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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Century-old Mundelein firetruck prepared for countywide tour; ‘It has personality'
Ezra Atunez's birthday party theme this year was firetrucks because he just loves them, his parents said. The 4-year-old was happy to ring the bell of an antique firetruck named Old Number One on display at the Mundelein Memorial Day parade. Many more will get to see it at the Fremont Public Library's summer kickoff party on Sunday, and at other locations throughout Lake County in the coming months. Today, the restored vehicle is admired at parades and special events. A century ago, it was the village of Mundelein's first firetruck — Number One. 'In 1925 this was state-of-the-art; the best firefighting equipment on the road,' said Bob Stadlman. As chairman of the Old Number One Preservation Committee since it was created in 2008, Stadlman has worked with the Mundelein Heritage Museum and other entities to put together the truck's history, complete with photos. Year-round, the committee makes sure its six-cylinder engine, red body, gold-embossed lettering, big tires and shiny silver bell are always ready to provide that wow factor. The 1925 Stoughton Fire Engine was a gift from Cardinal George William Mundelein to the village, in gratitude for renaming it after him in 1924. The cardinal founded St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in 1921. Records show the village had gone through other names before that, including Rockefeller, after the industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller. 'The wise cardinal knew that improved fire protection would better protect the huge investment the diocese was making at the seminary, as well as protecting the village of Mundelein; a win/win scenario for both parties,' Stadlman said. Until then, the department's only firefighting equipment had been a hose cart with several hundred feet of hose. That 1915 relic is on display at the village's museum. Stadlman said it had been mandated in the truck's purchase contract that it be inspected and its pumps tested. The Chicago Fire Department at Navy Pier did so in the summer of 1925, according to records. Number One served Mundelein for more than 20 years. But by 1945, it had become unreliable, and so it was sold the following year. Then sold again and again. Stadlman said the truck went to different places in Illinois, to Tennessee, and Virginia. Number One eventually ended up in a barn in North Carolina. It was then that retired Mundelein firefighter Jim Carew said, seemingly out of nowhere, he got a call. The caller said that if you want the truck to come get it, otherwise it's going to the scrapyard. Carew had been in the fire department for nearly 30 years. He was also a mechanic known for his love of firetrucks. To say the vehicle was in disrepair is an understatement, he said. It took two trucks to transport the boxes containing the parts that once made Number One whole. 'Everything was loose,' Carew said. 'It took hours to find and load everything, but it's the history of my department, and I wasn't going to let it go.' Carew's intention was to restore the firetruck. He put it together enough to see the shape of it, but due to a lack of time and the money needed for that scope of a project, the progress stopped. Number One sat in his garage untouched for 14 years, until the village came calling. Stadlman said the Village Board wanted something to show residents at the village's centennial celebration, and chose the firetruck, because after all, not too many places can say they still have their first. They purchased it from Carew for $11,000, and hired him to restore it to its original condition. 'The caveat was that in nine months I had to have it done,' he said. Carew and a team had to work fast, especially because pieces and parts had to be specially made as they were no longer manufactured, he said. Old Number One was presented to residents at the village of Mundelein's Centennial Celebration on Oct. 17, 2009, at the University of St. Mary's of the Lake. 'I was pretty proud of it at the unveiling,' Carew said. 'I could never have afforded to restore it like that, working out of my wallet.' Thanks to the preservation committee, which raised the $70,000 in donations that it took to restore it, not only does it look new, but Old Number One can operate in fighting a fire. 'No tax dollars were used for the restoration,' Stadlman said. 'To this day, this award-winning fire engine continues with just donations.' An annual golf outing is the committee's biggest fundraiser, Stadlman said. It pays for the truck's maintenance. The difference between typing on a computer keyboard and an original typewriter is how Darrell Hughes describes driving Old Number One compared to a modern fire engine. Hughes was a mechanic for the Mundelein Fire Department who retired in 2021. He joined the committee last year. He said he had to practice to be able to drive the old firetruck because it's challenging to maneuver. As in 1925, it doesn't have a windshield or seatbelts. It doesn't have power steering; it has mechanical-only rear brakes and weighs about 10,000 pounds. 