Crystal Lake Centennial

Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 1

Ray Westman Owner, Verlo Mattress

“Fortunately, our industry has done an excellent job of educating consumers on the importance of a good night’s sleep.”

People’s bodies change over time, but most of the time, their mattresses don’t. The result? Back and joint problems, poor sleep, stress and fatigue caused by lack of proper rest.

But Ray Westman, owner of the Verlo Mattress Factory Stores in Crystal Lake, McHenry and Lake Geneva, is committed to helping customers find healthy, restful sleep, not only when their Verlo Mattress is brand new, but also when it’s years old.

“Everyone changes and it’s not realistic to think you’re going to need exactly the same kind of mattress ten years from now that you need today. What we custom build for you now, can be adjusted or repaired to fit your needs in the future,” Westman said.

Specializing in custom-built sleep systems, Wisconsin-based Verlo Mattress was founded in 1958 and now has more than forty franchise locations.

Westman has been with Verlo Mattress since 1985, and purchased his first Verlo store in 1994. He now owns three showrooms, and a production facility in McHenry.

In a time when mattresses are sold at big box and discount stores, in addition to mattress retailers, Westman is proud to offer something more than the typical cookie-cutter approach.

“Your body, your comfort needs and sleep habits all influence the kind of sleep set we build for you,” he said.

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showroom, or online with the Verlo Virtual Craftsman. “We’ll discuss who is using the mattress, a single person or a couple, a child or a teen, your preferred sleeping position, back or neck issues, and firmness preference. Often, the craftsman who will build your mattress is the person helping you on the sales floor,” Westman said.

Using top quality materials, trained craftsmen construct your sleep system locally, the day before it is delivered.

Bucking the trend toward shorter-life no-flip mattresses, Verlo still builds two-sided mattresses, something informed, qualityconscious customers appreciate. “The people who buy from us understand the continuing value of a custom-designed locally built product,” Westman said.

In addition to innerspring mattresses, Verlo also carries Visco Foam, Gel Foam, VerloAIRE beds, sleep accessories to complete your custom sleep system, adjustable beds and futon sofa sleepers in a wide variety of styles.

In a tight economy, Westman understands that customers’ budgets are stretched tighter than ever before. “Because customers have less disposable income, the reality means that we’re competing against other needs, ranging from a new refrigerator to car repair. Fortunately, our industry has done an excellent job of educating consumers on the importance of a good night’s sleep,” he said.

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Celebrating 30 Years in Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake 5150 Northwest Hwy. (815) 455–2570 McHenry 3710 W. Elm St. (Hwy 120) (815) 578-8375 Lake Geneva 2462 Hwy. 120 1/2 Mile North of Hwy. 12 (262) 249–0420 Call for the store nearest you: 1-800-224-VERLO • Or visit our web site at: www.verlo.com.

2 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13

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WHAT’S INSIDE

The Main Beach Recreation Building was built in 1926 at a cost of $40,000. The architect, Frederick Stanton, also designed the country club addition to the Dole Mansion.

Photo provided by the Crystal Lake Historical Society – www.cl-hs.org

Crystal Lake Centennial table of contents A CITY IS BORN.......................................................6

BOB BLAZIER................................................... 22-23

MAYOR’S MESSAGE..............................................10

SPORTS STANDOUTS..................................... 24-25

CITY LEADERSHIP........................................... 12-14

DOWNTOWN’S EVOLUTION........................... 26-27

CARDBOARD CUP REGATTA.................................15

SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 1965................................. 28-29

RAUE CENTER FOR THE ARTS.............................16

YOU’RE A STAR............................................... 30-31

DOLE MANSION....................................................17

BUSINESS SNAPSHOT..........................................32

WHO WAS CHARLES DOLE?................................18

TERRA COTTA CO.................................................34

UNION SOLDIER STATUE......................................19

CRIMINAL PAST....................................................35

COLONEL PALMER HOUSE............................. 20-21

CRYSTAL LAKE HERALD.......................................35

This section was produced by Northwest Herald editors Dan McCaleb, Jason Schaumburg, Scott Helmchen, H. Rick Bamman, Brett Rowland, Valerie Katzenstein, Jami Kunzer and Nicole Franz; reporters Allison Goodrich, Chelsea McDougall, Stephen DiBenedetto, Jeff Engelhardt, Joseph Bustos, Kevin P. Craver, Emily Coleman, Joe Stevenson and Cynthia Wolf; and photographers Sarah Nader and Kyle Grillot.

4 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13

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Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 5

A CITY IS BORN BY JEFF ENGELHARDT

History before and beyond 100 years

F

or Ralph Dawson, Crystal Lake is older and younger than 100 years old.

The city’s origins go much further back than the official founding date in 1914, but the identity of the city did not come until later, as far as Dawson sees it.

Dawson, a City Council member who has lived in Crystal Lake since 1939, said it was right after World War II when he believes Crystal Lake came into its own as families settled and the confusion and disagreements of multiple villages that laid claim to the area in the early part of the century was long forgotten.

“Crystal Lake has been around much longer than 1914, but that was the official incorporation and just a formality,” Dawson said.

“But if you ask me, when the guys came home from the service and the first subdivisions started is when the city really changed its personality to what we know now.”

Some would argue Crystal Lake first started when Beman and Polly Crandall came to the area with their children from New York in 1836. The family settled in a log cabin at what would become the intersection of Virginia Street and Van Buren Street.

The Crandalls later would be joined by the Beardsley family.

Two years after the Crandalls first settled in the area and 76 years before incorporation, Hannah Beardsley launched the beginnings of District 47 as the first teacher at the first 200-square-foot school.

It was not long before the area, briefly known as Crystal Ville, started to attract more people, which Diana Kenney, president of Crystal Lake Historical Society, found as no surprise.

“Like most settlers moving west in the 1800s, our early settlers were looking for good farmland near a clean freshwater supply,” she said.

The west side of Williams Street in Nunda.

In 1902-1903, the Nunda Herald published a series of postcards showing various scenes around town.

Photo provided by the Crystal Lake Historical Society – www.cl-hs.org

“The people that come to Crystal Lake stay in Crystal Lake.” > Ralph Dawson

Crystal Lake City Council

But times change, and so did the reasons people started coming to the area.

The railroad extension came in the 1850s and, with it, the establishment of downtown Crystal Lake, which was then its own village known as Dearborn.

Dearborn changed its name to Nunda and was incorporated as a village, along with Crystal Lake, in 1874. With Nunda to the north of the track and closer to the rail line and Crystal Lake further south from the railroad but closer to water, both villages had resources the other could use.

“That railroad was a dividing

6 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13

line,” Dawson said. “A merger became a marriage of necessity and convenience. I don’t think Crystal Lake would have survived without it.”

A foreshadowing of the merger came in 1907, when Nunda changed its name again to North Crystal Lake. At the time, the two villages had formed a relationship, sharing a school and burial ground.

Still, there were some unsuccessful attempts to merge before the incorporation of the city of Crystal Lake took place Sept. 23, 1914.

“They had proven they could get along and work together if they tried,” Kenney said. “The village of North Crystal Lake was growing at a much faster pace than the village of Crystal Lake due to its proximity to the train line. The village of Crystal Lake had better access to fresh water. Both villages had something to offer to make the partnership stronger.”

Once the relationship was formed, Crystal Lake became a major destination. Along with

the railroad, it had a portion of an old Indian trail from Chicago to northwest Wisconsin now known as Route 14 that would become a major transportation line in the future.

People such as Leon Lundahl were improving the schools, and the city’s pulled resources allowed for better services, such as water and sewers and public safety. “[That] spirit of working together and getting along has carried us through this past century,” Kenney said. “Even today, the community of Crystal Lake works together for the common good.”

Dawson said it has been that community spirit that sets apart Crystal Lake from other suburbs.

He said one would have to look no further than Crystal Lake’s first family of law in the Cowlins, who are still here since first coming in 1891.

“The people that come to Crystal Lake stay in Crystal Lake,” Dawson said. “This is a place where people plant roots. Crystal Lake is home.”

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Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 9

MAYOR’S MESSAGE BY AARON SHEPLEY

Good place to be or live? Both, actually

A

s we celebrate the 100th birthday of Crystal Lake, it is clear that our fine community has a very rich history, and, frankly, I could write volumes about the many wonderful things we have come to enjoy here over the past 100 years, including many positive changes that have occurred in my lifetime.

However, the Northwest Herald and many others already have done a spectacular job of detailing the history of our community.

Instead of being repetitious, I would like to take this opportunity to resolve a “controversy” that has existed almost as long as Crystal Lake.

