Downtown Theatre: The Will Rogers

Wondering if you remember trekking downtown, seven blocks or more, with a date in the middle of winter - - to see a movie at the Will Rogers, plus the shivering return trip to campus? I did that more than once before I had a car.

The Will Rogers Theatre first opened February 8, 1938 with 1,000 seats in its single auditorium. It was twinned / split down the middle to make two screens in October 1984 and was later closed in 2010. The Will Rogers was taken over by new owners in 2012, restoration and reopening is planned.

A 30-minute documentary (Click on the URL below) by Rick Riccio of Lerna, Illinois, explores the history of the Will Rogers Theatre in Charleston, Illinois - - thru interviews with family members of people that helped build and run the theater, as well as former employees, and also patrons that attended the theater through the the years.

https://youtu.be/75NPb4tF1qk (Length: 30 minutes)

Marty 'Duck' Pattin (April 6, 1943 - Oct. 3, 2018)

Marty Pattin began working at Walt's when he was finishing up at Charleston High School. He worked there during his years at Eastern.

I worked with him a few hours at the Short Stop Drive Inn (Actually, Marty was making a star appearance and greeted customers on opening day). Marty had suggested the name of the Short Stop to Walt Warmoth and Larry Mizener!

Martin William Pattin was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched for the California Angels, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and the Kansas City Royals. During a 13-year baseball career, Pattin compiled 114 wins, 1,179 strikeouts, and a 3.62 earned run average.

This past weekend, Marty was back in Charleston, IL to visit friends. He died of natural causes in his sleep.

Article from KU Sports
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/oct/03/former-royals-pitcher-ku-baseball-coach-marty-patt/

Obituary online at:
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article219466410.html

More biography information from interview:
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jun/28/duck-tales-ex-mlb-pitcher-ku-coach-pattin-recalls/

Update on Dr. Edward Brown

March 2018

I recently revisited the church website for Skokie Valley Baptist Church (Wilmette, IL) and noticed that Ed was no longer listed as their Senior Pastor. He has retired.

In checking for information online, I discovered this article (Great story of his experiences):

Hurtado, Allison. The Skokie Story: The Bumpy, Rewarding Road to Diversity. Converge MidAmerica.

https://www.convergemidamerica.org/blog/2017/01/skokie-story

Visit an earlier posting: "Eddie" Brown, Today that's Dr. Edward & Pastor
http://ko-op.blogspot.com/2012/11/eddie-brown.html

What Charleston Was Like Way Back When . . . (Part 2)

Or at the very least, the way that I remember It?

Note: The first version of this article was originally posted March 4, 2015. However in the following few years, it was updated and improved several times. The size of the article increased significantly with the addition of several vintage advertisements; those changes exceeded limits for the Blogger host site. Therefore it was split into two parts. (Part 1 can be found at it's original space:

https://ko-op.blogspot.com/2015/03/what-charleston-was-like-way-back-when.html)

Few matchbook covers from decades back

"It has been fifty years since I began working at the Ko-Op in the fall (November 1964) near the end of my first quarter of EIU classes." This continues my memories of the years that I lived in Charleston.

Nearby on the SW corner of the Square was one of two Charleston locations for a Snappy Service Diner. Open twenty-four seven (A rarity in those days), Snappy's was home to a fifteen-cent hamburger (In earlier days, they were a dime), but Snappy's also served breakfast any time of day. Nothing like being up late and sending someone for a bag of ten burger sliders for a buck-fifty. It was also interesting to spend a short-time watching a one-person operation.

Think of a small shotgun building with a counter down the center and half-a-dozen or more stools (Usually full around or after midnight). A dozen or more patties on a smoking hot grill, right next to eggs cooking, and a pot of chile heating behind. Grease from the burgers threatened to float other eggs and patties right of the grill top, while steam and smoke saturated the air. One likely gained a hundred calories just by breathing for ten or fifteen minutes.

A second Snappy's location was near campus, a block west of Old Main, on the south side of Lincoln Avenue. These two locations were part of a small local chain (Believe there was one in Mattoon) with home store in Paris, IL. Those fifteen-cent burgers were relatively small-size (Ten per person was often the choice) and those 'belly-busters' were best eaten hot off the grill. Chase them down with two or three Tums, and they could get you through a late nite. And as I mentioned, Snappy's never closed.