'The firefighter that had to drive it out on calls in December or January back then was a tough one,' Stadlman said. There are no turn signals on Old Number One, so its driver has to use hand signals. Only while in motion can its large wheels be turned. To protect it, no one is allowed to get on the truck or touch it at events, but the bell can be rung and children love to, Stadlman said. Last year, it rang approximately 24,000 times, according to their bell counter. 'Back in the day, they rang the bell so horses and people and whatever cars there were would get out of the way,' Stadlman said. Co-founding committee member Wendy Frasier said she enjoys kids asking about Sparky, the stuffed dalmatian dog toy that sits atop the truck. She said it represents the real dalmatians that used to accompany firefighters to their calls. This year, Old Number One is scheduled to be at almost 40 Lake County events. Stadlman said usually it's half that, but this year is special, being that it's the truck's centennial. Committee members said they're excited to show it off. 'Everyone smiles and waves when they see it driving by,' Stadlman said. 'It has personality.' Old Number One's biggest outing is going to be at the village's Community Days event during the 4th of July weekend.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Servite boys 4x100 relay team leads pack breaking records at Arcadia Invitational
It did not take long for the first record to fall Saturday evening at the 57th annual Arcadia Invitational track and field meet at Arcadia High. In the very first event, Servite's boys 4x100 relay team burned up the track in 40 seconds flat, a new state and meet record and the fastest prep time this season. Advertisement Getting the Friars' foursome off to a fast start was Jorden Wells, who passed the baton to Benjamin Harris around the first turn and watched as the Long Beach Poly transfer took the lead on the backstretch and handed off to Jaelen Hunter, who maintained his team's margin before passing to Robert Gardner, who widened the margin on the anchor leg. All four of them are underclassmen and they beat runner-up Long Beach Poly by 32 hundredths of a second. 'We came in hot, having practiced real good and it paid off,' Gardner said. 'Once I get the baton I have to do my part.' Harris believes the best is yet to come. Advertisement 'We can line up with any team out there,' he said. 'We can go lower next week [at the Mt. SAC Relays] and beyond.' Having won the 4x200 on Friday, Servite tried for the 'trifecta' in the final race of the night Saturday and completed the sweep of the relays as Jorden Wells sprinted a 47.10 anchor leg to lead the all-freshman squad to first in the 4x400 in 3:12.33, the sixth-fastest time in the U.S. this season and the eighth-best all-time at Arcadia. Hunter, the top ninth-grader in the country in the 400 meters, showed why by winning the seeded race in 47.91. Jack Stadlman of Temecula Valley won the Invitational 400 in 45.92, staying No. 3 in the nation at that distance. Despite his success, Stadlman said he prefers the 200. Advertisement 'I'm not a fan of the 400, but I knew I had the fastest seed, I trusted in myself and finished the race," said Stadlman, who trailed early before taking control to comfortably beat runner-up Noah Smith (46.56). 'I wanted the meet record, but I told my coach I'd be satisfied with 45.' Vista Murrieta's Michael Norman set the meet record of 45.51 in 2016. Stadlman, a former junior varsity basketball player, ran the fourth-fastest time in the United States (45.69) on March 1 in only his second 400 ever and Smith, a junior, ran the eighth-fastest national time this year (46.55) at the Chandler Rotary Invitational in Arizona. Wells clocked 10.47 to take second in the seeded 100-meter dash and Harris went head-to-head with Mt. Miguel junior Brandon Arrington (last year's state 100 and 200 champion) in the Invitational heat. Arrington won by one hundredth of a second in 10.32—the third-fastest ever at Arcadia. Harris' 10.33 was good enough for fourth all-time at Arcadia and one hundredth of a second off the state record for a sophomore). Advertisement Arrington doubled back to win the 200 in 20.35, breaking Noah Lyles' meet record of 20.48, set in 2016. Lyles, of T.C. Williams, Alexandria, Virginia, still holds the Arcadia 100 meter record of 10.17. After finishing second in the mile the previous two years to Ventura's Sadie Engelhardt, who opted to forego her last high school season to compete in Open and pro races, senior Jane Hedengren of Timpview, Utah, made history of her own by establishing a new national two-mile record of 9:34.12. Interviewed one minute after, she took her stunning achievement in stride. 