On the Street: Sextagenarian Roast - Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports

SEXTAGENARIAN ROAST: Wednesday's Hannibal Board of Education meeting happened to fall on Business Manager Dana Ruhl's 60th birthday, a fact everyone but Ruhl gleefully acknowledged. Ruhl received a bevy of dubiously thoughtful gifts throughout the day from his colleagues in the district's central office. "If you want to know how thick my skin is, you should have been here earlier," he joked to board members before the meeting. He had no idea what was coming. During the meeting's open forum, Board President David Jackson asked Ruhl to stand, which the business manager reluctantly did, as Jackson read aloud a mock proclamation that, in part, spoofed the Gettysburg Address: "Three score and no years ago, his father brought forth a son, who was conceived, obviously." Ruhl accepted the framed proclamation with good humor to hearty laughter and applause. As he sat down, board member Michael Holliday joked, "Dr. Jackson, is that in big print?"

NOTHING SPECIAL: At Wednesday night's Quincy School Board meeting, President Bill Daniels reminded the public that the board will hold two special meetings on Sept. 28 -- one at 8 a.m. to finalize the budget and one at 5 p.m. to discuss the district's facilities. This prompted board member Jeff Mays to remark: "On the topic of additional board meetings, I want the public to know we do not get $1,400 a meeting." This was an apparent reference to the Quincy City Council, which had to schedule a special meeting last week to act on an item that was inadvertently left off the council's regular meeting agenda. This required each of the 14 aldermen to be paid another $100 apiece -- their usual pay for each time they attend a meeting. "We (on the School Board) will get the same pay we always get," Mays added. That amount, of course, is zero because School Board members get paid nothing for attending meetings.

ADDING POUNDS: Also during the School Board meeting, Krys Eversden-Duesterhaus made an appeal to board members on behalf of Madison Elementary School, which is conducting a candy sale with the goal of raising $10,000. She told board members that chocolate bars would be available for them to purchase "before you venture into executive session." After hearing this tempting sales pitch, Board President Bill Daniels told Eversden-Duesterhaus with a smile: "Maybe you need to add exercise classes to that stuff that you're selling." She replied: "I'll work that in."

103 YEARS YOUNG: Alma Olker of St. Vincent's Home in Quincy received a surprise Saturday, which just happened to be her 103rd birthday. Family members had arranged for a Quincy Fire Department truck to be at the home Saturday morning, and for Olker to have her picture taken with some fire "gear" on. Olker has been a resident at St. Vincent's for only a "couple of weeks," according to a spokesman at the home.

On The Street is a compilation of tips and tidbits gathered by The Herald-Whig staff. Readers may contribute by emailing the newsroom at onthestreet@whig.com