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WALWORTH COUNTY SUNDAY

Giving truly more rewarding than receiving

By Eric Steurer
Staff Writer

ELKHORN — Winning a prize for your hard work is a rewarding experience. As members of a local church recently found out, donating that prize to those in need can be even more rewarding.

For the past three years, members of Millard Community Church have built and entered a float in the Elkhorn Christmas Parade.

“We were looking for ways to get our name out to the community,” said church board Chairman Neil Watson, who came up with the idea to build a float.

“Our church is always looking to do more missions,” Watson said. “That was a good opportunity for us.”

On Dec. 6, the church’s float won second prize in the parade’s Community Division. Floats were judged on how well they reflected the parade’s theme, “A Red, White and Blue Christmas.”

In 2006, the first float entered by the church took first place in the Community Division. That year, church members decided to use its prize to buy whole chickens to donate to the Elkhorn Food Pantry.

This year, the church received a $50 gift card for its showing, and decided to keep the tradition alive. Members used the prize to buy hot dogs for the pantry.

The prize had to be used at an Elkhorn Chamber of Commerce member; the church chose Frank’s County Market.

The float’s frame was built by Gary Lawton of Lawton Builders, and the church’s Sunday school children helped decorate it. About 10 people were involved in building the float over a span of three weeks, Watson said. During the parade, about 15 church youth rode along.

Elkhorn Food Pantry President Betty Felten said she tries to keep hamburger and hot dogs on hand at the pantry.

Most people don’t know the pantry has a freezer and gives out meat, Felten said.

“Every bit helps,” she said

Trustee expresses concerns over new village hall

By Eric Steurer
Staff Writer

EAST TROY — As the village considers ways to remove snow from its downtown square, at least one trustee is worried about an avalanche of additional costs.

At its Oct. 1, 2007 meeting, the East Troy Village Board approved the purchase of 2015 Energy Drive, the former Trent Tube building, for $1.125 million. The building is slated to become the new village hall in late March or early April.

A number of problems were found in the building since the purchase, including more mold than was expected, according to the minutes from the June 16 village board meeting.

Village Administrator Judy Weter said the board approved more than $1.5 million in interior and exterior remodeling, and has since approved nearly $10,000 in additional changes.

Trustee Bill Joas believes about $4 million will be spent before it is used as village hall.

“(The cost) just keeps snowballing,” Joas said.

Joas voted to purchase the building, but said he has voted against many additional expenses. He added that he procured a way to sell the building to another buyer, but the board decided against selling it.

“I’m only one vote,” Joas said. “One out of seven; I can’t win.”

Board President Bill Loesch and Trustee Randy Timms said they approve of continuing with the move to the new building, despite the problems that have been found.

Ken Andrews, a real estate consultant in East Troy, criticized the village’s decision to purchase the building without first seeking help from professionals.

“It was a fraudulent thing,” he said.

Board members said they have discussed possible action against Trent Tube in closed sessions, but were unable to provide details.

“Something is in the works,” Joas said.

STATELINE NEWS

Exhibit examines Parker Pen’s Janesville roots

By Sarah Zeller
Staff Writer

JANESVILLE — For much of its 100-year history, the Parker Pen Co. was synonymous with Janesville.

However, since the company’s corporate headquarters moved to the United Kingdom in 1987, evidence of its local history slowly has eroded.

“Parker is still very much alive overseas, but it has lost its visibility and familiarity here in the United States,” said longtime Janesville resident Roger Axtell, the company’s former vice president for worldwide marketing. “In fact, it’s rather sad, because there are now people growing up who have no idea what Parker Pen is.”

The Rock County Historical Society is working to change that, at least on a local level.

Earlier this month, the society celebrated the grand opening of its Parker Pen Room, a long-term exhibit devoted to the international company.

Items on display include hundreds of pens, Parker clocks, advertisements, historic photos and awards and books about the company’s products.

“One thing we’re learning is that a lot of our (out-of-town) visitors even have stories related to Parker,” said RCHS Collections Manager Laurel Fant.

Society Executive Director Madge Murphy has had similar experiences.

“We get visitors from outside the United States, and they’re all familiar with Parker pens,” Murphy said.

Local memories range from working at the Janesville-based pen factory to receiving a special pen as a high school graduation gift.

“Each person has some kind of history related to it,” Fant said. “We’re trying to collect people’s stories as they come in.”

The company’s history echoes that of the nation.

In 1888, George S. Parker — the namesake of Parker High School — was teaching telegraphy classes and selling his students a national brand of pens.

