Chalkboard Thoughts

    Susan Reddick was born on March 16th, 1958.  She went to Charleston High School, in Charleston, Illinois.    On Saturday April 23rd, 1977, Susan was in Charleston, Illinois at a teen and young adult nightclub enjoying her evening.     Later on in the 1980’s some of my friends would venture over to Charleston to go to the nightclubs there. They allowed under 21 people in but made them wear a wristband to keep them from drinking. They had a big dancefloor and it was a big draw for people from Terre Haute and lots of places in Indiana.   Susan Reddick did not make it home that night. Her friends and family might not have even noticed that she was missing yet. She was found the very next morning.     19 year old Susan Reddick was found in Toledo, Illinois by mushroom hunters on Sunday April 24th, 1977. Susan was lying facedown in “the Fulfer Branch of Muddy Creek” about five miles north of Toledo. Another article ...

       Tricia Kellett was born on May 31st, 1973 to Dorothy Jo Kellett and Brad Kellett. She had a brother named Brian.    On Friday, May 7th,1982, Tricia and Brian were out of school for the weekend and preparing to go to their Dad’s house. Tricia asked to play outside while they waited. Her mother saw nothing wrong with that. The street was full of kids playing outside at the time. It was a nice day. Their neighborhood had always been quiet and safe.    Her neighborhood was called Uptown. It’s north of Wrigley Field and a short walk from Lake Michigan. Most of the buildings there are apartment buildings that are only a few stories tall. This is not an area with large high rises and skyscrapers.    Tricia was last seen around the corner of Malden Street and Leland. Witnesses saw a man put her into a blue four-door 1979 Pontiac or Dodge with a damaged right front door. Kids thought they remembered a Q and an R as two ...

     Michiel Louise Winkel was born on February 15th, 1958. Her parents were Mary Louise Terre Winkel and Francis Henry “Frank” Winkel. Michiel had two sisters and two brothers.    Michiel was a 1977 graduate of Muscatine High School. She was attending Bemidji State University in Minnesota in 1980. (One of her older sisters lived in Bemidji too so that town probably felt like a good choice for college. It’s nice to be independent but also nice to have someone close if you need a bit of help or advice.   Michiel was quiet, studious and sensitive. She had worked for a short time at Dairy Queen in Muscatine, Iowa but would often burst into tears when harshly criticized there. (In her defense, people were meaner then, in my opinion. Many folks thought nothing of teasing someone until they cried and then making fun of them for crying.)    Michiel was home for break in Muscatine, Iowa in April 1980.    On April 21st,...