NORMAL – Roy Roberts is an accomplished author, writing three books about, among other things, his experiences in World War II; the life of the man for whom the Cass County, Illinois Town of Beardstown is named for; and a book which chronicles his first 23 years called, Grandpa, Please Tell Us A Story, containing 14 short stories. And Beardstown residents still get to read his regular column, as they have for five decades, on historical, humorous, and sometimes, poignant stories in that town’s local weekly newspaper, The Cass County Star-Gazette. He is hard at work on all this, and add to that, he is working on a fourth book.
Yet, on Monday, Roberts took time to plug his books and talk with his fellow residents at Blair House in Normal where he resides about his works. Roberts wasn’t just celebrating being published – he was also celebrating a milestone birthday. You see, Roberts, who has decades of journalism experience behind him, also celebrated his 100th birthday Tuesday.
A gathering of about 20 people were entertained by Roberts’ mix of explanations about Beardstown history, and how Grandpa, Please Tell Us A Story came to be. He said his grandchildren would say to him, “Grandpa, you tell us so many stories, why don’t you write these down?†When he did complete the book, Roberts found he had compiled not just a few stories, but a book containing 235 of them. He explained he would clip items from newspapers and save them, and store them away. When his son, Don, one of his four adult children would find a box of printed material, the senior Roberts would ask the box be brought to him so that, presumably, someday, he would write those stories.
Of the “Grandpa†book, it was ‘the story of my life from the time of my birth until I go to war,†he explained. He tells an amusing story of being scolded by his mother for teasing his two younger siblings when he was 4 or 5. That, he said, prompted him to threaten to run away from home. His mother, hearing this, obliged him, he said, by packing a sack with clean underwear and a snack. After he leaves, Roberts said, his mother phoned neighbors at the end of their block. The neighbors found him sitting on their stoop. When the neighbors asked if he intended to be going to go any further, Roberts said he told the neighbors, “I can’t – I’m not allowed to cross the street.â€
He also tells the story of how he met his wife, Christine, when they were teenagers. He said he first got a glimpse of her then, and kidded a friend upon seeing her that he would marry her. He said the romance began with the two of them “just smiling at each other for a couple of months,†Roberts admitted. Roy and Christine did marry on Dec. 23, 1943 in Cincinnati, Ohio, just before Roy reported for duty to the U. S. Army in Germany. He wrote letters to her from overseas, and she kept them all in a shoebox.
Knowing he could not write all his kin while he was serving his country, Roberts numbered every letter and asked his bride to circulate the letters among local family on the condition the letters got returned to Christine. All the letters got returned to her. He chronicled the story of their relationship in letters in a book written in 2020, titled Dear Christine: A World War II Soldier’s Experiences In Europe Including The 165 Letters He Wrote To His Wife.
And upon leaving New York for Europe, Roberts said, soldiers had the same concerns uniting them as they left, explaining, “You have to remember that we’re all 23 years-old, down to 18, maybe as old as 40-years-old, and we’re all thinking the same thing as we’re sailing out of New York Harbor: ‘Are we going to get to come home?’, ‘Are we going to make it?’, ‘Will she stay with me when we come home?’â€
“You have lots of thoughts when you get on the ship and you’re on the ocean,†Roberts said. He said the ocean voyage took twice as long as it should have, to get across the Atlantic Ocean – 14 days at sea, coming into port at Marseille, France.
Roy Roberts returned home from war, to his Christine, to whom he was married to for 73 years, until her death in August 2017.
“Each letter that I wrote home reminded me of what I was doing in the war,†Roberts said to the group. He added there are war stories in the book, too. He described them by saying, “Some are funny, some are nice, some are just history.†Sometimes, soldiers needed to stay with villagers,†he explained. When he got time off – what service personnel refer to as rest and recreation, or R and R – Roberts said he visited Switzerland and Brussels, Belgium.
Family Present To Hear Their Father Speak: Roberts was joined by two of his three daughters, Ann Chelette, Beardstown; Chris Mason, Gurnee; and his son, Don, Normal. The third daughter, Sue Walker, Waukegan, was not able to attend the event.
Cake and refreshments were served to about 16 guests were present for the birthday celebration following Roberts’ presentation.