While thinking about the downtown area, who has had a ‘Chinkburger’ from up on Whiskey Row (Block off the Square from the 1st. National Bank)? Chink and Kate’s Bar was on the south side of west Monroe St. You could order a braunschweiger with a big slice of onion and cheese on rye bread, even if you were not old enough to purchase a beer.

Closer to campus, Coffee Time was opened by 1967 and was open late at night and early in the morning.

Also on the southside of the Square was Snyder’s Donut Shop and early in the morning, they delivered a tray of fresh donuts and sometimes a freshly-baked cake roll to the Ko-Op. Fresh cake roll was a treat with ice cream (Choice of soft-served or hand dipped); Larry Mizener often wondered why so much ‘sold’ that first day - - might have been that workers knew when it was fresh, soft and scrumptious too.

By Spring of 1965, Snyder’s Donuts was displaced at the Ko-Op by a new donut operation. This shop was operated by the Brooken’s family (Not positive on the name, but he was a former employee of Snyders). The night before Brooken’s Donuts opened, several of us Ko-Op workers accepted an invitation to help with a shake-down run - - making and taste-testing donuts until way after midnight - a hot glazed donut right out of the grease is hard to resist. Those were the days; I ate three to five meals a day and didn’t gain weight (Paying for that appetite development in these later decades).

For over a year, Lyle Mowery and I opened up the Ko-Op at 7 a.m. When we arrived at 6:30, the delivery of milk and ice cream from Mattoon’s Meadow Gold had already occurred. The delivery man had a key and stopped before we arrived on the scene.

Time’s, they kept a changing. Snappy’s and Coffee Time are long gone.

Until recently, it was often said that Charleston did not have and could not support a good restaurant. With very few exceptions; there were not many distinct choices, and I’m not sure if there ever was an outstanding meal in the town? What’s Cookin’ caused a little stir when it opened. Restaurants there trended toward providing low or moderately priced eats - - pub food, fast food, cheap food.

Today Trip Advisor rates Pagliai’s Pizza as number 1 of 44 restaurant in Charleston. As reported in the last census, Coles County’s medium household income for a family was estimated to be $ 37,397; twenty-two percent, over 1 in 5 of the current population were rated as being officially poor. I would guess that some people save their dining experiences for a road trip made to Champaign, IL. The good news is that Dirty’s Bar and Grill (What was once the Ko-Op) is rated number three (Update - Dirty's has not held to that rating, Feb. 2018 finds it rated 10th).

Back in ’64, Charleston still had a few neighborhood grocery stores. Pearcy's Market was then open and their processing plant and delivery supplied all of the meats for both the Ko-Op and the Short Stop. There was Haddock’s Grocery up toward the the Square (Don’t remember which street). In the first block north of campus, also on Fourth Street there was Orndorf’s Market (Horney Ornies). Sometime in the Seventies, it was replaced with a dance club (Think spinning glitter ball hanging from the ceiling) and a restaurant named E.L. Crackers. Rumor had it that the owner / builder purchased a remodeling permit and kept one small wall section intact until the outer shell of the new building hid it from view. A permit for added construction on an existing building is much cheaper that one for new construction. Other night spots are / were Marty’s (What was Walt’s back in the day, named after Marty Pattin), Ted’s Warehouse (Live music on weekends, located in the north section of town next to the rail tracks), Stix's, Mother’s (Also hosted disco dancing), the Uptowner, and Thirsty’s (Quarter beer nights).

Near the intersection of Fifth Street and Lincoln, the original / first Jimmy John’s was started in a garage (1983) by Jimmy John Liautaud. Jimmy John’s is now a national chain with over two thousand stores in thirty-four states.

The changes in business Enterprises were not limited to food and bar establishments. There were a handful of other stores and shops that I and other EIU students frequented. Finding a good barber in Charleston in those days was difficult. Aron’s Barber Shop was down in front of Old Main near Ike’s, getting a cut there was often the default choice. Cavins and Bayles Clothing had two locations: the Campus shop in the strip mall across Lincoln Avenue from Old Main and another on the inside NW corner of the Square. Jim Edgar (Interview transcript; college years begin about page 59), a President of the EIU student body and the last downstate governor of Illinois, worked there in 1965.

There was one independent book store, the Lincoln Book Shop owned and operated by Tanya Wood (Her husband was an EIU faculty member). Lincoln Books was housed across from Old Main on Lincoln Avenue. In 2004, Tanya and Dr. Leonard Wood died as a result of an auto accident east of Charleston.

