Please submit this form to request a Living History experience. You will be contacted by email to confirm details once your form has been received. The office is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Please call 847-392-9006 if you have any questions.
Pay with PayPal
Extraordinary Memorial Day Ceremony Planned
May 28, Lions Park, Mount Prospect, IL
Members of Mount Prospect’s VFW Post 1337 and American Legion Post 525 have a special Memorial Day remembrance planned this year.
In addition to the annual Lions Park ceremony, they will dedicate a new section of the Lions Park Veteran’s Memorial to 15 Mount Prospect service people who lost their lives while serving in the United States military. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, May 28.
Representatives of the Mt. Prospect Park District, the Mount Prospect Historical Society and the Mount Prospect Public Library, worked alongside the veterans this winter and spring to locate the names and stories of Mount Prospect residents who were lost over the years while serving in the military so they could be commemorated with their names added to the Veterans Memorial at Lions Park. The memorial is adjacent to the Veterans Memorial Band Shell in Lions Memorial Park. It has been designed as a tranquil, contemplative setting featuring a fountain and columns for engraved bricks.
To kick off the project, the Mt. Prospect Parks Foundation, the Mount Prospect Lions Club as well as the VFW Post 1337 and American Legion Post 525, have donated to the veterans’ memorial. “We are very grateful to the Parks Foundation and Lions Club for their generous contributions to the memorial,” stated Dutch DeGroot, chairman of the project. “Veterans and their families will have a place to visit and honor their Mount Prospect service members for years to come.”
The search revealed that Mount Prospect lost residents to World War II and the Vietnam War, as well as during peacetime service, but as far as known, none were lost during World War I, Korea, the two Persian Gulf Wars or Afghanistan. There is space remaining on the memorial, however, to include at future ceremonies the names of those who might inadvertently have been missed, according to DeGroot.
Mount Prospect’s residents have long and faithfully served the United States as members of the nation’s military, protecting its shores and interests, a service that inevitably brings with it loss.
That is why the veteran organizations of Mount Prospect this year will permanently memorialize those from Mount Prospect who made the ultimate sacrifice while in service to the United States.
The veterans to be memorialized on May 28 are:
- World War II – Arthur W. Flesch, Robert W. Haake, Herman J. Heide, Phillip Winston Kaiser, Elmer Henry Piepenbrink, Victor William Sander and Frank F. Schott Jr.
- Vietnam War – William Daley, Frank F. Gagliano and David William Skibbe.
- Peacetime – Barry Richard Chumbley, Glen Edward Miller, Michael John Keane and Ronald Dean Odom.
DeGroot asks that if anyone can get in touch with members of any of these veterans’ families who may no longer reside in Mount Prospect, that they please do so and let them know about the upcoming remembrance ceremony and permanent memorial. Those who do not wish to contact the families personally, but have information about their whereabouts, may email DeGroot at service_officer@vfw1337.us.
Mary Hagan Wajer – 1944-2018
We are very sad to report the death of Mary Hagan Wajer on April 22. She was an early Mount Prospect Historical Society president, working with Society pioneers like Dolores Haugh, Gertrude Francek, Edith Freund, Meta Bittner, Jack Weber and Doris Weber Norris to get the Society off the ground. She also co-wrote the “Mount Prospect: Where Town and Country Met” book with Jean Murphy in 1992.
Mary was born and raised in Des Plaines. She earned her undergraduate degree in history at Loyola University and her master’s degree at Western Illinois University. Her thesis was on the history of Elk Grove Township. She later worked at the Des Plaines Library and the Indian Trails Library.
Mary was the beloved wife of Ronald Wajer for 48 years and the mother of Mike and the late Cathy Wajer. Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 29, from 1 until 6 p.m. with a funeral service beginning at 4 p.m. at G.L. Hills Funeral Home, 745 Graceland Ave., Des Plaines. For more information, call 847-699-9003 or glhillsfuneralhome.com.
History Lovers Gathered to Celebrate Flappers, Gangsters and the 1933 World’s Fair
Approximately 100 history-lovers gathered at the Rob Roy Country Club in Prospect Heights Saturday night for the Mount Prospect Historical Society’s seventh annual History in the Headlines dinner dubbed the “Guys and Dolls Speakeasy Soirée.”
Many of the partygoers wore clothing of the 1920s or 1930s to help the Mount Prospect Historical Society re-imagine the atmosphere enjoyed in area speakeasies during Prohibition.
After dinner they were entertained by Bill Hazelgrove, author of “Al Capone and the 1933 World’s Fair,” who talked about Capone’s gangster life and how worried World’s Fair organizers got him out of the picture during the event, as well as about little-known aspects of the fair itself.
