Rosemary Clooney 1954 Hit - "This Old House"
A MIMOSA AND EVERYTHING ELSE: I captured these shadows of this Mimosa in a gentle rain that was beginning to fall just his a.m. It is just across the street from our home on Oakwood Drive here in Vermilion.
The Mimosa is essentially a tropical/warm region plant, but for some reason does well here. This one is both fragrant and beautiful. It attracts hummingbirds and, of course, bees.
Some years ago when the lady who brought it here from the south was still living in the home where it stands she used to cut it flush with the ground every autumn. And, just like magic, every spring it would pop up again and grow into this beautiful tree.
Since she's been gone the property owners have never trimmed it back. I do believe they would be afraid to do so - thinking that they would kill it.
I've been slacking off on historical research lately because I've become more involved with learning/experimenting technical matters pertaining to webpage development. It's easy for me to get lost in those things.
Note the status bar messaging that has been added to the page; the Background Music note at the top of the page; the Weather Channel up-to-date Vermilion weather box at the bottom; the FreeFind search box also at the bottom of the page - so you can search for...whatever; and the addition of the Vermilion Biographies page.
Well, I'll be getting back to that and everything else - yesterday.
Thank you for your patience.
THE WAKEFIELDS: This is, historically speaking, a rather unusual photograph. Pictured are:
From the tallest, Al, Alice, Bill, Ruth, Fred, baby George Wakefield, and, of course, their mother and father.
I've not written a great deal about this family because I'm under the impression that someone, somewhere, has already done so - and I let it go at that.
The one thing I certainly believe is that F.W. Wakefield was a genius. This is not, however, in reference to whatever his accomplishments may have been in the lighting industry - because I know very little about such matters. I am referring to the methods he applied to the manufacture of lights.
While Henry Ford is often credited with developing the assembly line as an efficient means to build automobiles I do believe that Mr. Wakefield was regularly applying this method to the manufacture of lighting products prior to, or coincidental with, Ford's production methods.
While I wouldn't go so far as to credit Wakefield with the creation of this production method (because I don't know it to be a fact) I know it wasn't his (Ford's) brainchild.
The assembly line, while it seems so obviously advantageous to contemporary minds, was not so obvious to everyone at the turn of the 20th century.
Whatever the case, it's an interesting thought.
I need thank my friend Alice P. Wakefield for sending along this electronic pic. It will be placed on disk and added to the archives of the VAAS.
A QUARRY: Cataloging items for the Vermilion Archival Society we ran across this snapshoot of what appears to be an old quarry (foreground) near what looks to be a river (background) that we've not been able to identify.
While I know some of the quarries in the area this one is not familiar to me. When I describe it as being an old quarry I do mean that it is OLD. Here's a close-up of the truck in the photo:
The only places I can think of that it might be (off-hand) are Florence and/Birmingham.
I need stress, for the umpteenth time, how important it is to mark your photographs (with a pencil) so that 100 years from now folks can try to understand the who's, what's, and where's of your pix.
I also want to explain that there is a very good reason some photographs and stories of local families don't surface on this page or on the pages of local newspapers and/or history tomes; It is because nobody, beyond the immediate families of those folks, has any of the data. Nothing can be known if it's packed away in an attic somewhere.
I spend a great deal of time searching through public records for information about various people/things and fail to find it because it's never been made available to the public.
Unfortunately, that's how things get lost. The years go by, and when someone comes across these things they have no value to them and are consequently tossed into the garbage - end up in a flea market - or on the wall of Joe's Diner in Des Moines.
RAY'S TRYKE: Here's a wonderful example of a photo that very well could have been - but is not been - forever lost. Local resident Dawn Full gave me this pic and a few others because she simple had no great reason to keep them any longer.
The young fellow on the small tricycle is her late husband, Ray, who was the last owner and operater of the Kishman Fish Company in Vermilion. The snap was captured (to my understanding) alongside his parents' home on Ferry Street. I really find the larger tryke to be a fascinating vehicle.
Ray is another Vermilion person (among many) that I know very little about (at this time). I remember him as being a dark, handsome fellow. But I never had occasion to speak with him.
A very neat photograph.
DAWN'S BIRTHDAY: And among the several things given me by Dawn Full was this birthday card. I did both sides of the card - not to embarass Dawn in any way - but because I am enthralled with the artwork of those times, and because it affords one some great information about "those times" as well as Dawn. And, historically, that information is relevant.
Setting her birth date aside it provides information about her parents' faith, and their choice of a name for their daughter is also very interesting - and perhaps very telling.
These are minute details about a person that statistics don't allow. And that is important.
Great stuff!!
GOODYEAR: This is just a great Roscoe photograph of a Vermilion Regatta being visited by a blimp. (c. 1917?)
I've seen other pix of this event. Given the size of the crowd it is very likely that more than one photographer was in attendance.
In looking at the photo one can't help but wonder how it was that the airship happened by. Was it planned, or was it just happenstance?
When the great aviator Antony Jannus landed on the river and Linwood Beach in 1903/04 with his seaplane the event was planned. But tis hard to imagine that they could have planned having this blimp drop by during regatta festivities.
Perhaps it was simply an excursion along the shoreline of the lake that happened to coincide with the activity.
WHAT'S A FOOT: A few Vermilion Area Archival Society pix and artifacts are currently on display in the windows of the empty store next to Vermilion's Convenient Store (Near the river bridge and new Rotary Centennial Park).
And, of course, everyone is absolutely welcome to join this group. Lifetime memberships are $100. Yearly memberships are $10 a person; $18.00 a couple; and $5 for a student.
Please take the time to visit (or re-visit) the Hope Children's Home site linked below because there are some additions there that you might find interesting. With all the bad things happening on the "dark continent" and elsewhere it's really nice to know that there are some places where the light does shine brightly. Please keep in mind that the needs of Hope Children's Home are on-going. For whatever reason the continued suffering of the peoples in Africa go virtually unnoticed by both our nation and the United Nations - and that should not be. Contributions to that home may be made to a Vermilion expatriot Larry Hohler in New York.
CLASS REUNION UPDATES: Here's some new items: Vermilion Class of l948 Reunion for Friday, August 25, 2006 at Vermilion Fish and Game - 6:00 p.m. For more information contact Carol Bechtel. They are looking for Richard Jenkins, Norma Czarnecki, Bob Thomas, William Judge, Robert Crampton, Rodney Gribble.
Bob Ferry, is heading up the VHS Class Reunion for 1987...20 years.
I was unaware of it but more than just a few folks do use this site as a link to their respective class sites - so - here's the VHS Class of 1959's site back for your convenience too: Remember that site is located at: Class of '59 and it'll be updated it as Roger (Boughton) receives enough new pictures and information from classmates to make it worth reading. So send him any information that you would like to share with other classmates and he'll put it up for all to see and view.
It is my understanding that some of these links are not working, or not working well. If so it is a technical problem belonging to the respective parties operating those webpages.
The Beat Goes On: The page is generated by the dreaded Macintosh Computer and is written and designed by (me) Rich Tarrant. It will change weekly ~ usually on Saturday. Bookmark the URL (Universal Resource Locater) and come back at your own leisure. Send the page to your friends (and enemies if you wish). If you have something to share with those who visit this page, pass it on. And if you see something that is in need of correction do the same. My sister, Nancy, is a great help in that respect. It only takes me a week to get things right. And follow the bookmarks. You might find something you like. If you experience a problem with them let me know. Also, if you want to see past editions of this eZine check the new archives links below.
Links to other sites on the Web
Vol.4, Issue 22, August 19, 2006
© 2006 Rich Tarrant