<» THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER "S*rviBf Tfc« -O-Lakes Regioi Slict 1979* , Volume 87 •-- No. 32 -- 3 Sections McHENRY, ILLINOIS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2L 1961 22 Pages -- 10c Per Copy '^ome to iMMSin' and " ) -Pihey say winter starts sometime, this Thursday evening. What do you suppose we've been, having these last two weeks? We doubt if any city hereabouts is more festive in its appearance than McHenry. For many years special decorating and lighting contests were held h«» and attracted considerate interest. The artistic efforts displayed this year indicate that the spirit of competition is not necessary to bring forth the unusual ideas which seem to say to everyone who passes; "Merry Christmas to YOU! °1L with Besides being the "season to be jolly" as the carol tells us®it is also the season for cards, a custom which means a cheery greeting to friends and loved ones, and at the same time a few headaches for thp nosta! cisnsrtni£ist. To many folks, this once-ayear greeting, with message, from someone seldom seen is more welcome than any gift could be. There probably isn't of us who isn't instilled the holiday spirit just by knowing we are remembered in this way, even though the true appreciation of the cards themselves needs to be postponed until the rush of Christmas is only a memory. Smiling Santas, glowing candles, glittering snowscapes and stirring nativity scenes are only a few of the familiar aiw well loved symbols of Christmas that grace today's cards. But frhen cards ;were first produced commercially by a Boston lithographer, Louis Prang, in 1875, the majority of the designs had little or no relation to Christmas or the winter season. They pictured summer flowers, the sea, fairies, kittens and even fish a^ reptiles. Among floral designs, it was the moss rose that received most attention and started Prang in the greeting card business which later earned him the title "father" of the American Christmas card. He simply added the words "Merry Christmas" to a particularly lovely painting of a budding rose, and the custom was born. ®"h rough the years we have come to accept the various (Continued on Page 8) A Job Well Done Since this picture was taken last week, the height of the holiday mailing season has come and gone at the McHenry post office. The photo shows the local office at the start of the heavy mailing period. ' Shown with just one of the early loads which left the post office several^ times a day are Elmer Borcovan, left, of postal distribution and traffic, and Tom Wiles, desk and counter man at the McHenry office. POSTMASTER SMITH TO SERVE OUT TERM ON COUNTY BOARD Supervisor LeRoy Smith will remain as a member of the McHenry county board of supervisors. That was his statement when asked his status unofficially at a meeting of the township board last Wednesday night. The Plaindealer had been informed by a member of the board that Smith's resignation was expected that night. Instead, Smith, who was recently named acting postmaster of the Mchenry office, read an opinion received from the U.S. postal department, which stated that there would be no objection to his serving out the present tWm if it did not interfere with his official duties as postmaster. The opinion further stated that if it should become necessary to take time from his regular duties, this time would be charged against his annual leave. Smith said on Monday of this week that he will attend meetings of the board and will remain as chairman of the important finance committee. Families Honor Nonagenarians McHenry residents come from hardy stock, and proof lies in the birthday anniversaries of three nonagenarians this month. Mrs. Edith (Courtney) Mc- Andrews marked her ninetyeighth year on Dec. 14 and remains in good health. A former | resident of a farm on Bull j Valley road where her son,: Earl, now lives, Mrs. McAn-1 dt*ews moved to Chicago to > live with a daughter, Mary I Parchman, following the death of her husband. | But Mrs. McAndrews is not I without contemporaries, and | one of them is a member of j her family. In fact, she is '• really the 'young sister'" of j i Mrs. Alice Keough of Half j ! Day, who was 100 on Friday, j Dec. 15. Two other -sisters i j are Mrs. Mary Riley of Alberta, Canada, who is 90. and j j Miss Laura Courtney, 87, of ; , Wauconda. j | Mrs. Mc Andrews has twcr ! living children. Earl of Mc-1 Henry and Mary of Chicago.; (Continued on Page 8) I WIRE DIFFICULTY CAUSES SIREN TO SUMMON FIREMEN McHenry f i r e m e n w e r e aroused in the cold temperature of 4:30 last Friday morning by the steady blast of the siren. Fortunately, it was a false alarm and in a short time they were able to -climb-back under the warm quiltt. Employees of the telephone company Were w orking on underground cables in front of the fire house, and accidentally there was some difficulty with a wire which resulted in the siren blowing. Members of Company I hurried to the firehouse, where they were happy to learn that no emergency existed. WHO WAS THAT FRIEND? YES. IT MUST BE FREUND! Maybe living in a small town has its advantages, especially at Christmas time. Herbert H. Freund on Pearl street thinks so. Last week he received a Christmas card sent from Madison, Wis., addressed this way: Mr. Herb ? (I can't think of it but I will), McHenry, 111. Seems like somebody in the post office must have known he'was an acquaintance of the sender, whose name appeared on the top, left hand corner of the envelope. Or maybe since it was McHenry, it just seemed like a fifty-fifty chance to send it to someone named Freund. At any rate, it was delivered to the right