Parker became frustrated with constantly having to repair his students’ pens.

He vowed to create a better product. His first invention was the Lucky Curve, which moved ink to the nib more efficiently and cleanly.

Parker Pen quickly blossomed, and its products became just as popular overseas in the early 20th century.

During both world wars, the company stopped producing pens in favor of military supplies. At the same time the city’s General Motors plant was growing, so was Parker.

The company also was one of the area’s first major employers of women.

“It was one of the most important companies in Janesville, along with General Motors,” recalled Janesville resident Anne Naeser, who worked for the company for 40 years. “It was one of the bigger companies at that time.”

In 1987, the company was sold and moved its headquarters overseas. It was sold again in 1993 and 2000, and now belongs to Sanford Brands, a Newell Rubbermaid company. Pens still are produced under the Parker name.

Though its presence in Janesville ended more than 20 years ago, the company lives on through memories and its products.

In the early 1940s, Naeser was searching for employment, and managed to land what turned into a 40-year career at the company.

“I just needed a job,” she said. “It was very tough getting a job back in those days, and you almost had to know somebody to get in.”

During her career at Parker, Naeser worked in the factory office, the sales department and eventually the records department.

But the business wasn’t just local — it helped make Janesville a household name across the world. Every advertisement for the company’s products read “Made in Janesville, Wis.”

“I think people forget how big the company really was, and how international it was,” Murphy said.

Axtell remembers Parker’s renown on a personal level.

“I traveled overseas for Parker for 23 years, so I came to personally appreciate how well known it was,” he said.

From India to China, Axtell remembers stories of how much people valued the pens.

Parker’s products were out of the price range of many in India, but their prestige made them especially valuable, Axtell said.

“They would buy only the cap, and then they would put the cap in their pocket,” he said. The pen’s presence also would make others believe they could read and write, which often they couldn’t, he added.

“During World War II, we were told that the Chinese government, to their military heroes, instead of giving them medals, gave them Parker pens because they were more precious than a medal,” Axtell said.

He also heard stories of World War II fighter pilots who would hang onto their Parker pens — even as their plane was going down and they were about to be ejected.

“They would reach back in to make sure they got their Parker pen,” Axtell said. “It was a symbol of home.”

While building the company’s new Janesville factory, Arrow Park, George Parker’s son, Kenneth, decided to honor all 85 of the countries Parker was doing business with in the 1950s.

The project was known as the Path of Nations, and included a native stone and a flag from each country. During national holidays for each country, the company would fly that nation’s flag.

“It became a landmark and a place of appreciation,” Axtell said.

The historical society’s exhibit is helping to preserve such memories, he added.

“They’re helping keep the name alive, and we should all be grateful to them,” Axtell said.
Historical society staff will add to the displays as new items are donated.

Museum staff also value the memories of citizens who remember Parker Pen’s heyday.

“It would be fun to get more stories and collect more oral histories,” Fant said.

Unwanted silver carp found in Wisconsin waters

By Rick West
Stateline News Sports

BELOIT — Fish jumping out of the water and into boats is the stuff of angler dreams — unless it’s the dreaded silver carp.
The potentially destructive and dangerous fish, which jumps from the water in response to the sound of motorboats, can grow to more than 4 feet long and weigh more than 60 pounds.

This unusual Asian carp species was discovered for the first time in Wisconsin waters in late November.

“A common question is to ask what will be the impact of Asian carp to the river that we love,” said Ron Benjamin, a fisheries supervisor with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “The short answer today is, it clearly isn’t good. Aquatic invasive species are detrimental to native aquatic ecosystems.”

Silver carp feed on plankton and reproduce rapidly, so their dominance often overwhelms native fish species.

Four species of Asian carp — silver carp, grass carp, bighead carp and black carp — were imported to Arkansas in 1973 in an effort to improve water quality by removing algae from aquaculture ponds. Since the 1980s, the silver carp have migrated to Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and now the Mississippi River near La Crosse.

In the Wisconsin portion of the Mississippi, grass carp have been found in low numbers since 1987. Bighead carp were caught by commercial fishermen at the mouth of the St. Croix River as early as 1998. To date, black carp have not been reported in Wisconsin.

Kurt Welke, a DNR fish manager for southern Wisconsin, said this summer’s flooding aided the silver carp migration.

“When the segregated nature of the river system … is negated by flood waters, that’s when these things typically expand their range,” Welke said.

