"Peanuts" Lowery worked at the Ko-Op in the Mid - Sixties.

Kenneth "Ken" Irl Lowry

Nov. 21, 1948 - Dec. 28, 2022

TOLEDO - Kenneth "Ken" Irl Lowry, age 74, of Toledo, IL, passed away at 12:28 p.m., Wednesday, December 28, 2022, at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, IL.

A funeral service in his honor will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at Mitchell-Jerdan Funeral Home, 1200 Wabash Avenue, Mattoon, IL, 61938. Reverend Ron Dickinson will officiate. The visitation will be held from 12:00 p.m. until the time of service at the funeral home.

Ken was born on November 21, 1948, to the late Donald Thomas and Ruth Elizabeth (Haverstock) Lowry. He married Mary Ann Rochat on November 21, 2003, in Toledo, IL; she survives and resides in Toledo, IL.

He is also survived by two daughters: Alisha Rose Lowry and significant other, Matt Boruff of Greenup, IL, Kerry Ilene Lowry of Teutopolis, IL; one brother, Chuck Lowry of Newbern, TN; one sister, Carol Lowry and significant other, Jerry VanBellehem of Mattoon, IL; five grandchildren: Jaykob, Julia, Emma, Ian, and Orion. He was preceded in death by one brother, Thomas Lowry.

Ken was a member of the basketball team at Stewardson-Strasburg High School where he graduated in 1966. He joined the United States Air Force and proudly served his country from 1967-1973. After his honorable release he accepted a letter carrier position at the United States Postal Service in Mattoon, IL, and retired in 2003, after many years of dedicated service. He was a member of the American Legion of Neoga, IL, and the Eagle's Club of Mattoon, IL.

Embracing his lifelong love of music, Ken enjoyed singing and playing guitar in several of the local bands. He also had a passion for gardening and took great pride in canning and freezing his produce. His sense of humor was often ignited as he shared the proceeds of his labor with friends and family. Many times, the recipient was entertained by his quick wit and banter regarding the goods.

A dedicated family man, Ken exhibited an incredible adoration for his wife, children, and grandchildren. His memory and the positive values and character he instilled will live on.

Memorials in his honor may be made to Autism Acceptance Cumberland County, 649B County Road 1450 E, Toledo, IL, 62468; or Peace Meal, C/O Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Foundation, 1000 Health Center Drive, Mattoon, IL, 61938.

'Little' Marty: Recognized As Outstanding Doctor

Jean and Larry Mizener's kids all worked at the Ko-Op and Short Stop as young children. Marty was the youngest. Remember those two silver teeth (His baby teeth were injured and the silver caps put in place).

Today 'Little Marty' is an ophthalmologist at Midwest Eye Care in Omaha, Nebraska (Learn more at the webpage). Dr. Martin Mizener was recently recognized as a 'Best Doctor' in the Omaha Magazine for Premier Doctors.

Jim Mizener Died, November 2020

A Ko-Op connection died from complications of Covid19. Jim Mizener, Larry's younger brother, lived upstairs with us at the Ko-Op, and he worked at Walt's. His obituary:

James William Mizener
Born: October 8, 1942
Died: November 14, 2020

Jim Mizener, District 99's biggest fan, went home to Jesus on November 14. At 78 years young, he died of complications from internal bleeding, after battling COVID-19 for 14 days at Good Samaritan Hospital, fighting to the last and even making a "comeback" from double pneumonia the day before his homegoing. Jim was born on October 8, 1942 in a little farmhouse in Lisle and lived his entire life in the Downers Grove area. He was born to William and Thelma Mizener and was the 2nd youngest of seven siblings: Floyd, Larry, Loretta, (who also died from COVID-19 along with her beloved husband Stan), Carol, and Verna, and Judi, the youngest.

Jim attended Downers Grove North (DGN) for one year before moving to the newly constructed Lisle High School, graduating in 1960. He was thrilled to attend Eastern Illinois University where his older brother had attended, and he was extremely involved in the sports scene in Charleston.

He married his wife Diane Goddard, also a teacher at Downers Grove South High School (DGS), in 1967. They were happily married over 53 years. As an architect, Jim designed the house they lived in for 52 years on Dunham Road. He was the proud father of daughters Becky and Laurie and loved spending time with his granddaughters, who are athletes, artists and musicians in North Carolina and Colorado.

