the high school,” Clem says. “His name was George Dennison, and he was interested in radio journalism as well as print journalism. As an offshoot of sponsoring the Red Bird Notes, he had several of us, who were his students, work part time at the radio station to get some experience. We started out doing only limited broadcasting and before we were done we learned how to used the equipment and do everything.” Clem worked at the station part time while he was in high school and went
Pioneers of WFRX Radio This picture was taken in 1961 as the station celebrated its 10th Anniversary: (back row l-r) Joe Bradley, sales; Ernie Mabry, custodian; Walt Schafer, general manager; Bill Spangler, news director; Art Smith, sports director; Tom Little, announcer; ‘Blue Grass’ Roy Freeman, radio personality; Ken Kennedy, chief engineer and announcer. (front row l-r) Joe Bradley, sales; Helene Huff, secretary; Marcia Shafer Raubach, announcer; Rose Ann Pollock, office staff; Jerry ‘Jack’ Osborne, office staff. work. I worked there part time, while I attended SIU, and I gained valuable experience which led me to a radio job in Princeton, IL for five years before
their radios, often in the comfort of someone’s basement on stormy summer nights for the security of Clem’s latest advisories and warnings Summer • 2011
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about impending storms. For the rest of my life, I will carry the memory of lying in bed with the flu one winter morning. As snow and sleet rained down on West Frankfort, my husband was getting dressed for school and assuming we would soon hear Clem announce that school would be dismissed. Instead, the next announcement he made was unexpected and more personally startling to us. “This just in,” his deep resonant voice interrupted the morning music. “A fire is raging out of control above the Reed Liquor Store in the 300 block of East Main Street. Fireman are at the scene, but ...” I didn’t hear anything more. The rest is a blur, as our priorities suddenly changed. I had grown up at the Rissi Studio next to Reed Liquor Store, and my mother still lived there. My first phone call was to her, but lines were already down. As we raced down Oak Street, we could see flames shooting up over housetops from blocks away. That fire, which continued to smolder and flare up for days, took everything in that half block except for our home and Hammers Tires on the other side. Coleman-Rhodes Furniture eventually replaced the burned out buildings, but as long as I live, I will hear Clem’s voice bringing us the latest news. WFRX was still a station in its infancy when it contributed to the most famous period in West Frankfort’s history. Although still in high school at the time, Clem clearly recalls the station being at the hub of the world news. “After the war, all radio stations were daytime only stations, dawn to dusk. In December of 1951, Orient #2 mine disaster occurred. Only 6 months into its existence, WFRX was granted special permission from the FCC to broadcast 24 hours a day for a limited time. “
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We were the continuous source of news,” he recalls. “John L Lewis was on air several times. We read the names of those who had died and updates of men involved in the explosion in any way. We had firefighters, and emergency crewmembers give interviews. We did broadcasts live from the mine, and we broadcast the memorial service live from the High School. We also responded to requests from all over the world sending out photos over the Teletype.”
“We took requests,” Clem says. “It was a lot of big band music and popular standards from the 30’s and 40’. We took call in requests until we couldn’t handle it anymore and had to take all requests by mail.” WFRX listeners had their favorites and shows that ran for years on end, probably with some fans rarely missing a broadcast. “We had Post Exchange with Bill Spangler,” Clem recalls. “People could send in post cards about things they wanted to trade or sell. Later on we did several different shows like Sell and Tell where they could call in items.” “We had a lot of religious programming. Moments with the Master was on Monday through Friday mornings, and the longest running religious program was The Baptist Hour on Saturdays. We had church services on Sunday. From the time the station started, we continuously carried Sunday morning services from the First Christian Church in West Frankfort.”
Ron Clem as a young radio announcer in 1955 and seasoned veteran in 1983.