First, a little background. As we know, Crystal Lake was created in September 1914 when two governmental units – North Crystal Lake and the village of Crystal Lake – voted to consolidate after years of talking about it. (Pioneers for governmental efficiency?)

Some eight years after Crystal Lake was formed, a town motto was coined by Herbert A. Dodge.

That motto, prominently displayed in the downtown area, was “Crystal Lake: A Good Place to Live.”

Subsequently, Crystal Lake erected a number of signs at entry points to the city that incorporated the motto.

Whether by accident or design, the phrase was altered – on at least one sign – to read: “Crystal Lake: A Good Place to Be.” My family moved to Crystal Lake in 1972, and I still have a very clear recollection of that sign identifying Crystal Lake as a “Good Place to Be.” It was located at the corner of Main Street and Route 14 in front of the railroad tracks. Other longtime residents certainly will recall this sign.

Now, I am sure there are some great conspiracy theories concerning the “sinister” manner in which the “mistake” was made, but in a nutshell, the controversy is this:

A city of Crystal Lake sign on Route 14 near Sands Road.

Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com

There are many places that could be a good place to be at any given Is Crystal Lake a in time without also being good place to live or point a good place to live. Take Disney only a good place to for example. Fantastic place to be (especially if you are a kid) for be? The vast a period of time, but I’m not sure majority of people anyone would want to live there, who live here especially parents. On the other hand, if a particular place is a good probably would place to live, by definition it would agree that it is a seem to follow that it is also a good place to live good place to be. (Can you imagine a scenario where a place could be and a good place to a bad place to be yet a good place be. That was true in to live?)

1914, and it is true Which leads to the heart of the controversy: Is Crystal Lake a good today. place to live or only a good place to be? The vast majority of people Which is it? Is Crystal Lake a good who live here probably would place to be or a good place to live? agree that it is a good place to live Is there even a difference between and a good place to be. That was true in 1914, when Crystal Lake the two? was born, and it is true today.

Let’s start with the second Over the past 100 years, Crystal question. There is a strong arguLake only has gotten better. We ment that there is a substantial difference between “a good place enjoy the best of all worlds. In addition to our rich history and to be” and “a good place to live.”

10 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13

small-town charm, we have top notch schools, businesses and recreational opportunities, from Three Oaks Recreation Area to Main Beach and beyond. We have cultural opportunities, from the top-ranked public library to the Raue Center and Dole Mansion. We have countless churches and civic organizations that help people in need. We have great public infrastructure, from roads to water and sewer, and our community is clean. Thanks to our police and fire departments and all the people who live here, Crystal Lake is safe.

What more could anyone ask for?

Yes, the past 100 years have been very good to Crystal Lake and the people who live here. Frankly, it seems beyond debate that Crystal Lake is both a good place to be and a good place to live.

Controversy resolved.

Happy Birthday, Crystal Lake!

• Aaron Shepley has been mayor of Crystal Lake since 1999.

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Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 11

CITY LEADERSHIP BY KEVIN P. CRAVER

Past, present mayors led, shaped city Crystal Lake mayors William Pinnow 1914-1917 W. A. Goodwin 1917-1923 Ben Raue Sr. 1923-1927 Fred Mathis 1927-1931 John Peterson 1931-1940 Joseph Jaster 1940-1941 Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley poses for a portrait in downtown Crystal Lake.

Shepley is the city’s longest-serving mayor.

C

rystal Lake has had 16 mayors since becoming a city a century ago. You’ve heard of some of them, even if you don’t know it.

You know them if you’ve ever caught a show at the Raue Center for the Arts, taken your children to Fetzner Park or had a drink at the new Jasters Craft Beer and Winery.

The generosity of the family of Ben Raue Sr., who served as mayor from 1923 to 1927, rescued the arts center from decay. The city, out of concern for the quality of its namesake lake and drinking water, built its sewer system under Arlene Fetzner, whose tenure from 1974 to 1979 included ensuring that developers helped finance schools and parks. And the historical Jaster Building the bar now occupies at 414 W. Virginia St. was built by Joseph “J.J.” Jaster, a successful businessman who doubled as the city’s postmaster.

Present Mayor Aaron Shepley, who has held the office since 1999, credits much of what Crystal Lake is today to the men, and one woman,

who came before him.

“No single mayor or single City Council member can take credit. It’s bigger than one person,” Shepley said.

The occupancy of the city’s top elected office has been locked in a pattern since 1941 – a mayor holds the office for at least a decade, followed by two one-term mayors, and then another who holds the office for a long time. It started when Jaster, who was appointed in 1940 to serve the remaining year of John Peterson’s term after his sudden death, lost his bid for a full term to challenger George Krause.

Shepley, 50, is the city’s longest-serving mayor and ending his fourth term. He plans to seek a fifth term in next year’s election.

Like many small towns, Crystal Lake’s mayors already were well established as business and community leaders, according to historical records. Krause served as the city’s fire chief before voters elected him mayor in 1941 and re-elected him

12 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13

Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com

twice after that. Peterson, whose family ran a successful farm, was first elected in 1931 and well liked.

Shepley is senior vice president and general counsel for Centegra Health System, the county’s largest employer.

Some mayors are remembered more for their service to the community outside of city politics.

Carl Wehde served three terms as mayor from 1979 until 1991, but is even better remembered for his 13 years serving before that on the District 47 school board, eight years as its president. The district’s Wehde Early Childhood Special Education Center is named after him.

A number of former mayors came from somewhere else. Wehde was born and raised in Iowa, while Raue and Jaster emigrated from Germany.

Shepley was born in Cary but raised in Crystal Lake.

Today, he lives only a few blocks from his childhood home.

Continued on page 14

George Krause 1941-1953 Hal Tripp 1953-1957 Leo Krumme 1957-1959 Louis Goossens 1959-1971 Anthony Wujcik 1971-1974 Arlene Fetzner 1974-1979 Carl Wehde 1979-1991 George Wells 1991-1995 Robert Wagner 1995-1999 Aaron Shepley 1999-present

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Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 13

CITY LEADERSHIP Continued from page 12

William Pinnow

Ben Raue Sr.

Joseph Jaster

current seven seats. He credits the enlargement for more local control As a child, Shepley said he could and diversity of opinion that ride his bicycle down Route 14 to he said translates to a modern, the YMCA. The city, population forward-thinking city that has not 17,000 when he was a boy and disregarded its roots.

Fetzner was mayor, reported “We’ve always tried to operate 40,743 people in the 2010 U.S. a very modern, efficient city but Arlene Fetzner Census. keep that hometown feeling,�

That growth has been handled Wagner said. well, both from an infrastructure Shepley said the forethought of and a tax standpoint, Shepley said. city leaders past and present is Crystal Lake pays for most of its one of the reasons why the city operations through a sales tax, has a healthy retail corridor on and does not levy property tax for Route 14 and the historic downits general fund. It does collect town, with the new not devastatproperty tax for police, fire and ing the old. Wagner and Shepley municipal pensions. also credit the dedication of the Carl Wehde With growth came a need for city’s business community that increased representation, said has kept downtown vibrant and a Robert Wagner, who served a destination. term as mayor before Shepley’s As for the city’s future growth, election.

Shepley sees it in the redevelopWagner spearheaded a voter ment of existing space, not the referendum to expand the size of outward expansion that defined the City Council from five to its the 1990s and early 2000s.

Photos provided by the Crystal Lake Historical Society – www.cl-hs.org

Robert Wagner

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CARDBOARD CUP REGATTA BY ALLISON GOODRICH

Annual event floating 30 years later

I

n the eyes of Jim Hooker, it was unlikely that an idea to build cardboard boats would garner that much attention.

At least that’s what the longtime Crystal Lake resident thought in 1985 while planning the first ever America’s Cardboard Cup Regatta.

“Never in my wildest dreams,” Hooker said, laughing.

Thirty years later, the annual event still brings between 40 and 60 boaters every year to Crystal Lake Main Beach the Saturday before the Fourth of July.

Since its beginning, the Cardboard Cup Regatta each year has challenged locals to construct a functional boat out of cardboard and a few other materials.

The event – which is administered by the nonprofit organization America’s Cardboard Cup Regatta – was born as a way for Hooker and a fellow sailing enthusiast to better highlight the Crystal Lake Yacht Club.

The event’s mission always has been to facilitate a day of somewhat unconventional fun.

However, former event chairman Nick Kachi-

Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com

roubas said little changes have been made to the regatta over the years.

For instance, additional categories such as Ugliest Boat and People’s Choice Boat, have been added, he said.

