Forty Years Ago

No one is trying to be disrespectful or capitalize on the misfortune of others-but look at this casualty list from one 1968 issue of the Review: Olaf Hanson, 94, 444 DesPlaines, broke his hip and was taken to Oak Park Hospital by officer Kline … Ralph Imbo, 84, of 601 Elgin, lost control of his walker when he got dizzy, and bumped his head against a sharp corner. He was treated at Oak Park Hospital for a head laceration … Alyce Larsen, 77, of 7221 Madison, suffered a possible stroke Thursday and was taken to the same hospital by officers Sawusch and Archambault.

Makes you wonder how old poet Robert Browning was when he wrote, “Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be… .” Just checked my Bartlett’s. He was 52. Far too experienced for such a blanket statement.

From the July 18, 1968 Forest Park Review

Thirty Years Ago

Another July article 10 years later all but kissed good-bye to an American institution-our good friend, the tea kettle. For openers, the report stated that this handy kitchen utensil might already by whistling its swan song. It went on to say that the next revolutionary “in” item would be a hot water dispenser capable of providing water at 190-200 degrees Fahrenheit. Instantly.

Back in those wonder years of freeze-dried everything and instant anything, the prediction looked like a shoo-in. Yet, it never really caught on. The trusty, old teapot held its own against the trends of a formidable future, and remains a fixed member of most families. So next time you hear whistling from the kitchen, remember, it could be Stephen Wright who just found something to mix with his powdered water.

From the July 5, 1978 Forest Park Review

Twenty Years Ago

Two cemeteries, two incidents incident number one occurred just two minutes before midnight across the street from Waldheim Cemetery when Benjamin Hartsfield, 22, of Chicago turned south off Roosevelt Rd. onto Desplaines Ave. For no known reason, his 1980 Oldsmobile veered across the northbound lanes, crashed through a fence and impacted a loading dock at the bulk mail plant. Taken to Loyola Hospital, Hartsfield never regained consciousness.

The same week, Scott Jesuit, 17, of Forest Park was injured when he fell from the power mower he was riding at the Forest home Cemetery. The mower ran over him, cutting his right leg above the knee and nearly severing a toe on his left foot. A Loyola Hospital spokesman later reported Jesuit to be in good condition with lacerations and a broken leg.

From the Aug. 3, 1998 Forest Park Review

Ten Years Ago

Editor Ken Trainor did a feature on one of our local bird sanctuaries, Concordia Cemetery. Hey, why not? It’s as peaceful and tranquil a place as any for observing our feathered friends. Ken focused the story on Bob Morgan, an Englishman who lived just across Madison St. in River Forest and taught Biology at nearby Loyola University.

The intrepid editor learned from Morgan the difference between a birdwatcher and a birder. The birdwatcher watches birds. The birder carries “binocs,” camera, his or her Roger Tory Peterson bird book, and a notepad. He or she longs to note, perhaps, the sighting of the ever-elusive Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Gulp!) or at least a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. While your typical birdwatcher might say, “Hm,” Wow!” or “That’s nice,” your true birder is ready to categorize, document, photograph, if possible, and notify the proper ornithological authorities. Pronto.

Wish I was there at the interview. I’d try to fool the professor with a question like, “Have you ever noticed how at migration time the geese form their lovely, ragged V on high? Why, then, is one string of the V longer?” Answer: There are more geese in that string.

From the May 13, 1998 Forest Park Review

Bob was born in Yonkers, N.Y., in 1932. His family encouraged him to join the Air Force (ours) during the Korean War. There, he fell into the clutches of Barbara Miles. They still have two world-class daughters, Jill and Cara. “Each of the four of us likes the other three of us,” says Bob.