1973. Possible sites were located for 14 units for low income families and 10 units for the elderly.
NATURAL GAS – A franchise was granted the Northern Illinois Gas Company and their lines were extended to El Paso from Fairbury in May, 1962. Most of the homes in town now have this utility, which has decreased the pollution problem dramatically. The mains were laid by Rowe Construction Company of Bloomington.
The Thermogas Company bought the El Paso Dri-Gas plant in August, 1962. In 1968, a truck terminal was added on the site at the west edge of El Paso on U. S. 24. Wallace Etcheson is the local manager.
BULK FUEL PLANTS – Gasoline and fuel oil distributors in El Paso include Dale Scott, who handles Standard Oil products, Glen Burroughs who represents Phillips 66, and Paul Cox who sells fuel for Woodford County Service Company. The oldest such business is Feeney Oil Company who will celebrate 50 years of service in 1974. This business was started by Martin Feeney and has been continued by his son, Charles M. Feeney. Charles Feeney, Jr. is now associated in the business.
DOCTORS – El Paso is quite fortunate to have a number of excellent doctors. Dr. Robert P. Lykkebak and Dr. C. T. Kearney are medical doctors. Dr. Darwin H. Pope and his wife, Isabel, are both graduates of the Palmer School of Chiropractic. Dr. Gordon D. Heiple is the only dentist practicing in El Paso at this time. All five of these individuals have been in El Paso for many years and are written up in more detail in chapter 13. Dr. C. E. Cryer, who practiced in El Paso for more than forty years passed away on October 5, 1973. In recent months, Dr. Robert Donovan opened an office at 39 E. Front Street. He is an optometrist and keeps his office open four days a week.
BANKING – Banking in El Paso received a severe shock on February 15, 1960 when Cassell C. Kingdon died. He collapsed at a meeting of the Kiwanis Club and died immediately. Cashier of the Woodford County National Bank since 1948, Mr. Kingdon wrote several chapters of the El Paso Story and gave the project much of his time and energy. His widow, Mrs. Mabel Kingdon, still lives in El Paso.
Following Mr. Kingdon's death, Robert Hurst from the Normal State Bank made daily trips to El Paso to over-see the operations of the Woodford County National Bank. His association with the bank was just on a temporary basis and ended on August 1, 1960 when Harold McMillan was named cashier. "Mac" had been with the Union National Bank of Macomb for 12 years before coming to El Paso.
A block away, at the El Paso National Bank, a change of ownership occurred on June 25, 1962, when James M. Jackson acquired the stock owned by Lester Pfister, inactive president of the bank and William D. Kitchell, the chief executive officer. Ownership of the El Paso National Bank changed again on February 10, 1964, when George E. Drake
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