“Plus, in 2001 after September 11, the Stars and Stripes category was added,” Kachiroubas said. “The different awards just give people bragging rights.”

The event, as a whole, has given back to the

community, too.

Kachiroubas estimated over half a million dollars have been donated to a wide range of charities over 30 years, from Turning Point to Big Brothers Big Sisters to the Pioneer Center.

While the regatta once brought publicity from around the world, its attendance throughout its existence has ebbed and flowed depending on a variety of factors, Kachiroubas said.

For instance, not one regatta has topped the second annual as far as attendance.

“Well, the first was in 1985 and then the Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl, and in [1986], they had the Super Bowl Bears at the event,” Kachiroubas said. “As the legend goes, there were close to 18,000 people that came. … No event has come close to that.”

But soft plans to garner more future interest, such as social media marketing and other such ideas, are underway, he said.

“It’s more difficult these days to get people interested in the race,” Kachiroubas said. “It’s just getting people to do it for the first time, and then they totally fall in love with it.”

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Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 15

RAUE CENTER FOR THE ARTS BY JOAN OLIVER

Respecting past while looking forward

T

he city of Crystal Lake is not alone in celebrating a significant milestone this year.

The El Tovar Theatre – better known these days as the Raue Center for the Arts – is marking its 85th anniversary.

In honor of its historical significance as one of the stars of the downtown district, the building at 26 N. Williams St. was plaqued by the McHenry County Historical Society earlier this year.

This fall, it will receive a plaque from the city’s Historic Preservation Commission to recognize the building’s new landmark status.

“It’s a big turning point for us, acknowledging our history and legacy,” Raue Center Executive Director Richard Kuranda said.

When the El Tovar opened in June 1929, it was billed as “Northern Illinois’ most beautiful theater,” according to an article at the time in the Crystal Lake Herald.

About 8,000 people attended the four-day grand opening event.

Back then, the theater seated 900 and used RCA’s photophone equipment to present “talkies,” movies that included sound, according to the county historical society. On the weekends, the theater also hosted vaudeville acts.

When the El Tovar opened, it wasn’t the only theater in town, according to the Crystal Lake Historical Society.

The Gem Theatre, operated by Royal and Margaret Gracy, had been on Williams Street since 1909.

The Gem closed after the “new” theater opened and Margaret Gracy became general manager of the El Tovar.

The El Tovar was designed by architect Elmer F. Behrns, who designed eight other theaters in Illinois, including the Arcada in St. Charles, the Egyptian in DeKalb and the Woodstock Theatre in McHenry County.

Theater-goers still can experi-

Photo provided by the Crystal Lake Historical Society – www.cl-hs.org

The El Tovar Theatre opened in 1929 to play “talkies” – new talking motion pictures. In 1999, money from the Lucile Raue estate was used to purchase and renovate the building.

ence the fantasy of a “Night in Spain” with the theater’s blend of California Mission and Spanish Eclectic architecture. Arched openings with clay tile roofs, stained glass and ornamental scrolled ironwork are among the details that add to the theme.

A midnight-blue sky, complete with twinkling stars, still adorns the theater’s ceiling.

The original two-story theater included dressing rooms, an orchestra pit, a modern stage and a large mezzanine.

Outside, a terra cotta façade includes elements manufactured by local company Terra Cotta Industries, as well as design details that reference the Spanish décor inside.

When it was built, the theater had apartments upstairs and was flanked by two storefronts. At the time, it cost $165,000 to build.

Today, that would cost about $2.2 million, according to the county historical society.

In 1952, the theater was sold and

16 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13

renamed the Lake. Then it was sold again to become Showplace 8, where area residents could take in first-run movies.

In time, the theater began to show its age, and extensive repairs were needed.

The theater changed hands again in 1999. Thanks to a gift from the Lucile Raue Family Estate and with the help of matching funds, the restoration of the theater was completed in August 2001.

“The vision that they had, it was a wonderful vision,” said Diana Kenney, president of the Crystal Lake Historical Society and a member of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. “They found a way to make it successful.”

The McHenry County Historical Society’s honor recognizes the Raue Center’s desire to restore many of the original elements, including the 85-year-old terra cotta mosaic floor in the lobby.

To get that recognition, the Raue had to go through an extensive process with the county historical

society’s Historic Sites Committee.

The review included a long application, a four-hour site visit last October with members of the committee, a vote from the committee and then a vote from the historical society’s board.

To secure the city’s designation, a similar, though less lengthy, process was required from the city’s Historic Preservation Commission and City Council.

The landmark status granted by city ordinance covers only the outside of the building, said Kenney, who also is executive director of the Downtown Crystal Lake Main Street organization.

The plaque ceremony for the site’s landmark status is expected to take place this fall, Kenney said.

The Raue Center’s ability to respect the past and look forward to the future exemplifies the best way to preserve history, Kenney said.

“It respects the history, yet makes it used,” she said. “The Raue is a perfect example of that.”

DOLE MANSION

BY STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO

Facility transforms over the years T he organizers that helped save the historic Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake from demolition in the early 2000s now are focused on restoring the building to its original glory.

It’s the latest development in the long, checkered history of the centerpiece building to the Lakeside Legacy Arts Park, located along Country Club Road near the city’s namesake lake.

The three-story mansion has seen nearly a half-dozen owners since its original one, wealthy Chicago businessman Charles Dole, built the house for his family in the 1860s.

It’s endured vacant and transformative periods. The plastered walls, unique moldings and Italian stone interior have deteriorated over the years.

But the staff and board at Lakeside Legacy Foundation want a complete restoration of the Dole Mansion while expanding its art facility into a premier community arts center, foundation Executive Director Siobhan Cottone said.

“The outside is very deceiving.

You can walk in and here violins playing, pianos and trumpets, or hear someone singing and painting in the galleries,” she said. “There’s a lot of stories within these walls.

It’s a magical place.”

The stories, and uses, of the mansion varied greatly throughout the decades.

From the Italianate mansion’s creation to the late 1890s, Dole and his family called it home, as he frequently would open his sprawling Lakeland Farm to the community for recreation, events and gatherings, according to archived records and articles from the Crystal Lake Historical Society.

Dole, a successful Chicago grain merchant with many business interests, would renovate and alter the mansion to fits his hobbies.

He hosted a lavish wedding for his daughter at the property in 1883 and even raised thoroughbreds on the farm.

After retirement in 1894, he leased the mansion to the Knickerbocker ice company, which he partly owned. The company would use the property for its ice business until bankruptcy closed the operation in 1911.

The prestigious mansion sat empty for several years when a group of investors, including the widow of a Ringling brother, acquired it in 1922 for nearly $500,000, making it one of the largest real estate deals at the time in the county.

A view of Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake in 2014.

Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com

Dole Mansion with country club addition.

Photo provided by the Crystal Lake Historical Society – www.cl-hs.org

The famous Ringling Brothers Circus continues to perform across the country today.

The group, called Lake Development Company, revived the Dole Mansion, built an estimated $180,000 annex and turned it into Crystal Lake’s first-ever country club.

The new club, with its expanded space, featured 44 bedrooms, a dining salon, ballroom, a sun parlor and other amenities, according to the Lakeside Legacy Foundation.

But the 1930s Great Depression put the club into receivership until it was sold to the Franciscan Order in 1945.

The order used the facility as a seminary school for nearly 25 years, but declining enrollment led to the school’s closure in 1970. The property would sit vacant when, in 1977, the First Congregational Church purchased it for community organizations and retreats.

The church renovated the annex into its community meeting space, naming the building extension the Lakeside Center.

Changing needs forced the church to place the mansion on the open real estate market in 2000.

Fearing condo developers would buy the historic property, the Crys-

tal Lake Jaycees and Dole Mansion neighborhoods raised $1 million in roughly two months to acquire and preserve the property, said Pat Cohen, board chairman of the Lakeside Legacy Foundation who helped organize the community effort.

“The idea was this was an asset the community couldn’t afford to lose because it’s a link between what we have now and what Crystal Lake was back then,” Cohen said.

By summer 2005, the Lakeside Legacy Arts Park opened at Dole’s historic grounds after a local artist suggested the neighborhood group use the mansion to rent work space for artists.

The foundation, which oversees the mansion, now hosts historical tours of the Dole Mansion and various art and culinary programs.

Resident artists use rental studios for work, and the park frequently showcases local artwork at a gallery.

It added the performing arts in 2012, when the Listening Room venue was created at the former Dole property, Cottone said.

