Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Boo, always happy to see you on here. Glad you are back on your feet. It would be terrific if you could tell us some of your travel stories. I know you've been to a lot of places. Although photos are a plus, this is not a competition, so don't be bashful. Everything everyone posts enlightens us. And I agree 100% with your sentiments about our class.

Dave, it is extraordinary that your church was able to save those stained glass windows. Did anyone find out their history, original dates, or designer? I was wondering if they might be from the Tiffany Studio in NY. The windows Marv posted from Navy Pier are from the Richard Driehaus collection which is curated by my friend and art historian, Rolf Achilles. Unfortunately, the collection has been moved and is not currently on display.

Jim, Max is right about the original SnS being torn down to build Monical's Pizza. The SnS on Hannah St. was closed decades ago and turned into Keller's Iron Skillet, a breakfast joint. Marv and I got our first jobs there when we turned 16. We only lasted a couple of weeks because of an incident that cost Marv his day of pay. (I'll let him tell that story.) The following summer we worked at the Fun Fair in Miller Park, where my favorite burgers were at the Park View Inn. My favorite SnS treat was and still is their Orange Freeze.

Back to pizza, Max and I are in total agreement, it is hands down Lucca Grill. I go there every time I'm in Bloomington. A few years ago, I brought my son there on a hunch we would get to see the Stanley Cup. And we did. In fact for a few minutes we had it all to ourselves.

My son Phil and I with the Stanley Cup at Lucca's Aug. 14, 2015

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

Really interesting reading about places to get burgers, pizza, etc.   I have never been to the Lucca Grill.  I better go there if I get back to Bloomington.

had another idea people might like to talk about.  Mel mentioned he and Marc working briefly at Steak n Shake. What other summer jobs did people have.  Bet there are some interesting ones.

I had one that was not interesting but it had to be done by someone and it turned out to be me.  My Dad was President of the United Way one year.  When people give, they often stipulate who is to get the money, or in a lot of cases, who is NOT to get any of their money.  It does not change the final distribution of funds, but a record has to be kept.  Each person who made a stipulation had an index card and I wrote down their wishes and they were filed alphabetically.  My recollection is I made less than minimum wage, for sure.  

Sandra Jeakins (Singletary Sizemore)

             This is the 1st Steak n Shake on Main St in Normal. This picture was on Facebook just a few minutes ago so I thought I'd put it on here.    The building is still there, but it is a Monical's Pizza now. The Steak n Shake moved to Raab Rd in Normal because of the flooding from Sugar Creek that is close by this building.   I never could figure out why they had to move and Monical' was fine to be there.   The one on Raab got really bad and  has been closed for about 6 months but they are going to re-open soon.     

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Sandy, great photo. This one might be even a little bit earlier. That location was a gas station servicing people traveling on Rt. 66, which opened in 1926. Gus Belt expanded it into a food service in 1934. The slogan, "In Sight, It Must Be Right" is what made it so popular for people driving across country by car. During the Great Depression, meat products were being diluted to save money. What SnS did that was different from most eateries, they put their grill in front of the customer so they could see for themselves what was being cooked instead of hiding behind the kitchen. Thus, the slogan. This is still their policy today. If you look closely at this photo you will see the GAS sign over the roof. I think it was Shell gasoline. Before Hannah St., there was also a SnS in downtown Bloomington on E. Jefferson St. In the early 1950s my grandmother lived on Virginia Ave. just across the street from the original. I don't remember ever eating there, but on the same corner there was another converted gas station that became a small convenience store, Mr. Weed's, where we always got ice cream. Adding to all that, the Baldini brothers opened Lucca Grill in 1936, also beneficiaries of Rt. 66. They were the first restaurant in Central Illinois to serve pizza.

Jack Keefe

OK, about Gus Belt and Maplewood. Maplewood opened in the thirties as a nine hole golf course and country club. Gus Belt wanted to join, but he was allegedly told that he couldn't because he was Jewish. Then a few years later the club ran into money troubles and had to reorganize (sell out), In the revival that followed, Gus Belt was one of the principal owners, if not THE principal owner. He eventually had to close it down one last time..