He dedicated his entire career to DGS and later to DGN as well. He began as the drafting/architecture teacher at DGS in 1965 and also served as the head of the Industrial Technology Department. Immediately upon retirement, he went back to work at DGS as an aide. He also taught architecture classes at the College of DuPage and worked as a freelance architect together with dear friend and fellow DGS teacher Dave Claus.

Jim worked at DGS for fifty-five years as a teacher, department chair, and public address announcer for hundreds of sporting events. His influence and guidance led many of his students to become architects throughout the Midwest. He is remembered by alumni and current students of the school as the "Voice of the Mustangs," his voice as much a part of football games at DGS as the fall air and the sound of the marching band. He announced every event possible in District 99 and even beyond. Always wanting to help on his "days off," he also served as a volunteer at First United Methodist Church of Downers Grove where he was often seen helping in the parking lot and greeting worshippers.

Jim was a beloved figure in Downers Grove. He possessed a unique ability to make one feel like he was a lifelong friend within minutes of meeting him. He was instrumental in founding the DGS Athletic Hall of Fame to which he was inducted in 2005. This was an honor he cherished and one he bestowed upon dozens of former DGS athletes and coaches. He was also inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Jim helped secure sponsorship for a new electronic scoreboard for the baseball team and diligently maintained the sports display cases at school. Jim loved sports and loved getting to know students even more. He took a genuine interest in people and lovingly mentored generations of students, as noted by one family impacted by him: "he was the definition of the best in humanity. He represented a true gentleman with impeccable character, integrity, work ethic, strong faith, love for family, and sincere care and dedication to helping students and athletes succeed in every aspect of life." Jim is remembered by friends, family, former students, and community members as genuine, caring, kind, honest, and passionate.

One former student called him an "absolute gentleman," a sentiment echoed by dozens of friends and colleagues. His friends at the scorer?s table at DGS basketball games promise to remember him at every tip off, and in the press box with every kickoff on the football field; it's impossible for them to imagine watching a game without Jim, as he only missed one home football game in the last 15 years.

Jim is survived by his wife, Diane, his siblings Carrol Mizener Paranto, Verna Mizener Burleigh, and Judith Mizener Calhoun, his beloved children Laura Mizener and Rebecca Mizener Burnett, and his cherished grandchildren Kathleen Burnett, Anissa Burnett, Sophia Burnett, Anneli Burnett, and Aleah Edwards.

A memorial service will sadly not be held at this time because of restrictions, and Jim's wish to keep everyone safe from COVID-19. The simplest way to honor Jim is to wear your mask and avoid gatherings large and small, even with extended family unless precautions are carefully taken--- no one can be too careful. He knew how many were praying for him, he was so very thankful, and the doctors were amazed how hard his body was fighting to defeat the virus and the severe double pneumonia. He remained positive, determined, and cheerful to the very end, when he quite unexpectedly began to bleed internally. Even going into the ICU Jim had a good grip and a positive attitude. Plans will be announced for a memorial service at a later date, which can allow those who wish to honor his impact on his friends and community to do so.

Jim's ashes will be interred at Clarendon Hills Cemetery in Darien, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, memorials in his name can be made to the Jim Mizener Scholarship Fund, care of Community High School District 99, South High School, 1436 Norfolk Street, Downers Grove, IL 60516.

Additional information from local media:
https://campussuite-storage.s3.amazonaws.com/prod/11165/bf837fc0-1ca3-11e6-b537-22000bd8490f/2186531/51c99320-2b46-11eb-bc80-128dac9d5513/file/111920%20Jim%20-%20SL.pdf

New Ko-Op Cafe Opens - September 17, 1961

Coe, Nancy (Sept. 27, 1961). “Walt Warmoth Opens New Restaurant; Enters 21st Year of Business in the City.” Daily Eastern News, p.10.

http://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=den_1961_sep

A cigarette and a cup of coffee are the trademarks of a man who can usually be seen leaning against the cash register at Walt’s Cafe - Walt Warmoth.

Walt had been in business for some 20 years at two locations near the campus. His restaurants have been favorite gathering places for students and faculty alike.

Warmoth’s latest venture, the Ko-Op Cafe, opened Sept. 17, on the location previously occupied by the original Ko-Op.

The old Ko-Op, Walt’s first restaurant, was erected on Lincoln St., just east of Seventh, in March, 1940. It served students until 1959, when construction of Route 17 (State Hwy 16) resulted in the condemnation of the building.