DNR officials in Rock County are concerned, because the county’s main waterway, the Rock River, is a tributary of the Mississippi.

“There are a number of barriers on the Rock River between its mouth and upstream points, but in a high-water event like we had during the flooding of last June, those dams are rendered moot points,” Welke said. “There were several dams that last year were ... not an effective wall.”

Welke said several electrical, elevation and gated barriers were placed in rivers several years ago in Wisconsin to keep the German carp from migrating. He hopes the barriers will be the first defense against the silver carp.

“Due to the species’ large number, and its ability to jump, those barriers may not have the same effect,” Welke said.

The silver carp threaten a $4 billion-a-year commercial-fishing industry, and also threaten the safety of sport anglers and water skiers. Some people have been injured by the giant, jumping fish.

“There are untold stories of people being hit by these (fish),” said Frank Fillo, director of media for the University of Missouri Extension. Fillo has seen the silver carp first-hand on the Missouri River.

“It’s like being hit by a bowling ball,” he said.

Fillo said he has seen hundreds of silver carp jump up to 3 feet out of the water.

“It’s scary,” he said. “You’re thinking you’ll see a few, but suddenly the air is full of them.”

Unfortunately, the fish is not a desirable catch for sport or commercial fishermen.

“They are not the same quality of flesh that is desired for human consumption or use in other fish products, like pet food,” Welke said.

The University of Missouri and several wildlife and natural-resources agencies are now partnering with the St. Louis Zoo in an effort to find a viable commercial use for the unwanted carp in that state. A team of scientists has created a carp product known as “carp cakes” to feed zoo animals.

“We want to make good food out of bad fish,” said Ellen Dierenfeld, staff nutritionist at the St. Louis Zoo. “It's a win-win situation.”

The zoo buys more than 60 tons of carp each year, a less costly alternative to marine species, like mackerel and herring.

“While we’ll never totally replace our use of marine fish, we estimate that around 25 percent of our current fish usage could be replaced with carp,” Dierenfeld said.

Dierenfeld added that, with more than 200 accredited zoos in the United States, the potential for Asian-carp products is substantial.

According to the DNR, the invading carp will be closely studied, but in a river the size of the Mississippi, management options are limited. It’s not known whether the habitat in the northern Mississippi River will support a reproducing population of silver carp.

“Let’s hope the first lines of defense we have in place will serve their purpose,” Welke said. “I’d (rather) be proactive than reactive.”

The DNR advises that early detection of isolated silver carp populations may help slow or restrict its spread. To report a sighting, note the exact location, freeze the specimen in a sealed plastic bag and call your local DNR service center.

The DNR also is hoping that Mother Nature will cooperate and keep spring flooding to a minimum.

JANESVILLE MESSENGER

Exhibit shows how camera equipment has evolved

By Andrea Budde
for the Messenger

JANESVILLE — Technology evolves so rapidly that top-of-the-line electronics purchased a few years ago likely are outdated today.

Just as digital music files have replaced CDs, record albums and cassettes, traditional film cameras have suffered the same fate at the hands of the digital camera.

Throughout January, a display at Janesville’s Hedberg Public Library will show residents how camera equipment has changed. The exhibit, coordinated by the Janesville Camera Club, will help older residents relive their 35mm memories, while introducing such equipment to those who have never dropped off a roll of film for processing.

“People will see things they won’t see in the stores, on eBay or (in) advertising,” said club member Lad Vrany. “They will be able to see how far (cameras) have come.”

Each item will have a placard describing the item in further detail.

Each month, the library displays artwork and other items by local residents and organizations. Linda Belknap, Hedberg’s adult services associate, said the exhibits add another dimension to the facility.

“All of our exhibits draw a lot of attention; I think people enjoy seeing the different viewpoints and the different subject matter,” Belknap said. “We schedule exhibits with the hope that they will be of interest to people in the community.”

Beginning this month, the library will adopt a theme for its monthly displays. January’s theme is “Snapshots”; in addition to the camera club’s display, there also are a variety of railroad photos and memorabilia from Janesville resident Den Adler, as well as an exhibit and presentation by Madison resident Craig M. Wilson, who produces aerial photographs by attaching a digital camera to a kite, while snapping pictures with a remote control.

The camera club’s display not only shows the rapid change in technology, but also the effects of those changes. Technology levels the playing field between novice and professional photographers, Vrany said.

“The problem with today’s cameras is that they are too good,” he said. “You can go out on a nice day, put it on automatic and shoot pictures that will come out presentable.”

