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2019: A LOOK BACK

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Thursday, January 2, 2020 | buglenewspapers.com

2019 in Niles, Park Ridge and Morton Grove saw Oakton celebrate its 50th anniversary, poster winners awarded and detainees play chess. Here is a breakdown of some of the events shaped our community this past year.

Oakton kicks off 50th anniversary celebration

Oakton Community College’s 50th Anniversary Opening Ceremony brought more than 300 local dignitaries, alumni, friends, students, trustees and current and former employees to the college’s Des Plaines campus June 25 to celebrate the college’s role in serving the community over the last 50 years.

At the event, the college received a multitude of congratulatory notes from legislative leaders representing Oakton’s district, which encompasses 109 square miles, including all or part of 17 towns and villages. Fourteen mayors and councils approved proclamations recognizing the 50th milestone as a “Year of Oakton Community College” in their communities.

Dignitaries in attendance included Illinois State Senators Laura Murphy and Laura Fine, Village of Mount Prospect Mayor Arlene Juracek and George Van Dusen, mayor of the Village of Skokie.

Graduates like Deerfield resident Steve Gassman, former editor of the student newspaper for two years (1982-83), returned to join in the festivities that included the opportunity to share video reflections and messages of congratulations to the college. Gassman, who works in public relations, credits Oakton for helping to launch his career: “I’m proud to be back where I got my feet wet. Oakton gave me a great opportunity to be successful. It means a lot to be here tonight to celebrate Oakton pride.”

Oakton opened its doors to 832 students in 1970. The original “campus” consisted of four factory buildings in Morton Grove. Besides campuses in Des Plaines (1600 E. Golf Road) and Skokie (7701 N. Lincoln Ave.), Oakton offers courses and programs at over 200 off-site locations in the community. Distance-learning options include more than 90 online courses annually. Today, the college serves nearly 510,000 residents and 28,000 businesses as a resource for higher education, workforce training and lifelong learning.

At the event, Smith shared points that speak to the college’s collective impact including: · Over the past 50 years, more than 507,000 students have attended Oakton through credit and continuing education classes; · More than 30,000 graduates have earned over 39,000 degrees and certificates while attending Oakton.

Mather LifeWays honors first responders

On July 12, Mather LifeWays, an Evanston based 75-plusyear old not for profit organization that is dedicated to helping older adults age well, celebrated local heroes at a luncheon at the American Legion Memorial Civic Center, in Morton Grove.

Roughly 70 Morton Grove residents and a dozen firstresponders from the Police and Fire Departments were in attendance. In addition to lunch, there was live music and a raffle drawing.

The event was part of monthly series called “More Than a Luncheon” that Mather LifeWays hosts, which are designed to help older adults age in place, by bringing interesting community-based events and programming to locations other than those where the organization has its many award-winning communities in Evanston, Wilmette, Tucson, Arizona and the newest property, which was just announced in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Among those attending from the Fire Department were Chief Frank Rodgers, Fire Prevention Coordinator Rick Dobrowski, Acting Lt Tom Goodwin, FF Mike Arcangeletti, FF John Abbatiello, FF/P Erik Miller and FF/P Milan Tomic. Those attending from the Morton Grove Police Department included, Deputy Chief Brian Fennelly, Community Liaison Officer Gina Lietz, Police Officer Nicholas Hoffman, Police Officer Marcelo Perez, and Deputy Chief Mike Weitzel.

Mather LifeWays Director of Programs Without Walls, Kat Paz, shared remarks about the First Responders, including all of the members of the Fire Department have been cross trained as Firefighters, Paramedics, and Hazardous Materials Ops and Engineers. Many members have gone above and beyond with additional training such as Haz Mat Technicians and Technical Rescue members including high-angle, trench, and confined spaces. Morton Grove is a career department with 40 sworn firefighters and 3 staff personnel to provide life safety and protecting the property of the Morton Grove residents as well as surrounding communities.

The Fire Department is a member of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, which joins forces with other departments to provide aid to effected areas nationwide.

