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UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS



•   Rhonda Ragusa (Wiechman)  5/1
•   Bill Lynch  5/13
•   Marsha Fialko (Sauers)  5/15
•   Terry French  5/17
•   Mary Ellen Yusko (Lair)  5/19

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Condolences are being extended to Diane Black on the recent passing of her mother. An obituary can be viewed at https://www.echovita.com/us/obituaries/il/grand-ridge/dolores-black-17957133 Sadly Diane lost her father last month. Thoughts and prayers are extended to her family.

CONGRATULATIONS to MG Gulo & Associates, the Chamber's March 2024 Business of the Month! 

Gulo & Associates is an established law firm in its 3rd generation proudly serving Streator and the surrounding area. They’ve helped individuals in our local community with cases ranging in real estate transactions, estate planning, special needs planning, guardianship, post-death trust administration, and probate and always keep their clients’ best interests in mind.

Attorney Michael F. Gulo is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the LaSalle County Bar Association, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and the Special Needs Alliance. 

Attorney Thomas M. Gulo is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the LaSalle County Bar Association.

Please also help us in congratulating and recognizing them for 75 years serving Streator! 🎉

Thank you Gulo & Associates for your support and investment in the Streator community and the Streator Chamber.  

Life as we might remember it.   https://fb.watch/qU9Oor7mON/?

Our class Historian and numerous classmates put together this synopsis of our lives.
 

The 50’s

Our life begins

We start grade school

Disneyland opens in Anaheim California and The Mickey Mouse Club premiers

Comic strip peanuts begin

Korean war begins

Got our Polio vaccine

Barbie Doll born 

Elvis becomes hot

Roller skating was the thing to do

Alaska and Hawaii become states

“I Love Lucy premiers on TV

Frozen TV Dinners are introduced by Swanson

McDonald’s restaurant chain started

The Baby Boom peaks

Hula Hoop is created by Wham-O

The 60s 

We Graduated from grade school

Started high school  with classmates  from St. Stephens, St. Anthony’s, St. Mary’s, Oakland; Northlawn, Eagle, Otter Creek, Ransom, Deer Park, & Sunbury

Turned 16 and got our driver license

Places often visited -Oogies, Norris Hall, High school dances, P-patch road, Spring Lake, Miller & Stacy pool hall, Post Office Steps

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1960 into law

Cuban Missel Crisis and trade war with Cuba.

President John Kennedy assassinated

 Martin Luther King assassinated

First Super Bowl – Green Bay Packers vs Kansa City Chiefs

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon.

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) is formed

Woodstock festival in White Lake, New York 

The Beatles arrive in the US and marked the start of the British Invasion

Senator Robert Kennedy was assassinated

 Vietnam war begins and continues through the 60’s

Color TV’s started selling

Ice skating at Marilla Park

Granada Theater burned down

The school newspaper The Review

Streator Sesquicentennial

Peace Sign first becomes well-known

Sam Walton opens the first Wal-Mart in Arkansas

First episode of the TV show “Star Trek” airs

Sesame Street debuts

The 1970’s

Graduate from Streator Twp. High School.

Started our jobs, off to college, or military

Star Wars toys.

Bell bottom pants, flowing maxi dresses, ponchos and frayed jeans dominated fashion. 

Tie-dye shirts

“8” track tape/ VCR’s are introduced

Equal Rights Amendment

Anti-war movement/Kent State

The birth of modern computing

Starbucks in founded in 1971

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak create the Apple computer.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen create Microsoft

American Celebrate the first Earth Day

The Three-mile Island nuclear Incident occurs in Pennsylvania

Vietnam war ends

Streaking replaces protesting on major campuses

Beatles disband

Voting age lowered from 21 to 18 years old

Watergate

HBO, first cable subscription is introduced

Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match

President Nixon Resigns

Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth as all-time home run hitter

Saturday Night Live airs for the first time

Muppet Show premiers

Elvis Presley dies 

The 1980’s

Cable television became the norm

Challenger explosion

Macintosh Computer

Sandra Day O'Connor First Woman U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Sally Ride First U.S. Woman Astronaut

The 1988-89 drought

President Ronald Reagan was shot

History of Aids

Inflation peaked in April 1980 at 14.76% and decreased to 4.65% by December 89

Mount St. Helens Erupts

“Pac Man” is released

MTV is launched

Motorola introduces the first mobile phone in the U.S.

