Crazy for a Cause

When someone yelled, "Ready or not, here we come" at the 13th Annual Dive For Cover event at Maui Jim's on Friday, it sounded more like "Crazy or not, here we come."

With the air temperature at 34 degrees, the water temperature at 32 degrees and the wind chill probably in the low 20s, either one might have been appropriate for the 150 people who, in various forms of dress and undress, plunged into the pond outside Maui Jim's in order to raise money for the South Side Mission.

By the end of the day, with the pledges brought by the divers and the proceeds from a silent auction, it's likely about $65,000 were added to the Mission's coffers on Friday, said Phil Newton, director of the South Side Mission. Pledges alone came to $62,000 this year, he added.

Through the first 12 years of the event, he said, about $500,000 were raised to help the Mission, which gets no money from the government and relies solely on contributions, meet its needs in helping to feed, house and clothe the less fortunate in Peoria.

"We couldn't make without events like this and the generosity of people who give to us. This is a huge event for us every year," Newton said.

Newton was the first one to brave the extreme cold water, taking off his coat, T-shirt and furry buffalo hat to dive in wearing only swimming trunks. He then tried, unsuccessfully, to convince the other divers lined up around the pond that "it's not that bad."

Divers went in one by one, some in swimming trunks and bikinis, but many wearing various costumes.

One group of young men wore tank-top undershirts over shorts and ballet tutus, flowers in their hair. Also spotted were Batman and Wonder Woman, some type of bag-looking outfit worn to advertise a pizza chain and a couple wearing M&M costumes. Other costumes were difficult to describe, but it appeared quite a bit of thought went into them.

Other divers included the WHOI-TV morning team of Gretchen Wirtz and Mark Welp and Doc Watson of WGLO 95.5, which was broadcasting live from the event.

The laughter of those around the pond wearing warm clothes and shooting pictures were drowned out by the screams of the divers when they first hit the water. Not many actually went under water before getting back out and running for the warmth of the Maui Jim headquarters building.

Once inside divers were treated a pizza and soda, but it was easy to see from the laughter and smiles they just enjoyed being there and helping a good cause.

"I really think that is a big part of why something like this works," Newton. "It's different, it's fun and it's for a good cause. We are very grateful for all our supporters and to Maui Jim for hosting the event," he said.

The fact Peoria had its worst winter weather event the night before the dive didn't seem to bother the divers as they shivered and wondered how long it would be before total feeling in their extremities would return. "Hey, I think the snow and the cold just lends authenticity to the event. You can't fake it that way," said Newton.

He said he was grateful for the larger-than-normal turnout of divers this year, considering how the recent recession hampered fundraising efforts for the South Side Mission and other not-for-profit agencies. "The so-called 'fiscal cliff' was really hard on all of us because people were uncertain what was going to happen and so they held on to their contributions," he said.

Other events South Side Mission has to raise money each year include a celebration banquet each May, a golf tournament, fun run and a hike in the fall. "Each event is important to us and the people we serve," Newton said.

For more information about the South Side Mission visit its website at www.southsidemission.org.

Our Favorite Things: Our Favorite Peorians Throughout Time

At first this poll was going to be about our favorite Peorians who have travelled back THROUGH time but then, as one of our writers pointed out, time travel is a bit of a mundane topic. After all, who HASN’T travelled back in time? Kind of a moot point. So we went with our back-up plan and decided to select our favorite Peorians THROUGHOUT time, which seemed to be much more reasonable.

Our murder of writers was instructed to base their choices on, well, whatever they wanted. Impact on society? Fine. Skills and talent? Go for it. Prettiest hair? Sounds good to us, when’s lunch? So here’s our list (in no particular order) with comments by some of our illustrious scribes, along with some honorable mentions. Obviously, there are notable omissions but, you know what, just cut us some slack, wouldja? We don’t go around criticizing YOUR lists. Yeah…that’s what we thought. Enjoy!

Jim and Marian Jordan (a.k.a. Fibber McGee and Molly)
By Ken Zurski
I did some research recently on Jim and Marian Jordan and came to admire their success story. It all began when they met as teenagers during a Christmas choir practice at St. Johns Church in Peoria. Jim toured with a vaudeville troupe and Marion sang and played piano. They got married and Jim went to war. 