Charleston’s town square began a decline in the early Sixties - - after the widening of Lincoln Avenue (Early Sixties), some businesses moved from the town square out near campus. But the Square was and still is vital and the heart of Charleston’s downtown. In the 1964-’68 era, there were still several businesses there. Along with Roc’s Lounge (The Black Front) and the Sportsman Lounge, there was Mack Moore Shoes, a five and dime (Ben Franklin’s? The basement had some restaurant glassware; I purchased some there for the Ko-Op), nearby was Jim Lanman’s Hardware store. The Will Rogers Theater (Opened in 1938) was and is still located on Monroe Street off the northeast side of the town square (Courthouse). Currently it is under restoration.

I’m sure that I left some important businesses off this summary listing; also probably have some errors in my memory. Add your entries and corrections to this posting.

**************************************************
* Joe Lucco coached three legendary basketball players who all played for the U of IL in the late Fifties: Govoner Vaughn, Manny Jackson and Don Ohl. After 39 years as teacher, coach and administrator, Joe retired from Edwardsville School District and was elected to serve as an Illinois State Representative (Democrat, Dist. 56).

** Herb Brooks had worked at Walt’s with Larry Mizener, and in 1964 he was the grade school principal in Rardin. In those days, Herb often helped on Sunday mornings by taking orders and payments at the cash register. After church, customers lined up for our deep-fried chicken dinners. I recognized Herb's ‘Brooks look’ the first time, that first weekend that I worked at the Ko-Op.

Two Brooks brothers and their families lived in Findlay; their kids went to Findlay schools - - first cousins, Charlotte and David, graduated in my class. Herb had been born in Moweaqua and graduated from Lovington High. He had served in the Air Force during the Korean War, then returned to Charleston and EIU. He was a cousin of the Brooks families in Findlay. I later worked with Herb’s younger brother, Jim Brooks, who was a music and band teacher in Urbana Schools.

Herb left Charleston Schools and worked for the University as Assistant Director and later Director of the Student Union (1966-1978). He retired from EIU in 1987 as Director of Veterans Services. By then, Herb had purchased the DQs in Charleston. Herb Brooks, age 69, died in April 2001 at his rural Charleston home. His wife, Darlene, died in Feb. 2012.

Sport Light of the Week: Larry Mizener 1950

Another Daily Eastern News article that focused on Larry Mizener:

Mayan, Jack (Oct. 4, 1950). "Sport Light of the Week." Daily Eastern News. Eastern Illinois University. p.6.

http://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=den_1950_oct

Although the Air Force and the Navy receive a great deal of credit for winning wars, it is generally conceded that it is the ground forces which actually turn the tide of battles by going in and conquering enemy lands.

Sophomore Class Officers (1949 Warbler)

This axiom can be compared to the wars of the gridiron where passing is certainly a highly important weapon, but even so the real power of a team is measured by the yardage gained from the line of scrimmage.

1949 Warbler

Eastern’s rushing power was exemplified in the Ball State game by hard-charging Larry Mizener of Lisle, Illinois. All Larry did in the game was to pick up 95 yards in only 13 ball carrying attempts. Almost any fourth grader can tell you that “Mize” averaged better than seven yards per carry which is something to be proud of. Larry must have been proud of his performance as he rated it his biggest sport thrill, along with getting revenge from the Ball Staters for their 47 to 13 rout of Eastern in “49.”

Junior Class Officers (Warbler 1950)

Larry is trying for his third varsity football letter this season, besides his activities in the Varsity club and in Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity. Now in his senior year, Larry hasn’t let any grass grow under his feet while at Eastern. He was elected class president in both is sophomore and junior years.

Physical Education majors are not uncommon on Eastern’s athletic squads, but PE majors with speech correction minors are not to frequent. Larry picked this curriculum with an eye towards coaching with a speech correction sideline.

Phi Sigma Epsilon (Warbler 1950)

Larry attended Downers Grove high school where he lettered three times in both football and track. In the latter, “Mize” was a high hurdler.

Most of Larry’s spare time is taken up by his job at the Ko-op, but he likes to play golf occasionally. Although “Mize” has been called in for his Army physical, he is ranked in the upper half of his class so he is hoping for a deferment.

Ad in Eastern State News (Oct. 08, 1947)

You Know You're From Charleston Illinois When....

Some of you that are on Facebook might enjoy following the posted information at this site (Click on the Link that follows):
You Know You're From Charleston Illinois When....

