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September 18, 1947 W I L M E T T E L I F E 10 Village Formed Centers for Service People Regular Police Major Wilmette War Project Dept. in 1904 In 1904, an ordinance creating a police department for the Village of Wilmette was passed and provided that the President, members of the board of trustees and such other policemen or special officers as might be appointed by the board should constitute the police department. P r i o r to passage of this ordinance the village had been provided with police protection by the constable or watch service system. E d w a r d G . Sieber was for many years the only appointed police officer and was the first regularly appointed chief of police. Chief Sieber retired December 1. 1923 and was the first member to be placed on the police pension list under the provisions of the Police Pension fund created just previous to the time of his retirement. M a j . J . B . Denman was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Chief Sieber and took charge of the department early in 1924. M a j . Denman had formerly been connected with the Cook County Sheriff's Highway police. His appointment probably m a r k e d the start of the modern police department and during his short term of office a number of changes for the betterment of the department were instituted. Rose Through Ranks M a j . D e n m a n was succeeded by Charles Leggitt, who was appointed in 1925 by President E a r l Orner. Chief Leggitt had previously served as chief of police for the City of Evanston. art exhibit, and individual The Wilmette service center on an Linden avenue that was opened in donors. September, 1943, was one of the A m o n g the other activities of the most important projects of the Wil- fund were the purchase of sports mette War Service F u n d committee. equipment for C a m p Skokie, monthThe committee was formed by ly donations of money to U.S.O. M r s . F r a n k Collyer in M a r c h , 1943, centers and service camps, and the nurses, upon the suggestion of the village furnishing of rooms for and servicemen at Fort president, H a r r y Kinne. Represen- WACS, tatives from church and civic or- Sheridan. The fund also sent Christganizations were members of the mas trees and presents and Easter group which soon became incor- baskets to the camp and hospital porated as the Wilmette War Serv- and assisted in the building of ice fund. The original purpose of benches at the village green and the group, to assist with furnishing " L " station. day rooms and helping with recreaDonation to Village tion projects at C a m p Skokie, was Not only the service men and greatly enlarged as the committee women were helped by the Fund, developed. however. Money was given for a backstop on the Wilmette baseball M a n y Services Besides serving free food and bev- field and the entire furnishings of erages to service men and women, the center were donated to the field there were many other services of- house when the center closed. A fund of $1000 will be given back to fered at the center. There was a l i the village for some civic project brary, and pocket-size mystery which is yet undetermined. books were given away. Mending Memberi 6i tlti Wilmette War was done by 125 volunteer hostesses Fund board were as who were on duty in shifts from 2 Service to 11:30 p . m . every day. A house follows: rental service was conducted. 1943. Finance committee: H . C. Equipment of the center included Kinne, chairman, W. B . Robinson, pool and ping-pong tables, pianos, treasurer, P . B . Koehne, A . W. Jenjuke boxes, card tables, radios, sen, C . H . Feltman, W. C . Connors, Mrs. C . H . Compere. Advisory puzzles, and public telephones. board: M r s . F . P. Collyer, chairChurches and organizations of the man, M r s . H . G . V a n Winkle, covillage sponsored parties with the chairman, M r s . L . H . Silver, secrehelp of Girls Service Organization tary. Committee chairmen: M r s . members and a Wilmette hostess as W. A . Figueira, M r s . E . J . Brenchaperone. There were also special nan, M r s . H . N . K e r r , Miss Departies for ambulatory cases from Maree, M r s . L . F . Gates, M r s . F o r t Sheridan hospital and monthly H . G . V a n Winkle parties at Great Lakes hospital In 1944 the Advisory Board was featuring homemade food and prothe same. Finance committee: fessional entertainment. The club H . C. Kinne, chairman, W. B . Robfurnished a D a y room at C a m p inson, treasurer, A . W. Jensen. Skokie and gave regular parties Committee chairmen: M r s . H . N . there. K e r r , M r s . H . G . V a n Winkle, M r s . J . P. Glezen, M r s . Moxie George, Sports Equipment Money for the F u n d came from Mrs. George Wells. Troop 1 Received First Boy Scout Midwestern Charter Boy Scouting had its origin in Wilmette in 1910, the same year in which it was organized nationally. The first charter was given to Troop 1 in that year and this organization cherishes the reputation of being the first chartered troop west of the Alleghany mountains. The troop was originally under the leadership of Alonzo J . Coburn --now a justice of the peace of the township--and Arthur L . Rice. K a r l King, George R. Harbaugh, and Henry Fowler of Wilmette were among the organizers in 1926 of the North Shore A r e a council, which includes the area from Wilmette to L a k e Bluff. C a m p M a - K a - J a - W a n was purchased in 1929 by the council for the Boy Scouts of the area. In 1930 the Cub Scout program was formally launched. The Wilmette organization has also sponsored a Sea Scout ship for the older boys. Named for Fowler Boy Scouts of the village also enjoy the use of a nearby camp site, named i n honor of the late M r . Fowler. The Scouts have always been active in assisting civic enterprises. This was especially true during the war when they collected waste paper and scrap metals. One of the big annual events of the village is the Boy Scout merit badge show. Troops, Packs Listed In A p r i l of this year there were 260 boys enrolled in the Cubs, 228 in the Boy Scouts, and 12 in senior Scouting, for a total of 500. Troops, sponsors, and scoutmasters at present are as follows: 1. First Congregational church, Clarence Coates. 