Coca-Cola introduced the “New Coke” - failed miserably

Chernobyl explodes

Berlin Wall is torn down

And the Simpson’s premiered on Fox.

 

The 1990’s 

We turned 50

The first text message was sent in 1992

Cheers last episode aired in 1993

Amazon.com is born in 1994

Domestic Terror strikes Oklahoma in 1995

Tiger Woods won his first Master in 1997

Google begins in 1998

We learn to do the Macarena

You can’t have Google or later versions of the PlayStation without the Internet. The original proposal was published in 1990. Its title was “WorldWideWeb: Proposal for a HyperTextProject.” It debuted to the public a year later and, in 1993, the Mosaic web browser made the Internet accessible to everyone. Some of the biggest internet companies followed in the next few years: Yahoo in 1994, Google in 1998, and Napster, the original file-sharing music platform, in 1999. To say the Internet changed the world is a drastic understatement. Literally nothing would ever be the same.

95 million Americans watched the OJ Simpson verdict on TV

 

Ford Taurus was the best-selling car of the 90s

Nokia the most popular cell phone

Minimum wage was $4.25

Bill Gates was already worth $90 billion by 1999

Disney’s Toy Story was the first and only animated film to receive the Special Achievement Academy Awards and three Academy nominations.   

Greg Maddox won the NL Cy Young Award 4 times in the 90s once with the Cubs and 3 with the Braves

Mike Tyson became a biter as well as a fighter during the third round of his Evander Holyfield fight

The 2000’s 

We turned 50

Y2K

The Year 2000: Bursting of the Dot.com (or Technology) Bubble. ...

Year 2001: September 11 Terrorist Attacks. ...

Year 2001: Enron, the Emergence of Corporate Fraud, and Corporate Governance. ...

Year 2002: Stock Market Crash. ...

Years 2001 and 2003 the War on Terror and Iraq War 

Hurricane Katrina in August 2005

The growth of the Internet contributed to globalization during the decade, which allowed faster communication among people around the world .

The first social networking sites were Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter, established in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006, respectively.

 Apple is the first Company in the US to hit $1 Trillion

The world’s first iPad came out in January of 2010.

The iPod, the Apple portable music digital players 

The Great Recession 2007-2009 The United States subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010 that contributed to the 2007–2009 global financial crisis

Stock closed October 9, 2007, at 14,164.53 -by March 5, 2009, the index had fallen by more than 50% to 6,594.44

FLIP PHONES

Man, these things were the coolest. The brick Nokias of the 90s were out; super sleek Motorola Razrs were in. Flip phones were a status symbol. 

Flying Windmills - Wind Turbines That Harvest the Jet Stream in 2008​

Some of the top movies included Remember the Titans, Cast Away, O Brother Where Art Thou

Price of a 5 Ib. bag of Russet potatoes in 2000 was 79 cents

The Hot Guys:
Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Bon Jovi, Mel Gibson, , Mark Wahlberg,  Derek Jeter, Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Tom Cruise, & Everett Solon

Heinz introduced colored ketchup products called EZ Squirt, which eventually included green (2000), purple (2001), mystery (pink, orange, or teal, 2002), and blue (2003). In 2006, the products were discontinued.

Boston Red Sox won the 2004 World Series after 86 years they broke the curse.

The White Sox won the 2005 World Series after 88 years.

The Patriots won 3 Super Bowls in the decade

 

The 2010's

We turned 60 - the new 40’s

The world’s first iPad came out in 2010

Steve Jobs cofounder of Apple in in 1976, died on October 5, 2011

Boston Marathon bombings April 2013 

Hurricane Sandy October 2012

Information technology progressed with smartphones becoming widespread.

