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, uncopyrighted material in the public domain.

The Class of 1908

The 1908 Polaris

List of the Class of 1908, what they did, and where they lived, according to later Polarises.

Mabelle Adams, teacher.

Ralph Angle,

Irene Baltzer, Orangeville.

Charles Barnes,

John Baumgarten,

Mildred Barshinger,

Leta Maude Best, Illinois Wesleyan Class of 1912, Freeport.

Robert Bickenbach,

Leila Bowers, teacher, Freeport.

Justin Boyington,

Josie Brau, teacher, Freeport.

John H. Brown, pattern maker, Stover Mfg., Freeport.

Nellie Bucher,

Frederick M. Byerly, druggist, Algona, Iowa.

Ted Byerly,

Ethel Millicent Cain, Freeport.

Ruby Lucile Carl, Western College of Oxford Ohio, Freeport.

Salena Casey,

Margaret Davenport, assistant librarian, Freeport.

Daisy Anna Dinges, stenographer.

Alpheus C. Dresser, U of I Class of 1912

Maud Eaton, stenographer, Freeport.

Oscar Frederick Ennenga, Princeton Academy Class of 1910, Freeport.

Albert Evans,

Donald Fair,

Guy Faubel,

Kathryn Fenton,

Grace Belva Fike, Milledgeville, Illinois.

Raymond Fitch,

Marguerite Freesmann, Freeport.

William Fowler,

Bula Fox, teacher Freeport RFD

Marguerite Freemann

Orlando Gochnaur, became a medical doctor, joined the British Expeditionary Forces, Killed In Action November 6, 1917, during WWI on the French Front, more here

Kate Gleason,

Kate Goodrich,

Arthur Grant,

Gertrude E. Gratello, bookkeeper, Freeport.

George Taylor Green, Stover Mfg. Co., Freeport.

Edna Hall,

Ross Hall,

Guy Harnish,

Helen Harpster,

Vilas Heckman,

Charles Hickey,

Hazel Hill,

Harry Holmes,

Lloyd Holmes,

Vera Lois Holmes, stenographer, Freeport.

Grace Eleanor Hughes, Lake Forest College Class of 1912, Freeport.

William Adelbert Hutchins, U of I, Freeport.

Emilie Caroline Jungkunz, Freeport.

Ilma D. Jungkunz, U of W Class of 1912, Freeport.

Anne Leonore Kerchner, stenographer, Freeport.

Jean Knowlton, Freeport.

Meta M. Kuhlemeyer, stenographer, Freeport.

Fritz Kunz, U of W Class of 1912, Freeport.

LeRoy Kunz,

Boyd B. Laible, South Dakota.

Helen Littwinski,

Elva Mae Luebbing, stenographer, Rawleigh Medical Co., Freeport.

Alma L. Lukerman, stenographer, Freeport.

Florence Ethel Maurer, Freeport.

Gladys R. McAfee, Freeport.

Harry McCann,

Blanche McCormick,

Laura E. Mensenkamp, teacher, Freeport.

Floyd Miller,

Harry W. Moore, foreman of machine shop, Freeport.

Mercedes Moritz,

Harriet K. Murphy, stenographer, Freeport

Lloyd Nichol,

Jean Nolton,

Agnes E. O'Connor, bookkeeper, Freeport.

Oscar Ohlendorf,

Manley Phelps,

Verna Nina Raymer, teacher, Freeport.

Edna Rayner,

Ray Redding,

Dwight Riner, Huenkemeier & Fry, Freeport.

Nellie M. Riordan, Freeport.

Helen M. Rockey, Freeport.

Irma E. Rowland, Freeport.

Elta Schaub, Freeport.

Rose Schmich,

Carl Schoeffel

Otto Schubert,

Eunice Mason Smith, Mt. Holyoke College Class of 1912, Freeport.

Pearl Smith,

Hazel Starkweather,

Sina S. Steenrod, Mt. Holyoke College Class of 1912, Freeport.

Ruth Fern Stocks, teacher, Mt. Holyoke College Class of 1912, Freeport.

Mary A. Tappe, bookkeeper, Freeport.