The 75 sworn and civilian members of the Department are committed to providing responsive and professional police service and to maintaining the safest possible environment to preserve Morton Grove’s status as a great place to live and work.

The Department is accredited through the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, and conducts its operations in accordance with the best practices of the law enforcement industry.

The Department has numerous innovative programs to engage with the community, such as a Citizen’s Police Academy, the LEAD the Way Program, Block Watch programs, and National Night Out. The Department often receives public recognition for its outstanding delivery of services, most recently being named winners of the statewide Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge.

Poster contest winners announced at National Night Out

Crowds that attended Maine Township’s National Night Out Against Crime (NNO) last August had the opportunity to enjoy Barefoot Hawaiian Dancers as well as a wide array of displays and information tables featuring all major Maine Township departments and other local organizations including Nicor Gas and 7-11 Stores who were new this year.

A highlight of the evening was the announcement of winners of the poster contest based on this year’s theme “Crime...Report It, Don’t Support It” which was open to grammar school age children who live in or attend school in Maine Township. Winners are 1st Grade, Loredana Popovici, Washington; 2nd Grade, Sara Muradi, Apollo; 3rd Grade, Aahil

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continued from page 2 Hussain, Mark Twain; 4th Grade, Rayan Hussain, Mark Twain; 5th Grade, Kayla Datoy, Apollo; 6th Grade, Isabella Merza, Gemini; 7th Grade, Amal Hamad, Gemini. Three honorable mentions were also awarded. They are Maryel Castillo, Gemini; Diya Trivedi, Melzer; and Amreen Tejani, Nelson.

Those who attended also had the chance to enjoy a bounce house, games for kids with prizes, face painting and a balloon artist. Prior to the flashlight walk through the neighborhood surrounding Dee Park, all children received free glow sticks and frozen treats. The walk concluded the event and was meant to show a community/police united stand against neighborhood crime.

As one of the oldest celebrations of the National Night Out Against Crime which was introduced nationally in 1984, the local event is sponsored by Maine Township, Neighborhood Watch, Cook County Sheriff’s Police, Golf Maine Park District, the Golf Maine Fire Department, and other community businesses and organizations. National Night Out is called America’s Night Out Against Crime and has grown from 2.5 million participants in its first year to over 30 million in 10,000+ communities and in unincorporated areas such as Maine Township.

Cook County detainees play chess against inmates from around the globe

Detainees in seven countries spanning multiple continents participated in a historic chess tournament that concluded in the early part of last August.

Detainees at Cook County Jail competed against prisoners from Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, England, Italy and Russia. After seven matches involving four players from each country, Russia was declared the winner, having amassed 22.5 wins over the two-day event.

Belarus and Italy tied for second place, Armenia came in fourth, the United States came in fifth, Brazil sixth and England seventh.

Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart and senior officials from the competing countries participated Tuesday in an event ceremony via Skype.

Fourteen players from Cook County Jail competed in the tournament and were selected based on skill from the more than 100 players who are in the jail’s chess program.

The top player from each country will receive a special chess set from World Chess Champion Grandmaster Anatoly Karpov, who helped organize the competition and served as a catalyst for the creation of the Cook County Jail chess program.

Karpov was the world chess champion from 1975 to 1985 and again from 1993 to 1999.

The Cook County Jail’s chess program started in 2012 and has hosted numerous chess dignitaries over the years, including Karpov. Prior to this event, players from the jail competed in online tournaments against Russia in 2013 and 2016. In 2017, they won an online tournament against prisoners in Brazil.

Commissioner hosted Niles Township Property Tax Appeal Workshops

Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin announced two free property tax appeal workshops for Niles Township residents.

The Cook County Assessor announced that he sent Niles Township assessment notices in the early part of last September.

Residents had thirty days from when the notices are sent to appeal their property tax assessments.

Niles Township comprises the Villages of Golf, Lincolnwood, Skokie and portions of Niles, Glenview and Morton Grove.

