The Clinton Hometown Pride committee has selected seven Clintonians to be inducted into the inaugural class of the Clinton County Walk of Fame.
Nominations for the Walk of Fame were accepted from January through March 1st with final selections made on March 31st. Individuals could be nominated in on or more of the following categories: Professional Achievement, Fine Arts, Military, Athletics, and Humanitarian Acts. Evaluation of the nominees was conducted by members of the Nomination Committee with selection criteria including nominees’ achievements, impact on Clinton, and their ties to Clinton County.
Inductees include Felix Adler (Fine Arts), Duke Slater (Athletics), Russel Volckman (Military), Artemus Gates (Military), Charles Toney (Professional Achievement), Henry Langrehr (Military), and Linda Luckstead (Fine Arts).
The Clinton County Walk of Fame project was created by the Clinton Hometown Pride Committee to offer both residents and visitors an interesting and innovative way to showcase and appreciate the many historic individuals who planted their roots in Clinton county. The Committee also hopes that the Walk of Fame will be inspirational, encouraging others to make a difference and to shed a positive light on Clinton County through their achievements.
The induction ceremony for the Clinton County Walk of Fame will be held on Sunday, September 19, 2021 at the Eagle Point Lodge from 4pm -7pm. For more information, people are encouraged to contact Gary DeLacy, Nomination Committee Chair.
About the Inductees
Felix Adler, Fine Arts
Born Frank Spencer Bartlett Adler in 1895 in Clinton, Iowa, Felix Adler was a beloved American figure and a pioneer of professional clowning. He joined the Ringling Bros. Circus after performing in Vaudeville and serving in World War I. It was during his time with Ringling Bros that he officially became known as “Funny Felix the Clown.” Adler was the first clown to appear on television and was known as “The Whitehouse Clown,” having performed for three sitting president, Coolidge, Harding, and FD Roosevelt. He also starred in Cecil B. DeMille’s Holywood blockbuster, The Greatest Show on Earth. Throughout his career, Adler would often come back to Clinton to give benefit shows for the Clinton Boys Club and would give shows to the children at Jefferson Elementary. He retired in 1959 and died in 1960. He is buried in Clinton’s Springdale Cemetery.
Duke Slater, Athletics
Frederick Wayman “Duke” Slater was the son of a Methodist minister, born in Normal IL in 1898. The family moved to Clinton when Duke was 13, and he graduated from Clinton High School. His football achievements at Iowa were stellar: he played both ways, received national honors as a sophomore, led the Hawkeyes to a Big 10 title his senior year in 1921, and was named a first team All-American. When the College Football Hall of Fame was established in 1951, Duke was among its inaugural class. Duke followed college with a 10-year career in professional football. Duke was the first black lineman, and second black player, in the professional football league, in 1921. In 1927 and 1929, he was the only black player in the league. While playing professional football, he used the off-seasons of those years to continue his studies, and by 1928, earned his law degree from Iowa. He practiced law in Chicago, and coached some high school football and later organized barnstorming teams for black players in Chicago. Duke become an assistant district attorney and, in 1948, was elected as a judge to the city’s municipal court. He became the first black judge to serve on the Superior Court of Chicago in 1960, and four years later joined the newly formed Circuit Court of Cook County. He died in 1966. Duke was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2020.
Russel Volckman, Military
Russell William Volckmann was born October 23, 1911 in Clinton, Iowa. His father founded a local furniture store in Clinton. He was a graduate of the United States Military West Point, a U.S. Army infantry officer and leader of the Philippine Commonwealth military resistance to the Japanese conquest of the Philippines during World War II. From 1942-1945 he led organized Filipino and American guerrilla resistance against the occupying Japanese forces. After the war, he remained in the U.S. Army and helped create the U.S. Army Special Forces. Volckmann, at the time a colonel, is considered a co-founder of the U.S. Army Special Forces (the “Green Beret”). Volckmann served in the Korean War and he wrote the technical manual Organization and Conduct of Guerrilla Warfare in 1951. He received his final promotion to brigadier general in 1956, and retired from the military in 1957, after 27 years of military service. He served as president of Volckmann Furniture Manufacturing Company until 1977, and died on June 30, 1982.
Artemus Gates, Military
Artemus Lamb Gates (November 3, 1895 – June 14, 1976) was an American businessman, naval aviator, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air in charge of naval aviation efforts in World War II . He was, at various times, President of New York Trust Company, and a director of Union Pacific, TIME, Boeing, Middle South Utilities, Inc., Safeway, Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch Co., and Servo Corp. A great grandson of lumber baron Chancy Lamb and a grandson of lumber baron Artemus Lamb, he grew up at “Oakhurst” in Clinton, Iowa. During World War I, he helped rescue downed fliers, was shot down, taken prisoner by the Germans and escaped. Because of service on the front Mr. Gates was decorated by the United States government with the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, by Great Britain with the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom), and by France with the Croix de Guerre and was made an officer of the Legion of Honor of France.
Charles Toney, Professional Achievement
Charles Toney (CHS Class of 1930) was a national leader in equal opportunity efforts, programs, and results. He initiated one of the first voluntary affirmative action plans in the nation with goals and timetables used at John Deere prior to those which later became mandatory under federal laws. Toney established and instituted local secondary programs such as Quad City Scholars, Home Grown Engineers, and Quad City Merit Employment Council. At John Deere, he was the first certified welder of color in Iowa or Illinois. In 1972, Toney was promoted to Manager of Minority Relations and then became the first African American at an executive level when he was appointed Director of Affirmative Action. Toney became known throughout the Midwest as the Dean of Affirmative Action and was respected locally, regionally, and nationally for his leadership in this area. He passed away in 2009.
Henry Langrehr, Military
A member of the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, Henry jumped from a plane into a greenhouse in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, launching his D-Day attack against France’s hedgerows. On June29, he is wounded by German shrapnel and becomes a POW. In most likely April of the following year, Henry escapes. He recently published a book about his experiences titled Whatever It Took co-authored by Jim Defelice. In his words, “surviving the war meant, “living on sawdust and beet juice for months, surviving in a thin blanket in weather so cold your sweat froze. It took beatings so harsh that you thought your skull would cave in.” He is now featured on Clinton’s Freedom Rock, and his experiences helped inform shows like Band of Brothers.
Linda Luckstead, Fine Arts
Linda Luckstead has been a significant contributor to the fine arts in Clinton County since 1960 when she opened Carousel School of Dance in the basement of her home, starting a legacy that continues to this day. She attended the Ellis-DuBoulay School of Ballet in Chicago and spent considerable time dancing for Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo before returning to Clinton to open her studio. She has also served as the Artistic Director for the Quad City Ballet and formed the Gateway Contemporary Ballet Company in Clinton. Linda has helped to foster the love of fine arts in Clinton County through her dedication to her students and instilling in them a passion and love for dance.
