Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Rest in Peace - Jeff Quick's Mother
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| Eileen Quick |
Eileen Helen Quick, 94, of Moline, died and went to be with her Lord on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday at All Saints Episcopal Church, 2420 41st St., Moline. Visitation is 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home, Rock Island. Burial is at the National Cemetery, Arsenal Island, with a luncheon to follow at the church. Memorials may be made to All Saints Episcopal Church or to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Eileen was born June 2, 1921, in Norwood, Ohio, the daughter of Oliver Benjamin Huber and Lena Knouer Huber. Eileen graduated from Norwood High School in 1939. On May 25, 1946, she married the love of her life, R. Perry Quick in Norwood. She met Perry while he was on leave from Camp Atterbury in Indiana, where he was stationed prior to being sent overseas during WW II. After their marriage they settled in Moline and raised their family.
She worked in the law office of Trevor & Schweibert until the birth of her first child. In 1957, she began to work for the city of Moline in the Parks and Recreation Department. She retired from there in 1985. After their retirements, Eileen and Perry loved to travel to Myrtle Beach, Door County and to visit family and friends. They loved to get together with friends and play cards and go dancing.
Eileen served on the board of trustees at Friendship Manor and the Rock Island City Union of King's Daughters. She was also a member of the Moline Pilot Club and the Victory Circle of King's Daughters since 1953. She was also very active in her church and was a member of the Altar Guild, St. Anne's / Vestment Guild, St. Elizabeth's Guild and Triangle Club. She also received the Holy Order of the Trinity for her church work. She will be dearly missed by all the friends she has made through the years.
Survivors include sons and daughters-in-law, Jeffrey A. and Penny Quick of Moline, Lawrence R. and Susan Quick of St. Ann, Mo. Her grandchildren are Christopher M. Quick (Meredith) of Palatine, Ill., Chad M. Quick of Moline, and Cyndi Quick of Overland, Mo. Great-grandchildren include Marianne, Sarah and Christa Goers, Madeline, Christopher and J.J. Quick. Also, her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Dr. William and Janice Jernigan, Columbia, Tenn., and William and Eleanor Quick, South Dakota. There are also many loving nieces, nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Perry in 2001, her parents, two sisters, Erma and Pat, one brother, Wilson, and grandson, Jeffrey A. Quick Jr.
Special thanks to all who helped care for Eileen at the end, Unity Point West, Rosewood Care Center, Clarissa C. Cook Hospice, but most especially to Father Laurence and Betty Larson for their loving kindness, friendship and spiritual guidance.
Online condolences may be left at wheelanpressly.com.
Rest in Peace, Jane Laughead VanHyfte
Jane M. Laughead VanHyfte, 67, of Alexis, passed away Friday Oct. 2, 2015, at home.
A Celebration of Life will be held Thursday, Oct. 8, from 11 a.m. till 1 p.m. at the Viking Club 1450 41st St., Moline. Burial will be held at a later date. Please sign the online guestbook atwisefamily-hooverhall.com. Wise Family - Hoover Hall Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Jane was born Feb. 17, 1948, in Rock Island, the daughter of Robert and Harriet Laughead.
After graduating from Moline High School she worked at the Rock Island Arsenal, later transferring to White Sands facility in New Mexico before returning to the Quad-City area. Jane's real passion was in the art field, creating jewelry, drawings and ceramics.
Surviving are her mother, Harriet Laughead Bealer, East Moline; special friend, Kent Mohr, Alexis; and several nieces and nephews. Jane was preceded in death by her father, Robert Laughead, two brothers, Dan Laughead and Richard Laughead and a nephew, Joe Laughead.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Viet Nam Vet John Katherman Married My Neighbor Across the Alley - Darlene Gabriel
Like most men who go to war, Coal Valley’s John Katherman felt lucky to get out alive. On his first day in Vietnam, he met another soldier who told him, “I’m lucky, no Purple Heart.
“I wasn’t real thrilled to hear that. I then saw the guy I was going to replace, (and) he’d been shot seven times.
