PS. To Rob Wells ... I remember you and your family. You were one grade ahead of me. I remember going to your house once and your dad was watching TV. He was wearing an artist's hat, and he was swearing at the TV because of all the commercials. He kept getting up and changing the channel, going back and sitting down, swear, get back up, change it again, etc. We thought it was so funny, first because he swore, which my parents didn't do, so I thought he was cool, and second because of the hat, which my dad never would have worn.
I remember another time when someone drove a car through your garage and came out in the back yard, which we had a direct line of sight from our sliding glass door on the top floor of our house in our dining room and kitchen. We thought that was pretty funny. It was twilight or dark, because I remember seeing the headlights pop right out of the garage and stop mid way out of your garage. The last time I went over to your house, I remember you throwing darts at us. I narrowly ducked and didn't get hit. You laughed and said something like " good dodge", then lost interest in me and kept hitting, I think, Bob Wilson in the butt with darts. He kept yelping, you kept laughing, and I left, thinking this wasn't too much fun.
You moved soon afterwards. Don't take that too personal, my own brother's used to throw fire crackers at me, hence the ability to dodge really well. I did feel sorry for the guys you kept sticking though. And I did my share of doing things I'm not exactly proud of myself over the years, which I think I'll skip mentioning if you don't mind.

Growing up in Lisle in the 50s/60s, we were obviously deprived of having alot of entertainment and cultural things that the larger towns around us had. We routinely had to travel to the, "big metropolis" of Downers Grove to obtain some of the creature comforts and bare necessities. Yearly, we made the pilgrimage and journey to the, "Robert Hall" store to purchase my new clothing for the school year. No designer duds on these racks. My mother keenly focused on durability and longevity for her clothing selections. A stop at Kinneys shoes was also in order. No designer athletic shoes available here, but perhaps a purchase of a pair of white keds that eventually produced that funky rubber smell we all remember.

But, the one thing that stands out in my mind the most, is the journey to the Tivoli Theater for a Saturday afternoon cinema extravaganza. One of the neighbor mothers would be enlisted to drive us bunch of brats to the Tivoli early Saturday. If we were extremely lucky, we would get a, "whole dollar", for the afternoon festivities. This would cover the huge 35 cents admission fee, and the remainder went to tooth decay products and the infamous, " extra" buttered popcorn. The hardest part was determining the specific candy selection for the day. This also required your best Main Street School arithmetic skills to compute exactly what the cost was down to the penny. No sense in bringing any stupid change home!! I can still remember the look, smell and feel of the grand old theater, down to its beautiful ceiling, walls and seating. Once the lights dimmed and the show was playing, I still remember my eyes leaving the screen to check out the awesome architectural details around me. Many classic movies were viewed there, from "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "House on the Haunted Hill", "Psycho", to "Disney" classics. Too many to name.

In case you haven't already, check out this website:

www.organman.com/tivoli.sht

Thanks,
Gary Klima

(R.L.: Gary! What an awesome web site! Thanks for turning us all on to it!)

Pretty cool website and tribute to our little town, and how it once was. I've been checking out the website yesterday and today. A former resident and nearly life long friend of mine told me about the site. I've almost nearly clicked on everything in the site so far. Will eventually get around to all of it.
When I clicked on "Up Town Views" I saw the photograph, and article about the old Peony Patch. My brother in law was Barry Crawley, and my sister mentioned in the Article was Charlene Crawley. Charlene had also taught school in recent years in Holmes Beach, Florida. She had been retired from teaching for the last 5 years, and just recently passed away the day after Thanksgiving 2005.

I think it would be neat if you had another feature on the site where residence or former residence of Lisle could just post there name, and the years they had lived in Lisle. The List would automatically sort names in Alphabetic order by last name when a new posting was made. I would like to put my mom and dad's name on the list as having been former residence of Lisle. Both of them are now gone. Dad passed away in 1956 and mom died in 2003. It would be interesting to see all the names and how fast they get posted. Anyway something to think about if you like the idea.
I've also emailed my other sister who now lives in Phoenix, Arizona to see if she's got any pictures taken in Lisle. Remember the old Hankinson's Lumber yard on the south of Odgen between Yackley Avenue, And Winchester. I remember going in there many times with my dad when I was a kid to buy stuff for little fix it projects he do around the house. Anyway I'll be back to the site from time to time to see if there's any new pictures or articles to look at and read. A great site, a great Tribute to our Little town keep it up.

Sincerely
Russ Crow

RESPONSE TO LETTER FROM
"Jeff Pereira Southport Ave 1/28/06"
by: Pam Smith Zielinski
2/8/06

This is in response to Jeff Pereira's letter. I grew up on the corner of Southport and Main. I lived there from 1954 until I was married in 1974. Our house was torn down when my parents moved out abut 13 or 14 years ago. It was a great corner to grow up on. The Memorial Day Parade came right by the house. We could look out the front door to see which way the fire trucks were going when they blew the whistle for the volunteers (if the hook and ladder went my dad threw us in the car and took off to see what was up.)

Mike was talking about Connolly Park. A street used to go through between the park and the "woods" which are now houses I believe. The woods seemed huge to us but probably were no more than a lot or two wide. The woods had paths going through it and cool hiding places and trees to climb. What a great little piece of property. The road led down to the bridge across the creek, which wasn't dredged at that time. There were also woods all along the creek and great places to play and hide. We were always warned not to play in the creek as it was rumored that you could get polio from the water. That didn't seem to stop us!

