WednesdayJournal_100423

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Evangelical congregation moves into Parkview

New church opens this weekend for ser vices

By STACEY SHERIDAN Senior Reporter

The number of vacant churches in Oak Park has gone from two to one as a new cong re gation has moved into the for mer Parkview Presbyterian Church on the corner of Oak Park Avenue and Jackson Boulevard.

Crews and cong re gants of Casa De Restauración Familiar, an evangelical Christian church under the Ebene zer ministry, are preparing to open doors for services in church’s new Oak Park home as of this weekend. The opening coincides with the church’s 12th anniversary. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Luis Choc, did not respond to interview requests.

The church has roughly 150 members and for merly leased a church in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Chicago, said Miriam Cruz, worship leader and church member

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Concor West Suburb team up to train future

The e or t aims to address the national nursing shortage through education and employmen

By ST

Concordia University now getting firsthand experience through a new partnership ience Healthcare, the entity that Chicago’s Weiss Memorial Hospital less than a y

Through the partnershi newly launched nursing pr they have learned in the classroom and apply it directly –but with supervision – in an actual hospital to cal experience.

Nursing students will work within all of West Suburban’s areas of care, including gastroenterology, oncology and orthopedics, while Concordia will provide nurses within the Resilience system with professional development opportunities, such as adjunct professorships

The partnership also serves to familiarize nursing students with the communities that West Suburban serves, which is primarily the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, with the possibility of providing permanent employment at the hospital after they have completed their studies and obtained nursing licenses

“We’d definitely love to retain all of them or as many as we can,” said Manoj Prasad, Resilience Healthcare CEO.

The program launched in September, so no Concordia nursing students have yet gone on to become employed nurses of West Suburban. The student-to-employee pipeline, however, could provide a solution locally for the nursing shor tage happening nationally, official said.

“It’s a real win-win,” said Eli Hestermann, Concordia’s vice president of academic affairs and chief academic officer.

Roughly 100,000 nurses left the workforce during the pandemic and by 2027, almost 900,000, or almost one-fifth of 4.5 million total registered nurses, are expected to leave the industry, according to the results of survey released last April by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

Dominican University, located in River Forest, is launching a similar partnership with Rush Oak Park Hospital in January. Both Prasad and Hestermann said they are glad to see other universities and hospitals teaming up to combat the

nursing shortage

“There’s not a real sense of competition,” Hestermann said. “There’s so much need for new nurses, and each nursing program can only accommodate so many students.”

Concordia received state approval for its nursing program last February, during which time Hestermann, also a Concordia biology professor, served as the dean of the university’s College of Health, Science & Technology. Hestermann developed the Concordia’s nursing program with the program’s director, Kristen Bayer, and oversaw the construction of the nursing simulation center, built specifically for the program.

The program has been well received among Concordia students. With 57 students in the program this fall, nursing is the most popular major for transfer students and the third most popular major for all incoming new Concordia students

“Our admissions people, our nursing people are just ecstatic about how well it’s been received,” said Hester mann.

While this specific four-year nursing progr am is new for Concordia, the university has a long history of partnering with West Suburban to train future nurses, Hester mann explained.

“Decades ago, there was a joint nursing program where students would do their first two years at Concordia and then move over to the hospital for their intensive nursing training,” he said.

West Suburban, which was under different ownership then, split from the nursing program and the university over time, according to Hestermann.

“That just became a weaker and weaker link for us,” said Hestermann.

While Resilience Healthcare was in the process of purchasing West Suburban and We i ss Memorial Hospital from P ipeline Health, C oncordia leadership decide d to relaunch i ts nursing progr am and was looking for a c ommunity partner where students c ould rece ive practic al training .

Concordia found a willing partner in Prasad, who had hopes of his own re garding nursing education, given the shortage of nurses and available space at West Suburban.

“Ever since I started looking at these hospitals, the idea of having a nursing school was right front and center for me,” he said.

In the past, West Suburban had its own nursing school and the school building, now empty, was acquired by Prasad along with the rest of the hospital’s campus. The building served as both the place where classes were taught and student housing, according to Prasad.

The building is not being used for Concordia’s nursing program, but Prasad has plans to put it back in use as part of his wider ef for ts to revitalize the safety net hospital. He declined to share any specifics related to the building’s — and West Suburban’s — future.

