$150.00 - Luxembourg American Heritage Information Center

In February, 1936, Illinois Governor Henry Horner began his efforts for renomination.
A Horner for Governor Club was started in Niles Center and Ambrose Brod was its first
Chairman. In accepting this post, Brod stated:
There has been a big swing of public sentiment to the Governor for his courageous stand
against boss rule. Even locally I find many who formerly repeated criticisms of him... are
now commenting favorably on his administration. This swing of sentiment, I believe,
indicates he will be renominated and re-elected.
Horner was successful in his bid for re-election.
In 1920, Brod began collecting antique guns. The oldest was a British flintlock dating from
1700. The collection includes French military pistols and long rifles from Kentucky and
Tennessee. Though Ambrose died in 1958, his gun collection can still be seen at the Brod Electric
Store, situated in downtown Skokie.
As everyone is aware, the color of fire apparatus is customarily red, although in some
communities lime green or yellow fire engines can be seen. However, red was not always the
color of choice. In November 1937, the Volunteer Fire Department purchased a white fire truck
with blue and gold trim. According to Neil King, son of Armond King, the white fire truck
was the object of desire of every small child in Niles Center. Often times, the kids were invited
to ride on the truck. Ambrose Brod, in his capacity as Assistant Fire Chief, was a member
of the Committee which chose the white fire truck. Every kid who ever rode on that truck
should thank Ambrose and his fellow committee members for the experience.
F. Bruce Harris was born in Port Arthur, Texas in 1899. He was in the utility business and
lived at 4815 Elm Street in Niles Center. In January 1934, he was elected a Vice-President of the
Niles Center Chamber of Commerce, a post he held until January, 1936 when he was elected
President, succeeding Holly Klehm. Harris was also a past commmander of the American
Legion post in Niles Center, having served in World War I. In addition to Holly Klehm, who
remained a Director of the Chamber, other Section 15 members who were officers of the
Chamber during this period were Roy Moore, the Jeweler, who was Vice-President, Ray
Haben, the undertaker, who was Treasurer, Joe Meier, the printer, who was Secretary, and
Scotty Krier, Director.
As so often happens in small towns where everyone is a neighbor, ironies abound. At the
southeast corner of Lincoln and Oakton streets, in downtown Skokie, there exists today a park,
dedicated to the memory of Scotty Krier. Prior to the park's dedication, however, there existed
a Sinclair Service Station owned and operated by Joseph F. Urbanus.
Joe Urbanus (married to Mabel Larson) was born in Chicago, in 1896. He operated the
service station at the southeast corner of Lincoln and Oakton for over 34 years. He was active in
the affairs of the Village, was a President of the Chamber of Commerce and sponsored numerous
athletic teams, one of which, the "Urbanus Greasers" won the bowling championship of the
Oakton Park Athletic Club in 1939.
In 1940, as Chairman of the Public Relations Committee of the Chamber of Commerce,
Joe Urbanus was instrumental in getting the telephone exchange changed from Niles
Center to Skokie and in conjunction with Postmaster Bill Lyon, was instrumental in getting
the area south of Church Street and east of Crawford serviced by the Skokie
Post Office.
In 1940, he was chosen by a group of thirty citizens, known as the Caucus Committee, to
challenge George E. Blameuser for Village President. His running mate for Clerk was John C.
Busscher, also a member of Section 15.
John C. Busscher, the nephew of George Busscher, Jr. was born in 1914 in Niles Center.
Educated at St. George High and Xavier University, John was part owner of the Center Grocery
and Market, which was located at 8005 Lincoln Avenue. The First National Bank of Skokie now
occupies the site.
139