I laughed when Mike talked about Goomba and his goats. My dad was the first mailman in Lisle and Goomba would often come to our door if his social security check was late. Some of his goats got out once and Dad had to help him round them up as they didn't like women and would chase them. Mike, do you remember the rope swing and tree houses Cinerts used to have by the creek? You would get on the swing and you were supposed to jump off on the other side of the creek only I was usually afraid so I would just wait until the rope stopped swinging and then Mrs. Cinert or one of the boys would have to come out with a golf club and hook the rope and pull me back! The tree houses were really high, probably in big elm trees. Once in a great while we would get the nerve to climb up, but it was a really scary climb and even worse coming down.

I hope this gives Jeff a little more insight into the great neighborhood
he moved into.

Mike Mason
1/16/06

Hey guys or girls;
What a great site. I lived in Lisle until the mid-70's when it was still a little town.
I used to live at the corner of Rt 53 & Short St.
I remember when we did not have an address, and deliveries, would be addressed: White house with red roof on corner of 53 & Short St.
Thanks again for a great "blast from the past"

Hi Michael!
I was in a nostalgic mood today and stumbled upon your magnificent website! Yes I attended Main Street School for 5th and 6th grade back in 1966 and 1967. We lived in a development called The Meadows. 603 Rose Court to be exact. I attended the Meadows School prior to 1966. Do you remember a Mrs. Knoop? (at Main Street) I made her life miserable. I can't remember the principal's name at the moment. I'm 49..... anyway I got yelled at for kicking a ball through the cafeteria window, which if you remember right was at ground level. Everybody got glass in their soup. Do you remember a Jerry's Diner? It was located right next to the one hour martinizing I can't remember the road, but if you traveled it far enough in one direction you wound up at a ski hill called 4 Lakes. The other direction would take you to Downers Grove. My brother worked at 4 Lakes and attended LCHS Lisle Community High School, my sister did too and worked at Jerry's slinging hash. My older bro went to Vietnam. I got busted for shoplifting at the shopping center across the street from Jerry's just before we moved to the Florida Keys, where I got on the High Road and stayed there.
Two more teacher names from Main Street school... Miss Peld and Miss Howell. They were hotties! They tried to sympathize w/ Mrs.Knoop who was having a bear of a time with me and a friend named Greg Porter, along with another kid named George Johnson.. And I want to say the Principal's name was something like Mr. Cox???? More as I remember... Anyway I would love to see what you and I have in common. Please respond!

(R.L.: Rob... I'm sure we have a lot in common.... Yup... We had some "hottie" teachers at Main Street. Mrs Cat was this bleach blonde, "all season" tanned, short skirted, high strung knockout. Before the days of Prozak, we used to love to just sit and watch her freak out when one of the "hyper active" kids would be doing something dumb in class. In fact... It was always such great entertainment to watch "other kids" get in trouble... At least it wasn't me! And throwing rocks at the bell outside on the east brick wall... And playing "Smash 'em up" on the swings? That's when you battle it out by swinging into the other person on the other swing next to you. It was best if you have mud on your shoes 'cause it would fly everywhere!! GREAT FUN!)

Combing through your website, which I have done often, has made me realize that our experience really was unique. Here we were in the middle of the Chicago suburbs (Downers Grove, Naperville, Glen Ellyn, etc), and yet we were really experiencing small-town life more in keeping with the towns/schools we played football against (Yorkville, Plano, Dwight, etc.). Everybody was watching the same things! Frankly, they weren't necessarily the most interesting things, but the fact that there is a whole community of people who can consistently remember somebody like Ol' Rosie or a building as mundane as the VFW Hall/King's Palace is pretty remarkable. I certainly get more of a thrill visiting your website these days than I do visiting Lisle itself, which has less of what I remember of Lisle.

For years I've enjoyed making photo-by-photo comparisons between the 1971 " Vale" and the 1964 National Lampoon High School Yearbook Parody.
Am I the only one?

(R.L.: Paul... I think you nailed it.. It really was a unique place)

Dennis Figg
1/1/06
RE: Garbage Disposal

A company called "Healthways Disposal" was our garbage hauler on Burlington. They were later purchased by Rott's Disposal, who was purchased by BFI.

(R.L.: Wow... Thanks Dennis!)

Britt-Marie Knoblock
12/26/05

Does anybody remember a grocery store that stood on Rt. 53 where the car wash is? Nexr door to Joe's Flowers. My husbands family owened it for a while and my husband talks about the hay rides his dad use to have in the winter time at Christmas time. I would love to surprise him with a picture or even a story about someone who remembers the hay rides and the hot chocolate afterwards.
My email address is:
swedebrittmarie@hotmail.com

Steve Olsen
12/16/05

I now live in Brookfield, and you do know that the last surviving Cock Robin is still in business here and going strong. This store was th one they didn't think would survive due to it's location, but it was bought out and they kept the name and won't change it. However, they do sell Peterson ice cream there as the original Cock Robin ice cream is no longer available. So, if you want a Silver Star soda, One in a Million malt, or a Steakburger, drive or better yet, hop on the BNSF train and get it in Brookfield.

(R.L.: Great reporting Steve! You da MAN! I'm heading over there the first chance I get!)

