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Review by Richard Sumrall
The community of Lincoln, Illinois
recently celebrated the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of its
founding in 1853. As part of the centennial celebration in 1953 the
book "The Namesake Town: Lincoln Centennial 1853-1953" was published
to recount the town's history. Local historians and authors Paul
Beaver and Paul Gleason have added another contribution to the local
history of Lincoln with their new book, "Lincoln, Illinois, A
Chronology: 1953-2003."
In the book's foreword Lincoln
College's Ron Keller writes, "The stuff of landmark breakthroughs,
achievements over adversity, and even the making of heroes and great
presidents happen somewhere -- in someone's hometown. That is worth
celebrating. It is also the purpose of the sesquicentennial
celebration of the city of Lincoln and the purpose of this book."
Given the fact that Gleason has
recently published a new pictorial history on the city of Lincoln,
the authors felt that a chronology of events and happenings since
the 1953 celebration would be more interesting to the community.
This book, according to the authors, "tries in a small way to
capture … all those varied happenings which make up the fabric of
life in our city of Lincoln."
The book is divided into broad chapters
covering the decades of the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and the
first four years of the 21st century. Each chapter has an
introductory section highlighting the major national and
international headlines, thereby giving a better perspective to the
chronology of events in Lincoln.
Following this is the principal focus
of the book: a year-by-year chronology of the top events and news
stories in Lincoln during the years 1953 through 2003. The headlines
within the chronology of each year are listed in a January through
December order. This makes searching for additional information on a
particular event much easier. Here's a sample of some the key events
in each decade:
1950s
Jan. 2, 1953: Court approves separation
of Lincoln College and Millikin University.
May 9, 1957: Gov. William Stratton was
in Lincoln to break ground at the dedication of the new
Cutler-Hammer plant.
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this review]
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1960s
Feb. 14, 1960: The Grand Theatre ended
its 65-year career in a blaze of glory as fire completely destroyed
it.
July 19, 1962: Elephant spends quiet
evening on loose in Lincoln.
March 4, 1965: With a rumbling
explosion the warehouse building at Stetson China Co. collapsed.
1970s
April 9, 1972: Doors to St. Clara's
Manor were officially opened today.
May 6, 1975: The A&P Tea Company
grocery store in Lincoln is closing.
Jan. 21, 1978: Chuck Verderber broke
the Lincoln High School all-time career varsity scoring record with
26 points against Champaign Central.
1980s
May 7, 1985: A new era in Lincoln city
government began as a new mayor and 10-member city council formally
took office.
Dec. 28, 1987: Gas war! A spot check of
service stations in Lincoln indicated that the low price for gas is
73.9 per gallon.
1990s
May 1, 1993: Lincoln Christian College
and Seminary will launch its yearlong 50th anniversary observance by
remembering the men who founded the colleges.
April 6, 1995: Lincoln has a new
landmark -- a 140-foot-tall, volleyball-shaped dome housing the
National Weather Service's new Doppler radar.
2000s
July 27, 2000: On Sept. 8 Lincoln
native Scott Altman will pilot the space shuttle Atlantis to a
rendezvous with the international space station.
Sept. 12, 2001: Local citizens gather
at a prayer service in Latham Park for the victims of the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks.
"Lincoln,
Illinois: A Chronology" is a fascinating and entertaining chronicle
on the recent history of the city of Lincoln. In her introduction
Lincoln Mayor Beth Davis writes, "On Aug. 27, 1853, Abraham Lincoln
personally christened our city with the juice of a watermelon. … Our
city is steeped in the history of this great man and we invite all
of you to come to Lincoln, Ill., and walk in Mr. Lincoln's
footsteps." This book is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys
reading about the life, lore and local history of the city of
Lincoln, Ill.
[Richard Sumrall,
Lincoln
Public Library District] |