“There’s so much talent, so much creativity, so much positive energy in this building,” Cottone said. “It truly is a gem.”

Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 17

WHO WAS CHARLES DOLE? BY STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO

Known for his generosity, influence

T

he wealthy businessman who built the cornerstone of today’s Lakeside Legacy Arts Park in the 1860s also used his prestige to expand Crystal Lake and deliver essential services before its incorporation.

Charles Sidney Dole, a wellknown capitalist in the mid-1800s and Chicago Board of Trade member, made his fortune as a grain merchant but made his mark in McHenry County in 1865, when he moved his family to Crystal Lake.

For $100,000, he built the three-story Dole Mansion, known then as Lakeland Farm, within 1,000 acres that encompassed the shores of the city’s modern-day Main Beach, according to archived records and articles at the Crystal Lake Historical Society.

The prominent businessman was known in the community

Photo provided by the Lakeside Legacy Foundation

for his generosity and ability to bring influential Chicagoans to the fledgling city.

“Like any big businessman you hear about today, he had more than just one interest. He had multiple business holdings and interests,” Crystal Lake Historical Society President Diana Kenney said.

Using his connections and

wealth, Dole helped develop the town and bring the railroad to the doorsteps of his mansion. The tracks that lined Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake were removed in 1924.

Born in Oakland County, Michigan, in 1819, Dole and his brother, James Dole, left Michigan in the late 1840s to pursue the grain business and connect with their uncle, George W. Dole, who was active in many Chicago businesses and credited for creating Chicago’s first grain storage facility in 1838.

The brothers partnered by 1852 and created C.S. Dole and Co., a firm primarily dealing in the wheat trade. As the business thrived, Charles Dole was asked by the Chicago Board of Trade to help create standards for grain inspections and grading.

By 1861, Dole had ownership in four Chicago area grain warehous-

es that had the combined storage capacity of 6.35 million bushels.

Dole’s business interests changed in the years after he moved his wife and children to Crystal Lake.

By 1879, he and his brother owned a dozen area ice houses, an important industry at the time.

As a hobby, Dole raised thoroughbreds at the mansion and often would renovate the property to fit his latest tastes. But he also would open his gardens and grounds to the Crystal Lake community for weddings, music recitals, graduations and funerals.

Declining health and age forced Dole to retire in 1894. He leased his mansion to a local ice company and moved a couple years later to Kansas City, Missouri, with his daughter, Mary Stowell, and her family.

Dole died in 1904.

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UNION SOLDIER STATUE BY EMILY K. COLEMAN

Restoration effort saves 1889 memorial

T

he Union soldier statue in Union Cemetery will continue to be the gathering place for Crystal Lake’s Memorial Day remembrance.

In 2006, however, the statue’s future wasn’t as clear.

Cast in zinc and erected in 1889, the statue was starting to lean backward, and concerns were raised that the statue would fall and shatter.

The Crystal Lake Historical Society, with help from the American Legion Post 171 and Union Cemetery Board of Directors, raised more than $60,000 in private donations to restore the statue. A three-person committee of Mike and Jan Czosnyka and Chris O’Connor led the effort. “Every Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the men and women who have sacrificed their life and service,� Crystal Lake Historical Society President Diana Kenney said. “To have that statue is a reminder of why we are able to gather.�

The 18-and-a-half-foot monument lists the names of 379 area Civil War and War of 1812 veterans, including those who survived the

8, 2012, straightened, with its internal support structure strengtehened and its missing rifle restored. The flagpole also was relocated to behind the memorial, lighting was installed and a concourse with brick pavers honoring veterans was placed.

The bricks continue to be sold to raise money for the statue’s continued maintenance.

A time capsule filled with items marking the statue’s history and renovation was placed in the base of the statue and sealed. It will be reopened Sept. 11, 2089, the statue’s 200th birthday.

The statue was manufactured by American Bronze Company in Chicago, a subsidiary of Monumental Bronze Company in Bridgeport, Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com Conn.

The company sold statues in various poses, Civil War, those killed in action, those who died in Andersonville Prison, those who died while in similar to a catalog company, all across the service, as well as area veterans of the War of country, Kenney said.

Many of the statues started to lean like Crys1812 who were alive at the time of the monutal Lake’s but not all were saved, she said. ment’s purchase. “It was not a unique problem,� Keeney said.

The restoration was completed by Forest “But probably what is most unique about it is Park-based conservator Andrzej Dajnowski, that we did something about it.� and the soldier was restored to his post June The names of 379 area veterans are inscribed on the Union soldier statue at Union Cemetery.

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COLONEL PALMER HOUSE BY JOAN OLIVER

Preserving history on ‘Palmer’s Corner’

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A view of Colonel Palmer House in Crystal Lake in July 2014. The Greek Revival and Federalist style brick home was built in 1858 and is the only building in Crystal Lake on the National Register of Historic Places.

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hen Crystal Lake became a city in 1914, the Colonel Palmer House already had been standing for decades at what now is the corner of Route 176 and Terra Cotta Avenue.

In fact, no Palmers were living there. The two-story brick home by then had become a rental property and was occupied by the William Borchardt Family until 1917.

However, the home still was owned by John Palmer, the son of Colonel Gustavus A. Palmer and his wife, Henrietta.

Colonel Palmer had moved his family by covered wagon from the town of Nunda in Livingston County, New York, to northern Illinois in 1841.

He bought land from the U.S. government at what came to be called “Palmer’s Corner.” A farmer

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COLONEL PALMER HOUSE by trade, Palmer eventually had several hundred acres, according to the Crystal Lake Historical Society.

Despite the title of “colonel,” Palmer’s military service has not been documented, said Diana Kenney, president of the Crystal Lake Historical Society and a member of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.

“We basically say we believe the reference to ‘colonel’ was a title of respect,” Kenney said. “We do know that when he was here, he always was referred to as Colonel Palmer.”

The Colonel Palmer House was built in 1858 by famed builder Andrew Jackson Simons, who used a unique cobblestone technique he learned in Livingston County, New York.

The style of the home is a combination of Greek Revival and Federalist architecture.

The home’s connection to Simons, who also built about a half-dozen other houses in Crystal

Lake, makes it historically significant, as does its age as one of the city’s oldest structures.

Those ties to the past were what spurred a citizens group to rally around the home in the 1970s, when the city received the property as part of a developer donation.

When discussions began about, perhaps, putting a fire station on the site, the Palmer House Restoration Association was formed.

“The city listened,” Kenney said of the response to the groundswell of support to save the house.

The association would go on to care for the home and raise money for its restoration for years.

In 1985, the Colonel Palmer House was recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only site in Crystal Lake with the honor.

Much research went into securing the designation; petitioners must show that the building is not only old, but also historically significant.

“It’s what I call a ‘pretty plaque,’ ” Kenney said. “It is a plaque that says this place is special, there’s information and education about this place out there. It’s a wonderful educational tool.”

What it doesn’t do, Kenney said, is protect the property from demolition or radical exterior changes.

That protection comes from the city of Crystal Lake’s landmark designation, which the site received in 1997, the first property to be so designated.

“It doesn’t prevent change, but it helps to make sure changes are historically correct,” Kenney said.

“It also helps prevent demolition.”

As members of the Palmer House Restoration Association became older, they approached the Crystal Lake Park District about partnering with the city to “improve, restore and use the property,” Kenney said.

“The best thing for a historical building is to use it in a way that respects history and is relevant today,” she said.

The Colonel Palmer House has been able to do just that under its current arrangement, with the park district leasing the property from the city for $1 a year for 100 years beginning in 1999.

After the Crystal Lake Historical Society was started in April 2000 as an offshoot of the Dole Mansion restoration effort, the society reached out to the park district to see whether it would partner with it to display artifacts significant to Crystal Lake at the Colonel Palmer House.

“They were totally open to discussion,” Kenney said.

Today, visitors can see an antique spinning wheel, a Rosewood Melodeon, and a Wheeler and Wilson No. 9 Treadle sewing machine, among other items belonging to the historical society.

Visitors also can reap the benefits of the continuing partnership between the park district and historical society through a variety of programs that are open to the public.

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Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 21

BOB BLAZIER BY ALLISON GOODRICH

A ‘pillar’ of a man in the community Bob Blazier has been a fixture in Crystal Lake since 1962.

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Described by friends as a fixture of Crystal Lake and McHenry County, Blazier’s tenure in the city began in 1962. Since then, he’s had a hand in what seems like a never-ending list of programs, initiatives and foundations.

“I like to help groups get started,” said Blazier, sitting at his current workplace, Home State Bank.

