100 years ago: O’Fallon Rotary holds first meeting at Masonic Lodge

Looking back at stories that appeared in the O’Fallon Progress 100, 75, and 50 years ago:

100 years ago, May 7, 1925

O’Fallon’s newly-organized Rotary club met for the first time in Masonic Hall Monday noon, at a luncheon, which was attended by all members with the exception of one.

Two invited guests participated and the meeting was a splendid success, considering that the club is just getting started. A program of activities was tentatively outlined which will be inaugurated when the club becomes thoroughly organized.

Rotary is the formation on the unique plan of one active and representative man from each line of business and profession in the community to encourage and foster the ideal of service as the basis of all worthy enterprise with high ethical standards in business and professions.

To this is added the ideal of “service above self,” and in the duty the member owes to his home and to this town, state or province and country.

(The Rotary Club of O’Fallon is celebrating its centennial this year. The Masonic Hall, where its first meeting was held, was on the second floor of what is now The Upright Pub & Music Parlor at 123 E. First Street in O’Fallon.)

75 years ago, May 4, 1950

One of the most devastating airplane tragedies to ever be recorded in the Scott Air Base area occurred shortly before one o’clock Sunday afternoon when a B-25 Air Force bomber was forced to earth, struck the trunk of a tree and a two-story house in the residential section of Lebanon, killing the six members of the crew, scattering parts of the bodies and debris over a wide area.

As the plane struck the ground, landing between the homes of the Frank Wolf family and that of Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Bridges, it exploded, spraying burning gasoline over the Wolf home which was practically demolished. The family at the time was on a fishing trip at Batchtown.

Force of the explosion and flying debris broke windows and damaged the Bridges home. At the time Bridges was seated at a window and witnessed the crash. He suffered slight burns on the face while his wife, working at the kitchen sink, narrowly escaped serious injury when a piece from the plane came through a broken window and flew past her face.

Members of the crew were listed by Air Force officers as Col. Richmond A. Livingstone, pilot, Pawtucket, R. I.; Maj. Donald H. Bruner, Coral Gables, Fla.; Second Lt. Richard U. Watson, Little Rock, Ark.; Staff Sgt James A. Strum, Nashville, N. C.; Tech. Sgt. William I. Ball, Ozan, Ark.; and Staff Sgt Ralph H. Wallace, Greenville, Tex.

Their plane was on a routine flight from Perrin Air Force Base, Sherman, Tex., having taken off from Scott Base about five minutes before the crash. Witnesses said that apparently one of the motors had gone dead and the pilot evidently attempted to make a forced landing in a field south of Community High school, crashing about 100 yards before reaching the field.

Firemen from Lebanon, under Fire Chief Charles Frey, and also from Scott Air Force Base battled the fire in the Wolf home for more than an hour. Crash crews from the base brought in heavy equipment to move away parts of the blasted plane, some of which were suspended from trees a block away from the scene. The O’Fallon fire department went to Lebanon to stand by. The disaster truck also responded, being in service with its crew for more than eight hours.

When the plane crashed, it embedded itself about 10 feet in the ground. As the work progressed, oil and gasoline that drained into a trench made by the plane as it hit the ground ignited several times. Illinois State Policeman William Monken was burned on his right arm and his hair was singed and Ray Scheibel, local fireman, was burned on the face and the arm when the gasoline and oil flared up as they searched for bodies in the wreckage.

Hundreds from O’Fallon and other areas were attracted to the scene.

50 years ago, May 8, 1975

Chief of Police Darwin Lehmann is seeking car mileage expense for an April 25 trip to Springfield although it appears he did not drive.

The chief’s expense account was approved Monday night with the exception of the Springfield reimbursement following an announcement by Alderman George Henken. On his expense account, Lehmann entered 192 miles for a trip to a Metropolitan Enforcement Group graduation in Springfield. Fairview Heights Chief of Police Jimmy Luster also attended the graduation.

Henken’s announcement was that he believes Lehmann rode with Luster instead of driving his own car. But Lehmann’s expense account has an item for 192 miles amounting to a request for payment of $19.20. This amount has been held up by the council.

Luster told the Progress Wednesday that he did drive to the graduation with a city vehicle on that date and that Lehmann rode with him to the ceremonies. Henken told the council Monday night that he had talked with Luster about the trip and said Luster told him that he drove and Lehmann rode along. Lehmann is out of town on vacation and is unavailable for comment on the matter.

Mayor Gary Mackey said the finance committee would look into the matter soon. The expenses for Lehmann, totaling $102.91 for the month, excluding the Springfield expense, were approved by the council.

Lehmann was put on a 10-cent a mile expense account last month after an investigation by the Progress showed that Lehmann had been using city gas for his personal car without permission from the city.

Henken said he came across the information in an informal manner when he talked to Luster about a car. Henken said he was interested in buying a car that the city of Fairview Heights had owned and that Luster had used. During the conversation Luster mentioned the Springfield trip and the fact that Lehmann had ridden with him.

“I looked for the bill in the expense account and there it was. If I hadn’t talked to Luster the whole thing may have gone unnoticed,” Henken said.

Henken said he feels the council should talk with the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners to see “if they condone this sort of thing. We need to get things straightened out. If the council approves the payment of the bills then we should have some say in how the money is spent,” Henken said.

The alderman said he really questioned whether all the trips were necessary.

“Should the chief have to attend all these graduations and such whenever he pleases? I think the council should be notified of this sort of thing before he takes off for a trip.” Henken said.

Whether or not Lehmann put the expense to Springfield deliberately is a question in Henken’s mind but “I think it would be pretty hard for him to say it was an oversight when he drove with someone else.”

Henken did not know whether some disciplinary action should be taken.

City Attorney Delmar Koebel said that Lehmann will have to be questioned on an explanation for putting down the Springfield expense.

“We have to find out why he put it down before we jump down his throat,” he said.

Koebel said that any disciplinary action, if any is warranted, would have to come from the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, since the board hires the chief of police for the city.