When Jim came back he worked at a local post office for a time. They put a musical act together and headed to Chicago. There they dabbled in comedy skits. A few years later, Fibber McGee and Molly became a radio sensation. They always talked lovingly about growing up in Peoria and incorporated it in their radio show. In 1950 they came back to St John's Church for a visit. It made national news. Marian joined in with the choir and Jim sat in a desk and playfully pretended he was deep in thought. Classic! Still today the name Fibber McGee and Molly is synonymous with this city.

Thomas J. Farnham
By Kevin Kizer
One hundred years before Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady went “On the Road” a central Illinois native probably went on what could be considered the ultimate road trip. T.J. Farnham was one of a group of men known as the “Peoria Party” who, in 1839, struck out from central Illinois on the Oregon Trail (nine years earlier than in the ol-timey Oregon Trail computer game). Farnham was the first of the group to make it to Oregon and help establish the first permanent settlement in the region under U.S. Government protection.

But that was just one leg of Farnham’s incredible trip. Soon thereafter he jumped on a ship and sailed to the Sandwich Islands (Hawai’i). He later returned to California then traveled through Mexico (today’s Arizona, New Mexico and Texas) over to New Orleans, up the Mississippi River, onto the Illinois River and back home to central Illinois, arriving in the fall of 1840. He even wrote a book about his travels.

Philip Jose Farmer
By Matt Richmond
A prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy, Farmer was a Peorian pretty much all his life – though not many people realized it. And that’s a shame, because he was a titan in his field. Robert Heinlein dedicated Stranger in a Strange Land to him. Isaac Asimov commended Farmer as “a more skillful writer” than himself. Farmer once wrote a book under the pen name Kilgore Trout, a character created by Kurt Vonnegut – with Vonnegut’s permission.

Along with hundreds of fictional works and essays, he created one of the weirdest, most enjoyable, worlds in science fiction – Riverworld. Imagine an afterlife in which great personages from history arrive in their 25-year-old bodies to live again on a river-planet. In other words, Farmer renamed the River City "Riverworld," then made it the coolest place in the universe. Just as Mt. Olympus is both a real place and the mythological seat of the gods, so now is Peoria, thanks to Philip Jose.

Richard Pryor
By Shaun Taylor
Comedian, writer, actor, activist and LEGEND!  My favorite Peorian throughout time is Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor. Richard Pryor took his tragic upbringing and turned it into comedic gold. Inspired by the likes of Bill Cosby and Redd Foxx, Pryor in turn inspired a generation of great comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, George Lopez and Chris Rock. He had a TV show and co-starred* in my favorite, FAVORITE movie of all time, Harlem Nights. Harlem Nights was one of Pryor's last movies before his untimely death and it featured three generations of comedic legends: Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Pryor. He won an Emmy, five Grammys AND is considered by most to be the all-time greatest stand-up comedian. He's even got his own street in downtown Peoria!

*A Note From Kevin: I also love Richard as Daddy Rich in Car Wash!

General Wayne A. Downing
By Tim Wyman
I'm not a big fan of the word "favorite".  To me, it's sort of an eight year-old's word.*  I like other colors besides green and other foods besides pizza.  Then you have to deal with categories, right?  For example, both "The Godfather" and "Caddyshack" are great movies, but can you really compare the two?  So when I'm asked who my "favorite" Peorian is, I kind of bristle simply because picking one person over another isn't really an exercise that I find appealing.  How do you pick Richard Pryor over Fibber McGee & Molly or vice versa?  Two different things, right?  

 So, I am going with the Peorian who gave the most of himself to our society, and displayed character, dignity, bravery, heroism, and brilliance throughout his career--General Wayne A. Downing.  A graduate of West Point, General Downing fought in two wars, and at the pinnacle of his career was commander of the entire U.S. Special Operations.  Forever a patriot, he even left retirement in 2001 in order to fight the war against terrorism.  He was a man who gave selflessly to his family, his hometown, and his country.  General Downing is a Peorian who should be revered and looked toward as an example how to live one's life.