In addition to the books relevant to family, Roberts also wrote, in 2019, The Life Of Thomas Beard, the story of the founder of the Town of Beardstown.
NCHS Senior Doing Transcribing Of Notes For Roberts: Roberts writes out his copy and gets it transcribed by a Normal Community High School senior. Jonah Kramer, son of Kevin and Jill Kramer, has been transcribing Roberts’ handwritten notes into a computer to aid in the publication of his books, a volunteer effort he has been part of since August. Kramer said his class schedule left him with free time in the morning until his 11a.m. class, and he was looking for something worthwhile to do.
As it turned out, belonging to a Future Business Leaders of America group at NCHS helped him find Roberts. Tara Pendleton, an NCHS Business teacher, got a message from Roberts’ daughter, Chris, a former teacher herself, looking for help for her father to complete the transcribing process. Other tasks such as helping with email were also something Roberts needed, Kramer said.
Before finding out about the opportunity, Kramer said he wondered about any possibilities available for filling those hours. He said he spends about 90 minutes with Roberts aiding with those needed tasks. He said he sometimes even goes to pitch in after school, as well.
Kramer said he is still trying to decide on a University, and the experience with Roberts, he said, has bolstered his desire to major in Journalism wherever he decides to attend college.
NORMAL – Both coaches for Normal Community High School and Normal Community West High School admitted after their basketball game at Normal West on Jan. 28 the game was one the two rival school have had on the basketball court over the years. Some would say it was typical. In fact, one of the head coaches did say it was typical. 
But when play resumed, another Wildcats trey by senior forward JaMarcus Webb put the Wildcats within two, 8-6. But as time in the opening quarter wound down, NCHS’ shooting picked up, with baskets by Cleveland and Redd, followed by two free throws from Cleveland closing out the quarter, putting the Ironmen up, 14-6. 
NCHS’ third quarter opened with senior forward Famious French capitalizing on a Normal West foul going 1-for-2, putting the Ironmen up, 29-27 at the 7:47 mark before Normal West senior Max Ziebarth hit a deuce and a trey unanswered to first tie the game at 29-all, and then give the Wildcats a 32-29 lead with 6:39 left in the quarter. NCHS responded in kind with a deuce by Zachary Cleveland cutting West’s lead to one, 32-31 at 5:35 left in the quarter. 
Coming out of the timeout, NCHS, behind a trey from senior center Crofton Perry hit a trey with one minute left putting NCHS up 50-43, and was followed by a pair of free throws by French who had been fouled by West’s senior guard Jonathan Edmondson. French only hit 1-of-2 free throws, but NCHS owned a 51-43 lead. An NCHS foul by Brent sent West’s Sluder to the free throw line where he hit both shots, scoring West’s last points on the night. That was followed by Brent being fouled by West’s Camp, going to the free throw line, and Brent sinking the final points of the night leading to the eventual final score. 
The two sides would exchange baskets one more time, with one from Eureka’s Tate and one from EPG’s senior guard Ben Klein pushing the Titans’ lead up by seven, 51-44 with 3:51 left. Klein committed a foul and before Eureka free throws were shot, an officials’ timeout was called with 3:37 left. Following that, Tyler Heffren sank 1-of-2 free throws, narrowing the Titans’ lead, 46-42, with 5:57 left. A trey by junior forward Zech Lepp increased that lead, 49-42, but got reduced from a Eureka basket by Tate, followed by a basket for EPG from Klein with 3:51 left, with EPG up, 51-44. 
NORMAL – For the past few years, Normal-based Unit 5 School District has employed using beginning class days a little later than usual once a month in favor of holding professional learning periods for district staff. On those days, the school day would begin by mid-morning. But starting this year, those 12 monthly sessions for staff will be replaced by seven half days for student attendance on the calendar for the 2022-23 school year, in a proposal brought forth to Board members by the district’s assistant superintendent, Michelle Lamboley. 
NORMAL – As of Wednesday, Normal residents will have a place on the Town website that will help serve as a one-stop site for items like business licenses, and help report matters related to public safety, as well as look at Town budgets and budget reports. Town Council members got a sneak peak during their meeting Tuesday night in Council Chambers on the fourth floor of Uptown Station from the Town’s Innovation and Technology director at the Town’s new data portal. 