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VOLUME 96 NUMBER 89 • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1972 20 PAGES TEN CENTS After July 1, petitioners for zoning variations or changes in land use will need to have the petition sent to the McHenry County Spil and Water Con­ servation district if the property is located within the boundaries of the district., A law passed by the General Assembly last December, and effective July 1, requires the county agency or municipality where the property is located to have the County Soil and Water Conservation district make available natural resource information to the responsible county agency or municipality. Russell Kelahan, president of the McHenry County Soil and Water Conservation district, said what the law does is to give the zoning boardor other responsible agency "some degree of expertise in relation to the best land use of the property before the change is considered." The district board will have to develop a fee schedule and estimate how many land change petitions it expects within the district. The district generally includes land outside cities and villages, but here there are exceptions, for it includes land that was in the rural areas at the time of the district's start in 1947- and (Continued on page 17) THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER "SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 Procedures Changed Grandma Is A Graduate State Meet Believed to be the first grandmother to receive her diploma with a class at MCHS, Mrs. Ellenor Foerster expresses her pleasure with a smile. Board President James Althoff presented the document to the mother of seven and grandmother of twenty during the commencement program held on McCracken field last Friday night. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD Foerster. With her three sons and four daughters married, she welcomed the first grand­ son to carry on the Foerster name just three weeks ago. And now that she has graduated? The very youthful appearing grandmother will go to Heyward, Wis., this week on a ten-day fishing trip. The excitement of the anticipation of this long awaited vacation was evident in her voice as she told of plans to just sit in the boat as the bait attracts the treasures of Wisconsin waters. What the future holds for Mrs. Foerster, she isn't sure. Very soon she will seek the counsel of McHenry County college educators as to her next goal. She realizes it would be difficult to enter the work force at her age. Instead, Ellenor believes she would prefer tax work that could be done at home, or even light accounting. Asked whether she is con­ sidering a degree, she hesitated a moment and then decided it would depend on the advice she receives at the college. Whatever goal Ellenor Foerster chooses, her deter­ mination gives promise that she will be accompanied by success. Stage Band Opens Season On Thursday evening, June 8, the City of McHenry stage band will open the concert season. This will be the first of a series of eight weekly concerts to be presented in the city park band shell. Mayor Donald Doherty will be on hand to welcome the music lovers. The guest singing group for the evening will be the Good- time choir which appeared last month on the McHenry Choral club program. The group will present a medley of "Put Your (Continued on page 17) A second meeting of the Governor's Task Force on Capital Projects was held in Chicago with McHenry County college administrators and architects Tuesday, May 30. Representing the college were Dr. James R. Davis, president, and John Garrett, vice- president; representing the college architects were Clint Mochon, Robert Hackworthy, Fred Schutte and Tony Man- sue to; those from the Task Force were Erie Jones, James Gallagher, Mike Gelick, Dr. Don Brown and Larry Stone. In the presentation to the Task Force, the cost estimates for Phase I were presented. The state had previously ap­ proved the college for a $4.6 million dollar project to con­ struct 110,000 square feet of instructional space, but revised the approval to include at least 141,250 square feet of space with no increase in total dollars. This was made possible by the college's adoption of a $25 per square foot construction and fixed equipment cost maximum instead of the state guideline figure of $30 per square foot. Task Force, College On Master Campus Plan The total costs for the proposed fast track project include $3,530,000 for con­ struction, equipment, and utilities within the five-foot line beyond the two buildings; $300,000 for site work including grading, on site utilities, and paving of roads and parking lots; $239,650 for design fees; $187,500 for construction management fees; $5000 for soil and other necessary sur­ veys; and $337,800 for con­ tingencies and change orders (this latter figure is required to be planned into all Illinois Building Authority projects). These figures are all ten­ tative pending completion of drawings and specifications, and the architects have been instructed by college officials to scale down certain aspects of the design to achieve further savings. The construction management fees would be included in the general con­ struction cost projections and added to the projected figure above in the event that a more traditional ^construction method is used. ^SNdecision on construction method should be made within the next few weeks. Loyola's