In Memoriam

Just briefly, we just want to remember two persons who passed yesterday.  They were both influential in developing Downtown Dixon. 

One was former Mayor James Burke.  As a life long resident and real estate agent he was a tireless supporter of Dixon and when he first ran for and was elected to office in 1999, many said that he just wanted to sell more real estate.  And our response, "And that's a bad thing?"  And, he was always trying to improve himself by reading and by discussing things with people around him.  Read about him on Sauk Valley News's website.

The other was Som Yindeeroop, who for years had been the chief chef and patriarch of the Touch of Thai here on First Street in Dixon.  Along with his wife, sons and daughter-in-law, Som worked hard to overcome people's apprehension of too-spicy food and raw fish.  He was key in having the Consul of Thailand who was based in Chicago and had a son attending Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, come visit and support a Thai Festival on this street in this town (Jim Burke was Mayor at the time).  He even showed others that a Thai cuisine restaurant with a sushi bar could be successful, resulting in the entry of a competitor coming to Dixon -- Bangkok Gardens on Galena Avenue.

We will miss both greatly.