Al Lee (Class of "77")
9-55-06

Hi,
I was just informed about your web page during John Crowley's 50th birthday party; his Mother was a teacher at Tate Woods School. The web page brought back many memories, like the Book Nook, where our gang of local Main St. kids use to congregrate after playing baseball at Main st. school.
The Kings Palace fire reminded me of the Wagon Wheel's fire (on Ogden). Then the mention of the Minuette, which their parking lot use to be Frank and Hazel's bar. Which we all walked by after getting our of Main st. school on the way home.

Keep up the good work.

Kris (Magiera) Herbst
8-29-06

Michael,
I found your site through a link on the Class of 1980’s web page. I have been meandering through it over the past few days and it has been lots of fun. You’ve done a great job with it. I can’t believe the memories it brings back of things that have been pushed to the back of my brain for a long time. Some of things I am too young to remember but still enjoy the history very much. I completely agree that trying to convey to others just how unique Lisle was is difficult. Small town charm, big city advantages. We really had it all.

My family lived in Lisle from about 1967 to 1995. My parents built a house in 1967? On South Rd. in the Meadows, they built a 2nd house on Queens Cove in, I believe, 1971 where they lived until they retired to NC in 1995. I graduated from Lisle HS in 1988 and worked at a summer camp in WI that summer and went away to college that Fall. I was back periodically after that for short visits until my parents moved away. That last time I drove away from our house was definitely a little sad for me. I knew I would never be able to bring my children (you know, the ones I didn’t even have yet at the time) “home”. I was back in 1998 for my 10-year class reunion and that was the last time I got off the Interstate in Lisle. I’ve whizzed by on I-88 a few times since then on my way to and from Chicago and just quickly peered down 53. I now have my own family and have always wanted to give them a childhood like I had. I Jan. of this year we built a house in the 1st Addition of a new neighborhood in Bettendorf / Pleasant Valley, IA. It was previously farmland. The School District owns land w/in ½ a mile to build a new Elementary School. There are lots of kids on the street already and it’s a blur of bicycles, scooters, and impromptu baseball every evening. It’s the closest I could come to replicating what I had in the context of today’s world.

Some of my fondest memories include:

· Time spent at the Morton Arboretum. We were members there and I remember taking nature and art classes there as a kid. Even as I got older it was always one of my favorite spots to “get away”.

· I definitely remember going to the Old Library on Front Street.

· Since we lived in the Meadows, we used to ride our bikes over to the White Hen in Four Lakes a lot. That area certainly changed a lot while I was growing up.

· Joe’s Flowers on 53!

· Barone’s Pizza. We got carryout every Sat. night.

· The Omega Restaurant on Ogden. Wasn’t it open 24 hours?

· Meadows Swim Club. Exploring the cornfield behind it that is now I-355.

· I remember playing all up and down (and following deep into Woodridge) the creek behind Meadow’s school. Yes! Dead Man’s creek. No, I don’t why they called it that.

· Trinity Lutheran Church on 53 & Kimberly. I have tons of memories here but one a lot of people might remember was the luminaries they put all over the lawn on Christmas Eve. Sometimes Pilots used to call in that they had seen them from the air when flying in to O’Hare.

· Lisle Track and Mr. Nally.

I have a Master’s in Geography and Urban Planning and did an internship in Historic Preservation when I was in school. It’s sad to see the things that have been done wrong in Lisle. I know from experience how hard the whole process can be but there are plenty of examples out there of communities that place more emphasis on balancing Preservation, Re-use, progress, and new development. I don’t work in the Planning field anymore but a few years ago I had a private sector planning job for a non-profit group that hired the same firm that did Lisle’s Master Plan. They were good talented people to work with and I can say that draft those concepts based on the ideas presented to them (I’m guessing the Village Board in this case). I think they mention something in there about “community input” or something to that effect. I know this also can be a frustrating method. We did several projects for which we adamantly sought community input. We mailed notices, put up flyers, advertised in the newspaper, went door to door and even held workshops right w/in neighborhoods where the projects would be built. Turnouts were almost always low. When the projects are later designed and presented, plenty show up to criticize. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not at all a fan of the “change all the downtown storefronts to a Prairie style strip mall” idea. Bleh. The good news is, lots of things written into a Master Plan don’t necessarily come to fruition. I left after HS graduation and haven’t lived there since. My opinion doesn’t mean anything. If tax-paying citizens organize into one voice and have some well-defined ideas for what they want for Lisle. I believe they have a chance to save some History and some of what makes Lisle unique. There are ways…

