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Robert Bike

Robert Bike

Licensed Massage Therapy #5473
Eugene, Oregon

EFT-CC, EFT-ADV

Teaching Reiki Master

Life Coach

541-465-9486

Gift Certificates

Reiki
Private classes.
Biblical Aromatherapy
Therapeutic Essential
Oil Massages
Member
OMTA & ABMP
President of the Oregon Massage Therapists Association
2008-2010
& 2012-2013

I graduated from Freeport (Illinois) High School.
I'm a Pretzel!

FHS Reunions

Copyright 2002 - present

Latest Copyright
January 2, 2023

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Buy one of my books, on sale below.
All sales go to help support this website.

Remarkable Stories,
Volume 1


by Robert Bike

Remarkable events have happened in Freeport and Stephenson County, Illinois, and remarkable people have lived there. These are stories gathered about people and events from 1835 through World War II.

By no means complete, these are overviews of lives and events which shaped our country and our world. From events in the lives of Tutty Baker, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Guiteau, Leonard Colby, Jane Addams and Bob Wienand come stories that will amaze you. Welcome to Volume 1 of our living history.

The author lives in Eugene, Oregon, and works as a Licensed Massage Therapist and Life Coach. An amateur historian, parts of these stories and many more appear on this website.

Buy now! Only 99 cents to download in .pdf format!

Want a paperback? List price $14.99, now only $11.99!

Biblical Aromatherapy

by Robert Bike

The Bible mentions about 232 plants by name, or closely enough to figure out what plant is meant. Of these, 24 are aromatic plants; that is, parts of the plants can be pressed or distilled to get an essential oil. Essential oils are the lifeblood of plants and have tremendous healing capabilities.

The healing power of plants is the basis for modern medicines.

Biblical Aromatherapy
discusses how the plants were used in biblical days and how you can use the essential oils from biblical plants.

Originally published in manuscript form in 1999, I completely revised the book and added illustrations.

To order Biblical Aromatherapy in paperback,
Click here.

List price $24.99; introductory offer $19.99


To order the pdf version and download to your computer or phone,

Click here.

The electronic version is only $2.99!

 

Publicity!

Olga Carlile, columnist for the Freeport (Illinois) Journal Standard, featured this website in her column on January 19, 2007.
Here is a jpg scan.

Harriet Gustason, another columnist for the Freeport Journal Standard, has featured this website twice. Click to see pdf of articles:
June 29, 2012
November 3, 2012

 

"My Life Purpose is to inspire my friends
and clients to achieve
success, health,
wealth and happiness
by empowering them
to reach their potential,
while living in harmony
with each other, animals
and our planet."
Robert Bike

Robert Bike, LMT, LLC

The Polaris is the high school annual from Freeport High School, Freeport, Illinois.

All text and photos Copyright 2002 - present Robert L. Bike, except for direct quotes from the Polaris, and other uncopyrighted material in the public domain.

The Class of 1906

Geneva Helen Baltzer, married Mr. Kennison, Freeport.

Mary Baldwin, teacher, Freeport.

Floyd or Lloyd E. Best, Northwestern University Medicine, Class of 1911, Freeport.

Florence Bricker, bookkeeper, Freeport.

Gladys Brine,

S. Lillian Brubaker, teacher, Freeport.

Kenneth Burrell, Illinois Wesleyan Law, Freeport.

Mary S. Capp, stenographer, Freeport.

Dora Ethel Chappell, teacher, Freeport.

Clarence W. Chapman,

Lawrence Chapman,

Leslie D. Clark, Armour Institute Class of 1910 Chicago, Freeport.

Fred A. Dietrich, bookkeeper, Winnipeg, Canada.

Edna E. Ditzler, stenographer, Freeport.

Mary E. Dreyer, teacher, Freeport.

John E. Erwin, Nebraska.

Elsie Figley,

Brownie Fitch,

Elta Flachtemeier, bookkeeper, Freeport.

Elsie Figeley, dressmaker, Freeport.

Alice Mae Frye, bookkeeper, Freeport.

Ulysses S. Goddard, Freeport Business College.

David B. Graham, banker, Laurel, Nebraska.

George Green,

Harry Hanke, reporter, Standard, Freeport.

Harvey Hartman, Welch & Hartman, Freeport.

Elva M. Hill, Freeport.

Kathryn Hill, Freeport.

Ruth Hill, Wells College Class of 1910, Freeport.

Irving Hoefer, civil engineer, Missoula, Montana.

Nellie Holland, Lake Forest College Class of 1910, Freeport.

Jennie Jones, stenographer, Freeport.

Margaret Kathryn Jones, bookkeeper, Freeport.

Nellie Jones,

Sue Kunz,

Louis Leonard Lebkicker, Freeport.

