‘Talk’ looks back on great people of Tri-Cities

Another year of “Talk of the Town” has gone into the record book, and that means the names of hundreds of local faces and places were shared with the readers of this column.

It proved once again that despite the gloominess going on all around us, we found a lot of great people doing great things in the Tri-Cities area. But we did talk about the big doses of gloom we had to share, mostly in the form of longtime businesses or restaurants closing their doors and giving in to a relentless recession.

Most importantly, we continued to talk to each other, which is an easy thing to do these days. My thanks go out to the numerous readers who sent emails or communicated through Facebook to share ideas, or make comments to agree or disagree with something I wrote in “Talk.” It’s what makes the column work, and I look forward to plenty of more feedback.

Here’s to hoping 2012 becomes the year we look back on as a positive turning point for the country, and that we continue to make the Tri-Cities area one of the most desirable places to live.

In the meantime, we’ll start this year by looking back at a small sampling of what we were chattering about in “Talk of the Town” during 2011.

All in our name: We tried to figure out how the name “Tri-Cities” came about, and Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke, an extreme history buff, enlightened us by telling the story about how rail and streetcar lines coming into this area during World War I informed passengers they were “entering the Tri-Cities.” As time wore on, it became a more common term to describe agencies, sports organizations or businesses. Schielke gave former St. Charles Mayor Fred Norris a lot of credit for promoting the term through initiatives that called for each town to cooperate for a common goal.Our oldest citizens: In each of the Tri-Cities, we went on the hunt for the oldest citizen who was born here and never lived anywhere else. It wasn#146;t an exact science, but the historical societies and longtime residents helped us hunt down some interesting prospects.The best #147;side story#148; was 92-year-old Charlie Kline of Batavia saying, as a youngster, he was chased off the Fabyan estate property along the Fox River by none other than Col. George Fabyan. That revelation likely makes Kline one of a kind #8212; the only person still alive who can say he irritated the Fabyan patriarch.Tough nursing duty: Virginia Cicero, an 84-year-old resident of Brighton Gardens in St. Charles, took some time to share her experiences as a World War II nurse. She was eventually stationed at the liberated Buchenwald concentration camp, where she helped aid Jewish prisoners back to health. Despite the horrors she witnessed, a wonderful sense of humor stayed intact. Most notably, she fondly recalled that all 40 of the nurses in her unit were #147;gorgeous#148; and called themselves, #147;The Dolls.#148;Hardware wars: Hardware stores went through an interesting #147;jockeying for position#148; mode midway through the year, with Geneva#146;s downtown Ace Hardware becoming Geneva Hardware, which eventually moved to the former Dominick#146;s site in St. Charles. That store eventually closed, only to reopen to hold a clearing-out sale in the final weeks before Christmas. Late in the year, Ace owner Bill Rosenfelder announced he had worked behind the scenes to bring the downtown Ace Hardware back, with a reopening scheduled soon.Restaurants#146; rough rides: When St. Charles participated in #147;St. Charles Restaurant Week#148; in late February, it seemed like a positive sign for the city#146;s eateries. But restaurants continued to come and go throughout the region, and some key sites remained dark #8212; Mill Race Inn in Geneva, Tuscany Italian in Geneva, Rex#146;s Cork and Fork in St. Charles. A few others took up shop in locations that have become a revolving door #8212; most notably the new Aurelio#146;s in downtown Geneva, which was previously Isabella#146;s, Citizen Kane, Enye and Table 38.The grand theaters: We marveled at how owner Ron Onesti continued to make the Arcada Theatre an exciting entertainment option for area residents and visitors. He had to close his Onesti Supper Club to make sure he had the time and money to devote to the theater, but his list of interesting live shows and movies #8212; and the new theater marquee put up with the help of the city #8212; showed the Arcada still has a place close to the city#146;s heart.On the east side of town, Fox Valley Repertory was born as the new name for Noble Fools Theatricals at Pheasant Run and got off to a great start with a series of impressive shows.In Batavia, the city rejoiced with what was likely the major story of the arts season with the opening of the new arts center at Batavia High School.Center#146;s key helpers: Melvin Peterson, called the #147;walking St. Charles history book,#148; turned 90, and Carol Glemza retired after 69 years at the St. Charles Park District, the longest park district tenure of any employee in the history of Illinois. But they both remained on the board of the Baker Community Center in St. Charles, keeping a string of more than 60 years going in that role. The center made its own headlines when board members celebrated its 85th birthday.Helping his recovery: Golfers and nongolfers alike rallied around the cause in raising funds for popular golf instructor Rich Flores of Batavia in his battle against amyloidosis, a rare blood disease. A group called Friends of Rich Flores organized a fundraiser at Pheasant Run, where Flores provides golf lessons. Nearly 1,000 people, all of whom have been pleased to hear Rich continues his slow recovery with no major setbacks, attended that fundraiser.The country doc: News about the retirement of popular pediatrician Dr. Walter Miller in St. Charles stirred plenty of memories for the hundreds, if not thousands, of area residents who were treated by this #147;country doctor#148; who made house calls during an era in which most doctors had long given up on that old practice.An old church: In what really serves as a reminder of how long the Tri-Cities region has been on the map, the Batavia United Methodist Church along Batavia Avenue celebrated its 175th birthday. As a side note, this church has also been mentioned in #147;Talk of the Town#148; in the past as the most interesting piece of architecture in the region.dheun@sbcglobal.net 25201875Melvin Peterson, 90, of St. Charles at his Wasco Blacksmith shop.RICK WEST/rwest@dailyherald.com 21362820Virginia Cicero was a nurse near the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II. She lives at Brighton Gardens in St. Charles.Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com