Well I just wrote a book here so I wrap it up. Thanks for giving us a little place in cyberspace to come and keep our collective memories alive and well.

Sincerely,

Kris (Magiera) Herbst

John R. Wysocki
8-28-06
I was in St. Joes' Bohemian orph from 1941-1945 (age 71/2 - 12)

Many storys to tell. My dorm was on the 4th floor left side. I was left handed and a bed wetter- not good back then. Everyone had a job and mine was operating the rinse booth in the dish washing room - twice daily and everyday. I was boarded there for $15 month. The boys and girls playgrounds were separated by a road and were fenced. We did play together in the gym during the winter but were supervised by several nuns. If you want to hear more let me know.

YES we want to know more!!! YES!!! Can we send money??? YES!

Mary Womack (Shepard)
8-28-06
RE: The Book-Nook

I read your article and found it very interesting. I worked at the Book Nook for Vangie and (I can't remember her husbands name, but he was blind.) in 1965 when I was in high school in Lisle. i don't know if it's the same john Reeder that I graduated with (Opie). Anyway, I now live in Arizona and hadn't been back to Lisle until about 3 years ago. I couldn't believe how it had changed. I left the area in 1981. Anyway, the site was great.

?
8-14-06
RE: St. Joan of Arc

The fire escape "shoot" was THE best place to play! At least until the priests caught you.

A Men!

Kathleen (Hayes) Eubanks
8-11-06

Mike, you have done an outstanding job with this website. It has been such a pleasure to see the places and faces from my childhood.

I would like to see if anyone from the Class of 1970 would be interested in a reunion.

I lived in Lisle from birth through 1973, and my heart was ripped out when they tore down the Main Street School. My parents both attended there (my mother and I even had the same teacher), and my grandpa, Fritz Baumgartner, was a custodian there for years. Do you mean to say that nothing but bricks was salvaged? What a crime!

Do you remember the old viaduct on Main Street when it was constructed of wood, and when the trains went overhead the sound would just about vibrate your teeth out of your head? I used to go with my grandpa to Riedy's Hardware Store to get baby chicks when granddad needed to repopulate his henhouse (we were a chicken-for-dinner-every-Sunday family).

I remember the Petrys used to live just north of the Lisle Bible Church (what an interesting little building that was!), and we probably saw you in church, too. Give my best regards to your mother.

Again, thanks so much for putting this together. For everyone who lived in and loved Lisle, it's like a family album.

Gary Klima
8-6-06

Hey Mike,

I sent you this a while ago, and I never heard anything about it. Then, I read something about a computer crash you had, which probably lost them. Anyhoo,
I'm resending these pics of Sam Sutter/King's Palace treasures, which commemorated the celebration of 76. They are curtousy of Glen Canale, who came across them strored away in his archives.
They are an original King's palace ashtray and coaster.

Thanks,

Bonnie Lyman
7-2-06

Michael,
Sorry it took me so long to get this picture to you, but here it is! This photo was taken from behind the house I grew up in on Burlington Avenue in Lisle. My guess is that is was taken in the late 1950's.

Bonnie, This absolute amazing "Crown Jewel" of a photo had me hyper-ventilating for week! What a great, not to mention RARE, picture of the old wooden Yackley bridge going over the railroad tracks. Because the telephone wires are on the right, this photo is obviously looking west. We all thank you Bonnie! Click here to read more about Yackley bridge.

