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 Library
receives $2,000 grant;
plans computer purchase
The
Lincoln Public Library District has been awarded a $2,000
"Equipment to Books" grant from the office of Secretary of
State/State Librarian Jesse White. The grant will be used to enhance
access to information and to promote resource sharing with the
purchase of one piece of needed equipment.
The library plans to use this grant to establish a new multimedia
computerized reference center in its Youth Services Department. The
library will purchase a new multimedia computer system for the
Children’s Department and will make an in-kind contribution of seven
new CD-ROM titles for the computer, including Microsoft Encarta
Reference Suite, 20th Century Day-By-Day, Encyclopedia of
Science and Nature, and Eyewitness Children’s Encyclopedia.
For
more information on this upcoming service, visit the library at 725
Pekin St. or call 732-8878.
Scully
Park improvement project completed
Scully
Park has undergone a $25,000 improvement project and will be
rededicated Saturday, May 27, at 10 a.m. Main Street Lincoln invites
the public to attend.
 The
highly visible project includes the restoration of the centerpiece of
the park, the fountain. A dancing plume of water will spray about 15
feet in the air, and the pool area is now surrounded by a three-foot
wrought-ironfence. Contemporary lights on the fountain plaza have been
replaced with single-globe fixtures that are compatible with the
historically accurate lights already in the park. Patriotic banners
will fly for the summer from the taller five-globed fixtures. Eight
heavy-duty picnic tables will be available for family fun, and cleanup
is easy with four new trash receptacles, the same style used
throughout downtown. The elaborate gateway to downtown on the north
side of the park was designed by and contracted to Don Bode of
Lincoln. P & W Pools, also of Lincoln, was contracted for the
fountain work.
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Rain paused in time Saturday morning for Main
Street officials and members of the Scully family to cut the
ribbon at a rededication ceremony at Scully
Park. The ribbon was violet in honor of the late Violet
Scully who originally donated the park.
The park has taken on a new charm after major
revitalization. Most of the work was done by volunteers.
Stop and relax amidst new plantings and the splashing of an
eight-foot water fountain. |
Jennifer
Boeke and Judy Donath volunteered to oversee the many flowers that
have been planted in the beds and at the entrance. Main Street Lincoln
volunteers have contributed more than 200 hours to the project.
Power
from a pole that obstructed the gateway has been moved underground,
and all electrical work has been safely contained in a concrete
blockhouse with a steel lid. The 110 wiring is inside the blockhouse,
with only 12 volts run to the pool for the lighting.
Funds
for the project came from the Logan County Board, the Logan County
Parks and Trails Foundation, and a grant from a private foundation.
Violet
Scully donated the funds for the original fountain and maintained the
flower beds in then-named Washington Park. The county board renamed
the park in her honor upon her death in 1976.
Both
of her sons, Michael and Peter, will be present to cut the violet
ribbon at the dedication on Saturday. Eight other family members also
plan to attend. Representatives of the Logan County Board, the city of
Lincoln and Main Street Lincoln will make remarks. A short reception
will follow.
Since
the forecast calls for rain, people should bring their umbrellas, and
if necessary, events will move inside to the conference room on the
second floor of the Union Planter's Bank.
[Wendy
Bell, program manager, Main Street Lincoln]
Lincoln
Public Library keeps its history alive
Although
much has changed since the Lincoln Public Library was completed in
1902, if some of its earliest patrons could step into the main
building, they would probably feel quite at home. At least at first
glance, they would not see much difference between the way the
building looks today and the way it looked almost a hundred years ago.
The
patron of 1902 would walk into the vestibule and see the original
fleur-de-lis pattern of green, ivory and brick mosaic tile. Inside, he
or she would see the same semi-circular wooden main desk with the same
metal stacks behind it. Over the desk is the original mural that
credits Andrew Carnegie and Judge Stephen Foley with providing the
impressive new building to the city of Lincoln.
On
either side of the desk, reading areas with sturdy oak tables holding
lamps with green glass shades would look much like they did 98 years
ago. The wall fixtures would look familiar, too, but the early patron
might expect to see gas lights instead of electric ones. Although all
but one of the lamps and wall lights are new, they were made to
replicate the original fixtures.