Warmoth then started Walt’s Cafe, often called the “Open,” on the corner of Fourth and Lincoln. The new Ko-Op was open for business only six weeks after his August decision to re-build the cafe.

“Things have started off real well at the Ko-Op,” said Walt. ”It’s a good traffic corner.”

Under the direction of Larry Mizener, who has been with Walt as manager since 1952, the Ko-Op will operate much the same as Walt’s. Both restaurants function entirely with student help consisting of some 30 men.

“Many of the guys who have worked for me in the past have tremendously good jobs now?, Walt said. “Some have even opened their own restaurants.”

Howard Skidmore, flight-service commander to the carrier that picked up astronaut Alan Shepard after his space flight, worked for Warmoth during his college career. “Skidmore is a good man,” Walt said. “Recently, he sent me pictures of the pick-up. It was really something.”

Walt commented that he never seemed to have many big problems with his businesses. “I suppose I could find some if I really looked, but I just enjoy the work,” he said.

A sports enthusiast and Panther fan, Walt attends most of Eastern’s games, as he said “according to season.”

Walt attended Eastern in 1935 and 1937. He then entered the University of Illinois medical school. When asked just why he left the university, he replied, “I decided that hamburgers smelled better than formaldehyde.”

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.

November 1964: Got a Job

Back then, I was running out of cash and needed to find a job. One of my roommates suggested checking at the nearby Ko-Op Cafe on Lincoln Avenue near 7th Street. So one day between classes, I entered and asked if help was needed. Soon as I filled out an application form, Larry Mizener came out front, sat with me and asked a few questions. Once he had my schedule of classes, he lined-up about fifteen work hours for the remainder of that week. A short time later that same day, I worked my first shift.

In those days, guys wore their white tee shirts and were supplied a long-white apron tied around the waist that swept below the knees. Student workers were all male (Jean Mizener and the children, Little Walt, Debbie, Bette and Marty also worked shifts). As a new employee, I began serving ice water (Every customer received a glass of ice water delivered to where they sat), clearing tables / picking up dishes, glassware and cutlery. New workers, the latest hired began working on the far right of the cafeteria-style counter, a section with bar stools on the other side. Behind the counter on the worker side was a deep double stainless steel sink and drain board. Here we dumped paper, garbage and trash into a garbage can, and stacked dirty dishes and glassware onto an infeed table surface on the left side of the wash sink. Frequently needed to change the wash water, keeping it as hot as possible, adding fresh soap and disinfectant. As soon as possible, as soon as one had a small stack, we washed cups and dishes and dunked them into the hot rinse basin, placed on the drain board on the other side. After silverware was washed, filled into a flatware cylinder, and then rinsed, we sometimes second-rinsed them with scalding hot water from the coffee urn.

Grill at Clyde's Drive In, St. Ignace, MI

Having never worked in a food business before, every procedure was new. As a beginner, another worker with at least a few or several weeks more experience demonstrated new tasks and monitored / corrected my performance. First lessons, move . . . don’t follow a slow, deliberate pace. As I worked, keep a watch on customers sitting at booths, tables and the bar stools. Also be aware of people coming in, proceeding down the cafeteria-style counter, placing their orders, paying at the cash register, and finding a seat. Clean and clear away tables as soon as students leave. Procedures: how to grab, dunk and clean a coffee cup. How to carry seven filled ice water glasses to a table. How to pull an empty glass off the tray, flip it over upright, scoop ice out of the bin, and hold under the spring loaded water spigot to fill - all in a smooth fluid motion, never stopping until one had the number needed.

Inevitably a cup or glass dropped and crashed to the floor, breaking. One learned to stick a foot under the falling item, slowing its descent and sometimes saving a cup or glass. A few weeks later when I moved up the line to work around the grill, sandwich board and steam table area, I learned to apply the same technique on a dropped egg. Of course once in a while, one only succeeded in breaking the egg onto your shoe.

Clyde's prepares fresh burgers on the grill.