Lorraine Blanco
12/16/05

I think you missed this one in your history of Lisle. Look into the 1st Congregational Church of Lisle, dating back in the 1800's. 1006 N. Ogden. Still alive and kicking. Also, the house next to the church, (east side) is the house of Imogene Beals, lifetime member and historian of the church, built around the time the church was built or maybe before that. You'll find some interesting history there.

(R.L.: Your right Lorraine! there is great history to be had at both locations. Many Lisle-ites went to the 1st, Congregational Church. There are so many stories to be told. And the house next to it is just awesome. I took these photos during the Fall of '05. I was just appalled that something with such history would just be allowed to be unpainted and deteriorating in the weather. Let us know if you can find out any more history about either the church or this house.)

 

Pat Carson
11/17/05

Although I think I have read everything on your site, I don't recall ever hearing the Martin Gas Station mentioned. When I saw some of the recent photos of a gas station that was across from the Congo Church, I remembered it.

In the very early 1960's our church youth group went on a "Road Rally" (I think that's what it was called). There were clues hidden all over town and you drove from one place to the next based on the clues. The last place would be where the party was, etc. Well, the only clue I remember was the following:

" A local citizen, a well known gas
He goes to church, but not to mass"

One of the guys in our church group was Mike Martin (no relation to the gas station). So we of course knew where to go to find that clue.........the Martin gas station on Ogden!!!!!!!

Now if I could only remember what I did yesterday !

Martin J. Bullis
11/16/05

WOW…the memories came flooding back…. I moved to Lisle in 68’ and aside from a 10 stint in Tampa I have remained in the area. Does anyone remember the Dog and Suds on Rt. 53? They had the best root beer and chili dogs….or the old St. Joan of Ark church…..when I was a kid we would climb the bell tower and ring the bell……..keep up the good work….great site

The Remembering-Lisle detectives at work.

The following is a series of emails between myself (Michael Petry) and former Lisle-ites Sherry (Lockett) Ligeski, Paul Petry, Bob Thompson and Pam Rice Rodkey.
It illustrates the "fun" we have playing detective with some of the images we come accross here at Remembering-Lisle.com.
By the way, Sherry is the daughter of our beloved Main Street School secretary Mrs. Lockett!


Sherry (Lockett) Ligeski Wrote:

Hi Mike,

I wrote you awhile ago and you asked if I had any pictures of my dad's old Phillips 66 gas station on Ogden Ave next to the cemetary. I finally found one, but also found several old slides of Lisle in among my mom's stuff. I'm going to try to attach the whole folder along with this note. I've never done this before, only attached single pictures, so if this doesn't work, let me know and I'll try something different. If you're able to use any, go for it; I know a lot of the pictures are bad.

Behind the old Phillips 66 gas station (my dad, Harry Lockett, washing our car!) -- early 50's	1960s snowfall. Looking out on Ogden Ave	1960s snowfall-2

When I found the picture of the old station, it made me think of a funny story. Remember how the carnival used to come to Lisle and set up right across from the playground at Main Street School? My girlfriend, Barb Rittgarn, and I were collecting pop (not soda!) bottles to turn in at Economy Foods for money to get a few rides at the carnival. After we'd walked as far as we were allowed, we still only had enough money for about 1 ride each. Suddenly, while sitting on my front porch trying to figure out where else to scour, we spotted CASES and CASES of empty bottles behind my dad's gas station! Bonanza!!! We were probably getting ready to make our second trip 'downtown' with the wagon loaded with empty bottles, when my Uncle Floyd came behind the station and saw us. Wow! Was he mad! My dad came back to see what the commotion was all about. We explained to him what we were doing and he calmed down Uncle Floyd! We had no idea that they had to turn the bottles back in to their
supplier! We put the bottles back, they gave us each $1.00 and off we went to the carnival -- 4 rides each!!! Ahhhh - the Good Ol' Days!

Keep up the good work. It's so much fun to see what's new!

Sincerely,
Sherry (Lockett) Ligeski

Sherry (Lockett) Ligeski Wrote:
Date: 2005/11/08 Tue AM 09:56:46 EST
To: lisle@cox.net
Subject: Great new pictures!

Hi Mike,

Love your newest addition to the website of the new/old pictures! What a treasure! When you live there and all these changes keep happening, sometimes you just forget what certain things used to look like! Other times, as you walked into town, changes would just suddenly 'slap you in the face'. I'm sure, after being gone for 4 years now, we would really notice the changes now! Ahh, 'progress'?!??

I particularly loved the old picture of the G & S store. I don't remember that particular store, but I DO remember the picture of Frank and Hazels behind it!!! I can remember once in awhile on hot Saturday nights, my mom and dad and my Aunt Gladys & Uncle Floyd (Hodgkins - the 'original' owner (that I remember, anyway!) of the old Phillips 66 Gas Station next to the cemetary) would take my brother and I over to Frank & Hazels for a Saturday night supper of bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches! Wow! Stepping into that cool air from the heat outside and the smell of .... what? stale beer? Who knows, but to a kid, it was pretty darned cool to be there with all the 'grown-ups'!

Hope you got all the pictures I sent. I don't know if any are usable, or not.

Sherry (Lockett) Ligeski


lisle@cox.net wrote:
Hi Sherry!
You bet I got them!
I received them when I was in the middle of putting the "Then & Now" page together.
I'm sorry I havn't been able to get your stuff on yet.. They're really wonderful and I want to see them on the page soon... I try to sneak back and forth between my real job and this quiet obbsession I have called a web site. I wish I had more time...Hmm. Hey... Do me a favor would you? Take a look at this photo I've attached... Is this the old Phillips 66 when it stood next to the
graveyard??? I have some other photos that I would like you to see. I need you to confirm a few things before I publish them.

