Update from "Chatsworth Illinois Memories" From www.pantagraph.com Chatsworth school among area honorees By Phyllis Coulter | pcoulter@pantagraph.com | Posted: Friday, February 26, 2010 7:46 pm | CHATSWORTH — For the second year in a row, Chatsworth Grade School has received double honors for academic achievement as part of the state honor roll. Several other schools also were honored. Chatsworth is part of Prairie Central School District, based in Fairbury. It is one of five schools in the state to earn both the Spotlight Schools and Academic Excellence awards. Some 975 schools are listed on the 2009 Honor Roll, which is overseen by the Illinois State Board of Education and Northern Illinois University. Chatsworth’s 145 pre-kindergarten to fourth- grade students have a poverty rate of about 70 percent. Despite that, “we set our expectations high and students meet them,” said Principal Karen Hazelrigg. In Downs, both Tri-Valley elementary and middle schools earned the Academic Excellence award. Superintendent Curt Simonson said the high school again has been cited among the top 25 high schools in Illinois and was nominated for the prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award. The Illinois Honor Roll has three categories. “Spotlight Schools” have more than half of the students from low-income families and more than 70 percent met or exceeded standards in state tests. “Academic Excellence” schools have sustained high performance, with more than 90 percent meeting or exceeding state standards on standardized tests for more than three years. “Academic Improvement” schools showed at least a 7.5-point improvement in state test scores in both reading and mathematics between 2008 and 2009, or at least a 15-point improvement in state test scores in both reading and mathematics since 2007. In Central Illinois, 35 schools were honored. They were: Academic Improvement: Gridley Grade School; Deland-Weldon, Dwight, LeRoy and Tremont high schools. Spotlight Schools: Bent, Irving and Sheridan elementary schools, Bloomington; Central School, Pontiac; Centennial, Kimes, and Oakland Park elementary schools, Streator; Emden Elementary; Northwest Elementary, Lincoln; Chatsworth Grade School. Academic Excellence: Central Intermediate School, Washington; Chatsworth Grade School; Colene Hoose, Grove, Fox Creek, Northpoint, and Prairieland elementary schools, Unit 5 (Normal); Grundy, Lincoln, and Jefferson elementary schools, and Morton Junior High, Morton; Lexington elementary and high schools; Lincoln Elementary, Pontiac; Meadowbrook Elementary, Forrest; Olympia West Elementary, Minier; Stevenson Elementary, Bloomington District 87; Tremont elementary and middle school; Tri-Valley elementary and middle school, Downs. On the Net: Posted in Education, Local, News on Friday, February 26, 2010 7:46 pm |
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Chatsworth Grade School Wins Again !
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Barrett's 50th Anniversary
Update from "Chatsworth Illinois Memories" From www.pantagrph.com 50th for Jerry, Carolyn Barrett CHATSWORTH -- Jerry and Carolyn Barrett of Chatsworth will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a party given by friends in Naples, Fla. Barrett and Carolyn Blasingim were married Feb. 20, 1960, at Church of Christ, Guthrie. Their attendants were Carolyn Welborn Rinkenberger and Sonny Bachman. They are the parents of Duane Barrett, Harvest, Ala., and Melissa Berry, Bloomington. They have four grandchildren. He retired in 2000 as a truck driver after 35 years with Swing Transfer, Forrest; Nussbaum Trucking, Normal; and Pittsburgh Tube, Fairbury. She is semi-retired as a licensed insurance agent, having worked for Shafer-Pearson Agency, Chatsworth; Ideal Insurance Agency, Lombard; and Snyder Insurance, Bloomington.
