From Gus and Marcia Wiebers submitted January 13, 2008
I just reread a copy I have of "The Spirit," published by the Park Forest Historical Society, v.2, No. 3, Spring, 2007. It reminded me that I have intended to write for some time. The years our family spent living in Park Forest comprised a very special chapter in our lives. My parents, not long out of college (he after time overseas in the European Theater in WWII), bought a house on Cherry St. the spring of 1951. Six years later toward the end of May, 1957, we moved on to Lincoln, Nebraska, where my father took a job with an insurance company, leaving a financial position at the Harris Bank in downtown Chicago. Thus it was 6 years that we spent in Park Forest.
Even though just in their mid-20s when we moved to the "village" and with a young family, both my father and mother, Herman and Helen Wiebers, were active in the community, at Sauk Trail School and Faith United Protestant Church. A couple of years after we arrived my father was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Village Board when Ed Kern resigned, then was elected to a 2-year term on the Board in 1954. During that period he was Chair of Finance, Vice Chair of Public Safety, President pro tem of the Board and City Treasurer for a time. He was good friends with Bob Dinerstein, Village Board President at that time, my parents are still in contact with the Dinersteins.
Now early in 2008 my father is approaching age 83 but still is blessed with a tremendous memory. I have taken it upon myself the past couple of years to audio tape my parents (...as I have a substantial interest in family history/genealogy) reminiscing about their pasts, from childhood up through the periods we spent as a family living in various locations. Much time on those tapes was devoted to a discussion regarding Park Forest memories. I did not know how much of a response I would get when our topic turned to Park Forest but both parents, certainly my father, just kept talking and with great detail. He has a phenomenal recollection of names and events, who did and said what, and when. He talks a good deal about those who were "the founding fathers" of the village, Philip Klutznick, Henry Dietch, Mr. Dinerstein, Pastor Gerson Engelmann, those representing the American Community Builders, those on the Village Board, the Homesteaders, and much more.
I do not know if his memories would be of interest to you. The time we lived in Park Forest was relatively short, however he remembers a good deal which is probably of significance from that period and may not have been covered by others. I have copied and my parents and I have read several of the oral histories you have made available. Let me know if there is some way we can make a contribution of some type to this archive.
[The society is interested in oral histories done by others which relate stories about Park Forest. We can accept audiotapes, CDs, DVDs, even videotape if that is how you have it. It is optimal if you have made a transcript, or can convert the older formats to the newer ones before sending them to us. If you write a memoir about your time here, we will also copy it for our paper memoir files. Many people regard their time in Park Forest as the "Golden Time" of their lives. We want to hear about those years--even if you did not find them that special! Where did you live, what did you do, what did your parent's do for a living and what organizations were they in. What was school like? What was your neighborhood like? JN]
Gus Wiebers
Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd grade at Sauk Trail School
Fall, 1954--Spring, 1957
Now approaching age 59
Lincoln, Nebraska
