Fox Lake Historical Society March 19 Meeting-- Part 3: About the Russell Tavern Fire and the 1959 American Legion Team

**  In 1959 the Fox Lake, Illinois American Legion team were champions of the Northern Division and went downstate where they placed third in state.  Paul Lewis, for whom the baseball field at Fox  Lake's Grant Township High School was named was coach.

**  The historical society has put together an interesting book on past gas stations in the Fox Lake area.

**  Ruth Sutton died in February.  She was a charter member of the association and president for four years..  In addition, she was the Fox Lake correspondent in the Lakeland News papers group.

RUSSELL TAVERN FIRE

It was by what is today the Black Forest Bakery.  The restaurant was about to open as the 4 Eagles which was to be a Wisconsin-style super club.

Located on Route 12 (US-12) across from the current BP station next to the old Lupo's which is where part of the Ray Chevrolet used car lot is today.

--Cooter

American Legion Baseball: Players Who Went On to Baseball's Hall of Fame

Wikipedia has a long list of American Legion baseball players who went on to MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.  Here are just a few of them.

Bob Feller,  Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Yogi Berra, Al Kaline, Bob Gibson, Frank Robinson, Don Drysdale, Johnny Bench, Carl Yastrzemski, Nellie Fox and Ryne Sandberg.

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In 2011, Shelby, North Carolina, was names as the permanent home for the American Legion Baseball World Series.  Attendance in 2016 was 120,000.  The last three winners:

Texarkana, Arkansas, Post 58 in 2016
Henderson, Nevada, Post 40 in 2017
Wilmington, Delaware, Post 1 in 2018

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Probably one of the most interesting names for an American Legion team comes from Hooker, Oklahoma, whose team is named the Hooker Horny Toads.  Hooker is in the Oklahoma Panhandle.  Of course, I just had to have one of their tee shirts.

Looking Forward to Baseball Season.  --Cooter

American Legion Baseball

Post 703 has been supporting an American Legion Baseball team for many years now and this year, we are planning a Legion Day for one of the team's home games at Grant Township High School.  More information on that will be given when we know the schedule in June.

Our team is comprised mostly of boys from the Fox Lake area and managed by Brian Talbot.

But, in the meantime, to prepare for the season, we'll take a look back at the history of American Legion baseball.

From Wikipedia.

American Legion Baseball is amateur played by  13 to 19-year-olds in all fifty states and Canada.  More than 3,500 teams compete each year.  The American Legion Department of South Dakota established  the program in 1925 in Milbank, South Dakota.

PURPOSE

To give players the opportunity to develop their skills,  personal fitness,  leadership qualities, and to have fun. Hundreds of thousands of boys have been taught this over the years.

--Cooter

Ray Boro, Korean War Vet-- Part 5: After the Navy

Ray met his wife Catherine after he was in the Navy at a bowling alley in Round Lake and knew she was the one right then and there.

He is proud to be a member of the American Legion for 64 continuous years.  He started at the McHenry Post, transferred to Gurnee and has been at Fox Lake for many years.  In addition, he is a lifetime member of the McHenry VFW.

--Cooter

Ray Boro, Korean War Navy Vet-- Part 1

I visited with well-known Legion member Ray Boro in March and interviewed him about his service to our country.  He is a regular at the Drop Zone Bar at the Legion and called "OROB" because of his name.  In the service, his nickname was "BoBo" though he is not sure why, perhaps they didn't know how to pronounce his name.

He was born in Chicago on August 30, 1930, but spent most of his life growing up in Lakemoor, Illinois.  At one time he attended a one-room schoolhouse there and was a graduate of McHenry High School.  For awhile after graduation he delivered milk door-to-door.

Ray and his buddy enlisted in the Navy on October 13, 1950, at age 20, with the hopes of serving together,  and spent eleven weeks doing basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station.  At least here, he and his buddy were near each other, but in different training groups because they were placed alphabetically.  But that ended after graduation.

Pensacola, Florida's Corry Field was Ray's destination.  His buddy went to Guam.  Here Ray received his AD classification as an airplane mechanic.  He was there for 18 months when he was transferred to the VF-44 Squadron based at Jacksonville NAS in Florida.

