Former Geneva man still revered in Iowa
It’s been a long time since Russell Soderquist lived in Geneva and even longer since he was a student at the University of Iowa. In fact, it’s been more than 60 years since he graduated with the Class of 1950 at Iowa, and nearly 45 since he and wife Catharine lived in Geneva.
But the Soderquists have a lot of friends and relatives in the area, and members of the Geneva Lions Club still remember Soderquist as a fellow Lion.
They’d all be interested to learn that Soderquist is still talked about at Iowa’s College of Engineering for his leadership and work ethic. Soderquist, who now lives in Grand Junction, Colo., with his wife, was featured in a recent College of Engineering newsletter.
The article wrote about Soderquist’s belief that today’s students can succeed in life by taking the initiative to get involved in demanding student projects and grasp opportunities that arise.
He should know. His project as a student and part-time assistant to a physics major involved constructing a machine that would prove that a nonmetal, chemical element could create a massive electrical charge.
His reports about the project earned him top honors among engineering students in the Big Ten — and it all led to jobs with premier engineering firms like General Electric, RCA and Westinghouse.
Feeding birds and humans
Many of us have witnessed this grand larceny, but weren’t quite sure what to do about it. If you have a bird-feeder on your property, chances are good that a squirrel has enjoyed the bird seed at some point.
Tom Degler of Geneva apparently had seen enough of that, and created a feeder called the SquirrelAway Bird Café, in which only birds can access the seed.
And he uses his invention to aid the Northern Illinois Food Bank, sending the organization $10 each time he sells one of his feeders. Good idea, good cause. The only loser in that equation is the squirrel.
Fighting hard times
Most of the “tough economy” talk this week centers on Mill Race Inn in Geneva closing its doors, but the famous restaurant on the Fox River isn’t the only business that has called it quits in the last two months.
We’re stilling battling these hard times, as evidenced with two more empty stores on Geneva’s Third Street with Savannah Rose and Tenacity closing, and Onesti Dinner Club and Anna-Johanna’s consignment shop in St. Charles calling it quits.
We’re slowing crawling out of this hole, but it doesn’t stop the surprise of driving through town and seeing another closing.
Restoring optimism
The mural “Fish Fry in the Park” was supposed to lift people’s spirits during the Great Depression, and it’s lifting some spirits again.
As recently reported in the Daily Herald, the 1940 mural that has graced the walls of the Geneva Post Office on South Third Street, has been taken down for work by a company that specializes in restoring post office murals.
When the restoration is complete and the mural is back in place, we can again use it as a signal of optimism during our recent economic woes.