Damen Award To Former McHenry Man The fifteenth annual Damen award of Loyola university of Chicago was awarded very recently to Howard V. Pha- lin, past president, chief executive officer, and chair­ man of the board, of the Field Enterprises Educational corporation. Phalin was born and spent his early life in McHenry. The award ceremony was held at a noon luncheon meeting of the Loyola University Citizen's board in the Crystal ballroom of the Sheraton-Blackstone hotel. In making the presentation, Loyola's Chancellor, the Rev James F. Maguire, S J , praised Phalin for his many years of service to the com munity, interest in. and con tributions to higher education, and demonstrated executive abilities. The Damen award is presented by the university each year to an individual who has distinguished himself through his "dedication to God, society and the nation." It was established in 1957 in honor of the Rev. Arnold Damen, S.J., founder and first President of Loyola university of Chicago. Born on Maple Lawn farm near McHenry, in 1903. Phalin was schooled and later taught in that area after receiving an Illinois teaching certificate. His higher education was completed at the University of Notre Dame, where he received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1928. While earning his degree. Phalin worked as an elementary school teacher on the Notre Dame campus and sold books designed for school children, something he had done during previous summer vacations Phalin was elected to the board of directors of Field Enterprises, Inc., and joined that body of the parent corn- continued on page 17) *v» 4 It's "no swimming" at McCuIlom Lake until next weekend. That t i 7\ 7"_ O- • • 9' was the edict of the McCuIlom Lake police and the McHenry County Department of Health after numerous complaints of "swimmer's itch" were reported. Dr. J.V. Johnson, director, Veterinary division of McHenry county, looks on above as Sanitarians John Raber and Paul McDonnell treat the lake to •m m- || j | kill the snails responsible for the condition. George Gutzman of MCLUUOM /J&KP. the Sheriff's department is piloting the boat, owned by that department, in carrying out the work. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD No Swimming" At McCuIlom Lake was ordered closed to swimmers over the Memorial weekend by the McCuIlom Lake police. People were prohibited from entering the contaminated water due to numerous complaints of itching rashes which developed after swimmers were in the water. The McHenry County Department of Health has determined that the condition is "Swimmer's Itch" or Schistosomiasis (Shisto-so-my- asis). The infectious agent of "Swimmers Itch" is a tiny parasite, belonging to the fluke family, which burrows into the skin of swimmers, creating an itching rash much like chigger bites. Although the itch is very irritating, it lasts only two to seven days and does not develop any further, the parasite dying in the skin. The infection is acquired from water contaminated with larval forms (cercariae) derived from snails inhabiting these waters. The eggs are dropped by birds into the snail- infested water. After the eggs hatch a very small larva enters the fresh water snail, develops and emerges after several weeks. It then seeks another host and if a person is available, it penetrates the human skin while the person is swimming or wading. The McHenry County Department of Health, in conjunction with state authorities, has treated Mc­ CuIlom Lake with a mulluscicide at a level which will kill the snails but will not harm fish or people. This will break the life cycle of the fluke because the parasite cannot live longer than forty-eight hours without its host. The lake remains closed until next weekend, to allow time for all the parasites to die. H e a l t h d e p a r t m e n t authorities urge persons who develop rashes after swimming in any McHenry county lakes or ponds to report this condition s immediately to the Department of Health in Woodstock. Zoning First Samplings Of Area Many tensions may be eased for the general public by the closing of schools, less traffic congestion among them. But we do miss those very efficient ladies who so faithfully guarded three major crossings throughout the year, Genevieve Dowe, Margaret Thomas and Betty Smith. As the year drew to a close, we visited with each of the ladies to learn how they rated local youngsters' behavior. Some of their comments sur­ prised us, and we hope a few of them will prompt their moms and dads to take note. All of the women were en­ thusiastic over their work and the pleasure of serving (and sometimes saving) McHenry's younger generation. One of them commented, "The majority are pretty good". The same crossing guard added that a few prefer not to accept help and will walk a block out of their way to avoid it. "Drivers give me more problems than children", she said, commenting that many become provoked if they have to wait. Another of the guards thought a moment and then said, "The kids are well behaved", then added that this applied especially to the younger ones. She has directed the crossings of 40 in all, in­ cluding three age groups. With a smile, she told of the many times it was necessary to button up coats for shivering little ones enroute to school. She also seemed to take en­ joyment in her role as com­ forter for those suffering from teachers' recent scoldings. This