40 Years Ago

This one is word-for-word from the desk of Editor Claude Walker Jr.’s “Personal Observations” column.

“Good old Danny Cook! Maybe you never heard of him, but he was a brilliant, ambitious kid. Dan’s parents couldn’t give him much of an education, but they did get him through grade school. This was back in the 1800s. He came to the “Illinois Territory” and, while working at a grocery store, studied law. Dan later met the territory governor, and married his daughter. This exposure to politics led him to the U. S. Congress at age 23. His first Congressional act was to seek statehood for Illinois. Through a lot of maneuvering he was able to accomplish this. President Monroe approved Illinois as the 21st state on Dec. 3, 1818. Dan died at 33 …”

They named the largest county in the state after him.

From the Aug. 1, 1968, Forest Park Review

30 Years Ago

Ding ding! Just who was that mystery man? He was last seen in town during the late 1970s, yet he and his fellow tradesmen had been making visits to Forest Park prior to 1900. If you’re old enough you probably first heard, then saw him pushing his cart down the sidewalk, ringing his bell. His grinding wheel spun as he sharpened the cutting edges of knives, scissors, mower blades and garden tools.

By the way, the knife sharpener of yesteryear chose not to disclose his name, but did admit to living in Chicago. Regardless, in the tradition of Bob Hope, some of us can say, “Thanks for the memories.”

From the Aug. 7, 1978, Forest Park Review

20 Years Ago

The unfairness of life and the numbing shock of death, especially that of a 4-year-old, can overwhelm. It happened at that curve on the 1000 block of Desplaines Avenue on a rainy Friday morning. Irene Zielinski and her son, Eric, from Mundelein, were traveling south when her car apparently skidded on a slick oil patch, fishtailed into the oncoming northbound lane and was broadsided by a car driven by a 72-year-old Bloomingdale man.

Fire department reports said her son suffered a large cut to the side of his face, a serious eye injury and a broken leg. Both were unconscious when the ambulance arrived.

Eric had stopped breathing on the way to the hospital, was resuscitated briefly, then died upon arrival. His mother was in fair condition at Loyola, and the other driver did not require hospitalization. No seat belts in the Zielinski car had been fastened.

From the Aug. 17, 1988, Forest Park Review

10 Years Ago

All hell broke loose when Michael Lopez, 41, pulled into the south parking lot of the CTA Blue Line terminus at 4:45 p.m. to wait for his wife. Instead of engaging in “park,” his minivan rolled forward with the driver at the wheel, jumped a 9-inch curb, plowed through a glass wall and sped into – and out of – the break room, dragging along scores of employee lockers while injuring one worker. Not quite through, the vehicle then struck a female passerby as it exited the north wall finally coming to a stop in the bus lanes.

Both a CTA official and police patrolman Steve Zanoni confirmed Lopez’s claim that a stuck throttle apparently caused the runaway mishap. The official also commented that had the accident occurred 15 minutes later a rush hour crowd would have been at risk.

Both victims were treated at Loyola Hospital for non-life threatening injuries and preliminary damages exceeded $5,000.

From the July 22, 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.