“Many times, I helped groups get started and then got out of their way as the next people came along to grow and change the group and make it more effective.”

For instance, as a vice president at then Northern Illinois Medical

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BOB BLAZIER Frannie Glosson, director of community integration at Centegra, has worked with Blazier on many occasions throughout the years.

It’s amazing to think of all the sustainable programs he started, and not only for the city of Crystal Lake, Glosson said.

“He’s a pillar in the city, indeed, but he’s had an impact on the county as a whole,” she said. “His support of the arts through the Raue Center, the schools, the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce, McHenry County College – he’s unbelievable.”

However, just as friends such as Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley said, Blazier’s nature is self-deprecating and humble.

And he’s been that way for as long as Shepley has known Blazier.

“I’ve known him since I was in fourth grade,” said Shepley, who is a product of District 47.

“He was probably one of the coolest superintendents there ever was.”

It was Blazier’s love of music,

particularly jazz drumming, that appealed to students, Shepley remembered, citing instances when Blazier would come and play along with the school jazz band.

Drumming is still a passion he practices today, but Blazier said he spends much of his time with his wife, Rosemary, the “most important person” in his life.

“He always tells the story about how they met,” Shepley said.

“Even as an adult, I don’t think there could be a better pair of role models than Bob and Rosemary Blazier for how people should act toward one another.”

Beyond his organizational prowess and widely acknowledged influence on the city, it turns out Blazier is most satisfied with the more unadorned aspects of life: going to dinner with Rosemary, staying healthy and “meeting with people” for coffee at Panera.

When asked who he meets during his Sunday Panera trips, Blazier simply said, “Just people; people who want to stop and talk.”

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Center, currently Centegra Hospital – McHenry, Blazier developed “He’s a pillar in the in the 1980s what now is the Cencity, indeed, but tegra Health System Foundation. he’s had an impact “When I worked at NIMC, it was just one hospital,” he said. “They on the county as a took that foundation I started, and whole. His support it has transcended into the Cenof the arts through tegra Foundation. I played a small part. I just helped get it started.” the Raue Center, That was after more than 20 the schools, the years as superintendent for Crystal Crystal Lake Lake School District 47 and before he was Crystal Lake Chamber of Chamber of Commerce president.

Commerce, Along with the hospital foundaMcHenry County tion, Blazier has helped launch the Raue Center for the Arts theater College – he’s and the Crystal Lake Chamber of unbelievable.”

Commerce Foundation, and he’s on the steering committee for Sage > Frannie Glosson YMCA of Metro Chicago.

Director of community integration, Centegra His name also is recognizable in association with a 5K race for the arts, a seatbelt initiative, Leadership Greater McHenry County ... ment in several organizations. the list goes on.

“I was more involved than this in He’s slowed down, though, Blazithe past,” he said, laughing. er said of himself, despite involve-

Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 23

SPORTS STANDOUTS BY JOE STEVENSON

Bulaga at top of Crystal Lake athletic class

G

reen Bay Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga was a rookie in January 2011, yet he was wise enough to grasp the opportunity that awaited him and his team.

“Not many guys get to go this far in their whole career, if they play for 14 years,” Bulaga said after the Packers knocked off the Bears, 21-14, in the NFC championship game at Soldier Field. “To get this far as a rookie is phenomenal. [The Super Bowl] is something I’ve been watching on TV every year since … I can’t even remember. To get to the Super Bowl as a rookie is unbelievable.”

Two weeks later, Bulaga, who grew up in Crystal Lake and played at Marian Central in Woodstock, became the youngest player to start in a Super Bowl at 21 years, 322 days. The Packers won Super Bowl XLV, 31-25, over the Pitts-

H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com

Green Bay Packers tackle Bryan Bulaga talks with teammates on the sidelines during a preseason game against the Titans on Aug. 9. Bulaga is the only athlete from McHenry County to win a Super Bowl ring.

burgh Steelers.

Bulaga, the only local player to win a Super Bowl ring, heads a list of the best athletes to ever come out of Crystal Lake. At Marian, he helped the Hurricanes to the 2006

Class 5A state championship game and became the only lineman ever selected as Northwest Herald Player of the Year. Marian lost to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, 35-14, in that title game.

Joining Bulaga as the top Crystal Lake athletes are Crystal Lake Community’s Keith Kinderman and Jim Franz, Crystal Lake Central’s Mike Myers and John Bock, and Prairie Ridge’s Amy LePeilbet, the only athlete in McHenry County history with an Olympic gold medal.

Bulaga (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) started most of his three seasons at Iowa and was chosen 23rd overall in the 2010 NFL draft. Some projections had him going higher, but being drafted later meant Bulaga went to a contender to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

LePeilbet, a 2000 Prairie Ridge graduate, was a defender on the

USA women’s soccer team that won the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games. She played collegiately at Arizona State and currently plays for FC Kansas City in the National Women’s Soccer League.

LePeilbet also played for Team USA in the 2011 FIFA World Cup, where the team finished second to Japan.

At Prairie Ridge, LePeilbet was a dynamo on the basketball floor and the soccer field with her speed and ability. She lettered four years in soccer and three in basketball.

Before Bulaga, Bock had one of the most successful NFL careers of any local athlete, playing six years for Buffalo, the New York Jets, Miami and Oakland. A guard by trade, Bock’s versatility made him valuable as he often moved around to replace other injured offensive linemen.

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SPORTS STANDOUTS Myers found his niche in the Crystal Lake high school state champions major leagues as a left-handed specialist, which led him to a proIndividual and team state champions Girls volleyball from Crystal Lake high schools: • Crystal Lake Central, 2007 Class ductive 13-season career with nine 3A, 42-0 teams. In 1996 and 1997, he led Girls cross country the majors in appearances, with 83 • Sami Staples, Crystal Lake Central, Boys golf and 88 games, respectively.

Class 2A 2011 • Pete Leveille, Crystal Lake South, 1981, Class AA Myers made his big league debut Girls gymnastics in 1995 with the Marlins and won • Jenny Covers, Prairie Ridge, 2009 Boys gymnastics a World Series ring with Boston in (vault, all-around), 2010 (vault, floor • Adam Furman, Crystal Lake South, 2004. exercise), 2011 (vault, uneven bars, 2001 (pommel horse, parallel bars, allall-around) around), 2000 (pommel horse) Kinderman graduated from Crystal Lake Community in 1959 after Girls tennis Boys track and field an illustrious high school career as • Sandy Dunning and Katie Waters, • Paul Behan, Crystal Lake Communirunning back, wrestler and track Crystal Lake Community, 1977, doubles ty, 1942, discus • Carolyn Huerth and Allison Murphy, • Harold Legel, Crystal Lake Communirunner. He was state runner-up in Prairie Ridge, 2009, doubles ty, 1946, discus the 120-yard hurdles in 1959.

Kinderman started his college Girls track and field Boys wrestling career at Iowa, but transferred to • Haley Staples, Crystal Lake Central, • Jim Franz, Crystal Lake Community, 2006, Class AA 1,600 meters 1972, heavyweight Florida State, where he had a pro• Kristina Aubert, Crystal Lake South, • Steve Ratcliff, Crystal Lake Communiductive career as a running back 2007, Class AA 3,200 meters ty, 1978, Class AA 145 for the Seminoles. • Trevor Jauch, Crystal Lake Central, He went on to play three seasons Class 2A 112 (2009), Class 2A 125 in the AFL with San Diego, Denver and Houston. ball coach Bill Mack called Franz “a Franz’s exploits were legendary. heavyweight title. Later, Franz terrific personâ€? and considered it He played quarterback for the became a three-year starter at an honor to coach him.

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Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 25

DOWNTOWN’S EVOLUTION BY JOSEPH BUSTOS

Shopping, dining district revitalization Josh Lamberg (left) and Sara Gussie walk down Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake in October 2012.

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owntown Crystal Lake developed around the train stop, and about 100 years ago was the center of a community where people would shop for groceries and clothes and go to the drug store.

“It was active and busy and vibrant,” said Diana Kenney, the executive director of the Downtown Crystal Lake organization.

Having the train stop served as a way to bring people to Crystal Lake from Chicago for weekend getaways, as well as allow people from the area to go to the big city.

“People from Crystal Lake could take the train to the city and vice versa,” Kenney said.

However, when the advent of shopping malls took place in the 1970s, people’s visits to downtown areas became fewer.

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DOWNTOWN’S EVOLUTION Crystal Lake expired in 2008.

Today, the downtown area is doing well. Almost all of the retail spots are leased to businesses, Kenney said. Among the businesses in place are a kitchen supply store, shoe store, musical instrument business and a toy store.