He did, however, say that he is exploring more partnership opportunities for the hospitals, which he said have grown in services and staffing since Resilience officially took over last December. West Suburban recently launched a new inpatient substance abuse detox center. Roughly 4,050 patients have gone through the center already, according to Prasad.

TONY FIORITO/CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHIC AGO Concordia University Chicago’s new nursing program includes a partnership with West Suburban Medical Center.

Author Visit: ‘The Bodies Keep Coming’ With Dr. Brian H. Williams

Thursday, Oc t. 5, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y, Main Library

Author/professor/trauma surgeon

Dr. Brian H. Williams will discuss his latest book, The Bodies Keep Coming: Dispatches From a Black Trauma

Surgeon on Racism, Violence, and How We Heal. Williams explores these subjects from both a universal and personal standpoint, giving an up-close look at how these very emotions a ected him and his line of work. Register now at oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake Street, Oak Park.

Dr. Ada Cheng

Tuesday, Oc t. 10, 5 p.m., Dominican University, Mar tin Recital Hall (Performance Arts Center)

Dr. Cheng will be presenting the 2023 Lund-Gill Lecture, which is entitled “A Full Circle Home: ytelling As A Path For Inquir y, Transformation.” A former researcher and professor, Dr. Cheng turned to performance art, hosting workshops as a vehicle for inner stories, with an emphasis on LGBTQ+ expression. 7900 W. Division Street, Oak Park.

Deena Ka stor

Oc t. 5, 7-8:30 p.m., Community Recreation Center

Olympic marathoner Deena Kastor will be speaking at a meeting of the Oak Park Runners Club. She will be in ank Of America Chicago Marathon on Oct 8. 229 Madison Street, Oak Park.

ansportation Rally

Oc t. 8, 3-5 p.m., Pilgrim Congregational Church

Come and see special electric vehicles and talk with the owners. cal vendors will also have cargo bikes, adult trikes, e-bikes, and, of course, food trucks. 460 Lake Street, Oak Park.

BIG WEEK

Oc tober 4-11

Julia Child: Bon Appetit!

Monday, Oc t. 9, 1:15-2:30 p.m., Nineteenth Century Charitable Association (second- oor ballroom) Ac tress and scholar Leslie Goddard, PhD, brings Julia Child to life in this portrayal, discussing everything from her relationship with her husband to the mishaps of cooking on live television. For more information visit the website at www. nineteenthcentury,org.

$15 suggested donation for non-members, 178 Forest Avenue, Oak Park.

Oak Park-River Forest Gangster Tour

Sunday, Oc t. 8, 2 p.m., FitzGerald’s Special guided tour focusing on organized crime hangouts. Led by historian John Binder. $40, 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn.

Hispanic Heritage Month Festival: ¡Viva Oak Park!

Saturday, Oc t. 7, 2-5 p.m., Oak Park Village Hall, South Lawn

This event celebrates the Latine and Hispanic community, with food, fun and resources for the whole family. Learn more at oak-park.us. 123 Madison Street, Oak Park.

Finding the nish line for ALS

Sunday, Oc t. 8, 6 p.m., at the Lake Theatre, 1022 Lake St., Oak Park

The day of Chicago’s marathon, Oak Park’s Lake Theatre is showing Go On, Be Brave, a documentary that celebrates the story of Andrea Peet, a marathon veteran. It is a powerful message to raise awareness for ALS as well as a fundraiser to help end the disease. Andrea was diagnosed with ALS in 2014 at the age of 33. In 2019, she set her mind to doing a marathon in all 50 states using her recumbent bike. She completed that goal in 2022. Andrea will not race in Chicago, but she will be at the Lake Theatre on the 8th. Go to her website, www. teamdrea.org, and click on “Documentar y” to buy tickets to the movie ($9 each) or click on “Donate.”

Domestic Violence Ac tion Rally

Thursday, Oc t. 5, 5:30 p.m., Scoville Park Sarah’s Inn presents a special community event which will include lectures from DePaul University sta about domestic violence and traumatic brain injury. There will also be an “after rally social” at 6:15 p.m., held at Oak Park Bank (151 N. Oak Park Avenue). 800 Lake Street, Oak Park.

Wonder Wheels Festival

Saturday, Oc t. 7 and 8, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Wonder Works Children’s Museum

This outdoor festival celebrates everything on wheels. All kinds of motorized vehicles will be featured, including the Weiner Mobile, a police truck, a steamroller, a CTA bus, and much more. (Vehicles vary from day to day.) $13 for members, $26 for non-members. 6445 W. North Avenue, Oak Park.

