As part of the run up to ESCONI's 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #24. If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks!
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The 60th Anniversary was written by Kathy Dedina and appeared in the January 2010 issue of The Earth Science News. She was President from 1989-1990. Additionally, she served in other capacities for the club over the years, such as Vice-President, Treasurer, and Recording Secretary. Unfortunately, Kathy is no longer with us. ESCONI have a long and distinguished history as evidenced by this article.
Kathy Dedina, Jean Reynolds, and Judy Dedina - Plant Life Display @ MWF Show 1996
60 Years of ESCONI by Kathy Dedina
Thirteen people with interests in the Earth Sciences met on November 11th, 1949 at the W. H. Allaway home in Downers Grove to discuss forming a club centered on the rockhounding hobby. This idea had previously been presented to the Hawthorne Club of Western Electric and had been turned down because of a perceived lack of interest in rocks, minerals and fossils. How wrong they were. Sixty years later ESCONI is celebrating an anniversary while all that remains of Western Electric and its club is a distant memory. The rejection put plans for a club on hold for a time. One day some boys asked Mr. Allaway if they could find Indian arrow heads around Downers Grove. He drove them to a plowed field on Highland Avenue where one arrow head was found.
Later that evening the boys brought their fathers with them to look at Mr. Allaway’s collection and to discuss forming a rock club to learn more about their specimens and to find new places
to collect. They agreed to meet on November 25 at Dr. Spiesman’s to further pursue the idea of a rock club.
At this meeting of 32 people Mr Allaway was appointed temporary chairman. A nominating committee, a constitution and by-law committee, a meeting place committee and a membership committee began the groundwork for forming a club. It was also agreed that a name for the organization would be selected at the next meeting and a bulletin would be printed on a regular interval. The date for the next meeting was January 6, 1950. The first regular meeting of the new rock club was attended by 62 people. The constitution and by-laws were adopted and officers for chairman, vice-chairman, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, treasurer and historian-curator were elected. To William Allaway, Roy Beghtol, Herb Beck, Jay Farr, Stevens Norwell and Ethel Whitney we owe our thanks and gratitude for their efforts that provided the foundation of our rock club that has encouraged education and adventure for all its members. Twenty seven attendees became members. Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois was voted the new name of the club. Meetings will be on the second Friday of the month except for July and August. A monthly bulletin will be published. The January 1950 bulletin, the very first of our club, was called Bulletin of Earth Science Club with a shield shaped logo. It was three pages with an article by Chairman Allaway, a story of a field trip by a member, a book suggestion and a notice about the contest for the selection of a cover design and a bulletin name. I am guessing the bulletin was handed out to those at the meeting. An educational program was presented after the business meeting.
March, 1950 is another important date in ESCONI history. It was at that meeting The Earth Science News was selected as official name of the bulletin. It received 22 of 132 votes. Among the other 27 suggestions were Tailings, The Mine, Echoes of the Past and The Earthworm. Twelve designs were submitted for the emblem contest. Several of these featured the outline of the state of Illinois as the main design element or as part of circles or shields. There were designs similar to the final selection. The winner received 18 of 102 votes. It should be noted that members voted for three choices hence the high number of votes. The March bulletin announced B. J Babbitt as the editor of the bulletin. A guest speaker followed the business meeting. Bulletins in the historian’s files appear with hand written address labels indicating that they are being mailed to members.
The April, 1950 bulletin is the first to be printed with the official name and emblem. The usual green color appeared later. A comparison of a 1950 and 2009 bulletin show only minor changes. The size of the lettering for The Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois is larger and we now have a web address added to the cover. The position of editor is listed with club officers. Dues for membership are $2.00 for an active member, $1.25 for associate and non resident members and $0.75 for juniors. The dues schedule in the 20th anniversary bulletin is the same as in 1950. In the April bulletin is the announcement for the first ESCONI field trip to the strip mines 20 miles south of Plainfield. The group was to meet in Plainfield and take Route 66 to the collecting site in Braidwood. Thirty five members participated in this collecting trip. The first membership list is in the April bulletin which had grown to 6 pages.
1951 was important year in ESCONI history for four events. In March, ESCONI was incorporated as a non profit organization for studying and promoting interest in the earth sciences. In November the first Silent Auction was held at the Downers Grove High School. The auction brought in $190.65. It was so successful that the club decides to make the auction an annual event. In January Lillian Bish was appointed librarian to oversee the collection of 20 books maintained in her home. The position of librarian was also added to the officers of the club by a change to the constitution and by-laws. The first junior study group and the archaeology study group were created.
1958 was another milestone year. Membership had reached 482. Junior groups were located in several suburban towns. ESCONI hosted the Midwest Federation Convention in June at the Downers Grove High School. ESCONI published its first book “The Wilmington Coal Flora” by George Langford. Dr Richardson of the Field Museum suggested that ESCONI undertake the project of putting into print the long term study of coal age plants from concretions which Langford began collecting in 1930.
The group ESCONI associates was formed to oversee the publishing project (Orval Fehter, George Malett, Harry Witmer, and Stella Barrick are pictured above with the author). The publication of Langford’s book added a study tool for both amateur and professional collectors. “The Wilmington Coal Fauna and Additions to the Wilmington Flora” by Langford followed in 1963.
