December Dates in Wheaton’s History

December

December 2, 1906
Birth of Garland “Gardie or “Pinky” Grange, brother of Red Grange and a professional football player in his own right.

December 3, 1908
Birth of Graeme Stewart, Wheaton real estate developer and Mid-Century Modern builder. In the late 40’s and early 50’s, Stewart hit upon the idea of creating a home plan that served young families but would be different than the “cookie cutter” ranches of the era.

December 4, 1993
Death of Margaret Dorothea Mortenson Landon, author who wrote Anna and the King of Siam. Mrs. Landon was a Wheaton College graduate. She studied journalism at Northwestern University. Several movies and adaptations were made from the story most notable is The King and I. Both Margaret and her husband, Dr. Kenneth Landon, are buried in the Wheaton Cemetery.

December 19, 1905
Wheaton residents James and David Foulis received a patent (Patent # 807,736) for the mashie-niblick golf club

December 20, 1925
Death of Charles A. Blanchard, second president of Wheaton College. He is buried at Wheaton Cemetery.

December 22, 1894
Charles B. Macdonald helped organize the United States Golf Association

December 22, 1911
Grote Reber, amateur astronomer, radio engineer and pioneer of radio astronomy was born in Wheaton. He built and operated his radio telescope from his backyard on Seminary Street.
Later he attended the Illinois Institute of Technology and earned a degree in electrical engineering and received an advanced degree from the University of Chicago.

December 25, 1919
Birth of Ned Locke in Red Wing, Minnesota. Wheaton resident Ned performed as Ringmaster Ned on “Bozo’s Circus” from 1961 until 1976.

December 27, 1941
Birth of Wheatonite Nina Jo Schmale, nursing student, who died at the hands of mass murderer Richard Speck in 1966. She is buried at Wheaton Cemetery

December 1859
Reverend Jonathan Blanchard, past president of Knox College in Galesburg, and member of the Anti-Slavery Society, arrived in Wheaton to become president of the Illinois Institute in Wheaton, predecessor of Wheaton College

These dates were provided by the City of Wheaton Historic Commission. If you have any comments, corrections or additions to the list, please contact us at:
wheatonhistoriccommission@gmail.com. Thank you!