Glimpses of the Past

GLIMPSES OF THE PAST - FULTON

2002: Whiteside Count y Fair names Pat Keegan ‘Friend of the Fair’

60 Years Aug. 1, 1962

Employees of Drives, Inc., voted 51 to 6 against having the International Association of Machinists (AFL-CIO) act as their bargaining agent. The margin against the union was one of the highest ever recorded in the National Labor Relations Board election in this area.

Bud Ver Meer, of Pella, Iowa, a recent graduate from the Seminary at Grand Rapids, Michigan, has accepted a call to the Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Fulton. He will be examined by the Classis Chicago North and will be ordained to the ministry in Fulton at a later date.

50 Years Aug. 2, 1972

An Albany resident was killed and a Missouri resident was injured when a painting scaffold broke loose and slung beneath the girders of Interstate 280, plunging them about 100 feet into the Mississippi River. The Albany man’s body was recovered one hour later after hitting a barge moored beneath the span and then rolling into the water.

Considerations of ways and means for providing improvements to a public swimming pool and updating the city’s street lighting system occupied the attention of the Fulton City Council at its meeting. A proposal for improving the street lighting was presented by a sales engineer with Commonwealth Edison. The proposal was first presented more than a year ago, but action was deferred because the city had more pressing problems.

40 Years Aug. 4, 1982

Steve Zuidema, an enterprising young man who has been a resident of Fulton his entire life, opened a delicatessen in Fulton and is now operating the business under the name Steve’s Deli.

A group of women started a vigorous effort a few weeks ago to get action for improvements on Seventh Avenue. They attended council and committee meetings and were quite vocal in demanding action. They circulated petitions setting forth the merits of their case. Mayor Maliszewski listened to their pleas and promised to do everything he could to help. City officials took a big step toward spending as much as $250,000 for improvements on Seventh Avenue from Fourth to Ninth streets.

30 Years July 29, 1992

Tori Norman, a student at Fulton High School, attended the first Illinois Aerospace Institute held at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She was one of 34 high school students a c c e p t e d t o a t t e n d t h e i n s t i t u t e . Through lectures, labs, projects and presentations, participants explored topics such as the theory of flight, propulsion and aircraft and spacecraft design. “Overall, the Institute was a very good learning experience and it also was a lot of fun,” Norman said.

If some residents have their say, Whiteside County will not be putting a landfill on 400 acres of land east of Morrison. Whiteside County’s present landfill is scheduled to close Sept. 18 and county officials are attempting to enter into an agreement with Waste Management of Illinois to enable that firm to operate a huge new landfill on county land and on land not yet purchased and remove the burden of waste handling to a professional company.

20 Years July 31, 2002

Charles DeClercq of Clinton recently took ownership of the old Martin Hotel on 11th Avenue. The property now will be known as DeClercq’s Apartments. In the short time he has owned it, some enhancements have been made to each apartment and he said he plans to make sure the property is a nice place for his residents to live.

The Whiteside County Fair Board has chosen Francis “Pat” Keegan as the “2002 Friend of the Fair.” The board offers its sincere thanks and appreciation for his friendship, expert advice and 32 years of service on the Whiteside County Fair Board.

10 Years Aug. 1, 2012

Four new Welcome to Fulton signs have been installed. Fulton Chamber p r e s i d e n t G r e g N a f t z g e r a n d J i m B o s m a , o w n e r o f B o s m a - R e n k e s Funeral Homes, showed off one of the signs. The signs were sponsored by the Fulton Chamber of Commerce, Bosma-Renkes Funeral Homes and an anonymous donor.

With Schmaling Library’s current expenses moving to an automated checkout system, the $250 grant presented by Don Johnson to library director Britni Hartman is a welcome financial assistance. FACE celebrated its fifth birthday and Johnson’s named was drawn, which meant he could direct this “instant birthday grant” from the community foundation to any Fulton area organization of his choice.

YOUR HEALTH

Hay fever is one of the most common allergic diseases

By STEPHEN D. HARRISON, M.D.

If you are one of the millions who suffers from allergies, you have noticed that there may be certain times of the year when you have a runny nose, congestion, itching, sneezing, watery eyes, wheezing or other symptoms. This is especially true if you’ve noticed this happening year after year. Even if these symptoms are new to you, it is possible you have an undiagnosed allergy.

While it is largely responsible for hay fever in the Midwest, many other plants besides ragweed cause allergic rhinitis. In fact, in this area, three well-defined pollen seasons exist. The spring season in March and April produces tree pollen, particularly elm, maple, oak, poplar, ash, birch, alder, beech, sycamore, hickory and walnut. During May and June, grasses pollinate. These include orchid grass, blue grass, Timothy and Johnson grass, rye grass, Bermuda grass and redtop. Though the amount of grass pollen, which contaminates the air, is usually less than that of tree pollen, grass is a more prevalent cause of hay fever. The third season and most common is ragweed season, lasting from mid-August to first frost.

Some individuals are unfortunate enough to be allergic to the pollens that invade the air from March to October. Others are allergic to one specific pollen. Sometimes the individual is not sure exactly what he is or is not allergic to. If this is the case, it may be helpful for you to visit your doctor. Testing may need to be done. Before testing, a comprehensive history of your problems will be taken. Your doctor may want to try treatment before extensive testing or go ahead and recommend allergy testing.

Hay fever is one of the most common allergic diseases. If the mere mention of a walk through the woods in mid-August brings tears to your eyes and stuffs up your nose, you are probably a hay fever sufferer. Physicians refer to hay fever as allergic rhinitis, an allergic reaction in the nose causing nasal congestion, itching and sneezing. Hay is not the sole or even major cause of the disease. Most hay fever occurs in susceptible individuals when airborne pollen and old spores are inhaled. The primary source of irritants, which trigger hay fever, are trees, grass and ragweed pollens, mold spores and dust. The most common cause of hay fever is pollen. Pollen is the male fertilizing element of flowering plants, trees and grasses. It consists of fine, powdery grains that are microscopic in size. Butterflies, bees and ants may carry the pollen from tree to flower; however, this pollen is sticky and heavy and cannot get into the air in amounts significant enough to cause hay fever. Pollen transported by air is light and buoyant and easily inhaled, causing hay fever.

Plants that produce lightweight pollens are not colorful or particularly fragrant since they do not depend on attracting insects to help them propagate. In the U.S., the most significant hay fever causing pollen comes from ragweed. Its pollen fills the air in mid-August until the first frost in the Midwest. In fact, as much as a quarter million tons of pollen is distributed into the air during that time.

Ideally the best treatment for airborne pollen would be avoidance. Since this is difficult, treatments including antihistamines are commonly prescribed. These may cause common side effects, which will be discussed in a future article dealing specifically with allergy treatment.