Not Many Photographs from 'Back in the Day'

Most of us did not have a camera, many of us did not make it to sessions scheduled for the Warbler yearbook, so photographs of our undergrad college years are rare. Recently Deb Mizener Beckrich sent me this one below. I believe that her dad, Larry Mizener, took it in 1967 inside the Short Stop. Neither Deb or I can remember the name of the girl standing beside me; she worked at the Short Stop. I may be way off, but I think that she was a relative (Younger sister perhaps) of Charleston lawyer, Woody Kramer, originally from Villa Grove? Deb thinks her first name might be Pamela or Sue?

Anyone else have a photo that they could share?

I have no idea of what I had going on with that apron fold . . .

Spring in the Air . . .

Spring of 1964; I was finishing up high school in Findlay, Illinois and making plans for EIU that coming Fall. And I heard about the Eastern waterfights from my brother. Bob Johnson was two years older and an EIU student. He was also a student manager at the University Union Snackbar - a popular student hangout in those days.

He talked about being at work on the first night of disturbances (Tuesday, May 18th), and then being a spectator on Lincoln Avenue the second night when the action heated up. Students, mainly male, were marching down Lincoln Avenue, opening fire hydrants, and dumping buckets of water over the heads of officers positioned to 'protect' hydrants down the street. Water was surging down Lincoln Avenue. The rambunctiousness was over in a few nights. Bob told of being followed home from work to his off-campus room another night as a curfew was enforced. As he crossed the yard to his basement room, a spotlight came on, and a policeman told him to 'get his ass inside, and stay there' for the night.

Read about the historic riot in Charleston, and a similar riot in Champaign Urbana's campustown the following weekend:

(1995) Eastern Illinois University. Turner Publishing Company; p. 45.

"The year 1964 was probably the most controversial in Eastern's history. Campus police still recall the famous water fight, involving some 300 students, that began on May 18 and lasted through the week. The disturbance splashed over the campus and into the streets of Charleston. Fire hydrants were opened in downtown Charleston; dorm rooms were doused; and a university administrator was allegedly hit in the head with and empty water bucket. Campus and city police were needed to quell the crowds of students roaming the campus.

On the second night State Police and others set up a roadblock to prevent University of Illinois Greek organizations from answering an alleged challenge from Eastern's Greek Houses, which had been broadcast over a Chicago radio station, to join in a water fight. Doudna filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission and condemned the 'mob action' of the local students. By Friday, county and city law enforcement authorities had had enough; they promised arrests under mob action statutes if the disturbances continued"

Things were jumping in Champaign-Urbana too . . .

Fuller, Tony (May 26, 1964). 31 Disciplined in Riot. Daily Illini.

Thirty-one students will be disciplined for participation in Sunday night’s campus rock and bottle throwing incident. All of the students apprehended in the mob action, which one security official characterized as the meanest and nastiest for its size the he had seen, face possible expulsion from the University. The same official estimated the size of the crowd as being somewhere between 500 and 1,000. No injuries were reported resulting from the activities of the milling and somewhat formless group of students who began to congregate around 11:15 p.m. Sunday night. However, one source said that a member of the Dean of Mens staff did receive a nick on the side of the forehead from a horseshoe which was thrown by one of the participants.

University officials said that activities evidently had no central motivation or strong leadership. Although no serious bodily damage was reported, both eat Security Office and the Champaign police said that the mob did more damage to property than any of the waterfight groups of past years. In the past fights the mobs have concentrated more on opening hydrants and shoving people into the stream. However, the Sunday night groups was seemingly bent on property destruction. According to one law enforcement official the students hurled stones, bricks and pop bottles at home and cars. It was reported that Gaylord Hatch, assistant dean of men, has some of the windows smashed out of his car by flying pop bottles.

In addition, many street lights were smashed; Champaign City Manager Warren Browning estimated that it would cost slightly less than $ 100 to replace the damaged lights. One student was arrested by Champaign police. He is Jack D. Rubinstein, freshman in engineering; Rubinstein was charged with disobeying a officer. Officers said that he repeatedly refused to show his ID card when asked. Released on $ 25 bond, Rubinstein will appear in court on June 5.