The first seminar took place on Sunday, September 15 at 1:30 p.m. at Oakton Community College’s Skokie Campus, located at 7701 Lincoln Ave. in Skokie. In addition to appealing their property taxes, residents can learn about the types of services available from various state agencies. The event

was hosted by Commissioner Suffredin, state Senator Ram Villivalam and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

The second seminar took place n on Tuesday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Skokie Library Auditorium, located at 5215 Oakton St. in Skokie.

Other event sponsors included Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, state Senators Laura Fine and Ram Villivalam, state Representatives John D’Amico, Jen Gong-Gershowitz and Yehiel Kalish, Mayors Barry Bass, Dan DiMaria, Andrew Przybylo and George Van Dusen and Niles Assessor Scott Bagnall.

Homeowners can visit the Cook County Assessor at the Skokie Courthouse, located at 5600 W. Old Orchard Rd., Room #149, in Skokie. Residents can reach the Assessor’s office in Skokie at 847-470-7237.

Alternatively, homeowners can visit Niles Assessor Scott Bagnall at the Niles Township building, located at 5255 Lincoln Ave. in Skokie, Residents can reach the Niles Assessor’s office at 847-673-9300.

Constituents can also contact Commissioner Suffredin’s office at 847-864-1209 to schedule a personal meeting to discuss specific property tax concerns.

Skokie engaged in tech to evaluate water main infrastructure

Each day, the Village of Skokie residential and commercial water customers receive an average of 7.7 million gallons of drinking water that is distributed through some 180 miles of water mains throughout the community. Unexpected water main breaks are costly for the Village. In addition, they are disruptive and inconvenient for both residents and businesses, sometimes resulting in business interruption and other costly circumstances.

The Village of Skokie has maintained detailed records on its water mains for years in an effort to determine vulnerable areas in the water delivery system and to provide information necessary for timely repairs when breaks occur. To increase the effectiveness of this data, Skokie is the first municipality in Illinois to partner with Fracta, a technology company that utilizes Skokie’s existing data in combination with artificial intelligence, specifically, machine learning and Esri® ArcGIS™ as a geospatial mapping tool to locate and determine the probability and economic consequence of water main failure.

Niles West presented ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Oct 17-19

Niles West Theatre presented “Little Shop of Horrors” on October 17 through 19 in the Black Box Theatre at 5701 West Oakton, Skokie.

Performances were at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19.

A deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical, “Little Shop of Horrors” has devoured the hearts of theatre-goers for over 30 years. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and The Beast,” and “Aladdin”) are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world.

The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II,” after his coworker crush. This blunt, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it one thing—Blood! Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out-of-this-world origins and intent towards global domination. This musical

comedy is sure to be an up-close and vibrant must-see in the Black Box Theatre.

Cast: Jake Pranian as Seymour; Lorelei Wernecke as Audrey; Wei Lin as Mushnik; Bryan “BJ” Abad as Orin; Janay Moncrief as Audrey II (plant); Nina Cajuste as Chiffon; Alexis Aponte as Crystal; Zucchious Rosal as Ronnette; Oliver Biel as Voice/ Wino 1/Ensemble; Henry Gussis as Interviewer/Bernstein/ Ensemble; Sara Collins as Mrs. Luce/Ensemble; Chrlotte Howard-Check as Skip Snip/Ensemble; Ellie Evens as Patrick Martin/Ensemble; Aaron Razack as Customer/Ensemble; and Sofia Joseph, Ensemble.

Crew Heads: Stage Manager: Mia Finnigan; Assistant Costume Designer: Anton Tomacic; Assistant Lighting Designer/Master Electrician: Liza Kolesnik; Assistant Production Manager: Maddy Foler; Assistant Scenic Designer: Samuel Myers; Assistant Sound Designer: Ian Soriano; Assistant Stage Manager: Sarita Akwa-Philbin; Assistant Stage Manager: Ella Rousseau; Assistant Technical Director: Henry Rousseau; Charge Paint Lead: Hailey Shah; Charge Painter: Olivia Benitez; Dramaturgy: Melanie Kerz; Hair and Makeup Head: Charles Luz; House Manager/Publicity: Mehreen Patel; Master Carpenter: Cera sela Dornan; Sound A1: Adam Rutecki; Wardrobe Head: Dashna Benjamin.