Lillian
6-24-06

Dear Michael,
I went to your web site today after reading an article in the Sun. At first I found the information interesting and entertaining. That is until I got to the photograph and comments regarding the old "Kelly's Shoe Store", and the new condo building that has replaced it.

"Miserable looking"? Excuse me, I happen to live in that building, along with 58 other owners. Would you like to read on a web site that YOUR home is "Miserable Looking"? Oh wait, I did find pictures of your old home, I will take the higher road and not comment.
Cordially,
LM

oops.

Smitty's Standard on 53 and Maple

Looking close-up at Smitty's Standard. Notice the 63 (?) Chevy on the left and the great pick-up on the right.

Jill!
Thank you so much to you and anyone else responsible for getting us these photos. Do you have any idea how many people will look at this old picture and think to themselves "OH COOL!!"
Notice the tires out in front of the garage? You don't see that any more.
Oh the days of (cover the kid's ears now) "service" stations! (Okay... It's safe to uncover them!)
Also, notice the signs advertising that they have a pay phone and to "Try our service!"
Wonderful!

King's Palace memorabilia!

Bob Thompson
6/8/06

Hi Mike,
Courtesy of Steve and Kristy Wavra of Lisle are these gems.
The first is a place mat from the table, and the other is a postcard.
Wow!

Click image to see the larger view.	Click image to see the larger view.

"Wow????"
Bob... Bob...
I want you to consider something here...
Consider the fact that there is no where on this earth where you could find these priceless gems...
Now, thanks to you, Steve and Kristy, they can be found here.
This may be what launches this web site to be named the coolest web site of all time!

Click here to read more about King's Palace
Also, someone sent us a scan of a "Sam Sutter" King's Palace ashtray but we lost it during a terrible computer crash. Hopefully another will resurface.

Jacquie Hope
4/21/06

I remember going to dances in this building before it became the Kings palace. It must have been in the mid 1960’s.

Jacquie Wurth Hope Chapman

Rob McKenna
Geneva Illinois
4/18/06

Hey Mike,

What a great site. I've had hours of fun looking at everything and reliving the "Good Old Days" Thanks for all your hard work.
I grew up in the Meadows and one of my early memories was playing baseball down at the fields behind Meadows Elementary School, or at the ball field by Main Street School. After each game, the parents would take us all over to the 7-Eleven store on Route 53, near Maple Ave. Each kid would get a " Slurpee" and stand outside the front door and talk about the game as we enjoyed our summer time treat. The "Slurpee's" would come in these plastic cups and there would be a picture of a Major League Baseball Player on the Cup. It had all his stats etc...printed on the cup. If you were really lucky, you would get one of the cups that had a "Hall Of Fame Player" on it. These were collector cups and you would take them home, wash them out and save them. I ended up collecting these things forever and I eventually
stacked them all up to make a massive tower of cups that went all the way up to the ceiling. At some point, years after I had moved out, my mother found them in a store room, and ended up throwing them out. If only e-bay had been invented back then, maybe I could had earned a few bucks!!! HA.

Another thing about that 7-Eleven. They had one of the first pinball machines just as you came in the door. My friends and I would ride our
bikes there from the Meadows, and play that thing for hours. I can not remember what machine it was, but maybe someone out there does.

Anyway, keep up the good work, and thanks for all the memories.

Rob McKenna

Lynn (Razee) Dillon
4/15/06

Hello,

When I saw your article "Mysteries of Lisle," a mystery that I've wondered about came right to my mind. I grew up in "The Meadows" and there was something called "Dead Man's Creek". Many stories were told about the creek and dead people and my parents would never let me go there. One day my curiosity got the better of me and I rode my bike there. There was just wooded area with a creek. Was there ever a story about Dead Man's Creek?

This is a great site! Thanks so much!

Thank you Lynn!
I think I recall hearing something years ago but I really can't recall.. It would be great to hear more.

Tom " Tweet" Robinson
3/30/06

Lots of memories of good times and good friends.. And sitting on the fenders of my old Mercury in front of Erves (see Lisle Coffee Shop) playing guitar and talking with old friends. Thanks for the memories Mike. .

