Moments in Time
Moments in Time is a weekly series featuring recollections of area residents. To suggest someone to feature in Moments in Time, please contact Mary Jane Grenzow, editor, at editor@themonroetimes.com.
WOODFORD - You can usually find Woodford resident Dick Schliem hauling a bus full of students either to school and back home, or to and from a sporting event.
The job, at some point, became a calling for him - it's something he loves and feels it's what has kept him young. He has no plans of stopping anytime soon. An avid sports lover, Schliem enjoys keeping his days as full and busy as he can.
Schliem was born in South Wayne and attended school there for a few years before moving to Browntown. The family moved to Rockford for a short time and after they returned, he attended Woodford Grade School until eighth grade.
He said his childhood was very much fun-filled, and he spent time making up games to play with friends in town. There was no television, so many days and nights were spent playing baseball. He recalls it being especially fun when the country kids would come to town and together they would play several ball games.
Schliem came from a large family and recalls helping on the farm while they lived in the country for a short time, and getting a job at a cheese factory later on. He is a 1951 graduate of South Wayne High School.
The year he graduated, it seemed all of Schliem's ball playing might just pay off: He was scouted to pitch by the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers).
However, on Memorial Day in 1950, he pitched 10 innings against Browntown. He was 17 years old and there was no pitch count. Later that day, he applied heat to a very sore arm when he should have applied ice, and the following day when the scout came, his arm would barely function.
"Whatever future I might have had in baseball ended that day," he said.
In 1952, Schliem decided to attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he majored in Biological Science, a topic that had always intrigued him. But by 1953, Uncle Sam was calling, and he joined the Army as a paratrooper and headed to Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The company held training holidays and other reward incentives and sometimes soldiers would receive two days off.
Schliem was dating his future wife, Carol, at the time and playing ball - the two biggest loves of his life. So he decided to hitchhike the 560 miles home from Kentucky to see his future bride and pitch ball in Wiota with friends.
Sunday afternoons his brother Dale would take him to the southern end of Rockford and he would then hitchhike back to Kentucky.
"When I stop to think about it, I must have been completely crazy," he said with a smile. After a year of hitchhiking, grabbing rides with salesmen heading into Chicago and intertwining with a few questionable people, Schliem decided to purchase a car of his own.
When he got out of the Army, Schliem married and decided not to go back to school. Instead, he worked for a cheese factory south of South Wayne. On May 27, 1957, he decided to go into the oil business, but continued to help at the factory when he could.
Schliem admits he didn't know much when he started working and decided to grab some night shifts at Swiss Colony.
He started driving bus for Woodford school in 1971.
At that time, he had no intention of sticking with bus driving for so long, but he enjoyed it from the start.
"I loved it," he said. "It keeps me young and I really like being around the kids. The kids have always been good for me."
He not only drove the bus for football, baseball and boys and girls basketball, but he took meticulous stats while at the games.
The 82-year-old passes his written and physical test regularly and said that as long as he's able, he'll probably continue to the bus. Schliem is working on busing into the third generation of children on his route today.
"I have to fill in my day," he said. "I've always been busy and I enjoy it."
Eventually in his career, Schliem received an offer from Mobil Oil to drive truck, a job he loved and eventually branched out on his own. Over the years, he only stopped driving school bus for a year or so just to get used to his new oil route.
He spent 53 years with Mobil Oil, hauling for himself as well as for Mobil as a commission agent. He loved that the job afforded him the luxury to attend his children's school and sporting events. Schliem has five daughters and two sons.
Schliem organized the Boy Scouts in Woodford in 1963 and became a scoutmaster at that time. He also spent 15 years on the Black Hawk school board, three years on the Woodford school board, served on the Apple Grove Church Council and felt grateful he was able to schedule around it all.
Love for the game
Schliem has been involved in baseball programs for the past 66 years, and is proud to still be involved by keeping book and managing teams. Although he's scaled back a little, he said he still loves the game and isn't ready to let go of baseball completely - especially since his son, Brad, still plays.
"I've been in baseball all my life," he said. "I don't know what I'd do on Sundays if I quit."
Baseball starts in May and ends in mid-October for Schliem. They hold 13 Sunday games and eight league games before the playoffs begin. There is also a night league on Thursdays for younger people.
It all began playing with his brother Dale when the two played in Woodford and Wiota. Schliem then headed to Argyle to play and manage there. By the early 1990s, his son Larry was playing in Blanchardville and Brad was playing in Wiota, so he went back to manage the Wiota team to be with family.
Schliem feels lucky that his daughters and his wife all love the sport, and were just as happy to head to the diamond as he was. He also managed some of his daughters' teams over the years as well.
He said he truly loved being around his sons and baseball, and has a fond memory of all three of them being on each base at the same time.
Free time
When he's not at the ball diamond or driving a bus, Schliem is an avid gardener. He also enjoys playing his saxophone with the Schliem Peterson Band, a group that's been together since Schliem's mother started it back in the 1980s, when they would play at Turner Hall for the WEKZ radio program. Brother Dale started the group up again and they still perform together and at nursing homes regularly.
"We love to get together and play our instruments," he said, noting that they practice at Dale's on Saturdays. "My mother's family was all musical. Years later they talked us all into it."
Schliem also enjoys cards and traveling with Carol and his grandchildren. They enjoy spending as much time as they can with their 18 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
When he thinks back to all he's done over the years, Schliem isn't quite sure how he found the time, but he's an energetic person who couldn't imagine a life without staying busy.