Other newbie tasks; move cleaned cups and glasses to the head of the cafeteria line (left side of the line) where the drink fountain, shake machine, ice cream freezer, coffee urn and cash register were located - - or plates to the middle grill area where food was prepared and delivered. In those earlier days, the Ko-Op was still mixing drinks from syrups and the soda fountain delivered carbonation (CO2 gas). Memorize the number of squirts needed for a coke, cherry coke, vanilla coke, chocolate soda, root beer, green river (lime phosphate), cherry phosphate, etc. Within the coming year, the soda fountain was augmented by the addition of pressurized drink tanks (Switched to Pepsi) in the back room. It seemed that the drink taste was never the same. Other tasks, keep the ice bins full, the floors cleaned up, empty trash bins and move trash to the stockade out back in the alley.

Payday was on Friday. On that day the Ko-Op closed down at 4 p.m. and workers came in to complete a weekly cleanup (One and a half to two hours). Cleanup tasks for the new worker included cleaning the grill and emptying and cleaning the grease catching basin off the back. Also cleaning and oiling the big exhaust fan in the back kitchen. Floors were swept and mopped, the same as they were done every night at closing time. Floors were spot-cleaned / mopped as needed, anytime of day.

Cheeseburger with O-rings at Clyde's

Weekend hours were different than opening weekdays at 7 a.m. and closing at 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday (Someone check me on those hours?) Saturday mornings, the Ko-Op re-opened but closed at 2 in the afternoon. Sundays - opened at 8 and closed at 10:30 p.m. Added menu item on Sundays, a fried chicken dinner that brought in an after-church crowd. And Sunday nights found all the workers back for a meeting at closing time. Sunday nights’ team meeting included sharing ideas, problems and training.

Sometime I learned that the Charleston three (Walt’s, Ike’s Little Campus and the Ko-Op) were based on the Walgreen’s lunch counter model. Walt Warmoth was the youngest Walgreen’s manager during the Chicago World’s Fair (1933).

Clydes Drive-In 2 in Manistique, MI (The UP)

A move up was to work at the sandwich board and the steam table area, then the grill and finally taking orders for food and drinks at the head of the line. For the new guy, you first learned to recite the list of sandwiches for a customer: hamburger, cheeseburger, Bar-b-que, ham, ham and cheese, ham salad, grilled AC, grilled tenderloin, hot beef - - summertime, a BLT was added and later an egg salad sandwich . . . on white bread, toast, a bun, whole wheat, and also added later was a corned beef on rye. Before one ever worked the head of the line, the cash register, you practiced taking orders, adding them up in your head, including sales tax, taking money, and giving back the correct change. Seldom used paper (Rarely if you had a large group with single payer) - there was one right way to do almost everything.

The Lemon Drop in Anderson, IN

In ’64, the Saturday morning crew usually pounded out forty to sixty pounds of burger patties in the back kitchen. Mix the ground beef with onion, pepper, salt and pancake batter for binding. Three or four guys around the cleaned butcher block table. One person covered the table with small squares of wax paper. Lead worker grabbed a large handful of burger mix and used an ice cream scoop to cover each piece of wax paper with a standard measure. Another worker followed right behind with a hand burger press, slamming down over the ball of burger and using a twisting motion to shape and release the completed patty. Goal was to make eight or more burgers per pound of ground beef. Another pulled the patties on wax paper off the table, stacked and boxed them for the freezer. In a few years, we no longer pounded out our own burger patties . . . Pearcy’s Meat Market purchased equipment and could custom produce them to our specifications.

Grilled tenderloins (Un-breaded) at The Lemon Drop

A smaller Saturday morning chore was to assign a newbie to clean, wash and grind a fifty pound bag of onions. Start the process in the large double sink in the back room and complete using a hand-operated food grinder clamped onto that same butcher block table. I can guarantee that everyone’s first encounter ended up with red-eyes watering a river with 20 pounds of onions left to finish. Ground onions were packed into clean plastic buckets and stored in the back cooler - ready to use.

Counter chatter - the worker at the cash register taking orders from lined up student customers, yells out the food orders and pulls any drinks that are needed:

     Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!

     Make that a pair with fries
     Burger

     Cheeseburger

     Hot beef manhattan

     Spagetti with a combination salad

     Grilled AC

Proprietor of Chicago's Billy Goat Tavern
Click here to view a longer related video clip 

Opening up - turn up the grill and the fryers, brew fresh coffee in the urn, fill up the ice bins. Check the egg, bacon, ham and bread supply at the grill. Open the doors at 7 a.m. - often one or more persons were waiting outside. By 10 a.m. you made fresh salad, sliced a few tomatoes, and prepped the steam table.