same crossing guard recalled two favorites, brothers of 8 and 10 years who regulated their walking gait so that they would arrive at just the right moment to ride home with her when she left the busy highway intersection. Asked about her experiences with drivers, she said about 90 per cent lived in the area near the crossing, who un­ derstood the reason for her presence and accepted it. She spoke less kindly of some other drivers who became irate when forced to stop and let the children walk across the high­ way. One thing, in particular, she observed was that almost no driver passed by at the stated 25 m.p.h. speed limit except when a squad car was in evidence. All in all, she said, it had been a good year and rewarding. She concluded, "I love those children very much". The third guard answered our initial question with an enthusiastic, "The kids are great". When we asked about drivers in general, she hesitated and then noted that most of them drive too fast and manycob- jected to being stopped. She said the lower grade children were always polite and the older ones "not bad". The experiences of these three crossing guards -- all of them in a position to see people at their worst -- may have a message for adults. K.A.F. "Not much can beat it"! That was the way pretty Mrs. Ellenor Foerster of 3014 W. Mourine lane enthusiastically described her graduation from MCHS last Friday evening. Along with 371 others in the senior class, she received her diploma from Board President James Althoff in a program held on McCracken field. The mother of seven and grandmother of twenty speaks with no small amount of pleasure and elation of her rather unusual educational experience. The family came to McHenry twelve years ago after residing the same number of years in Algonquin. As a girl she lived in Chicago, where she attended high school for a year and a half. ft' watfln WTO, when all of her children were married and had left home, that she decided to take some adult classes evenings at the high school. "None of it was easy", she observed with a sigh, but the fever of learning had taken hold. The next step was to enroll in a correspondence course from the University of Omaha, Neb. All of the details, including supplies and the testing program, were carried out for her through McHenry's West campus office. It was last week Wednesday, like many another senior, that she learned she had passed her last tests and would be a 1972 graduate. At the first practice with the seniors, only one of whom she knew, she admits to a feeling of not really belonging to the group. This feeling was dispelled on graduation night when two special presentations came her way in addition to the diploma. The class gave her a silver pin containing a graduate's cap, as well as a certificate for one of the original editions of the school year book. The spring of '72 has been a banner season for Ellenor Water By Board Of Health from fifteen to eighteen. These samples will be checked for bacteria which are indicators of contamination. The state and federal governments have established guidelines as to numbers of these bacteria which may be present in swimming beach waters. When the McHenry County Department of Health obtains sample results ex­ ceeding these standards, the beaches involved are posted, warning persons that the waters are not safe for swimming. The first weekly report from the McHenry County Board of Health showed the following conditions: McHenry sewer plant, Rawson Bridge, Fox River Grove sewer plant, Haeger's Bend, Venetian Gardens, Kelsey Boat Harbor, Porten's subdivision, Pistakee Bay at Broadway, Pistakee at Harmony Resort, McHenry Shores, all satisfactory; Pistakee Nursing home beach, Turner camp. City of McHenry, Grove Marina, Johnsburg bridge, McHenry State Park and Algonquin beach, all un­ satisfactory. Top Scholars Of MCHS Graduates Recognized for high scholastic attainment at last Friday night's commencement program held on McCracken field were the top ten MCHS seniors. From left, top row, are the valedictorian,, Sue Farm, with a 3.897 cumulative grade point average; and Mark Hoffman, salutatorian, 3,883; also Scott Wiggerman, 3,878; Pat Higgins, 3,841 and Belinda Clardy, 3,833; bottom row, John Diedrich, 3.813; Laura Farwell, 3.743; Mark Steinsdoerfer, 3.6%; Martin and Matthew Mondek, each with a 3.666 average. These high ranking students are the children of Messrs. and Mesdames Bert W. Farm of 4218 Crystal Lake road, McHenry; George Hoffman, Jr., of 612 Lincoln road, McHenry; Ronald Wiggerman of 4010 N. Blitsch place, McHenry; Frank Higgins of 4315 East Lake &hore drive, Wonder Lake; William Clardy of 309 Venice avenue, McHenry; Charles Diedrich of 2704 W. Timothy lane, McHenry; Andrew Steinsdoerfer of 3608 W. Clover avenue, McHenry and John Mondek of 7710 Hickory road. Wonder Lake; also Mrs. Rose Farwell, 5909 N. Bunny avenue, McHenry. School is out, the tem­ perature is rising and people throughout McHenry county are beginning to use the river and lakes for swimming and boating. This year more than ever, there is great concern over the quality of the water in lakes and streams. The McHenry County Department of Health has resumed sampling swimming beach areas, obtaining the first samples of this season May 22 Arrangements have been made with the Illinois Department of Public Health laboratory in Chicago to increase the number of samples they will test weekly