Every July during from 1948 to 1960, our relatives from Springfield came to Oak Park for a reunion. Some brought their spouses, and one relative brought his four children.
My maternal grandparents were born and raised in Springfield, and our Springfield relatives were the only relatives we had in Illinois, except for the Keenans, who lived in Chicago.
They came to our home the afternoons of Friday-Sunday and stayed until midnight enjoying sumptuous meals, spirited conversations and plenty of beer.
To me, these relatives were interesting people.
Logan Ladage was a farmer who grew soybeans as a primary crop. During WWII, he made a fortune because the government bought soybeans to extract the oil which was used in the war effort.
Logan told me that in order to thoroughly inspect his crops, he would have to fly over the acreage in a helicopter.
John Fixmer, a lawyer, was my grandfather’s first cousin. John’s aunt had been Governor Horner’s secretary, and his grandfather had been comptroller for the City of Springfield, so Jack carried a respected name in Sangamon County.
John Schilsky was a physician and surgeon. He married my mother’s best friend the day after he graduated from the University of Illinois Medical College in June 1940.
At one reunion, I asked John where he had done his surgical residency, and he told me he accomplished that when he served in the Army Medical Corps in the Pacific Theater during WWII. His wife told me he made five landings on Japanese-held islands.
Chris Barnett was an accomplished amateur bowler who competed statewide, but it was her husband Bill who was the interesting one.
Bill had been a deputy sheriff in Sangamon County for over 30 years, and he always regaled us with stories of hair-raising experiences. He was known to the family as “Pistol Pete.”
Jane Mullet spent her entire working life as an English teacher at Springfield High School. Over her 43-year career, she taught some of the children to whom she was related, so she would tell my family members which kids were smart and which ones needed more “inspiration,” to use her expression.
My grandfather’s other first cousin, Jane Fixmer Keenan, and her husband Jack lived on Oak Street in Chicago from 1930-1962 when Jack was the regional sales manager for the Hamilton Watch Company.
Jack gave me my first wristwatch, and whenever I saw him and Jane, which was fairly frequently, he reminded me that all trains ran on Hamilton time.
Jane and Jack were the tallest couple I had ever seen when I was a kid. Jane was 6 feet, 2 inches, and Jack was 6-feet-5. Their physical size also extended to the size of their hearts because they were two of the kindest people I have ever known.
Although all of these relatives have passed away, except for a half dozen who are my age, I’ll always remember them as a fun-loving group who loved each other’s company.
John Stanger is a lifelong resident of Oak Park, a 1957 graduate of OPRF High School, married with three grown children and five grandchildren, and a retired English professor (Elmhurst College). Living two miles from where he grew up, he hasn’t gotten far in 76 years.