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Hey! all,

I've deleted my Facebook a/c, so if something pops up on that medium that notifies you that you have been befriended or something like that....there you have it. Welcome emails from GE friends via this forum or my regular email a/c: hellerw@alumni.iu.edu.

I'm certainly enjoying this cool summer and hope you are too....so much for global warming!

Bill

08/01/14 06:13 PM

#88

Dear Bill,

On behalf of the rest of the class who might be wondering this, why did you delete your FB account?

I must admit I go to FB fairly infrequently, despite its email messages to me that I have updates to view and that I have been poked. Not terribly sure what poking is.

In the past I posted a few artsy photos on my FB account but when I read that anyone can copy them and use them, and as I recall, Facebook kinda owns them, I stopped posting photos.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer of '14. But I would caution that just because it's cool in the Midwest--Summer Polar Vortexes and all--the rest of the world is indeed heating up and I am sure the Californians would argue that no rain for months and months is not so great. When I created the first survey and asked the question about the greatest challenge facing the country today, my response--and one other person, God bless whoever it is--answered Global Warming. I think it goes way beyond even the unbelievable gridlock in Washington, DC.

Mark

08/03/14 08:44 AM	#89
Helene Annie Rousset (Goutal) How right Mark! We see the damage caused by global warming day after day. Enjoy that fine summer nevertheless. Helene

08/13/14 10:21 AM

#90

FB was more bother than it was worth to me. Presto! Simplify my life and not get notices from people I barely know.

09/11/14 06:36 PM

#91

9/11 NEVER FORGET

09/12/14 11:05 AM

#92

Right on, Bruce! Did some flag waving with my local Tea Party folks yesterday to remind the community and had a great reception from motorists.

11/11/14 06:08 PM

#93

HAPPY VETERANS DAY to all Veterans and the wives or husbands who supported them

01/31/15 06:30 PM

#94

Judith D. Palina (Coletta)

Rest in Peace Mr Cub. We will miss you

02/01/15 04:02 PM

#95

Ernie Banks loved the fans as much as we loved him. He will always represent the good part of being a Cub fan.

02/02/15 03:40 PM

#96

Yes, I think even the Sox fans in our group are going to miss Ernie Banks and his amazing optimism. I find it interesting that in its issue of last Friday, just before the Super Duper Bowl, Sports Illustrated chose to have Ernie on its cover instead of something SB related. Courtney and I happened to have chosen this past weekend for a sojourn in the city--hotels are empty and the rates can be phenomenal, and it's Restaurant Week with reasonable prices at many great restaurants. Happened to stay at the Tremont Hotel, which is on the same block as Fourth Presbyterian, where Ernie's visitation and funeral were held. So we went by on Friday to pay our respects, and on Saturday were walking by when several of the attendees were getting out of their limos. Also went by Daley plaza for a few photos of Ernie's statue next to the Picasso. Here are a couple of pictures to remember Ernie Banks by. Use the down arrow key to see them all.

03/07/15 11:40 PM

#97

Okay, Sox fans, especially those of you who live out of the Chicago area and might have missed it. First it was Ernie Banks, and a week ago, Minnie Minoso. Also a tremendous player and amazing optimist who we as fans really loved. I met him a couple of times, and he seemed to really be glad to talk to even the likes of me. He signed a photo of himself, which I had him inscribe to "Bill" [Brynjolfsson] who was a long-time Sox fan and I was going to visit him in Tennessee in a few weeks.

There is no blessed reason in the world that Minnie is not in the Hall of Fame. None, Zero. I think his lifetime batting average was .298 and he hit over .300 like 9 times. He lit up the place with his speed and his enthusiasm for the game. Even us Cubs fans had to admit Minnie was special. Like Banks and Wrigley, there is a statue of him outside Comisky/White Sox/US Cellular Park.

I didn't have the opportunity to make the visitation or the funeral, but here are some photos from the web that might interest you baseball fans.

03/08/15 09:29 AM

#98

Minnie was the face of the franchise....happy (like Ernie), energetic, competitive....in the 50's. It was painful to watch the Sox always finishing second to the Yanks in those years that had no playoffs. When I delivered the morning papers, I always read the story about the last Sox game before heading out. Those were interesting years under Bill Veeck's ownership. As a Sox fan, I wanted to emulate players like "Jungle Jim" Rivera, Minnie, Nellie Fox, Billy Pierce and that rookie kid who came along, Luis Aparicio. Regretably, baseball has never been the same for me since the strike of the 1990's.