LESLIE GODDARD

Radiolab at Unity Temple shows how cassette tapes changed the world

ence members were given a QR code upon entry for a self-guided tour of the Once scanned, the QR linked to three different versions of Adler’s narration Unity Temple, a surprise Adler later vealed during the show.

By STACEY SHERIDAN Senior Reporter

Fans of WNYC’s “Radiolab” turned out in spades to Unity Temple for a special live storytelling experience this past Saturday led by the radio show’s senior producer Simon Adler.

Adler took audience members through the wonders of the cassette tape, a piece of technology that changed the world — and gave rise to a new kind of love letter: the mixtape. And despite its early ubiquity, the cassette, now considered obsolete, is not that well understood, according to Adler.

“One of the reasons I was so drawn to these strange little objects is, to me, they were this turning point, this fulcrum around which society tipped because here, for the first time, in the cassette tape, you had a medium that was small, that was re-recordable, that was mobile,” he told Wednesday Jour nal ahead of the shows

Called “Mixtapes to the Moon: How the Cassette Changed the World,” the live show explored the impact of the cassette and its best friend, the Walkman. Between the 5 p.m. show and the 8 p.m. show, hundreds of fans paid $40 a ticket to see Adler at the Frank Lloyd Wright architectural masterpiece.

Hosting the show at Unity Temple made sense to Adler because he said the cassette and the building re present similar shifts in the collective conscious related to modern technology and thought.

“Being in a place that sort of denotes a moment in time, while telling stories about objects that capture a moment in time, that just feels really beautiful and symmetrical,” he said.

Attendees were directed to bring a pair of headphones and a listening device, which Adler called “central” to the experience, both collective and individual. Audi-

The show was designed to be both fun and thought-provoking.

“We’ve created something that, when people walk out of it at the end, they going to want to be talking to other people about it,” Adler said. “I think it’s make them have some thoughts never had before.”

This was definitely the case for the group of friends that caught the 5 p.m. show. Mark Tawny left thinking about technolo gy’s isolation side effect, starting with the pocket-sized Walkman, which allowed people to continue listening to audio while out and about. Now, it is hard to find someone on the train or out walking who doesn’t have a pair of — usually wireless — headphones

Tawny told Wednesday Journal how he had also been thinking a lot lately about how church used to be the center of a community but now cong re gations are now dwindling. Adler’s show, said Tawny, gave him a new perspective on the potential intersection of technology and church attendance, which made the Unity Temple setting all the more interesting to him.

“It was a fresh take I’d never even thought of,” Tawny said.

That fresh take didn’t come directly from Adler. In the show, he didn’t necessarily tell the audience what to think about, but merely encouraged them to think differently about the humble cassette’s place in the world by offering different context.

T he live show was born out of a pitch Adler made about three years ago for a podcast series based around the cassette tape and how it captured information, which made recording accessible to the wider public

He then spent about five months researching and re porting on the cassette.

That work became a podcast series for the New York-based NPR member station WNYC, which produces the two-time Peabody Award-winning “Radiolab.” In “Mixtape,” Adler’s five-part podcast series, the cassette tape serves as both character and source material.

The show at Unity Temple is an extension of the podcast.

“We wanted to be able to play around with some of these ideas of collective experience, individual experience in a way that the podcast just doesn’t fully allow for and so these shows are basically collections of material that originally it didn’t make it into the miniseries, but that we’ve woven together with these certain more theatrical, experiential elements,” Adler said.

Adler shared the basis of one the stories that didn’t make it into the podcast but made it into the live show – the story of astronaut Michael Collins. Audiences perhaps better remember Collins’ Apollo 11 crewmates, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, who became the first people ever to walk on the moon’s surface in 1969.

While Aldrin and Armstrong were making that famous walk, Collins was piloting the command module Columbia into lunar orbit. He spent more than 21 hours in complete solitude, circling the moon, with only the company of cassette tapes, which he

listened to on his portable cassette player.

“I am alone now, truly alone, and absolutely isolated from any known life,” Collins wrote in his autobiography.