“The new businesses that have come in have added so much,” Kenney said. “There’s so much variety now.”

But not every business closes at Annie Bieschke of Crystal Lake walks 5 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. There is a good down Williams Street in downtown amount of restaurants and bars in Crystal Lake in October 2012. the downtown, and parking could be an issue in the evening and day redevelopment area for private the public costs or other eligible time, Kenney said. investment.

TIF costs, such as incentives.

“Boy, is that a good thing,” KenIn a TIF district, the equalized asCrystal Lake used the TIF district ney said. “We have a pretty busy, sessed valuation of all taxable real to make improvements such as re- active place.” estate within the area is frozen as pairing sewers and adding streetsKenney added that business the base EAV. Taxes are levied at cape and antique streetlights. owners, the Chamber of Comthe base EAV in the redevelopment “The downtown TIF was one of merce and the city work toward area for taxing districts such as the the first in the state of Illinois and the success of the downtown. county and school districts. Any in- really a very successful story,” “Everyone is pulling together crease in local real estate taxes in Rentzsch said. to make this be a good place,” the district can be used to pay for The TIF district in downtown Kenney said.

Northwest Herald file photo

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on either end. Grocery stores and hardware stores moved to Route 14, Kenney said. The downtown area started to have a lot of vacancies, and buildings were in decline.

“It was a scary time,” Kenney said. “If it continued that way, it would not be very good.”

A heavy snow caved the roof of the Jewel located where Brink Street Market is today. After that incident, Jewel began looking for a new location on Route 14.

“That was kind of the final straw,” said Michelle Rentzsch, director of community development for the city.

In 1985, Crystal Lake officials realized the downtown was in decline and opted to implement a tax increment finance district for the core block around the Brink Street Market, Rentzsch said.

TIF districts are meant to help revitalize blighted areas. In TIF districts, municipalities can pay for public improvements and other services needed to prepare the

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Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 27

SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 1965

BY EMILY K. COLEMAN

Palm Sunday tornado devastates, kills 5

T

The Colby subdivision was among the hardest hit from the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado in Crystal Lake.

Photo by Jim Seymour – Crystal Lake Historical Society collection

wo days after the Palm Sunday tornado, 13-year-old Louella Holter returned to the place her house used to be.

The F-4 tornado touched down in Crystal Lake about 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 11, 1965, destroying more than 100 homes and killing five residents, including Holter’s parents and oldest brother.

Another Crystal Lake resident, Louis Knaack, was killed when his garage door and wall collapsed on him and his wife, and Rae E. Goss apparently was caught outside and hit by the roof from a barn behind his home, according to reports from the time.

Holter had been on her way back to a friend’s house when the storm hit. The winds blew her and her friend, Cathy Bogers, into the Neisner’s department store, the roof of which fell in during the storm.

Somehow both girls were OK,

Palm Sunday outbreak The April 11, 1965, tornado that hit Crystal Lake is among the worst tornado outbreaks in U.S. history, according to the National Weather Service.

Tornadoes hit several Midwest states, leaving more than 250 people dead and more than 3,000 injured, according to NOAA. Property

damage reached more than $250 million.

In all, there were more than 45 tornadoes in six states, including Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

In Illinois, tornadoes touched down in Crystal Lake, Geneva, Gurnee and Zion.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 1965 but when the storm cleared, they Neisner’s department store in the Cryswere intercepted by a neighbor tal Lake Plaza was destroyed April 11, who wouldn’t let Holter go home.

1965, during the Palm Sunday tornado.

She found out later through an overheard conversation that her parents, Rosalie and Richard Holter, and her 20-year-old brother, John, were killed when the tornado ripped through the Colby subdivision where they lived.

The tornado’s damage seemed almost random.

Bob Blazier didn’t even know a storm had hit when he got the call that he should open South Junior High School, where he was a principal.

Parts of the junior high’s roof were ripped off. Damage at the Route 14 shopping center that now houses Joseph’s Marketplace was heavy. The Colby and Orchard Photo by Jim Seymour – Crystal Lake Historical Society collection Acres subdivisions were a mass of demolished homes.

The big oak trees looked like down the streets calling if anyone “Some people thought that Crystal cherry blossoms from the scatneeded someone from their Lake in general was gone. A lot of tered pink insulation, Blazier said. company. sightseers came through. They reInsurance agents would walk “It was strange,” Blazier said. ally had to restrict travel through,

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but everybody pitched in. We all knew somebody down there. We tried to help them salvage what they could.”

The Red Cross set up an emergency center at Central High School, but no one needed it, Blazier said. Everyone found someone to stay with.

Holter and her 16-year-old brother, Jim, moved in with a friend of their father’s. Donations of clothing poured in to replace the belongings the Holters and others lost, though as a naturally reserved and private person, Holter would find herself wondering which of her classmate’s dresses she was wearing.

The two siblings eventually ended up living together on their own after Jim graduated high school.

Holter now lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, and hasn’t been back to Crystal Lake in about 20 years.

“This happened so long ago,” she said. “It’s almost like watching a movie.”

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YOU’RE A STAR BY JAMI KUNZER

Crystal Lake has ties to show business

H

e hasn’t lived in Crystal Lake since he was 10 years old, but to Bruce Boxleitner, the city always will be home.

The 64-year-old actor – known for leading roles in “How the West Was Won,” “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” “Babylon 5” and, most recently, The Hallmark Channel’s “Cedar Cove,” as well as the Walt Disney film “Tron” and its sequels – often returns to Crystal Lake while dreaming.

“It’s probably some of my earliest memories, walking to school,” remembered Boxleitner, who moved at age 10 to Mount Prospect, where he graduated from high school.

“They told me I never missed a mud puddle between school and my house,” he said.

Boxleitner is one of several Crystal Lake natives who have went on to find success in the entertainment business.

Bruce Boxleitner (left) starred alongside Kate Jackson in “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” which aired from 1983 to 1987 on CBS.

Photo provided

the 1970s or ’80s, but has heard

‘A good place to come from’ about its growth.

Boxleitner remembers Crystal Lake as a small town, similar to the fictional “Cedar Cove.” In the show – now in its second season and rated as the Hallmark Channel’s No. 1 Saturday night series – Boxleitner plays Bob Beldon, the owner of a local inn.

Though filmed in Vancouver, the show is set in a fictional town in Washington as the Hallmark Channel’s first scripted series and quickly has gained a following because of, Boxleitner believes, its simplicity.

“I think it’s just the news is 24/7, and it’s not been good, any of it,” he said. “I don’t know. [Cedar Cove] is a safe place to be, though we have a little more compelling stories this year. … It’s not just fluffy romance novel stuff.”

Boxleitner, an alumnus of Chicago’s Goodman Theater (later renamed the Theatre School at DePaul University), said he hasn’t been back to Crystal Lake since

To him, though, it remains the small town where he learned to ice skate and swim, surrounded by woods and open fields.

“Crystal Lake will always be home,” he said. “We oftentimes return to places in our dreams. I still see that little green and white house on Ridge Avenue.”

‘A big part of my heart’

Having left Crystal Lake for Los Angeles about six years ago, Nick Eversman officially can call himself an actor.

“I guess I did quit my day job,” he said with a laugh.

The 28-year-old Eversman has landed roles in numerous TV shows and, most recently, a string of films, including the recently released “Get On Up” and the soon-to-be-released “Wild,” starring Reese Witherspoon.

A Crystal Lake South graduate, Eversman quickly found college wasn’t for him, failing his classes

30 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13

Photo provided

Nick Eversman appeared in the recently released “Get on Up” and will appear in the soon-tobe-released “Wild,” starring Reese Witherspoon.

at McHenry County College. His parents, Dave and Donna Eversman of Crystal Lake, encouraged him to pursue his interests. And acting was “all I wanted to do,” he said.

Since then, he’s starred in the single-season TV show “Missing” alongside Ashley Judd in 2012, and landed roles in numerous shows, including “Ghost Whisperer,” “CSI:

Miami,” “House,” “The Tomorrow People” and “NCIS.” Among the films he’s appeared in are “Hellraiser: Revelations” and the limited release “Deep Dark Canyon.”

In “Get on Up,” he plays Mick Jagger, who produced the film biopic of James Brown.

“It was kind of an honor as an American to be able to play [someone British],” he said. “That doesn’t usually happen. … I guess I don’t have a terrible British accent.”

He’s also proud of “Wild,” based on a memoir written by Cheryl Strayed describing her 1,100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in a journey of self-discovery and scheduled for release in December.

