Miss Shively loved Elmwood, the town where she was born, where she spent most of her life, and it and the surrounding area were the subjects of her research. Her master’s thesis was called Jubilee – a Pioneer College, the story of an early experiment in higher education on the prairie, supported by the Episcopalian Church.
Biographical
Helen Hart Metz
When I began having trouble writing in a number of college courses, my parents asked Helen if she would be willing to work with me. She agreed immediately. Little did I know that I would learn a lot more from Helen than how to write a correct, clear sentence.
When Flipping the Switch, Thank Mr. Brown
When he was running the mill, he was also thinking about electricity. While he used kerosene lamps in his home and businesses, he was a little jealous of his friends in Peoria and Pekin and decided to build a power plant just south of town on the banks of the Kickapoo Creek, believing electricity was the wave of the future.
Mysteries Surrounding Lt. Colonel Grover W. Asmus III
By the time the Colonel was to leave for his next assignment, he had enough confidence in me that he voluntarily explained some but not all of the mysteries. http://wp.me/p69PnM-V
Remembering Merle
The kitchen lights went on at 12:45. Five or ten minutes later, Merle came out the basement door and headed for my car window. There was no shouting. There was no remark about how to improve my driving – not even how late it was. Very calmly he said, “I’ll get my tractor and pull you out.”
A Small Town Grocer
Harry Taylor looked the part of an old-fashioned grocer. About five feet ten, he was bald except for a tuft of hair hanging over his forehead. He wore the same kinds of clothes every day: a gray or white long-sleeved dress shirt, a butcher’s apron embossed with “America’s Cup Coffee,” and a black leather bow … Continue reading A Small Town Grocer
The Chick Car
Four years ago, when I was approaching age 71, I made a ridiculous decision: I bought a ten-year-old car. It was not just any vehicle, but a yellow BMW Z-3, a German sports car in perfect condition.
Talking to a Giant in his Living Room in Elmwood
Unfortunately, those dreams were crushed when Dean suffered a serious leg injury, an accident which didn’t end his career, but left him out of the Bradley University Hall of Fame.
Stories From Small Town Illinois 