The Daily Chronicle from De Kalb, Illinois • Page 9

DAilV CHRONICLE. DeKolb Srcoo. M. Wednesday. May 1 987 9 Gift Mom with ELECTRONICS, APPLIANCES A Sal pripet on this pg end May 9 1(201 SAVE $20 SAVE $51 Large-capacity Kenmore washer $288 Reg $339 99 Light, medium, heavy to' tonsturdy and perma-p cycles.

3 washrinse temr tures. White only 19-in. Tabletop color TV $199 Reg $219 Super Chromix" picture tube for vivid color over the years Sharpness control, AFC. 19-in. diag.

meas picture. Simulated TV recepl'on The Electronic Showplace 66201 SAVE $40 SAVE $21 Porter still strong at 90 CHICAGO (AP) When Sam Cascio began carrying bags for guests 60 years ago, you could get a room for $3.50 a night and dinner for less than a dollar. Now, 9 comparable room will set you back at least 115 and entrees at the same restaurant start at $21.50. But Cascio, who is just shy of his 90th birthday and still totes bags up and down the stairs of the Chicago Hilton and Towers, says some things haven't changed. "The people, the people have stayed about the same," Cascio said.

"Oh, you get a dollar tip now, where you used to get 20 cents, but people are just people." Cascio began carrying baggage and guiding people to their rooms on May 5, 1927, at the old Stevens Hotel, which was bought by Contrad Hilton in November 1943. "I had a railroad job and had been working construction," Cascio said. "But the Depression was beginning a little and things slowed down." His three brothers, who worked as porters at another hotel in Chicago's Loop, suggested he try their profession, and he did. It stuck. With his more than half-century of service at the elegant hotel on south Michigan Avenue across from Grant Park, Cascio is the only member of the hotel's opening day staff still working there, said Amy Donohue, a Hilton spokeswoman.

"Everybody loves him, he really boosts the morale of the staff," said Ms. Donohue. "We have guests who have been coming here for 20 years, and they ask for Sam." When the U.S. Army took over the, hotel as a barracks in 1942, Cascio was one of the few hotel employees asked to stay on. "They turned this into a mess hall," Cascio said with a chuckle, as he showed a visitor the elegant, Versailles-inspired Grand Ballroom.

Cascio has helped carry the bags of seven U.S. presidents, Queen Elizabeth of England and Frank Sinatra. He also delivered messages to the late Chicago Mayor Richard Daley from visiting dignitaries. But Cascio hasn't let his dealings with the rich and famous disturb his sense of values. "Yeah, I know all the big shots," he said with a laugh.

"Baron Hilton, President Reagan. But everybody is important, I treat them all the samev It makes no difference. I work for all of them." When the hotel closed for restorations in 1984, Cascio, then 86, planned to retire. He moved from the city to suburban Melrose Park where he bought his first house. "I paid cash for it," Cascio said.

"I thought I'd do some gardening and take it easy. But when the hotel reopened nine months later, William Smith, general manager of the Hilton, asked him to return. "He opened the first one, and I wanted him back to open the second," Smith said. "Sam is an exceptional employee. I wish I had 90 more like him." A limousine was scheduled to pick up Cascio today as part of the hotel's celebration of Cascio's 60 years of service.

He usually takes a commuter train and two city buses two work. "It wouldn't be the same without him," said Smith. Grocer bills ore lower VHS VCR with wireless remote $229 Reg. $269 14-day2-event record timer. 9-function wireless remote with visual search, Mode display.

i Large-capacity Kenmore dryer $248 Reg. $26999 Cottonsturdy, permanent-press and air-only cycles. 2 drying temps. Top-mounted lint screen. White only.