Helen May Tenney, teacher, Freeport.

Cornelia Thomas, Mt. Holyoke College Class of 1912, McAlester, Oklahoma.

Howard Frederick Thoren, Chicago.

Milens Ulrich,

Clara Wallick,

John Martin Walz Jr., U of W, Freeport.

Nellie M. Watson, nurse, Chicago.

Dee Wheeler,

Gertrude Windecker,

Pearl Wohlford, Freeport.

Charles Wunderlich,

Clarence Paul Young, First National Bank of Freeport.

The former owner of this Polaris was John W. Barrett, Class of 1912.

This is the fourth year of publication of the Polaris.

August Bergman, President
Edward H. Allen, David F. Graham, Boyd P. Hill, Charles F. Hildreth, Owen T. Smith, Dwight B Breed, August E. Hanke, Roy K. Farwell, Charles A. McNamara
Superintendent - S. E. Raines

Faculty
L. A. Fulwider, Principal, HIstory (pictured)
Frances A. Rosebrugh, Mathematics
Flora Guiteau, Latin
Alice T. Bidwell, English
Mabel Goddard, English
Katharine Rubel, German
Eugene M. Phillis, Science
Allie M. Reitzell, Biology
Howard T. McMyler, Mathematics
Vida A. Graham, History
Arthur J. Parsons, English and History
Leah Van Blarcom, Domestic Science
John A. Seefelder, Manual Training
Esther Dana, Drawing
Minnie M. Davis, Music

Principal's Office

Polaris Staff

Literary Department
George Green, Managing Editor
Nellie Riordan & Frederick Byerly, Senior Editors
William McCall, Junior Editor
Irma Laible & Charles Wilcox, Sophomore Editors
Florence Oyler, Freshman Editor
Irene Baltzer, Alumni Editor
William Hutchins, Athletics
Clarence Young, Manuall Training
Alpheus Dresser, Trigonometry

Artists
Alpheus Dresser, Head Artist and Senior Artist
Louis Mensenkamp, Cartoonist and Junior Artist
Florence Hunt, Sophomore Artist
Ralph Grossman, Freshman Artist

Business Department
Alpheus Dresser, Business Manager

Freeport High School in 1908.
This is about 18 years before the current high school was built.

The Senior Class Officers
Oscar Ennenga, President
Alpheus Dresser, Vice President
Clarence Young, Treasurer
Verna Raymer, Secretary
Emilie Jungkunz, Pianist
Eunice M. Smith, Mantle Speaker
Fritz Kunz, Prophet

Class Colors, Maize and Blue
Class Motto, Per Aspera Ad Astra (Through Hardships to the Stars)

Class Invitations
Alpheus Dresser, Frederick Byerly, Eunice Smith

Class Play Advertising and Printing
Oscar Ennenga, Nellie Riordan, Irene Baltzer, George Green, William Hutchins, Maude Eaton

Class Play Music
Dwight Riner, Ethel Cain, Leila Bowers, Cornelia Thomas

Class Play Costumes
Ilma Jungkunz, Ruby Carl

Class Pins
Frederick Byerly, Charles Wunderlich, Eunice Smith

Fritz Kunz, Class Prophet
Eunice Smith, Senior Mantle Speaker
Carl Schoeffel, Junior Mantle Speaker

Mabelle Adams, Frederick M. Byerly, Leta Maude Best, Josie Brau, L. Leila Bowers, Irene Baltzer

John H. Brown, Mildred Barshinger, Ruby Lucile Carl, Ethel Cain, Alpheus Dresser, Daisy Dinges, Margaret Davenport

Oscar Ennenga, Maude Eaton, Grace Fike, Bula Fox, Marguerite Freesmann, Gertrude E. Grattelo, George Green

Grace Hughes, Vera Holmes, William Hutchins, Emilie Jungkunz, Ilma D. Jungkunz, Fritz Kunz, Jean Knowlton

Meta Kuhlemeyer, Anne Leonore Kerchner, Boyd Laible, Alma Lukerman, Elva Luebbing, Laura Mensenkamp, Harry Moore