The mob also opened about 13 fire hydrants. Security officials said, however, that the hydrants were opened with no apparent intention of doing anything with the water. Police had no trouble in closing them shortly after they were opened. The group began to congregate in fraternity park near Chalmers and Third streets in Champaign. From there they moved east to Wright Street and then back to the park. At various times there were sections of the crowd grouping around the MRH Canteen, Locust Street and Noble Hall, security officials said. While moving, the crowd made several stops at women’s residences and screamed we want panties. Most observers said the action seemed to lose force about 2:19 or 2:30 a.m. However, a false alarm brought fire trucks screaming to the burnt shell of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house about 2:30.  The Phi Gam house, 401 East John St., was demolished by fire over the Easter vacation.

Champaign Police Chief Harvey Shirley told the Daily Illini Monday afternoon that he had no way of knowing whether the mob action would reoccur. He did say that his police department and University officials had well worked out plans regarding the handling of any large mob actions. He reused to comment as to the plans content. Hatch, the dean who had his car windows smashed, said that people had to realize that the mob actions involved a very small minority of the total number so students. I believe that most students just aren’t crazy about the ideas of such irresponsible acts, he said.

In other events surrounding student rioting in the state Quincy Doudna, President of Eastern Illinois University, lodged a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission charging radio station WLS in Chicago with irresponsible broadcasting, giving out anonymous information and confusion in the town of Charleston, where Eastern is located. Eastern officials told the Daily Illini that WLS, on Monday of last week, began broadcasting a challenge, phoned in by an anonymous student at Eastern, calling on (University of) Illinois students to come to Charleston and participate in a waterfight on Thursday. The officials said that the radio station persisted in making the announcements all during the week.

On Thursday evening the Eastern campus was the scene of a demonstration involving about 200 students. The gathering of students was characterized as a combination revolt and panty raid. Most of the students either went to women’s residences and cried, we want panties, or stood in groups yelling. Down with dictator tactics. There were no injuries reported. Officials at Eastern said that President Doudna consulted with the local sheriff who told him that he thought WLS could be held just as responsible as anyone for the demonstration. As a result the complaint was lodged. Representatives of WLS, contacted in Chicago Monday, refused to make any comment on the situation.

Another article excerpt from the Charleston paper:

CHARLESTON -- Eastern Illinois University officials and Coles County Sheriff Paul B. Smith charged today that Chicago radio station WLS was largely responsible for Thursday night's student demonstrations and general unrest in Charleston. Thursday night's disturbance followed outbreaks Monday in which students damaged a number of Charleston fire hydrants and staged water fights. A formal protest to the Federal Communications Commission was sent today by EIU President Quincy Doudna asking the FCC to investigate WLS in presenting stories in such a way that it would foment a disturbance. Doudna said no other media outlet reported that a water fight was expected on EIU's campus Thursday night. "I believe this station was the only one to accept statements from unreliable sources that Eastern students had challenged University of Illinois students to a water fight.” Doudna said...

Later in 1967-68, there were a few sparsely attended protest rallies on the EIU campus. One asked for a fired professor to be reinstated; I believe that there was a war protest or two. However student unrest of the Sixties did not touch EIU all that much. It was another few years before the EIU campus experienced a small uprising. It was not a threatening kind. Mild temperatures; an early Spring warmup led to streaking.

Another brief excerpt from the EIU history tells all:

(1995) Eastern Illinois University. Turner Publishing Company; p. 52.

“Streaking was a popular fad in 1974, as Eastern students graduated from the comparatively restrained panty raids of years gone by. Several students caught the craze, while several hundred others watched. In a statement released to the media in March, (President) Fite said: ‘While I am disappointed that Eastern students have failed to demonstrate their much-acclaimed maturity by joining this silly, juvenile fad. I am sure that our Health Service can handle any epidemic of sniffles resulting from the exposure.’ Health Director Jerry Heath said there had not been any case of students who caught cold because they had been running outside in the nude.”

An appreciative audience cheered on participants for a few nights. The streaking runs were on campus, so the Charleston Police were not involved. Campus cops were right there in the crowd of students and faculty, along with a few administrators and townspeople who came to watch.

Ivan S. Kennard, March 29, 1922 - April 4, 2015

Don Gher shared this information:

Obituary for Ivan S. Kennard
(Excerpted from Moore Funeral Homes, lots of great photos in the Tribute section)

Ivan (“Ike”) Kennard, 93, died Saturday, April 4, 2015, at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ike was born on March 29, 1922, in Lawrence County, Illinois, to Ephraim Henry Kennard and Hattie Leora Schrodt. He married Joan King on April 23, 1943. She survives along with their daughter Marlys Fallen and husband Carl, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Ike attended Eastern Illinois University and was a World War II Navy pilot and flight instructor. After the war, he returned to Charleston where he lived until September 2011 when he and Joan moved to Tulsa. Ike was the owner of "Ike's Little Campus" across the street from Eastern Illinois University. He was a longtime supporter of EIU.