2. F i r s t Congregational church, George P u t n a m J r . 3. Wilmette Methodist church, E d Spellman. 4. St. A u g u s t i n e ' s Episcopal church. C r a i g Stoddard. 5. F i r s t Presbyterian c h u r c h , Ward Lowe. 11. St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic church, O. Piefer. Cub packs, sponsoring organizations, and cubmasters follow: Pack 61: St. Francis Xavier church. John F o r d . Pack 62: First Congregational church. Ellis Muther. Pack 64: Wilmette Methodist church, John Curvey. P a c k 69: Avoca school, M r s . Robert Rodgers. Chief Leggitt resigned in 1927 and Capt. Henry B r a u t i g a m , a member of the department, who had risen through the ranks was appointed to fill the vacancy. At this time the church and civic organizations, desdepartment consisted of a captain, sert card parties, Wilmette Days, lieutenant, three sergeants and 15 the Community Chest, a circus and patrolmen as regularly appointed members of the department and a chief of police appointed by the charge of the department in July, president and board. Chief Brauti- 1941. Chief H a l l received his early gam held this position until 1935 training with the Wichita, K a n . , when Cloyd C . M c G u i r c . captain of police department and was chief police at Milwaukee. Wis., was ap- at Two Rivers, Wis., just previous to coming to Wilmette. In June. pointed chief. 1945, Chief Hall resigned to accept a position with the Government in F i r e , Police Commission In M a y , 1935 an ordinance was Germany. passed creating a F i r e and Police commission, also creating a police department under the provisions of this commission. This was the m a jor improvement since the passing of the police pension act and the security afforded by the provisions of these two acts provided an incentive for better work by present officers and tended to attract a better class of candidates for openings on the department. Van Deusen Grocery Store in Wilmette Started 45 Years Ago The A . S. V a n Deusen grocery business dates back to 1891. when A. S. V a n Deusen Sr. opened his first store at 620 Davis street in Evanston. F i v e years later, i n 1896, he opened a second store in Kenilworth in the building that is now the Kenilworth Village hall. M r . V a n Deusen opened his store in Wilmette in 1902 in its present location at Central avenue and Twelfth street by purchasing the grocery business and building belonging to Schultz and King. At the same time the Kenilworth store was moved to the new location in Wilmette. Charles E . Lineback. formerly chief of police at Kingsport, Tenn., accepted the appointment as chief of Wilmette Police in October, 1945. He was unable to find accomodations for his family and left here in June, 1946, to accept a position as village manager, in charge of police, at Nevada, M o . Present Department For the Library M u c h of W i l m e t t e ' s h i s t o r y h a s b e e n set d o w n i n t h e s e pages. M u c h more remains to be d i s c o v e r e d a n d t o l d . T h e p e r m a n e n t r e p o s i t o r y of o l d r e c o r d s is t h e W i l m e t t e P u b l i c l i b r a r y . V i l l a g e r s who have such records are urged to d o n a t e t h e m to the l i b r a r y ' s collection. The present department consists Chief M c G u i r e was vitally in- of a chief, captain, lieutenant, three terested in traffic conditions and sergeants and 15 patrolmen. E d w i n one of his first acts was the crea- F . Whiteside, who joined the detion of a police school for the pur- partment in 1934 and advanced to pose of training officers in accident sergeant and then lieutenant, was prevention and accident reporting. appointed chief of police in July, The value of this training was 1946. Under his direction the deproved the following year when partment has continued the policies Wilmette was awarded first place instituted by Chief M c G u i r e and in the National Safety Council Traf- Wilmette was again rewarded with fic contest for towns and villages a second place award in the N a under 25,000 population. This award tional Traffic contest and first place was followed in 1939 with a plaque for pedestrian safety. for third place and honorable menMobile equipment consists of four tion in the 1942 and 1943 contests. 1947 cars used for patrol service, Chief M c G u i r e retired in June, 1941 one of which is fitted out as an due to poor health and passed away emergency ambulance. A l l squad in December of that year at M i l - cars are equipped with modern waukee. F . M . two-way radio. Two motorTheo E . H a l l was appointed to succeed Chief M c G u i r e and took cycles complete equipment. the Later Addition In 1915, an addition to the rear of the building was constructed to house a meat department. When, in 1920, the Evanston store was sold, the Wilmette store became the sole V a n Deusen grocery. Ill health forced M r . V a n Deusen to retire i n 1929 and his son, A . S. V a n Deusen J r . , came to Wilmette F . A . Buck, the manager, worked to take over the business. M r . V a n in the Evanston store from 1898 Deusen Sr., died in 1933 after a until 1902 when he came to Wilmette long illness, and his son purchased for the opening of the store here. the business and has operated it He has managed the store without ever since except for the period of interruption ever since. 1941 to 1945 when he was on duty Miss M a r i o n Fergus has been with the navy. in charge of the Wilmette office Length of Service since 1920. E x c e p t for a period of One of the outstanding features service with the N a v y during the motorized of the organization is the length of first World W a r , Robert J . R u d d service of some of the employees. has been with the store since 1915.