The
early 20th century patron would also see the same stained-glass
ceiling dome with the same circular woodwork patterns, which are
repeated in the ceilings of the two wings on either side of the
entrance. The oak wainscot and woodwork would look as it did when the
building was new, thanks to recent restoration and cleaning. The early
patron would see the same oak tables and chairs in both the east and
west wings and in the Scully room, along with some new Mission-style
chairs with leather cushions.
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[The black-and-white photo shows
a
view of the Lincoln Public Library, taken
from the west wing, as it looked
sometime between 1913 and 1917.
The color picture shows how it looks today.]
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[The black-and-white photo of the
Lincoln Public Library was taken
sometime between 1913 and 1917.
The well-preserved and maintained
building looks much the same today.]
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Except
for its landscaping and surroundings, the front of the building would
also look much the same. The brick building was designed in the
"grand" or neoclassical-classical architectural style,
popular for public buildings at the turn of the last century, and set
a half story above grade in "temple" style, to make it
visually significant and easily identifiable. It has a portico with
four classical columns and steps the width of the portico. The central
double door of oak and glass is still original.
"A
building this solidly constructed is rarely seen today, and it has
never been ‘modernized,’ so its integrity has been well
maintained," said Richard Sumrall, library director. It was named
to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The
early patron would, however, see some differences. The west wing,
which was the children’s library in early days, is now filled with
adult books. The original wide plank floors are gone, replaced by
carpeting and a walkway of mosaic tile that matches the color of the
original tile in the vestibule. The library board decided to add tile
in the main building when carpeting was removed and they discovered
the original vestibule floor, Sumrall said.
The
patron of the past might be surprised to learn the library could no
longer accommodate all its holdings or serve all its patrons in the
original building and purchased the building directly behind it,
across the alley, to house a very modern-looking children’s
department and the adult popular collection.
Although
the library was built in 1902 (and formally dedicated in 1903), the
city of Lincoln has actually had a library of sorts since 1874. In
that year, a group called the Lincoln Library Association, headed by
Colonel Robert B. Latham, was incorporated for the express purpose of
"averting and counteracting the evils of intemperance,"
according to the book "The Carnegie Library in Illinois," by
Raymond and Linda LaPuma Bial.
Fourteen
Lincoln women sold 144 shares at $10 each. Albert B. Jones was elected
librarian for the sum of $150 a year, and the library opened on August
29 in a building on Kickapoo Street. Stockholders paid $2 a year for
each share of stock they owned, an income which supported the library
in the beginning. Later the school board also appropriated money,
thereby entitling high school students to use the facility, according
to Bial and Bial.
 In
April of 1895, the Lincoln Library Association presented all its
property, about 3,000 books, to the city of Lincoln, which would
provide a room for the library in the soon-to-be built City Hall. In
1897 Miss Isabel Nash, a former librarian, "bequeathed the site
of her little home, the sum total of her earthly possessions, to the
city of Lincoln for library purposes," the Bials report. Two
years later, Mrs. Louise Scully gave the library $2,000 to purchase
more books. In 1901 the city council found it necessary to appropriate
$2,500 to support the library.
In the
same year, no doubt because of the hard work of librarian Ida Webster,
Mayor William Jones and Judge Stephen A. Foley, Lincoln became the
sixth city in Illinois to receive a grant to build a new library from
Andrew Carnegie. The sum was $25,000. Carnegie, a former steel tycoon,
contributed more than $41 million to the construction of 1,679 public
library buildings in the United States.
With the
Carnegie grant and a gift of $5,000 from Judge Foley, the city of
Lincoln was able to construct the present library on the site of Miss
Nash’s home. For a time, the library provided materials to the
public schools in Lincoln. Miss Webster, who had served the library
for 55 years, retired in 1950. In 1969 the library joined the Rolling
Prairie Library System in Decatur, and in 1974 opened a children’s
library and community room in the remodeled basement level. The
Library Annex, formerly the Woolworth Building, was purchased in 1993
and opened in 1995.
 The
patron of 98 years ago would be surprised to learn that the 3,000
books from the early years have grown to a collection of about 45,000;
that the cost to support the library has become about $500,000 a year;
and that today there are almost 12,000 people who are registered
members of the Lincoln Public Library.
