If you are old enough….you remember the classic 1960’s sit-com, Mr. Ed. The prime human character in the show was a guy by the name of Wilbur Post. Mr. Ed was the talking horse that loved to call his owner, “”Willlbuuur.”
If you are from Bethalto, Illinois, the name Wilbur logically is the first name of the guy who created our school district. Wilbur Trimpe. Wilbur was a considerable force in my hometown and county during the course of his life. Either you loved Wilbur, or you didn’t. But you certainly knew him.
Wilbur came to Bethalto in the very early 1950s as the guy tabbed to create the consolidated school district in Bethalto. He had established his career in Havana, Illinois. My life crossed Wilbur’s many times. I attended Wilbur Trimpe Junior High. The first athletic letter I ever earned was a big “T” which stood for Trimpe.
One of the great Bethalto Rotary stories of all time was the one involving Trimpe. Wilbur moved to town at the urging of the Rotary Club. He was looking for a home with his wife Nita (Wanita). One of the Rotarians, Charlie Aghetta, was going out of town for a couple of weeks, so, he offered his home on Prairie Street for the Trimpes while they searched for real estate.
The Trimpes found a home at 207 Mill Street a few days before Charlie got home. As a joke, several of the club members entered Charlie’s house the day after Wilbur moved out….and the day before Charlie got back into town. They littered the Aghetta home with beer cans and garbage and waited for the explosion.
It never occurred. Charlie came home, found the mess…..thought the worst of the Trimpes…..but cleaned it up and never mentioned a word about it. But he didn’t think much of Trimpe for leaving his house in shambles. It took several months before someone spilled the truth. I’m not sure Wilbur ever knew he was set up.
When I was a young reporter, one of my first stories was a feature on the president of Lewis and Clark Community College. It was Wilbur. He had moved on from being the Bethalto school superintendent and county superintendent and become the president of the college. I learned a lot about him including his scheme to be called Dr. Trimpe. Wilbur had a master’s degree…but since most college presidents had doctorates….Wilbur desired the title.
He made a deal with the president of a local liberal arts college. He awarded an honorary doctorate to the colleague,,,, from LCCC…..and in exchange…..bartered a reciprocal doctorate from the liberal arts college the next year. From then on, he called himself Dr. Trimpe. That really burned the professors at LCCC who had earned doctorates. It also didn’t set well with the Illinois legislature. They passed a law after the doctorate trade to make it illegal for a community college to award a doctorate. But before the law----known as the Trimpe law---was passed, Wilbur gave his buddy, Senator Sam Vadalabene, his very own doctorate from Lewis and Clark. It is on display today at SIUE’s Vadalabene Center. I don’t think Sam ever called himself Dr. Vadalabene.
After I joined LCCC as an instructor years later, I heard that Wilbur was going to move to be closer to his son, Dale. Actually, that was Nita’s idea. Wilbur didn’t want to leave Bethalto. I contacted him to see if he was interested in selling his Mill Street home. He said he would sell it for a set price. I thought it was a good price. So, I went and got financing. At the last moment-----fearing that he would have to leave town if he followed through with the sale of the house-----he added an extra five grand on the sale price. He told me on the phone as I was putting my furniture on a truck to start the move. I hung the phone up in a huff. It was very upsetting……I had thought the deal was done.
A few minutes later the phone rang and it was Nita. She had a very low and measured voice.
“Mike,” she said. “I heard Wilbur tell you that he was hiking the price.”
“Yes, mam,” I replied.
“Well…I have changed it back,” she said. “And I want you to remember something……”
“What’s that, mam?” I asked.
“Never underestimate the power of a woman.”
With that, Nita let Wilbur know that he was moving to Northern Illinois so their son could care for them. I never heard another word out of Wilbur. We moved in the next day.
My last remembrance of Wilbur was at the dedication of the Advanced Technology Center at LCCC, which was originally known as the “Dr. Wilbur Trimpe Hall.” Again, remember the doctorate story and the fact that the faculty really disliked Wilbur’s doctorate dance. They didn’t like Wilbur very much besides the honorary doctorate.
Wilbur’s former vice president was a guy by the name of Terry Cross. Terry would walk with Wilbur and remind him of people’s names as the people would approach. Cross would see a faculty member and whisper into Wilbur’s ear----“It’s Don Scott….he is the art instructor.”
On cue, Wilbur would extend his hand and say----“Why it is Don Scott and how are things in the world of art, Don?”
Understand, Wilbur had been retired for years by this time.
One of my most treasured former colleagues, Dr. Don Pruitt, literally loathed Wilbur. And waited for the former president to approach.
On cue, Cross whispered into Wilbur’s ear: “It’s Dr. Pruitt….the English Professor.”
Wilbur stepped into a handshake with Pruitt and said……”Why it is Dr. Pruitt..
And before he could make a comment about the world of English, Pruitt cut him off at the pass…
“I’m sorry sir….you have the better of me,” Pruitt said. “You know me….but I have no idea who you are….?”
That just destroyed Wilbur.
“Why…..why…..I am Wilbur Trimpe,” he stammered…..”I am the former president of this college.”
Pruitt had a perfectly stunned look on his face.
“Trimpe……hmmmm….Trimpe…..no….I don’t recall a president ever serving here by that name.”
They nearly had to wrestle Wilbur to the ground. He came unglued….which is precisely what Pruitt wanted.
“I was the president for ten years……I helped build this place…….This is my building……This is Trimpe Hall.”
Pruitt, having done the desired damage, left delighted.
Trimpe died years later at a ripe old age. I remember him fondly as the person primarily responsible for creating the Bethalto school district…..serving Lewis and Clark for a decade as its president…..and as being the consummate politician. He collected friends…
When someone in Bethalto says Wilbur, they aren’t talking about a talking horse.
They are talking about Wilbur Trimpe.
Hmmm….Dr. Wilbur Trimpe.
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