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n AUGUST 6 . 1975 - PLAIN DEALER CENTENNIAL EDIT ION PAGE 8 Staff Member Honored On Ninetieth Birthday 4 M Members of the Plaindealer staff gather in September of 1972 to honor Miss Ann Frisby on the occasion of her ninetieth birthday. She received a plaque in appreciation of her many years of service and other lovely gifts. Pictured standing at the left is Publisher Larry Lund. Seated, left to right, are Editor Adele Froehlich, Miss Frisby and Earl R. Walsh. Standing, left to right, are Helen Seborg, Margie Koffend, Betty Groth, Grace Meyer, Carol Justen, Marie Yegge, Patti Frett, Mary Miller, Mildred Jeschke and Dick Sagers. Standing in the back row are Barbara Gilpin and Bob Frett. Columnist Had Memories Of Early Days ANN FRISBY Miss Ann Frisby who resided on Main street in McHenry for almost all of her 91 years, was a correspondent for the Plaindealer almost until the time of her death in 1974. She was author of one of the Plaindealer's favorite columns "Twice Told Tales" for many years. The column even today is especially popular with those to whom McHenry has been home for at least a few years. Ann, as she preferred her friends to call her, was born south of McHenry, the daughter of John and Bridget Weston Frisby. She had many happy memories of the early days including the many times she and her sisters and brothers would walk to town barefoot. When they approached the city limits, they washed their feet in the river so they would be presentable for catechism lessons at old St. Patrick's church. Ann helped her mother operate a boarding and rooming house on the corner of John and Fourth street for many years. Many lasting friendships were made there and each Christmas time cards and letters from almost every state brought back word of Gathered Years No Difference; Editor Gives Congratulations ( Reprinted from June 6. 1935) By Leonard Fowler F.ditor of the Fox Valley Mirror So The Plaindealer is s ixty years old! Well , well . . . . how (he years ffy and how much of good has been done; what high and splendid service can be j ren­ dered by a newspaper through the "a-bornin" ' and the passing of two generations of men and women. I was reared in a home w here the newspaper stood next only to the Holy Bible and the Editor was out-ranked only by the priest and the pastor The Port Tobacco Times and The Balt imore Sun. both weeklies, and one of my most painful aft well as earl iest recollections is that of a st inging five minutes spent with an irate grandfather because I had dared to make a "soldier 's cap" of The Times before he had finished his perusal of i t . I can remember that my Aunt Molly used to say that "Cramps takes The Sunpaper to church with him." That may have been true. But newspapers rarely change. Their duties now, as then, are to inform, advise and amuse. The weekly newspaper has a mission. I t is a fr iend and a neighbor , the local editor is one to be respected, feared and often to be loved. You may have become accustomed to him; you may say that you "see him every day" and find him not acquaintances made more than half a century ago. It was in 1916 that Ann started writing for the Elgin Courier News as McHenry correspondent, taking over the duties of her sister, Irehe Frisby Warner, at the time of the latter's marriage. It was about the same time that she started contributing news to the McHenry Plaindealer. • In 1960 she retired from the Courier News but was still active with the Plaindealer, contributing the Personal column for each issue, up until the time she died. Through the years Ann enjoyed one favorite hobby, writing poems, some of which were printed in various periodicals. On the occasion of her eighty-fourth birthday, her nieces and nephews presented her with a bound edition of her poems, two of which are printed here. MEMORIES JULY, 1939 As I sit alone at twilight Memory knocks upon my door, And my thoughts are with the loved ones That I knew in days of yore. Some have gone to lands far distant, Others to the Golden Shore, In the quiet of the convent Other lives, in place, adore. f As the evening shadows deepen, Seems that I can see once more All the smiling, happy faces Gathered as in years before. Round the quaint, old family organ, Singing songs of long ago~ Swanee River, Annie Laurie, Memories, and Old Black Joe. When my earthly toil is ended, And to that fair shore I go, May there be a glad reunion With the pals of long sago. LIFE WORTHWHILE Oh, what a cold, old world This would be, If nobody ever smiled at me. If nobody ever came my way To say, "Howdy, how are you today?" If nobody ever clasped my hand With a feeling that said, "I understand." And lightened my burden, by works and deed, And proved my friend when I was in need. So let us give our flowers today To those in need along our way, It's the cheery word and the kindly smile, That makes this old world seem worthwhile. much different from other men.. .but . . .you are wrong. For when grief .has come; when there is some good for the town to be promoted or some com­ munity interest to be subserved your FIRST thought is to "see the editor and get him to print something about i t ." To "print something in your favor" or to withhold some comment against your en­ terprise --whatever i t may­ be--unconsciously is for this reason that Thomas Jefferson said: "If the choice were given me to hJkve a government, without newspapers, or newspapers w i t h o u t g o v e r n m e n t , unhesitat ingly I would take the lat ter , but . . . I would insist that every man be required to take and read and understand those newspapers." • A well ordered newspaper is the community 's f irst l ine of defense against crime, scandal , immorali ty, drunkeness or any of the seven deadly sins which at tack and tend to destroy mankind. Bad government is not possible so long as the ci t izenry has a good, and I mean GOOD newspaper on guard at the ci ty 's gates. I would say that the f irst requisi te for a really prosperous town is a prosperous newspaper. You will agree that i t is to be regretted when business men and other take their newspaper as "something for granted;" as an inst i tut ion which can and will go on whether they neglect i t or not; as something to be damned for i ts faults and rarely praised for i ts surpassing virtues. And so. as I have been asked to write a l ine or two for this "Sixtieth Anniversary" of The Plaindealer I have set myself the task sincerely glad to say that i t is a good country newspaper and that rarely have I seen one any better . I am honestly honored as I look back on my temporary employment on i ts s taff . The men and women who publish i t , the men and women who I know read it are a piece in that one is served by the other in the high hope that what one does for the other will be encouraging, helpful and tending to build up the community good. Two generations of men and women have come and gone since The Plaindealer issue came damp from the press. There* was, even then, a generation just passing to the Great Beyond and now there is yet another that wil l come from the high schools in a few days. . .so you ^ee FOUR waves of the human flow and ebb have been influenced by The Plaindealer . Births and deaths; posting the banns, and the tales of weddings, "* high w i th aspirat ion; the coming into business and , the passing of establishments, good and bad; vir tue and evil have mixed in Time's great mill and have come forth as love and romance; as vir tue and crime!" as sadness and gladness have been accounted for in long columns. . .s ide by side. Reputations have been made with exultant joy and I have no doubt but that sorrow in whatever form has been writ ten about, set into type and spread to the four winds with regret . You are glad and so are your neighbors that your newspaper hasaHained what used to be a hoary old age. But, with newspapers their gathered years make no difference. Each issue is forever young, as some garden perennials , which bloom and pass; re-seed their beds and bloom again and again. Like those old fashioned "hundred leaf roses" which grew hard by the woodshed where I painfully learned to leave "Gramppers" "Sun- paper" alone The Plaindealer wil l bloom in shade and shine; other generations will come and go to the prelude played through the long columns of type, and the f ragrance of other years will be mingled with the f lorets of each new blossom and tomorrow as yesterday, for many, many tomorrows as well as for uncounted yesterdays the set t lement of al l arguments will be: "I saw it in The Plaindealer ." Carrier Boy Service Is Discontinued (Taken from August , 1961. issue of Plaindealer) Progress makes for changes, and while these are almost always for the best , sometimes they provide a certain amount of regret as i t becomes necessary to give up things which hold pleasant memories. So i t was with our transfer to a new location. A new press -- the dream of many years-- was now a possibil i ty with ad­ dit ional space. I t had been twelve years since we had been able to do the actual printing of the Plaindealer in our own plant in McHenry. Now a new press was instal led, which meant that al l readers in the McHenry area would be able to receive the paper on Thursday. This was good news, but i t has brought about another r change which we note with some regret , the end a carrier system which provided Plaindealer became well acquainted with some of the nicest boys and girls i t has been our privilege to meet. Probably our greatest pleasure, however, resulted from the opportunity i t gave us to provide these young folks with their f irst venture into the business world In at least one family--the Roy Homos of McCullom Lake -- four members have taken turns as they became old enough to assume the responsibil i ty of the task. The advent of the fal l season and the start of school made it advisable to make the change before that t ime. Past ex­ perience has shown that the many added duties for young folks after the first bell r ings following a summer of play, makes the job dif f icult for some of them. After-school act ivi t ies and deep snow cannot be discounted during the winter months, and those with long routes often found it necessary to make deliveries after dark. The carrier system marked a Thursday delivery service for very special era in the long many years to residents of thA history of the Plaindealer . community who wanted their While we leave i t with regret , news "fresh. ' ' we are happy for the added . During the long period of service we will be able to t ime in which the carrier provide for al l readers in the system was in use. we at the area in the future. ^M| | ACE HARDWARE Swing MtHenru for Generations first Location - Riverside Drive Mr. Walter B. Bjorkman and his son, Stan, opened their hardware store at this location in 1947. They provided all manner of hardware and houseware for residents of McHenry and surrounding surrounding areas. W. B. Bjorkman Steve Bjorkman .Stan Bjorkman Present Location, Elm Street Ace Hardware moved to it's present location in 1964 and gained much needed space, inside and out. The second generation of Bjorkmans, Steve and Craig , have now joined the force and together they are maintaining a beautiful store with a friendy helpful atmosphere that never changes. • *1® Chaig Bjorkman A C E r H A R D W A R E 3729 West Elm St McHenry, Illinois l l l l n * i I I I >