Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 49

Decatur, Illinois, rSunlay 24, 1974 DECATUR SUNDAY HERALD AND REVIEW Barrier-Free Community Sought barriers 1 at the Elks Club? Or trying to architectural Decatur. vote with a high curb and between the Letters To The Editor several stairs mayor and the voting To the Editor: Your recent pictorial feature on a game Mayor Rupp in a wheelchair was great. It was especially appreciated by those of us who everyday share his frustrations about unnecessary barriers to wheelchair travel. If we had set up his route, we might have complicated it a bit. For example, we might have invited the mayor to meetings at the Keil Building downstairs at the Masonic Trmple, or to the wedding of a friend at St.

Patrick's Church (up the recently completed front stairs, or to a play at Albert The picture of Mayor Rupp finally leaving the wheelchair behind and walking up the long flight of stairs to the City Council chambers was dramatic. Either nobody volunteered to haul the mayor up those stairs in his chair, or being a sensible person he didn't want to risk his well -being or anybody else's health. We have some suggestions to deal with the problem of Brownies Had Fun 1. A comprehensive ordinance regarding architectural barriers which closes some of the loopholes in the state act was presented by the Jaycees' Project Breakthrough to the city planning body last year, but still has not been acted upon. This ordinance is similar to ones passed, or in process of passage, in Springfield.

Blonmington, Rockford. Champaign and Urbana. I't's pet this moving again in Decatur. 2. How about holding public meetings in places accessible to all the public? For example, hold meetings of the City Council, School Board, and Human Relations Commission in a place such as the Public Library auditorium, which is well planned for accessibility.

3. Now that the Mayor has good naturedly experienced the travails of wheelchair Taylor Hall. How about lunch Mother Wants Best Possible Environment Tn the Editor: Mrownie Troop KM) would publicly like to thank Clarence Young and his son of Blue Mound for showing us their farm. Their time and effort made 17 little Brownies very happy. It's nice to know people like the Youngs can stop their busy schedule to help others.

Blue Mound should be proud of the Young Families. The leaders had-fun. too. Mrs. JoAnn Skidmore Mrs.

Linda Patterson Mrs. Marge Braizer Decatur Congratulations to CURB" (Citizens Urging Photo by Karen EKhout Americana Nursing Center Hendricks, Mrs. Mary Fitzgerald and Mrs. Helcne (from left): Mrs. Vella Fern Spangler, Mrs.

Jennie Datis. SHATvlN'G THEIR memories ef past Thanksgiving holidays were these four residents of the Four Ladies Remember Thanksgivings Past travel, we call upon him and the city planners to lead in earnest the effort to eradicate unnecessary barriers, and to work toward a barrier free community. There is a meeting for anybody interested in this problem at the Decatur Evaluation Center, 1450 E. North at 7 p.m., on Monday, Nov. 2-, 1974.

Fran Laswell. Jack Gcnskow, Joe Mast. Tom Taylor, Doug and Norma VanSelow. Jim Drenan Decatur About Letters Letters to the editor must carry7 a written signarure and a street address or rural route number. The writer must permit use of his name Letters ot 350 words or less are preferred.

The Herald and Review will not edit etters to meet space By Sally Burcham Thanksgiving a day of tradition. It is a day to give thanks for the harvest, to gather with friends and family, to make plans for the coming To the Editor: It's amazing how the "do your own thing" crowd comes to fore when they think one of their may be denied them. In this case, it's whatever "they" want to see on television whenever "they" want to see it. regardless of how many children may be watching. Yet, some of these same people would deny the Jesus People their right to the "freedom" of expression.

I'm the mother of three, but I'm concerned about all young people. I'm not a Puritan, but I do want the best environment society can offer for young people to grow up in, and I would say society is failing miserably. We are moving toward a "unisex" society in which noisy, aggressive females say they were born with a handicap by being born a woman. We have men who say that women should have the same obligation to the military that men have (as they would if the Equal Rights Amendment is ratified, We have women's lib, men's lib, gay lib and even a kiddie's lib. A segment of the Illinois Bar Association, is recommending that marijuana and prostitution be 'legalized and our legislature has lowered the drinking age to 19.

Add to this list greedy movie makers to whom the almighty dollar is king, actors and actresses who will do anything in the name of "art" no matter how degrading, permissive parents who may be concerned about the food that goes into ther children's stomachs but not with what goes into their minds, "good" parents who say all they have to do is use a twist of the wrist on the TV knob (never mind the kid who may nofr have a "good" parent and the large, silent majority and you have our society. And, some people wonder why so many young people are confused. Responsible Broadcasting) for the progress they're making. It's refreshing to see so many men take a stand against immoral shows on TV. Mrs.

Bonnie Bowlby Decatur Halloween To Remember To the Editor: On Saturday, Oct. 26 the spirit of Halloween filled the Naval Reserve Center as the PPG glassworkers once again sponsored two Halloween parties for Macon County's developmentally disabled citizens. We of the Macon County Association of Retarded Citizens and the Cerebral Palsy Association of Macon County are most graieful for the support given to our organizations by the men and women from PPG. A special thanks goes to Bob Bilbrey of PPG for all the work he did in planning and organizing the parties. The job he did was truly outstanding.

Additionally, we would like to thank the Decatur Do-Jo for providing a judo exhibition and Louie the Great for his magic demonstration. Excellent music for dancing was furnished by the Sicamore Creek rock group at the teen and adult dance. Finally, we thank all of those people who donated their time and efforts to provide transportation and carry out the many duties of directing these parties. Yqu were once again the backbone of a most rewarding and memorable day. Thanks again to everyone who made this Halloween one to be remembered.

