Betty’s Column

ABOVE: Polo Community High School’s Class of 1914 had 14 members. In the front row are: Carrie Lichty, Roy Gibbs, Dells Gilbert, George Waterbury, Nellie Mayborn, and Henry Willett. Back row: George Niman, Kathryn Keagy, Joseph Brooks, Scott Miller, Mary Dew, Frank Wales, Billy Mack, and Mildred Donaldson. BELOW: Betty Rogers wrote down the

names of the Class of 1914 when she was helping at the Polo Historical Society. Photos supplied

Polo’s Class of 1914 had a few familiar names

BY BETTY OBENDORF Curator, Polo Historical Society

I finally went over to the museum and looked quickly for some information on the Class of 1914.

There in the file was a list of the names of the graduates and it had been placed there by Betty Rogers. I remember the days when Betty worked at the library to add information to our files and she enjoyed her days of researching.

She was always interested in animals and had a great love for her dog.

On the paper that she had written the names of the 1914 graduates was a picture of a dog and a cat. That was so like Betty as we worked together for so many years.

As I looked at the list there were a few familiar names. In the back row was Geo. Niman and his father, Frank, owned the Niman Grocery Store. Then we have the name of Kathryn Keagy.

I remember seeing her and she worked for the Polo Mutual Telephone Co. She died in 1984. Standing beside Kathryn in the picture is Joseph Brooks and we know he is the father of Lester Brooks.

Another name is Scott Miller and is he connected to J. P. Miller who was our carriage maker? We will wait and see.

Then came Mary Dew and the Dew family was very prevalent in Polo out in Pine Creek. She was the third of 8 children of William and Fannie Dew.

I looked up William Dew and in 1910 he purchased 24 acres among the White Pines trees south of the railroad. He put up cabins, drilled wells, and even built a suspension bridge in 1915.

They called it a swinging bridge that stood until 1930 and I was impressed. At the museum we have a post card with a cabin that they called Dew Drop Inn. Very clever.

Frank Wales is in the back row of the picture and Linda sent me the history of this man that I remember. His parents were Emma Spear and Horatio Wales.

Frank went to University of Illinois, was a farmer, and also worked for Commonwealth Edison. In 1919, he married Carrie Lichty who was also a part of the Class of 1914.

His second marriage was to Lucille Wade and Lucille was a teacher in our Polo Schools for many years. I went to school with several of their children. It has been interesting reading the history of Frank and Lucille’s family.

As we go on with the Class of 1914 we come to Billy Mack and Mildred Donaldson in the back row. The Donaldson family was an early family in Canada Settlement and Buffalo Grove.

If I remember correctly William Donaldson was part of our early education. Putting together the early education display was one of the first things I did when I started at the museum. That display is at Aplington House.

In the front row of the picture we have Carrie Lichty, then Roy Gibbs and the Gibbs family was also listed as early families in settling of Buffalo Grove and early Polo.

Next we have Dells Gilbert and George Waterbury. Gilbert was a popular name in Polo and we had many in the Waterbury family. John Waterbury and Solomon Shafer came in 1836 to run the Underground Railroad.

There was a Waterbury that was

an architect and I would have to go over to Aplington House to find out what building he was involved in drawing up the plans.

The last two people in the picture in the front row are Nellie Mayborn and Henry Willett.

Thanks to Linda Gall who did the research on the Internet.