Terri Cinert
Lisle, IL
4/8/06

You know, its so funny to sit here and read all the things about lisle. I myself will have a hard time even moving away from Lisle. I have a feeling when I do and I move back, I wont even recognize it. Its very irritating how they feel the need to turn it into the next Naperville.
Anyway, regarding the Cinert's bridge. I grew up playing on that bridge. It too, took our family to the church across the street, the dentist building, and friends across 53. And for my sisters and brothers they crossed it to get on the school bus. My brothers and sisters and I use to go under it and build dams. We used to just go and sit on it and watch the (small amount) fish.
Its funny my dad had a tree house in that tree there, we were never allowed to have a tree house! And my dad didn't even like it when my neighbor put a swing in the tree for us!

So, yes I am one of the Cinert boys daughter. I grew up in that house, with the trees, and the bridge to get across the river.
I have a lot of memories of that bridge as well. One night when it was storming really badly, I woke up and went and checked on the river. It was very high, so I woke my dad up. And the first thing we had to do was get some chains and tie down the bridge to the trees. So both my brothers and sisters and my dad and I, we all went out and found as many chains in the garage as possible, and in the middle of terrible lightening we went out and tied the chains around the bridge and around the big tree on our side of the river bank. If we didn't get to that in time and get that done, the bridge would have floated down to the 53 bridge and the village would have sued us for damaging it. Well, it did flood and the bridge did come loose, and the only thing that saved it and kept it in our yard was those chains. And a couple days later my brother in law welded a holder for it on the other side. Ah the memories.

Its sad my dad had to tear it down. I'm sure he was really upset about it as well. His dad built it. It was however getting very unsteady. It didn't matter how many new boards he put on it, it just wouldn't have been safe for much longer, I even got to a point where I was afraid to cross it. We had to put no trespassing signs up cause kids would come and try to tear it apart, they would try ripping boards off. Then the signs didn't work so my dad had to just block the entrances up.
I miss the bridge a lot. I'm sad that my nephews and nieces wont have it to play on like we did. They wont even remember it or know it was there. Last weekend my nephew and I needed to walk to Amoco, and I was like "ill just walk across the bridge" dah!! There isn't a bridge anymore. Every fourth of july, we would take the bridge to 53 to walk to the fest, and I still always forget, its not there anymore.
Its just not the same.

Sincerely,
One of the Cinert's.

Terri,
Thanks so much for writing to us about the old bridge!

Not too long ago I walked down to where the bridge used to be. Oh that wonderful place...
I could still hear the echoes of us kids playing on it.. Or my brother and I sitting with our legs dangling over the side, watching the water below and both of us just talking. It was like visiting a place straight out of a child's imagination. The memories were amazing to say the least.

Sitting here typing this I catch myself smiling... Because I can still feel how it would bounce when you jogged accross it.

As I walked along the river bank and next to that old tree that stood next to the bridge, (seen in the picture below) I noticed the remains of one small item. An item that seemed to be just one last reminder... As I looked down to the base of the tree, I noticed that a piece of the chain that was once used to anchor the old bridge was still tied to the tree. And not only was it attached to the tree but the tree, over the years, had actually grown around the chain itself making the chain now a permanent part of the tree trunk.

I'm not sure why I was so surprised and happy to see it... Maybe it was like finding a small piece of evidence...
A small reminder that it WAS real... And that it was a truly magical place to have as a part of our world growing up in Lisle

Click here to read more about Cinert's bridge.

Follow ups to this letter:

Ted Garringer
Hagerstown, Maryland
4/8/06

My brother Dave and I crossed Mr. Cinert's bridge whenever we had to go to Doctor Knoblock's office to have our teeth worked on... Doctor Knoblock had a dental office in the medical building across the creek from where the Cinert's lived... At the time we lived on Chelsea Street right next to Mr. Yender.

I thank you for your interview with Mr. Yender and I thank you for taking the time and effort to produce this web site...