--Cooter

American Legion Paris Caucus of 1919

At the conclusion of the fighting in World War I,  officers were asked how the morale of the troops could be improved.  One officer, Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. suggested an organization of veterans be formed.  He was the oldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt.

The organization's first meeting took place in Paris, France, in March 15-17, 1919, where a temporary constitution was adopted, the name American Legion selected and an executive committee formed.  Three hundred were expected to attend but it is thought that more than a thousand, both officers and enlisted, were there.

Twelve possible names were nominated, including:

Comrades of the Great War
Liberty League
Society of the Great War
American Legion
American Comrades

Well, We Know Which One Was Selected.

Come on down to the Fox Lake American Legion on Friday, March 15, where we will be having a joint  St. Patrick's Day and 100th Anniversary party.

American Legion, The 1960s and 1970s: POWs, National Emergency Fund, Freedom Bell

1960s

SEPTEMBER 1, 1966--  The Legion voices concern over POWs in Vietnam and urges full accounting.  That has now grown to include all wars.

AUGUST 24, 1969--  The Legion's National Executive Board establishes the  National Emergency Fund as a result of Hurricane Camille.  (Up to $3,000 for each member in a disaster.)

1970s

MAY 1, 1972--  Legion implements a Halloween  safety program for children which remains the only national program in the country.

APRIL 1, 1975--  The Legion-sponsored Freedom Bell goes on the Freedom Train on its tour of the country for the U.S. Bicentennial.

I will continue with these important dates in the May newsletter, on our second 100th anniversary commemoration for the St. Louis caucus.

The American Legion in the 1940s and 1950s: The G.I. Bill and Human Causes

Stepping Back Through Legion History.

1940s

SEPTEMBER 19-22, 1942:  The Preamble of the Constitution of the American Legion is changed for the first and only time since it was written in 1919.  The word "War" was changed to "Wars."

DECEMBER 15, 1943:  Past National Commander  Harry W. Colmery starts to write in longhand the first draft of what will later become the G.I. Bill of Rights, considered to be the Legion's greatest legislative accomplishment.

JUNE 22, 1943:  President Franklin D, Roosevelt signs into law the original G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act, helping former military to college education, better jobs in civilian life and ability to buy houses.

JULY 9, 1946:  The Legion and Auxiliary present a $50,000 grant to the struggling American Heart Association.

1950s

MAY 4, 1950:  The Legion contributes funds and plays a key role in the establishment of The National Association for Mental Health.

JULY 9, 1954:  The American Child Welfare  Foundation is formed.    So far more than $11 million has been given to it.  The piggy banks you see around the bar are for this cause.  Pop some change in them the next time you're at the Post.

The American Legion, A Power for the Good.

The American Legion-- 1920s and 1930s

AUGUST 9, 1921

The Legion's efforts result in the creation of the  U.S. Veterans Bureau, forerunner of today's Veterans Administration.

JULY 17, 1925

The Legion  creates the American Legion Baseball program.  About 82,000 youths play Legion ball each year.

SEPTEMBER 1932

The Sons of the American Legion is officially recognized at the National Convention in Portland, Oregon.

JUNE 23 , 1935

The First American Legion Boys State convenes in Springfield, Illinois.  Today, more than 19,500  young men participate in this as well as 98 in Boys Nation.

JUNE 11, 1938

The final round of the Legion's first annual  National High School  Oratorical Contest is conducted in Norman, Oklahoma.  Today, more than 3,400 high school students compete in this.

100th Anniversary of the Legion Is March 15!!!

Happy Birthday to Us!!!

Our organization was founded on March 15-17,1919, in the American Club in Paris, France, by members of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) after the conclusion of World War I.  Another centennial commemoration will mark the May 8-10, 1919,  St. Louis Caucus.   Then, we'll have another anniversary on September 16, 1919, when the American Legion was formally chartered by the United States Congress.

So, this year, we will have three times to observe the 100th anniversary.

That's a lot of time and a lot of history.

OTHER 1919 EVENTS IN LEGION HISTORY

It was at the St. Louis Caucus that the name "The American Legion" was adopted as the official name.  The draft preamble and constitution were approved.

On June 9, 1919, the National Executive Committee adopted the Legion emblem.