The land was sold to developers, and Maplewood subdivision was built on it. There's still a Belt Avenue in Maplewood. As for the clubhouse, it stood at Linden and Jersey, and was demolished after the club went under. The house Steve Jetton referred to is not the old clubhouse, but a modern day home that goes back at least to the 1950s. However, there was a time i believed it WAS the clubhouse, and may have told Steve that. Sorry. 

So that's the Maplewood Country Club story as I have it. 

James (Jim) Rookus

DAVE... those window are wonderful and look like they were commissioned for your church... a perfect fit.  Also must admit I like the new replaced photo of you better than the previous with the large nose (trunk) !!!

Good to see a post from Terri again, and glad your back on your feet!  Keep up the good work.  Fun remenissing about Steak and Shake.  I think the cruising back and forth between the two S & S was more about beeing seen than seeing others!  Those were good times!

Julie Hart

after my dad retired he collected stained glass and then got into making things.  this was one he got from a house that was being torn down on i think jefferson right off of towanda. i have it hanging in my 'office.'

Julie Hart

the only pics i could remember taking of stained glass was the 'pink mosque' (nasir-al-mulk mosque) in shiraz, iran.  both sideways of course.  (All better now - MT) had to arrive at the right time to get the light shining through.

David Long

Beautiful

James (Jim) Rookus

WOW Julie love both but especially the window with reflections on floor and walls ... the most beautiful reflection of glass I've ever seen!!!

David Long

Mel, this is probably more information than you want to know, but tells the tale about the stained glass and some other items we have in the church.

The Stained Glass Windows behind the altar have been restored from the Church of the Risen Christ in Kansas City, MO. They were originally crafted in Austria in 1924, each piece having been individually painted and baked. The center panel depicts The Ascension; the right illustrates the Keys to God’s Kingdom entrusted to St. Peter, and the left portrays The Resurrection. They were installed in March, 1924 within the Church of the Annunciation, coincident with renovation of that church which had built on the corner of Linwood and Benton Blvd. in 1902. These windows have framed the prayer of many thousands of Kansas Citians and have inspired them to engage in countless efforts to build God’s kingdom in this region. In 1975 three inner-city parishes of St. Vincent, Holy Name and Annunciation merged, forming the Parish of the Risen Christ and using the former Annunciation Church property for their worship. Inspiring windows that inspired tremendous expressions of deep faith inspire us again today.

Six Brass Candlesticks are used in our sanctuary. Crafted around 1920, the shafts are a twisted rope designed with deep-set bobeche tops. They were originally made as funeral casket sticks and have stood beside the bodies of our forebears in faith who have taken to their eternal rewards. These candlesticks have been acquired for us from a monastery of French Dominicans.

Fourteen Stations of the Cross line outside walls of the worship space. These images of the way of the cross were carved around 1890 and have been identified of Italian origin by virtue of their soft wood. They had been acquired by Dr. William Earl Evans Jr. to be placed in a chapel envisioned to be built adjacent to Johnson County Community College. The project never materialized, and after twenty years of being stored in the doctor’s attic, they have been restored for our use.

Julie Hart

found more statues i have liked.

outside the airport in madrid, spain

ulan baatar, mongolia

reykjavik, iceland 

Marvin Theobald

Happy FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY Raiders (kinda sounds like a sporting event). Looks like a slow start today so I'll lead off.

Although it has been 12 years since my last logged dive I thought it would be fun share some pictures from my Scuba outings. These were all on film rather than digital and have been scanned from prints. I have logged 85 dives scattered around the world. There are many places I would like to have experienced diving but will most likely never get to see. While I do not have a clear recollection of when or where each of these were taken, most were in Negril, Jamaica or Cozumel, Mexico. Unfortunately, I did not have an underwater camera with me in the Andaman Sea.

Sea Anemone in Cozumel

Sea Urchin in Negril

Porcupine Pufferfish in Negril

Tube Anemone in Cozumel

Hermit Crab Cozumel

Caribbean Reef Octopus in Cozumel

This is what I believe is a type of fan coral in Cozumel but I have never been able to get verification. If anyone can help, I would be most grateful (Maybe Wendy has an app for that).