Costume Crew: Althea Bibat, Keila Broderick, Emily Lim, Lejla Mehmedovic, Vivian Nelson, Laura Perez, Ally Regailo, Anthony Roman, Simon Solano.

Lighting Crew: Colin Bartlett, Joyful Boedefeld, Mariela Garcia, Evelyn Herbert, Melanie Kerz, Shaina Matino, Renee Namrood, Enzo Pellicciari.

Prop Crew: Caitlin Ayers, Rose Bilicki, Leslie Basco-Kent, Henry Fleck, Aaliyah Kessler, Ella Rousseau, Emily Sproat.

Scenic Crew: Ibrahem Abdulla, Olivia Benitez, Cameron Gordon, L. Irving-Secor, Odi Nano, Tanya Spasic.

Sound Crew: Brian Bedoya, Haley Ellis, Leen Hashlamoun, Kelly Kintner, Kathy Lopez, Maya Patterson.

Production Team: Director: Andy Sinclair; Vocal Director: Carl Alexander; Technical Director/Scenic Designer: Michael Johnson; Costume Designer: Leah Hummel; Prop Designer: Kimberly Morris; Lighting Designer: Charlotte Rathke; Sound Designer: LJ Luthringer; Production Management: Hannah Luthringer; Student Music Director: Sachio Nang; Poster Design: Deanna Sortino; Production Assistant: Lisa Bany; Box Office Management: Jackie Garvey.

During the 2019-20 season, Niles West Theatre presented five productions under the umbrella theme of “Aspirations vs.

Limitations.” Its mission is to showcase productions that will examine dreaming big and the limitations of reality.

Post 134 celebrated 13th annual Adopt a Sailor Navy Day

The Legion hosted 50 recruits from Great Lakes Naval Base.

The sailors arrived by bus at 8:30 a.m. and were greeted by Legion members, village officials, friends, and whomever else wishes to greet them and thank them for their service.

There were refreshments donated by legion members, friends and local merchants. The sailors were served a full Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. Entertainment was also available along with nationwide long distance and international phone service all day long compliments of AT&T. Computers will also be available.

The sailors had the opportunity to talk and email their loved ones throughout the day. After graduation many of these young men and women were sent into harms way. The day’s events were filmed and a DVD was sent to their families as a thank you for their service.

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upcoming eVenTs in your area Thursday, January 2, 2020 | buglenewspapers.com

JANUARY 3 PARK RIDGE FREE SKATING LESSON AT SOUTH PARK. 10 a.m - 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Get out on the ice with guidance from Oakton Ice Arena’s skating instructors. Two sessions are offered (weather permitting) JANUARY 4 DOWNERS GROVE nerf nighT - grades 7-12. 4:45 – 8 pm.

Downers Grove Public Library. Play games with Nerf blasters throughout the library. Nerf blasters and darts provided. Meet in the Kids Program Room at 4:45 p.m. More information below.

JANUARY 13 PLAINFIELD sTar gaZing. 7 - 8:30 pm. Mather Woods, 25032 W. Renwick Rd. Plainfield. Would you like to visit Mars? A black hole? Then join us for an evening of star gazing fun. We will be using professional-grade telescopes to search the heavens for constellations, galaxies, stars and star clusters, as well as planets with their moons, our Moon, the International Space Station, comets and asteroids. This outside viewing event will occur only if the sky is clear; otherwise, we will have an astronomy-themed presentation indoors. Please dress appropriately for the weather. Instructor: Jim Hopkins, Retired Associate Professor of Astronomy.

Ages 3 and up with Responsible Adult. Price: $5 per family. On-site registration fee $7 per family. Recurring Event also taking place Feb. 3, March 23, April 6 and May 4.

FEBRUARY 1 PLAINFIELD parc one year anniVersary. All Day. 24550 W. Renwick Rd. Plainfield,IL60544.

