The North Shore Weekend, September 16th, 2023

“Style is very personal. It has nothing to do with fashion. Fashion is over quickly. Syle is forever”

-Ralph Lauren

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Main floor primary suites

• Office on main floor

• Two and three-car garages

• Third of an acre lot or more

• Exquisite finishes throughout

• Experienced North Shore builder

NEWS

10 give local Deerfield-based Baum Family Fund joins forces with the Highland Park Community Foundation

10 triple play

The Art Center Highland Park (TAC) presents a pop-up exhibit featuring artists Sheila Arora, Laurie Kwo, and Erin Kaya

12 power of choice

Learn more about boarding school options at Ten Schools Admissions Organization's fall events

14 memoriam

We celebrate the life and legacy of Marilyn Lovell, late wife of Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

16 #hashtag

Ravinia Festival President and CEO Jeffrey Haydon shares his favorite music and more

18 material pursuits

Heli-skiing in Antarctica, a coveted collab for watch lovers, and a rare Michael Jordan trading card are among this weekend's must-haves

18 north shore foodie

Try this "chopped" chicken liver recipe for your Rosh Hashanah weekend celebrations

20 the good mother

Film critic Rex Reed finds flaws in this crime thriller starring Oscar winner Hilary Swank

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

22 sunday breakfast

Gratitude is a driving force in the life of Highland Park High School golf coach Florin Mitran

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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Michelle Crowe, Dustin O'Regan, Julia Paulman, Kemmie Ryan, Sherry Thomas, Megan Weisberg

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Lea Guccione, Mitch Hurst, Bill McLean

DESIGN

Linda Lewis PRODUCTION MANAGER/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Chris Geimer ADVERTISING COORDINATOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART

Katrina Wittkamp

PHOTOGRAPHY

Tom Bachtell, Barry Blitt ILLUSTRATION

Cheyanne Lencioni ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT ALL EDITORIAL INQUIRIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO EDITORIAL@NSWEEKEND.COM

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BY LEA GUCCIONE

T he pattern of Ellie Forman’s career is deeply embedded in the fabric of Chicago’s arts and nonprofit communities. A natural connector, she has spent the bulk of her career bringing people together for the common good. This fall she renews that mission in her second term as President of The Women’s Board of Chicago’s iconic Joffrey Ballet.

“When I moved to Chicago in my 20s and was starting to engage with the city and find my way, I navigated toward the Joffrey,” she says. “I started attending performances, and once I was exposed to the Joffrey, I was hooked.”

“Aside from the stories the dancers are telling through their dramatic physicality and the sets and visuals onstage at the Lyric Opera House, an unexpected but important piece for me has become the meditative and mindful moments of the ballet-watching experience. No phones, no fidgeting, no multitasking. For a busy mom and professional, watching the dancers gives me much-needed Zen time,” Forman explains.

Seeking to give something back, she joined Joffrey’s Women’s Board in 2014, co-chairing the Women’s Board Luncheon fundraiser. The board, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022, was created to increase support for The Joffrey Ballet and extend its impact as both a cultural and educational organization. The board’s allfemale membership organizes vital fundraising efforts for the Joffrey.

Her affinity for the performing arts began as

And I thought to myself, ‘I could be the person at the table establishing these partnerships and leveraging corporate dollars to better our communities.’” This passion drew Forman to her current role as Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Mesirow, a highly philanthropic global financial services firm.

In Forman’s first three years co-chairing the Women’s Board Luncheon with Kathleen Sarpy and Jamie-Clare Flaherty, she helped welcome

revenue, the Joffrey’s survival was dependent on philanthropic gifts from donors to ensure the long-term health of the ballet,” Forman says.

Facing this impasse head-on, Forman was tapped to co-chair the newly formed Crisis Stabilization Fund. “This was our project to help the Joffrey raise, in donations, the equivalent funding it would have raised through ticket sales, donations, and events.”

