August Dates in Wheaton's History

August

8/2/1939
Birth of Wes Craven, filmmaker and graduate of Wheaton College. He was considered a pioneer in the genre of horror slasher films. Folklore has it that his “Nightmare on Elm Street” was inspired by Wheaton’s own Elm Street.

8/5/1987
Death of Dr. P. Kenneth Gieser, a 1930 Wheaton College graduate, ophthalmologist and founder of the Wheaton Eye Clinic, which opened in 1942.

8/6/1863
Birth of Jarvis Hunt, noted architect and creator of many of the Wheaton Golf Colony cottages.

8/2/1913
David Foulis received a patent (Patent # 1,069,776) for the golf hole cup liner/ golf flag support

8/15/1927
Death of Judge Elbert Henry Gary, Wheaton leader; co-founder (with his uncle, Jesse Wheaton) of the Gary-Wheaton Bank; served two terms as a Du Page County judge 1882 to 1890; lawyer; president of US Steel Corporation; namesake of Gary, Indiana. He is buried at Wheaton Cemetery

8/20-27/1959
Wheaton celebrates its Centennial. Activities took place over the course of a week, consisting of merchant bargain day, model airplane contest, parade, crowning of the Queen, Centennial ball, garden walk, burial of a Historical Time Capsule, performance of “The Wheaton Story – A Little Town Grows Up”, and a baby contest. The most beautiful boy and girl babies under 18 months old were participants. One of the judges was actor Forrest Tucker, stage performer in the Music Man.

8/22/1871
Birth of James Foulis, Jr. in St. Andrews, Scotland. He was an early golf great, inventor of the mashie-niblick (7 iron) and golf course designer, and winner in 1896 of the second US Open held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, NY. He is buried in Wheaton Cemetery.

8/23/1930
Edwin Hubble, famous astronomer and scientist, appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The Hubble Space Telescope is named for him. It ‘circles 380 miles above the earth, searching the outer edges of the universe, sending back magnificent pictures.” Edwin along with his family moved to Wheaton in 1900. He was a graduate of Central School, now the site of Longfellow Elementary.

8/24/1912
The Chicago Golf Club main building, the clubhouse was the old Patrick farmhouse, burned to the ground in 60 minutes. The dormitories and cottages were saved. A new clubhouse (current building) was designed by Jarvis Hunt.

8/25/1902
Aurora, Chicago & Elgin Railway Co. (AE&C) opens a wooden Station in Wheaton

8/30/2015
Death of Wes Craven, filmmaker and graduate of Wheaton College. He was considered a pioneer in the genre of horror slasher films. Folklore has it that his “Nightmare on Elm Street” was inspired by Wheaton’s own Elm Street. “He is probably best remembered for his work on as the writer and director of a Nightmare on Elm Street (and its terrifying antagonist, Freddy Krueger).”