A new book by Albert S.J. Tucker Jr. and Matthew W. Paxton IV with Eugene J. Dunning, recounts the exploits of Captain Bob Ford and crew of a Pan American Airways flying boat that had to circumnavigate the globe in 1941 just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The flight was a thirty-four day ordeal. It took over 31,000 miles, 3 oceans, 5 continents, 12 nations, 22 landings, and crossed the equator 4 times.  They had no airways to follow, had to use bad fuel, had no spare parts. They had engine failures, were nearly shot down, and made numerous overloaded takeoffs. With few air navigation aids, Ford was still able to employ precision celestial air navigation. Captain Ford and crew accomplished the impossible and made aviation history.  Four years of research and writing, this incredible and absolutely true story of the Pacific Clipper is a tribute to the greatness of Pan Am, her crews, and is worthy of a Cecil B. De Mille epic movie!

Pacific Clipper : The Untold Story

History

Tucker, Albert S.J.

Paxton, Matthew W.

Military

News-Gazette

An inside look at the Amish in Illinois ... from how they live and work to what they believe and the importance of family. Featuring 16 full-color photo pages. Anyone who has ever driven through the rural Amish community surrounding Arthur and Arcola has probably struggled to understand why these people have chosen to live without electricity, vehicles, or modern technology like televisions, radios and computers. Visitors hear the clip-clop of the horses pulling buggies and see the children walking in their straw hats and little white bonnets to one-room country schools. They see farmers cutting their hayfields with horse-drawn mowers, and women tending huge gardens to feed their families all year long. What they don't see is the deep commitment these people have to their Christian faith and in keeping their families strong and close. The Amish do not live the way they do because they have a fascination with the past. They live that way to keep their world small and their focus on their faith and their families. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Regional editor Rebecca Mabry began writing for newspapers as an area correspondent. As a married mother of two sons, she finished her degree in journalism at the University of Illinois and in 1981 began working full-time for The News-Gazette. In 1989, she spent three months researching the Amish in the Arthur-Arcola areas and wrote a three-part series called "Be Ye Separate," which was produced and sold as a reprint. She worked as a feature writer and columnist at The News-Gazette until 1995. She returned to The News-Gazette in 2005 and began researching the Amish community once more. She spent 15 or more months traveling to Arthur-Arcola-Sullivan, conducted more than 100 interviews and attended scores of events in the Amish community. She also visited Amish families in the winter community at Sarasota, Fla.

The Amish of Illinois' Heartland by Rebecca Mabry (2008-05-03)

Rebecca Mabry

<p>New book release celebrates history of "The World Famous Lawn Rangers"  Twenty-nine years ago, a handful of Arcola area citizens (IL) decided it was time to be a part of Arcola's Famous Broom Corn Festival Parade.  They took a talen inventory and came to the conclusion that pushing mowers and twirling brooms was probably the best they could do.  But they did it with gusto.  Soon after, invitations to appear in other festival parades poured in and the Rangers went on tour.  The rest is history.  Pat Monahan, co-founder of the group, has compiled a hilarious collection of newsletters, photos, correspondence and columns which tell this group's unique story.</p>

The History of the World Famous Lawn Rangers

Dave Barry

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