A note from the family: We wish Dad, who was a writer, had pre-written his own obituary. Since he did not, we worked together to summarize the highlights of his amazing journey. He was the best father and we know we will see him again in the Kingdom to come. – David, Andrea & Amy … Continue reading An Extended Obituary: Karl K. Taylor, PhD 12/2/1938 – 9/5/2024
Galesburg
Chapter Two Elmwood, Illinois — July 4, 1900 Independence Day Celebration
Since he played the clarinet in the American Band, Nelson Dean Jay, seventeen years old, took his place to the right of the conductor, sitting on a wooden folding chair beside Frank Shively, a skilled carpenter on his right, and Earl Runyon, a butcher on his left. Joking with his friends, Jay placed the music on his stand and opened his instrument case.
Chapter One Galesburg, Illinois – June 6, 1960 Graduation Day at Knox College
On June 6, 1960, we seniors were thinking about our future, but Jay may well have been remembering moments from his past. There were certainly memorable ones.
Introduction: Lunch with Friends at 58 Avenue Foch
Lunch with Friends is more than a modern version of a Horatio Alger story. A young man from a small town in Illinois graduated from a little known college in the Midwest, left for the big city to seek his fortune, and fell in love with a young woman from a socially prominent family from St. Louis. According to a member of the Jays, he “married up.” His career began by going door-to-door peddling pots and pans on the streets of Galesburg, Illinois, to selling bonds, first in Milwaukee and later in New York, to those with fortunes to invest.
Preface: Lunch with Friends at 58 Avenue Foch
An obituary is not a biography; however, an obituary is about the most we can expect when we are gone. After examining the Jays’ lives, I had to decide whether an obituary was sufficient or not for the time they spent on this earth. It was not.
David H. Morton: When the Seats Were Empty
It took Dad less than five minutes to reach the physician’s waiting room which, as I recall, was so busy every seat was taken with people waiting to see the doctor even on a Sunday afternoon.
Miss Roma Shively: A Short Woman in a Tall World
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.
Celebrating the Fourth in Small Town America
At the turn of the 20th century, Americans took our country’s birthday a great deal more seriously than they do today, particularly in small towns in the Middle West. Take Elmwood, Illinois, for example, a small country town of 2,000 people, located near the middle of the state, roughly twenty miles down dirt roads to the nearest town of any size. Festivities on the 4th began early in the morning, when the sun was just coming up, and lasted until dark when space above the horizon was brightened by sky rockets just above the tree line
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.
Stories From Small Town Illinois 