Six wishes I wish would come true ...
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By Bill Wundram | Tuesday, July 08, 2008 |
1. — I WISH that someone with deep pockets would buy a new commercial dishwasher for the Café on Vine, the Davenport place where the hungry can get a free handout. The present one isn’t working and it’s a pain (and not necessarily the sanitary thing to do) for volunteers to wash 200 china plates and silver at each meal. Sister Bea Snyder, who oversees the place for the Sisters of Humility, figures the dishwasher would cost about $2,200. Paper plates can be expensive and not practical. Not good for the environment, either, says Sister Bea. Her phone is 323-9466.
2. — I WISH that once and for all, we’d give our Davenport skybridge something more respectful than a generic name. Let’s make it all start with capital letters, like Skybridge, and I’m never sure that it’s a bridge. It’s more of a walk, not a bridge. I like the thoughts of Jim Connell, Davenport, who talks back to critics: “This is Davenport’s landmark, just as the Arch is St. Louis’ landmark. The Arch is no more useful than the skybridge, but I have never read anything negative about the Arch. Some think the skybridge was built to get people to the casino, but that is not true. It is to get people to see the riverfront.”
3. — I WISH that meter maids would not give overtime parking tickets to those with handicapped tags whose meter has expired in handicapped parking spots. C’mon, let’s give a break!
4. — I WISH that there would be a bronze statue honoring Ed Froehlich at Bix Plaza, 4th Street and River Drive, in front of the Quad-City Times. He should be right alongside runners Joan Benoit Samuelson and Bill Rodgers. For many years, Ed has been the driving force behind this Midwest masterpiece. Without him, would there be 15,000 runners tromping up Brady Street hill every July? That statue would have him in his omnipresent billed cap, and a nervous (always, he’s nervous) look on his face.
5. — HONORS? I wish there would be a major icon for one of America’s greatest athletes — and he lives in the Quad-Cities. There should be something honoring Johnny Lujack. He’s not a native son, but he’s been living in Bettendorf most of his life, and he’s wed to a local girl, Patricia. Lest we forget, one of these years we’ll be saying, “Johnny, who?” He led Notre Dame to a national championship in 1947 when he won the Heisman Trophy by a wide margin. He was named America’s male athlete of the year in the midst of the era of Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Joe Louis. He was an NFL star with the Chicago Bears, part of a legendary triumvirate of quarterbacks. Besides, he’s one heckuva nice guy! Wouldn’t it be appropriate if Bettendorf put up a giant football or something gridiron in his honor, instead of one of those abominable pieces of sculpture, like the one where Grant Street and River Drive meet?
6. — THREE CHEERS for culture and class, but I wish I could wave a magic wand and bring more action to the Figge Art Museum. I walk into that vast shining lobby and worry about it looking as gaunt as a couple vacant soccer fields. The restaurant is closed. So is the bar, a once gaudy place with antique circus canvases of elephants and sword swallowers that was supposed to be called “Barnum’s.” The Figge Art Museum is a financial drain. A recent benevolence of $225,000, spearheaded by a group led by Ed Rogalski and Dick Bittner, has helped. But how long can such gifts last?
Is anybody there?
Does anybody care?
Bill Wundram can be contacted by (563) 383-2249 or bwundram@qctimes.com.
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