Subject: Fluegel Article
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 21:08:15 -0500
From: "Lyle Looger" [llooger@austin.rr.com]
To: "Todd Marshall" [Todd@WithGLEE.com]

This article taken from the Bradley University "Hilltopics", Fall 2002

Finding a career in teaching.

This story might interest you; it's about Bradley in the 1926-1930 years. My graduation year was 1930 and my degree said "BS, Industrial Chemistry." I had high hopes of getting a job in the field of chemistry. There were four or five manufacturing plants around Peoria in those years that had chemistry operations, and I felt I could get a job in some plant as a chemist. In 1926, a new plant started in Peoria named Caterpillar Tractor Company, and I heard they had four chemists on metal when they started.

However, when 1929 began to develop, I heard Caterpillar was only working four days, and the other companies around Peoria began to close down. In fact, a job in chemistry began to look doubtful. So what to do?

In June of 1930, I went out to Madison Golf Course one morning to play golf. I was paired up with two other men, and one's name was Fisher. In our conversion I learned he was the superintendent of Peoria schools, and he learned I had just graduated from Bradley. He also learned I had played football and baseball at Bradley. This Mr. Fisher talked to me about Bradley but especially about football and baseball. Finally he said, "You would be just the person for a job we have. Would you teach eight grade?"

The idea was farthest from my thoughts, so I looked at him and said, "Teaching is something I had not thought of, but it is a respectable occupation. Gosh! I think I will try the teaching."

So I found teaching something I enjoyed all my life. As you might guess, I'm an old-ster. I was 94 last April.

Ted Fluegel '30
Bradenton, Florida

Like I mentioned earlier, I remember Fluegel from Chemistry at Peoria Central during our junior year. We had Dennis Ackerman, Larry Norton, Larry Rager, and several other football team members in our class, but I never realized Fluegel had play at Bradley. I remember how he used to watch us while we were taking a test, he'd look over the top of his glasses, and you couldn't tell if he was looking at you or what. But all in all, he was a pretty good teacher, just like all the others at PHS.

Lyle Looger,
Round Rock, TX