'I felt alright, but I wanted to go faster,' said Hedengren, whose effort also broke the national 3000 and 3200 records. 'Thank you, Arcadia, for cheering me on.' Maliyah Collins' blazing anchor leg helped Rosary win the Invitational girls 4x100 in 45.47, the sixth fastest time in the nation this year and fourth fastest ever at Arcadia. Christina Gray anchored reigning City Section champion Carson's 46.58 first-place effort in the preceding seeded race. Advertisement The Invitational boys 3200 field included five sub-four minute milers. Owen Powell of Mercer Island, Washington won the eight-lapper in 8:39.86. Fifteen-year-old New Zealander Sam Ruthe, who ran a 3:58 mile last month, was third in 8:40.95 A highly-anticipated showdown took place in the Invitational girls shot put, where Aliso Niguel junior Jaslene Massey, who won the Orange County Championships in March with a throw of 50 feet, seven inches (No. 3 in the nation this year) prevailed with a 48-09.50 effort. Senior Aja Johnson of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, who won the 2023 state crown and was the runner-up last spring, finished second 48-01.00. The roles were reversed in the discus, where Johnson (the 2024 state champion) took first place with a throw of 159-01 while Massey was second (157-03). Long Beach Wilson's Loren Webster won the Invitational girls long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 10 inches and Camren Smith of Quartz Hill won the Invitational boys triple jump at 49-06.00. Advertisement Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Servite boys 4x100 relay team leads pack breaking records at Arcadia Invitational
It did not take long for the first record to fall Saturday evening at the 57th annual Arcadia Invitational track and field meet at Arcadia High. In the very first event, Servite's boys 4x100 relay team burned up the track in 40 seconds flat, a new state and meet record and the fastest prep time this season. Getting the Friars' foursome off to a fast start was Jorden Wells, who passed the baton to Benjamin Harris around the first turn and watched as the Long Beach Poly transfer took the lead on the backstretch and handed off to Jaelen Hunter, who maintained his team's margin before passing to Robert Gardner, who widened the margin on the anchor leg. All four of them are underclassmen and they beat runner-up Long Beach Poly by 32 hundredths of a second. 'We came in hot, having practiced real good and it paid off,' Gardner said. 'Once I get the baton I have to do my part.' Harris believes the best is yet to come. 'We can line up with any team out there,' he said. 'We can go lower next week [at the Mt. SAC Relays] and beyond.' Having won the 4x200 on Friday, Servite tried for the 'trifecta' in the final race of the night Saturday and completed the sweep of the relays as Jorden Wells sprinted a 47.10 anchor leg to lead the all-freshman squad to first in the 4x400 in 3:12.33, the sixth-fastest time in the U.S. this season and the eighth-best all-time at Arcadia. Hunter, the top ninth-grader in the country in the 400 meters, showed why by winning the seeded race in 47.91. Jack Stadlman of Temecula Valley won the Invitational 400 in 45.92, staying No. 3 in the nation at that distance. Despite his success, Stadlman said he prefers the 200. 'I'm not a fan of the 400, but I knew I had the fastest seed, I trusted in myself and finished the race,' said Stadlman, who trailed early before taking control to comfortably beat runner-up Noah Smith (46.56). 'I wanted the meet record, but I told my coach I'd be satisfied with 45.' Vista Murrieta's Michael Norman set the meet record of 45.51 in 2016. Stadlman, a former junior varsity basketball player, ran the fourth-fastest time in the United States (45.69) on March 1 in only his second 400 ever and Smith, a junior, ran the eighth-fastest national time this year (46.55) at the Chandler Rotary Invitational in Arizona. Wells clocked 10.47 to take second in the seeded 100-meter dash and Harris went head-to-head with Mt. Miguel junior Brandon Arrington (last year's state 100 and 200 champion) in the Invitational heat. Arrington won by one hundredth of a second in 10.32—the third-fastest ever at Arcadia. Harris' 10.33 was good enough for fourth all-time at Arcadia and one hundredth of a second off the state record for a sophomore). Arrington doubled back to win the 200 in 20.35, breaking Noah Lyles' meet record of 20.48, set in 2016. Lyles, of T.C. Williams, Alexandria, Virginia, still holds the Arcadia 100 meter record of 10.17. After finishing second in the mile the previous two years to Ventura's Sadie Engelhardt, who opted to forego her last high school season to compete in Open and pro races, senior Jane Hedengren of Timpview, Utah, made history of her own by establishing a new national two-mile record of 9:34.12. Interviewed one minute after, she took her stunning achievement in stride. 