“I was very lucky, because the squad I joined was full of experienced guys. They knew what to do.”
One thing the squad did not do was use drugs.
“There was a drug problem in Vietnam, and a lot of guys got shot because they were high. My squad followed the rules: No drugs.”
Katherman's luck continued.
Sitting in the field, reading his hometown newspaper, he encountered a lieutenant who also was from Moline.
“I eventually became his radio guy, which was safer, because I wasn’t at the front of our patrols,” he said.
When the lieutenant took a position farther back at battalion headquarters, he arranged for Katherman to go with him.
“So, I was out of the bush,” he said.
More luck came.
When Katherman returned from a break to Hawaii with his high-school-sweetheart-turned-wife, Darlene, he learned that his lieutenant had died in a non-combat helicopter crash.
“If I had been there instead of in Hawaii, I’d have been with him and died," he said.
Katherman said some of his good fortune had nothing to do with luck, and he “saw tremendous leadership when under fire, and a lot of us are alive today because of those commanders.
“One black night, we were out on patrol, and our pucker factor was high. I had to wake a guy up who was in the middle of a bad dream and woke up screaming. Our cover was blown, so we were told to shoot off all our ammunition, and luckily, no one shot back. We walked back with our hands on the shoulder of the guy in front of us, it was so dark.”
Vietnam changed him.
“I came back much more mature and centered. I grew up a bunch over there, facing life or death. It made me appreciate our freedoms, our Constitution that gives us our great life. The Vietnamese have never had it.”
Like the men who left Vietnam before him, Katherman didn’t want to jinx his last day. As he and the others boarded the plane for the States — the plane that just brought in fresh troops — not a word was spoken. And no one said a word as the plane took off.
Not until the flight leveled off did all the troops break out into a chorus of “Leaving On a Jet Plane.”
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Very good article featuring my dad, John Katherman, who was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam. There are so many things to say about my dad. He is my hero and words cannot express how proud i am to be his son. While I do believe in incidents of "luck", I also believe in God and the concept of "Actual Grace". I'm eternally thankful for his life which brought life to me and my twin brother, Jeff, and his safe return to a productive and fruitful life post Vietnam. i love you, Dad!
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Rest in Peace - Principal Paul Hoff - Coolidge Junior High
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| Paul Hoff |
Paul L. Hoff, 93, of Moline, IL, died Thursday, August 13, 2015, at Genesis Medical Center – Illini Campus. Per his wishes, cremation rites have been accorded. A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 29th, at 11:00 a.m., at First Congregational Church, 2201 – 7th Avenue, Moline.
Inurnment will be in Hampton Cemetery in Hampton, IL. Memorials may be made to First Congregational Church, the Boy Scouts of America, or to the donor’s choice. Paul Lester Hoff was born in New Windsor, IL, on July 22, 1922, to Charles and Melissa (Congleton) Hoff. On July 18, 1945, in Canton, MO, he married Annell Bernice Ellis, who preceded him in death February 22, 2009. Paul graduated from the former East Moline High School, and from Culver-Stockton College in Canton.
He received his Master’s Degree in Education at the University of Iowa. He served in the U.S. Army in the European Theater during WWII. Paul was a teacher and coach at Fairview Community High School in Fairview, IL, for two years before coming to Coolidge Junior High School in 1948, to teach and coach 10th grade football and basketball. He was assistant principal for five years, becoming principal in 1961.
He retired in 1981 after 33 years. He was a member of First Congregational Church in Moline, and held many different offices there. He was a member of the Moline Kiwanis Club since 1955, a member of American Legion Post #246 of Moline, a member of the Blackhawk Retired Teachers Association, and the Illinois State Retired Teachers Association. He was awarded the Silver Beaver Award during his years as a Boy Scout Leader. He enjoyed working in his yard and gardening, and loved being with his family. Survivors include a son, Curtis (Tawnya) Hoff of East Moline; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, Elva Dailey, and three brothers, Chuck, Clyde, and Larry Hoff.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Rest in Peace, Billie Seesland's Father, WWII Veteran, Aged 97
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| William Seesland |
William H. "Bill" Seesland, 97, a longtime Moline resident, passed away Friday, June 5, 2015, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf.