Marvin Theobald

Chankanaab National Park in Cozumel, Mexico has an underwater cave that has been mapped several miles long. I have dived the cavern entrance to the cave several times over the years. Depending on how much rain there has been, freshwater floats layered above the saltwater in the cavern. A transitional layer a few feet thick where the fresh and salt waters are blending. While both layers are crystal clear the chemical reaction to their blending creates a distorted view much like a looking through hot air rising from a large fire. A diver can move up and down going back and forth from fresh to salt water. A school of thousands of sardines live in the cavern where tarpon, about 5 ft long, and huge grouper hang out in and around the cavern to feed on the sardines. These are pictures I took in the cavern around 1998. The picture of the diver is me taken by my dive buddy.

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

Sorry Marv, no app for sea life.  Keeping in that sea life vein though, here are some critters.  I have never dived, though snorkeling is fun. 

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Wendy, are those star fish? What an amazing and beautiful grouping. Marv's photos from his many dives always astound me. When he posted the photos from Cozumel, I couldn't help remembering the time he and I went diving there. Everything he described is part of the magic. Some of you may not know that I have always been the chubby twin, which is how we can often tell which is which in old photos. (Joan and John Pease never had that problem. ) But back to the story...Marv took me scuba diving in Cozumel and the reefs looked lifeless, which was very sad. My dive gear seemed faulty until Marv had a brainstorm. I couldn't submerge until he took his weight belt off and gave it to me. Voila!!! I went down like a jellyfish. Then we arrived at the underwater cave and it was as if something supernatural happened. The tarpon were wafting in the cave openings and we swam up to them eyeball to eyeball. It was fantastic.

This is the photo he took of me on that dive. A year later I got my NAUI certification, but only went on two more dives. But, those few dives are the most memorable things of my life. This is Marv's photo of the chubby one.

James (Jim) Rookus

Amazing how many unique and spectacular photos you world travelers come up with! They are wonderful ... thank you for sharing them with us,  Boy, I sure have led a dull life! 😂

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Jim, your family photos tell me otherwise. You've done very well. Think in reverse: Is it the love of adventure or the adventure of love that we most value? Some of us have had both, but there is no difference. That butterfly in your backyard is as large as a tarpon in an underwater Cozumel cave.

Marvin Theobald

If we are going to continue to have SILLY SATURDAY here is my contribution. A couple of thoughts for the day. While I have put some effort into the first, the second seems to be gaining momentum.

And second:

Why should I try to remember something?

I’m going to forget it anyway!

Joan Pease (Clark)

Something Silly - and Nostalgic - Saturday: Twin John and I in our Sunday best. I'm not sure what the back story on the knife is, but hopefully it's a rubber toy that he left behind when we went to Sunday school. 

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Joan, that photo is classic. In those days, boys always carried pocket knives. Not sure how old you and John were in this photo, but he looks a little young for a such a large knife, so I'm guessing you are right about it being a rubber toy. We used knives for everything from whittling and carving spears from tree branches to cleaning fish and playing stretch. And the clothes? How cool.

For SILLY SATURDAY, this is me with my first wife wearing masks that were made in Soviet occupied East Germany. The crow mask deteriorated from over use, but I still have the sheep. Maybe I should be wearing it as protection from COVID-19.

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

This is silly.  Christmas decoration at the Outrigger Canoe Club in Honolulu

James (Jim) Rookus

JOAN....  I appears that you both look rather scared or frightened in that photo and John has his knife pulled out to protect you!   MEL.... those masks look very warm, could you even breath with them on?  and WENDY, those dancing pigs just leave me speechless.

Now my contribution to silly Saturday.....  this was my first attempt to embarrass my family (or myself) by threatenting to wear this concoction to shop when the C-19 stay home order first began.  No PPE stuff was easily available so I made my own.   I did later perfect it as seen in second photo.... connecting the "shield" to a pair of old reading cheaters which really works great when shopping and without the mask under it, very breathable and protective.  The first version did get some threats to dis-own me if I went out with that on... mostly by my WIFE !

Second perfected version.... actually worn out shopping WITHOUT the mask under the shield

David Long

Sweetest use of recycled materials.  You're to be commended upon your ingenuity and  Social Responsibility!