Alongside Jamie-Clare Flaherty and Farissa

people are coming back. The Joffrey is matching and enticing that interest level by bringing groundbreaking productions to audiences.”

In fact, the 2022–2023 season was one of its best. “Anna Karenina, which was the production in early spring, was the highest-grossing production other than The Nutcracker in Joffrey history, followed by The Little Mermaid in April, which was the third-highest-grossing non-Nutcracker production.”

The upcoming 2023–2024 season features Frankenstein, the critically acclaimed adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, opening October 12. October 26 is the annual Women’s Board Luncheon, chaired by Farissa Knox, Merritt DeWitt, and Cheryl Tama Oblander, with tickets, tables, and sponsorships available to all interested.

Forman considers the board’s increased and modernized participation a highlight of her role as President. “We’ve made a very cognizant and purposeful effort to stress the need for increased diversity on the board,” she says, “Our work in diversifying not only the Women’s Board but the Joffrey’s audiences will never be done; it’s an ongoing effort and commitment of the organization as a whole.”

When The Joffrey Ballet cemented its roots in Chicago in 1995, its ambition was to educate and inspire the community. Since then, the impact has flourished. Just one example is Joffrey Community Engagement, the leading dance education provider in the city of Chicago, with more than 93 programs in 26 schools throughout the Chicago Public School system.

a child in St. Louis, where dance and musical theater were her hobbies and always a part of her zeitgeist. When she began her professional career in public affairs, Forman gravitated toward working with arts organizations, nonprofits, and universities.

“Eventually I came to realize that I was helping bring attention to partnerships that my nonprofit clients had with their corporate sponsors.

625 attendees, raising more than $160,000—a vital success for the ballet. From there, she continued to take on new roles within the board: secretary; co-chair of the Women’s Night at the Joffrey; and co-chair of the membership committee.

Like many arts organizations, the Joffrey was not immune to the impact of COVID pandemicrelated closures. “With the loss of all ticket

Knox, Forman helped organize strategic giving and virtual events. Ultimately, she helped raise $12 million for the Joffrey in philanthropic gifts over 18 months. Especially heartening for Forman was the 100 percent participation from all 148 of the Women’s Board’s members, raising more than $380,000 for the initiative.

Since then, the Joffrey has rebounded triumphantly. “We are seeing that seats are filled and

“The goal is to bring in new audiences from all neighborhoods of Chicago to experience cuttingedge dance and art that is really pushing the envelope, which was always the vision of Robert Joffrey,” Forman says. “We want to continue to be there to drive that goal forward.”

For more information about the Women’s Board, visit joffrey.org/donate/membership/women-s-board/.

The Joffrey Ballet and Anna von Hausswolff. Midsummer Night’s Dream (April 25 - May 5).

Photography by Cheryl Mann

Wei Wang in Scarlett’s Frankenstein (October 12 - 22) © Erik Tomasson. Photography Courtesy of San Francisco Ballet

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Deerfield-based Baum Family Fund becomes the first Foundation Champion of the Highland Park Community Foundation with a significant, five-year grant

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

The Deerfield-based Baum Family Fund was founded by Alvin Baum, a successful investment banker and longtime resident of Highland Park. Baum and his wife, Ann, were compassionate individuals who supported a broad array of charities and provided direct support for needy individuals and families. Alvin passed away in 1982, and Ann in 2005. The Baum Family Fund continues their legacy of giving back to the community.

with Mesirow Financial becoming the first with a commitment to HPCF of $100,000 over five years. Eleven other corporations have followed suit with annual commitments ranging from $5,000 to $20,000.

The Baum Family Fund strives to better the lives of those who predominantly work and live in the Chicago area. Since 2017, the fund has made grants of more than $17.5 millions to 200 organizations in and around Chicago, including the North Shore.