* A Note From Kevin: Fair enough. Next week the list will be renamed "Our Most Awesomest Things Eva".

R.H. Avery
By Chris Traugott
R. H. Avery was a Union Solider that spent his time in the infamous Andersonville Confederate Prison, maintaining his sanity by sketching a design for a corn planter in the sand, a design which would grow into a successful company, well-known for the Avery Thresher. But track-type farm implements were dominating the market and Avery ultimately, even after several reboots, failed to adapt. Even so, Avery himself was an inspirational character, who in spite of being held captive and contracting typhoid fever, formed a company, based on his mere ideas, keeping it going, not giving up, even when everything looked dismal and bleak. And for a time, Avery Tractor was advertised as 'The Largest Tractor Company in the World,' employing 2,600 men. Avery Tractors still have a high reputation, and are highly prized among collectors.

Fulton J. Sheen
By Tim Cundiff
There is one man I feel will go down in history as one of the greatest Peorians of all time. He is a man of many titles. There is one saintly title that many Catholics anxiously await him being bestowed. Born in El Paso, IL, a graduate of Spalding Institute in Peoria in 1913, Fulton J. Sheen went on to become an Archbishop. He became a renowned theologian and went on to bring the Catholic message to folks via radio and television. He was a trailblazing philosopher. Due to his works being heralded across the world, he twice won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality. His name has been declared Venerable by Pope Benedict. This major step toward beatification indicates that he lived a life of “heroic virtues”. His Cause has been presented in Rome and, if canonized, he would become the first American-born male Saint. Whether or not declared a Saint, Fulton Sheen will still be known as one of the greatest Peorians of all time.

Others who made our list:

- Joe Girardi: World Series Champion New York Yankee player and manager, Spalding Institute Alum

- Scott Altman: U.S. Navy Captain Test Pilot, Former NASA Astronaut, Veteran of four Space Shuttle Missions, Pekin Alum

- Jim Thome: 612 career home runs, 7th on the All-Time Home Run list in Major League Baseball

- Curley Boo Johnson: Harlem Globetrotter, Peoria Central Alum

- Dan Fogelberg: Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Woodruff Alum

- Matt Savoie: Olympic Figure Skater, 2006 Bronze Medalist

- John Coleman: Former WMBD Weatherman, Founder of The Weather Channel

- Gary Richrath: REO Speedwagon Guitarist and Songwriter (“Ridin’ the Storm Out”)

- Jim Maloof: Three-term Mayor, Successful Business Owner, All-around Great Guy

- Robert Ingersoll: Civil War Veteran, Political Leader and Brilliant Orator known as "The Great Agnostic"

Quick Lit Bits: "The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America"

Do you enjoy curling up with a book filled with stories of torture, slaughter and all kinds of nastiness? Well, my friend, "The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America: The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675" by Bernard Bailyn is the book for you! And since it’s about American History you can feel like a patriot as you are reading.

Now, there are many history books out there that cover America in the 1700s, but there aren’t that many covering the century beforehand when there weren’t really “American settlers” so much as some rag-tag groups of Brits, Finns, Dutch, et al, trying to find a new place to call home.

The popular myth we hear about American settlers is that they were escaping religious freedom. While that was true for some, the vast majority were over here to make a buck, or to make a buck for someone else. The ships were, after all, owned by businesses and those businesses needed to make money. In order to do that, they needed as many people as possible shipped to the new country and they took whomever they could throw on board – including criminals, homeless and orphaned children, along with religious clerics and college graduates.

When they first arrived they got on fairly well with the Native Americans, mingling and trading together. But then the Native Americans soon realized these new people were not just going to USE the land but were going to TAKE the land. That’s when all hell broke loose. While we have no evidence of what their battles were like, I'd like to think they were a lot like the battle reenactments of the Batley Townswomen's Guild. 