The American Legion Auxiliary was also formed in 1919.

November  10-12, 1919, the first Legion Convention was held in Minneapolis.  It was decided to locate the national headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, instead of Washington, D.C..

FIRST POST

The very first post of the American Legion was actually established before the organization on March 15, 1919, when the General John Joseph Pershing Post 1 was established in Washington, D.C., on March 7 and obtained its charter on March 19.  According to the Legion Centennial website it is called the Pioneer Post.  However, the name of that organization now appears to be the George Washington Post 1.

The Legion played a leading role in the drafting and passing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the G.I. Bill.  In addition to organizing commemorative events, members provide assistance at VA hospitals and is politically involved in lobbying on behalf of veterans.

Also important, the Legion has always promoted Americanism.

From Wikipedia and the American Legion site.

Korean War Veteran Chuck Class, 89-- Part 1: The Sweater

I interviewed Mr. Class on Wednesday, December 12 at the American Legion Post 703 in Fox Lake, Illinois.

He has been with the post for 42 years in a multitude of jobs, including past commander.  Right now, until the end of December 2018, he is the Adjutant and Financial Officer and lives in nearby Spring Grove.

In the Korean War, he was in the Army in the First Cavalry, supposedly moved by vehicles, but he recalls more often by a lot of marching.  He arrived on scene in 1951-1952, when most of the "nasty stuff" was over and fighting was mostly around the 38th Parallel.  The early part of the war involved battle lines going all the way to the northern part of the peninsula and to the southern part.

Mr. Class  was with the engineers and involved in a lot of bridge and road building as well as explosives (especially disarming mine fields).

The weather in Korea is much like it is here in the Midwest, cold in the winter and hot in the summer.  He arrived over there in June and by December it was pretty cold.  He remembers being very thankful for a sweater he received.  But one time he took the sweater off on a warmer winter day while his unit was working in a mine field.  A shell came in, exploded, and perforated that sweater.  "Thank goodness I wasn't wearing it."

--Cooter

Illinois Bicentennial: Welby Nall Crang of Clinton

The Crang-Bennett American Legion Post 103 in Clinton, Illinois, is named for Welby Crang and Artie Bennett, two locals who died in France in World War I.

Welby Crang was a private in the Army and was with the Signal Corps of Camp Logan, Colorado, and then with Aviation at Kelley Field in Texas.  He landed in Liverpool, England, October 29, 1917 before moving to Indrie, France, by the end of the year.

He died of pneumonia December 28, 1917, in Issodun, France.  He was the first World War I death from DeWitt County.  His funeral was held in Clinton on November 7, 1920.

Illinois Bicentennial: Artie Bennett From DeWitt County

From Crang-Bennett American Legion Post 103, Clinton, Illinois.

Crang-Bennett American Legion Post 103 is named after    Crang and Artie Bennett, two Americans from Clinton, Illinois who died in World War I.

Artie Bennett entered the Marine Corps on May 21, 1917.    He was with the 82nd Company 6th Regiment U.S. Marines and landed at Brest, France,  November 19, 1917.  On June 8, 1918, while forcing the enemy from their positions, the company encountered  much enemy gunfire.    Private Bennett was severely wounded while attacking enemy machine gun nests.  He died one hour later.

This was the first death from Dewitt County, Illinois, caused by enemy fire.  Private Bennett was later buried at American Cemetery Belleau, Aisne, France.

Illinois Bicentennial: Sent More Than 350,000 To WW I-- Part 2: The American Legion

In honor of the Illinois Bicentennial of Statehood today.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed a proclamation announcing that the Illinois National Guard and Chicago's Pritzker Military Museum will lead efforts to to ensure the land of Lincoln remembers its role in the Great War.

Records from the Illinois Office of the Adjutant General lists more than  351,000 Illinois men serving in the Army, Navy and Marines during the war and some 5,000 died.

The American Legion Post in Clinton is the Crang-Bennett Post 103 is named for Artie Bennett and  and Army Sgt. 1st Class  Welby Crang, who lived  a block from Bennett and died in France in 1917 from pneumonia.