Sincerely,
Ted Garringer

Ted Vodicka
3/31/06

Hi Mike
What a great web site! I have spent many hours remembering home! I sure miss Lisle. I read some letters and can help with some detective work!!! The picture of the old Phillip's 66 station was taken in about 1983 there was a welding shop there. He used to make wrought iron fencing

Keep up the great work!
Ted Vodicka

Hey Ted... You're right. It was an old welding shop (below) after it was the Phillip's 66. Thanks for the detective work!
And please say hello to your brother Chris and his wife Julie... He was the greatest wrestler of all time!!

Joe Caruso
Producer
KENS-5 (CBS-TV)
San Antonio, TX
3/30/06

Sing it with me: "Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois...come to Dispensa's Castle of Toys."

Thanks for the memories,

Joe

Callaghan, Jill
3/19/06

I graduated from Benet Academy in 2002. I was working on a history project of Naperville when I ran across this website. I laughed when you said that you wondered if the students ever tried to imagine the buildings as an orphanage. I guess I did a little bit when I went to school there, but the longer that I have not been back at Benet the more I think about the strangeness of the place where I went to high school. I wish I would have appreciated its history more when I went there. This website was so intruiging and has made me want to go back and get the same informative tour from Father Jude! I had multiple classes in the rooms that you showed photographs of- for example, the picture with the beds and the children praying- that is where I had study hall!!! I just wanted to say that your website was great and I loved the story!

Liz Peña (Young)
Honduras
3/17/06

Dear Friends from Lisle:
I just found out about you, my sister Beth Gregor told me. I bet you don´t remember me, I was a AFS student at Lisle Senior High School of Class 1973, I lived With My Webster Family, Donne, Jane, Beth, David, Michel and Jeff.
My name back then was Liz Young, right now my name is Liz Peña. I am from a very beautiful and warm country in Central America, Honduras.
Thanks for this website, keep in touch.
Liz

Karen Tivador
Tampa Bay FL
3/13/06

Great web site! Talk about memories.. My sister sent this site to me. We grew up on 59th St. in the Meadows and I love showing my kids how there Mom really grew up and where. I just took my son back there two years ago and showed him where I lived and how things have changed. I talk about Cock Robin and Root Beer floats from Dog n Suds that my dad loved.

Thanks for the memories!

Cindi (Patrick) Donaldson
Wichita, Kansas
3/10/06

Looking at this site brings back such GREAT childhood memories. I remember all throughout school hating history and always asking myself why we had to learn about it. Who would have guessed that now at age 45, I am searching for things in my history? I haven't been back to Lisle since 1979 and I've heard it has changed so much that I wouldn't recognize it. Does anyone remember the great fun the local bowling alley provided us? HA THOSE WERE THE DAYS.

I now remember memories I had forgotten. The old A&P, I remember when they first came out with self tanning lotion. Me, Brenda Box and a friend named Kathy bought the biggest bottle in the store. Needless to say, we were orange for a week. The Dairy Freeze (Dari Castle) had the best ice cream ever. After AJ moved away from home I had the pleasure of helping take care of his palomino horse, who still lived in the backyard. AJ's mother use to let me bang the keys on her piano.

Does anyone remember back in 4th grade when Bobby Hall racked himself so bad that he had to be taken to the hospital?

My saddest memory of living in Lisle is when Kenny Anderson accidentally got shot by his brother and died. I think I cried for a month, Kenny was such a good kid.

We shouldn't be embarrassed of Rosie, every town has a Rosie. In Mayberry, Otis was their Rosie. Is there anyone else out there who use to sneak away to Naperville and hang out at the Dunkin Donuts? Those were great times.

Michael...
I want to thank you for putting this site together. You allowed me to re-live memories that I had forgotten. I found your site while trying to look for an old school friend, Brenda Box. I haven't been able to locate her, but finding this site has brought me great joy. I can remember swimming in your pool a couple of times as a kid. It's sad that all things in life have to change. If only there were something's that could remain the same. Yes, they may change the face of the Lisle we once knew, but they can never change the Lisle we remember in our hearts. Thanks for the memories.