Outhouses to Computers

Pearle (Hopkins) Lange is a remarkable lady who has had a surprising variety of experiences. Her autobiography, which began as a collection of memories for her two sons, reaches far beyond a family's history. Its pages give an insight to life in rural Illinois from the 1920s to the present. You will see Lange as the oldest of three farm children during the Great Depression, as a one-room country-school student, as a graduate from Walnut High School in Bureau County, as a Eureka College student during WWII, as a teacher in country schools, as a farmer's wife helping in the fields, as the mother of two active boys, as a devoted daughter and sister, as a traveler, and as a pastor of the Walnut First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Her sense of humor, sensitivity, leadership, and strength of purpose permeate Lange's pages as she acquaints you with the stories of some of the many people whole lives she touched or whose lives touched hers. Although she confesses that some of the dates and places may not be precise, she tells her story as she recalls it. Cry with her, laugh with her, and experience with her the many things that have earned her the affectionate identification in her community as Pastor Pearle. In 1999 the Walnut Community Chamber of Commerce honored Pearle Lange for her service by adding her name to its Hall of Fame. Judy Bolz