Death of Osama bin Landen

Facebook introduced the hashtag, and it was used by more than 4.7 million people in 12 million posts in the first 24 hours.

Fire rages through California in November, of 2018 burning 18,804 structures and killing 85 people.

Amazon Buys Whole Foods

 

Enjoy some music from 1970!   https://fb.watch/psrHSAFmZy/?

Photos of ou Commencement Week program recently shared on the “You know you're from Streator....” Facebook page

This article will definitely provide you with a walk down memory lane! Has pics of items from our homes 50 years ago.

https://www.yahoo.com/now/50-things-literally-everyone-used-004616732.html


This was posted today on the "You know you are from Streator...." Facebook page. Our graduates from St. Mary's School in 1966. 

WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK.
A generation that walked to school and then walked back.
A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street.
A generation that spent all their free time in the streets with their Friends.
A generation that played hide and seek when dark.
A generation that made mud cakes.
A generation that collected sports cards.
A generation that found, collected, washed & returned empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each, then bought a Mountain Dew and candy bar with the money.
A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands.
A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players.
A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings of their life experiences as a Kid.
A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days.
A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem.
A generation that had parents who were there.
A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn't know we were still awake.
A generation that is passing and unfortunately it will never return no matter how hard we try.
I loved Growing up when I did. it was the best of times.
 

Ice breaker pics thanks to Denise Burt ( John's wife)


70th Birthday Picnic Pics





We thank John Burt's wife Denise for the following pics.


We will post additional pics as they are received.

We would like to share the link to view the Memorial video produced by Ron Sauers ( Class of '69.) Despite technology issues Ron persevered and we owe him a well deserved Thank You for completing this project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSS_h-J8itc

Messages can be sent to Ron through the website as he had access to this website to work on the video.

***** Classmate Steve Massey noticed That the YouTube posting of the memorial video has a major mistake. The video shows a picture of Karla Melvin instead of Karla Moore. Apologies are extended to Karla Melvin.
 

There will be more pictures of the weekend events posted in the near future. 

It has come to our attention that some classmates are not receiving announcements, pictures, emails, etc. that are being sent out by the administrators of this group. Each classmate individually controls what notifications he/she receives. Please take a moment to click on the NOTIFY ME link under the Member Functions section on the left side of your screen and review your options. If you want to make sure you are receiving announcements you need to select A new announcement has been posted  which is the 6th choice listed. It is recommended that you choose Once Daily. 

If you have forgotten your password, please click on the link above titled "Contact Us" and your message will be forwarded to an administrator.

The following classmates have changed their email addresses, and we have no way of reaching them. If you know any of these classmates,  can you contact them and ask them to update their info? 
HINT TO SHARE - The old email address will need to be used as their username in order to access their account which is why it is being shared.

Gary Riss ottercreekforge@airlogic.net 12/28/20 VIEW
Rosemary Churney (Crites) rcrites@mchsi.com 06/17/20 VIEW
Jane Wakeman (Goetsch) a1ann@live.com 06/17/20 VIEW
Mary Lucas (Stimac) stimac@verizon.net 06/17/20 VIEW
Terri Arnold (Mileham) TerriM1951@hotmail.com 06/17/20 VIEW
Mary Ann Podkanowicz (Pique) missmap@socal.rr.com 06/13/20 VIEW
Carol Neu (Hoskins) jeeptj1@verizon.net 06/05/20 VIEW
Deborah Wood (Martin) demartin@midlandsb.com 05/19/20 VIEW
Joe Bottino joseph.bottino@yahoo.com 04/22/20 VIEW
Sue Courtney (Sharp) meesuek@yahoo.com 03/11/20 VIEW

Memories of growing up in the 60’s with WLS https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3EeXVdHhzkbLktvDbOtr5-5IgebVIxVoZgSPRXgsNDqFjA3W879ontbWY&feature=share&v=LqqBFMQ6kMo

Here are some pics found in yearbooks, on Facebook, and in old newspapers.

