6 • The Putnam County Record • Wednesday, July 2, 2014
The Editorial Page
Sam R Fisher
Terri Simon
Publisher
Editor
Field of Dreams I know I speak for all Dads because Father’s Day has been every day since my first child, Debby, was born on March 23, 1952, followed by Kim, Janeen and Scott along with nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. I have always appreciated their teachers, or others telling me and their mother, Jeanne, what a great child we have or something nice they did for someone. This last Father’s Day was a very special day. I could talk and see my precious famCOMMENTARY ily. Really, every day is Father’s Day. I am so proud of all of their educations, their jobs and how they treat others. It’s what they do every day that makes Father’s Day for me. •••
Darrell Alleman
Recently, Jeanne’s nephew’s wife, Mary Ann Middleton, passed away in Peoria. She was married to Robert Middleton, Jeanne’s oldest sister Edna’s son. Edna grew up in Putnam County and taught school at McNabb. Mary Ann was a very special person to everyone who knew her. She had a great personality, loved her country, was an educator, historic preservationist and a community volunteer. She was a founding board member of the Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe. In costume as Betsy Ross, Mary Ann presented programs on the history of the flag. She served as a vice president general in the national organization NSDAR. Sung Jin Hong, a founder and composer-conductor of New York city’s one World Symphony and a former Peorian who attended Peoria Schools and now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., wrote an article in the Peoria Journal Star. The name of the article was “Remembering Mrs. Middleton” He wrote, “Mary Ann Middleton was one of the most generous people my family has ever met. When my family emigrated from South Korea to America, somehow we landed in Peoria in the middle of Moss Avenue. There was a tiny home that was originally a church garage. Our family lived there for seven years. There were two main reasons that childhood was bearable for my sister and me growing up in the garage: Music and Mrs. Middleton. “Our home happened to be right next to Mrs. Middleton’s home. Not only was she welcoming, but she made us feel like we belonged within the Moss Avenue community. One of the most festive events on Moss was the annual Fourth of July fish fries hosted by the Livengood family. My entire family was invited and welcomed every year because of Mrs. Middleton’s graciousness. She always found ways for us to share our talents with the community. Mrs. Middleton engaged my sister and me as actors and musicians performing in the Peoria Historical Society’s annual towns on Moss Avenue. Mrs. Middleton believed in the ideals of America and the American dream and family but she also respected and cared for other cultures and of course her neighbors. “When she first came to our home she showed how she appreciated our Korean furniture and pottery passed down by our family. She was a beautiful soul and a gift to not only our family, but to the entire community. She was a loving neighbor and friend who showed kindness and empathy to an out of place, struggling immigrant family, and made us a part of hers.” ••• Question: What year did the Statue of Liberty arrive in New York City? ••• Recently a young woman came into Matt Hosttetter’s insurance offices with her newborn twins. Matt asked if she had any trouble telling them apart. She responded, “No, I have not had any problems, this is Ben and this is Elizabeth.” ••• Answer to question: 1885 in 350 pieces. Darrell Alleman can be reached at news@ putnamcountyrecord.com.
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On the street
Chicago has just been awarded the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts. What would you like to see in the museum when it opens in 2018? “I guess some “Indiana Jones” memorabilia. Those movies really made their mark.” Bryan Reynolds, Decatur
“I would like to see things on the “Indiana Jones” movies. Sean Connery was great in them.” Juan Carrillo, Bloomington
“I know I liked “Star Wars” back in the day. I would like to see “Star Wars” things for sure.” Steve Clemann, Granville
“I think “Star Wars” things would be nice.” Michelle Yepsen, Granville
“Americana art. The history of the area from way back including Indian folklore. You got a better sense of appreciation of where they came from.” Dan Ellberg, Princeton
A July 2 celebration To the Editor, As we prepare to gather with friends and family to celebrate the Fourth of July, I want to encourage everyone to take a moment to commemorate another important event in our nation’s history. Fifty years ago on July 2, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became law, which outlawed discrimination based on race, creed, gender or national origin. The landmark civil rights law prohibited racial segregation in schools, at work and at public facilities, and ended unfair voting registration practices. Having been a student at Alabama State College — now Alabama State University — in Montgomery, Ala., in the early 1950s, I experienced some of the inequalities that prompted the civil rights movement. Coming from Chicago to Montgomery brought challenges and frustrations due to the racial climate in the South. African-Americans were prohibited from drinking at certain water fountains and using certain washrooms, weren’t allowed to choose which seat on a bus to sit on and were banned from eating at many restaurants. African-American students faced the inequality of a segregated school system. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ushered in widespread legal changes for which activists had fought for years. It was a monumental step in the direction of racial equality and fairness. I encourage those who would like to learn more about this important milestone in our nation’s history to read the feature article on the Civil Rights Movement in the 2013-14 “Illinois Blue Book,” published by my office. The “Illinois Blue Book” is available online at www.cyberdriveillinois.com or can be found at your local library. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our great nation 238 years
Letter THETO Editor ago, let us also remember those heroes who organized, protested and marched so we could live in a society where people, as my former minister the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State , Springfield
Get the facts To the Editor, GBE is a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission line proposed to traverse your area. Dr. Smith of Missouri has done extensive research into the risks associated with HVDC transmission of electricity. I am extremely concerned for the residents of your area who may be endangered by the proposed GBE transmission line. In 2012, scientists gathered to independently review over 1,800 new studies done in five years prior to their meeting. Not all were related to the effects of HVDC lines, but there were enough studies and evidencebased results to cause them to make some serious conclusions regarding HVDC. These reports refute Clean Line’s claim of no negative health effects associated with the company’s proposed GBE transmission line. Actual health findings based on the evidence state, “Power lines and other sources of ELF are consistently associated with higher rates of childhood leukemia.” The report also states, “Increased risk for childhood leukemia starts at levels almost 1,000 times below the safety standard.” The World Health Organization ELF Health Criteria Monograph No. 322 (2007) says that other childhood cancers “cannot be ruled out.” Another study looked at what risks for cancer a child would have later in life, if that child was raised in a home within 300 meters of a high-voltage
electric power line. For children who were raised for their first five years of life within 300 meters, they have a lifetime risk that is 500 percent higher for developing some kinds of cancers. A study by Lowenthal et al. investigated leukemia in adults in relation to residences near to high-voltage power lines. The study provides support for two important conclusions: Adult leukemia is also associated with EMF exposure, and exposure during childhood increases risk of adult disease. GBE is being proposed by a private group of investors seeking eminent domain in multiple states. They wish to acquire 200-foot-wide easements across the Midwest for what they claim will be a transmission line unlike anything seen before in the United States. With massive support pole structures designed to carry direct current (DC) electricity, this project would greatly impact not only those along the proposed routes but also set precedence for use of eminent domain by a private company. This transmission project is proposed by a LLC, not a public utility planning to improve infrastructure. The GBE project would impose health and economic hardships upon Illinois residents, and even though the company claims they are “clean,” there are no guarantees they would transmit only clean wind generated electricity. I urge citizens to become informed. Go to www.Block RICL. com or www.Block GBE.com for links to the most recent health research on HVDC lines and further information as to why thousands across multiple states are opposing this dangerous and unnecessary transmission project . People’s health would be put at risk for the economic benefit of a select group. Jeanette Carothers Earlville