On the job, you learned other practices. “Work both ways” - for example, when you head out from behind the counter to deliver water or food at a booth, look around and see other things that needed to be done in the nearby area as you go out and return. Clear away some empty plates, take out a fresh water glass, replace an empty ketchup bottle, empty and clean an ash tray . . . keep busy, look around, there is always things that need to be done.

Ko-Op Crew in the Fall quarter of Sixty-Four:

Kel Thrush, Walt Stine, Carl Nosbisch, John Ganley, Carl Finfrock, Gary Cook, Russ White, Michael Black. By Spring quarter of Sixty-Five, Michael Black and Carl Finfrock had dropped out. Ken Kirby and Gus Pekara were added. Kel Thrush graduated. Sixty-Five and Six brought Ken Lowry, Sam Steinman, Lyle Mowery, Bob Warnsley, Allen Yoder, and Dale Fruendt on board. Walt Stine graduated. Carl Nosbisch graduated. John Ganley graduated. By Sixty-Seven, Tom Baylis was working at the Ko-Op. 

More chatter:

Need some ice here - got it.

Check two o’clock.

Hot, boiling water coming right behind.
Heads up!

Beaver at nine o’clock.

Late Sixties was the era of mini-skirts and short shorts!

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
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* 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.

Don Gher (1972 - 1973)

I was recently contacted by Don Gher who worked at the Ko-Op and Short Stop in the early Seventies. Like many of us, Don grew up in a rural community and graduated from a small town high school. He has worked and traveled around the world and to say the least, has experienced a very successful career in business and investment finance. Great that Don found and connected to us. He shares some highlights about EIU and his life:

I lived above the Ko-Op during my junior and senior years (1971-73) at EIU and worked for Larry (Mizener) at both the Ko-Op and Short Stop in 1972-73. I stay in touch some of my old "roommates" (we considered all of us living there roomies as we could get into anyone's room by picking the lock with a spoon).

I went to Allendale (IL) High School (a school of 85 students in a town of 500), which has now been consolidated into Mt. Carmel. Dick Shoaff and I went to Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel together for a year where his dad, former NBA player Ollie Shoaff, was a coach. I had transferred out of EIU to WVC to try to rehab an arm injury and continue to play baseball before transferring back to EIU. Skip Lee's family had moved from Arcola to California, so he was a weekend visitor several times at my house when we were in school. Tony Shuff was from Bridgeport, and he and I had played basketball against each other growing up.

Photo from Allendale yearbook.

The people I stay in touch with include my roommate, Dick Shoaff, from Mt. Carmel who recently retired from teaching History at Mt. Carmel High and who is now a City Councilman. EIU Student Athletic Trainer and Delta Sigma Phi Charles "Skip" Lee who recently retired from teaching in Sterling, IL and is now Mayor of Sterling. Tony Shuff who is a Pastor in Springfield, IL and Director of the Salvation Army in Springfield.

Don and Mary Jane (Hartke) married
June 22, 1974

My wife, Mary (Hartke) Gher is from the Effingham area. We met at a party just off campus (at a house that was just north by a couple of lots to the now Alumni Association building), and we have been married 40 years as of June 22. We have lived around the world from Springfield to Denver to San Francisco to Tokyo (I set up and managed a Wall Street firm's office there) to NYC and, finally, for the past 25 years in Seattle area.

Photo of Don and another EIU grad, Linda (Cox) Eddington, taken New Year's Eve 1974 in Springfield. Husband Gary was/is a Black Knight of the Embarrass.

I was in the Investment Business until I retired seven years ago. As I wrote in my last economic/investment piece for a wealth management firm I co-founded, I had "worked for my wallet all my life, it was time to work for my soul." Consequently, I serve on several boards across the country, mainly charitable in nature. I have served on various Eastern Illinois University Boards (Business Advisory, Alumni Association, Foundation) since 1996 and was President of the EIU Foundation in 2010-11. I Chaired the EIUF Investment Committee for several years, am still on the Committee and write Investment pieces (I have attached the most recent) for the Foundation.

Note: Above link takes you to page with photo of Joe Davis family (On the right side). Joe worked at the Short Stop and was quarterback of EIU football team. He grew up in Charleston and married Peg Reasor. Don's article begins on preceding page

I also spend time speaking to classes in the Business School when we journey back, most recently speaking to an International Business class and  the Security Analysis class (the Foundation gave the class $100,000 to manage a decade ago, so I speak to the class once or twice a year).

