Every community has their notorious members of the past and Ela township is no exception. One such character from the past was Terry Druggen, who lived on Long Grove Road, off of Rand Road, from the early 1930s through the early 1950s.

Terry Druggen, before moving to what is now the Kildeer area, was an associate of Al Capone. He and another man, Frankie Lake, were leaders of the "Valley Gang" who controlled an area between Cicero and Chicago's little Italy during the prohibition. Gang members drove around in Rolls Royces, and bootlegging made Druggen and Lake millionaires. In 1932 they were both, as was Al Capone, jailed for tax evasion.

Around 1933, Druggen bought a home for his mother. And upon his release from prison, having lost his earlier power, he retired to that home on today's Long Grove Road.

Druggen was well known to local residents. He was advancing in years and not in the best of health. Druggen carried an oxygen tank with him wherever he went, and being a small wiry man to begin with, he inspired a rather unimpressive image to area residents. Pat West who worked in a shop in Barrington remembered, "He had a creaky voice, and with the oxygen tank, he was really pathetic. It was hard to believe he was the same man that the newspapers glorified so much."

Another area resident, Gloria Paul, worked in her grandfather's store on Quentin's comers. "I remember he would come to the store frequently, and each time he had a different beautiful woman accompany him: a blond, a brunette, or a redhead. They were supposedly his nurses. Rumors said he had an iron lung in his home and that whenever the "feds" showed up at the door, Druggen would jump in the iron lung and the nurses would report, 'Mr. Druggen has been in his iron lung all day."'

In 195 1, Norma Sayles, current owner of the Village Tavern in Long Grove, purchased the home from Druggen on Long Grove Road. Druggen moved his mother and his entourage next door into another home he had built on the neighboring 80 acres. As a neighbor, Druggen was memorable. He had three women working for him: one was his nurse, one his secretary, and one was his housekeeper. He also had a butler, named George, who kept an eye on the place. He was the one to raise the flag to signal whether or not it was safe for Druggen to return home.

Norina's son, who was about 4 years old at the time, became friends with Druggen's mother and the girls. They had taken a liking to him, thinking he was a sweet little boy, and would serve him lemonade and cookies. One day Nonna's son took a fall near the Druggens' and cut his forehead. The nurse saw the accident and ran to his aid. She stitched up the wound on his forehead and then called Norma. Norma followed up with her own doctor who, upon seeing the stitches, told her that a plastic surgeon could not have done as nicely.

Another adventure that Norma had with Druggen involved guns. Keep in mind that when they moved into the house they noticed bullet holes in the downspouts--the sound of gunfire was commonplace. One day Norma looked out her window and saw her dog chasing some of Druggen's sheep in the nearby field. Next, she heard a shot and saw the dog let out a yelp and begin to limp.

Norma ran out to the field, scooped up her injured dog and headed for her car. She saw Druggen getting into his own car and take off down Long Grove Road, which was only a gravel road with barely two lanes. Norma, determined to stop Druggen before he got to Rand Road, pulled around him and blocked his vehicle.

Druggen was shocked to see that it was Norma who jumped out of the car. He then apologized profusely for wounding her dog and offered to pay for the veterinarian bill.

The dog, who was pregnant, survived and gave birth to two puppies. When Norma went to pay the bill, the vet said that Druggen had already taken care of it.

Even the notorious have their homes, and are neighbors to someone. Each character of the past make up the fabric of our communities and provide us with memories for future generations.