Harriet Murphy, Florence Maurer, Gladys McAfee, Agnes O'Connor, Irma Rowland, Dwight S. Riner, Verna Raymer

Helen Rockey, Nellie Riordan, Eunice Mason Smith, Sina Steenrod, Ruth Stocks, Elta Schaub, Howard Thoren

Cornelia Thomas, Mary Tappe, Helen Tenney, John Walz, Pearl Wohlford, Nellie Watson, Clarence Paul Young

Ralph Angle, Charles Barnes, John Baumgarten, Robert Bickenbach, Justin Boyington, Nellie Bucher, Albert Evans, Donald Fair, Guy Faubel, Lloyd Nichol, Blanche McCormick, Floyd Miller, Edna Rayner, Hazel Hill, Kate Goodrich, Ross Hall, Edna Hall, Guy Harnish, Helen Harpster, Charles Hickey, Raymond Fitch, William Fowler, Kate Gleason, Arthur Grant, Vilas Heckman, Harry Holmes, Lloyd Holmes, LeRoy Kunz, Harry McCann, Oscar Ohlendorf, Manley Phelps, Ray Redding, Rose Schmich, Otto Schubert, Pearl Smith, Hazel Starkweather, Clara Wallick, Gertrude Windecker, Charles Wunderlich

Juniors

Officers
Alfred Wagner, President
William McCall, Vice President
Elizabeth Croke, Secretary and Treasurer

Flower, Violet
Colors, Old Gold and Purple
Motto, Excelsior (Onward & Upward)

Sophomores

Officers
Douglas Grant, President
Irma Laible, Vice President
Ruth Fair, Secretary
Dick Fry, Treasurer

Colors, Tan and Old Gold
Flower, Red Rose

Freshmen

Officers
Ralph Dippell, President
Francis Ryan, Vice President
Corinne Courtney, Secretary
Wilbur Goddard, Treasurer
Florence Oyler, Pianist

Class Colors, Lavender and Crushed Strawberry
Class Flower, White Chrysanthemum

Biology Labratory

Chemistry Labratory

Domestic Science Kitchen

Manual Training Department

Physics Laboratory

Domestic Science Sewing Room

Assembly Hall

The 1907-1908 basketball team had a record of five wins and seven losses, including beating Polo 81-6!

The basketball first team: Clell Skinner and Harry Hoyman, forwards; Karl Ennenga, center; Howard Thoren, John Vaupel and Solomon Hoy, guards.

The second team, not shown, Frederick Byerly, Douglas Grant and Frank Yordy, forwards; Frank Yordy, center; Carl Schoeffel, John Vaupel, Alfred Wagner and Robert Ulrich, guards.

World War I Veteran from the Class of 1908

Lieutenant Frederick Byerly, Aviation Instructor, Chanute Field, Rantoul, Illinois.

Margaret "Maggie" Davenport graduated from Freeport High School in 1908 and earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Wisconsin. She was a school librarian for many years. Around 1930, she and Susan Rosenstiel (Class of 1900) bought a horticultural nursery they called Port Rose Garden. Rosenstiel later bought out Davenport's share. Davenport's obituary appeared in The Freeport Journal-Standard Nov. 15, 1977. Source: The Freeport Journal Standard August 20, 2005

Leta Best was Vice President of her Sophomore Class at Illinois Wesleyan.

Freeport High School in 1908.

Looking west on Stephenson Street in 1908. The building with the cupola just to the right of center is the old Garrity Drug Store. The fine brick building across the street behind it is the Brewster Hotel, where Abraham Lincoln stayed in 1858 during the Lincoln-Douglas debate.

The Stephenson County Court House in 1908.

Highland Amusement Park in 1908.

Crain's Grove, southeast of Freeport, in 1908.

The Carnegie Library, Freeport, Illinois, in 1908.

The entrance to Oakland Cemetery in 1908.

St. Francis Hospital in 1908.

Galena Street, now Main Street, in 1908.

Third Ward Park in 1908, showing some early Freeporters.

Bill of sale from Thompson & Huenkemeier, lumber, coal and wood.

