REMEMBERING KENDALL PICKERING

In Remembrance

Kendall Pickering

by Nathaniel Bittner

On Dec. 15, Hinsdale Central unexpectedly lost our own Kendall Pickering. The college recruit was across the country in North Carolina, visiting colleges where she could potentially take her swimming talents. Tragically, while driving from place to place, Kendall was involved in a car crash and lost her life. With her birthday just recently passing on Feb. 16, the community once again came together to remember the beloved daughter, sister, student, swimmer and teammate. We dedicate this page to Kendalls memory and all that she meant to her family, her friends, and her community. Kendall was known as an impressive competitor. When there was an opportunity to succeed both in the classroom and in the lanes, she took it and ran with it, getting good grades and even setting records for the Hinsdale Central Girls Varsity Swimming team. Kendall set the standard for the 100 yard breaststroke with a stunning time of 1:03.44. Some of Kendall’s closest friends from swimming and school put it best. She was described as a bubbly, light hearted, kind and loving person. She could always lift the spirits of others and help them see a bright side, even when she herself wasn’t having the best of days. Her happiness spread like a wildfire amongst her friends, she was always known to put others before herself, doing whatever she could to try and make someone else ’s day just a little bit better. Heaving around a big heart, she was described to be bright as the sun, and loving as ever. Some of Kendall’s best memories were made in the pool and within Central’s brick foundation. She loved vacations with her family and spending time with her sister. On Feb. 16, what would have been her 16th birthday, friends noted a beautiful sunset full of color beaming down from the sky, a break in the consistent trend of cloudy winter days. The community celebrated Kendall on this day, and those close to her say that this natural beauty was her way of saying she remembers us too. Rest in everlasting peace, Kendall Pickering.

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