The MPHS added exhibits on Mount Prospect’s brief brushes with gangsters over the years to add a local touch to the evening. There was also a challenging 1920s and 30s trivia competition with a wide range of small prizes.
Proceeds from the event have been directed to the Mount Prospect Historical Society’s Operating Fund.
Historical Society Collaborates on Veteran’s Project
The Mount Prospect Historical Society is collaborating with American Legion Post 525 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1337, as well as the Mount Prospect Public Library and the Mt. Prospect Park District, on a project to establish a memorial for Mount Prospect residents who were killed while in service to their country.
The project will involve identifying service members and then finding obituaries and other biographical information. Leading the project for the American Legion/VFW is Loren Helwink, a Mount Prospect resident.
To kick off the project, the Mt. Prospect Parks Foundation has donated $3,000 to the memorial. Once the material has been gathered, an appropriate memorial will be chosen and unveiled on Memorial Day. The memorial is adjacent to the Veterans Memorial Band Shell in Lions Memorial Park. It has been designed as a tranquil, contemplative setting featuring a fountain and columns for engraved bricks. A limited number of bricks are also available for purchase. To purchase a brick through the Mt. Prospect Park District, visit www.mppd.org.
Please contact the Mount Prospect Historical Society via info@mtphist.org if you have information about a Mount Prospect service member who was killed in action.
The VFW Post 1337 is reserved for veterans who have received a campaign medal for overseas service; have served 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days in Korea; or have ever received hostile fire or imminent danger pay. They meet monthly at Arlington Legion Post 208, 121 N. Douglas, Arlington Heights.
American Legion Post 525, founded in 1930 by 16 World War I veterans, provides service to veterans, the community and nation. It is open to any former service member whether they experienced hostile fire or not. Meetings are held monthly at Arlington Legion Post 208 in Arlington Heights.
A Peek in Mount Prospect’s Attic
FREE Children’s Event
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Mount Prospect Historical Society
As part of its mission to preserve the history of our town, the Mount Prospect Historical Society has a vast collection of historic artifacts. Most of these items are housed right on the Society’s campus. An interactive program to explore some of these relics is set for Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Mount Prospect Historical Society’s Central School, 103 S. Maple St. This FREE program is open to children in grades three through five.
“This is a fun and unique opportunity to not only get to see, but to use, some of the items in our collection,” said Lindsay Rice, executive director of the Society. “The children will learn what the items were used for in the daily lives of past residents, giving a hands-on peek into the history of Mount Prospect.”
The program is being offered by the Living History Committee of the Society and will feature household and domestic items. There is no fee, but space is limited and registration is required. Walk-ins will be considered on the day of the event only if space is available. For more information or to register, please call the Mount Prospect Historical Society at 847/392-9006.
History in the Headlines Dinner 2018
Celebrate Flappers, Gangsters & the World’s Fairat the Seventh Annual “History in the Headlines” Dinner
The Mount Prospect Historical Society will hold the “Guys and Dolls Speakeasy Soirée,” its seventh annual History in the Headlines dinner, on Saturday, April 21, at Rob Roy Country Club, 505 E. Camp McDonald Rd., Prospect Heights.
This year the Mount Prospect Historical Society will re-imagine the atmosphere enjoyed in area speakeasies during Prohibition.
The Roaring Twenties was a time of sustained economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the United States and Western Europe, but particularly in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Jazz music blossomed, the “flapper” redefined the modern look for women in the United States and Britain, and Art Deco peaked.
The spirit of the time was marked by a general feeling of novelty associated with modernity and a break with traditions. Everything seemed to be feasible through modern technology and jazz, and dancing rose in popularity in opposition to the mood of World War I.
Unlike the Society’s six previous History in the Headlines dinners, only one meal will be offered this year. All guests will enjoy a prime rib carving station, along with salad, vegetables, bread and, of course, dessert for $50 per person. Call the office with other dietary needs.
There will also be a cash bar for everyone with signature cocktails of the era offered.
Partygoers are welcome to dress casually or elegantly and even to wear clothing of the 1920s or 1930s. After dinner they will be entertained by Bill Hazelgrove, author of “Al Capone and the 1933 World’s Fair.”
He will talk about Capone’s gangster life and how worried World’s Fair organizers got him out of the picture during the event.
There will also be a challenging 1920s and 1930s trivia competition, inserted during Mr. Hazelgrove’s intermission, and a raffle.
All of the proceeds from this event will benefit the Mount Prospect Historical Society’s many educational projects and help pay for upkeep on the 1906 Dietrich Friedrichs house museum and the 1896 one-room Central Schoolhouse.