Recently, the fund became the first Foundation Champion of the Highland Park Community Foundation (HPCF). The Champion program was launched for corporations in 2020,

“The Baum Fund is proud to be the first Foundation Champion, alongside the Highland Park Community Foundation Corporate Champions,” says Friedman, himself a Highland Park resident. “We hope to inspire others to support the HPCF generously in order to provide resources the community needs and to enrich the lives of all residents.”

The Art Center Highland Park (TAC) unveiled a pop-up exhibition in the Cortesi Gallery earlier this month showcasing the work of three powerful women artists—Sheila Arora, Laurie Kwo, and Erin Kaya.

Inspired by the quote "Who is she? She is someone who is gentle but powerful. Strong and courageous. Someone who pays attention to the little things and adds beauty to the world. She’s an artist, a friend and someone who cares for and celebrates others,” the She x Three exhibit is the result of three artists coming together to explore the unknown meanings around abstraction, blurring lines, figures, and color.

They each have had their own artistic successes and felt that together their work would push the boundaries of abstract art in a unique direction.

Running through September 30,

Community foundations play a unique role in

the philanthropic world. With deep roots in the communities they serve, these organizations have the knowledge and expertise to address local needs and target grants for maximum impact. That mission is what drives both Champion programs at HPCF and why the Baum Fund is offering its financial support.

“We fit well within their funding priorities. Education and health care and human services are certainly two of their main areas of focus and we have very strong nonprofits that provide programs and services for residents that assist with education and address so many of the human service needs of our community,” Olian says.

“I think they saw supporting the foundation in this way is very well aligned with their mission

A big factor, Olian says, is trust in HPCF’s ability to discern the needs of the community and identify the best ways to deploy its funding to address those needs through the nonprofits that have the programs and services that HPCF and other foundations are supporting.

“Hopefully it conveys the message that we are an organization that the family fund is putting its trust in, putting their faith and trust in us,” she says. “Other foundations, particularly smaller ones, might not have identified funding areas and they're looking for organizations to support and we can take the guesswork out for them.”

The Champion program currently provides about $340,000 a years for the foundation, and the commitments, which range from $5,000 to $20,000 per year over five years, gives the organization the ability to be more strategic with its grantmaking and to be flexible as needs in the Highland Park community evolve.

“I think [the Foundation Champion program] provides a new opportunity for foundations that are comfortable making pledges longerterm,” Olian says. “We hope that family offices, family foundations, and private foundations will seriously consider and avail themselves of this opportunity. There are significant needs in the community and their support can go a long way to improving people's lives.”

and provided them an opportunity show their support for what we are trying to accomplish as a foundation.”

GIVE LOCAL TRIPLE PLAY

She x Three corresponds with the Unbearable Memories, Unspeakable Histories, part 2 and Partition Anti-Memorial Project with Pritika Chowdhry exhibit and Borders and Boundaries Redefined, a group show.

A nonprofit organization, TAC is the North Shore’s home for artistic discovery and creative exploration. Through innovative programs, exhibits, and classes designed for all levels and ages, TAC provides a welcoming space for our diverse communities to experience and participate in the arts.

The She x Three exhibit runs through the end of September. The Art Center Highland Park is located at 1957 Sheridan Road in Highland Park. For more information, call 847-432-1888 or visit theartcenterhp.org.

‘Winds of Change’ painting by Erin Kaya.

For more information about the Highland Park Community Foundation, visit hpcfil.org.

The Art Center Highland Park presents the She x Three pop-up art exhibit, now through the end of September.

The Art Center Highland Park.

Among the programs Highland Park Community Foundation supports is College Bound Opportunities.

The Collaborative Community Housing Initiative.

POWER OF CHOICE

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Boarding schools offer a unique educational experience for high school students, and parents will have an opportunity to learn more about the top boarding schools in the country when the Ten Schools Admission Organization (TSAO) hosts two events in the Chicago area on September 17 and 18.

The first will take place at Lake Forest Country Day School on September 17 and the second on September 18 at the Catherine Cook School in Chicago. TSAO supports the schools’ efforts to recruit high school students from across the country and the Midwest and to promote the values of boarding school education.

