Forty Years Ago
Jeffrey Feldman, 17, son of Jerry Feldman, owner of Forest Liquors on Madison St.,started the new year off by”surviving! He was skin diving off the coast of Florida with friends from Niles High School. Their boat sank, leaving Jeff and his party afloat in some rough waters for three hours before an American oil tanker picked them up. Jeff said they were never in serious trouble and told the captain that his father always bought his gasoline from a Standard service station, always expected more from Standard and this time “He really got it!”
From the Jan. 6, 1966 issue of the Forest Park Review.
Thirty Years Ago
A follow-up Letter-to-the-Editor re the Ending Tavern hostage shootout from Chief of Police Richard Drane:
“The courage displayed by the young lady [Nancy Coppage] who was taken hostage was magnificent. I personally believe her courage contributed greatly to the apprehension of the perpetrator without injury to anyone. The restraint exercised by the police officers in not returning the gunfire indicates professionalism at its highest. And the cooperation of the River Forest and Oak Park Police Departments was outstanding. Time and again our three departments have shared mutual aid and on every occasion professionalism prevailed.”
-Richard E. Drane, Chief of Police.
From the December 1975 issues of the Forest Park Review.
Twenty Years Ago
The 1985 Chicago Bears were arguably the greatest professional football team ever. Yet before they took it all in the Super Bowl something was taken from them in the closing games of December. Someone took an oversized Bears helmet from one of the lions in front of the Art Institute. It was a mystery for four days.
Then Officers Albert Tagliola and Dave Prewisch, acting on a telephone tip, came upon the helmet just off the street at the east end of Greenberg (Cemetery) Road at the south end of town. It wouldn’t fit in a police car, so a Forest Park fire engine hauled it back to the “Toot.” Not all a bad thing, because our village made it big on the ten o’clock news and some slow news stations carried the story throughout the country.
From the Dec. 18, 1985 issue of the Forest Park Review.
Ten Years Ago
Signs of hope. In a 1995 year-end editorial Editor Paige Fumo made the following observations about the village. How much was realized? You call it:
• Retail is looking up on Madison St. There are no signs that old favorites like Trage Bros., Peaslee Ace Hardware, Krader-Wolf and Granma’s Goldies will leave.
• District 209 (Proviso Township High School) had adopted a goal of balancing the budget before the year 2000.
• More idiots who over-imbibe are getting arrested. Maybe the message will get out that our village isn’t just a strip of bars.
• The sewers in town are in need of repair. When April showers come, maybe there’ll be fewer soaked basements.
Who Remembers?Jack Frost’s paint brush … Fibber McGee’s closet … Dorothy’s red shoes … Yogi Berra’s logic (“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”) … comedians Corbett Monica … Godfrey Cambridge … Kelly Montieth … Robert Klein … Flip Wilson … Yakov Smirnoff … Charlie Manna … Redd Foxx … Stella & Meara … Phil Ford & Mimi Hines … Jackie Miles … Jackie Vernon.
From the December 24, 1995 issue of the Forest Park Review.
