Forty Years Ago

You’re trapped in time four decades ago. It’s a slow spring-into-summer in Forest Park. You fast-forward into 2007 and you’re eyeball to eyeball with a computer screen, trying to knock out this column for the Review. But back then it was another slow year-and with a dearth of non-news staring you down, you begin to get antsy. What do you do? What DO you do? You level with yourself and the reader. You go with what little there was to go on. Here, then, the scorching headlines of yesteryear, 1967.

“Mayor Asks Police to be Patient”-The salary increases hadn’t come. “Parent-Teacher Conferences”-There were a number of parent-teacher conferences. “Meyer Issues Statement”-Mayoral candidate William Meyer chargers (again) that mayor Howard Mohr, also our state senator, was spending too much time in Springfield. “Chamber Party Set for Tuesday”-Our C. of C. was having its yearly hoo-ha. The tradition has been going on since the settlement of Jamestown.

“Council Notes”-Bids to furnish salt for the village streets resulted in identical figures from four bidders-$12.80 a ton. A council spokesman commented, “If this sounds like collusion or an anti-trust move, we’re denying it.”

From the April 4, 1967, Forest Park Review

Thirty Years Ago

If all police reports were as quaint, convenient and casual as this, it would be an easier work week for cops. A woman leaving the Harlem and Lake CTA platform was approached by a derelict who introduced himself thusly: “Hi. This is a stick-up.” Unknown to victim and perpetrator, two Forest Park policemen checking on another sleeping derelict overheard the fellow and quietly took both pests away. Catch one. Get one free.

The severity of that crime indicates little was astir 10 years later. Hence, this column filler: “A motorist stopped for a red light. When the light turned green the driver didn’t budge. Finally, a policeman walked over and asked the driver, “What’s the matter, lady, aren’t there any colors you like?”

From the May 4 and 11, 1977, Forest Park Review

Twenty Years Ago

The police notes presented a fairly accurate picture of a week in the village. This one capsulated the week of March 11, 1987. About the saddest of notes to report is the death of a four-week-old baby girl who was put down for a nap and showed no signs of life when the mother checked on her several hours later. The death was attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Four handguns and a rifle were taken for safekeeping from a 74-year-old retired policeman who had called to report a burglary. The man was holding a gun when police investigated, yet caused no incident when disarmed. His daughter later admitted concern because he suffered from alcoholism and occasional hallucinations.

From the March 18, 1987, Forest Park Review

Ten Years Ago

Columnist John Rice has been writing witty columns on these pages for more than a decade. Most of his stuff is very good; some of it is slightly great. You judge between these samples from his column of April 2, 1997, and the one on page two of last week’s issue. The subject was “Little Things That Make Me Mad.”

The post office instruction: ‘No delivery of mail without a stamp.’ If you haven’t already grasped this principle your mailing privileges should be revoked. Same with shampoo labels that tell you to ‘wet hair before applying.’ Need more be said? And, wrote John, whose bright idea was it to put black-on-black lettering on the back of electronic components? It also annoys him, and I’m sure you, when bus, el or elevator riders push their way in while you’re trying to make way for them by getting off.

From the April 2, 1997, Forest Park Review