1 Front Volume 140 No. 15
Friday, June 7, 2013
The Tonica News
Single Copy Cost 50¢
‘Back where it belongs’ Tonica fire truck is back home By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
TONICA – Back in the 1930s, necessity was the mother of invention. In 1937, the Tonica Fire Department used a stock truck, stripped the back end off and built from scratch its first motorized fire truck — one of the
first in the area. Times change, and eventually the department was able to purchase new equipment. It eventually sold the truck to the Illinois Valley Shriner’s Club in 1979. There, it became a parade vehicle, including two appearances in parades in Denver, Colo.
Recently, efforts began to get the truck back to the fire department as an important part of Tonica’s history. As of May 26, that dream became a reality, and the 1930s truck is back at the Tonica Fire Department building. When the Shriner’s took possession of the truck, it had fallen into disrepair. It was nearly immobile and covered
with rust. “It was a mess,” said Shriner member Keith Klyn. “It was almost nothing but rust. We had to really work on it to get it running.” Today, the truck looks nearly new. The body was repainted in 2003, and the engine has been meticulously taken care of. With very few exceptions, the cab and engine
compartment are original equipment. “To touch this, you feel the memories of the guys who put this together,” Tonica firefighter Rick Turri said. “Those men cared enough for this community to spend their time and money putting together something to benefit this town. That’s the true spirit of volunteerism.”
Local students play at state baseball tournament
The Tonica Volunteer Fire Department recently reclaimed its first motorized fire truck from the Illinois Valley Shriner’s Club. Commemorating the occasion are (front left) Shriner Keith Klyn, Smokey Bear, Shriner Bill Garber, chapter President Jack Morgan, (back left) Mason Cofoid of Cedar Point and Shriner Bill Thomas. The truck arrived just in time to give young Cofoid the opportunity to board the old vehicle as he undergoes more treatment on his leg. See story below.
Putnam County Panthers earn second place By Dixie Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
LOSTANT – Evan Kreiser, Neal Stasell and Ryan Salz have all shared a rather rare experience — they were part of the IHSA Class 1A state championship baseball series. The three boys are students at Putnam County High School in Granville. The team won its own regional and sectional tournaments and then won at supersectionals in Lisle to be able to punch their ticket to the state championship series that was May 31 and June 1. Kreiser put in time patrolling left field this season. However in the past, he has pitched and filled the catcher’s duties when needed. Stasell played the majority of the season on Putnam County’s junior varsity squad at shortstop and second base. Salz played right field but said he would play any position asked. Head coach Dave Garcia arranged his hitters in offense with everyone bringing the ability to hit to the plate. Kreiser, Stasell and Salz agreed all of the PC players were strong hitters.
See Panthers Page 2
Tonica News photo/Ken Schroeder
Courage comes in all sizes Mason Cofoid is on the go By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
Mason Cofoid
TONICA – Mason Cofoid of Cedar Point is a typical 5-year-old boy. He’s shy around strangers, continually wears a smile and can be a ham when a camera is around. Cofoid is also missing a major part of his left leg. He was born with proximal focal femoral deficiency (PFFD), a rare congenital anomaly characterized by failure
of normal development of the proximal femur and hip joint. Reconstruction of the hip joint with pelvic and femoral osteotomies may be possible in mild cases of PFFD. Severe cases of PFFD may be beyond surgical correction and warrant alternative strategies such as rotationplasty or selective amputation to facilitate a prosthetic fitting. Mason’s parents, Matt and Rose, were told by six different hospitals
that Mason would never walk — that his condition was too severe. That wasn’t a diagnosis they were willing to accept. The Cofoids took Mason to Shriner’s Hospital in Chicago, where they found out the prognosis was not as bleak as the other doctors had told them. “He’s been going to Shriner’s Hospital since he was about 6 months old. He got his first prosthetic before he turned a year old and started walking on
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The truck is still painted with the Shriner symbols, although Turri said that it will be repainted after the upcoming fire department drawdown. For now, an important piece of history for the department has returned to the building that still houses its 1908 hose trailer. “It’s back where it belongs,” Turri said.
State track meet results See Page 6
his own when he was 18 months,” said Rose. “Since then, he’s gotten a new prosthetic yearly.” Rose said in February, Mason had the BMS rotationplasty. “They amputate his leg, turn it around, and reconnect it to help him to walk in a different style of prosthetics to hold him up as a grown man and make him walk better,” Rose said. The rotationplasty will allow Mason to use his
See Mason Page 3