Blog

     Back in 1969 when I became editor and publisher of the Decatur Tribune (I was a little younger back then) Decatur had four public high schools — Eisenhower, Lakeview, MacArthur and Stephen Decatur.
     Now, only two remain — Eisenhower and MacArthur.
     Stephen Decatur was downtown until the middle 1970s when it moved to a new building on the city’s north side, near Mound Road.
     Years later, Stephen Decatur High School was eliminated completely (except in memory) and the facility became Stephen Decatur Middle School.
     Its old home downtown at Franklin and Eldorado was demolished not long after SDHS moved north and the Decatur Civic Center now stands where the school once stood.
     Lakeview High School on the city’s east side, as indicated in this week’s “Scrapbook” feature (pages 4 and 5 of the print and online editions) opened in 1949 and the Decatur School District closed it down in 1982.
     ADM purchased the property and, as the front page photo by Steve Huss shows, has transformed the site and structures into a complex that doesn’t look much like Lakeview High School —at least from the air.
     Back when I was getting this newspaper off of the ground I was at Kintner Gym at the downtown SDHS and at Lakeview quite-a-bit shooting photos and covering sports (that was before J. Thomas McNamara became my sports editor for over 40 years until his passing a few years ago.)
     I covered all four schools back then and, thinking back, I enjoyed shooting photos and writing articles about the teams from all four schools and St. Teresa.
     After the railyard explosion a little over a half century ago, when Lakeview High School was among the structures that were damaged, it was believed that if school had been in session when the explosion happened, students and faculty members would have been injured or killed, it probably somewhat predetermined what school would be closed in the future — if one had to be closed.
     I covered some events and meetings at the new SDHS but it just wasn’t the same as when I covered them at the downtown high school complex.
     During my years as mayor I attended a few meetings called by ADM at what was once Lakeview High School but, obviously, although ADM did a great job of converting the structures into a place that fit their needs, it no longer felt like the same place because it was no longer live with students, teachers and lots of conversations going on that made it a school.
     Decatur’s population has been shrinking over the decades and that’s the major reason that only two public high schools are needed today.
     I’m happy that I have a lot of memories of experiencing SDHS and Lakeview High School when they were very much big parts of this community.

     • BIG GOOF! — I picked up a freshly printed copy of this newspaper last Wednesday and immediately saw a big goof on page 6. The headline to an article read “SDHS Class of 1996 To Hold 60 Reunion July 24, 25”.
     The first line of the article also called it the SDHS Class of 1996.
     It should have been the SDHS Class of 1966 is going to hold its 60th reunion and although, later in the article it referred to it as the Class of 1966, we are repeating the article as the first one at the top of page 6 of this edition. (I doubled-checked the headline and the copy before this edition went to press.)
     We try awfully hard not to make mistakes in each edition, but you can probably find a few if you look real hard. Having readers find mistakes is like adding another puzzle to each week’s edition for no extra charge. (smile)
     I’m still being asked about the dateline on the front of one of our March editions, which, for the first time ever, printed the month and year, but no day of the month.
     One of our subscribers even sent an email asking if we were going monthly instead of weekly, since the dateline only listed the month and the year.
     Nope, we are still publishing each Wednesday as we have for the past 57 years!
     Anyhooo, I’m happy our readers pay very close attention to everything in the Trib each week — even the dateline on the front page.
     By the way, why is it that it is so easy to see a mistake when the newspaper’s press run is finished and there is not a thing we can do to correct it until the following week?

     • THANKS DR. LEE — Dr. John C. Lee of Decatur, a longtime friend, reminded me of some vital facts regarding glaucoma and I have printed that information he sent in the “Letters” section on page 2.
     One of the great blessings I enjoy is having good eyesight because that is so vital — especially as a newspaper editor who is composing articles and so much more in publishing the Trib.
     Dr. Lee is such a strong advocate for eye health and certainly, my concern and care for my eyesight, has been the result of his eye care and education, not only for me over the decades, but for other family members.
     Check out his letter on page 2. Although another doctor did my cataract surgery on both of my eyes a few years ago, it was Dr. Lee who recommended it be done after checking my eyes.
     I can tell you, after the surgery, the world became a much brighter and clearer place!!
     I’ve learned over the years to be very aware of glaucoma and fortunately, that has not been a problem for me — but I do have my eyes checked on a regular basis.
     Be sure to get your eyes checked for glaucoma. It is so important to have good eyesight regardless of what you do in life, or what stage of life you are enjoying.
     Besides, you won’t be able to read the Tribune (and look for mistakes) with bad eyesight!!!

     • APPOINTED —Governor JB Pritzker has announced the appointment in his administration of Decatur attorney Andrew Weatherford to continue to serve as Public Administra-tor and Public Guardian of DeWitt, Macon, and Moul-trie Counties, pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate. Weatherford currently serves as Partner at the Decatur-based law office Johnson, Chiligiris & Weatherford. His legal practice focuses on criminal law, marital law, personal injury, worker’s compensation, real estate, and estate planning.
     Weatherford currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Decatur Macon County Opportunities Corporation. Weatherford earned his Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from Millikin University, his Master of Arts in Political Science from Eastern Illinois University, and his Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law.

     
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