(top photo provided, bottom photo by Steve Grazanich)
Clem has other memories from his tenure at WFRX, and although not as profound as the mine disaster, the events and the day-to-day business of the station made a significant contribution to the community and surrounding area. Although there was select programming to attract the younger crowd from time to time, the WFRX niche for the most part was easy listening, old favorites and classics. In spite of that, they created such a stir with a 1963 program, The Old Songs that the show’s popularity was a surprise even to its producers. Summer • 2011
“Art Smith used to go to Champaign to do the play by play of the IHSA basketball tournaments and then we would play them the next day. We couldn’t carry them live, because we were a daytime only station. We could do the Cubs games though, because they were a daytime only team at the time. We also carried the Indianapolis 500 live, which I recall was very popular,” he added. Through the years, sportscasting has always been an important part of the WFRX programming. Art Smith, probably the best remembered manager of the station who held the reigns for the longest period of time, was originally hired as a sportscaster, and first became well known throughout the area from that position. Bruce Fasol has personal memories of
Smith as a top boss at the station. “I had the pleasure of working for and with Art Smith for many years. Everyone should get the privilege of working for him. He will always be ‘The Boss’ to me. Today’s CEOs could learn a lot from him about people and business.” Smith came to the station after a stint at WDQN radio in Du Quoin. He was good friends with Spangler who was a classmate of Smith’s during their days together as communications majors at SIU. It was Art who took over the reigns of the station when Walt Shafer moved to Alton. Art Smith bought the FM rights to the station in 1972 when it became available. “He probably didn’t really want to do that,” Patton suggested. “I think he just did it to protect the station and the shareholders and keep someone else from buying it.” Smith sold the station in 1996 to Dennis “Dutch” Doelitzsch, owner of WDDD in Marion. He remained as general manager under the new ownership for several years. Withers Broadcasting Group, owner of several other area stations, currently owns WFRX. Bruce Fasol is the more recent sports voice of WFRX, but has held that position long enough that he admits he started with reel-to-reel, long before the all-digital system now in play. “I started between my sophomore and junior years in high school,” Fasol says. “The station has always had a wonderful policy of hiring high school students at night. My first air shift was 4:30 pm, September 1. 1 spun a record, hit the wrong button, and Glen Ford patiently asked me, “Wouldn’t that sound better if it were on the air? What an auspicious start. I called my first state championship at age 18.” The rest is history. Fasol was paired up with Rick Westermeier to share play-by-play duties for the Redbirds. They have spent 30 years as a team, and several years ago, that team was inducted into the Sportscasters Hall of Fame. “It’s been a strange journey, “ Fasol says. “I know we are like brothers, because we spend time wanting to strangle each other but always respect each other’s abilities. I wouldn’t trade 30 years on the road with Rick for anything.” Fasol is still doing play by play for the Redbirds and is currently news director for the station. Those who know Summer • 2011
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him well say that he is passionate about his job, making it his personal responsibility in stormy weather to spend the night at the station if necessary to keep his listening audience informed and safe. “I guess you could say I’m 37 years into my part time job,” he says. “The fact that Bruce is still there, still doing
the Redbird games,” says Marcia Raubach, “That is what makes it feel like a our local station. Even though the station is actually located in Marion, the continuity of his voice makes it WFRX.” This year marks the 60th anniversary of WFRX. The people who put together the successful mix of news, sports, weather, musical entertainment and community events were many through the years and actually, only a few are named here. The WFRX building now houses a daycare, West Frankfort Rascals Express – WFRX. As we drove past the property a few days ago, I paid a little extra attention to the brick building on the east side of Route 37. Somewhere out of a file of memories I keep in my head, I heard a rich, baritone voice say, “This concludes our scheduled day of broadcasting from WFRX, West Frankfort, Illinois. WFRX is owned and operated by the Pyramid Radio and Television Company with studios and transmitter one mile south of West Frankfort on Route 37. WFRX operates on 1300 kilocycles with 1000 watts of power by authority of The Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C. WFRX will return to the air at 6 am. Tomorrow. For our staff and management, Ron Clem, wishing you a very pleasant ‘Good Evening’”
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Part of Beatles Folklore
W