The organization says boarding school offers an immersive, experience-based learning opportunity within a supportive and diverse community of students and teachers. It is a close-knit community of learners who study, play, and live together that is conducive to shaping forward thinking students who are better prepared for college and life beyond.

Each TSAO member school offers a wide range of experiences and traditions and each of them embody the highest standards of personal and academic excellence. As a group, TSAO offers access to comprehensive information about unique benefits of the boarding school.

The 10 schools TSAO represent include Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut; Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts; The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania; The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut; The Lawrenceville

School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey; The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut; Phillips Academy-Andover in Andover, Massachusetts; Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire; St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire; and The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut.

Each school offers its own unique experience, and at the two events parents can learn firsthand what they have to offer and speak directory with admissions staff.

“Member schools of the TSAO understand that we need broad geographic representation

of students who bring a range of perspectives and lived experiences,” says Dana Anselmi, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at St. Paul’s School. “The Midwest is an important region in our country and over the years we have enrolled many students who are kind, inclusive, intellectually curious, and looking to expand their horizons by learning in a new environment, surrounded by people from all over the world.”

TSAO represents so many incredible communities, and each has something for everyone, Anselmi says. Schools have observatories,

art museums, innovation centers, places for spiritual reflection, and miles of hiking and biking trails.

“Our campuses are designed to give students access to learning with mind, body, and spirt around every corner, and to recognize the special opportunities for growth when everything is right at your fingertips,” she explains. “One of the unique things about St. Paul’s is that we are 100 percent boarding, which means that students and faculty on campus live and learn together 24/7 in one community.”

Anselmi notes that one fact about St. Paul’s that students from the Midwest might find interesting is that the first ice hockey game in the United States was held on St. Paul’s Lower School Pond in 1883.

Sara Parker is Assistant Director of Admission at Phillips Andover Academy. She says TSAO supports the schools’ efforts to broaden their geographic diversity and that students from Chicago and the Midwest have much to offer.

“Students from the Midwest enrich campus life by offering their unique experiences and perspectives,” she says. “We are excited to introduce the board school experience to students who might not have previously considered this opportunity, and we are especially excited to connect in person with families from the Midwest.”

The Ten Schools Admission Organization events will be held on September 17 at 4:00 p.m. at Lake Forest Country Day School in Lake Forest, and September 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Catherine Cook School in Chicago. For more information and to register, visit tenschools.org.

Parents and students can learn about ten of the best boarding schools on the East Coast during two upcoming events sponsored by the Ten Schools Admissions Organization.

Playfair at St. Paul’s School offers an opportunity for students to connect. Students at St. Paul’s School cheering on their favorite crew team.

Fall convocation at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire.

REMEMBERING MARILYN LOVELL

The wife of Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell landed in Lake Forest with her family in 1981, after serving a vital role as a “Next Nine” member of the Astronaut Wives Club in Texas. She died August 27 at age 93.

BY BILL MCLEAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Before portraying Marilyn Lillie Lovell in the 1995 movie Apollo 13, Kathleen Quinlan visited the wife of the mission’s commander, Jim Lovell, twice in Texas.

Quinlan sought to discover the essence of the strong, loving matriarch and then capture it vividly for moviegoers. But their relationship did not end there.

“Kathleen and my mother kept in communication for years after the movie was made,” says Jeff Lovell, one of the couple’s four children, with Barbara Harrison, James Lovell III, and Susan Lovell. “Mom was overjoyed with Kathleen’s portrayal.”

A poignant scene unfolded inside a room at Lake Forest Place on August 27. Surrounded by her husband of 71 years and their quartet of children, Marilyn Lovell died peacefully from natural causes at age 93.

“We were all there, and she knew it,” Susan Lovell says. “It was unique, unplanned. I remember thinking, ‘How did this happen, all of us getting to spend her final moments with her?’ It was perfect.

