[Formerly] Unidentified People with Food ca. 1962

[8/19/2026 update: the people in the photo have been identified, at least tentatively. Left to right: Ralph Kennedy, Dick Boyd(?), Dwight Mathis, Chief of Police William McGinn, and Officer Dick Raiza. My thanks to Suzi Schnabel Emig and Barbara Phillips Rowley.]


All the good people who have been sharing food in the wake of the August 11 derecho/tornadoes made me think of this photo.


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There are no notes on the back to tell us who these people are or what sort of event this was. But this photo was one of three that I recently bought as a package, and the other two pertain to the Hobart Police Department and date to the early 1960s, so this one likely does too. Not to mention the uniformed officer at right, and the fashions.

No reason to believe it involved a disaster, though.

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[further update] While searching for Chief McGinn's first name, I came across this article from the Hammond Times of June 26, 1963, which teaches us that if we're going to try to start a bookie operation, we should not order five telephones all at once.


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A Scrapbook from the Forgotten War

I recently bought a scrapbook relating to the late Frederick E. Kennedy, a Hobart man who served in the Korean War. It includes many photos from overseas and a few from the states, as well as a few newspaper clippings and documents.

This, I believe, is Frederick himself:


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The insignia on the top of his sleeve is included in the scrapbook.



And this little newspaper clipping, undated, from an unknown source.





Frederick lived a long and full life, and died in 2008.

This scrapbook has traveled a bit. As of tomorrow its new, permanent home will be at the Hobart Historical Society museum.