 

 

We may not be having our 50th reunion as planned but here are some pics to remind you of our youth in simpler times.

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Welcome to the Streator Township High School

                  Class of 1970 Website

                 

 

 

       We encourage you to check out our pages, and enjoy your visit!

      If you are a first time visitor, you will need to click on the link Classmate Profiles on the left side of  this page. Find your name and click on it. You can then create a profile and share as much info as you would like. You will also create your own personal password which will allow you access to the full website. Be sure to add your current address and email contact info on the Details page.

We were recently asked to do some old photos of Streator Landmarks. Hopefully this set brings back a memory of growing up in Streator If you have a request for a pic of a certain business, church, school, etc. Let us know.

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                              MEMORIES of MY YOUTH

I grew up in a little town called  Streator, Illinois ❤️ during a time when everyone treated each other like family. Our neighborhood parents disciplined us like we were their own. We didn't eat fast food. We drank Kool-aid, ate bologna sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we ate fish on Fridays and had Sunday at Grandma's house. We went outside to play games like red rover, baseball in a field with the neighborhood kids, hide and seek, swam in the creek, rode bicycles, hunted for frogs, caught fireflies, played football and basketball for hours at the neighbor's next door, and went sled riding down the hilly streets and built forts in the woods.. There was no bottled water. No GMO. No microwave or cable TV. No cell phones! We had very few air conditioned buildings!

We watched cartoons on Saturday morning, first one up had control of the tv, and not with a remote! Then, we went outside and played until dark. We would ride our bikes without helmets for hours...all without a cell phone or electronic games.

We weren't afraid of ANYTHING except our parents. You LEARNED from your parents and grandparents instead of disrespecting them and treating them as if they knew nothing. What they said might as well have been the gospel. If someone had a fight, that's what it was... a fist fight and you were back to being friends. Kids didn't have guns and never thought of taking a life, especially not their own.

School was MANDATORY. Education was valued. Good grades were an expectation! Teachers were respected. We had God, The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, and The Lord's Prayer. We placed our hand over our heart!!! We went to church on Sunday mornings!! We watched what we said around our elders because we knew if we DISRESPECTED any grown up we would get our behinds busted! It wasn't called abuse. It was discipline! You didn't hear curse words on the radio or TV. IF you cursed, you got your mouth smacked or washed out with soap. Please and Thank You were part of our daily dialogue!

We had guns hanging in the back window of trucks during hunting season. We had unlocked doors and open window on our homes and vehicles, too.

Skated Friday nights away at the local skating rink when we were young...then cruised the roads in our cars on Friday nights!

Re-post if you're thankful for your childhood and will never forget where you came from! Wouldn't it be nice if it were possible to get back to this way of life?

Copy and paste. (Don't forget to change the name of the town to the one you grew up in.)
PS...I really miss those days!!!

Everett Solon has shared that Streator Twp. High has plans to begin honoring distinguished retired members of their faculty and staff. We encourage you to nominate someone who impacted you while attending high school. A link to info providing details about who can be nominated and a nomination form can be found by using the following link http://streatorhs.org/alumni/faculty_and_staff_hall_of_distinguished_service

Someone posted this recently on the Facebook page "You know are are from Streator..." Several classmates on this team.

New photos of the reunion

Important - Please click on the Link New Changes 12/2013 on the left of this page to find out about new changes to the Classmate Profile feature of our website. Please update your profile, especially your current contact info. We have been getting many returned emails because email addresses have changed. Thanks

 

Do any of these pics bring back memories of your childhood?

                    

                                         Facebook Info

The class of 1970 has a Facebook page.You can access it at this address https://www.facebook.com/groups/179859502082489/#!/StreatorHighClassOf1970  You have to be a Facebook member, and also join the group, to post comments or add pictures, but you can visit the page to view what has been posted without being a Facebook member. Over 25 classmates belong to this group.