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Class of 1890 Commencement Program
Update from "Chatsworth Illinois Memories Class of 1890 Commencement Program Ninth Annual Commencement of the Chatsworth High School on Wednesday Eve., June 11, 1890 Class of '90 Jessie WATSON Emma J. BROBST Clarence H. SMITH Bessie M. LARNED M. Josie FITZMAURICE Robert TAGGERT Motto: "Rowing, not drifting" Class Flower: Syringa PROGRAM Quartette-"Warm Spring Days"..McLaughlin Mrs. H. M. BANGS, Miss Grace SEARS, Messers. H. M. BANGS and O. B. STRAIGHT Invocation..Rev. J. W. MCGOWAN Piano Solo-"Musette Di Nina"..Louis Strack Ora G. SMITH Salutatory,* and Oration - "What Shall We Do?" Jessie WATSON Oration - "Light, More Light" Bessie M. LARNED Oration - "Spectacles" M. Josie FITZMAURICE Vocal Solo-"The Message"..Blumenthal Mrs. H. M. BANGS Oration - "Is the Study of Science Practical?" Clarence H. SMITH Oration - "Morning, Noon and Evening" Emma J. BROBST Oration - "Life Is a School", and Valedictory* Robert TAGGERT Male Quartette-"Sweet Home"..Heath Messrs. HEALD, HABERKORN, ROYAL, and BUSHWAY Presentation of Diplomas Quartette-"Where Rippling Waters Flow"..White Mrs. H. M. BANGS, Miss Grace SEARS, Messrs. H. M. BANGS and O. B. STRAIGHT Benediction - Rev. W. D. H. YOUNG *Elected by class *********** From: http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.illinois.counties.livingston/1252/mb.ashx
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Sunday, February 21, 2010
Pantagraph Article on Ted Takasaki
Update from "Chatsworth Illinois Memories" By Scott Richardson | Sunday, February 21, 2010 - 7:00 am It’s funny how events we expect to be routine can turn out to change our lives. That was true about a fishing trip I took in March 1992. I was looking for stories for Hook, Line & Sinker, the fishing column that appears on Thursdays in the sports section. I phoned Bob “Kaz” Kaczkowski and his wife, Bev, who ran the Masters Walleye Circuit, which begins its season every year with a March event at Spring Valley on the Illinois River. I asked them to hook me up with a MWC angler, preferably one from Illinois, who could take me fishing on the river for a story. I remember Kaz said, “I know just the guy.” The guy turned out to be Ted Takasaki, a native of Chatsworth in Livingston County. He became one of my best friends. We’ve written articles together for some of the largest fishing magazines in North America for the past 18 years. That’s why I was ecstatic when he phoned recently to say he’d been voted as a “legendary angler” into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wis. Just 121 anglers have reached that pinnacle since the Hall was founded in the early 1980s. When we met, Ted was just 34, a computer systems salesman with Hewlett Packard based in Chicago. His fishing partner was John Campbell, who also worked for Hewlett Packard. They’d fished together since they met at the University of Illinois. They’d decided to enter the MWC event on a lark a few years earlier when they saw a booth about it at a sports show. The Takasaki/Campbell team reigned as the 1991 MWC Team of the Year when we first shook hands at the dock at Barto’s Landing in Spring Valley. One year Ted won Top Gun honors for being the most consistent angler in the Professional Walleye Tour. Another year, he won the PWT championship. He set a one-day record for the PWT on Lake Erie with five fish over 50 pounds. More recently, he’s among the top competitors on the FLW Walleye Tour. He’s a familiar face on many top fishing shows on television. He left the computer business and was president of Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle until this year after the company was sold. You might not expect someone born in downstate Illinois to become one of the most famous walleye fishermen in America, a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame with people like Al and Ron Lindner, Spence Petros and a small hand-picked group of others, including Bill Binkleman, Babe Winkelman and Bill Dance. Ted’s dad taught him to fish for bluegills and bass in farm ponds near Chatsworth. Today, Ted is possibly the most versatile walleye fisherman in America. His expert fishing knowledge, coupled with his ready smile and upbeat personality, make him an exemplary ambassador for the sport. Legendary anglers are people who’ve made a lasting contribution to fishing. I know he’s made a lasting contribution to my life. I’m proud to call him friend. Learn more about the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame at www.freshwater-fishing.org. Scott Richardson is Pantagraph outdoor editor. Contact him at (309) 820-3227 or e-mail srichardson@pantagraph.com. Share stories and read past outdoor and fishing columns at www.pantagraph.com/blogs. |
Saturday, February 20, 2010
George Evans Obit and Article