03/08/15 07:51 PM

#99

Camilla Ray (Farley)

We were White Sox fans at our house & I remember on hot summer afternoons we would ride our bikes down to the corner store, buy Popsicles , & bring our lawn chairs into the living room to watch the games. One summer Alicia & Marci Hayes, who lived directly behind us, & my sister Christine & I each chose a baseball player's name to use for the summer. Hayes went out of town & sent us postcards addressed to the baseball names. When the mailman delivered them, he knocked on the door to see if Ernie Banks was really staying at our house.

03/09/15 09:23 PM

#100

Great story, Camilla!

03/10/15 04:28 PM

#101

Thomas Kent Marquardt

In our family the men were White Sox fans and my mother was a Cub fan. 1959 was a great year to be a Sox fan even though they lost to LA in the World Series. As i recall, Minnie was with Cleveland that year. Regardless I have fond memories of going to Glen Ellyn with my brother to Bob Horsely's Mens Store to meet Billy Pierce and get his autograph. I stlll have the black and white picture. Of all the Sox, he was always my favorite. I echo Bill Heller when he said that things were never the same after the strike. I can't watch a game all the way through let alone a couple of innings now. One of the guys I used to work with convinced me to go to Miller Park with him to see the Brewers a couple of years ago and in all candor I went to see the retractable roof more than the game. Regardless, the beer was cold and the burger before the game (at a local bar) was good.

03/10/15 06:34 PM

#102

My grandfather was a die hard Cubs fan and got me to watch them also. He carried a small radio around to listen to all the games. He was happy when my older sister and I got to me Ernie Banks, Alvin Dark and Moose Moran, also Dale Long, and a few others.

03/11/15 10:47 PM

#103

In other baseball news, my father was a photographer [didn't call them photojournalists in those days] for the Chicago Tribune and one evening came home with a real major league ball authographed by the entire team. It was actually the Cardinals but that wasn't too much of a let down because it had Red Schoendienst, Enos Slaughter and a bunch of other guys. Reserved for one entire flap of the ball was a space for Stan Musial--his was the only name on that part of the ball.

So where does this ball reside in my house? Nowhere, of course, because in the 60 years of its existence some stupid kid took it outside and played ball with it. Well, we needed a damn ball!

Another baseball memory was playing in the vacant lot next to Bill Brynjolfsson's house. Like all the lots on the block, it was about 65 feet wide and very deep. Not a diamond shape at all. So we decided rule out any ball that was hit to right field because there was a neighbor's house in right. So you had to hit to left field or you were out. And the base line to first base was about 45 feet long--too short--so we ran the bases backwards because we could make the third base line as long as we wanted (which was 80-90 feet, about major league length). It was odd but it worked fine. Many of the players from the neighborhood played Little League and Pony League ball but the long evenings playing next to Bill's house were the best times I ever had on a ball field.

03/12/15 08:24 AM

#104

Camilla Ray (Farley)

Hi Mark or Bill--I am trying to post some pictures that Bill Brynjolfsson drew for me, so that you can see them, but I cannot figure out how to do it. I don't see that it says add photos anywhere. I have them on my computer. Can you help me? Thanks, Camilla

03/12/15 12:01 PM

#105

Bob Dove

This thread, prompted by the passing of Banks and Minoso, has me thinking back too. I was a "soundman" on TV and documentary crews for a couple decades. (That's another extinct job title, Mark. I likely worked some of the same press events as your dad and never knew.)

Working on a doc about the Negro Leagues called "Only the Ball Was White," I met and got autographs from former players including Minoso and Satchel Paige. Perhaps because both our kids were girls, I still have the ball. I loved my job when I got to spend some time with these gentlemen. An honor, actually.

03/12/15 01:00 PM

#106

James Alan Bullard

I had a Don Larson (World series perfect game) ball. It also worked just as good as any other ball on the make shift ball field....

03/12/15 01:50 PM

#107

Paul Lewellyn Chouinard

My recollection goes something like this:

Billy Pierce #19 and Early Wynn, pitchers; Nellie Fox #2 at 2nd; Louis Aparacio #11 at Short; George Kell #3 at 3rd; Sherm Lollar #10 catching; Minnie Minoso #9 in left; Jim Landis #1 in Center, Jim Rivera #7 in right. WHO PLAYED 1st BASE ?? Thoughts? Corrections welcome.

03/12/15 06:35 PM

#108

Wasn't his name Klazuski or something like that. You can tell I only watched the Cubs

03/13/15 07:25 AM

#109

Thomas Kent Marquardt

I believe that Billy Goodman player 3rd and Ted Kluzewski was on 1st as a late add on. Earl Battey was also a catcher and pitching the Chisox had Early Wynn, Gerry Staley, "Bullet" Bob Shaw, and has my memory improves i will try to fill out the rest of the roster.Wasn't somebody like Bubba Smith also with them?

03/13/15 09:19 AM

#110