'I felt alright, but I wanted to go faster,' said Hedengren, whose effort also broke the national 3000 and 3200 records. 'Thank you, Arcadia, for cheering me on.' Maliyah Collins' blazing anchor leg helped Rosary win the Invitational girls 4x100 in 45.47, the sixth fastest time in the nation this year and fourth fastest ever at Arcadia. Christina Gray anchored reigning City Section champion Carson's 46.58 first-place effort in the preceding seeded race. The Invitational boys 3200 field included five sub-four minute milers. Owen Powell of Mercer Island, Washington won the eight-lapper in 8:39.86. Fifteen-year-old New Zealander Sam Ruthe, who ran a 3:58 mile last month, was third in 8:40.95 A highly-anticipated showdown took place in the Invitational girls shot put, where Aliso Niguel junior Jaslene Massey, who won the Orange County Championships in March with a throw of 50 feet, seven inches (No. 3 in the nation this year) prevailed with a 48-09.50 effort. Senior Aja Johnson of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, who won the 2023 state crown and was the runner-up last spring, finished second 48-01.00. The roles were reversed in the discus, where Johnson (the 2024 state champion) took first place with a throw of 159-01 while Massey was second (157-03). Long Beach Wilson's Loren Webster won the Invitational girls long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 10 inches and Camren Smith of Quartz Hill won the Invitational boys triple jump at 49-06.00.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former basketball player Jack Stadlman bursts onto the track scene
"The Jack Stadlman Story" could be coming to a theater near you. The screenplay is being written each time he breaks out of the blocks in the 400 meters. To see the time he's running with so little experience or knowledge of what he's doing is simply stunning. 'I believe what we're doing will conclude with him being on the top of the podium at the state meet,' says his coach, Desmond Lee. It's a story about a teenage athlete who discovered his freakish talent almost by accident. Stadlman was a junior varsity basketball player at Temecula Valley High who used to beat everyone in line drills and suicides, indicating speed and endurance. 'I would always be the quickest,' he said. 'Basketball wasn't going as I wanted. I wanted to try something else because I was so fast.' In October 2023, he quit basketball and joined the track team in his junior season. He ran the 100 and 200 last spring. His best 100 time was 10.73 seconds and his 200 time was 21.61. He ran one 400 race, finishing in 49.06. Coming Wednesday. A profile of Jack Stadlman of Temecula Valley who ran an astounding 45.69 400 meters in only his second 400 ever. — eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 5, 2025 'I didn't want to do the 400,' he told himself. 'This race is too tiring and too much.' Said Lee: ' I didn't get to do much work with him but saw he had this unbelievable engine.' Lee ran a 4x400 relay leg and recorded a split in 48.2. It was a hint what he might become. 'It was noticeable I was really good,' he said. Vista Murrieta coach Coley Candaele said he saw Stadlman run that 400 last season. He was the high school coach for Olympian Michael Norman and was convinced something was there. 'I knew he was the real deal,' Candaele said. Lee still had to convince Stadlman the 400 would be his race this season. 'When we started fall training, he wants to run 100 so bad,' Lee said. 'No, no no.' Lee knew that the defending state champion in the 100, Brandon Arrington from Mount Miguel, ran 10.33 seconds. 'I'm telling him, 'Would you rather win and be on the podium at state or be eliminated? I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but you're not going to beat him.'' Stadlman listened and went to work. He trained relentlessly all fall in the weight room and running hills. He won the winter championship for 300 meters. He started to embrace the 400. "The 400 is more like a sprint for me. I started liking it,' he said. Then came last Saturday, when he ran in only his second 400 ever in a meet at Vista Murrieta. The expectation was to run a time in the 47s. Instead, Stadlman made eyes go wide in surprise when he finished in 45.69 seconds, the second-best performance by an Inland Empire high school athlete all-time next to Norman's 45.19. 'I was super excited,' Stadlman said. It raises questions. Was it a fluke? Did Stadlman peak in his first race of the year? And how fast can he run this season? The answers are no, no and no one knows. 'I can't tell you how fast he's going to run,' Lee said. 