Janice A. Petterchak's published works include:
Jack Brickhouse: A Voice for All Seasons, a biography of the legendary Chicago broadcaster. From 1940 through the 1981 season, Brickhouse was the voice of the Chicago Cubs. He was the first television broadcaster for the Chicago Bulls, and early in his career was nationally known as a boxing and wrestling announcer. He was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. One chapter from this book, "Jack and Harry," a conversation between Brickhouse and his contemporary Harry Caray, was reprinted in
the Chicago Tribune. The book received a Certificate of Excellence award from the Illinois State Historical Society. Published by Contemporary Books, Inc.
Mapping a Life's Journey: The Legacy of Andrew McNally III, the life story of the great-grandson of the founder of Rand McNally. During his tenure as president, Andrew McNally III led the firm through the years of its greatest growth. He retired as chairman emeritus in the mid-1990s. Privately printed by Rand McNalley.
Books That Stand the Test of Time: The Story of Bound to Stay Bound Books, 1920-1998, a history of the Jacksonville, Illinois firm that for more than seventy-five years has been binding children's books for schools and public libraries.
Taming the Upper Mississippi: My Turn at Watch, 1935-1999, a biography
of William H. Klingner, a civil engineer and his career serving the needs of
people living along the Mississippi. The river valley of the past was not the pristine environment many environmental groups portray. Problems with water-born disease and inadequate clean drinking water were common to the early settlers. The link of navigation to flood protection and the need for federal involvement were recognized as early as the mid-1800s.
To Share: The Heritage, Legend, and Legacy of Nathan Cummings is the story of Canadian-born entrepreneur Nathan Cummings (1896-1945), who founded the company that through acquisitions and mergers became the Sara Lee Corporation. With his accumulated financial resources, he became a major philanthropist and collector of fine art. The Sara Lee Corporation, based in Chicago, recently donated the Nathan Cummings Collection to more than forty art museums throughout the world.
Illinois History: An Annotated Bibliography, edited by Janice Petterchak, published by Greenwood Press in 1995. This 600-page compilation of books and articles on subjects in Illinois history is supplemented by a lengthy chronology of historic events, compiled by Petterchak.
A Legacy of Style chronicles the four-decade history of .Shelby Williams Industries, Inc., a "contract furniture" firm, and its founder, Manfred Steinfeld, a Jewish immigrant from Germany. In 1953 Steinfeld was hired by the Great Northern Chair Company in Chicago, which closed the following year. A business acquaintance who became a lifelong friend financed Steinfeld's purchase of that company's assets. In true"Horatio Alger" fashion, Steinfeld guided his new firm, named Shelby Williams Industries, into the world's largest manufacturer of furniture for hotels, restaurants, hospitals, resorts, and other public and private entities.
Out to Sea Again: A Naval Armed Guard in World War II is the story of the United States Naval Armed Guard, told through the letters of a young recruit from southern Illinois, Harold H. Stukenberg - uncle of the author. Armed Guard sailors protected troops, guns, and other essential materials sent on American and Allied merchant vessels. His gunnery assignments during 1943 and 1944 involved several hazardous Atlantic crossings - as those ships brought food and supplies to war-torn Britain, and bombs and ammunition to the Allies fighting in fiercely contested Italy.
Lone Scout: W. D. Boyce and American Boy Scouting is the biography of a Progressive-era Chicago businessman and worldwide explorer who in 1910 incorporated the Boy Scouts of America. Paralleling Theodore Roosevelt in many activities, Boyce (1858-1929) attained international prominence -- "a man with friends in almost every civilized country." Available from Legacy Press.
Historic Illinois: An Illustrated History is a coffee-table history commissioned by the Illinois State Historical Society. It includes more than 100 photographs, lithographs, and paintings chronicling the state’s history from prehistoric times to present day, and features Robert Thom’s handsome painting, “Jolliet and Marquette, August 1673” on the cover. The book also includes business biographies of more than 25 Illinois corporations that have made significant economic contributions to their communities and the state of Illinois, including Deere & Company, Passavant Area Hospital, Robert Morris College, Allstate, and Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc. Available from the Illinois State Historical Society.
From A Kansas Farm to the Engineering Hall of Fame: The Legacy of Walter E.
Hanson is a biography of retired civil and structural engineer Walter E. Hanson of Springfield, Illinois. A University of Illinois graduate and World War II Naval Officer, Hanson once taught at the University of Illinois and served as a bridge engineer with the Illinois Department of Transportation. In 1954, he founded W.E. Hanson & Associates, a Springfield-based engineering consulting firm. The firm is now Hanson Professional Services Inc., an award-winning firm with a worldwide scope of clients, approximately 450 employees, and 20 offices nationwide. During his career, Hanson designed numerous buildings, bridges and dams throughout the United States and several foreign countries, including highway bridges in Saudi Arabia and Haiti, and dams and irrigation systems in the Dominican Republic. Available from Hanson Professional Services, Inc.