Besides his wife and daughter, Ike is survived by his older brother Joseph Kennard, Coral Gables, Florida, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Phyllis Copeland, Kathryn Hacker, Elaine Mahon and Frances Brooks; and his brothers Hayes and Rex Kennard, and his sons Stephen Wayne Kennard and Michael King Kennard.

Click here for more from EIU: 
https://eiupanthers.com/news/2015/4/7/GEN_0407153229.aspx

03 Sept. 2018: more about Ike Kennard:
https://ko-op.blogspot.com/2018/09/walts-ko-op-and-ikes-little-campus.html

What Charleston Was Like Way Back When . . . (Part 1)

Or at the very least, the way that I remember It?


Note: The first version of this article was originally posted March 4, 2015. However in the following few years, it was updated and improved several times. The size of the article increased significantly with the addition of several vintage advertisements; those changes exceeded limits for the Blogger host site. Therefore it was split into two parts.


Part 2 can be found at: 
http://ko-op.blogspot.com/2018/02/what-charleston-was-like-way-back-when.html



Click on image(s) to enlarge

It has been fifty years since I began working at the Ko-Op in the fall (November 1964) near the end of my first quarter of EIU classes. I lived about a block away in a basement on 9th street, and the day I applied to work at the Ko-Op was the first time I had been inside the campus hangout. I had walked by a few times, but had cooking privileges at the house I lived in and seldom ate out.

I graduated four years later (August 1968) and taught one year at Edwardsville High School (Joe Lucco of Illinois coaching fame was my principal; one of the finest administrators that I ever worked with in my career)*. I moved back to Charleston in the summer of 1969, took a teaching position with Urbana School District 216 and commuted to and from Urbana and later Champaign (Parkland College) for two decades.

Since moving away from Charleston in the fall of 1988, I’ve been back to visit several times. All three of my children grew up there and graduated from Charleston High. The two oldest completed their undergraduate degrees at Eastern; the youngest son chose Illinois State University in Bloomington. I was around town for several years and saw a lot of the changes that occurred over those five decades.

In my early college years, Charleston did not have many fast food chains. Dairy Queen was open in the warmer months (Located toward the northside of town at Division and State next to a miniature golf course); later another DQ opened near campus on Lincoln - at one time the Herb Brooks family operated both DQ businesses **.

After more than four decades of doing business in Charleston, Dog and Suds located on the east end of Lincoln Avenue (Now the site of an O'Brien Auto Parts) closed in December 2009 - it was out past the then site of the IGA Grocery.

Eventually in the Seventies, several fast food restaurants came to 'Chucktown' including Hardees, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds, Subway and others.

In the Fifties and Sixties, the three eating places close to campus were (1) Walt's, (2) Ike's Little Campus and (3) the Ko-Op (Followed by the opening of the Short-Stop in the mid-Sixties). A few months before I graduated in 1968, news came out that Ike Kennard had gotten a liquor license, and he and his sons were changing Ike's to a bar - sounded like a sound business decision and also great timing with the next few years bringing Illinois a drop of the drinking age to 18 years old (Vietnam War era - old enough to fight and die but not old enough to drink).

Pagliai’s Pizza (Pronounced Poly-eyes) had already opened by the Fall of 1964, and was located in the strip mall next to the Ford dealership, adjacent to the bowling alley (East end of Lincoln). Last time I checked, all were in the same location except the auto dealership had changed names and maybe models. Pagliai’s expanded into a Midwest chain.

Was the locally-owned (Not part of the national franchise chain) Burger King open on Lincoln Avenue by the mid-Sixties? I believe so . . . it was operated by Dale Hoots of Mattoon. Dale's brother Gene and sister-in-law, Betty, ran the Burger King in Mattoon.

Back in the day, another popular eating place for college students was the Little Venice restaurant (On one-way Sixth Street down near the town branch), where one could order an inexpensive pasta dinner and a bottle of cheap Chianti wine.

The 'Little V' closed in the Seventies, and the owner moved on to building and running a gas station on west Lincoln Avenue (Near the site of the 17 Club Bar). Also during the early Seventies, another Mattoon restaurant opened a second business location (After Burger King) in Charleston: Little Mexico on the east side of the Square.