Gat dryer, extra Dryer require connectors, extra 53283 Limited Quantities! One of a Kind! Individually Priced! Full Mschanical Warranty! APPLIANCE SCRATCH mdDENT UP TO 7 5 ml I 40 Due to the tremendous public response, we are continuing to receive shipments of scratch and dent appliances from our warehouses. Use your Sears Charge we also have refrigerators, freezers and dishwashers EXTEND YOUR WARRANTY WITH A MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT 67835 15565 SAVE $201 SAVE $130 I 1 I I -11' "If 24 -in. Dishwasher with 3-level wash $298 Reg. $49999 Built-in, Potspans cycle for tough loads. Power and Water Misers, Water Heat option.

Auto rinse-aid dispenser. Sears Authorized Installation available, extra. Microwave with temperature probe 199" Reg. $329.99 Two-stage memory with programmed Defrost. Touch controls, variable power, time-of-day clock.

Mid-size. ri SAVE $40 CHICAGO (AP) Consumers are paying less at the grocery checkout counter these days and putting less effort into cooking, a new survey found. The survey of consumer behavior by the Food Marketing Institute found that shoppers are paying $2 a week less for their groceries this year than theyiid in 1986. The survey, released Monday at the institute's annual convention in Chicago, found that shoppers are a week for groceries this year, down from $74 in 1986. In 1981, shoppers said they paid $55 a week for groceries, the institute said.

The survey also shows that consumers' worries about nutrition are easing. In 1983, for example, 64 percent of those surveyed said they were very concerned about nutrition while only 54 percent said they were very concerned this year. Consumers, have steered away from frying food and are using microwave ovens more, the survey found. Tim Hammonds, the institute's senior vice president, said the flat grocery prices can be traced in part to a stable family size and teen-agers leaving the home. The survey was released by the non-profit trade group of retailers and wholesalers and reported in today's editions of the Chicago Tribune.

The newspaper did not say how many people were surveyed or identify the margin of error. The survey showed that many consumers aren't economizing as much as they used to. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed responded that they "used reduced-price coupons "pretty much every time," compared with 39 percent who said last year that they regularly used such coupons. And just 29 percent of those surveyed said they checked newspapers for special prices compared with 40 percent last year. Furthermore, only 23 percent said they compared prices at other supermarkets, down from 25 percent last year.

Speed and convenience seemed of great importance to the shoppers surveyed. Eight of 10 said that saving time shopping is "very or somewhat important." One-fourth of the same speed-conscious consumers said they are using microwave ovens more and one-third said they are frying food less often. "Over the last three to five years, we've seen a striking shift toward less time in the kitchen," Hammonds said. "In that time, almost two-thirds of shoppers have changed the ways in which they prepare and cook food. Microwaves are responsible for some of this change, (and) men are more likely than women to have increased their use of microwave ovens." SAVE $81 3.1 peak HP canister vacuum 99 99 18.0-cu.

ft. refrigerator $468 Reg $54999 Frostless. 13.9-cu. ft. fresh food section with 2-crispers.

4.1-cu. ft. freezer with juice-can rack. White only. Reg.

$139.99 Lightweight vac has strong (.80 VCMA HP) suction. Blower port for easy cleaning in hard- to-reach places. Tools. i .1 32402 li SAVE $20 SAVE $40 YOUR CHOICE of Kenmore freezers $288 Reg. $328 15.0-cu.

ft. upright model with 3-shelves, trivet. 15.1-cu. ft. chest model.

Both with thinwall insulation. White. Kenmore upright vacuum cleaner $48 Reg. $68 Strong twin-fan suction helps get deep-down dirt. Burnper guard helps protect furnilure, walls from nicks and scrapes.

May is High Blood Pressure Month Delivery not included in selling prices of all items on this page. Each of these advertised items is readily available for sale as advertised. WERE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE 2692 DeKalb Avenue Sycamore. IL 60178 SYCAMORE Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back STORE HOURS: Mon Frl. 10-8 Wad.

10-6, Sot. 9-5, Closed Sunday 758-2431 American Heart Association Thli ipse provided public iervlce..