This post was founded in 1919 to honor those who died but also to help those who returned.  Said Ron Devore of the post:  "Some of the guys had been gassed, their lungs were burned, they had missing limbs and disabilities; they were messed up for life, and they weren't getting anything from the government."

Veterans Day Through the Ages-- Part 6: Resisting the Change

Veterans Day was moved from November 11 to the fourth Monday in October.  Many of the states, with support from veterans, refused to celebrate the holiday on any day other than the significant November 11th.  This pressure by the American public and veterans caused Congress to return Veterans Day to November 11, which was accomplished by 1978.

Throughout the nation Veterans are honored on this date and many of the services are mindful of including the time of that cessation of fighting in World War I, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

This is the time that the American Legion family and VFW in Fox Lake, Illinois, have their ceremony.

A Lot Happened Today-- Part 1: USMC Birthday I Presume

Happening on November 10th:

1775--  The U.S. marines were organized under authority of the Continental Congress.

1871--  Journalist-explorer Henry Stanley found Scottish missionary David Livingston in Africa.

1919--  The American Legion held its first convention in Minneapolis.

1938--  Kate Smith first sang Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" on her CBS radio program.

1941--  Winston Churchill delivered a speech in London in which he said, "I have not become the King's First Minister to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire."

1954--  The Iwo Jima Memorial, inspired by the famous Associated Press photograph of the Marines raising the U.S. flag over Mount Suribachi during World War II, was dedicated by President Dwight Eisenhower in Arlington, Virginia.  Marine birthday, you know.

And Some More.  --DaCoot

American Legion Baseball in High Gear Here: Going to Tonight's Game Against Lake Zurich

The Fox Lake Bulldogs of Post 703 in Fox Lake, Illinois, travels to Lake Zurich for a game tonight.  I'll be there.

From the American Legion Site:

"American Legion Baseball is a national institution, having thrived through a world war, several nation tragedies, and times of great prosperity as well as great despair."

The 2016 American Legion World Series will be August 11-16 this year in Shelby, North Carolina.

One of the notable Major League Baseball players who played Legion ball was Bob feller.

The best-named team is the Hooker Horny Toads of Hooker Oklahoma in the panhandle area.  They are sponsored by the Jack Goosen Post #137.  They report great tee-shirt sales, including the one I bought when passing through.

Teams play in June and July.

American Legion in High Gear Around Here-- Part 2: Fox Lake Bulldogs Are 4-1

From Wikipedia.

American Legion baseball is amateur baseball played by teenage boys in all fifty states.

The American Legion Department of South Dakota established it in 1925 in Millbank, South Dakota.  The inaugural season was in 1926.  According to the American Legion:  "The purpose is to give young men an opportunity to develop their skills, personal fitness, leadership qualities and to have fun."

The states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin are in the Great Lakes Division.

Illinois has 84 teams, Minnesota the most with 320, Hawaii 2 and Alaska 1.

The National Champs in 2013 and 2014 was Brooklawn, New Jersey, Post 72.

--RoadBat

American Legion Baseball in High Gear Around Here-- Part 1

I have recently become aware of the existence of a baseball team at our American Legion Post 703 here in Fox Lake, Illinois, of which I am a member of the Sons of the American Legion because of my grandfather, a World War I veteran.

The teams in area, the Illinois 10th District American Legion Baseball are in high gear with their season which runs from mid-June to mid-July.  All the boys on our team also play on the Grant High School baseball team.  Home games are played at Grant High School here in Fox Lake.

Last year, there were 14 teams in the league and Lake Zurich came in first with a 12-0 record.  Our Fox Lake team, the Fox Lake Bulldogs, were 8-4-1.  Other teams were also all from Lake County:  Lake Villa, Zion, Waukegan, Deerfield, Grayslake, Mundelein, Libertyville, Lake Forest, Gurnee and Wauconda.

Play Ball!!--Cooter

A Band of Brothers and Sisters-- Part 7: Scouts and Legion Baseball

The two organizations also serve their country in other ways.

Since 1919, American Legion posts have sponsored more than 2,500 Scouting units across the country and have a $10,000 yearly scholarship to the Eagle Scout of the year.

Legion baseball was established in 1925 and today has grown to 5,400 teams.  The Legion also offers Boys State and Girls State leadership programs.

--GreGen