There is a also a page on Facebook called - You know you are from Streator ...... https://www.facebook.com/groups/179859502082489/ You have to be a Facebook member, and also join the group, to post or add pictures, but you can just visit the page to read some interesting tidbits of info, and see some great pictures. Several classmates have contributed pictures of Streator to this group, and many pictures used on this site were found on this Facebook page.               

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 40th Reunion Videos  ( Please note these are 5 year old videos!) The Memorial Video, presented at the 45th reunion, can be found by clicking on the link located in the box to the left.  

 Here are the links:The Memorial video link  which is titled Memoris of our Departed Classmates SHS 1970 located at the following www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzTimx7WzDw&feature=channel                                  

The actual reunion video can be found at  www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDvhBqok75M&feature=channel  It is titled SHS Class of 1970.
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Check out the link Photos of Friends. If you have pictures taken during a school event such as proms, dances, games, concerts, plays, etc which can be added to this page, please scan them and email them to volkman@mchsi.com and she will get them added. You can also send pictures to Mary V. and she will get them scanned, submitted and returned. Send a message through the message center if you need Mary's home address.

 

              

Check out http://www.airport-data.com/airport/IS29/maps.html

This website provides and aerial view of Streator. You can manipulate the arrows to find the general location of you old neighborhood or other places of interest to you.

Video about the Fire at the Lipton Tea Building - August of 2012 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xo93FUrTRU  

Remember the Spudnut Shop? Squints? Klevers Market? Dog 'N Suds? Killer Hill? Pea Patch Road? Super Dairy? The pedal ice cream carts? Stacy's pool hall? Top Save? Hornsby's? The Roller Rink?  Dances at "The Hub"? Hill's? Check out the link Do You Remember?  for more "flashes from the past."

Let's head to Silverfross or Super Dairy for lunch!! Do you remember what a  buck would buy for us in 1970? How about a sandwich, fries and a Coke with change!!!!!

         

        
 Streator, My Home Town Video - Here is another video lput together by Ron Sauers which highlights old photos of Streator from years past.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jymf8SeVHM

 Tornado Videos from June,2010

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xzCFlKZWik  is a video showing an aerial view of the tornado's path. It was produced by Ron Sauers (Class of '69).

A drive through the area continues to be a stark reminder of what the devastation a tornado can do to the landscape of a community. If you are returning to Streator for the reunion you should make the drive through the area.

 

Here's a YouTube video of the Streator Band playing the Fight Song at a Football game in case you have forgotten the tune. Sing Along! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3atbNCd9bM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

We were surely showing our STHS loyalty at this basketball game. It is a photo from the 1969 Regionals against Ottawa. Fran Rohlman is the player facing to the right. Can you pick out anyone else?

 

 

Where was this taken? Think Catholic!!!
 
                 Class of 1970 Trivia Quiz

What 2 professions were not career choices of any our classmates?

P-------n and D----st

Who was Homecoming Queen our Senior Year?

Where was the Dawn Dance held on Graduation night?

If you belonged to the J.E.T.S. club you were interested in what profession?

The _______ was the monthly publication we could subscribe to while attending SHS.  

Who sang "Jean, Jean" for a Talent Show?

Which teacher used her chest as a resting area for her arms?

What date was our graduation?

What was the prom theme for our Senior prom?

The _______ ________ Flu made many of us sick our Junior year?

What year did our class have the best football season?  _______

How about basketball season _______?

Who used 3 by 5 notecards to remember seating assignments?

2 clubs primarily used Sat. mornings for their "meetings." Name both  _____________   ____________

Name 2 women who worked in the office at SHS?  _________________  ____________________

Key club collected what item for a project for Dixon State School for Children?

What was Mr. Westlake's official title at SHS?

We had several evacuations because of _________ ____________.
 
Name the 4 streets that border Streator High  ________________  _______________  _______________   ___________________________

Who wrote NINE RAHS for Dear Old Streator High?

What is the last word in that song?

Who is our class historian?
 
Do you have some trivia you want to share? Want the answers to the questions asked above? Send a message to Mary Volkman and she will get your trivia posted on this website and/or answer your questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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