| Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area from June 29-July 5, according to the Tribune’s archives. Are we missing an important event? Email me. — Kori Rumore Northwestern University’s new head coach Randy Walker watches from the sidelines on Sept. 4, 1999, during the season
opener against Miami University at Ryan Field in Evanston. (John Konstantaras/Chicago Tribune) June 29, 2006: Northwestern University coach Randy Walker died at 52 of a heart attack. He was at home in Wilmette at about 10 p.m. when he felt
chest pains. He was rushed to Evanston Hospital but could not be revived. Pat Fitzgerald was named head coach on July 7, 2006. A Florida lending corporation offered the White Sox a $10 million loan to move to St. Petersburg, but White Sox fans show what
they think of the move on April 4, 1988. (Phil Greer/Chicago Tribune) June 30, 1988: Chicago White Sox owners were prepared to move the team to St. Petersburg, Fla. But several minutes past a midnight deadline, and with some arm-twisting by Illinois Gov. Jim Thompson, the Illinois General Assembly passed an amended stadium bill that ensured the White Sox would stay in Chicago. Aviator Logan A.
"Jack" Vilas, right, and his passenger William Bastar — shown here circa July 7, 1913 — flew aboard a Curtiss hydroplane on July 1, 1913, in the first flight across Lake Michigan. They left St. Joseph, Mich., and cruised at an altitude of 4,000 feet in the air before arriving — unassisted by navigational aids
— in Grant Park one hour and 34 minutes later. Editors note: this historic print shows some hand painting. (Chicago Herald-American) July 1, 1913: Aviator Logan A. “Jack” Vilas became the first person to cross Lake Michigan by air. With William Bastar, manager of the Whitcomb Hotel in Benton Harbor, Mich., as his passenger, Vilas left St. Joseph, Mich. in his Curtiss flying
boat, which cruised at an altitude of 4,000 feet in the air and then arrived in Grant Park one hour and 34 minutes later. “If it hadn’t been for some dangerous air currents about half way over, then I would have made it in an hour or less,” the Chicago native told the crowd after landing. Riverview Park on June 24, 1940. (Chicago Herald-American) July 2, 1904: Riverview Park opened. Ricky Byrdsong on May 10, 1993, after he was named the new men’s basketball coach at
Northwestern University. (Jim Robinson/Chicago Tribune) July 3, 1999: Northwestern University men's basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong died after he was shot while walking with his two young children in Skokie. The lone gunman, white supremacist Benjamin Smith, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a short police chase in southern Illinois. Smith was wanted in a spree of apparent hate crimes across Illinois and Indiana. Thousands of people attended the first Taste of Chicago on Michigan Avenue at Wacker Drive on July 4, 1980. (Michael Budrys/Chicago Tribune) July 4, 1980: Taste of Chicago debuted on North Michigan Avenue. At the time, the city’s big summer blowout was a different event — ChicagoFest. Cars are covered with a roof and other rubble after violent winds tore the top off a Northbrook garage on July 5, 1980. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
July 5, 1980: Derecho! The temperature reached a high of 94 degrees — surpassing the previous high for July 5 — at 4 p.m., but dropped to a chilly 64 degrees when a cold front swept in around 11 p.m. Winds reached 82 miles per hour and left 100,000 homes in the area without power. The most violent wind report came from Northbrook, where half of a roof on a 20-car garage
was lifted then dropped, damaging at least seven cars in a parking shelter for a condominium. No injuries were reported in the Chicago area due to the storm. Want more vintage Chicago? Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, follow Today in Chicago History, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore at krumore@chicagotribune.com. | 
