“The Great Agnostic,” Robert Ingersoll has been removed from his moorings at the Abingdon Street entrance to Glen Oak Park. Of course, I’m referring to his statue that was placed there Oct. 28, 1911. The statue of the internationally known Ingersoll has been deteriorating over the years along with his popularity. Indeed, if you asked 100 people in Peoria if they knew who Robert Ingersoll was, 99 would say, “No.” Nevertheless, atheists and self-promoting “free thinkers” have laid claim to Ingersoll as their hero because he said things like, “All religions are inconsistent with mental freedom.”
Robert Ingersoll was born in Dresden, N.Y. His family moved to southern Illinois where he and his brother Ebon were admitted to the bar in 1854. The family was on the move constantly living in numerous towns and villages. People in Marion, Ill., according
to one account, considered the Ingersolls “obnoxious.” He promoted himself as a colonel in the Civil War after he recruited enough men to form the 11th Regiment Volunteer Calvary. He was captured by the Confederates and released after he promised to stop fighting. And he did.
Ken Hofbauer, a retired Caterpillar pattern-maker, is a fan of Ingersoll’s and noted problems with the 1911 statue. According to Hofbauer, he contacted the Peoria Park District to inquire about plans for renovating the statue. No plans were under consideration due to a lack of funds. Hofbauer, a member of the liberal Freedom from Religion Foundation based in Madison, Wis., offered to raise $30,000 for the refurbishing. Appearing on “Breakfast with Roger and Friends,” (WAZU FM 90.7), Hofbauer called it “easy money” for the park district. With no fanfare, no public hearing or community discussion, the district’s board approved the “easy money” proposal from Hofbauer and representatives of Freedom from Religion Foundation. The call went out to members to apparently save Robert Ingersoll from extinction and some 248 donors coughed up over $35,000 of “easy money” from all over the country with the promise from the park board to engrave their names on the Peoria statue. Freedom from Religion Foundation co-president, Laurie Gaylor wrote on the anti-religious web site that the fund-raising agreement with the Peoria Park District “marks the first time FFRF has partnered with a city government on a public works project.” Makes you tickled to death, doesn’t it. She also praises Hofbauer (by spelling his name Hofmeyer) “who is part of the Peoria Secular Humanist Society” for having “raised the alarm on the condition of the statue and worked with the Peoria city parks division.”
There’s no truth to the rumor that the park district is now planning to construct a statue of Karl Marx. One wonders if those who believe would be permitted to have a statue of Christ at the entrance to the park on Prospect Road.
STRIKE TWO
Not to pick on the Peoria Park District, but the above decision follows the board’s controversial vote to close Donovan Golf Course, known for decades as Northmoor. The decision was made despite facts presented to the board by golfers and former district employees Earl Martin and Tim Gorman, plus many others. Appearing on our morning radio show, Earl and Tim have a very compelling argument against the closure of Donovan versus the Newman course at Nebraska and Sterling. The facts are, say the two, 85 percent of Peoria’s golf playing community live north of Glen. Secondly, they noted the district’s administration recommended closure of Newman and Madison courses due to declining interest in golf. They pointed out strong pressure from certain people and groups of people ignored the facts and successfully lobbied to close Donovan instead. Closing Donovan resulted in a loss of 23,000 rounds of golf and an estimated $400,000 in revenue. They say 47 percent of the rounds and revenue went to other district courses, but 53 percent was gone, perhaps forever. The greatest loss in revenue and rounds is happening at Newman where hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent for drainage and other improvements.
Another golfer, Joe Krakowiecki, has written that “the Peoria Park District purposely withheld information during discussions that led to the shutdown of Donovan.” Martin and Gorman state that from 2010 to 2014 over 22,000 more rounds were played at Donovan than at Newman. It appears golfers preferred Donovan, but district board members didn’t. Hey, maybe we can get atheists and agnostics to raise money to reopen
Donovan. They play golf don’t they?
SALUTING!
I want to close this month’s column on a positive note although I’m positive the Peoria Park District board has made two terrible decisions regarding ole “Bobby” Ingersoll and golfing in Peoria, Meanwhile, join me in recognizing and saluting Michael Visione, the son of Nick and Kathy Visione. A football and baseball star at Brimfield High School, “Sonny,” was offered a college baseball scholarship, but decided instead to serve his country by enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. He was selected for special training for Evasion and Conduct After Capture (ECAC) and will soon be deployed to a dangerous part of the world, Djibouti, Africa. Never heard of it, have you? Me neither, because it’s not in the news. However, his parents tell me he’ll be there for six months assisting military convoys. We salute a great American, Sonny Visione, and certainly all of those in the military!
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” — C.S. Lewis