A celebration of life will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 11, at First Congregational Church, 2201 7th Ave., Moline. Visitation with the family will be 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, at Wendt Funeral Home, Moline. Burial at Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island, will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, June 12.
Bill was born Nov. 18, 1917, at Camp Logan, Houston, Texas, to Eileen (O'Reilly) and Glen J. Seesland. Bill's father, an officer in the 132nd Illinois Infantry, was serving under General Pershing, who was attempting to capture Pancho Villa.
Bill grew up in several locations because of the early death of his mother, living with relatives in Chicago, Detroit, Mich., Sycamore, Ill., and Juda, Wis. Perhaps this is how he developed his skill in dealing with people and, despite adversity, a positive attitude to life. He attended Northwestern University in Evanston and Centre College in Danville, Ky. In October 1942, he enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program. He was called to active duty in January 1943 and went overseas in January 1945, joining the 487th Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group at Chevres, Belgium. His main base was Bodney, England, flying the P-51 Mustang and earning the rank of captain.
Bill and his wife, Alberta "Billie," moved to Moline in 1946 to raise a family and work for Deere & Co., retiring in 1980. Married since 1939, Bill and Billie enjoyed retirement visiting Alaska, Panama Canal, Europe and Africa. He was also an avid golfer and tennis player. In 2008, Bill flew on the Q-C Honor Flight with daughters, Eileen and Bonnie. An enthusiastic advocate of the Moline Fire Department, he was a founding member of the Moline Second Alarmers in the early 1950s. In November 2007, Bill was made an honorary member of Fire Fighter's Union 581. Sunday mornings might find him enjoying a cup of coffee with his firemen friends and sharing his wit and humor in the conversation.
Bill is survived by his three daughters, Bonnie Tyler, Washington, D.C., Billie Brewer, Moline, and Eileen Hoegner, Moline; and his granddaughter, Darcy Tyler, Seattle, Wash. He was preceded in death by wife, Alberta, in 2013; and sons-in-law, Curtis P. Hoegner and Jerry L. Brewer.
The family requests no flowers. Instead, donations are suggested to Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, 2546 Tech Drive, Bettendorf, IA 52722; or Living Lands & Water, 17624 Illinois 84 N., East Moline, IL 61244; or do something for yourself that makes you happy.
Online condolences may be expressed at wendtfuneralhome.com.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Happy 48th Anniversary - Rex and LaWanda Bullock
Rex: 'Today, 48 years ago 2 kids faced 2 preachers ( our fathers) and said "I do." We really had no idea what all that meant, but 48 years later we're still together and we're still in love. LaWanda, you're still the most beautiful girl in all the world and you're MINE. Happy Anniversary! Let's keep saying "I do."
Monday, June 1, 2015
Rest in Peace, Jack Dye
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| Jack Dye, MHS teacher |
Visitation will be 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 4, in the Horizon Room at Trimble Funeral Home at Trimble Pointe, 701 12th St., Moline. Services to mark a life well-lived will be at 11 a.m. Friday at First Congregational Church in Moline, with the Rev. Craig Jan-McMahon officiating. Interment will follow at Moline Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to the Jack Dye Scholarship Fund at Moline High School.
Jack was born in Rock Island on Oct. l2, 1928, to Frank and Edith Wold Dye. He graduated from Rock Island Public Schools, where he enjoyed a variety of work and athletics. He graduated from Augustana College with a degree in history and education. He worked briefly at IBM, but the classroom called, and he returned to start his teaching career at Roosevelt Military Academy in Aledo, soon to move on to the Moline School District, teaching first at John Deere Junior High and later at Moline High School. He loved coaching basketball, golf and tennis and enjoyed the daily challenge of engaging students in timely discussions about the social sciences. He earned his master's degree in administration from Western Illinois University and served as department head for many years in social studies.