From "Chatsworth Illinois Memories" From www.pantagraph.com Unit 5's longest serving superintendent dies Friday By Phyllis Coulter | pcoulter@pantagraph.com | Posted: Friday, February 19, 2010 6:30 pm |
NORMAL — The longest serving superintendent in Unit 5 school district history, and the man for whom the district’s new junior high school is named, died Friday. George L. Evans, 81, of Normal, died at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, surrounded by his family. “No single person has made a larger impact on Unit 5 in its 61-year history than George Evans,” said Superintendent Gary Niehaus. “George worked hard to build coalitions between community groups, which still exist today. His leadership in the community and district is unmatched.” Evans started as a math teacher at Normal Community High School in 1954, and coached football there. He was later named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He became Unit 5 superintendent in 1967, and continued in that position for 17 years, until 1985. “He had tremendous respect,” said Loren Lay who served as a school board member when Evans was superintendent. “Ironically, he was also my high school football coach,” Lay said. “He was very fair and honest. He knew how to balance the best interests of students, of teachers and taxpayers,” Lay said. “Sometimes when you called the Unit 5 office, he answered the phone,” Lay recalls. In November, school board members honored Evans by naming the George L. Evans Junior High School after him. It is now under construction in Bloomington and is scheduled to open in August 2011. Members of the community and his family, including his wife, Harriet Evans, attended a reception in his honor. At the time, he said, “I am truly honored. I feel like I share this with many dedicated teachers and really great administrators. If a superintendent doesn’t have those, he doesn’t have anything.” Earlier this month, he toured the school site and “was amazed at the design and the progress on the school” said Unit 5 spokeswoman Dayna Brown. His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, Bloomington. A private family burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, Normal. Visitation is from 2 to5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. NORMAL — George L. Evans, 81, Normal, died peacefully at 8:02 a.m. Friday (Feb. 19, 2010) at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Normal, surrounded by his family. His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home, Bloomington, with the Rev. Dr. Randall K. Perry officiating. A private family burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Normal. Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Community Cancer Center, Normal. George was born Sept. 4, 1928, in Lake Forest, the son of John Lewis and Blodwen Roberts Evans. He married his high school sweetheart, Harriet Johnson, on Nov. 19, 1949, in Lake Forest. She survives. He is also survived by one daughter, Susan (Doug) Schultz, San Angelo, Texas; two sons, Michael (Shari) Evans and Bruce (Jeanine) Evans, both of Bloomington; seven grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; and one sister, Margaret “Betty” Eul, Longboat Key, Fla. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Virginia Pett. George was a U.S. Army veteran, serving at Fort Knox, Ky. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from Lake Forest College in 1951 and his master’s degree in educational administration from Illinois State University. George began his professional career teaching and coaching at Chatsworth High School. In 1954, he came to Normal Community High School, where he first served as head football coach and math teacher, later becoming assistant principal. He was the assistant superintendent for Unit 5 School District and later became superintendent, where he served for 17 years, before retiring in 1985. After his retirement, George was named president of Citizens Savings and Loan, where he had also served on the board of directors. George was named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall Of Fame. He enjoyed traveling, was an avid golfer who often said that that he played golf every day that ended in “Y.” He was a member of Bloomington Country Club. The family would like to thank each of the physicians who cared for him throughout his illness. A special thank you is also extended to the nurses and staff at the Community Cancer Center and the Neuro Specialty Care Unit of Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, for providing loving care and support to George and his family. Posted in Obituaries on Saturday, February 20, 2010 12:00 am
 George L. Evans
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Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Corner Drug Store Article
From http://thebugle.com Corner Hardware Store is one advantage of small town living. Rita and Snooky help area projects run smoothly with specialty orders and customized stock.