Celebrate the one year anniversary of the Prairie Activity & Recreation Center. Come workout, play a game of basketball, or join some friends for a round of pickleball. $1 entrance all day.

FEBRUARY 8 ROMEOVILLE daddy daughTer maTinee & ball. 2:30-9 p.m. at the Recreation Center, 900 West Romeo Road, Romeoville, IL 60446. Make lasting memories together as you dance the night away while enjoying an evening filled with food and drinks, dessert, and dancing. If the evening isn’t enough time we also will have a matinee prior to the event to add to the fun.

column >> daVe says

Dave Says: Starting off on the right path together couples have a high probability of a successful marriage if they agree on kids, money, religion, and in-laws dear dave,

dear allison,

I’m getting married next summer.

My fiancé and I are in agreement about how to handle money, and we both follow your plan. Do you recommend pre-marital counseling? If so, what do you feel are some of the important areas of agreement for couples before they get married?

Congratulations! I’m glad you’re both on the same page with your finances, too.

I’ve worked with thousands of couples and numerous marriage counselors over the years. In that time, I’ve learned fights over money—and the resulting problems from those disagreements—are probably the biggest

allison

cause of divorce in America. In my opinion, in-depth pre-marital counseling is an absolute must.

The idea of entering into something that’s supposed to be a lifelong commitment, without thoroughly addressing all the issues—and potential issues—is a really bad idea. With that said, it’s been my experience that couples have a high probability of a successful marriage if they agree on four things, in detail, before the big day—kids, money, religion, and inlaws. With kids, the big question is do

you want them? If so, how many and when? Are you going to let them run wild, or are you going to provide structure and make them behave? When it comes to money, something it sounds like you two are already in agreement on, get all your cards out on the table, and construct an intelligent game plan for your finances that you both agree on. Staying away from debt, living on a written, monthly budget, and saving for the future are important parts of this.

Also, be in agreement on religion.

Statistically speaking, two people from the same faith have a better chance of making a marriage work.

And finally, when it comes to your future in-laws, you need to learn who they are and what you’re getting into.

What are they really like? What are the boundaries when it comes to their influence on your lives?

All these topics should be discussed at length, dealt with, and agreed upon before the rings are exchanged. God bless you two, Allison!

dave

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BASKETBALL SOCCER CROSS COUNTRY FOOTBALL SOCCER TENNIS BASEBALL SOFTBALL VOLLEYBALL TRACK & FIELD SWIMMING CHEERLEADING DANCE bowling year in reView - parT 1i of ii

A LOOK BACK

aT 2019

part 1i: a look back at the local sports stories that shaped the area in 2019 from July to december Charlie Donovan Baseball Player of the Year For a Plainfield Central team that finished one game away from advancing to the state finals, it was senior first baseman Jac Lindish that led the way all season.

Lindish led the team in hits (38), RBI (32) and home runs (5) and tied for team-high with seven doubles, while posting a .392 batting average and an OPS of 1.097.

What he earned this season was the honor of being named the 2019 Voyager Media Charlie Donovan Baseball Player of the Year.

The award is named for the former Westmont standout who was a threetime Voyager Media Player of the Year and died in November of 2015.

Lindish led the Wildcats on a run that saw them beat Oswego 8-7 and Naperville Central 10-7 in the regional round.

In the sectional, Central defeated rival Plainfield South 6-3 and Neuqua Valley 11-4 in the sectional.

Lindish was one of seniors leaving the Central roster that has worked the program to a super sectional contender.

Home Run Derby The Major League Baseball home run derby saw record-setting performances this season from the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson and Blue Jay Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but locally, it was another slugger that got to hit in prime time.

Plainfield’s Logan Huegel, an 11-year-old student from Heritage Grove, took place in the finals of the

MLB MLB Jr. Home Run Derby Saturday, July 6 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. He competed in the 12u age group.

The competitors knew they would meet some of MLB’s top stars, but Huegel said he was able to meet the game’s top player, Angles outfielder Mike Trout.