This is St. John's Church in 1908. At the time of the photo, it was St. John's Evangelical Church. When I was baptized in this church, it was St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church. This building burned in 1957 and a new building was built on S. Park Boulevard at the west edge of Freeport. It is now called St. John's United Church of Christ.

My father was an usher and later an elder in St. John's. Just before services began, he would ring the bells, and a few times I got to help him. There were rough, thick ropes that hung from the bells, and I would help Dad pull the ropes down. The weight of the heavy bells would swing me up in the air as the bells swung back and forth. The bells were in the opening seen by the postmark. They were saved after the fire and are in the new bell tower, but are now rung electronically from inside the church.

While researching something else, I ran across this ad in the December, 1915, issue of Popular Mechanics.

Louis Strohacker (1871-1959) grew up in Freeport and started working at age 16 at Stover Manufacturing. He was an inventor, and through his career he was granted more than 400 patents. His next job was with Standard Store Service, which made cash and package carriers, and rose to manager. He transferred to their Chicago office, and when the company got bought out by Lampson Carrier Company in Lowell, Massachusetts, he moved there.

The following year Louis returned to Chicago to work with his brother Edward (1878-1962), who had an automobile repair shop. Louis mentioned to one of their customers that he wanted to manufacture toys, and in 1908 Clement Eastman Thompson (1857-1943) and the Strohacker brothers moved to Freeport. Together the three opened a small toy company called Thompson Manufacturing Company in a garage at 19 Wright Street. It was an immediate success.

In 1911 the three incorporated the business and renamed it Structo Manufacturing. They outgrew the garage on Wright Street and moved into a factory building at Powell and Douglas, formerly the home of the W. T. Rawleigh Company.

Their first toys were construction kits with nickel-plated steel beams, nuts and bolts. They produced 20 different sizes of kits. The small kits were packaged in cardboard boxes, while the largest kits were packaged in walnut boxes.

In 1923 Structo sold the patents for these kits to the A. C. Gilbert Company of New Haven, Connecticut. The Gilbert company called their version of the toy "Erector Sets."

From 1919 to 1927 Structo made Auto Builder sets that came with instructions and materials for kids to assemble their own toy automobiles.

In 1921 Structo began manufacturing their Structo Artcraft Looms, toy weaving looms using the same steel as the construction sets. Designed by Louis Strohacker with a view to simplify weaving for children, he invented the ready-warped spool, a devise to save a lot of time. Edward Strohacker then designed the tooling to make it. The warped spool eliminated the task of warping the thread on a large board. Instead, Structo's ready warped spools are wound by machine, under tension with pressure, resulting in all threads of uniform equal size and strength.

Marketed strictly as a toy, it didn't sell well. Mary M. Atwater, a nationally-known weaver, got one and saw the potential. She contacted Structo and requested that they use their patented technology to build full looms for adults. Structo complied, and the adult looms were wildly popular.

The Warm Springs Foundation, which treated people with polio, requested some modifications so that people with limited manipulation could exercise their fingers. Seven special looms were made for them, and that model quickly became popular for occupational therapy.

Eleanor Roosevelt, whose husband Franklin D. Roosevelt had polio, traveled to Freeport to purchase 125 looms for veterans hospitals around the country. She also purchased one for herself.

Structo looms were sold through the Sears and Roebuck and J. C. Penney catalogues.

In 1972, Structo sold the loom division to the Dick Blick Company.

Structo continued to make stamped steel toys throughout the 1920s and 1930s. In 1935 Structo built a factory on route 75 just east of Freeport, and added stamping out license plates to its product line.

During World War Two, Structo made water chests for machine guns, bomb racks, incendiary bomb cases and hand grenade fuses.

After the war, Structo returned to making toys. In 1960 Structo began making gas grills, which proved to be another popular product line.

In 1965, Structo expanded the factory to over nine acres under roof. In 1974 toy production stopped. In 1975 Structo sold all of its patents except toys to the King Seely Thermos Company which continued making grills in Freeport. Structo sold its toy patents to Ertl Toy of Dyersville, Iowa.

Dr. John F. Fair (1855-1933), Clara Fair (1857-1909), with their five children and horse, at 650 W. Stephenson Street, in about 1908 and now.

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