The Weistart Family

Charles was forced to leave the mines in 1936 because of black lung disease caused from breathing coal dust in the narrow passages of mines 500 feet underground. Charles was found drowned in the clay pit next to the Minonk Township Cemetery on March 31, 1943.

In the late 1930's, Frank Weistart was elected president of the United Mine Workers of America's District 12, Local 247 which was located in Minonk. He was elected by the miners partially because he learned to speak Lithuanian and was able to understand other eastern Europeans as the Poles and Romanians. This would also prove to be his ticket out of the mines. In 1941, a mine strike of the northern coal fields was called to improve wages. John L. Lewis President of the United Mine Workers of America came to the Weistart home in Minonk to encourage the Local president and striking miners. Shortly after the strike was settled Frank was offered a job as a representative for the Union's District 12. Within a year he was offered a position as representative for the Union's reorganized District 50 whose members were workers from factories and businesses except mines.

Verna Weistart receives a check from Max Poynter for winning a contest. Max owned an appliance store in Minonk on the site of the present Minonk Foods building.

All of the Weistart boys worked hard to earn their education. Early on in life, they learned to fend for themselves. They had many jobs around Minonk. Often jobs were passed from one brother to the next. Some began their jobs by the time they were in second grade. Places worked included Buds Royal Blue, Vissering's Grocery, Gay Day Dress Shop, Leslies Shoes, Joe Vallow Studio, Meirhofer Clothier, Morrison's Chocolate Shop, Liner's Diner, Hayes Pharmacy, Schmitt's Drug Store, and the Minonk Theater. Other jobs included mowing and raking lawns, delivering evening papers, scooping snow, stoking furnaces, detasselling corn, working on farms, highway construction, working on Illinois River barges, and summer factory work.

Jerry Weistart was Minonk-Dana senior class president and graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1955 with a degree in accounting. During his college years he played semi-professional basketball. After college, Jerry worked for KW Battery Company in Chicago. He returned to Central Illinois where he accepted a position with a Certified Public Accounting firm and became an enrolled agent to practice before the IRS. Jerry then went into management of the Princeville Canning Company. This move led to his banking career. He became president of an affiliated bank and ultimately president of two other banks. In two of the banks he was also Chairman of the Board and he owned the third bank. After an early retirement, Jerry acquired several farms which he continues to supervise. He and Jean have four children and six grandchildren.

David Weistart was MDR sophomore class president and attended Elmhurst College following his graduation as MDR high school valedictorian in 1958. After three years college he was accepted to the Medical School at Washington University in St. Louis. After graduation, Dr. David interned in Phoenix AZ. He eventually established a large and vibrant family practice in Maryvale, AZ and was much beloved by his patients.

The above picture of the Weistart family was taken in 1960. From the left is Barth, James, John, David, and Jerry. Seated is their father, Frank Weistart.

James Weistart was sophomore MDR class president and graduated co-valedictorian in 1960 and completed study at the University of Chicago in 1965 with a degree in psychology. He later attended Roosevelt University in Chicago and Sangamon State University where he received three separate Master Degrees in Operations Research, Computer Science, and Psychology. He also is a member of Mensa. James worked as a caseworker for Cook County Public Aid, as a computer programmer for Continental Assurance and Household Finance in Chicago before moving to Springfield.

John Weistart graduated salutatorian from MDR High School in 1961 and from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1965 with a degree in philosophy. He attended law school at Duke University. He graduated second in his class and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Duke Law Journal. After graduation he worked for the law firm of Sidley & Austin in Chicago and then later clerked for Judge Walter Shaefer on the Illinois Supreme Court. He returned to teach at Duke in 1969, where he became the youngest law professor in the country. While his permanent position has been at Duke, John has taught at Harvard, Michigan, UCLA, and Virginia. John is the co-author of The Law of Sports, the first comprehensive treatise on sports law published in the United States. He was also the Executive Producer of the television show, Fair Game, which aired on some 380 PBS stations. The show examined the developing commercialization and corruption of college sports.

Achieving academic success did not separate the Weistart boys from their fellow classmates. They were all well-liked. Their acceptance as being one of the guys was confirmed by the fact that each had a nickname, the traditional sign of acceptance at MDR High. Jerry was known as "Jumoke"(his father's nickname), Barth was "Bevo" (after basketball star Bevo Francis), David was "Pete", James was "Penquin"(for his shuffling walk), and John was "Doc", even though he eventually became a lawyer.

It is unfortunate that their mother did not live to see the level of success achieved by her sons. Her encouragement and support was a prime motivator in their lives. Verna Weistart died of cancer at the age of 49 in 1960 just as her sons were getting started with their careers.