Forty Years Ago

“Mayor Locks Down on Pre-council Meetings,” read the headline in the Review. For at least 25 years, the tradition had been that the village council would hold pre-council meetings to (in effect) get their ducks in a row. The fact that these closed warm-up sessions immediately preceded the regular bi-monthly public meetings prompted comments ranging from “Is there some nefarious purpose?” to “It could be a way to have a more orderly meeting.”

Either way, Mayor Mohr put an end to such preliminaries when he said, “It seems like a waste of time because some of the council members often reverse decisions made during the warm-ups.” He declared that “the courtships” were over and that from now on “all business will be presented straight from the floor.” Plain words. Pre-council meetings held without public notice have since become illegal under the Open Meetings Act.

I’m just a country-boy in all this, but still, in the land of free speech, what’s to prevent any two or more members of any organization from discussing matters of business over a cup of coffee at a local snack shop? Maybe Winston Churchill had it right when he said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”

From the Nov. 25, 1965 issue of the Forest Park Review.

Thirty Years Ago

It wasn’t as though the mayor was a member of the Anti-Sex League, but he was just as effective and emphatic. Noting the growing number of “massage parlors” in Chicago and Chicagoland, Howard Mohr put a preventive ordinance in place prohibiting such businesses from operating here. “These places, often calling themselves health spas, cater more toward their clients’ sexual interests rather than their therapeutic needs,” said Mohr. “They’ve been the object of frequent police raids, yet manage for the most part to reopen shortly afterward.”

From the Nov./Dec. 1975 issues of the Forest Park Review.

Twenty Years Ago

Dear Sally: Why is it that every time I fall in love it’s with a man who’s already married? I’ve had tree dates now with a married man who has made it clear he has no intention of breaking up his marriage. This is my fourth experience of this kind, and I don’t know what to do. Please comment.”Nowheresville.”

“Dear Nowhere: People who persistently embark on collision courses are usually in need of psychiatric treatment. Possibly, married men attract you because they present more of a challenge. If this is true it’s time you grew up. Babies are attracted by toys out of their reach. Then, usually, when they succeed in getting them, the toys become less attractive.”

And just what movies took you to the theaters 20 years ago, when VHS was in its infancy? “To Live and Die in L.A,” with William Peterson and William Dafoe…”Death Wish 3″ with Charles Bronson… “After Hours,” with Scorsese directing…”Target” a tawdry el-cheapo from Down Under…”The Jagged Edge” with Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close.

From the Nov./Dec. 1985 issues of the Forest Park Review.

Ten Years Ago

Al Buerger was a Forest Park school teacher for nearly a quarter century who retired about ten years ago, and lives now in Lyons with the latest in his series of “good dogs.” He wrote occasional columns for the Review. This one was a genial, but slanted, comparison between a couple of places he had lived”Forest Park and Oak Park. Here he is, excerpted:

Oak Parkers lean toward political liberalism; Forest Parkers tend to go the other way. Recently, our neighbor to the east declared bake sales unlawful. Gambling in church basements is OK there, but Grandma’s brownies won’t see the light of day for a good cause. In Forest Park we’d never consider raiding bake sales” just nude theatrical productions.

Forest Parkers tend to look on Oak Parkers as rich, liberal idealists, complete with lawn service; while Oak Parkers see us as a Mecca for blue collar workers who have at least six relatives in town.

It goes on, but this column doesn’t.

Who Remembers? fuzzy trolls … furry dashboard dice … 45 rpm records with a half dollar-size hole … narrower-designed cars that let you pass oncoming traffic without braking… Andy Richter … Andy Kaufman … Andy Robustelli … Andy Williams … Andy Rooney … Andy Griffith … Andy Capp … clean-cut weatherman, Andy Avila … Amos.

From the Nov. 15, 1995 issue of the Forest Park Review.