Jack was instrumental in starting the Moline Hall of Honor for Moline graduates and recently earned induction into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. His razor wit and rapid-fire delivery coupled with a near-photographic memory were feared and admired throughout the community.
He met the love of his life, Charlotte Joy Shipley, in 1953, and, after a whirlwind courtship, they married on March 20, 1954, in Moline. He raised three true Moliners and several Boston terriers while maintaining his park-like lawn. Jack also kept busy, as was his habit, by working outside of education as well. He loved the Moline downtown and enjoyed working at Ydeen's Men's Wear, where he would hold court and sell quality suits. Jack did not fully embrace retirement and stayed busy volunteering with the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary and Arrowhead Ranch. He also attended countless athletic events of his grandchildren and kept many Moline athletes supplied with special laminated accounts of their achievements. Jack also served as historian of Wharton Field House and co-authored a book with George Van Vooren on the history of Moline basketball. Jack was a lifelong "Dye-hard" Chicago Cub fan and really believed that this could be their year.
Jack is survived by his children and their spouses, Brad and Joanna Dye, Moline, Jeff Dye and Tammie Newvine-Erskine, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Jodi and Mark Zimmerman, Moline; grand-children, Jared and Derek Dye and Jessica and Jenna Zimmerman; brothers-in-law, Gene Shipley and Ron and Lou Shipley, all of Moline; and several nieces and nephews. He was proceeded in death by his lovely wife, Joy, and brothers, William and Donald Dye.
Jack's family extends thanks and appreciation to the staffs at Heartland Health Care Center and the Wound Care Clinic and invites friends to share stories and condolences and light a free candle in his memory at TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Ruth Chelmstrom Stewart Retiring from Pre-school Teaching
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| Ruth Chelstrom Stewart, 1966, is retiring. after 34 years as a pre-school teacher at Merry Sunshine Preschool at Christ United Methodist Church, East Moline. |
One ray of Merry Sunshine retires from preschool teaching
EAST MOLINE — Merry Sunshine Preschool will become "Ruth-less" by the end of the month.
Ruth Stewart will end a 34-year teaching career at the preschool at Christ United Methodist Church, 3801 7th St, East Moline. An open house retirement reception will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. at the church Sunday, May 31.
Classes ended Friday, so Mrs. Stewart spent her last week preparing graduation robes and caps for her last class of preschool graduates.
Her impending retirement "hasn't hit me yet," she said. "I'm expecting it will really hit me in September when classes resume."
Her daughter, Gretchen Peters, of Naperville, has promised to take her on a September trip to help get her mind off it, Mrs. Stewart said.
"It's time for me to retire," she said. "I plan to do some fun things, including maybe traveling, but I'm not known as a big traveler."
She's from Moline and never left the area. She went to Black Hawk College in Moline, and has taught at Merry Sunshine since 1981.
The preschool was created in 1970 by Betty Dahlberg. It rented space from the church for 25 years, before Christ Methodist bought the preschool in 2006. Former colleagues Connie Ellison and Jeanie Hess retired the same year. Teacher Kelly Peterson has closely helped Mrs. Stewart since.
She figures she has taught more than 1,360 students in her 34 years.
"I always enjoyed working with kids and seeing things through their eyes," Mrs. Stewart said. "I"m going to miss it.
"Merry Sunshine has been a wonderful place to work," she said. "With children, something new happens all the time."
She's also met "many beautiful families and many wonderfully supportive people," Mrs. Stewart said.
She advised future teachers to "enjoy every day with the kids and look at life through their eyes," and advised future students to "listen to their teachers, because they do now things."
Mrs. Stewart laughs while remembering once taking kids on a Halloween walk through the neighborhood and lecturing them about not walking through piles of leaves in case some were still smoldering with fire. One little boy looked at her and asked why another teacher was doing exactly that, and Mrs. Stewart turned to look as a colleague's nylons started melting as she walked through a leaf pile. Fortunately, her colleague wasn't hurt.