The ability to edit digital photos on a home computer also comes into play.

“There is a lot of similarity in a lot of the things you learned in a regular, wet darkroom that transfer to the computer,” Vrany said, adding that technology makes the process much faster.

However, the end result still depends on the photographer.

“You need to be computer-savvy, but the basic fundamentals don’t change,” said club member and Janesville resident Peggy Eagan, adding that the best thing about digital photography is the ability to instantly see the results.

As the equipment has evolved, so has the camera club. Eagan said that until a few years ago, no one in the club owned a digital camera. Today, monthly meetings include information about photo-editing computer programs, such as Adobe Photoshop.

The club currently has about 25 members, and meets monthly to share members’ work, offer advice and periodically hear guest presentations. The group will display members’ work at the library during February.

“The main purpose … is to discuss various aspects of photography,” Vrany said. “We hope that it is an informational setting for people getting into photography.

Craig’s O’Leary retires after nine seasons

By Rick West
Staff Writer

JANESVILLE — Retiring to spend more time with the family is more than just an often-used cliche for veteran Craig High School teacher and coach Bill O’Leary, who plans to retire at the end of the current school year.

O’Leary, 56, of Milton has three very active teenage children; Mary Kate, Elizabeth and Patrick.

“I never really get a chance to spend as much time with them as I’d like to,” O’Leary said. “So I’ve decided, after 35 years of spending time with everybody else’s kids, I’d like to spend a little bit more with mine.”

O’Leary has taught special education in the Janesville district for 35 years, 17 at Edison Middle School and 18 at Craig High School. He was Craig’s head wrestling coach from 1990 to 2003, and guided the Cougars’ football team for the past nine seasons.

“He has a passion for everything that he does, not only football, but in the classroom,” said Craig Athletic Director Monte Phillips. “He’s a great teacher, and that certainly comes through on the football field. The impressions he’s left here will be lasting.”

O’Leary guided the Cougars to a 44-44 record during his tenure (see related graphic). His teams qualified for the WIAA playoffs the past seven seasons.

“You’d like, somewhere along the line, to have won one more stinkin’ game, so you could be 45-43,” O’Leary said. “I hope the people that evaluate my body of work don’t look at just the wins and losses, because a lot more went into it. I know that’s the classic line of somebody who doesn’t have a winning record, but that’s truly what I feel.”

Parker High School coach Joe Dye, whose Vikings lost to Craig each of the past two seasons, said he has a lot of respect for his crosstown foe.

“Every time you played against Craig … you knew that Bill’s kids were going to be well-prepared, and they were going to play with enthusiasm,” Dye said. “It’s never been about winning and losing — it’s about helping kids become better people — and Bill’s been one of the guys, certainly in our profession, that’s done that.”

Dye added that O’Leary has influenced the way football is played in the Big Eight Conference.

“People are throwing the ball around the yard a little bit more, and Bill was probably one of the front-runners in bringing that offensive change to the league,” Dye said.

Phillips said O’Leary’s coaching position will be posted this month, and that a panel consisting of school administrators, a non-football coach and a representative from the Cougars’ booster club most likely will serve on the selection committee.

“Quite frankly, we have some very strong internal candidates that would be heavily considered,” Phillips said.

O’Leary is hopeful one of his longtime assistants will get the job.

“I have a couple of people here that have been around me for a while and understand how important Craig football is, that I think would do a good job,” he said. “I don’t know who it is, nor do I want to (mention) names, but there are some good people in the building that I hope get the first look.”

O’Leary recalled 1995, when he was in his fifth season as an assistant under former coach Ron Ganong and was passed over for the head job when Beloit Turner’s Dan Thorpe was hired.

“That was really frustrating to me,” O’Leary said. “I’ve been through that routine, and I hope that we have enough brains to hire who we should.”

Ironically, O’Leary replaced Thorpe in 2000.

The senior-dominated Cougars were 5-5 in 2008, so O’Leary isn’t promising a stacked deck for his successor.

“What I think we’ve done is set it up so there are quality kids at every level in our program,” O’Leary said. “I told them, they now have to take the bull by the horns.”

O’Leary says his plans beyond more time with his family are uncertain, but he knows he’ll miss many aspects of being a high school football coach.

“The part I won’t miss is the gut-wrenching, one-point losses,” he said. “The camaraderie with the kids and working with my fellow coaches — I’ve got a great bunch of assistant coaches — that’s going to be the part that’s going to be the hardest.”