'It's not his peak. There's more in the system.' Stadlman is a 6-foot, 160-pound 18-year-old who loses weight so easily that he tries to eat as much as he can. He can do windmill dunks. His mother is a native of Cambodia and is a first-grade teacher. His father is a truck driver. His mother urged him to try track. He's an A student who played trumpet in the middle school band. Expect college recruiters to be inundating him with offers this spring. 'Everybody has been telling me to do track,' he said. 'I always thought it would be long-distance training.' Now that he has discovered his talent for running, he's all in. It's his future and the fact that the Olympic Games are coming to Los Angeles in 2028 makes his discovery perfect timing. The reaction to his sudden success was swift. 'I was getting a lot of congratulations,' he said. 'My friends were really proud seeing my progress from nothing to something. My parents were hyped. They were screaming.' Stadlman might need to hire an agent. His story is headed to big-time status. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Former basketball player Jack Stadlman bursts onto the track scene
'The Jack Stadlman Story' could be coming to a theater near you. The screenplay is being written each time he breaks out of the blocks in the 400 meters. To see the time he's running with so little experience or knowledge of what he's doing is simply stunning. 'I believe what we're doing will conclude with him being on the top of the podium at the state meet,' says his coach, Desmond Lee. It's a story about a teenage athlete who discovered his freakish talent almost by accident. Stadlman was a junior varsity basketball player at Temecula Valley High who used to beat everyone in line drills and suicides, indicating speed and endurance. 'I would always be the quickest,' he said. 'Basketball wasn't going as I wanted. I wanted to try something else because I was so fast.' In October 2023, he quit basketball and joined the track team in his junior season. He ran the 100 and 200 last spring. His best 100 time was 10.73 seconds and his 200 time was 21.61. He ran one 400 race, finishing in 49.06. 'I didn't want to do the 400,' he told himself. 'This race is too tiring and too much.' Said Lee: ' I didn't get to do much work with him but saw he had this unbelievable engine.' Lee ran a 4x400 relay leg and recorded a split in 48.2. It was a hint what he might become. 'It was noticeable I was really good,' he said. Vista Murrieta coach Coley Candaele said he saw Stadlman run that 400 last season. He was the high school coach for Olympian Michael Norman and was convinced something was there. 'I knew he was the real deal,' Candaele said. Lee still had to convince Stadlman the 400 would be his race this season. 'When we started fall training, he wants to run 100 so bad,' Lee said. 'No, no no.' Lee knew that the defending state champion in the 100, Brandon Arrington from Mount Miguel, ran 10.33 seconds. 'I'm telling him, 'Would you rather win and be on the podium at state or be eliminated? I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but you're not going to beat him.'' Stadlman listened and went to work. He trained relentlessly all fall in the weight room and running hills. He won the winter championship for 300 meters. He started to embrace the 400. 'The 400 is more like a sprint for me. I started liking it,' he said. Then came last Saturday, when he ran in only his second 400 ever in a meet at Vista Murrieta. The expectation was to run a time in the 47s. Instead, Stadlman made eyes go wide in surprise when he finished in 45.69 seconds, the second-best performance by an Inland Empire high school athlete all-time next to Norman's 45.19. 'I was super excited,' Stadlman said. It raises questions. Was it a fluke? Did Stadlman peak in his first race of the year? And how fast can he run this season? The answers are no, no and no one knows. 'I can't tell you how fast he's going to run,' Lee said. 'It's not his peak. There's more in the system.' Stadlman is a 6-foot, 160-pound 18-year-old who loses weight so easily that he tries to eat as much as he can. He can do windmill dunks. His mother is a native of Cambodia and is a first-grade teacher. His father is a truck driver. His mother urged him to try track. He's an A student who played trumpet in the middle school band. Expect college recruiters to be inundating him with offers this spring. 'Everybody has been telling me to do track,' he said. 'I always thought it would be long-distance training.' Now that he has discovered his talent for running, he's all in. It's his future and the fact that the Olympic Games are coming to Los Angeles in 2028 makes his discovery perfect timing. The reaction to his sudden success was swift. 'I was getting a lot of congratulations,' he said. 'My friends were really proud seeing my progress from nothing to something. My parents were hyped. They were screaming.' Stadlman might need to hire an agent. His story is headed to big-time status.