[Joan
Crabb]
Zonta
Club reports on May meeting
The
Zonta Club of Lincoln met Tuesday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Elks
Club. Officers and new board members were installed and new members
initiated. New officers are Linda Ruff, president; Mary Thomas George,
vice president; Pat Shay, secretary; and Kay Bauer, treasurer. Marilyn
Armbrust, Marilyn Weingarz and Pete Smiley are new board members. New
members initiated were Joyce Leesman and Lenore Holmes.
Zonta
scholarships winners are Nathan Morrow, Casey Davis, Keenan Leesman
and Heather Holmes.
Anne
Sagins was the top fund-raiser at the recent Relay for Life of the
American Cancer Society, and the Zonta team placed third. Team members
were Mary Thomas George, Vera Thomas, Janet Dahmm, Janet Klockenga,
Anne Sagins, Jan Sielaff, Sharon Awe, Kay Bauer and Mary Bruns. Ann
Elliott, daughter of Zonta member Kathy Elliott, recorded a CD,
"All is Well," to honor her mother, and donated all proceeds
from sales to the American Cancer Society.
The
next Zonta meeting, the annual potluck picnic, will be Tuesday, June
13, at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Susan Harmon. Scholarship winners will
be special guests. Secret sisters from last year will be revealed, new
secret sister names drawn, and there will be a white elephant auction.
Three
LJHS students attend Governor’s Teen Summit
Lincoln
Junior High School students Cara Brewer, Samantha Hudelson and Stephie
Humble of Lincoln attended the Governor’s Teen Summit in Springfield
early this week. Students from all over the state were chosen to
attend and voice their opinions about alcohol, tobacco and other
drugs. Selection was based on essays written by the students
explaining their reasons for wanting to participate in the summit.
 Based
on a second essay she wrote, Samantha Hudelson was also chosen to be a
Teen Leader. She led a team of eight in a discussion of tobacco and
hard drugs. Samantha says the groups decided that the most effective
anti-drug ads were those that used scare tactics showing the dangers
of drugs. "It made me think, ‘Wow. I don’t want that to
happen to me.’"
All
three local students who attended are members of Helping Youth in a
Positive Environment (HYPE), and are graduating from LJHS today
(Thursday).
In
the wake of the first Illinois death attributed to a new fad drug, PMA,
the teenagers gathered at the summit to tell officials what messages
will work to keep their age group from smoking, drinking or using
drugs. The consensus among the nearly 100 seventh through 10th
graders attending the two-day summit, organized by Governor Ryan, was
that anti-drug messages aimed at their age group need to show more of
the short- and long-term consequences "after the good time,"
give more facts and "shocking statistics," and point out
that "most people don’t do it."
Illinois
First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan opened the meeting with a challenge for the
group. "What you choose is your choice," she told the young
audience. "You are bombarded with messages that tell you what to
do, what to wear, what to drink and where to go," she said,
adding, "We are here to ask what kinds of messages don’t help
you and what can we, as adults, do to help you make the best decisions
for you."
The
teens got right to work Sunday afternoon coming up with their
"rules" for the state to use when advertising or otherwise
communicating with teenagers about cigarettes, alcohol and other
drugs.
On
their list was to not only tell teens to say "no," but to
show them realistic situations they can relate to and how to handle
them. They also said that more needs to be done to target parents to
get them to understand the importance of talking to their children
about how to handle situations and to be better role models when it
comes to smoking, drinking and drugs.
After
developing their advertising "rules," the summit
participants actually created their own no-use message ads.
One
group developed a print ad picturing a parent lying in a hospital bed,
child by her side, with the copy reading, "When you smoke, you
aren’t the only one who suffers."
A
television commercial another group wrote was of a beauty pageant
contestant who smiles to reveal yellow teeth. The host, wearing a gas
mask, asks about her new perfume. In answer to a question about what
she does in her spare time, the contestant remarks, "I’ve
managed to isolate myself from my family and friends, plus I spend
most of my paycheck to support my addiction."
In
addition to offering their suggestions to the state about what kinds
of messages teens need to hear about drugs, they participated in a
freewheeling town hall meeting. Moderator Merri Dee, director of
community relations at WGN-TV, Chicago, engaged the group in a
discussion that ranged from what they think is the right age to begin
talking to children about drugs to how they feel when they see adults
around them smoking, drinking or using drugs.
Teenage
Research Unlimited, a Northbrook-based research company specializing
in the teen market, designed the summit program to elicit specific
information that will be used by the state to design a social
marketing campaign aimed at reducing teen drug use through prevention.