"I take it one day at a time and I always look forward to having something to look forward to," he concluded. "I couldn't imagine sitting in my recliner."
The job, at some point, became a calling for him - it's something he loves and feels it's what has kept him young. He has no plans of stopping anytime soon. An avid sports lover, Schliem enjoys keeping his days as full and busy as he can.
Schliem was born in South Wayne and attended school there for a few years before moving to Browntown. The family moved to Rockford for a short time and after they returned, he attended Woodford Grade School until eighth grade.
He said his childhood was very much fun-filled, and he spent time making up games to play with friends in town. There was no television, so many days and nights were spent playing baseball. He recalls it being especially fun when the country kids would come to town and together they would play several ball games.
Schliem came from a large family and recalls helping on the farm while they lived in the country for a short time, and getting a job at a cheese factory later on. He is a 1951 graduate of South Wayne High School.
The year he graduated, it seemed all of Schliem's ball playing might just pay off: He was scouted to pitch by the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers).
However, on Memorial Day in 1950, he pitched 10 innings against Browntown. He was 17 years old and there was no pitch count. Later that day, he applied heat to a very sore arm when he should have applied ice, and the following day when the scout came, his arm would barely function.
"Whatever future I might have had in baseball ended that day," he said.
In 1952, Schliem decided to attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he majored in Biological Science, a topic that had always intrigued him. But by 1953, Uncle Sam was calling, and he joined the Army as a paratrooper and headed to Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The company held training holidays and other reward incentives and sometimes soldiers would receive two days off.
Schliem was dating his future wife, Carol, at the time and playing ball - the two biggest loves of his life. So he decided to hitchhike the 560 miles home from Kentucky to see his future bride and pitch ball in Wiota with friends.
Sunday afternoons his brother Dale would take him to the southern end of Rockford and he would then hitchhike back to Kentucky.
"When I stop to think about it, I must have been completely crazy," he said with a smile. After a year of hitchhiking, grabbing rides with salesmen heading into Chicago and intertwining with a few questionable people, Schliem decided to purchase a car of his own.
When he got out of the Army, Schliem married and decided not to go back to school. Instead, he worked for a cheese factory south of South Wayne. On May 27, 1957, he decided to go into the oil business, but continued to help at the factory when he could.
Schliem admits he didn't know much when he started working and decided to grab some night shifts at Swiss Colony.
He started driving bus for Woodford school in 1971.
At that time, he had no intention of sticking with bus driving for so long, but he enjoyed it from the start.
"I loved it," he said. "It keeps me young and I really like being around the kids. The kids have always been good for me."
He not only drove the bus for football, baseball and boys and girls basketball, but he took meticulous stats while at the games.
The 82-year-old passes his written and physical test regularly and said that as long as he's able, he'll probably continue to the bus. Schliem is working on busing into the third generation of children on his route today.
"I have to fill in my day," he said. "I've always been busy and I enjoy it."
Eventually in his career, Schliem received an offer from Mobil Oil to drive truck, a job he loved and eventually branched out on his own. Over the years, he only stopped driving school bus for a year or so just to get used to his new oil route.
He spent 53 years with Mobil Oil, hauling for himself as well as for Mobil as a commission agent. He loved that the job afforded him the luxury to attend his children's school and sporting events. Schliem has five daughters and two sons.
Schliem organized the Boy Scouts in Woodford in 1963 and became a scoutmaster at that time. He also spent 15 years on the Black Hawk school board, three years on the Woodford school board, served on the Apple Grove Church Council and felt grateful he was able to schedule around it all.
Love for the game
Schliem has been involved in baseball programs for the past 66 years, and is proud to still be involved by keeping book and managing teams. Although he's scaled back a little, he said he still loves the game and isn't ready to let go of baseball completely - especially since his son, Brad, still plays.
"I've been in baseball all my life," he said. "I don't know what I'd do on Sundays if I quit."
Baseball starts in May and ends in mid-October for Schliem. They hold 13 Sunday games and eight league games before the playoffs begin. There is also a night league on Thursdays for younger people.
It all began playing with his brother Dale when the two played in Woodford and Wiota. Schliem then headed to Argyle to play and manage there. By the early 1990s, his son Larry was playing in Blanchardville and Brad was playing in Wiota, so he went back to manage the Wiota team to be with family.
Schliem feels lucky that his daughters and his wife all love the sport, and were just as happy to head to the diamond as he was. He also managed some of his daughters' teams over the years as well.
He said he truly loved being around his sons and baseball, and has a fond memory of all three of them being on each base at the same time.
Free time
When he's not at the ball diamond or driving a bus, Schliem is an avid gardener. He also enjoys playing his saxophone with the Schliem Peterson Band, a group that's been together since Schliem's mother started it back in the 1980s, when they would play at Turner Hall for the WEKZ radio program. Brother Dale started the group up again and they still perform together and at nursing homes regularly.
"We love to get together and play our instruments," he said, noting that they practice at Dale's on Saturdays. "My mother's family was all musical. Years later they talked us all into it."
Schliem also enjoys cards and traveling with Carol and his grandchildren. They enjoy spending as much time as they can with their 18 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
When he thinks back to all he's done over the years, Schliem isn't quite sure how he found the time, but he's an energetic person who couldn't imagine a life without staying busy.
"I take it one day at a time and I always look forward to having something to look forward to," he concluded. "I couldn't imagine sitting in my recliner."