They were two men who were very different, but as I thought about them following their deaths these past two weeks, I noticed they shared many things. They were devoted to their families, country and community and generous to others.
I’m writing of Ed Meksto of Riverside and Danny Hull of Brookfield, and I was fortunate to know them both.
Ed Meksto is probably best remembered as president of the village of Riverside and the only one to serve three terms, which was able to happen by a clause in the by-laws of the Riverside Community Caucus. Ed came on the village board as a trustee at a time when the Caucus looked for balance, having divided the village into sections. Meksto came from the area around Blythe Road, which was a hub of voting precincts in that area.
Ed had a sense of humor that you had to listen for and one I heard many times while we worked on planning the centennial celebration for the village in 1975.
Last May, Ed was honored at the Memorial Day program in Riverside. Tom Sisulak, coordinator of the program, asked me if I would be in attendance because Ed wanted to see me. We had a good visit and one I will remember.
On that day, as I had before, I told Ed, who was a commercial airline pilot, that I was afraid of flying. But if I did fly, I would have a lot of trust with Ed at the helm. He was a man to be trusted and remembered.
There is not enough space to write about Handsome Hull. He always had that smile and always something good to say about everyone.
Danny was the person most instrumental in helping our daughter, Tina, earn a softball scholarship to DePaul University. She was only one of many he helped, and later she had the fun of coaching with him. He knew the game his players and how to coach, fair describes his style.
He was so fun. How about when he organized a lip-synch night at the Hideway, his establishment in Brookfield. Who can forget Danny doing a routine as he drove a cardboard car? Now there is a video I’d like to see again.
I wrote a column on Danny a few years back and mentioned him in others, and I could still write more columns about him.