“I miss her,” she adds. “I miss talking with her. We were close. A very strong, determined woman, Mom put everybody ahead of her and lived a good, long life.”

in Milwaukee. According to astronomy.com, Marilyn transferred from Wisconsin State Teachers College in Milwaukee to George Washington University in Washington D.C., in order to be closer to Jim, who was a United States Naval Academy midshipman in Annapolis.

They got married in 1952.

Marilyn Lovell served as a member of the “Next Nine,” the second group of the Astronaut Wives Club.

“The club supported and promoted NASA, and it supported the wives of NASA astronauts as well,” says Jeff Lovell, who graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1984—three years after the Lovell family moved to the suburban city—and lives in Houston. “Mom was there for the wives who had lost their husbands working in a dangerous occupation.”

Apollo 13, NASA’s third scheduled mission to land on the Moon, averted disaster thanks to the skill and poise of Jim Lovell and his crew. An oxygen tank in the service module failed during the second day of the 1970 journey, forcing the crew to loop around the Moon. It returned safely to Earth.

“I never knew my dad was in trouble,” says Jeff Lovell, who was four years old when the nation followed the gripping plight on television. “Mom saw to that. We all lived normal lives because of her and her ability to juggle a lot of balls at the same time without dropping any of them.”

by the International Astronomical Union in 2017.

Carole Schall, of Lake Forest, knew Marilyn Lovell for more than seven years, mostly as a Talbots client specialist. A former Saks Fifth Avenue director of fashion, Schall “styled Marilyn and picked out wardrobes (typically elegant and classic) for her.” An unforgettable moment for Schall was seeing Jim, 95, and

great connection.

“I loved her dearly.”

Marilyn Lovell loved chocolate almost as much as she loved her family and friends.

In

Marilyn Lovell interacting one day.

“What a thrill that was for me, watching two celebrities together in my hometown,” Schall says. “Marilyn trusted me. We had a

“If you gave her chocolate, especially a Cadbury Easter egg, she’d be your friend for life,” Susan Lovell says. “I learned from Mom that the 12-step program for chocoholics is to never be more than 12 steps away from chocolate.”

Other survivors include 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. A service was held last month.

Born Marilyn Lillie Gerlach as the youngest of five children in Milwaukee, she first met her future husband when she was 14 and Jim was 16. They attended Juneau High School

1968, while on the Apollo 8 mission to the Moon, Jim Lovell eyed a pyramid-shaped lunar mountain and named it after Marilyn. Mount Marilyn became officially recognized

#HASHTAG

EDITED BY JULIA PAULMAN ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

#ON MY NIGHTSTAND

The Art of the Gathering by Priya Parker. Now more than ever, we value the too few in-person moments we share with family, friends, colleagues, and even those in our communities. Being thoughtful in our planning and purpose about how we spend these precious moments is the key to ensuring these become meaningful times. Ravinia is one of the magical places where Chicagoland loves to gather, and we want to be even more thoughtful about making these music-inspired moments special every night.

Ravinia Festival President and CEO JEFFREY P. HAYDON has been sharing his lifelong passion for music with communities nationwide for more than 25 years. Haydon has settled on the North Shore with his family, joining Ravinia in September 2020. Prior to taking his talents to the North Shore, Haydon began his career in music holding positions with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Aspen Music Festival. He was also the CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts for eight years, leading a renaissance at the center by raising more than $40 million. Furthermore, Haydon served as Executive Director of the Ojai Music Festival, where he led the festival through a number of major transformations to further position it as one of the preeminent musical destinations for artists and audiences alike. Haydon’s list of accomplishments is endless as he has brought music to audiences across the country. Here is how this musical expert stays current between concerts. For more information about Ravinia and its upcoming concerts, visit ravinia.org.