Sherry (Lockett) Ligeski Wrote:
Date: 2005/11/09 Wed AM 09:20:57 EST
To: lisle@cox.net

Hi Mike,
I just love checking your website! By the way, in the note I wrote to you, I said the last name of my aunt and uncle was Hodgkins -- ooops! It was Hodgson! Aunt Gladys was my dad's sister.

Re. this picture - I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It looks like the old 66 station, but where are the gas pumps??? And I've never seen a car parked in front of it like that before. At first I thought it was a REALLY old picture of the station, but I can't figure out the houses behind it either. Our house should have been the one you can just see a tiny bit of on the left, but the white one to the right looks like ours after Mom and Dad moved it back and put an addition on the front. So - if that's our house, then what is the one you can see to the left? I'm confused! When Mom wakes up, I'll show her and see if she can figure it out.

Happy webbing!

Lisle@cox.net wrote:


Sherry,
But is that the building that the Phillip's 66 station occupied?

Oh... And here is another Phillip's 66 picture that was sent in by our friend and Current Lisle guy Bob Thompson.
I think this picture was taken around 1977 or '78.

Sherry (Lockett) Ligeski Wrote:

Hi Mike,

I sent those two pictures you'd sent me on to my brother, Walt. He confirmed that the building to the left of what was the old gas station was our house and the building to the right was Aunt Gladys and Uncle Floyd's house. We also agreed that the poor old station never looked so horrible or, as Walt put it, grotesque! Could you make out what the sign said? Even after zooming in on it, I still couldn't make it out.

Walt loved the picture of Dad and Dale! Thanks again.

Sherry


Then an email from my brother Paul that used to work at Phillips 66 on Main & Ogden.

RE: Photo
From left to right: Dale Rice & Harry Lockett (D&H "66")

The photo (above is of Dale Rice & Harry Lockett) and looks like it was taken when they still had the station across from the Congregational Church, just west of the Lisle Cemetary, before they moved to the NE corner of Ogden Avenue and Main Street.
The phone number on the truck (a 1956 Willys Jeep FC150, I believe) is "WOoodland 8 - 387_". I cannot make out the last number. Back then, all the Lisle phone numbers started out with the prefix "WOodland" 8, 9, or 4, i.e.: 968, 969, 964.

Harry passed away a few years ago (He was the husband of Mrs. Lockett, the beloved Main Street School secretary).
Dale is still alive and well, as far as I know.
Saw his daughter, Pam, at my HS reunion a couple of years ago.
For more details, see my letter in Remembering Lisle about the Norman Oil pic.

Love you Michael.

~ Paul

PS: Here are some additional photos of that model Willy's jeep.

Then an email from Pam Rice Rodkey to Paul Petry (who had sent the photo to her)

From: PamiRodkey
Subject: Photo of my Dad, Dale Rice and Harry Lockett, his business partner

Paul, I am pleasantly amused that this old photo of my Dad and Harry prompted so many e-mails from various classmates. That phone number on the truck is WO8-9874, my parents still have their original number of WO8-48(**), my Aunt, Imogene Beals still has her original number also which is WO8-95(**). The memories the truck brings back is that whenever my Dad would call the house from the gasoline station he would use a signal of the phone just ringing once. This was because the station phone was a pay phone. We then were to call me Dad down at the station right away. That meant we could not tied up the line at the house for hours. Thank you for the memories.
Pam Rice Rodkey



From: Sherry Ligeski

After looking and LOOKING at that picture (above of the station), I'm still confused; Mom is, too. It almost looks like it's two different pictures taped together. I can't make out the sign but maybe that's the key to the whole thing, along with the date you think the picture was taken. Yes, that's the old station. Maybe it became something else after Dad and Dale moved to the other station on Ogden and Main -- I just don't remember. If that's the case, our house would be the one to the left that you can only see a little bit of. The house to the right would be the house that my Aunt Gladys and Uncle Floyd built. I know our old house was used for a 'burn down' practice drill for the Lisle Fire Dept. after all that land was sold to the Bank of Lisle. At that point we were living behind the congregational church and I left for the day because I couldn't stand to see our old place go up in flames -- just a creepy feeling.

Thanks to all of you that contribute to this page! Visitors from the USA and around the world are visiting daily and, thanks to you, are feeling a little bit of Lisle again.

The reason I am writing this is to keep you abreast of the latest happenings in downtown if you are not already aware. Along with the plan to narrow Main Street, the village has contacted many if not all of the residents of Garfield Ave and those residents just to the west on Route 53 (east side of 53). The village would like to purchase these homes?

The village currently has bought 4 of the homes: 4711, 4716, and 4712 Garfield. Also the white ranch house on the corner of Garfield and Burlington has been purchased. When asked about the village's plans for the ranch house and 4712 Garfield, the village thought that the homes would be razed and the lot filled much like the old hall site. The village manager did say that he wasn't sure of the timeline. He also said that he wasn't exactly sure if the homes would be razed since it hadn't been discussed and agreed upon.

I'm not sure of the final plan for this area. But, the purchase appears to follow the Lacota plan.

Is this part of development and a better Lisle? I'm not too sure. I'm not one to stand in front of all progress, but I am against wiping away a whole neighborhood or history as was the case with the old village hall. Also, the "historic house (that) sat directly north of the school" (4722 Garfield) that you mention on one of the webpages is in danger. This danger is biting after the home was "saved" in the early 80's and moved to it's present location.