The music tapes, Collins later revealed, were provided by friends of Armstrong and Aldrin. His favorite song he listened to was 1965’s “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon” by British singer-songwriter Jonathan King. Adler revealed that Collins’ playlist, unlike those of Aldrin and Armstrong, were lost to time

That particular story fits in with the perception that cassettes were mostly used for audio purposes, but cassettes have the ability to store information unrelated at all to music. A large portion of Adler’s show was dedicated to the rise of the self-help tape and other lesser-known societal contributions of the cassette

One area Adler did not explore in hi s show, as he said he c ould n’ t figure out a way to include it, was the idea that almost everything out in the wo rl d is backed up somewhere on a c assette tape, wh ich is b oth cheap and durable. So, wh i le it might be c onsidered obsolete, the c assette tape still pl ay s a pretty significant role in society

“At this point, essentially the entire internet is backed up on a magnetic cassette tape,” Adler said.

‘Mix tapes to the Moon’ provides an immersive experience

DTKINDLER PHOTOGRAPHY “Radiolab” Senior Producer Simon Adler hosted an individual yet colle ctive listening experience at Unity Temple, last Saturday.

Cleanup of Lake and Lathrop begins

Improvements include newly placed sidewalks now walkable for pedestrians

By ROBERT J. LIFKA

Contributing Reporter

River Forest officials are eyeing the end of November as the completion date for ongoing improvements to the construction site of the failed Sedgwick Properties’ development at Lake Street and Lathrop Avenue

Officials are working with the Cook County Circuit Court appointed receiver, Walt Rebenson from Ascend Real Estate Group, to clean up the site. T he end of November is g enerally considered to be the end of the construction season.

Recent improvements at the site include placing dirt and seed on Ashland and Lathrop avenues adjacent to the newly placed sidewalks that are now walkable for pedestrians.

Dumpsters have also been removed from the site and the receiver is working with contractors to remove additional construction materials

Other improvements planned in the coming weeks and months are re placing fencing around the site and removing the two tall cement mixing pieces of equipment that are currently in the northeast cor ner of the site.

“The silos reference the two tall cement mixing pieces of equipment that are currently in the northeast corner of the site,” village Administrator Matt Walsh said. “The goal is to have any construction equipment removed, since it is not being used. T here is no plan or intent to demolish construction already complete at the site at this time, including the parking deck. It is too early to determine if that will happen, and will de pend on the owner of the site.”

In Se ptember, officials re pealed the building permit for Sedgwick Properties and issued a stop work order. T hey said those steps were taken because Sedgwick failed to meet the requirements and con-

ditions of the village’s 18-month building permit, which was originally issued in February 2022.

The long-delayed condominium project has been on life support since April, when Beverly Bank and Trust, a Wintrust-affiliated bank that was financing the development, filed suit against Sedgwick Properties in Cook County court, looking to claw back $4.2 million from the $20 million line of credit it issued in 2022. In the lawsuit, the lender has reportedly cited several provisions in its loan agreement with Sedgwick affiliates that were violated, including that the contract required the borrower to stay in compliance with local regulations and to stick to a tighter construction timeline.

In August, officials granted Sedgwick Properties the latest in a string of building permit extensions that would have run through Aug. 30, 2024, had the developer met certain conditions. Those conditions included securing viable financing and providing

proof of such financing to the village. Other conditions included resolving pending litigation with Beverly Bank and Trust; paying the village $98,905.32 for the permit extension fee; and paying $21,000 in unpaid property taxes. It is not yet known if any of the conditions were met.

T he project has been on the drawing board since before the village board approved, in 2016, the proposal by Lake Lathrop Par tners LLC to build a fourstory, mixed-use development containing 22 condominium units with 14,000 square feet of retail space. Variations on the same project had lurched and lingered for a decade previously. T he original project included another story and eight more units but was scaled back .

T he project has experienced a series of delays over the years, including environmental cleanup from the dry cleaner and a lawsuit involving a tenant who did not want to leave

Village tiptoes into nal stormwater plans

By ROBERT J. LIFKA

Contributing Reporter

River Forest officials wrestled with the village’s stormwater master plan at the last September board meeting, but nobody appeared ready to tackle the proposed multi-million-dollar projects that would adequately address flooding concerns. Officials started the conversation in March about the master plan, commissioned in 2021 in response to flooding in 2020, when Jeff Julkowski of Christopher B. Burke Engineering provided the board with an overview and identified the central portion of the village as being most in need of relief

