PHOTOS: The rambling stone clubhouse at Elks Country Club along the Kankakee River northeast of Aroma Park was engulfed by flames on the morning of Dec. 5, 1968.
Ironically, the building was destroyed less than 24 hours after serving as the site of a banquet honoring the man who had been the club’s golf pro for the preceding 20 years.
John J. Krutilla had served as the Elks’ resident pro since 1948, and for a number of years, was also the general manager of the country club.
A native of Chicago, Krutilla’s connection with the popular golf course dated to the years immediately before World War II, when it was known as the Hieland Golf and Country Club.
Competing as an amateur, he won the Midwest Golf Open held there in 1940.
In 1941, in a field of more than 100 pro and amateur golfers, he tied for fifth place among the amateurs.