| George Tilles Jr. Memorial Park | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Municipal park |
| Location | Oran, Missouri, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°02′42″N89°23′38″W / 37.0451°N 89.39385°W Coordinates: 37°02′42″N89°23′38″W / 37.0451°N 89.39385°W |
| Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha) [1] |
| Created | June 27, 1965 [2] |
| Owned by | City of Oran |
| Website | Oran Municipality |
Tilles Memorial City Park, also known as George Tilles Jr. Memorial Park, is the oldest municipal park in Oran, Missouri, United States. [3]
The park was founded in 1962 by Frank Pellegrino, CEO of the International Hat Company in St. Louis, Missouri. [3] [4] The park was dedicated by Pellegrino as a memorial to George Tilles Jr., Pellegrino's, friend, business partner, and former CEO of International Hat. George Tilles was also the nephew of horse racing magnate Cap Tilles.
Throughout the 1950s to the mid-1980s, the company's hat factory was the largest employer in Oran and one of the largest employers in Southeastern Missouri. The Oran factory was also the first International Hat plant built outside of St. Louis. These factors led to Pellegrino's choice of Oran, as a way of giving back to the employees of an International Hat town. As a condition for founding the park, Pellegrino petitioned the city that future funding of the new recreational facilities and park upkeep be managed through municipal taxation. The measure was placed on the voting ballot and passed with 93 percent of voters approving. [3]
Since 1995, a major feature of the park has been the annual car show, sponsored by the Oran Chamber of Commerce.
Scott County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,191. Its county seat is Benton. The county was organized in 1821 and named for U.S. Representative John Scott, the first federal representative from Missouri.
Cape Girardeau County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri; its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 75,674. The county seat is Jackson, the first city in the US to be named in honor of President Andrew Jackson. Officially organized on October 1, 1812, the county is named after Ensign Sieur Jean Baptiste de Girardot, an official of the French colonial years. The "cape" in the county's name is named after a former promontory rock overlooking the Mississippi River; this feature was demolished during railroad construction.
Cape Girardeau is a city in Cape Girardeau County and Scott County in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to 2019 United States Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city proper was 40,559, with the surrounding metropolitan area totaling 134,051 residents.
The Limbaugh family is a prominent political family from Missouri. Its members have served as attorneys, politicians, judges, and political commentators both in the Missouri area and on a national scale. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh was a member of the family.
The Battle of Cape Girardeau was a military demonstration of the American Civil War, occurring on April 26, 1863 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The conflict was part of the pursuit of US Brigadier General John McNeil through Southeast Missouri by Confederate Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke. Though the conflict to this day is known as a battle, it was a relatively small engagement whose primary importance was as the turning point that brought General Marmaduke's second Missouri raid to an end.
Peter Dickson Kinder is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2017. He was appointed as a co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority in August 2017, from which he resigned in June 2018.
Rush Hudson Limbaugh Sr. was an American jurist, legislator, and ambassador. His legal career spanned nearly 80 years, and he argued cases before the Missouri Supreme Court, Internal Revenue Service Appellate Division, Interstate Commerce Commission, and National Labor Relations Board.
The 2008 United States presidential election in Missouri was held on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election, which took place throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose 11 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The Southeast Missourian is a daily newspaper published in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and serves the southeastern portion of Missouri.
B'Nai Israel Synagogue is a historic Jewish synagogue at 126 S. Main in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
A special election for Missouri's 8th congressional district was held on June 4, 2013, following the resignation of Jo Ann Emerson on January 22, 2013, to head the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The Republican and Democratic parties selected their own nominees without a primary.
International Hat Company, formerly named the International Harvest Hat Company, was a St. Louis, Missouri-based manufacturer of commercial hats and military helmets. The company was one of the largest hat manufacturers in the United States and, at one time, the largest manufacturer of harvest hats in the world. It is best remembered for its design and mass production of tropical shaped, pressed fiber military sun helmets for service members of the United States Army, Marines, and Navy during and after World War II. Additionally, the American owned company was a major producer of harvest hats, straw hats, fiber sun hats, enameled dress hats, baseball caps, and earmuffs throughout most of the 20th century. However, it is the International Hat military sun helmets that have become the most notable collector's items.
Frank G. Pellegrino was an American engineer, inventor, and industrialist. He served as president of the General Fibre Company. During his tenure, General Fibre became the largest manufacturer of duck decoy models in the United States, producing over a million per year in the 1950s. Pellegrino also negotiated the sale of the International Hat Company to Interco, Inc. Additionally, he created a variety of inventions related to the plastic molding industry. Most notably, Pellegrino invented automated assembly line machines in the formation of plastic objects. These machines were used by General Fibre in the production of a variety of plastic models, duck decoys, and Michelob paraphernalia throughout the 1960s to 1980s.
Frank Paul Pellegrino was an American businessman. He was the longest-serving chairman and CEO of the International Hat Company. Pellegrino built numerous factories across Southeastern Missouri, managing the company into becoming the largest manufacturing employer in the region by the 1960s.
Maria Pellegrino Park is a municipal park in the western of portion of Marble Hill, Missouri. The park is the largest of the five reserves in the municipality. Pellegrino Park features tennis courts, pavilions, playground equipment, picnic tables, restroom facilities, forest, and a two acre lake for fishing. The park began planning in 1969 and was established in 1972 on 31 acres of city owned land. The park was founded by Frank Pellegrino, the former president and chairman of the International Hat Company of St. Louis. The company operated one of its factories in Marble Hill until 1989, employing approximately 300 people. The park was built on land donated by the company located directly adjacent to International Hat's manufacturing plant. Pellegrino named the park in honor of his Italian-American mother, Maria Pellegrino. The plaque located at the entrance gate reads that the park is dedicated to her "as an expression of her concern for the betterment of her fellowman."
The Tilles Foundation is a St. Louis based charity fund for orphans, dependent mothers, and poor college students. The foundation was originally named the Rosalie Tilles Nonsectarian Charity Fund.
David Barklage is a Republican political consultant from Missouri. He is President of The Barklage Company.
George Tilles Jr. was president of the International Hat Company during World War II. Under Tilles, International Hat become of the two dominant manufacturers of fiber pressed military pith helmets for the United States Army, Marines, and Navy. The Tilles Memorial City Park in Oran, Missouri is named in his honor.
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