#ON MY MOBILE

I listen to a wide range of music every day! It is a mix of my favorites, following my curiosity and what others forward to me. With the entire music catalog in our pockets, recorded music is now available for everyone at any time. Music is one of the few experiences that can change our mood and perspective almost instantly. Like The Art of the Gathering, where and how you listen to music also makes a difference. You will have a different experience listening to the same album driving in a car, in a dark room, as background music, with or without headphones, walking, etc. Try a creative challenge of listening to a familiar album in different situations and then dare to listen to something totally unfamiliar in these same settings. Most importantly, try listening to music in a completely quiet space in the dark. If you are looking for a recommendation, try listening to some of these artists (who happen to be coming to Ravinia this summer!): Mahler 5 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Keb Mo, Natalia Lafourcade, Brandi Carlile, and Kurt Elling. Listen for the words, the tamber, the mood, and what makes their sound engaging.

#IN MY EARBUDS

A favorite outlet of mine is artsjournal. com. And, since Chicago is an increasingly competitive music market, I am following the continued news about Live Nation, as it has become such a dominant force in the music industry.

MATERIAL PURSUITS

This weekend’s curated luxury trends

POETRY IN MOTION

For aficionados of fine timepieces, news of the H. Moser x MB&F Streamliner Pandemonium watch coming to the market is like music to their ears, literally and figuratively. The harmony of H. Moser & Cie. and MB&F’s second collaboration is not only a “sonic fusion of poetic sophistication and technical excellence,” it’s also for a noble cause— Only Watch 2023. The biennial charity auction raises funds for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research by offering exceedingly rare, one-of-akind watches for sale. This visually enticing, acoustically captivating timepiece features a minute repeater complication starting a miniature DJing panda. The complex chime mechanism graces the dial, so you can hear the passage of time while admiring the choreography of the hammers and gongs. The case middle has been hollowed out to hold the movement and create a sound box, which amplifies the chiming of hours, quarter hours, and minutes. Prices start around $300,000 Find out more at h-moser.com/moser-x-mbf-pandamonium.

HEIR(LOOM) JORDAN

THE WHITE CONTINENT

If you love to ski and are craving a luxury journey like no other, consider Pelorus your adventure concierge. This bespoke travel company has introduced a new golden age of travel with its yachting, skiing, and heli-skiing expeditions. One of its most sought-after offerings takes you heli-skiing through the remote white continent of Antarctica. With itineraries running December through February, you can join the next generation of polar explorers to ski in remote areas where no one has skiied before. Thanks to Pelorus, skiing to untouched peaks in the Antarctic Peninsula is now possible with the deployment of two helicopters that will drop you off at one summit and take you to the next. With long days stretching between 18 and 22 hours of daylight during the summer months there’s ample opportunity to enjoy multiple descents down snowy Antarctic slopes and experience life on Earth’s final frontier. Curate your trip-of-a-lifetime at pelorusx.com.

NORTH SHORE FOODIE

Remember Fleer trading cards? Not only was this 1885 company the first to manufacture bubble gum, but it also paired that decadent childhood indulgence with cards sporting the faces and stats of American sports heroes—starting with baseball in 1923 and then branching into football and basketball. A card featuring one of Chicago’s most famous sports legends recently sold at auction for a whopping six figures and is back on the market. The 20th anniversary 2006 Fleer Buyback Michael Jordan (1986 Fleer Rookie) card is signed by Jordan himself, a signature that carries a certificate of authenticity. The edition number, "21/23," is applied at lower right corner of the image in the same blue ink. Offers are being accepted at over $396,000 for this piece of sports history. For more information, visit Heritage Auctions at sports.ha.com.

“CHOPPED” CHICKEN LIVER

The Jewish New Year celebration of Rosh Hashanah began Friday at sundown and continues all weekend, ending at sundown on Sunday. A time of inner reflection and renewal, large feasts are shared on what is the first of the High Holy Days. Yom Kippur, a day of atonement, follows next weekend. In preparation for your family gatherings, we recommend Chef Sarah Stegner’s recipe for traditional “chopped” chicken liver—a longtime staple of the Rosh Hashanah menu at Prairie Grass Café in Northbrook.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound chicken livers rinsed, cleaned and patted dry

• Sea salt

• Fresh ground black pepper

METHOD:

• ¼ cup plus chicken fat

• 3 cups diced onions

• 4 farm eggs hard boiled, peeled and chopped up (be sure not to overcook)

• 1 baguette

In a large skillet over medium-high heat sear the chicken livers in chicken fat. Allow to brown well on all sides and cook the livers through.

