Tracy
Sutton
Link School, Elk Grove
My grandfather was born June 6, 1915. He was not expected to
live since the doctors and specialists could not figure out
why he couldn't keep any food down.
A friend of the family, a nurse, suggested goats milk in an
eyedropper. To everyone's surprise, it worked.
There was no crime and no drug problem as we have now. When
he was a teenager, the main problems revolved around liquor.
The entertainment started off with the speak easy, then prohibition
caused this end.
He was involved in World War II, where his job was to ride in
an airplane and photograph bombing damage and other things for
the Navy.
My grandfather lived in Chicago for 73 years. After my grandmother
died, he moved to Elk Grove Village where his 5 daughters and
son lived. He says he could write a whole book with words of
wisdom to us children, but he will shorten it by telling us
to obey our parents, study hard, and remember that it takes
a big person to overlook the little things that make us angry
or upset sometimes.
I love my grandfather a lot.
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Drew
J. Brueggeman
Hull
The Cyclone
This is a story my grandma told to me in our interview.
When I was eight years old, I went to see my Aunt Edna. Aunt
Edna was in the bedroom so we went to see her. Suddenly Frances
yelled, "Ma, there's a big black cloud out there!" Clifford
said, "I'll put the horse in the barn Pa." He usually put the
horse in the South East stall. But out of no reason at all he
put it in the North East stall.
Then it started pouring down rain and the wind blew. The little
children went to the underground cellar. Mother stayed with
Aunt Edna and Uncle Samuel.
All of a sudden a cyclone started to stir things up. In the
bedroom Uncle Samuel noticed that the bottom of the west window
began to slide out. He braced his feet on the bottom of the
bed and put his back on the window so it wouldn't fly in. In
the bedroom, Aunt Edna said the baby was coming. A baby boy
was born right in the middle of the cyclone.
After the cyclone was over, the kids came up. Tree limbs were
everywhere. Clifford checked on the horse. The barn was gone
except for the stall where the horse was. The horse was fine.
And there was the baby boy, just fine.
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Todd
Bellmyer
Hamilton Elementary School, Moline
World War II
I don't have or know a senior citizen who lived during World
War II, but I went with a friend to interview his Grandpa. His
Grandpa's name is Al Knight. Mr. Knight was a bombardier in
World War II. A bombardier is a soldier who sits in the nose
of an airplane and drops bombs.
Mr. Knight, a navigator, and three or four other soldiers were
in a B-17 bomber plane that was shot down by a German anti-aircraft
gun.
After being shot down, Mr. Knight and the other soldiers were
first taken to a county prison. While they were there they were
given rations, forced to sleep on boards, and fed cabbage.
One time Mr. Knight and the other prisoners were made to walk
in a parade through the middle of town while people stood on
the side of the road and threw bricks at them.
They were later taken by a German train to another prison where
they were held for a few weeks until the French troops came
and rescued them and returned them to America.
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Yi
Ran Liu
Rosemont School, Rosemont
My Dad's Childhood
When my dad was in school, he had to wear a uniform on celebrations.
The uniform was very simple, but everyone had to wear it no
matter if the person was a girl or boy. The uniform consists
of a t-shirt, blue pants, and white sneakers.
When Dad went to school, his teacher said that whoever finishes
his notebook will get a new one. So everyday my dad kept on
writing and writing until he was finished. And the next day
he got a new one.
My dad's favorite subject was science because his teacher said
that he could to any experiments he liked at home. Once his
teacher said that if he put an eggshell in vinegar it would
disappear. So my dad tried it, and guess what? It worked!
I thought my dad's childhood was very interesting, and I'm glad
to learn about it.
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Andrew
Stanton Paluch
Oak Ridge School, Palos Hills
My neighbor, Mr. Carroll is 71 years old and from County Wexford
Ireland. County Wexford is in South East Ireland. President
John F. Kennedy's ancestors came from there too.
Mr. Carroll had six brothers and six sisters. They walked three
miles to school when they were growing up. On St. Patrick's
Day, their mother would put their shoes away and they would
walk to school barefoot the rest of the school year. Mr. Carroll
would walk through the moor because the road was too rocky.
A moor is like a hilly field. On the way home from school, the
boys would set the furz bushes on fire. Furz bushes are big
and bushy with thorns and little yellow flowers. Mr. Carroll
would always get blamed for lighting the fire even if he didn't
do it. They would get in big trouble when they got home.
Mr. Carroll has been a good friend of our family for 30 years.
