It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

 The following article appeared in The Raymond News on 1/30/75:

Volunteer Fireman putting up the town Christmas lights in the 90's.

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I'm not sure if this is still the case or not, but when I was a kid, the firemen put up the town's Christmas lights on the Sunday before Thanksgiving and they were turned on for the first time on Thanksgiving night. I couldn't wait to go uptown that night to see the lights that were strung across Main Street and the Santa and reindeer display that was set-up near the old water tower along Rt. 48. 

And that was just the beginning of the excitement. Seeing the Christmas lights on Main Street was a reminder that mom and dad would soon be decorating the store and  it was almost time to make our annual trip to Earl and Doris Sorrells' farm to find the perfect tree. The Sears Christmas Wish Book would be arriving in the mail and Santa's annual Saturday afternoon visit to Raymond was right around the corner. The upcoming weeks would be busy with practices for school and church Christmas programs, and with shopping that included picking out the perfect Secret Santa gift for a classmate (with a $2.50 spending limit!). 

Even after all these years, when I'm in Raymond for the holidays I still love turning down Main Street and seeing the Christmas lights.

Mom's BFF

Marge Trinkle and Eileen Gamlin in the late 30's

     I was sad to hear the news that Marge Hough, one of my mom’s life-long friends, passed away this week. 

My mom, Eileen Gamlin Bandy, met Marge (Margie Trinkle) when they started high school together in Raymond in the late 1930’s. The Gamlins lived in a farmhouse on one of the twin hills east of town, and up until that time, mom had attended a nearby country school. Back in those days, there was no “hard road” and travelling back and forth to Raymond for high school was difficult, so mom frequently stayed all night with Marge in town. At one point during high school, she ended up living with the Trinkles for almost an entire year, while the road (now known as the Nokomis Blacktop) was being constructed.

Following graduation, Marge went to business school in Missouri and mom went to business school in Springfield. After a short time, they both returned to the Raymond area. Marge married Raymond “Jiggs” Hough in 1946, and their first daughter, Kathy, was born around the time my mom and dad were married in 1947. My brother, Joe, was born the following year in 1948, and then mom and Marge were expecting at the same time on two occasions: Maury Hough and Bob Bandy were born less than a month apart in 1950, and Becky Hough and Nancy Bandy were born about six weeks apart in 1953. As young mothers raising several kids, mom and Marge felt lucky to have each other for support, especially when it came to dealing with Moe and Bob's shenanigans. In the 70’s and 80’s, mom and Marge worked together at the First National Bank of Raymond.

Marge and Jiggs Hough
in the mid-90's

I have always thought of Marge as one of the nicest people I have ever known, and one of the most resilient women I have ever known. A breast cancer survivor, Marge’s kind spirit and faith remained strong, even when she lost Jiggs after nearly 60 years of marriage, and after losing two of her adult children, Maury and Becky. 

Marge lived in her home until a few years ago when she moved to Tremont Ridge Assisted Living in Hillsboro. A couple of my siblings and I visited her there last fall. At age 96, she was still happy and on the go, and I'm so glad we got to have that last visit with her.   

Marge once gave Mom a bracelet that is made of several links. If you look closely, you can still see the words that are inscribed on each link: “With-Love-To-Eileen-From-Your-Friend-Marjorie-1943.” Mom kept it for the rest of her life. 

Rest in peace, Marge. You will be missed. 

Still Standing

Raymond's World War I veteran's monument once stood in the middle of Main Street on the east side of the railroad tracks. It was eventually moved to the high school, and later to Veteran's Memorial Park on the Gun Club grounds. According to Raymond's 125 Years of Memories book, the cannon in the top photo was given to a scrap drive during World War II to be melted down. 

Veteran's Memorial Park - Raymond, Illinois 

Thank you for your service

With Veteran's Day approaching, I thought it would be a good time to run another encore post from August, 2014 about one of Raymond's veterans, Elmer Carriker. Elmer was the son of Joseph Elmer and Cleo Carriker of Raymond. The couple had ten children. Four of their sons served at the same time in World War II: Charles, Philip, William, and Elmer, Jr. Their younger brother, Kenneth, served in the Army in the Korean War. The last surving Carriker sibling, William "Bill" Carriker, recently died on October 30th at the age of 97. 

 
On August 14, 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victory Over Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.”

The following information appears in Raymond's 125th Anniversary book: 

Raymond celebrated V-J Day on Tuesday, August 14, 1945 shortly after 6:00 p.m. when the official announcement came over the radio that Japan had accepted the Allied terms of unconditional surrender. The fire siren sounded continuously, and the church bells rang out the good news. Automobile horns sounded without ceasing and gunpowder and firecrackers added to the noise. Many Raymond people went to church Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. Stores in Raymond were closed all day Wednesday.

Elmer Carriker of Raymond was witness to the signing of the Japanese surrender in World War II. Carriker was in the U.S. Navy stationed aboard the USS Wren which saw engagements in Okinawa and the Aleutian Islands with the Third Fleet. on the morning of August 16, 1945 the Wren was among a combined fleet of over 100 ships near the Japan shores. Carriker watched through binoculars as the Japanese taxi boat drew near the USS Missouri and saw the Japanese officers sign the surrender documents in front of General MacArthur and Admiral Halsey.

Special thanks to Janna Carriker Lawrence and Keith Carriker for providing Elmer's photo.