Huegel placed sixth out of the 10 hitters in the derby at the 225-foot fences.

After he hit, Huegel was able to attend the MLB Home Run Derby, the MLB Futures Game and the celebrity softball game.

Forty-four hitters ages 7-14 from around the United States and Canada competed during MLB All-Star Week.

The fourth annual MLB Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals featured 20 young sluggers advanced from more than 1,800 local competitions across the U.S. and Canada.

Family Affair Following her dad’s footsteps, Kristen Shimko began her coaching career at Morton College After completing her internship at Argo High School at the end of last school year, Kristen Shimko was looking for a job.

She went into Morton College in Cicero looking for a position as an academic advisor and ended up landing that position as well as head women’s basketball coach.

In her first head coaching position, Shimko took over a Panthers’

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Thursday, January 2, 2020 | buglenewspapers.com ‘ YIR :2’ from page 5 program that went 16-15 last season.

The 25-year-old Plainfield North graduate was an assistant on the 22-4 Argo girl’s team while completing her internship.

Just because she has never held a formal head coaching position does not mean Shimko is new to the ranks.

She competed for four years at Concordia University Chicago, was an all-Southwest Prairie Conference selection at Plainfield North High School in 2012 and has been around the game since birth.

Shimko’s father, George, runs the George Shimko Basketball School, which he opened in 1994.

Hall of Famers The Joliet Area Sports Hall of Fame committee has announced its 2019 class, which took place on Saturday, September 14 at the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

Joining the previous 67 inductees in this past year’s 12th class were Jane Condon, Ron Coomer, Ned Grabavoy and “Mack” McLaughlin.

Condon, one of the first female star athletes in the area, lettered in five sports at the former St. Francis Academy before going on to earn another 11 letters in four sports at thenLewis College.

An inductee into each of those schools’ Halls of Fame, Condon led her prep basketball team to a perfect 27-0 record her first two seasons, while averaging 18.0 points per game.

In track & field, she qualified for state in the discus competition.

Condon was also a part of St. Francis’ inaugural softball and tennis teams, driving in 59 runs that first season in the former sport.

Coomer, the current radio analyst for the Chicago Cubs on WSCR 670 AM, turned in a nine-year major league career that saw him play for four teams – Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers – and produce a .274 career batting average with 827 hits, 92 home runs and 449 runs batted in as both a first and third baseman.

The Lockport High School graduate was an All-Star with Minnesota

in 1999 and went on to become the Twins’ television analyst after his playing career ended.

Grabavoy, a product of the Chicago Magic Soccer Club, played 13 seasons of professional soccer in the MLS donning five different jerseys with the majority of his time spent with Real Salt Lake.

The 2000-01 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, Grabavoy led Lincoln-Way High School to two straight IHSA state championship game appearances.

He then went on to Indiana University, where he was the leading scorer for the Hoosiers’ 2003 national championship team, which earned him consensus first-team All-American honors.

McLaughlin served as the head wrestling coach at Joliet Central High School for 40 years, compiling a 507192-9 record during that four-decade span.

He also led the Steelmen to a dualteam title in 1985 as well as runnerup honors the following year.

A 1991 inductee into the Illinois Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame, McLaughlin recently earned the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter.

A product of Chicago Dunbar High School and North Central College, McLaughlin’s first taste of Joliet actually came as a runningback for the semi-professional Joliet Explorers football team.

For more information about the Joliet Area Sports Hall of Fame, please contact Greg Peerbolte at the Museum (815-723-5201) or Dave Laketa at University of St. Francis (815740-3842).

“Baseball’s Forgotten Black Heroes” Retirement plans vary from person to person.

For Bill Leibforth, there is no taking a break during retirement.

A resident of Chicago his entire life, he fell in love with baseball at the age of eight and the game has always been a big priority in his life.

He authored the book “Baseball’s Forgotten Black Heroes” and discussed it recently at the Lisle Library, Leibforth’s book is centered about how Jackie Robinson changed base-

ball forever, and the 17 players that followed in his footsteps.

