Turk Menges was originally from East St. Louis, Illinois. He was the goalkeeper for Christian Brothers’ College in the 1904 Olympic soccer tournament. He was the captain of the CBC football team from 1905-07, graduating in 1907 with a civil engineering degree. After his graduation he worked as an engineer with Missouri Pacific Lines, before becoming the assistant engineer of East St. Louis in 1910. In the 1910s, Menges worked as a real estate broker in East St. Louis before enlisting in the Army in 1916. He spent 2½ years in Europe, was wounded three times, and was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart. After enlisting as a private, he returned to the US as a first lieutenant. In 1920 Menges purchased the Grand Theatre in East St. Louis. Two years later he built the New State Theatre and six years later became the owner of the Columbia Theatre in East St. Louis. In 1931 he became a business partner with the Costello-Menges Battery Company. Menges later became a State Senator in Illinois from 1934-43.
United States