The
Governor’s Teen Summit was organized as part of the state’s
Futures for Kids program, the statewide resource for programs and
policies related to the health, safety and education of infants,
children and teens. Students were selected through applications sent
to InTouch offices around the state.
[LDN
ed.]
High
school volleyball meeting scheduled
There
will be an informational meeting Wednesday, May 31, for ninth to 12th
graders interested in playing high school volleyball. After the
meeting at 6 p.m., the girls will scrimmage until 8 p.m. The parents
and players will have a chance to meet the coaches and ask questions.
For more information, call Charissa Howe, head coach, at the high
school. Leave a message on her voice mail at 732-4131, extension 345.
June
blood drives scheduled
Faith
Lutheran Church, 2320 N. Kickapoo in Lincoln, will host an American
Red Cross blood drive Thursday, June 1, from 12 to 6 p.m.
Two
blood drives in June will be at the Lincoln Sports Complex. The drive
Wednesday, June 7, will be from 12 to 6 p.m. Another will be
Wednesday, June 21, from 12 to 5 p.m.
St.
Peter’s Lutheran Church in Emden will host a blood drive Friday,
June 16, from 2 to 6 p.m.
Donors
have the opportunity every 56 days to touch someone’s life by giving
blood – the gift of life. If you wish to make an appointment for any
of these drives, you may call 800-728-3543, extension 1441.
During
May, the following persons reached goals in their blood donations:
Richard W. Reiners and Georgia Zeisneiss, five gallons each; L. Anders
and Diane Campbell, two gallons each; and Curtis Sutterfield, Julie
Albers and Patty Huffer, one gallon each.
United
Way announces golf outing
The
fourth annual golf outing for United Way of Logan County will be
Friday, June 2, at Lincoln Elk’s Country Club. Tee-off time for the
four-person best ball scramble is 12:30 p.m. Only soft spikes are
allowed. Fees are $75 per golfer, $300 per team and $50 to sponsor a
tee. The entry fee includes beverages, dinner and prizes. For an entry
form or further information, people can contact the United Way office
at 735-4499 or Ron Hall at 735-4072. The deadline to enter is May 31.
Diabetes
and congestive heart failure support groups offered
Anyone
interested in joining a diabetes or congestive heart failure support
group is invited to attend an organizational meeting for the two
groups on Monday, June 5, in Conference Room A at Abraham Lincoln
Memorial Hospital. Family members are encouraged to attend.
Both
support groups will establish regular meeting schedules during the
initial meeting. The support groups will discuss various topics
including medicine information, lifestyle changes and other topics
decided on by group members. For more information about either support
group, please call Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital at 217-732-2161,
extension 199.
ALMH
accepts applications for summer teen volunteers
Applications
are currently being accepted for this summer’s teen volunteer
program at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
Teen
volunteers work throughout the hospital, performing a variety of
duties in many different departments. To be eligible for the
program, teens must be an eighth grade graduate and must complete
an application form that includes personal references. All teen
volunteers must also complete the training session scheduled on
Friday, June 9, from 9 a.m. to noon at the hospital.
Applications
are available at ALMH from Barbara Dahm, director of volunteer and
special services. Applications should be filled out and returned
in person to the volunteer office as soon as possible. A brief
interview will be conducted at that time. For more information,
call 217-732-2161, ext. 184.
Fore-ALMH
Golf Outing scheduled
The
sixth annual Fore-ALMH Golf Outing will be Friday, June 23, at the Elk’s
Country Club golf course.
The
outing is a four-person scramble with a morning and afternoon shotgun
start. The $75 entry fee includes greens fees, cart, lunch and great
prizes. Proceeds for the event benefit the Care-A-Van non-emergency
transportation system of Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital (ALMH).
Special
guests at this year’s outing include Denver Johnson, ISU football
coach; Sandra Dehner-Wheeler, State Farm Rail Classic LPGA director;
Jenny Yopp, ISU women’s basketball coach; and Lynn Baber, ISU
assistant women’s basketball coach.
For
registration and sponsorship information, please contact the Abraham
Lincoln Healthcare Foundation at 217-732-2161, extension 405.
A
helping hand at Crisis Pregnancy Center
In
a small office tucked inside the Arcade Building at 513 Pulaski St.,
frightened young women often find a shoulder to lean on and a helping
hand.