Gary Oakley Executive Director No Service For Ravina To the Editor: Your editorial of today (Sunday) regarding lack of school bus service for Ravina Park Road students lacks one important fact. The area is not served by city bus. The only city bus is the special tripper school bus. The nearest city bus is one mile. The mistake about this fact has been the Board's excuse for not providing us with the bus due us by their own policy.

We want either one free bus, re-districted back to MacArthur, or treated equally by whatever policy the board chooses. Laura Bickers Decatur Thanks for Assistance To the Editor: Please try to realize my appreciation for the courtesies extended to me when I was accidentally knocked to the sidewalk at the south side of Libsons store Saturday by a young boy. Special thanks to the gentleman who carried to the bench and covered me with his jacket. Being quite shaken up, I failed to get his name. Do be more careful, Mark, next time it might be more than two badly bruised knees and a skinned elbow.

Fran Haram Decatur Timely Quote "There has been a great deal of wishful and misinformed thinking about marijuana and those who condone its use had a running start while the scientists were rightly taking care and time to reach their conclusions." Columnist Roscoe Drummond in an article on the "myth" of marijuana. Then she laughed and said, "Well, you know everyone always asks that question, and everyone around here already seems to know. I'll be 100 years old on February 19." Another resident, Mrs. Helene Davis, was born in Mount Vernon and spent the early part of her life in a small town environment. She moved to Decatur with her children in 1925, after the death of her husband in World War I.

Mrs. Davis was. a saleslady at Field's Apparel for 40 years until her recent retirement. "I'd still be working there today if I was able," she said. She remembers the traditional Thanksgiving dinners as a child, with visiting and "a lot of children around." Mrs.

Davis thinks that "the modern thin is to eliminate as much work as possible," and consequently, Thanksgiving dinner doesn't taste quite as good as it did when everything was raised and prepared at home. Mrs. Davis has noticed something else about Thanksgiving dinners over her 79 years. "Most of the time the women were in the kitchen cooking and the men would be off in the other room talking." said. "Then the men would come to the table when dinner was ready, we'd eat, and then off they'd go, back into the other room for more talk, while the women cleaned up." The only thing that has changed, according to Mrs.

Davis, is that where the men used to talk about "just everything" when they retired to that other room, now they gather around the television set ot watch the football game. The fourth resident, Mrs. Vella Fern Hendricks, has lived in Decatur since she was eight year old. She will be 74 next month. She is the youngest of the four ladies, and is the only one who remembers not only the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but the ride to Grandma's house in a horse-pulled sleigh.

One Thanksgiving she remembers riding horseback to Grandma's house and sometimes riding in a carriage before the advent of the automobile. Mrs. Hendricks remembers getting up early as a child and attending church services before going to Grandma's. She was the only child in her immediate family, but says there was always lots of cousins around to help celebrate the day of feasting. Mrs.

Hendricks also said she remembers quite well the Thanksgivings she spent during the two World Wars. Sugar was rationed during that time, so they had to do without some of the traditional sweets. Very poignant to her is the joyous feeling when each of those wars ended and the special relief that was experienced on those Thanksgivings. All four of the ladies plan to spend this day of Thanksgiving at the Americana Nursing Center with families and friends and a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner. holiday season, and.

if you are lucky enough to pause and remember Thanksgivings of 75 or 80 years ago. Four women residents of the Americana Nursing Center, 444 W. Harrison have vivid memories of Thanksgivings past. Mrs. Mary Spangler was 100 years old last March and remembers well the Thanksgivings she spent as a child on the family farm near Moweaqua.

Mrs. Spangler comes from a large family, four sisters and two brothers. "Big families," she said, "were always the' happiest." Thanksgiving Day was spent in the traditional manner, with 'turkey, cake, pumpkin pie, everything prepared to "suit the children." One of the things she remembers most about Thanksgiving concern a daily part of farm life at that time milking the farm's 17 cows. However, one Thanksgiving she remembers the females in the household rebelling. "We decided we were not going to wash the big (cream) separator until after dinner," she said.

And they didnt. Another farm girl, Mrs. Jennie Fitzgerald, also a resident at Americana, remembers not having the traditional Thanksgiving Day feast. "Farm life was rough," she says, "and that was always' true late in harvest time. If it was a good day, the men were always in the fields." Mrs.

Fitzgerald spent her youth on a farm near Dalton City, but has lived for the past 75 years in Decatur. When asked her age, Mrs. Decatur Yesterdays Ten Years Ago Citizens National Bank won a long and complicated legal battle that grew out of opposition to the proposed organization of three banks in Decatur. Decatur School District lost at least $150,000 in. back taxes and about $3.5 million in assessed valuation, 25 Years Ago "Citizen action through a well-constituted Council of Social Agencies can set the pattern for a well-rounded, integrated and efficient program for health and welfare," Mr.

Robert L. Staley told about 100 members of the council at a quarterly dinner. More than 600 letters containing $1,022 have been received in payment for Christmas seals, Dean E. Madden said. Fifty Years Ago Twenty-eight per cent of the pupils in the grade schools are underweight, according to figures compiled following the completion of a survey by nurses and Dr.

W. S. Keister. Pugh School has the lowest percentage of underweight children. Decatur teachers now are taking preliminary steps to build a clubhouse near the lake.

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