But jumping back to the fall of 1964, Schmidt’s Drive-In was still in operation - on the southeast side of town on Hway 130 as one headed out toward the Charleston Drive-In Theater. Schmidt’s had ‘car hops’ and they were still hanging trays on car door windows. After closing for the winter one year, Schmidt’s never reopened. The drive-in theater also closed a few decades ago . . . but not before some legendary Ko-Op car-load outings there (Have memories of double-features c1967 and have never been a huge fan of Mogen David Concord Wine since. But it will get you there!).

The Ko-Op closed at 4 p.m. on Friday afternoons, reopened Sat. morning and then closed at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. Friday was also payday, and some of us dined out those evenings. Green’s Restaurant was located just off the town square (A few buildings SW on Jackson Avenue). Friday’s evening menu featured broasted chicken served with a baked or mashed potatoes and gravy, a salad, choice of vegetable (corn or green beans usually), a bread roll, and followed by Pie à la Mode (Green’s made their own ice cream?). I don’t remember when Green’s closed their doors, but they were still in business when I graduated. I believe that the last time I ate there was the night before I got married.

This is the first portion of this article; it continues at What Charleston Was Like Way Back When . . . Part 2:
http://ko-op.blogspot.com/2018/02/what-charleston-was-like-way-back-when.html
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

* Joe Lucco coached three legendary basketball players who all played for the U of IL in the late Fifties: Govoner Vaughn, Manny Jackson and Don Ohl. After 39 years as teacher, coach and administrator, Joe retired from Edwardsville School District and was elected to serve as an Illinois State Representative (Democrat, Dist. 56).

** Herb Brooks had worked at Walt’s with Larry Mizener, and in 1964 he was the grade school principal in Rardin. In those days, Herb often helped on Sunday mornings by taking orders and payments at the cash register. After church, customers lined up for our deep-fried chicken dinners. I recognized Herb's ‘Brooks look’ the first time, that first weekend that I worked at the Ko-Op.

Two Brooks brothers and their families lived in Findlay; their kids went to Findlay schools - - first cousins, Charlotte and David, graduated in my class. Herb was born in Moweaqua and graduated from Lovington High. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War, then returned to Charleston and EIU. He was a cousin of the Brooks families in Findlay. I later worked with Herb's younger brother, Jim Brooks, who was a music and band instructor in Urbana Schools.

Herb left Charleston Schools and worked for the University as Assistant Director and later Director of the Student Union (1966-1978). He retired from EIU in 1987 as Director of Veterans Services. By then, Herb had purchased the DQs in Charleston. Herb Brooks, age 69, died in April 2001 at his rural Charleston home. His wife, Darlene, died in Feb. 2012.

Kept that Jukebox Playing . . .

While working hours at the Ko-Op Cafe, the one almost constant presence was the Jukebox. From opening up at 7 a.m. till closing at 11 p.m. (Or was that 10:30 ?), most of the time - tunes were playing. Samuel Music of Effingham, owned and maintained the Jukebox and the pinball machines. Their two workers came by every few weeks to empty the till, load some new vinyl and clean / maintain the machine.

Once we had worked there long enough, Mize granted a few of us the privilege of sometimes taking a few quarters out of the cash register to play some of our favorites. A good time to exercise that special right was when a crowd of students came in - - what we called a 'rush.' Many of us also kicked in more from our own pocket; we loved pop music and truly kept the jukebox playing.

When I started work in November 1964, the Folk Music Revival was winding down as the British Invasion was firing up. And somewhere around 1966, Soul Music and Motown were having an impact. Put your dancing shoes on; here's one of my favorites from Jackie Wilson.

Jukeboxes are largely a memory today, but what was your favorite tune from the Sixties? I'll see if it can be spotlighted from here.

The Beatles in 1965 with "I Feel Fine."

The Animals in 1966-1967 . . . those tunes were our 'anthems' in the hall! The 'Mow' and his roommates in the 'Bahamas' wore out the groove on his album.

World War II Hero Who Managed the Ko-Op?

During his last year at Eastern (1940-1941), he managed the original Ko-Op on Lincoln Street. * 

(Walt Warmoth was the owner)

More about him:

He was born on a farm near Villa Grove, IL on April 25, 1920.

Captained the basketball team at Villa Grove. Graduated from high school in 1938.

Worked on a farm to save money for Eastern Illinois State Teachers College (Became EIU in early Sixties).

Fall 1938, he worked at Walt's Little Campus.