Providing
these women a place to turn to when faced with an unplanned pregnancy
is a group of local volunteers who give their time and emotional
support at the Crisis Pregnancy Center.
"There
is nothing like one-on-one contact and hugging somebody that's
terrified, calming them down and helping them out," said Jennifer
Boeke, who has been volunteering since January. Boeke said she
believes in the center because "I believe in the sanctity of life
and have had a lot of friends who have had abortions and I've seen the
damage it did to their lives."
This
center, one of the 11 offices under the network of the Ministry of
Living Alternatives, strives to help pregnant women understand and
work through alternatives, enabling them to make informed decisions
about pregnancy. The Rev.
Gregory A. Roe of the World Harvest Church in Springfield, directs the
non-profit corporation. He
states that it "provides education and information to the general
public about Christian alternatives to abortion."
Most
women who seek help at the center are single, around 20 years old and
from the lower-income bracket. But "we also occasionally see
married women with children, who can't afford another pregnancy,"
Boeke adds.
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Volunteer
Jennifer Boeke displays some of the many baby items donated by
local churches. |
The center, a confidential, free resource for women, relies on
volunteers, monetary contributions and donations to keep operating.
Women of all ages and backgrounds are provided with counseling
services, necessary supplies such as clothing, and medical referrals.
Volunteers also provide guidance to women who find out they aren't
pregnant.
"When
we do get a negative pregnancy test, it's an opportunity to talk to
the women. I like to direct them to their goals and how their choices
in life will affect their goals. Having sex without the balance of
marriage, you see more broken hearts. We always think of the damage of
AIDS and such, but there is also damage to women's minds and bodies.
The choices they make now will set what the rest of their life will
be," she said. Boeke explains to young women about the 21
different sexually transmitted diseases, which affect more women than
men. For example, although HIV, which causes AIDS, is often in the
news, another virus called HPV, which nobody knows about, is a major
cause of cervical cancer and is easily transmitted.
"You
want to say to them -- 'You're playing with fire, with your future,
with your heart and body. Empower yourself, don't just be reactionary.
Think of how you want your life to be,'" she said.
If
a client does find out she is pregnant, Boeke said she offers
information about the necessary things like insurance.
Most importantly she offers friendship to the young woman.
"One of the goals of the center is to help women. We evangelize
because we're a Christian organization.
If they're pregnant we try to help them find the means and give
them names of who to contact to help with prenatal care and other
costs," she said
 Boeke,
just one of about 15 local volunteers, spends four hours a week at the
center. An average shift for volunteers is two or three hours. Duties
include not just providing educational information about pregnancy,
sexual health and alternatives to abortion, but volunteers are also
needed for tasks like answering phones. There are four trained
counselors available.
Linda
Nelson, executive director, said volunteers undergo training before
they can assist clients and must be a well-grounded, secure, friendly
and passionate person. Volunteers, who are preferably women, should
not be judgmental and should be Christians, she said.
Volunteers
are always needed. Since
many volunteers are students from Lincoln Christian College, volunteer
numbers often sharply decrease during the summer. Even though the
center tries to remain open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through
Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, sometimes here are no
volunteers to man the office.
The
center relies on monetary contributions from churches and individuals.
They also provide
a clothing and furniture service to help pregnant women defray some of
the costs of maternity and baby clothes. Anyone can donate items and
cribs, and car seats are in great demand.
Betty
Isham, a volunteer since 1995, also donates about three to four hours
a week when possible to the center.
"I think it's really worthwhile. Sometimes listening is
all you have to do. It makes you feel good when you know you've saved
a life," she said.
Isham, who is also a counselor, said most of the girls she sees just
need someone to love and support them. "We try to reassure them
that the Lord loves them," she said.
Major
school events like dances and the prom create an increase in the
number of women seeking advice. "Especially if they're younger
women living at home, they are scared. Some will just be shaking
because their whole life is going to change if they are pregnant. Most
girls I talk to aren't in favor of abortion but are more scared of
adoption because they see it as going through the whole nine-month
process and then giving up the baby," Boeke said.
Boeke,
who with her husband runs a wholesale art business, has two adult
children of her own, but is happy to donate some of her time each week
to young women who need a friendly face and someone to talk to.
"We
just want to be there and let them know someone cares," she said.
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