man, and your explanation of the story is as good as ours. SPRINGS! TRIAL SIT MARCH 2 MANSLAUGHTER Judge Carroll Fails To Quash Lad's Indictment The date of March 2 has been set by Judge William M. Carroll as start of the trial*of Joseph Springer, 17-year-old Chicago youth who faces an involuntary manslaughter charge. At the same time, Judge Carroll released him on $2,500 bond. The trial date was set after the judge refused to quash an indictment against Springer, charged with being responsible for the death of another young Chicago man in a game of war last September. Tests Made Springer's arrest was made in November, after a ballistics test in Springfield identified the gun which killed Lawrence Nova, as belonging to Springer. Two other Chicago youths engaged in the "game" were placed on pi-obation. Both are minors. The young men, all friends, came to a farm near Burton's Bridge from Chicago, and engaged in target shooting in an old gravel pit. Later, when boredom developed, they decided on the game of war, and chose sides. It was during the interchange of shots that Nova lost his life. It was after State's Attorney Cross presented evidence in the case to the grand jury that an indictment was returned. Charges Await City Visitor e A visitor to McHenry caused considerable trouble for three McHenry police officers last Sunday evening, but their efforts were rewarded by the apprehension of the "Uninvited guest". The first call came from the Maple avenue area, where a prowler was reported. Not long afterward, the same man, identified by license plates obtained in the residential section of the city, was found attempting to enter an apartment in the Town Club on Riverside Drive. Police answered the call at once, but in the meantime, the intruder had hurried to his car and driven away, without benefit of headlights. He returned, however, and police apprehendedChifrPat the club later in the evening. The arresting officers were William Pearson, Richard Burmann and John Weichmann. The "gifts" he received are probably the most unwelcome : he will get this Christmas. | They are charges of reckless driving, driving under the inf l u e n c e o f l i q u o r , p a s s i n g | through a stop sign and driving ) with fictitious plates, all of | which he will answer when he i appears in court. i COUNTY PLEDGES ! ACTION AGAINST ZONE VIOLATIONS N O T I C E The McHenry Savings ^antj Loan association will be closed Monday, Christmas day, but will be open Wednesday of week, Dec. 27. HOSPITAL MEETING j George P. Freund, preside j of the McHenry hospital, a 1 nounced that the annual mee' j ing will !)e held Monday, J 15, at 7:15 at the hospital. 1 defjt a ieeTf- 1 George F. Jedlicka, building and zoning officer for McHenry county, announced this week that effective Jan. 1, complaints will be signed against garages and auto body repair shops, or private individuals who do not comply with the county zoning ordinance as it pertains to auto wrecking yards. Such places are described as any place where two or more cars not in running condition, or parts of them, are stored in the open and are not being restored to operation. It also applies to any land, building or structure used for wrecking or storing such autos or parts. C^-lirisimciA Greetings front ^Jlie j-^laindeaHer Staff O ro f 0 Will Present Pool Issue T© Public At Tuesday evenings meeting of the board of education of School District 156 (high school) a long discussion took p^ce on the proposed indooroutdoor pool. The decision was finally made to bring a bond issue to the voters, but no date was decided upon. The pool has been under discussion for several months, since it became evident that the project to obtain one through individual and organization contributions would not ba successful. Interested persflSis approached the board with the proposal, and after studying the situation at length, members have decided to let the public decide the issue. The chief purpose of the pool from the standpoint of the board, is improvement of the physical education department, which they feel is very necessary. ^Another item of interest w®ich came before the board is bad news for taxpayers. Supt. Carl Buckner told members that at this time there is still a total of $36,000 in uncollected taxes from the levy made in District 156 a year ago last September. Together with the $39,000 still outstanding from the District 15 levy mndc ;;t the -;vnf tinr- the lotal is a sizeable amount due the schools to cover operating expenses. I Discuss Junior College A county-wide meeting was ' announced by Mr. Buckner for i Jan. 17 in Woodstock, to be at- ] tended by school administra- j tors, board members and other I interested persons. The purpose ' of the meeting will be to discuss the possibility of estab- I lishing a junior college in the county. j Administrators throughout | this area have felt a growing I need for such a school, and if ! sufficient interest is shown, the program may go beyond the talking stage. The board approved the evacuation test planned for Jan. 12 in the interest of civil defense. This will be held in ! all local public and parochial j schools. j A l e t t e r w a s r e a d f r o m D r . . Leslie Krieger and Virgil Pol- ; lock, thanking the board and ' administrators for their coop- i eration in connection with the j recent, very successful Kiwanis | football banquet. Considerable j discussion was held concerning j the banquet. | A resolution was adopted changing bookkeeping proce- j dures as recommended by the j f§ Honoring the birth of the Christ Child on one of the most important days of the church year, Dec. 25, will be all of McHenry's churches and many