by Jolene Ridder@thebuglenews.com The Corner Hardware Store in Chatsworth is more than a place to buy a can of paint.The shop offers a variety of materials at a convenient location for area residents, as well as a meeting place forthe locals. The owner Cary“Snooky” Dehm bought the store hoping to make getting hardware handy for the small, rural community. “I bought the business because I wanted to keep it in town,”Dehm said. He knows the value of having a hardware store handy while working on a project. “At first I was one of my best customers,” Dehm joked.The store increased inventory as needed under Dehm’s ownership. “Lastyear I sold a lot of concrete mix because three houses in town needed foundation repairs,” Dehm said.Handling lumber was in his best interest. His manager Rita Dunn said,“We will carry a little bit of lumber for the local people who are in the middle of a project and find out that they need some more. Then they donot have to leave town to go get it,” Dunn said. The store added farm oil and springtime yard materials as well.The winter weathercan contribute to project standstills. This affects the bottom line at the register. “The weather has been so cold, I do not think people wanted to come out to get stuff,” Dunn said.Knowing what to order and overseeing fellow employees comes natural for Dunn. She worked for Max Moore, the previous owner, who called the store Moore Hardware. He and Dunn arranged a schedule. “I ran the store half the time, and Rita ran it the other half of the time. Until the last five years, I had a secretary,Shirley Haberkorn.She owned the business before I bought it,”Moore explained.Unlike Moore, Dehm does not spend a lot of time in the store. “Rita and I make business decisions together, and I go in to place orders,”Dehm said.He simply does not have the extra time. Dunn listed all of his other responsibilities. “He drives a shuttle to the airport, he drives a charter bus, he farms, and he is very involved at the American Legion Hall,”she said.Dehm added, “I do not have much free time.” He checked her availability before he entered the purchase agreement.“She said she would run the business if I bought it,” Dehm said.The added hours agree with Dunn. “Sometimes people call me at home and ask me to open the store because they need something when they are in the middle of a project.I do whatever I can to accommodated them,”Dunn said. The town of Chatsworth helps the store move inventory. “The town is trying to save money, so they are doing more of the work themselves. They need a place to buy their hardware,” Dehm said. It is a hub to those who frequent there. “When I owned it, there were quite a few people who would hang around a visit when they came in to get stuff,” Moore said. Dunn, a lifetime Chatsworth resident, considers that one of the fringe benefits. |
Gerald Hummel Obit
From Chatsworth Illinois Memories website: CHATSWORTH — Gerald F. Hummel, 87, Chatsworth, died at 12:37 a.m. Monday (Feb. 15, 2010) at Fairview Haven Nursing Home, Fairbury. His funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Martin Funeral Home, Chatsworth, with the Rev. Ted Kalkwarf officiating. Burial will be in Chatsworth Cemetery. Friends may call from 11:30 a.m. until the time of the service on Saturday at the funeral home. Memorials in Gerald’s name may be left to Chatsworth Public Library. Gerald was born May 14, 1922, at Chatsworth, a son of Frank and Lena Hornickel Hummel. Gerald is survived by 17 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters. He was educated in Chatsworth schools and was a farmer. He was also employed at Diller Tile in Chatsworth. He was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Chatsworth. Gerald was a member of the Central States Archaeological Society, where he was featured in the No. 7 Volume of Who’s Who of Indian Artifacts Collection. He was involved in sports programs and was an avid bowler. This obituary may be viewed and private condolences left at www.martin-funeralhomes.com. Posted in Obituaries on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 12:00 am |
Monday, February 15, 2010
2 new Links added
From "Chatsworth Illinois Memories" Update Area farms highlighted here. Greater Livingston County Economic Development Council Find info here on Chatsworth, including a town profile and businesses for sale. Be sure to check out all the pages. |
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Gwendolyn (Beck) Evans Obit
From www.legacy.com Gwendolyn Beck Evans GWENDOLYN BECKEVANS, 84 Standard Oil Company LAKELAND - Gwendolyn Beck Evans, 84, of Lakeland, went to be with her Savior on Wednesday, February 10, 2010, due to heart failure. Gwenn was born on September 26, 1925, in Chatsworth, Illinois. She was the valedictorian of her high school class. She worked in a war bond office and later at Standard Oil Company in Whiting, Indiana, where she met her husband, Leonel E. Evans. Gwenn and Lee were married May 18, 1947, and their marriage lasted 58 years. They had seven children. The couple moved to Lakeland in 1978 from South Holland, Illinois. Gwenn loved her family and enjoyed helping other people, traveling, sewing, knitting and crocheting. She made hundreds of Project Linus quilts which were given to abused and hospitalized children. She loved the Lord and enjoyed reading her Bible and Christian biographies. She was a member of Lakeland Bible