From Donna Glynn

Monroe

To the editor:

With my 96-year-old mother on my arm, we entered the funeral home for Marian Trumpy’s visitation. It was nearing the end of the day. I kept my small card in hand so Marian’s husband, Harold, would be sure to read my invitation with my phone number inside for a private tour inside the Lincoln Park Water Tower when he felt up to it. 

Harold’s daughter greeted us warmly but, I didn’t see Harold in line. “Where’s Harold?” I asked. “He’s here,” she said as I craned my neck to find him. “He passed away yesterday, on his birthday.” She paused. “He was 99 years old.” 

It was then I spotted two caskets. It finally sank in; I was speechless.

The water tower. Many of you likely recall this newspaper’s articles commencing in 2005 regarding demolishing the Lincoln Park Water Tower. What most people don’t know is that Harold was the catalyst behind the efforts to save the 1889 tower. On March 3, 2005, Harold (of Lena/Winslow, Illinois) wrote a brief article in this paper noting that the village of Lena, only a fraction the size of Monroe’s population, chose to save their old water tower. Shame on the city, Harold noted, if Monroe’s citizens don’t care to save this one-of-a-kind historic and unique structure. With that, Harold threw down the gauntlet and a small group took up the challenge. Harold and Marian were among the first to contribute financially by sending $2,000 to help save the tower. The rest is history, as they say; the tower has been on the National Register of Historic Places since November of 2005. 

And as Harold proved, you’re never too old to make a difference; he was 83 when he took pen in hand and started the ball rolling.