in the surrounding area. St. Mary's Catholic At S£t. Mary's Catholic church there will he a midnight Mass sung by the adult choir on Christmas Hive. The following day, low Masses will be read at 6:30, 7, 8 (participation Mass), 9:30, 9:45 (basement), 10:45, 11 (basement* and noon. Confessions will be heard through Dec. 23 during and after the 8 o'clock morning Mass. On Saturday, the twenty-third, they will also be heard from 3 to 4 and from 7 p.m. until all are heard, and on Christmas Eve day, from 2 to 4 p.m., with no evening confessions. St. Patrick's Catholic The adult choir will sing the Christmas Carol Mass at midnight on Christmas Eve. Low Masses will follow Christmas morning at 7, 8 9, 11 and 12. and the children will sing fot the 10 o'clock Mass. Preceding the midnight service, there will be a half hou: of carol singing by the choir. Zion Lutheran Zion Lutheran, one of the largest Protestant churches in McHenry, will celebrate Christmas with two programs by the Sunday School pupils, the nursery - primary department at 3 p.m. and the junior - senior department at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 24. There will also lie a candlelight service at 11:30 the same evening. One service will be held on Christmas day at 9 a.m. On Sunday, Dee. 31. services are at 9 a.m., with the newly elected officers of the congregation to be inducted into office. The last service of the year will.be held at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, with Pastor Kenneth Haskell of Vox Lake I as guest speaker. New Year's Day service will be at 9 a.m. There will be no Sunday School sessions on Sunday, Dec. 31. A cordial invitation is extended to everyone to attend the holiday services. Community Methodist Morning worship services and Sunday School will be held at the usual time on Dec. 24 at Community Methodist church. The evening will bring two lovely candlelighting services, one at 8 and the other at 11 p.m. In these rites will be combined the beauty of the Christmas story from the Scriptures, carols and special music, a Christmas message, "The Inn and the Manger", by Rev. George Martin, concluding with the act of consecration and candlelighting. The senior choir, under di- { rection of Glenn Welty, will j sing at the 8 o'clock service | and Betty Martin will be soloj ist at the 11 p.m. rite, j There will lie a nursery for 1 pre-school children at the , 8 o'clock service. I Faith Presbyterian I Faith Presbyterian church twill have its Christmas service jon Sunday, Dec. 24, with Rev. j Mclntyrc basing his sermon on the topic, "Levels of Christ- | mas". The Christmas Story according to Luke will be read I from Scripture'. j The congregation will join in , s i n n i n g f a v o r i t e C h r i s t m a s : hymns, and Grace Vvduna ! will be featured in the solo, ,'lJcsu Bambino". St. Paul's Episcopal On Sunday, Dec. 24, there will be Masses at the regular hours, 7:30 and 9 a.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal church. The Christmas Eve schedule includes confessions from 7 to 8 p.m., organ recital at 11:30 and choir carols at 11:45, pre- (Continued on Page 8) !l EXPRESSES OP TS GRANTING WITHIN Mc Top row: Larry Lund and Don Roths. Second row: Bill Moore, Adele Froehlich, Marie Yegg e and Earl Walsh. Third row: Ann Nye, Grace Meyer, Marcella Larse a and Mary Miller. Bottom rrv.'. • Stan Sv.ecnpv Lee Hnclmeb-ter arH' Dcte.-d'>.' LARCENY CHARGE j FACES McHENRY MAN IN FLORIDA j A plane was due to arrive j from Florida this past week ! to return John Baumgardner j of McHenry to that state to | answer charges of larceny of i a truck. ( Baumgardner. who has been j in this area only a few months. ( is charged by Mrs. Roy Lovett ^ with taking a truck in Polk; county, Fla., last July. Baum-. gardner failed to waive extrad i t i o n , a n d l a t e r a w a r r a n t b y ' the governor of Florida was j served by the sheriff. Baum-1 gardner was released on bond at that time, and petitioned! the circuit court for habeas j corpus, which was denied last Thursday by Judge William M. Carroll. A postponement was made until December after Baum-1 gardner made his petition late I in October. He was not released on bond following the denial of his petition Thurs- j day. I N O T I C E The McHenry bank will be closed both Mondays, Christmas and New Year's day. biU will be open Dec. 27 and Jan. 3. WATCH NIGHT SERVICE There will be a watch night service on Sunday, Dec. 31, at * The City Council meeting held Monday night was comparatively short, with the only spirited discussion coming when a representative of General Outdoors Advertising appeared at the meeting to discuss erection of billboard advertising signs in the city. It was pointed out that construction specifications of modern signs are far superior to the old style signs that created many problems in the past. This and other arguments in favor of signs failed to sway the feeling of the council members as they expressed opposition to granting such permits. While the municipal code provides regulations for signs and billboards, the adopted plan in the city takes a dim view of billboards. Church Expansion A letter from the Community Methodist Church told of proposed plans for expansion and use of property adjacent to the presently occupied church property. The letter requested considi ration . in designating the property for church usage under the pending plan being prepared for presentation to the council by the Plan Commis* sion. > Due to the hazardous condition of icy sidewalks, residents are urged to bring pails to the city hall to be filled with treated sand to be spread on the walks. Such action may pre- ••erf r^cidept^.