John Galles of Aurora, known to many through Johno’s Main Surplus, Aurora Boys Baseball, Johno’s Trophies in the earlier years, and as an all-around stellar person, continues his journey. It was time last Spring to give up his sports equipment and apparel shop on Downer Place in downtown Aurora. He had been in the retail business since shortly after he returned to Aurora from duties during World War II.
He and his bride, Emilie, last Spring moved to the Alden Gardens on Randi Drive just off of Montgomery Road. In spite of a few physical problems, he is alert and continues to function rather well on a daily basis. He stays involved. He served in the Navy in The Philippines among other places. He and others, some of whom represent the Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club, have given talks to schools and other organizations about their experiences in World War II. They are living resources. Youngsters today have difficulty understanding the World War II mentality, how the world was structured, and what events meant. Some of it, unfortunately, includes inadequate instruction in our schools.
Nonetheless, first-hand knowledge is important and youngsters can put together various first-hand reports to learn and absorb.
John Galles will meet with Boys Scouts at the Alden Gardens, 1955 Randi Drive, Aurora, Friday, Feb. 23 to relate his experiences and impart his knowledge of the times. They will meet at around 6 p.m. as it stands now.
“We want those youngsters to hear first-hand accounts of World War II (1941-1945),” said Ella Druek, volunteer coordinator at Alden Gardens of Waterford. There may be other residents who will recall and have personal knowledge of World War II.
Mr. Galles, of proud Luxemburg decent, is a 1943 graduate of East Aurora High School. He and Emilie raised a family in Aurora and they continue to contribute to society and make it a better place.
On occasion he attended the Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club in Montgomery at Grandma’s Table, which meets every other Thursday for all age groups, however, usually at 7 a.m. he was at the shop on Downer Place preparing for the day’s work, or, he was involved with the Downtown Aurora group. Other members of the Fox Valley Veterans Club continue to give talks to school groups.
Other important items to consider:
• The 11th Annual Phenomenal Man Awards will start at 6:02 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 at Piper’s Banquets in Aurora. Terrell Brown, ABC 7 Chicago Morning News anchor, will be the guest speaker. More than 800 individuals are expected to attend. There will be six recipients of the Phenomenal Man of the Year Award: Jay Porter, Juan DeLaTorre, Steven Ruffin, Kris Singh, Justin Vahl, and Kyle Welton.
• The Batavia Public Library will be host to “Speak Up!” from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1 in the Batavia High School cafeteria, a community engagement session, to find out preference information about the Batavia Public Library. Subsequent sessions will be held March 1, April 12, and May 10.
• Applications for the annual scholarship provided by the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Board (AHHAB) are available. The scholarship is in collaboration with the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (CFFRV) to process applications. Call 630-896-7800, or, go to scholarship@cffrv.org.
• McCleery Elementary School of West Aurora School District 129 held a McTeacher Night at the McDonald’s on Galena Boulevard January 16. The occasion is organized to raise money for the schools when the teachers work at the counters.