In 1964 Plant Life Through the Ages as exhibited for the first time at the Midwest Federation convention in Muskegon Michigan. Models of early plant life were created by members of the paleontology study group which was formed in1954. Wilbert Rath directed the project that included lifelike models of plants, the corresponding plant fossils and a reprint of a Vi Sobolik article from the Earth Science magazine. The exhibit covered over 60 feet of space. Later the exhibit was displayed at American Federation and Midwest Federation shows and the Chicago Flower Show. A slide show of the Plant Life was made in 1970.
The first 2 day indoor field trip or ESCONI show was held on March 2-3 1974. ESCONI is one of the original members of the Chicagoland Gem and Mineral Association formed in 1975. The first Chicagoland show is in May of 1977 with ESCONI contributing displays and workers.
This chronicle of ESCONI firsts tells only part of the ESCONI story. Over the years many things have changed. Amazingly many things are the same. We still meet for general meetings on the 2nd Friday of the month except for July and August. This adds up to 600 educational programs many of which were presented by noted guest speakers. The 1950 guest speaker list included Dr Frank Fleener co-author of “Quartz Family Minerals” and speakers from the Chicago Natural History Museum and the Illinois Geological Survey. In 1991, we were fortunate to have as our speaker Dr. Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago. Lance Grande of the Field Museum and author of the book on Green River fish spoke here. Noted micromineral photographer and ESCONI member Dan Behnke has shared his expertise with us on many occasions. The list could go on and on. For six decades general meeting speakers have enriched our knowledge of Earth Science.
Six hundred and sixty bulletins have been printed including anniversary issues at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40 and 50 years. The bulletin grew from its 3 page start to over twenty pages. It has received both American and Midwest Federation awards. It was the major communication tool available before websites, e mails and texting. In 1999 ESCONI joined the electronic age by creating a club website. John Good was our webmaster for many years. Diana Lord is currently in charge of the website and has updated it and made it more interactive.
Field trips have been an important part of the club since the very beginning. Those boys met with Mr. Allaway to start a club to find new places to collect. In the collecting area many things have changed. Access to mines and quarries is more restricted today. Many sites no longer exist. Over the years ESCONI Field Trips took members to famous collecting site including Pints Quarry, Rockford Brick and Tile, Sylvania, Rensselaer, Terra Haute to name a few. Some trips ventured as far as Canada and South Dakota. A bus trip drove members to the Cave in Rock area in 1958.
Indoor trips have taken members to places like the Field Museum, Funk Museum and Chicago Academy of Science. In 1954 the club went to the Thorton Quarry. In 2009 we revisited a now much expanded Thorton Quarry. Trips to the concretion collecting areas have also covered all 60 years from the first field trip in 1950 to 2009 Rick Rock’s Pit 11 boat trips and to collecting at Braceville. A 1958 trip to Braidwood is pictured at left.
The ESCONI Library has encouraged members to learn more about the Earth Sciences. A list of the first 20 books was published in 1952. From 1959 to 1982 the library collection was housed at the Downers Grove Library. Any ESCONI member could check out books from the ESCONI collection by presenting their ESCONI membership card. In 1982 the books were again housed by the librarian and distributed at meetings and by request. Today we have hundreds of books and pamphlets in the collection. The library list is available on line and in print form. It continues to be one of the most valuable ESCONI educational resources.
ESCONI has continued its history of book publication for 45 years. In 1986 “Keys to Identify Pennsylvanian Plants of the Mazon Creek Area” became available to collectors. Earlier reference material needed updating. Larry Osterberger, Paul Caponera, Don Auler and Floyd Rogers played an important part in bringing this new booklet to print. Other members also assisted in the project. This was followed in 1989 by “Keys to Identify Pennsylvanian Fossil Animals of the Mazon Creek Area”. Andrew Hay, Don Auler and Floyd Rogers were major contributors with assistance from several members. “Creature Corner” by Andrew Hay and Don Auler is a compilation of articles on Mazon Creek animals that appeared in the ESCONI bulletin between 1984 and 2001. The classification of plants fossils from Mazon Creek had been revised over the years. Available publications were all out of date. Collectors were forced to identify their specimens using incorrect guides. The remedy to this situation was the publication in 2006 by ESCONI Associates of “The Mazon Creek Fossil Flora” by Jack Wittry. This book uses the latest scientific studies and color photos to help collectors identify their specimens. For this we are forever grateful to Jack Wittry and the ESCONI Associates. The next project is a book on the fauna of Mazon Creek. This will be ESCONI’s 7th book.
Over 70 fossils have been named for ESCONI members. A list was printed in the 50 th anniversary bulletin. ESCONI itself has two fossils named after the club. In 1974 Dr. David Bardack named a larval fish Esconichthys apyrispo. Collectors refer to it as the blade. In 1977, Ida Thompson named a polychaete worm Esconites zelus. Specimens of these 2 fossils are part of the historian’s collection.
Twenty nine members has served as president of ESCONI. Many have served in other offices, as study group officers, as part of shows and project. The contributions of these members have made ESCONI what it is today. To all who have given of their time and talents--- THANK YOU. Like with many things in life, you get back more than you give. How true with ESCONI membership. I have enjoyed more and learned more about my collection of fossils and minerals because of ESCONI. I have fond memories of shows and field trips sponsored by ESCONI. I hope this will continue far into the future. Happy 60th Anniversary ESCONI!
