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Celebrity archives locked back in time · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Celebrity Archives Locked Back in Time. Written by Matthias Warner.
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  Speaker 1: This article is being read by an automated voice brought
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  Speaker 1: to you by Everlit. Long before Cameo or social media,
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  Speaker 1: in a world chained to pencil and paper, a collection
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  Speaker 1: of autographs was nothing to sneeze at. Its preservation is
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  Speaker 1: no small feat either. Francis Powers, a longtime Mendota resident,
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  Speaker 1: spent decades assembling more than two binders worth of autographs
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  Speaker 1: from big band players, television and film actors, athletes, and
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  Speaker 1: other stars of the past. Roland Hacker, the owner and
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  Speaker 1: proprietor of Hacker's trading post in Leland, recently acquired that
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  Speaker 1: collection of hundreds of autographs dating back as far as
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  Speaker 1: the 1930s. We believe he was an avid fan club
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  Speaker 1: member for a lot of these performers. He attended plenty
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  Speaker 1: of shows and events, as well as sent request letters
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  Speaker 1: to get this collection, Roland Hacker said. Among the most
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  Speaker 1: recognizable names in the autograph collection are Bing Crosby, Lawrence Welk,
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  Speaker 1: Mitzi Gaynor, and Jump Jackson. The assembled collection of entertainer
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  Speaker 1: autographs also includes follow-ups on the events of their lives
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  Speaker 1: with tour announcements, notable life events, and obituaries sitting beside
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  Speaker 1: the celebrity signatures or the pictures on which they came.
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  Speaker 1: The latest addition to the collection is from the 1990s,
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  Speaker 1: and since that addition, the collection has been transferred around
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  Speaker 1: the area, ultimately ending up in Hacker's hands. Hacker said
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  Speaker 1: that the collection took a long, winding road to get
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  Speaker 1: to him, but that the person responsible for assembling the
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  Speaker 1: autographed collection, Francis Powers, or Arky as he was commonly known,
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  Speaker 1: lived much of his life in Mendota, working for decades
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  Speaker 1: at the Prescott Brothers service station. Most of the collection
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  Speaker 1: consists of big band orchestras from the late 30s to
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  Speaker 1: the early 50s, predating figures like Elvis Presley and Jerry
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  Speaker 1: Lee Lewis, and groups like The Beatles and Rolling Stones.
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  Speaker 1: Powers wasn't just a fan of the head honchos of
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  Speaker 1: these big band orchestras. Many autographs in the collection feature
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  Speaker 1: the ensemble musical cast of the group, such as Jan Garber,
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  Speaker 1: Leo Pieper, Guy Lombardo, and their orchestras. In addition to
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  Speaker 1: the lead man's signature, a picture of the group, every
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  Speaker 1: single player's autograph and the instrument they play some of
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  Speaker 1: which are addressed to Powers personally. That is not a
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  Speaker 1: rare occurrence within the collection. Along with the response letters
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  Speaker 1: to Powers' requests for an autograph featuring a personalized greeting,
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  Speaker 1: around a quarter of the autographs are addressed specifically to Arki.
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  Speaker 1: According to press clippings from the time, Powers' nickname came
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  Speaker 1: not from his love of music, but from his love
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  Speaker 1: of baseball. Powers' love of baseball shines through with the collection,
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  Speaker 1: with clippings of local athletes' connection to the area. Most
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  Speaker 1: prominent is the announcement that Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs shortstop
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  Speaker 1: and MLB Hall of Famer, was to lead the centennial
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  Speaker 1: celebration in Ohio ill as the honorary parade marshal in
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  Speaker 1: July of 1977. More information about Powers as an individual
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  Speaker 1: was publicized, with his role and demeanor at Prescott Brothers
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  Speaker 1: championing him as friend of the community. A 1966 publication
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  Speaker 1: on Power's 25th year anniversary celebration of his employment at
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  Speaker 1: Prescott Brothers reads, One of the best. Customers appreciate his efforts,
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  Speaker 1: his advice and smile, along with the service he renders.
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  Speaker 1: Arky is an avid White Sox fan and can talk
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  Speaker 1: baseball with the best. An outstanding citizen in our community,
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  Speaker 1: he is the biggest friend your car ever had.