HistoryHistory
Wistey
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- Published on Thursday, 01 November 2012 08:20
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
Peoria's Norman Rockwell
Frank Wistehuff was a talented Peoria upholsterer who worked for Schleicher & Son Furniture in the 1890s. He and his wife Bertha lived in a humble home at 722 Greenlawn St. In 1900, their only child, Revere, was born.
Little did they know then that he would become one of the most important commercial artists in American history.
Young...
Yes They Said That... Qoutes from Famous Peorians: Josh Taylor
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- Published on Monday, 03 September 2012 09:33
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
"I had a Tom Sawyer upbringing but with a football in my hand."
Josh Taylor, actor and soap opera legend, about growing up in Chillicothe, IL where his dad was the football coach.
People Magazine 6/16/80
Yes They Said That... Qoutes from Famous Peorians: Dave Leitch
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- Published on Monday, 02 July 2012 08:40
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
"I was able to work with the business leadership and with Mayor Carver – a very strong, innovative, and effective leader – and a strong city council to accomplish the downtown Peoria plan and then help implement the plan. It was very challenging and at times difficult. It was also exhilarating to work on the Civic Center, the location of the Peoria School of Medicine, and all the projects that were accomplished in the 70s, which laid a base...
The Peoria Armory - Waitng to Die
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- Published on Monday, 03 September 2012 09:14
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
Massive and powerful in structure and design, the Peoria Armory at 523 N. Adams St. is a building waiting to die.
In 2004, Judge John Barra ruled in favor of a demolition order for the building. Estimates were that it would take $1.2 million dollars to repair the rotted open roof and $500,000 to safely secure the sagging balcony and ravaged caved-in floor areas. Firefighters estimate the basement has at least two feet of water in it at all...
Yes They Said That... Qoutes from Famous Peorians: Sam Kinison
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- Published on Tuesday, 01 May 2012 15:48
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
Question: Just what in God's name were you like as a 13-year-old boy in Peoria?
Sam Kinison: The only thing I remember is ditching school and sneaking off to the movies to catch The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, and The Wild Bunch. I was a runaway at 15 and took my first job as a busboy at the Peoria Ramada Inn. Later I became a tree planter for $10 a day."
Sam Kinison (1953-1992) Outrageous stand-up comedian and movie...
Eleanor Roosevelt and the Beggining of World War II for Peoria
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- Published on Monday, 03 September 2012 09:03
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
The 1940s began with a dark omen over the world. Nazi Germany occupied France, most of Europe, and was effectively attacking and weakening Britain. Japan was expanding its war machine to its neighboring countries.
President Roosevelt faced an American public weary of European wars after the traumas of World War I. Isolation made a lot of sense to most people. But Roosevelt knew the very existence of a free western civilization was at...
Dreams of a Princess
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- Published on Tuesday, 01 May 2012 15:11
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
Her Castle on Grand View Drive
Helen Chubbock was born into great wealth and privilege in 1892. Her father, H. Eugene, was the general manager of Peoria's public utilities, the Illinois Traction System, and the Western Railway & Light Company.
The family mansion was located at 4755 Grand View Drive. Relatives and friends have told stories of young Helen as the dreamer of the Chubbock daughters, imagining...
His Music Will Play Forever...
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- Published on Monday, 02 July 2012 16:02
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
Peoria's Greatest Composer, Richard Whiting
With the summer music concerts in full swing all over the area, it is fitting we pay tribute to one of America's most famous and successful music composers, Peoria native Richard Whiting.
Richard was born on November 12, 1891 to Frank and Blossom Whiting. They are buried in Springdale Cemetery. Their house still stands at 811 Moss Avenue. Both parents were musical...
Yes They Said That... Qoutes from Famous Peorians: Betty Friedan
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- Published on Thursday, 01 March 2012 15:59
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
"Abraham Lincoln was my first role model because of his passionate commitment to justice. That courage spoke to me long before I addressed the problem of injustice toward women."
Betty Friedan (1921-2006)
Founder of the Woman's Movement and feminist causes in the 1960s.
Good Housekeeping, July 1986