When he attended Eastern, there were only seven buildings on campus; "everyone was happy with the two new buildings" - - the Science Building and Lantz.

Was on Eastern's basketball team; started as center in the first basketball game played at the 'new' Lantz Gymnasium (Now McAfee).

Spent 3 1/2 years at Eastern before he enlisted in the Navy (WWII) - did not graduate.

Became a Navy pilot (Fall 1942).

Assigned first to the USS Santee and later to the USS Cabot * * (Became friends with journalist Ernie Pyle during Pyle's stay on the USS Cabot; subject of an Ernie Pyle column).

An Ensign, he flew 55 combat missions and was awarded a Purple Heart (Shrapnel wounds during one flight), the Distinguished Flying Cross and two stars, the Air Medal with three stars, the Navy Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation with two stars, and the Philippine Liberation Campaign Medal with two stars.

After the war, he elected to remain in the Navy.

Worked in Naval Intelligence.

Served as military representative from the Joint Chiefs of Staff for NATO.

Rose through the ranks from ensign to lieutenant jg, to lieutenant, to lieutenant commander, to commander, to captain (One step below admiral).

In 1961 he was assigned to Head of Special Projects for Naval Intelligence at the Pentagon (Intel gathered by U2 flights and satellites).

He was part of the group that recovered Commander Alan Shepard, America's first man in Space, from his splashdown at sea (May 5, 1961).

Retired from the Navy in 1972 with 30 years service.

Who was this man?

His name is Howard H. Skidmore.

He lived in Palos Verdes, Peninsula, California.

Represented the Class of 1942 in the 1992 EIU Homecoming Parade.

Signed his letters to fellow EIU alums: "Another Panther."

Before he died (Nov. 2, 2006), Dr. James Giffin (Former Dean of School of Business at EIU and also a WWII Navy veteran who served in the North Atlantic) wrote this about Howard Skidmore:

"Skidmore and his squadron of fellow pilots literally had to put themselves at great risk to halt the Japanese. His plane was equipped with only moderate armament to protect against Japanese fighter planes who were intent on shooting it down before it could attack Japanese units, and it had little protection from the dozens of big and small naval guns on board the Japanese battleships, cruisers, destroyers. etc. The upshot of this situation was such that Ensign Skidmore and his fellow pilots literally flew 'into the jaws of death' on many missions from which many pilots and their crews did not return.

That Skidmore survived the war was largely luck. He experienced a number of very close calls, such as the time a Japanese shell blasted through the tail section of his plane, setting it afire. But the crewmen were able to control the fire and Skidmore was able to nurse the plane back to his carrier. Another time he was positioned on the Cabot's deck to take off when a Japanese suicide plane crashed onto the deck immediately in front of him -- shearing off his propeller and setting his plane on fire. In his plane's bomb bay were four 500-pound bombs which, luckily, did not explode. Skidmore and his crew escaped their disabled plane and survived. On another occasion, Skidmore piloted his plane back to the carrier with so little fuel that his engine coughed and died just as his plane landed."

More information and photographs at

http://saltofamerica.com/contents/displayArticle.aspx?18_78

Captain Howard Homer Skidmore (Online bio)
http://www.aviationheritage.com/biography.cfm#howardsk

History of the USS Cabot (CVL-28) (Chapt 10)
http://www.stexboat.com/books/cabot/cab10_13.htm
Includes a bio of Howard Skidmore.

Howard Skidmore died February 10, 2013.

* In the early Sixties, the 'old' Ko-Op building was destroyed when Lincoln Avenue was expanded to four lanes; replaced with the building that stands today (706 1/2 Lincoln).

* * The USS Cabot, an aircraft carrier, was nicknamed the "Iron Woman" by Ernie Pyle. The Cabot spent 16 months in combat in the Pacific Theater. It earned nine battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism. The Cabot's crews brought down 356 enemy aircraft and damaged or sunk 265 Japanese ships with torpedoes and bombs launched from her deck. The Cabot was the last 'light carrier' used in WWII to survive; she was finally scrapped in 2002.

More information about the USS Cabot and Ace pilot, Howard Skidmore:
USS Cabot (CVL-28) at Wikipedia

http://www.vf31.com/CVL/cabot.html

USS Cabot WWII (CVL-28)
http://delange.org/Cabot2/Cabot2.htm

Glory Gone, Iron Woman Awaits Sad End
http://lubbockonline.com/stories/121000/nat_121000077.shtml