After many years of limbo due to the village's many plans for this area, some residents in this area are relieved that things are moving along; though not all are happy. Many feel this is an opportunity to get out from under the dark cloud that the village has left this neighborhood in. It is still a shame that this village will lose more of its history as well as a whole neighborhood.

I have not been able to verify this, but I was told that the first mayor of Lisle, Tom Malloy (sp?) lived at 4711 Garfield. Possibly more significant history that may never be seen again.

(R.L.: I am so sorry to hear of your (and your neighborhood's) impending destiny. It amazes me every day when I hear all the new reasons the "Village" gives for being able to take control of people's private property or the quality of the surrounding areas. It's hard to watch a town's roots to the past snapped out of the ground forever. This historic house sat directly north of Main Street school for years. It has been moved and sits today preserved behind "old" Lisle in the Garfield neighborhood. It's looking like this house and area are going to be next on "The Village" chopping block.)

As a new bride, my husband/I moved into unincorporated Lisle (Rte 53 & 61st Street area) back in 1964. Our property is within the Lisle post office area, the Lisle Library District area, the Lisle/Woodridge Fire Department area, but Woodridge grade school and DG high school districts. Our son, born in 1966, went to St. Joan of Arc and our daughter went to Goodrich & Jefferson Jr. High. Both attended DG North high school.

My first memories of our area was 6 houses on farm land with Woodridge being a corn field, where Summerhill Drive/Rte 53 now exist. Driving my husband every day to the "Burlington Northern" train (only train consistently on time according to my husband), I remember NO stoplights at 53/Maple, only a 4-way stop! Also no stoplights going east/west on Maple. Boy, we REALLY thought we lived in the boon docks! My widowed mother (who lived in Cicero) cried because she thought she would never see us anymore since we lived sooooo far away!

I remember the old/original frame St. Joan of Arc church with wooden wall basement, leaded glass windows, radiators -- how very special it was in the 1960/70s. But it had to be torn down because it was a fire-hazard -- too bad we didn't realize then historic buildings are "special" and can be renovated into safe buildings, as currently is being done with historic buildings in Chicago/Springfield/Bloomington, etc. Hopefully more/more citizens will stand up for renovations to keep historic buildings.

Our property had its own well and septic field and we were told (in the 60s when we moved to this specific area) that ALL of DuPage County would be off well/septic within 20 years -- well, let's see, it is 2005, we still operate our septic field and last year we were required to seal our "contaminated" water well and get on Village/Lake Michigan water -- due to the TCE contamination by Lockformer. We approached the Village about sanitary sewers at the time they were putting in the water main, and the Village said that they would not be putting in sewers in the foreseeable future -- our area was too hilly and it would entail pumping stations to remove the sewerage. Therefore, in our lifetime we do not expect to be serviced by the Village for sanitary waste, but most likely incorporated into the Village during the next 10 years.

We love our property, which still has a "country" feel with no sidewalks, no curbs, no streetlights and intend to stay until we cannot financially afford to live here any more, since our real estate taxes are 8 times what they were back in the 60s, even with a Senior Exemption.

Thanks for the memories!............Jecmen Family

Nancy Forst (Couch)
Georgia
10/11/05

My name is Nancy Couch, it used to be Nancy Forst. I lived in Lisle from 1959 or 60 through 1970. I should have graduated from high school in 1972 but we moved to Plainfield, Illinois. Does anyone remember when the circus used to come to the field behind the old high school and the grade school? I can remember watching them set up from my bedroom window. My father was the Scoutmaster for Troop 108 that met at the Methodist Church on Ogden Avenue where the totem pole was (I hope it is still there as it was dedicated to him). Does anyone remember climbing the old Mulberry tree behind the church? or What we used to call the old Indian Mound that used to be back in the field past the church where there are now apartments I believe? I have been in contact with a few people over the years from my older neighborhood on Inverness Road.

Also:

The totem pole is on Maple if you are going toward Downers Grove it is on the left past the Methodist Church. I can remember helping to carve that when I was younger. It has all the ranks of scounting on one side with the Eagle with spread wings at the top and the back says Troop 108. I really hope that it is still there as there was a concrete bench at the base that was dedicated to my father. We as kids used to call this hill that was to the left of the church and behind the apartments that are now there past the church a hill (the Indian Mounds) it was fun exploring and looking around there. I am sure that they really weren't Indian Mounds but that was what we called it. I got this site from one as a matter of fact. Diz (Val Smith) do you remember all the good times we used to have? Would love to hear from any of you down here in Georgia.
Hey Patti thanks for sending me this site.
(R.L.: Hey Nancy! Check out these pictures of the totem pole. It is still located where it always was. I didn't see a bench when I was taking these shots but maybe it is nearby??? Anyway, thanks for the letter and bringing up the "'ol totem pole!" Great stuff!)

Here's a picture looking east toward the infamous "totem pole." That's Maple on the right.

Here's a view looking north west from Maple. You can see the roof of the church in the background. It hasn't changed a bit.

Pat Carson
10/9/05
RE: BJ Gregory letter above.