Leibforth said that the difference from today’s game to back when he was a kid has changed immensely, but the love he developed from an early age has kept his motivation to watch the game still alive.

Fifty-cent bleacher seats, players playing for the love of the game and getting autographs in the parking lot from players were all things Leibforth said he enjoyed as a kid.

Robinson, who became the first African American to play in the MLB in the modern era, broke the color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

“Jackie was an American hero,” Leibforth said. “Some of the things he was called, how much scrutiny he had and to still be as great as he was is truly incredible.”

What followed Robinson was a group of players Leibforth said that most avid baseball fans don’t even know.

Educating the public and becoming more knowledgeable about the history of the game is something he said he wants his reader’s to get from the book, while understanding the importance Robinson and the ones who followed had on American history.

“Willard Brown, John Kennedy and Bob Trice are just a few guys I really tried to highlight because of the large impact they all made,” Leibforth said. “I mentioned some of the other guys in the book as well, but these few individuals had amazing stories.”

Brown, played briefly in the major leagues in 1947, where he and Hank Thompson played against the Boston Red Sox which was the first time that two back players appeared in an MLB game together.

Kennedy, made his big league debut on April 22, 1957, becoming the first black player in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

Trice, made his big league debut on September 13, 1953, became the first black player in the history of the Philadelphia Athletics organization, now the Oakland Athletics.

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sports ‘ YIR :2’ from page 6 “All of those guys just have a profound impact on baseball and American history,” Leibforth said. “I just hope that this book can shed some light on a little more truth with all of these players, what they endured and how they changed baseball and America forever.”

Maine South playoff bound After dominating the Central Suburban League’s North Division for years, Glenbrook North was reassigned to the CSL South for 2019.

On a Friday night last fall, the Spartans hosted Maine South on a cold Friday night in Northbrook.

Welcome to the CSL South.

In the now 18-year tenure of coach, Dave Inserra, the Hawks have lost only once in the CSL South - winning 16 CSL South championships with an 86-1 league record.

The Hawks entered that Friday’s game, with a 15-game conference winning-streak.

After a surprisingly slow start, Maine South (5-2, 3-0) rolled to their 16th consecutive CSL South victory, hammering the host Spartans 40-10.

Glenbrook North (3-4, 0-3) dominated the first half with 40 plays from scrimmage, to just 15 for the Hawks.

Returning from injury for the first time in four weeks at that time, Johnny Palumbo’s (six carries, 30 yards, 2TDs) two rushing touchdowns still gave the Hawks a 13-10 lead at the half.

Hawks sophomore running back Mike Sajenko came out of the halftime locker room on a mission.

The Hawks took the second half kickoff and went 64 yards in eight plays to open up a 20-10 lead.

Sajenko rushed for 48 of the 64

Thursday, January 2, 2020 | buglenewspapers.com yards on the scoring drive, culminating the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

In the entire playing career of Maine South’s 6-foot, 4-inch, 285 pound, Northwestern-bound lineman Pete Skoronski never touched the football from scrimmage - until Friday.

With 2:34 remaining in the third quarter Glenbrook North senior running back Mike Ciss (20 carries,102 yards, six catches, 58 yards) was separated from the football by the entire Hawk defense.

Skoronski scooped up the loose football and streaked 44 yards down the sideline for six points and a 26-10 Maine South lead.

The multi-faceted Hawk senior Danny Lazik (five carries, 16 yards, TD; five catches, 69 yards, TD) scored two touchdowns to break open the game in the fourth quarter.

With 8:34 left in the game, Lazik crashed in from two yards out and then later in the quarter, he hauled in a 34-yard scoring pass from Hawk back-up quarterback Justin Marques (2-for-2, 65 yards, TD).

The leader of the Hawk defense, senior strong safety Ryan Kilburg, had one of four interceptions for the Hawk defense. Sean Hayes, Emanuel Spandiary and Mike Pagliario, joined the pick party in Northbrook.