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Jason
Smart
Link School, Elk Grove Village
My Grandma was born in 1925. In the city of Chicago and grew
up on the west side.
Three sisters, three brothers, two parents, no pets, in a small
little apartment that's all they could get.
She traveled by street car or had to walk.
Played games in the school yard with jump rope and chalk.
No TV's, Nintendo, computers, CD's.
Just one radio for the whole family.
The depression had hit and times were rough. The money and jobs
there weren't enough.
Collecting pop bottles for spending money.
Her mother baked bread and pastries with honey.
Things aren't the same as they were back then.
Grandma is older and now I'm ten.
We share many things, blue eyes and red hair.
My Grandma's the greatest no one can compare.
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Jeffrey
Scalet
Link School, Elk Grove
The streets were made of dirt and rock. Horses and buggies could
be seen everywhere. One day Frank was playing in the street
that his mom had told him to stay out of many times. A horse
and buggy came down the street driving very fast. Frank and
his friends were playing kick the can in the street. The driver
didn't see Frank and ran him over, his mom prayed to the Saints.
Luckily Frank was fine.
He would like to say to all the kids in the world, "Live for
today, learn, study and play. For tomorrow will be here before
you know it!"
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Roger
Harty
Oak Ridge School, Palos Hills
Growing up in Chicago
As a child growing up, my mother remembers her 3rd grade teacher,
Mrs. Dunne teaching her how to pronounce Illinois correctly.
She told us, "There is no 'noise' in Illinois." My mom thought
of that many times as she grew up in Chicago. There was always
"noise". The city noise she grew to love.
She thought of the different areas of the city. She loved the
Loop, all the suits, the briefcases, and the elevated trains
always moving. She thought of the prairies, when there were
still prairies, trick or treating for hours, walking to school,
getting 5 cent Wahoo bars from the Good Humor man. Mom thought
of her parents from Ireland and wondered how they adjusted so
well to all the "hustle and bustle," as she puts it.
Chicago and the noise in Illinois are mom's life. She says,
"Maybe Mrs. Dunne was wrong. There is 'noise' in Illinois -
beautiful noise."
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Kelsey
Kordas
Link School, Elk Grove
My Grandma
My Grandma's name is Elinor Mae Bayles, and she lives in a small
town in Iowa called Maquoketa. When Grandma was a child, she
lived on a farm outside of Davenport, Iowa. Her house had 16
rooms in it! Grandma loved to play games. Grandma had one sister,
Eunice and three brothers, Donald, Billy and Ryneir. When they
were bored, off to the creek they went. There were many crabs
and other creatures in the creek, and when they went home, leeches
would be on their feet! When Grandma grew up she fell in love
with Grandpa, she got married and had three children. She was
a substitute teacher, a sales lady and worked at a public library.
She loves music and plays the organ at her church on Sundays.
Grandma thinks Perry Como is the best and enjoys his music along
with organ music and big band music. Her words of wisdom to
pass down to all of us kids are "Honesty is ALWAYS the best
policy."
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Katie
Conway
Maercker School, Westmont
Melissa Scholz, A Girl of Yesterday
I was born in 1904 and my favorite food is a thick steak. My
hobby was sewing. My favorite animal was a dog and my favorite
color was pink.
Now I am 91 years old and live in Burgess Square Nursing Home.
I still like a thick steak but it's hard for me to eat it now.
I have two children, a boy and a girl. I have two grandchildren,
a grandson and a granddaughter. I worked in an office, until
I retired.
I still like the movie, "Dancing Girls", classical music, and
the Bible. I think I will always like poetry, daisies, and mashed
potatoes with lots of butter. Now, my favorite television shows
are news shows.
Now it is September 1995 and a girl from Maercker School came
to interview us and I had a great time!
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Natalie
S.
Link School, Elk Grove
I would like to introduce you to Chuck Lavezzi, my Grandfather.
He was born June 6th, 1915, when Woodrow Wilson was president.
Back then, all the houses were 10 feet apart, so everyone got
to know all their neighbors. He was lucky because he had 15
friends on his block.
When Grandpa was young, his school was 3 miles from his house.
All his friends walked to school, but Grandpa had a large heart
and couldn't walk that far. Because of this, Grandpa got to
roller skate to school.
After my Grandpa had lived in Chicago for 73 years, he moved
to Elk Grove Village. Now he lives in Florida.
I wish my Grandpa could live closer so he could keep telling
me more interesting things.
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