BJ Gregory is indeed correct regarding Rileys Tavern. It was there in the early 60's. When I was in high school, some of the kids went there at lunch time for burgers, etc. Also, there was a gas station on the same corner. I seem to remember Rileys being behind and BELOW the gas station, they were attached somehow. And yes, it would be out of the picture frame. Also, in the early 60's, I believe there was a National Tea store on the North East corner of Maple and 53 before the new Jewel was built.
Does anyone remember Jerry's Food Shop on Maple? It was a grocery store but in the back was a horseshoe shaped counter where you could get the best burgers and chili. Half the school went there for lunch in the early 60's. In the 50's, it was called Erma's Chicken Basket. The building is still there, just east of the little strip mall where Dunkin Donuts is.

Jimmy 'T-bone' Kelly
Dublin, Ireland
10/03/05
RE: King's Palace

wow. some story to find. i was a busboy there in the 70's. gussie was a year older than me, everyone loved him, and i sold randys band guitars n stuff years later when i worked at the short-lived lisle music center. the boys were each legends in their own right, i watched georgie beat up the gym teacher in high school. they were always good to me, as was their hard-working mom. may she rest in peace.i learned so much from her. sam was larger than life, and the whole kings palace era left an indelible impression on me. brilliant. thanks.

(R.L.: T-Bone! Yours is probably the most entertaining letter yet!! I'm not sure why... Maybe it's the part about Georgie???

Anyway, you'll be happy to know that the mystery of where Sam Sutter is located has finally been resolved. Myself, along with longtime Lisle-ite Kathy (Buss) Keeler tracked him down at his amazing restaurant / bar called BRASS in South Barrington .
I felt like I was shaking hands with a legend! He still gets on Mic and entertains.. Talks with guests at there tables and makes you feel like you're more special than you really are. His place is the epitome of cool... He is truly a classic!
Go to BRASS... Talk with Sam and you'll know what I mean! They really don't make 'em like this any more.)

Yours truly with Kathe (Buss) Keeler and the man himself... After all these years... Sam Sutter! Click here to read more about King's Palace.

I wrote a paper in her American Government class my Senior year. I don't remember what the paper was on, but I remember she gave me an 'A' on it. More than that, she wrote some nice comments about my writing and suggested I think about becoming a lawyer. Her comments and suggestion on a career stuck with me all through college. I had no idea what I would do when I graduated (with a degree in Communication), I had never spoken to a lawyer in my life, but Ms. Homan was a teacher that I really enjoyed and respected (even though I think I only had her for that one class) and the kind words she wrote to me on that paper really made an impact.

Five years later, I had just graduated from a small college, I was married for less than a year, and I was dirt poor with a massive student loan debt. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Ms. Homan's suggestion to me, written on the title page of that paper I wrote in American Government class, was the motivation for me to take the Law School Aptitude Test and send in an application to The University of Georgia School of Law. I've been practicing law now for 16 years. I'm a partner in a law firm in Pensacola, Florida, and I defend hospitals, nursing homes, doctors and nurses in malpractice suits.

For years now, I have been using Ms. Homan as an example of how teachers can have a huge impact on the lives of their students and never even know it. It would be nice if I could finally tell her now. If you can, please forward this e-mail to her with my thanks. And feel free to publish this letter on your site as my public thanks to an outstanding teacher who really made a difference.

And thanks again for the web site. Ever since I started having children of my own, I've been searching for a particular type of neighborhood to raise them in, and could never quite find it. It wasn't until 1990, when I came back for my 10 year High School reunion and drove back to my old house in The Meadows, when I realized - that's the neighborhood I was searching for. I wanted to raise my kids in The Meadows in Lisle, Illinois. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible, and my kids are creating their own memories here in Pensacola that I hope will be as fond as mine.

But it's nice to travel back in time a bit through your web-site and re-live some of those old memories for myself.

Paul Naprstek
Lisle High School '74
9/24/05

My brother David tipped me off to your site, and I've spent a lot of time when I was supposed to be doing other things combing its nooks and crannies.
Keep up the good work.

In case anybody's wondering what happened to me, I'm an architect in New York City.

It was great reading everybody's letters. I have messages for two of the writers. To Gary Walkup: Please tell your father I have often thought of him as one of my most formative role models as Scoutmaster of Troop 563. Thank him for me.

To Mrs. Homan: I learned a great deal from your history classes, both in Junior High and at LSHS. I still remember that saying you
posted on your bulletin board -- except as I see it, it goes "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to vote Republican!"

(R.L.: Figures...)

Dianne Sanders Schroll
Plainfield, Illinois
9/23/05

I attended Lisle schools from third grade (Main Street School) to High School (class or 1964)

I love reading your web site especially about the old days.

I lived at the corner of Devon Avenue and Burlington for all that time. Growing up in Lisle was great. You knew everyone and they knew you.
I lived next door to the Zelany's. Joe had a barber shop but then went to work for the post office.

I think the garbage company that picked up garbage was Rotts
Waste Company.

I worked at the Lisle Dairy Queen on Ogden (Or was it Dairy Castle?) for my sophomore, junior and senior years. It was the happening place during the summer months. It was owned by Mrs. Konder who lived just up the street. I don't remember how much the ice cream was but your could get 7 hamburgers for a dollar. You could get hamburgers, hot dogs, fish, steak sandwiches, fries. You could get root beer floats, shakes, malts, sundaes and banana splits. It was a great place to work; you could eat anything you wanted. They had both vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Some of the people who worked there included Mrs. Konder's children, Bonnie, AJ. and Mary.
AJ used to sneak out of his house after midnight and ride his horse (which he kept in his back yard) to Downers Grove and/or Naperville. Barb Kubes also worked there. Mrs. Konder's sister was Ann Dooley. At that time I think half of Lisle was related in one way or another. Mrs. Konder died within the past year or so

All my brothers/nephews attended Lisle schools. Do you remember Mike, Don or Duane Oblander? Their mom worked as a waitress at Tree Gables.