Mrs. Stewart also fondly remembers how another young lad, upon hearing about her mother's death, came up to her and called her a "lucky person." She was lucky, the boy told her, because it gave her an angel in heaven looking out for her.
She also has felt incredibly lucky to work at Merry Sunshine for this many years.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Rest in Peace - David A. Pearson, Married 40 Years to Linda Nelson
David A. Pearson, 66, of Geneseo, passed away Sunday, May 10, 2015 at Unity Point – Trinity in Rock Island. A funeral service celebrating his life will be at 10:30 am on Thursday, May 14 at First Lutheran Church in Geneseo. Rev. Dr. Arthur Bergren will officiate. A visitation for Dave will be held from 5-7 pm on Wednesday at the First Lutheran Church. Cremation Rites will be accorded following the services. Memorials may be made to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes or First Lutheran Church. Vandemore Funeral Homes, Geneseo is assisting the family with arrangements.
Dave was born on November 4, 1948 in Geneseo, IL the son of Dale and Marie (Sassen) Pearson. He graduated from Geneseo High School in 1966 and attended Western Illinois University. He was united in marriage to Linda J. Nelson on June 12, 1975 in Rock Island. Dave proudly served his country in the U.S. Marine Corp. He was in route sales for Hostess Cakes, Frito Lay, and Farmer Brother Coffee. Dave then became a security guard for John Deere PDC in Milan, IL for several years. Dave was an avid, lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan and loved spending time with his family.
Survivors include his wife Linda; children: Troy Pearson and fiancé Adrienne Carney of Los Angeles, CA, Tammy (Ted) Black of Moline, IL, Ben (Laura) Pearson of Geneseo, IL, Sam (Andrea) Kniss of CA; 9 grandchildren: Richard, Alexis, Brian, Kaylee, Ashton, Callen, David, Maryella, Cameron; brothers: Dennis (Diane) Pearson, Sugarland, TX, Paul (Marty) Pearson, Davenport, IA, Mark (Pat) Pearson, Carlyle, IL, Dan (Gina) Pearson, Geneseo, IL, John (Amy) Pearson, Milwaukee, WI; and sister-in-law and brother in law: Nancy (Roger) Moler, LeClaire, IA.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
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| Linda uploaded this photo less than a month ago. |
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Happy 45th Anniversary - Kathleen Wilcox and George Kapetanakis
Happy 44th anniversary - Kathy Wilcox and George Kapetanakis. May every day be like your wedding day.
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| This is not The Miracle on 34th Street, but Kathy with Santa. |
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| Many familiar faces - Garfield, about 1953. Front row from left: Linda Hicks, Greg Jackson, Kathleen Wilcox, unknown boy, unknown girl, John Schneck, Jack Ries, Ann Pascall. Middle row: George Small, unknown girl, unknown boy, unknown boy, Billie Seasland, unknown girl, Jim McCandless, Jenal Vencus. Back row: Terry Thompson, Tamara Gustus, Bonnie ?, then Jeff Hall on the far right, Cathy Pobanz next to him. The rest are unknown at the moment. Garfield Brownies
Front row from left: Diane Manley, Linda Hicks, Sue Lennox,
Candy Clark, Kathleen Wilcox;
Middle row: Unknown girl, Debbie Olson, Kathy Pobanz, Jean Ackley,
unknown girl, unknown girl;
Back row: Linda Wiley, Sally Swanson, Bonna Anderburg , unknown girl,
Joann Minch, Diane Ohrendorf.
This looks like the Garfield basement gym, in the old building. The new addition is now about 50 years old, but that included a new gym with ceilings higher than 8 feet.
PTA meetings were often in the old gym. I remember the food being there. I liked those meetings, because I had about 20 different good desserts to pick from. When asked, "Apple or cherry pie?" I said, "Both."
Cub scouts also met at Garfield. I reached Wolf, with one gold and one silver arrow. Stressed out, I dropped to pursue a more fulfilling hobby, reading comic books.