Other independent projects – “The D.U.F.F.,” “Pretty Boy” and “Billy Boy” – might not garner as much widespread attention, but they’re valuable for the experience and their quality, he said.

“The D.U.F.F.,” a comedy starring Mae Whitman of “Parenthood” and Allison Janney, stands for “Desig-

YOU’RE A STAR nated Ugly Fat Friend” and revolves around the social pecking order in high school.

“It’s got a ‘Mean Girls’ vibe to it,” Eversman said.

In the short film “Pretty Boy,” the young-faced Eversman stars as an 18-year-old taken to a motel and given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father “to fix his questionable homosexuality.”

“It was different for me, a bit of a challenge, but I really enjoyed that,” he said. “It’s a very, very wonderful story.”

Eversman credits much of his success to his Crystal Lake mentors, including Jeff King, his music teacher at South Elementary School, and Ben Stoner, an English teacher and director at Crystal Lake South High School.

“He’s the one who really lit the fire in me, and it never really went out,” Eversman said of King.

“There’s not a day that I don’t think about Crystal Lake and the foundation that it gave me to be able to come out here and

Verraros now works as executive vice president at Bridal Expo Chicago, a one-stop shopping experience for brides and bridal parties.

Another alum, David Radford, a top 24 finalist during the fifth season, came back to the Crystal Lake area and has created a couple musical groups. His dueling piano group Felix and Fingers can be seen at numerous events and concerts throughout the Chicago area.

He also has released an album with The Gray Havens – a folk-pop influenced duo with his wife, Licia.

animated film “Antz,” 1999’s “Curtain Call” starring James Spader and Michael Caine, and 2003’s “Grasshopper” starring James Urbaniak and Thomas Jay Ryan. He also directed “Grasshopper.”

Three friends, three writers

Keith Foglesong, Tom Mularz and Cole Maliska each live in Los Angeles and write for popular TV David Radford / photo provided shows. But they share an even tighter bond. succeed,” he said. “It was a very All three grew up in Crystal Lake positive community. I miss it.” and were childhood friends.

Foglesong, a 1999 Crystal Lake ‘American Idol’ alums Central graduate, has become Among those rising to finalist Screenwriter’s roots co-producer for the Fox series spots on the popular Fox reality Born in Crystal Lake in 1961, Todd “Bones.” Mularz, a 1998 Crystal show “American Idol” were a Alcott works as a screenwriter, Lake South graduate, is co-execucouple of Crystal Lake natives. playwright, actor and director in tive producer at CBS’ “CSI: Crime Appearing in Season 1 of the Los Angeles.

Scene Investigation.” Maliska show – returning for its 14th seaAs he writes on his blog – www. wrote for the now-canceled Fox son in 2015 – was Top 10 finalist toddalcott.com – he has worked series “Almost Human.” Maliska, Jim Verraros. After “Idol,” Verraros’ on “many feature films and has who slept on Mularz’s floor when mainstream debut, “Rollercoaster,” sometimes been credited for this. he first moved to California, now in 2005 garnered several dance You may have seen one.” is a story editor for the second floor hits, and he also pursued an Among numerous films, he’s season of the NBC show “Chicago acting career. credited as a writer for the 1998 P.D.”

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BUSINESS SNAPSHOT

BY BRETT ROWLAND

The oldest, largest local businesses

O

ver the years, businesses of all sizes serving a wide range of industries have found a home in Crystal Lake.

Crystal Lake’s largest company, by revenue, is AptarGroup Inc. AptarGroup, the only publicly traded company in McHenry County, makes product packaging for everything from high-end cosmetics to refrigerator and household staples, such as orange juice and lotion.

The company has about 600 employees in its McHenry County facilities, which include its headquarters, 475 W. Terra Cotta Road. Worldwide, it employs about 12,000 people in 20 countries.

AptarGroup, led by President and CEO Steve Hagge, designs and manufactures dispensing systems for the beauty, personal care, home care, prescription drug, consumer health care, injectables, food and beverage markets. There’s a good chance most Crystal Lake residents have at least one product that contains AptarGroup packaging or dispensing systems in their homes.

The company’s valves and pumps dispense everything from Kraft Food’s liquid water enhancer, Mio, to Lady Gaga’s perfume, Fame, to Tropicana’s Pure Premium Orange Juice.

The city’s largest employer, by number of employees in McHenry County, is Centegra Health System. While many of the nonprofit organization’s employees are based at hospitals in Woodstock and McHenry, the health system’s corporate headquarters is in Crystal Lake. It also has several key health facilities in Crystal Lake, including the Gavers Breast Center, Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center – Crystal Lake and the Crystal Lake Medical Arts building. Centegra employs more than 3,500 people in McHenry County and has revenue of more

than $400 million.

While much attention has been given to the $233 million hospital Centegra is building in Huntley, CEO Michael S. Eesley said Crystal Lake remains a “central focus for Centegra.”

“We are the leading provider of health care in McHenry County, and that means making sure people in Crystal Lake get the services they deserve and need and positioning ourselves so people don’t have to leave the area to get service,” Eesley said.

Eesley called the Gavers Breast Center, a facility at 360 N. Terra Cotta Road in Crystal Lake that is packed with the latest medical technology, a hallmark of Centegra’s commitment to the area.

“It has saved a lot of lives,” he said.

Other large businesses in Crystal Lake include health care products maker Covidien (about 400 employees), Northwest Herald publisher Shaw Media (287 employees), jobsite storage equipment maker Knaack LLC (285 employees), Home State Bank (191 employees), Sage YMCA of Metro Chicago (150 employees), vibratory equipment maker General Kinematics Corp. (148 employees), Althoff Industries Inc. (125 employees) and transportation service provider the Frate Group (106 employees).

TC Industries (formerly American Terra Cotta & Ceramic Co.) has about 500 employees, although it is technically in Prairie Grove.

Other large employers in the city include several auto dealers and big-box retailers such Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Jewel-Osco, Sears, Kmart, hhgregg, Target, Home Depot, Petsmart, Sam’s Club, several auto dealers and a raft of others.

Crystal Lake also has businesses with deep roots, such as Heisler’s Bootery, a family-owned shoe store that has been in business for

32 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13

Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com

more than 100 years; The Herald newspaper, which started in 1875 and continues today as the Northwest Herald; and TC Industries, which traces its roots to 1881.

Other long-standing businesses include Rosenthal Co. and Home State Bank.

Home State Bank started in 1915 and is the area’s largest commercial lender.

It does business with local companies, nonprofits, municipalities and school districts.

“We believe very strongly in relationship banking,” said Patricia Lutz, vice president of the commercial services executive group at Home State Bank. “Home State has always been known for incredible customer service.”

Lutz, who has been with the bank for 35 years, said the institution has grown and changed with the broader McHenry County community. The bank initially served only Crystal Lake but has expanded throughout region. Most of the bank’s directors – and many of its other employees – serve on important local nonprofit boards.

The bank even has a penchant for buying existing buildings in the

Misty Thillen of Trevor, Wisconsin, talks with her radiologist, Dr. Kevin Morley, at the Centegra Gavers Breast Center in Crystal Lake.

communities it serves, including historic properties.

Lutz started as a teller at the drive-thru at Home State Bank.

At one point, her responsibilities included wearing a pager on the weekends so she could be notified if something went wrong with the bank’s first ATM. Banking, she said, has changed significantly over the years, but Home State Bank has kept some things the same.

“We’ve been very proactive in the business community,” she said. “We have the most loyal customers in the world.”

Customers such as Autotrol Corp. appreciate Home State Bank’s service. Autotrol, which started in 1964 in Crystal Lake and is celebrating its 50th anniversary, has 53 employees and makes small motors for a wide range of industries.

“We’ve been with Home State Bank for quite a long time. Being a local small business, it’s the perfect bank for us,” said Roger Wolfe, chief financial officer at Autotrol. “I appreciate that they have very personal service, are very flexible and truly want to help local businesses and the local community.”

Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 33

TERRA COTTA CO. BY CYNTHIA WOLF

Changing face, focus of TC Industries

L

ong before workers began moving tons of steel through the furnaces at TC Industries, a fire of a different sort inspired the prominent local business’ predecessor.

Spring Valley Tile Works was started in 1870 on the site of a former grist mill and one-time sawmill. Workers had been producing drain tile and brick from the local clay for about 11 years when William D. Gates bought the company in 1881, renaming it Terra Cotta Tile Works, according to a timeline included in a 1981 TC Industries centennial celebration publication.