Do you remember the original owner of the bowling alley? The Simons, who lived on Devon Street, (they later moved to Naperville) built the bowling alley. They had four daughters,
Linda was my age and now lives in Woodridge.

I know the Cosinos have been mentioned in several letters. Mary, the youngest daughter, went to school with me and worked with me on several of our high school reunions. After school, she worked at the Bank in Lisle. She lived the rest of her live in Lisle (she died a few years ago) and he son Brent Owens attended school in Lisle. Of course he went to the new High School as the high school as Mary and I went to what is now the junior high.

I really enjoyed hearing from Mrs. Homan; remember the intercontinental ballistic missiles?
And any one who attended high school surely remembers Mr. Jones. He is now retired and living is Oswego.
And everyone had Miss Schiesher either as a teacher or later as principal.

A great time to be a kid!


P.S.
One of the letters I read on your web site suggested a big reunion. What a great idea!

Maureen?
9/17/05

(In responce to the removal of Cinert's bridge)
That bridge was the means of getting to my dentist in the medical center building for years, saved many steps and danger walking on rte 53! I'm sad to see it gone!

(R.L.: I so agree! It's sad to think of all we have lost due to the threat of being held liable and being sued... Cinert's bridge and what it brought to the area will definetly be missed.)

A Benet student
9/17/05

Hello, I'm a senior at Benet Academy. I was doing (or rather, not doing) homework when I stumbled across your site. I highly enjoyed your descriptions of Benet and its atmosphere.However, you're actually wrong about the students not knowing nor caring about the ghosts. It's quite the opposite - literally everyone knows about it and is fascinated by it. Going up to the fourth floor of St. Joseph's Hall is always an exciting time simply because we know the history it carries. Every time I go up there, the room with the statues still scare the crap out of me.

You should go back there to see the REAL attic of Benet... and go on the roof.

That attic is the most frightening room I have ever seen. Doors lead to 15 foot drops, windows to nowhere... it's dark, moldy, old, and frightening. Also, make sure you see the room with the modern art in it. It further adds intrigue to Benet.

Try and coax Fr. Jude to let you down into the basement of Benet Hall... I've been down there once... it's much crazier than the attic. Also, try and get into the tunnels. Yes - They exist!

Keep up the good work.

Yours Truly,
A Benet Student.

(R.L.: Yes, that attic is truly amazing. I didn't get a chance to actually get on the roof though... We will be visiting Benet in October and we'll try to get some pictures of the tunnels.)

Anonymous
9-12-05

I came across your web site purely by accident, but admit to spending the better part of an evening enjoying it.
I grew up on Winchester in the old section of Lisle and also recall as a kid many trips to the back room of Hankinson's Lumber Store (on Ogden just west of Winchester) to look for scraps of wood to build stuff with. Unlike Home Depot, the scraps were free for the taking.
I'm sure you've heard of Yender's farm by Ogden and Yender. Well on the farm they had a small grocery store. I would go there with my mother and she would tell Mrs. Yender what she wanted. Mrs. Yender had a pole of sorts with which she retrieved items from upper shelves. Mom would pay for the groceries and later Mr.Yender would deliver them in an old 1940's panel truck.
I attended kindergarten class in 1954 at the VFW long before it became King's Palace. My teacher was Miss Allen. From there I did 1st and 2nd grade in St. Joan's attic behind the church. Nowhere in your writing did I see you mention the old fire chute that was on the second floor. It was great! The new school was built when I entered 3rd grade, largely due to the "Our Lady of the Angels" school fire. That made everyone realize what a fire trap the old school was. Father Frederick Beller was the pastor and always came to the classroom to pass out report cards. He would peruse your grades and give a real stern look when he called your name, but would break into a smile when you came up front if your card was good.
My brother worked during high school ( 1955-59) behind the counter at the coffee shop. I guess that's why he knew almost everyone in town. I left Lisle in 1962 before there was an A&P, but do remember Hansen's IGA and Melton's Dry Goods. As kids we went to Reynold's Drug Store because they sold the best penney candy. Mrs. Roch worked behind the counter and we could get a good size bag of candy for a dime.
In the summer we liked to walk the tracks and watch the boys skinny dip in the quarry. I have fond memories of growing up in Lisle and I'm sure if I dig through some stuff could come up with some old pictures to e-mail to you.
Look forward to reading more on your web site in the future.

Robyn
1973 to 1987
9/5/05

I remember the night King's Palace burned. My mom woke me and my brothers and we watched out my bedroom window. It was a sight I'll never forget, although I wasn't much more than eleven years old. We could see the silhouettes of the firemen on the extensions of the ladders from the trucks, spraying water on the giant, roaring flames. This was especially scary to me as my dad was one of the firemen at the scene.