From indiscriminate slaughter to stomach-turning torture, the settlers and Native Americans set to one-upping one another on the violence scale. It seemed to be the one thing at which both groups excelled. Example: one of the Native American specialties was dismembering a settler digit by digit – starting with individual finger and toe joints – until all that was left was a still-living stump of a human, which could live up to three days (if taken care of properly).Their chief weapons, like the Spanish Inquisition, were fear, surprise and ruthless efficiency.

There’s also an interesting story about settlers who decided to return to England after an overthrow of power there made the threat of religious persecution negligible. Around 12 percent of the settlers returned – including one-third of clerics and half of all college graduates. Many of those that stayed in North America did so BECAUSE of the all the killing. They thought to leave it now would have just made the venture seem pointless (of course, the Native Americans probably had other ideas).

Obviously, there is a lot of brutality in this book but it’s also an enlightening look at an era that is quite often ignored or brushed over in most history texts.

'Chubby, gruff singers from the UK'

Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Pete Townshend might still be rockin', but two new releases from often-overlooked peers may make you prefer chubby, gruff singers from the U.K. to the aforementioned slender senior statesmen of British pop.

Plus, both Eric Burdon, 71, and Van Morrison, 67, concede the influences of great African-Americans with well-known stage names – for Burdon, it's Ellis McDaniel (better known as Bo Diddley; for Morrison it's McKinley Morganfield (AKA Muddy Waters).

Burdon's 'Til Your River Runs Dry and Morrison's Born to Sing: No Plan B remind listeners that these two legendary musicians are both deeply rooted in Rhythm & Blues, and each of their vocal phrasings shows them both to be gem-masters if not outright geniuses of the voice-as-instrument.

Although Burdon's record is immediately gripping with the angry anthem "Water," it accelerates about halfway through in his triumphant tribute cut "Bo Diddley Special," and it achieves virtual escape velocity in a fist-pumping, heart-stopping screamer cover of a Bo Diddley tune, "Before You Accuse Me."

Along the way, his "Memorial Day" is a sleepy, sweeping reflection, "27 Forever" almost a bookend to Townshend's iconic "My Generation," and "Invitation to the White House" a wonderful nod to Burdon's post-Animals success with the band War.

Musically, there are some similarities between Burdon and Morrison, whose early fronting for the group Them is almost forgotten in the great – truly, great – career he built since. Morrison and Burdon both are energetic, often angry, and effectively use horns to fine advantage. But the differences make the comparison one of visceral vs. ethereal. Burdon, a bit more bluesy, can be as rough and raw as a railroad tie; Morrison, more jazzy, is at once thoughtful, mystical and befuddled in a Buddha-meets-Boo Radley nexus.

Lyrically, Morrison is more philosophical and Burdon more emotional; Morrison wonders and Burdon wails. Especially noteworthy on Morrison's recording are the title tune, "Close Enough for Jazz" and the powerful and peculiar opposites, "Mystic of the East" and "Pagan Heart."

(That said, Burdon's "River Is Rising," "In the Ground" and "Devil and Jesus" all have theological backbeats, too, and Morrison seems to sneer between the lines in a few numbers, such as "Goin' Down to Monte Carlo.")

Interestingly, both occasionally share progressive politics. Morrison sees worldwide financial crises and rails against capitalism, especially on "End of the Rainbow" and "Educating Archie." Burdon sings "Nothing bugs me, I'm Mr. Anarchy" on "Old Habits Die Hard" and in the scene-setting "Water" promises, "This world is not for me / I'll make a new one, wait and see / Hopelessness has seized the land / I will not beg, I will demand."

Of course, it's mostly superb rock 'n' roll, not some Tom Jones/Noam Chomsky mix tape.

Still, curiously, both acknowledge they hold grudges against demons of sorts. Burdon softly roars in "Water," "The enemy does not know who the enemy is," and Morrison in his own opening track, "Open the Door (To Your Heart)" sings, "Don't you think I know who my enemies are?"

Finally, however, Morrison's title cut could speak for each of these giants, as the chorus offers, "When it gets to the part / When the band starts to swing/ Then you know everything /

'Cause you were born to sing."

PHOTO CAPTION: Bo Diddley, left, being interviewed by Bill Knight, circa 1972.