I have so many memories of the Ko-Op. I remember Coach Rex Darling, then the tennis coach, coming into the Ko-Op every morning and spending time chatting with me. At night, Larry (Mizener) hosted the local Republican group, and he knew I had worked with various Republican groups, so he invited me. Along with Max Coffee who was later a State Representative, we had a Masters level student named Jim Edgar in the group. I remember Jim and I spending a night passing out flyers for then Governor Richard Ogilvie at the Mattoon Crossroads Mall. Who would have guessed I was with a future Governor--and the last good Governor the State had, in my humble opinion! Of course I knew Walt Warmoth, and still stay in touch with his son Bill who is the attorney for the EIU Foundation. The first time I was in Walt's was in 1969 with Donnie and David Diver, twin brothers from St. Francisville, our bitterest rival in the Little Ten Conference. We had hated each other in high school and became closest friends at EIU. We were playing the pinball machines when Walt lumbered over and gruffly said, "What's your names?" We told him and he said, "Divers, you're from St. Francisville and Gher, you're from Allendale." We were floored and asked him how he knew, he said, "I read the sports pages." Turned out that Walt was originally from Browns, not far from my hometown and he had played ball against my dad growing up, as had Ike Kennard (owner of Ike's, of course) who was from Keensburg, which  is also now part of Mt. Carmel High.

EIU and the Ko-Op were special places for me, the place where I met my future wife and received a great education that helped shape me as a person. While I have a B.S. in Business with a Marketing concentration, most people think my degree was in Economics or Finance. I am not an Economist, but I have played one on TV as I used to appear on Bloomberg TV, CNBC, Northwest Cable News and was quoted in hundreds of newspapers about markets, stocks and the economy. I was Chief Investment Officer for the firm I co-founded, Coldstream Capital Management in Bellevue, WA, which has about $1.4 million under management for wealthy individuals. I have been a bit astounded as I was named the Lumpkin School of Business Distinguished Alumnus in 2003, the Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus in 2007 and, in 2013, was conferred an Eastern Illinois University Honorary Doctorate of Public Service. Heady stuff for a little country boy from southern Illinois!

EIU Provost Blair Lord and President Bill Perry hooding "Dr. Don" in May 2013.

The photo below was taken in April 2014. Our daughter, Lindsay (left side of photograph) is standing beside my wife, Mary, and I (in the center). Next to Lindsey are her husband Steve Meyer and their four daughters (I'm holding one and the other three are in front). Daughter Courtney, her husband Michael Haley and their new daughter are on the right side. 

Lindsay and Courtney were both Financial Analysts at Starbucks Corporate HQ. Lindsay worked in the Treasury Department of Starbucks, and Courtney is in the Seattle's Best Coffee unit. Steve works in the family business here in Bellevue, managing properties at the Maui Sunset in Kihei. Michael and Courtney live in Amsterdam where Michael is Starbucks Director of Business Development for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

We were gathered in Effingham for Mary's mom's 90th birthday. Sadly, she was told a week before we arrived in April that she had cancer and although she had great spirits and a sharp mind (playing 10 bingo cards at a time as well as cards a couple of times a week), she passed away the day we were to leave. As I said in my eulogy, it was serendipity that she could have all of her kids and grandkids there to say goodbye.

In our communication exchanges, I shared that my first wife (Pamela) was a niece of then Dean of the School of Business, James Giffin at EIU, and Don shared this story: My senior year, spring 1973, I realize, "Oh! I am almost out of school, so I should probably think about getting a job." One of my summer league baseball coaches was an FBI agent, and I had been his favorite player. He had told me if I ever wanted to work for the FBI, let him know. I decided to apply, so I filled out the 25-page job application. Unbeknownst to me, FBI agents went around my little town of Allendale (population 500) knocking on doors asking about me. Then they interviewed Larry Mizener, because I was working and living at the Ko-Op, as well as Dean Giffin because I was a Marketing Major. One of my friends from Mt. Carmel was on work study in the Dean's office. I rode to Mt. Carmel with her one weekend when she told me that the FBI had visited Dean Giffin asking about me. She said Jim freaked out wondering if I was a subversive who was going to bomb a building, and he was running from office to office asking all my professors about me, before he found out I was applying to work for the FBI.

You can also find and connect to Don on Facebook.