Hawk junior quarterback Luke Leongas completed six of his 18 passes for 80 yards. Leongas’ 39-yard strike to senior Nathan Smith set up Lazik’s two-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Gary Bell returned to Will County When January rolls around, Vince Carter will become the first player in National Basketball Association history to play in the league in four dif-

ferent decades.

In 2016, Chicago native Kevin Garnett retired from the NBA as a 15time All Star, 2004 NBA Most Valuable Player and 2008 NBA Champion.

In 1995, those two, along with Terrance Roberson, Ron Mercer and Stephon Marbury made up the Street & Smith’s High School All-American First Team. The five of them went on to combine for more than 50 years in the NBA. On that same list of the top 20 prep players in the nation was Joliet’s Gary Bell.

The 6-foot, 4-inch high school standout was on the Street & Smith Third Team that season.

He finished behind Garnett as Illinois Mr. Basketball, and went on to play at the University of Notre Dame.

After a myriad of injuries and misinformed decisions, Bell retired from playing professionally in 2003 without ever reaching his goal of playing in the NBA. Bell has spent time as a high school basketball and football coach, administrator and special education coordinator in North Carolina and Virginia.

Now, he is ready to devote his time back to his game and his community — his Joliet community.

Bell hosted his Skill over Politics Elite 80 Skill Evaluation Showcase Nov. 2 at Romeoville High School – where his grade school teammate and lifelong friend Marc Howard is the head boys basketball coach.

The event included players from the high school graduating classes of 2022-2028.

Benet Champions As if winning the IHSA Class 2A soccer championship wasn’t enough, the way Benet Academy won was un-

precedented.

The Redwings defeated Crystal Lake South 2-0 – the eighth consecutive shutout of the playoffs, leaving Benet unscored upon the entire postseason run.

In the 11 years of the three-class system, no Class 2A champion has ever blanked every opponent from the regional opener through a championship.

In the state championship match this past season, Benet had nine saves from Vyto Staniskis, who tallied 38 total saves in the playoffs.

Last season, as Benet Academy volleyball placed third in the state in Class 4A, then-junior Colleen McGuire was not on the floor at Redbird Arena.

After playing on the lower levels her first two seasons at Benet, McGuire decided not to play last season in order to focus on training for her future in beach volleyball, which she will play next season at the University of California-Davis.

On Friday night, she finished off rival Marist to send the Redwings to the state championship match against Wheaton Warrenville South and on Saturday, she got the final point in the 25-12, 25-16 victory over Wheaton Warrenville South to earn Benet the state title.

Lehr, Ranallo lead All-Area After the success it had in 2018 football season, and with several key players returning, Minooka knew this season could be special.

The Indians rolled off 11 straight wins, claiming the Southwest Prairie Conference West Division title with a win at Oswego and winning a pair of playoff games before falling at Brother Rice in the quarterfinals.

In the win over Oswego to com-

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plete a perfect regular season, it was a late game touchdown drive led by senior quarterback Seth Lehr.

It was that leadership, accompanied by his stats, that makes Lehr the 2019 Enterprise Publications Football Offensive Player of the Year.

On the season, Lehr completed 137 of 197 pass attempts, good for a 70 percent completion percentage. He recorded 1,893 yards and threw for 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions – a passer rating of 117. On the ground, Lehr carried the football 101 times for 356 yards and eight scores.

He was named to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 8A All-State First Team.

When the season ended for Notre Dame College Prep, it did so at the hands of eventual Class 8A state champion Lincoln-Way East, it did not end without a fight – especially by the vaunted Dons defense.

East won 23-13 but the Dons defense battled through short fields and facing the top-rated player in the state and blanked the Griffins in the second half.

That defense allowed an average of 11.7 points per game of the season, holding its opponents to seven points or less five times and one shutout.

At the center of that defense was 6-foot, 190-pound senior linebacker Anthony Ranallo who posted a total of 107 tackles for the season, 24 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception and a pair of pass breakups.

For his stats and leadership on a talented defense, Ranallo was tabbed as Enterprise Publications 2019 Football Defensive Player of the Year.

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