Remove from the pan and add the onions. Season the onions with salt and pepper. Stir frequently, reduce the heat and cook them until they are well browned and “caramelized” (approximately 20 minutes).

Then remove from the pan and allow to cool. Put the livers and onions in a food processor. Chop them up until they begin to smooth out.

Add the eggs and process anther minute.

Season to taste.

Slice the baguette and drizzle some chicken fat on it and sauté them sliced in a pan over low heat. Spread the liver mixture on the bread and enjoy.

This traditional recipe is a Rosh Hashanah favorite at Prairie Grass Café in Northbrook.

Photograph courtesy of Cindy Kurman

BY REX REED ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

RUNNING TIME: 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES

RATING: 2.5 stars

THE GOOD MOTHER

Hilary Swank plays a mother in Albany whose effort to find justice for one son puts her in an ethical dilemma.

Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank fritters away her time in the routine crime thriller The Good Mother , playing Marissa Bennings, a heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, disaster-prone journalist with writer's block who has given up sensational investigative reporting for an unsatisfactory position as an editor at the Albany Times-Union

She has two grown sons. One is a handsome, good-citizen cop named Toby (charismatic Jack Reynor). The other is a junkie and a thief named Michael who hooks half of the kids in Albany on fentanyl. When Michael is murdered, the devastated Marissa reluctantly joins forces with Michael's pregnant girlfriend Paige (Olivia Cook) to find his killer.

In the harrowing journey that follows, they conduct the viewer on a sordid tour of

Albany's decadent underworld crack dens and needle dispensaries. They also attend meetings of a survivors' group, listening to stories of other mourners with their own tragic losses.

The more Marissa sees and experiences the Albany she never knew, the more she's inspired to return to her writing career and the expose she plans to reveal— much to the disapproving chagrin of her law-biding cop son Toby (who may not be as innocent about his brother's murder as he seems) and Toby's wife, who might know more than she's willing to share.

One gruesome thing after another happens to everyone involved, and as the bodies pile up, Marissa realizes that if she publishes the truth about what she learns about her bad son, it could destroy the good

son (and the only family she has left).

To say more would amount to spoilers that would ruin the movie. I'll just say that the point of the dilemma Marissa faces is the painful realization that to be a good mother is not the same thing as being a good citizen.

It's not a particularly interesting narrative, and the episodic script and sluggish direction by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte (where do they come up with these impossible names?) don't help.

On the plus side, Hilary Swank is as intensely committed as usual (she's also one of the film's producers), but The Good Mother is not a film that offers her much of a stretch. Not a bad film, just a dull and inconsequential one. Here today and gone tomorrow.

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ONE GIFT AT A TIME

Every day in the life of Township High School District 113 teacher/coach Florin Mitran is something to be unwrapped and cherished.

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Romania native Florin Mitran wakes up smiling every day in the United States. You would too if you embraced each day like Mitran does.

“A day to me is a gift,” says the 49-year-old Mitran, who coaches the varsity boys’ golf team at Highland Park High School and serves as a teacher/coach at Township High School District 113’s other comprehensive high school, Deerfield HS. “We’re all given the gift of a day, every day.

“What are you going to do with that gift today?” he adds. “You’re in control of making it either a great day or an average day. We should all be grateful for such a present. I know I am.”

Mitran, who arrived in the northwest Chicago community Portage Park from then-Communist Romania at age 6 in 1980, draws inspiration from loved ones and a slew of colleagues—and actor Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease at age 29 in 1991.