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Sunday, May 3, 2015
Moline's Jann Carl on Small Town Big Deal - Great Feature on Moline!
Here is a good bio about Jann, from Mizzou's J-School, Carthage, Missouri.
Carl found a spark for journalism in Moline, Ill., where she wrote stories for her high school newspaper about getting into discos with fake IDs and the high turnover rate of the local zoo directors.
IMDB
Graduated from Moline (Illinois) High School in 1978.
Joined "Entertainment Tonight" (1981) on December 4, 1995 as correspondent. Was promoted in 1999 to weekend anchor and substitute anchor.
She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1982 with a degree in broadcast journalism. In 2001, she served as Grand Marshall for 90th University of Missouri homecoming.
Her son, Matthew, suffers from epilepsy.
Has a daughter, Katherine, and a son, Matthew.
Former news anchor for KTLA-TV (5) in Los Angeles.
Former co-host of KABC-TV "Eye On L.A.".
Jann's Impressive Credits
Here is a post about Jann Carl.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Tom Gramkow Visits Lawrence Eyre at Grinnel College
Tom Gramkow and his wife Jane wanted to watch Lawrence Eyre's tennis team play at Grinnell College.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Young Athletes - Courtesy of Steve Gerard
2nd row Bob Erickson, Ken Jacobs,Bruce Soukup, Steve Gerard Gerard, Bill Foley,
3rd row Bruce Harter, Keith Nargang, Mark Babcock, Paul Carther.
ROW 1 - Manager B. Swanson, J.Culbertson, G. Small, J. Wignall, S. Gerard, M. Rosenberg, Walt Karstens, D. Ausmus, D. Ackerland, Mgr. J. Schneck,
ROW 1 - Manager B. Swanson, J.Culbertson, G. Small, J. Wignall, S. Gerard, M. Rosenberg, Walt Karstens, D. Ausmus, D. Ackerland, Mgr. J. Schneck,
ROW 2 - Manager J. Kron, R.Ramirez, D. Frazier, J. Ries, J. Prouty, F. Bell, C.Munn, B. Johnson, S. Hall, H. Lindstrom.
ROW 3 - S. McIntire, D. Coopman, L. Eyre, W. Forgie, K. Nahrgang, J. Hall, A. Efflandt, R. Peterson, ROW 4 - Coach K. Wilt, D. Jones, M. Householder, L. Koile, G. Keller, S. Warren, M. Creen, M. Bisbey, J. Rounds, Coach Miller.
From the PowWow -
John Deere's 9th grade championship team was not one of the biggest, but one of the fastest and hardest as their record of 5-1 proves.John Deere lost its game to Coolidge by a 13-7 margin.The lessons learned from the Coolidge game were well put to useagainst Franklin by defeating them 20-6. Orange, Central, and Washington,were completely shut out. John Deere's last game with Wilson was one everyone wanted to win.The Spartans started the game as underdogs but came out on top with a score of 27-0 to become conference champs.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Ideas for the 50th Reunion - MHS66 - The Class the Stars Fell On
Planning will begin soon for the MHS66 50th reunion. The reunion committee has been great in setting up events, decade after decade.
This one will be very special, because we realize how ephemeral life is. I can think of many meetings where I saw a very good friend the last time and never thought of that possibility at the time. "Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end." Larry Easter and Al Davis were at our home in Phoenix, and that was the last time I saw either friend.
I have some ideas, which I was sharing with a classmate, and we thought others might want to get ideas posted early. This will be a sticky post on the left margin, so I can easily add new ideas to the list, as they arrive by email, IM, and NSA intercepts.
Facebook has a page for sharing 2016 reunions ideas, too. Just click on this sentence.
Here are some ideas:
- We have always gathered at the Moline bar, but not everyone is keen on the noise and booze, so we should have an alternative place designated in advance. such as Whitey's on 23rd Avenue and 16th Street.
- We have lost many classmates already, so it would be good to recognize those friends in a memorial service.