Church. Gwenn was preceded in death by her husband, Leonel, in 2005, her sisters Virginia Beck, Blanche Lane, Janette Curtis and Corrine Cavanaugh and grandson Jonathan Busby. She is survived by her brothers Thomas Beck, John Robert Beck, and William Beck and her children Leonel (Linda) Evans, Carol (Richard) McDonald, Joyce (Daniel) Busby, Ronald (Denise) Evans, Dolores (Gregg) DuBois, Andrea (Thomas) Locklear, Ted (Cathy) Evans; grandchildren: Alanna, Julia, Lee III, Erin, Megan, Matthew, Grant, Teresa, Jennifer, Jaime, Courtney, Brianne, Brandon, Chelsea, Graham, Emily, Carmen, Ashley and Joshua; great-grandchildren Shaina, Danny, Anthony and Kayleigh. Visitation will be at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, February 14, with funeral service at 3 at Lakeland Funeral Home 2125 S. Bartow Hwy, Lakeland. Interment will be private. Family and friends will gather at Lakeland Bible Church, 1725 Parker Road after the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be sent to Lakeland Bible Church for missions, PO Box 7212, Lakeland FL 33807. |
Monday, February 8, 2010
Charles Barton, Jr. Obit
Chatsworth, Ill. - Charles “Chuck” O. Barton Jr., 46, of Chatsworth, died at 1:06 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Mo. |
Robert Thomsen Obit
John James Mauritzen Obit
From Chatsworth Illinois Memories From: www.pantagraph.com CHATSWORTH — John James “Jim” Mauritzen, formerly of Chatsworth, husband of Patricia Mauritzen, passed away peacefully Tuesday (Feb. 2, 2010) at his home in Palm Desert, Calif., following a long battle with cancer. A private memorial service will be held at St. Margaret’s, Palm Desert, at a later date. Memorials can be made to the Visiting Nurses Association Hospice; the American Cancer Society; Martha’s Village; or the Red Cross. Jim was born March 3, 1931, in Bloomington, to James A. and Teresa Mauritzen. He grew up in Chatsworth. Jim attended St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Jim served in the U.S. Navy from 1951 to 1955. He was attached to the Carrier Air Group II and V.C. 3 Squadron from Moffet Field, Calif., and made three cruises to the Far East during the Korean conflict. After discharge from the Navy, he returned to Illinois and worked in retail and insurance. He returned to California in 1962 and worked for the Broadway & Buffums Department Stores, and then the Bernhard Ulman Co. In 1979 he moved to the Hughes Aircraft Company in El Segundo where he retired in 1989. In 1991 the Mauritzens moved from their home in Rancho Palos Verdes to Palm Desert where they have lived for over 11 years. Jim’s hobbies were reading, walking, USC football, and investment research. Jim is survived by his wife of 41 years, Pat; his sister, Mary Ann (Robert), Chatsworth; his brother, the Rev. Joseph Howard Mauritzen, M.D., Woods Hole, Mass.; and niece and nephews Cynthia Bray, Redgranite, Wis.; James Dehm, Jacksonville, Fla.; and Randal (Delaine) Dehm, Peoria. Posted in Obituaries on Saturday, February 6, 2010 12:00 am |
LeRoy Flessner Obit
New Ted Takasaki Article
Published February 3, 2010 Longtime Lindy ally and walleye fishing great Ted Takasaki has been inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Angler.
"I'm deeply honored at recognition of this magnitude," said Takasaki. "And I'm still amazed that a small-town kid like me could join an elite group of just 121 anglers in the Hall of Fame." Originally from Chatsworth, Illinois, Takasaki has at age 52 etched a name for himself in fishing history. His career is marked by a successful blend of fishing-related venues including high-level tournament competitions, TV appearances, how-to CDs and videos, seminar appearances and outdoor writing. Takasaki's love of fishing began at an early age, pursuing bluegills and bass at Dawson Lake, Illinois, with his father. His first competitive venture was a Masters Walleye Circuit tournament on the Illinois River in 1988. "Partner John Campbell and I didn't weigh a single fish," he laughs. "We called it the Mud Bowl, because the river was flooded and muddy. Out of 200 teams only 83 fish were caught." From those humble beginnings he went on to earn more than 30 top-10 finishes in major walleye tournaments, including first place in the FLW Outdoors Walleye Tour stop on the Mississippi River at Red Wing, Minnesota, in 2009 and the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) Championship on the Missouri River at Bismarck, North Dakota, in 1998. "Lindy has been a part of my life for a long time," he reflected. "Twenty-some years ago when I was living in the Chicago area, I attended Spence Petros' fishing classes, back when Spence was a Lindy manufacturer's rep, and he taught me a lot about fishing. Plus, Lindy was my first sponsor, I served as Lindy president from 1999 to 2009, and I won the PWT Championship on a Lindy Fuzz-E-Grub." Today, Takasaki resides in Brainerd, Minnesota, and remains a key part of the Lindy team. "Ted's an amazing ambassador for the fishing industry," says Lindy public relations manager Dan Johnson. "His love of the sport and his devotion to teaching anglers how to catch more fish and have more fun are second to none." Located in Hayward, Wisconsin, the Hall of Fame (www.freshwaterfishing.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation, fishing and the recognition of those who have made significant contributions to the sport. |