“Michael J. Fox believes that with gratitude, optimism becomes sustainable,” Mitran says. “I’m grateful for getting to work with, and help others, at Deerfield and Highland Park high schools. It’s a skill, being able to coach and teach high school students, as well as being able to motivate them and relate to them. I’ve developed that skill by watching others do it well, like Paul Harris (former basketball/golf coach and current athletic director at HPHS), Steve Winiecki (DHS football coach), Doug Foerch (District 113 gymnastics coach), Marc Pechter (DHS wrestling coach), Nathan Flannery (DHS athletic director), Mike Muldrow (former DHS girls’ basketball coach), Greg Kapsimalis (former DHS boys’ basketball coach), and Mark Flavin and Josh Hess (assistant golf coaches at HPHS).

“I’ve grown as a professional and as a person, because I’ve been fortunate enough to be around some of the best people in educa tion and coaching,” adds Mitran, who was the athletic trainer at DHS from 1998-2008. “But I’ll never stop striving to become a better teacher and coach.”

Coaches at Lane Tech in Chicago played critical roles in the life of Mitran, the star prep athlete. Mitran graduated with a combined 10 varsity letters in five sports—football, baseball, wrestling, track and field, and speed skating. He competed in speed skating for only one season but left quite a mark, capturing a city championship.

“My outlet, when I was young, was competing in sports,” says Mitran, whose mother,

Emilia, still calls Portage Park home. “And my major influences were Lane Tech coaches, with many of them becoming father figures. My father (Isaia, who died at age 59), was de-

them.’”

Mitran played only one season of baseball at the University of Illinois Chicago because of a knee injury. He graduated with degrees

1-handicapper, Mitran now gets to hurt golf balls rather than would-be tacklers in football games. He has enjoyed playing at three of Highland Park’s golf courses—Sunset Valley Golf Club, Exmoor Country Club, and Northmoor Country Club. He hasn’t toured Bob O’Link Golf Club or Old Elm Club in Highland Park.

Yet.

The total number of golf courses in all of Romania, according to Mitran? Eight.

“I’ll play golf in pretty much any weather condition, unless it’s below 20 degrees,” says Mitran, who, in addition to coaching boys’ golf at HPHS, coaches girls’ lacrosse, boys’ bowling, and bass fishing (as a volunteer assistant) at DHS. “Golf mirrors life. It gives you a constant pursuit of getting better at something, and you have to be willing and able to adjust, whether that’s to the weather or to the course on that day. You could play golf 30 days in a row and no two would be the same.

“I’m always learning in the challenging sport of golf, and I love teaching it to my daughter Jozie.”

The “Augusta National” of the North Shore suburbs, in Mitran’s mind, is Highland Park.

“It has such an impressive history and a great culture,” Mitran says. “Plus it’s a resilient, close-knit community and one of the best places to live along the North Shore. It’s architecture is beautiful and striking.

“For me, to be affiliated with Highland Park as a coach at the city’s high school, is pretty awesome. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity the district gave me to succeed Paul Harris as the varsity boys’ golf coach at Highland Park High School.”

The mother of a former DHS studentathlete claimed Mitran saved her daughter’s life when Mitran—as the athletic trainer at DHS—detected a possible blood clot in the teen’s leg and urged the family to see a doctor. It was a blood clot. A former DHS administrative once called Mitran “the most positive person in the building.”

“I’m a relationship-centric coach and teacher,” Mitran says. “It’s important to me to get to know my students and athletes through one-on-one interactions. Having established those relationships, at a deeper level, they’ll then know it’s nothing personal whenever I point out something that will make them better students or athletes.”

Mitran’s favorite ice breaker in either a classroom setting or at a prep sports venue is a warm one.

And it shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows Mitran.

“I like to ask, “How’s your day going?’” he says.

Golf mirrors life. It gives you a constant pursuit of getting better at something, and you have to be willing and able to adjust, whether that’s to the weather or to the course on that day.