- Many big gatherings have a professional photography setup, where people can pose for a formal portrait as a keepsake and purchase them.
- I will volunteer to pull together a photo book of the reunion, with some past photos, and publish it as a full color PDF on Lulu.com - free.
- From Kris Streed - I would really like to go someplace nice. I've mentioned it before, but the hotel next to TGIFriday's would be a nice place for the happy hour event. I know other class reunions have had their gatherings there and everyone was quite complimentary. I understand it would be more expensive, but I wouldn't mind paying a little more for quality. Besides, it is actually IN Moline.
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| Please read the sign when exiting Whitey's. Thanks. |
Friday, March 6, 2015
Interview with Lawrence Eyre
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| Lawrence Eyre teaches tennis at Grinnell College now. Think about this story, which Lawrence shared with us. |
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| Laurie Eyre still coaches at Maharishi. |
Zen master, Ivy League alum, tennis guru: Grinnell assistant men’s and women’s tennis coach Lawrence Eyre does not lack when it comes to job titles. The S&B recently sat down with Eyre to discuss all things from collegiate tennis to transcendental meditation and his grueling commute.
Could you give a short summery of your career so far?
Well, I’ve been teaching tennis since 1966. I’ve taught over 15,000 people how to play the game. And I’ve stuck with it because I enjoy teaching and I love tennis. I spent 25 years as a high school coach, founded a program for boys and girls that did real well locally in the state of Iowa.
So you were part of a group that founded the Maharishi School?
My wife Laurie and I were among the five or six founding faculty in 1981 and graduated our first class in 1983. We taught for over 30 years there and Laurie is still going.
Could you explain the meditation method that you use?
Transcendental meditation is very simple, very natural and it doesn’t involve concentration or contemplation. It is a mental technique which allows the body and the mind to experience a sense of restful alertness, very profound rest, without any focus required. A child who is a fourth grader could learn it just as well [as] a professor.
Do you bring your meditation practices to the Grinnell team?
I certainly have not made it a point to ask people to meditate. Tennis stands on its own. But the record is pretty clear from [the Maharishi School]. Being the smallest school in the state of Iowa that had a tennis team, but winning seventeen state championships, that there is something going on. I like to think it is the releasing of stress, the dissolving of fatigue and strain that helps people be more alert and able to take what the coach offers by way of correction or improvement suggestions and put them into practice.
Very cool, so did you play tennis yourself?
I did play at Yale. I played at Moline High School [in Illinois] and was a Quad City champion at singles and doubles and qualified for the state tournament in Illinois for two years. I was offered a Division 1 scholarship at Illinois State. But as soon as I got an academic scholarship at Yale, it took me about four tenths of a seconds to sign that one.
So what brought you to Grinnell?
Well really, it was good fortune I think. I was reflecting on this with Andy [Hamilton ’85, men’s and women’s head tennis coach]. In the high school state tournament in any number of years it was just Maharishi versus Grinnell High School. And Will Hamilton ’17 and Charlie Wilhelm ’15 both played against us, played wonderfully against us, but our school won. So I didn’t know if I’d be welcome when I came. But people have been so receptive, from all the team members to Andy.
Finally, are there key difference between coaching high school and coaching college, both talent-wise and personality-wise?
Yes. And I am happy for the change. Because after 25 years [at the Maharishi School] what I reached was a point where there were kids on team whose parents had been on my first class. And I said, “I’ve seen that backhand before. I’ve seen the problem with that backhand before.” It was a wonderful experience, but I wanted a new metabolism. So, it’s a delight for me when we go to different venues to see all the Grinnell kids studying. We talk about knowledge in the van, which reminds me of my own experience at Yale. People who value learning and they value the contrast, the balancing contrast that the dynamism of tennis can offer.
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| Tennis Coach of the Year. |
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Jann Carl Takes the Ultimate Selfie
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| Jann Carl began her journalism career with an article on the Niabi Zoo for the Moline High School Line O Type. |
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