alt Schafer was general manager of the station in the Sixties. Remembered as an excellent businessman and salesman, he had come to WFRX from WDZ in Decatur, the oldest radio station in Illinois, and brought with him, not only a wealth of talent and experience but also several talented people. It was during that time that WFRX found itself in the spotlight, and probably none had ever shined brighter or brought the station more publicity than Marcia Shafer Raubach’s interview with Beatle George Harrison. ‘I used to go to the station to work every Saturday,” Raubach shares her story. “I would do various jobs like cataloging records and filing. I had been wanting my own show. We didn’t have a show for teens at the time; so finally my dad trained me and let me do my show. It was called “Saturday Session.” I would stop at VanWood Electric after school and go through the new records, picking out what I wanted to play on the show.” “Well as most people know now, Louise Harrison, George’s sister, lived in Benton,” Raubach continued. “The Beatles were a big hit in England, and she had been making the rounds trying to promote them in the United States. Of course, no one at that time was giving her the time of day. She came into the radio station to talk to my dad, and he told her she needed to talk to me.” She gave me a copy of their record ‘From Me to You,’ which was already at the top of the charts in England. That was the summer of ‘63. She told me that George and Ringo were going to be coming to Benton to visit her. Ringo later changed his mind.” “I had already gone home for the day,” Raubach said, “but they called me and told me to come back to the station. Louise had brought George in to be interviewed. “I interviewed him. I remember that his older brother was there, and he took movies of us. Unfortunately, I don’t have a copy of that; I wish I did,” she laughed. “But he did give me a copy of their newest record, “She Loves Me,” and autographed picture of the four of them. For a while Louise and I thought, and it was publicized, that we were the first radio station to play a Beatles record in the United States. I really don’t think that’s true, but it was established as far as possible that WFRX was the first station in the country to play their music on a regular basis.” Raubach still gets requests for interviews from magazines or programs from time to time about her “discovery” of the Beatles. Several years ago, she was interviewed for a BBC documentary about the Beatles’ rise to fame. WFRX and the part they played was featured in the opening portion of the film. Summer • 2011
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can even be friends with my kid’s friends, or my friends’ kids. Before Facebook, I never worried about what Sherri Murphy had to eat at school that day, or what favorite oldie Gene Odle was listening to on You Tube. How does the guy ever sell any insurance? And I hadn’t heard of even one of the ornery things Terry Green did when he was a kid. But that’s all changed now. And if I have a weakness for one favorite thing that Facebook brings me it would have to be seeing all the photos of the grand kids of my friends and the kids of people that I knew when they were just little kids themselves.
graphic by Michael Thomas
By Gail Rissi Thomas hat did we ever do without Facebook? Well OK, I know that Facebook is a luxury, not a necessity. Millions of people get along just fine without it. But what started out as little more than a another meeting and dating network for college kids, has become a whole new pastime for baby boomers. It’s like a good substitute for dragging main. It’s even better because you don’t have to pay for gas.
It took us old folks a while to even figure out everything you can do with it. We may have started out with a simple “LOL” or two. We all knew what that meant. But soon we graduated from posting comments on our friend’s statuses to posting a new status every time we cleaned the bathroom. Now we gripe and complain. We share jokes, recipes and family photos. We chat with people we went to high school with but had never exchanged a word with for four years. Sex, social status and age create no boundaries. Heck, I
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W
Take the Twinkies for instance. When Dave and Tara Chambers first had their little twins, Isabella and Zakkary, none of us knew they would someday be community celebrities. But they’re growing up on Facebook, along with several other beautiful babies, I must add. Bella and Zak are celebrating holidays, eating mushy stuff, laughing, making faces, and just generally being adorable. “When they were born,” Tara said, “My friend, Annie Bozarth said, “They’re Twinkies. That’s what they are. Twinkies are alike and come two in a package. That’s what you got. Twinkies.’ It just kind of stuck, and they’ve been the Twinkies ever since.” Here are the Twinkies. I think they must get cuter every day. And if you want to see more photos of them, there are over 800 posted on Facebook.
photo provided
Dave Chambers is a West Frankfort fire fighter, and Tara has just recently been elected to the West Frankfort City Council. (photos by Michael Thomas except as noted) Summer • 2011
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