Diane Rychtarik Adamec
8/26/05

Ann's Pantry was, indeed, owned by my Uncle Walker and Aunt Ann Gamble. My grandmother (Ruby Carr) and Walker were brother/sister and my mother, Wanda Carr, moved to Lisle when she was a teenager and worked for them at the Pantry. Later, she married my father, Joseph Rychtarik, and after several years, they purchased Sevetsen's (not 100% sure of the name) and Economy Foods was born. During my high school years, we had several guys working at Economy that you might remember: Dennis Knight, John Witunski, Roland Jenkins, Bob Knight, Tim Harper and others. Later, Bob Gihle also worked in the butcher shop and held the record (during meatcutting contests after 9 pm on Friday nights) of the fastest time in cutting up a chicken. Seems to me it was under 45 seconds!!!

When we were kids in the 50's, we used to rollerskate down Main Street but had to stop in a couple of places and walk over the gravel because the sidewalk wasn't continuous along Main Street.

I remember one day in particular when one of my dad's hunting dogs got away from me. The dog went straight to Main Steet. I heard a commotion and finally found the dog in the lap of a customer in Adolph's barbershop. If you knew Adolph, you knew that he just kept cutting hair like nothing strange had happened. Dad always said his haircuts were complete when Adolph was done talking!!! His wife, Anise, ran the beauty shop and did everyone's hair for prom.

Oh, and Ruth @ Ben Franklin. . .her last name was Kuttner.

This site is fabulous and although I rarely get back to Lisle, the fond memories linger. For those of you involved in preserving the history of this wonderful small town heritage--we thank you.

Thanks for finding a great way to capture the past!
I remember Gary's Drugs had a comic book vending machine near the door. The push slot took a nickel and dime, and the screw would turn and drop the comic into the bottom. The comics were just 12 cents (early sixties) so there were three pennies taped to the cover for change. My brother Tim, and I had accumulated a large stack over the years.
Sometime during the mid 1970's, my mom decided to clean house and the comics were history, but she was creative! We lived (I still do) in the Oakview subdivision, and for Halloween she gave each kid some candy and (sob...) a comic. She gave the older kids the Fantastic Four and Superman ones, and the little kids got the Richie Rich, or Archies. She said one kid came back with his mask off so she would give him another.

Keep up the great work on the website, you're sure to trigger a lot more memories.

(R.L: Ok.. Now remember Bob... The next time you see comic books selling on the "Antiques Road Show" for ten-thousand dollars, just keep repeating to yourself... "I love my mother... I love my mother..." and you should be alright... Okay?
Bob! These are exactly the types of letters we love getting here at Remembering-Lisle. It's the simple stuff like this that is so much fun to read! )

Pat (Smith) Tranter
8/16/05

I graduated from Lisle Public school in 1949. Ann's Pantry was a little restaurant across the street from the school. It was next to the post office. You could get a quick bite to eat and penny candy. My first job was at Ann's Pantry. I sold candy on free outdoor movie night.

Graduation from Lisle school was always so much fun because we got to do the Maypole Dance. Does anyone remember the Maypole dance?
I check this web site about once a month. I see names of people I know. It is fun to read and also to know that these people are still around.
I will be traveling to Naperville and Lisle in September-October. As usual, I plan on visiting my old stomping grounds.

I grew up on Williams Street and then my folks moved up to Yackley Ave. when I started High School. Williams street is so changed now and the old house is gone. I played with the Pearce kids by the railroad depot. The Scroggins family lived in the Depot. He was the Station Master. The museum in the Depot is very nice.

(R.L: Great letter Pat! I found some pictures you might like. They're not the best quality but they're pretty interesting all the same. Thank you for sharing with us!)

Here's the earliest known picture I could find of downtown Lisle. It's probably around 1940. Ann's Pantry can be seen on the left. It was owned by Ann and Walker Gamble. They bought the store from Anton Stupay in 1937, and sold it in '43. It then went on to be a barber shop.		Here is an enhanced close-up of the same picture. The arrow is pointing to the sign that reads "Ann's Pantry." (Pretty cool huh?)

Here's a great shot (looking south) of the Main Street School playground in 1946. This shows the annual "May Fetes" celebration in full swing. I'm not sure what a "Fetes" is but it looks like these kids are diggin' it! (Not sure if it has anything to do with the "Maypole" dance.) Anyway, they eventually had to discontinue the annual bash because the school's population grew too large and they didn't want any excited mom's and dad's fighting for seats. Any more of a crowd and they could have had the first "Woodstock" on their hands! Anyway... Those little cowboy outfits look pretty nifty huh?

Diane Adamec
8/6/05

Rosie's last name was Hargus. She frequented Main Street and always stopped in at Economy Foods. I remember one time in particular when she came in with several puppies tucked into her dress to keep them warm. I'm pretty sure she walked out with some complimentary dog food.

My children go to St. Joan of Arc. I take the train to work from Lisle
Station, so all of your stories are of great interest to me. I'm so
sorry to hear about all of the demolition that's been going on. I knew
about the old City Hall. There were some ppl who were working very hard
to stop it, and they'd gotten permission to put it on hold, but by the
time they arrived, the inside had already been torn out. It was too
late. They are tearing down houses on Front Street down from the
Library. I heard that they want to put in a subdivision there. They
can't just put in a few houses and let ppl have some land. It's very
sad. When we moved to Lisle, we couldn't find an empty lot for
anything. They are taking care of that. I know many of the houses are
in bad shape, but I hate to see this old town get torn down and rebuilt.
There is so much history to lose. What a shame about St. Joan's
original church! I'd seen something about that before. I guess it's
all called progress.

Please keep the site going with stories and pictures. I just love this!
I'm going to tell my sister and neighbors about it. You did a great
job!!!!