Helen Littwinski, teacher, Freeport.

Edward Luebbing, clerk, Walton Nephews, Freeport.

Warren Madden, U of I Class of 1911, Freeport.

Harry McCulloch, Principal of Milford High School, Milford, Illinois.

Don Meisenbach, El paso & Southwestern RR, El Paso, Texas.

Edna Murphy, U of Chicago Class of 1911.

Boyd W. Nestlerode.

Walter Nolting, Emmert Drug Store, Freeport.

Archie Putnam, Illinois Central office, Freeport.

Michael Rigney, farming, Scioto Mills.

S. Rigney,

Irene J. Schillinger, bookkeeper, Freeport.

Hilda Marie Schilling,

George Schmelzle, Schmelzle & Sons, Freeport.

George Schoefel,

Walter Schulte, U of W Class of 1910, Freeport.

Wilmer Sechrist, Guyer & Calkins Co., Freeport.

Edith Swingley, Freeport.

Alma Vaupel, Freeport.

Daniel Voss, Moline Plow Co., Freeport.

Karl F. Wagner, U of W Class of 1910, Freeport.

Frances Emmerson Watson, State Superintendent's Office, Tacoma, Washington.

Fred H. Young, Elecrtic Light & Power Co., Freeport.

Fred R. Young, Elecrtic Light & Power Co., Freeport.

Harry Zanoni, First National Bank of Freeport.

Gladys Ziegler.

Polaris October 1905

The October 1905 issue of the Polaris. Scan courtesy of Bob Jones, from his mother's collection. Hilda Marie Schilling, after graduating from FHS in 1906,
attended the Art Institute of Chicago. She married Wyatt J. Jones, and they had four children. Bob Jones, their youngest child, scanned his mother's Polarises.

Polaris January 1906
The January 1906 issue of the Polaris.

Polaris February 1906
The February 1906 issue of the Polaris.

Polaris March 1906
The March 1906 issue of the Polaris.

There are more scans from Bob Jones on the 1904 page. My scans of the June 1905 issue is on the 1905 page.


World War I Veterans from the Class of 1906

Ulysses S. Goddard, Heavy Artillery, France.

Sergeant David B. Graham, Infantry.

George T. Green, Tenty Officers' Training Camp, Camp Custer, Battle Creek, Michigan.

Harry Hanke, Quartermaster's Department, Jacksonville, Florida.

Lieutenant Walter A. Nolting, Hospital Corps, Camp McArthur, Waco, Texas.

Fred Russel Young, Infantry. 132nd L.F.A., 123rd H.F.A., 317th Infantry.


Stephenson Street in 1906

From a card postmarked in 1906, looking east on Stephenson Street. At left is the City Hall, on the right is the old YMCA. A block down on the left is the tall Civil War Memorial.


1906 Grace Episcopal Church

This card, also postmarked 1906, shows Stephenson Street from another block plus west, also looking east. On the left is Grace Episcopal Church. Here, the artist seems to have painted over the trolley tracks.

Lincoln-Douglas debate memorial stone

This 1906 card shows the original Lincoln-Douglas debate site. Now a park, when I was growing up in Freeport the site was a parking lot. In this photo, residences were built on the original debate site.

card postmarked 1906 showing Court House

The Stephenson County Court House in an unusual view. Most cards show the Court House as viewed from the southwest and feature the Soldiers' Monument. This view is from the northeast, showing N. Van Buren Avenue on the left and W. Exchange Street on the right.

card postmarked 1906 showing First ME Church
The First ME Church in 1906.

card postmarked 1906 showing the Carnegie Library
The Carnegie Public Library in Freeport as shown on a 1906 card.


Here’s another interesting character from Freeport’s past who would have been in this graduating class, but I couldn't find a record of.

Charles Symens (1888-1960) was a veteran of World War One.

In the 1920s and early 1930s he advertised himself variously as a “magnetic healer,” and a “mental and spiritual healer not pertaining to spiritualism.” He claimed “Pains stopped and health restored by laying on hands.”

In the 1930s the State of Illinois charged five Stephenson County residents with violations of the medical practices act, alleging that they engaged in practice without obtaining a license.

O. C. Kisor, J. F. Homan, Harold Armstrong and Marie J. Raders were listed as chiropractors while Symens was listed as “Rev. Charles Symens, practical psychologist.” I don’t know the outcome of the cases.

Charles Symens was survived by two sons, Charles Jr. who played football for Freeport High School in the late 1940s and later earned a degree as an industrial psychologist, and James, who served in the Air Force.


Polaris Home

Freeport High School

Click on any year in the chart below to see the class and other info,
such as postcards, people and events from that year.

1906
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

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