Gates, who later changed the name again to American Terra Cotta & Ceramic Co., capitalized on supplying a construction material demand brought about by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

“They wanted to rebuild Chicago with a material that wouldn’t burn,” Bob Berry said. “And terra cotta was the material at that time.”

Berry is president and chief operating officer of Terra Cotta Realty Co. and brother of George A. Berry IV, TC Industries president. They are the third generation of Berrys to operate the now international company with Crystal Lake-area roots. Their grandfather, George A. Berry Jr., bought it at auction in 1934.

“This is the earliest known picture of what was here, depicting the Spring Valley Tile Works about 1880,” said Bob Berry as he walked along the south wall of the expansive lobby area at TC Industries, just northwest of the intersection of Route 31 and Half Mile Trail.

“These kilns were located right here,” he continued, pointing at huge hive-shaped structures in another enlargement of an old blackand-white photo, and noting they once stood where the company’s modern, glass-walled lobby faces Route 31 today.

The company’s rich history in-

Bob Berry (pictured), president and chief operating officer of Terra Cotta Realty Co., and his brother George A. Berry IV, TC Industries president, are the third generation of Berrys to operate the now international company with Crystal Lake-area roots.

Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com

cludes weathering – and rebuilding after – fires of its own; capturing renown for its ornamental, architectural terra cotta and Teco Pottery; undergoing a Depression-era transfer of the reins and a World War II-spurred shift in manufacturing gears; as well as expanding to become a global heat-treating and cutting-edge tool-making enterprise.

The Prairie Grove headquarters and plant, which today employs about 400 people, pays homage to its past in the sunlit lobby. In it stand large examples of the intricately detailed architectural terra cotta once made by The American Terra Cotta & Ceramic Co. In the lobby, too, are colorful examples of Teco Pottery, produced

by Gates Potteries, a subsidiary of American Terra Cotta & Ceramic Co. Popular at the turn of the century, Teco products included vases of all sizes, jardinières, ash trays, bird baths and much more.

34 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13

“In the mid 1980s, Teco was declared an antique. It’s now valued very highly,” Berry said, adding that Gates often gave Teco pieces to terra cotta customers and distributed it so widely that “any old-timer in Crystal Lake probably has Teco in their home.”

In its day the third largest terra cotta plant in the U.S., complete with its own power-generating house, multiple kilns and scores of workers, The American Terra Cotta & Ceramic Co. declined like so many businesses under the crushing economy of the Great Depression. Gates entered bankruptcy.

Banking attorney George A. Berry Jr. bought the company and reorganized it as American Terra Cotta Corp. in 1934, a year before Gates died.

Like their predecessor, Berry Jr. and his son had an eye for opportunity. During World War II and the run-up to it, the need for heat-treated steel grew exponen-

tially.

Although American Terra Cotta Corp. would return to producing structural clay products for a time after the war, the foundation for today’s TC Industries was laid.

And as steel and glass grew their market share as construction materials, the company phased out its architectural clay works division in the ’60s.

“He had a lot of vision,” Bob Berry said of his father, who died in 2010.

“One of the ways we’ve been successful is to be able to change as business climates changed. If you sit on your achievements, it’s the first sign of business decay.”

TC Industries employs about 620 people worldwide, with a plant in England and two in Canada. Along with heat treating steel products, workers make cutting edges for original equipment manufacturers including Caterpillar, and track shoes for heavy construction equipment.

CRIMINAL PAST BY CHELSEA McDOUGALL

The darker side of Crystal Lake It’s a joke in most newsrooms that the most-read stories are the crime articles and the obituaries.

Here are a couple crime-related stories from Crystal Lake’s past:

marks on her body and evidence of a sexual assault. Her daughter, Lisa, was drowned in a toilet.

Macek then tried to burn down the apartment building, while Lossman’s 9-year-old son slept Richard Otto Macek through it.

He’s described as “baby faced,” Macek escaped police and stybut Richard Otto Macek’s crimes mied detectives until 1977 when were anything but innocent. a forensic odontoligist eventually Macek of McHenry reportedly linked him to the bite marks found killed at least five women, includ- on Nancy Lossman’s breast. ing a young Crystal Lake mother Macek was later sentenced in and her 3-year-old daughter.

Wisconsin for a murder there, and In fall 1974, the grisly double in 1980 sentenced to up to 400 homicide thrust Crystal Lake years for the Lossman murders. detectives into investigating a big- He committed suicide while in city crime. custody in 1987.

Macek killed 27-year-old Nancy Lossman by strangling her with a Lynn Richards Venetian blind cord. She had bite Was it suicide, a tragic accident

or the perfect crime? The mysterious circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a prominent Crystal Lake banker in 1931 baffles historians.

Lynn Richards was the cashier at United States Bank, the city’s largest banking institution. As rumors swirled of the bank’s overlending and other mismanagement, the withdrawals came rolling in.

Without a large secondary reserve, the withdrawals depleted the bank’s funds. The state eventually shuttered the bank (now home to Finn McCool’s in downtown Crystal Lake.)

It was reported that Richards and other bank officers had taken large personal loans from the institution.

Two weeks after the bank closed,

Richards was found dead. Despite everything happening at the bank, glowing newspaper tributes lauded him for his honesty and consideration. Headlines for the embattled cashier proclaimed that his passing “deprives the community of banker and civic leader” and “brings community wide sorrow.” lauded him for his “honesty and consideration of others.”

His body was found lying on a little traveled stretch of road outside of Crystal Lake. It appeared that he stopped to fix a flat tire.

After a coroner’s inquest, his death is listed as “cerebral hemorrhage exhaustin [sic] while changing a tire on auto,” but it was a conclusion left open to the interpretation of historians.

Crystal Lake Herald predecessor to Northwest Herald The origins of the city of Crystal Lake and its daily newspaper have something in common – both were the results of mergers.

The city as we know it today came into existence in 1914, when two villages, Crystal Lake and North Crystal Lake, merged.

While the Northwest Herald traces its lineage back more than 150 years, the paper as we know it was created in the mid-1980s with the merger of eight county publications.

One of them was the Crystal Lake Herald, which got its start in 1875, the year after the two towns that would one day become modern Crystal Lake were incorporated. But the newspaper traces its lineage to the younger of the two.

Publisher Ira M. Malloy started the Nunda Advertiser on Oct. 1, 1875, named after the town of Nunda, which occupied what is today downtown Crystal Lake.

The name was the second for the town, which had been called

“Dearborn” until 1868.

The newspaper changed its name in 1880 to the Nunda Herald. It changed again to the Crystal Lake Herald in 1908, the same year that Nunda’s citizens successfully petitioned to change the town’s name to North Crystal Lake.

Its layout and news content was similar to other small-town newspapers of the day. To save paper it was packed and difficult to read – it reached six columns by the turn of the 20th century. Back then, you made the front page if your family took a shopping trip to Chicago or had relatives visit from out of town. And while the paper, like newspapers today, withheld the names of minors who committed crimes, such action was a formality back in those days because everyone in town knew exactly who did what to whom by the time the paper reached the front doorstep.

In 1914, the big news was the

merger of Crystal Lake and North Crystal Lake into one town, which adopted a city form of government. It shared the front pages that year with the burning down of the city’s last icehouse and the assassination of a little-known archduke that plunged Europe into what historians would later call World War I. The Crystal Lake Herald remained a weekly publication for decades. In 1970, publisher Paul Zilly made the decision to publish the newspaper twice a week.

Another change would come four years later, when the Herald began publishing three days a week and introduced carrier delivery. Customers had become unhappy with mail delivery, which made news outdated by the time they received it, Zilly said in a 2006 interview for the Northwest Herald’s sesquicentennial special edition.

The paper expanded to five days a week in 1978, and in 1981

moved to morning instead of afternoon delivery. But an even bigger change would come two years later.

The B.F. Shaw Printing Co. in 1983 added the Crystal Lake Herald and several others with its acquisition of the Free Press Newspaper Group to which the Herald belonged.

Dixon-based, family-owned Shaw had owned the Woodstock Sentinel and the McHenry Plaindealer since the 1940s, the Harvard Herald since 1967, and in 1970 began publishing the Marengo Beacon News.

Robert A. Shaw became the Crystal Lake Herald’s last publisher as the company began a process to consolidate its publications into one daily newspaper. The newspaper became the Northwest Herald in 1986 with the merger of most of the county’s Shaw publications. The remaining three were merged the following year.

– Kevin P. Craver

Saturday, September 13| Crystal Lake Centennial | 35

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36 | Crystal Lake Centennial | Saturday, September 13