Although two public meetings on the master plan had already been held in June 2021, officials suggested scheduling a third public meeting. Despite attendance

re por tedly being sparse at that meeting, which was held Aug. 1, Jeff Loster, director of public works and development services, said it led to a suggestion that the village create a subsidy progr am. Similar to three progr ams already in place, that progr am would help of fset costs associated with stormwater improvements on private property

Potential improvement projects Julkowski identified in March that would adequately address flooding concerns all carry a hefty price tag. T hey include an expansion of the relief sewer network in the south section at an estimated cost of $6.9 million; completion of Phase 2 of the Northside Stormwater Project at an estimated cost of $11.4 million; and creating underground storage vaults under Keystone Park and Franklin Avenue in the Lake Street section of the central section at an estimated cost of $9.1 million.

For the rest of the central section, ho wever, Julkowski could only present two feasibility concepts, both of which he said would take years to implement. One concept involves creating storage vaults under streets and kee ping combined sewers, at an estimated cost of $80 million, and the other would fully separate the stormwater and sanitary sewers at an estimated cost of $67 million.

Acknowledging that the central projects are more complicated and more expensive, Loster said those projects have been identified “i f the board wants to undertake any of them.”

In response to a question from Trustee Ken Johnson about what other communities are doing to address flooding concerns, Loster said, “It depends on how much space you’ve got for underground storage.”

He noted that the situation in River Forest is complicated by the existence of

combined sewers and the fact “that everything is so built out. ”

In a memo to Matt Walsh, village administrator, Loster recommended that the remaining administrat ive components of the master plan be completed but that no additional ef for ts be made re garding the identified projects

Those administrative components include recommending potential ordinance modifications and providing an analysis of the Des Plaines River and effects on groundwater, if any. They also include providing a narrative of the interaction between the village sewer network with that of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, as well as a staffing level analysis.

Trustees Lisa Gillis and Respicio Vazquez ag reed that the board needs to prioritize the projects.

“We need to decide what we are going to do and what order we’re doing it,” Gillis said.

One $80 million proposal for the central sec tion would create storage vaults under streets and keep combined sewers

PARKVIEW

Home to a new church

from page 1

The Ebene zer ministry was started in Guatemala. Casa De Restauración Familiar services are currently only held in Spanish, but the church plans to begin having additional English-speaking services likely by next year.

Church leadership had been looking to purchase a church of their own for two years prior to buying the for mer Parkview Church space. They found the Oak Park spot with the help of a real estate agent and faith, Cruz said. “We prayed. We prayed a lot,” Cruz told Wednesday Journal. “And finally, we were able to find it.”

The move is fairly convenient for the congregation, despite having only on-street parking. The for mer Parkview Church is only about a 10-minute drive from the space Casa De Restauración Familiar leased in Chicago.

“Most of our cong re gation lives in the north side and we have a few members who live in the south side, so for them, it’s a little bit closer. And for the people w ho live in the north, it’s payback time,” Cruz said.

The building has undergone some minor remodeling and major deep cleaning to convert it from the Parkview Church to Casa De Restauración Familiar. Pews have been removed in favor of chairs, the walls have fresh paint, the chapel has new carpet, and the altar was extended. Most of the work has been done by members of the church

“We’re really happy because we thought

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that a lot of members were not going to follow us to this location. And everybody’s on board,” said Cruz.

The neighborhood has welcomed Casa De Restauración Familiar, Cruz said, although some Oak Parkers can get a little emotional seeing parts of the for mer Parkview Church dissembled, especially the pews. Mostly, she said, they are happy to see the church put back into use.

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A CELEBRATION OF EMISSIONS-FREE DRIVING & ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Parkview closed at the end of October 2021, after serving the Oak Park area for 161 years, and was unoccupied until its purchase by Casa De Restauración Familiar. The Parkview church building and that of the for mer New Spirit Community Church, on Scoville Avenue, were the basis of a proactive zoning change by the Village of Oak Park, which opened up the vacant churches, and any that may come to be vacant, in residential districts to several secular uses.

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Check out EV models, talk to owners, & ask questions about battery range & longevity, charging access & cost, longdistance EV driving, & more Meet local vendors & owners with cargo bikes, adult trikes, e-bikes Food trucks!

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Meet local vendors & owners with cargo bikes, adult trikes, e-bikes Food trucks!

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With Casa De Restauración Familiar, the church building will remain a house of worship rather than becoming a small performance venue, an art gallery or residential apartments.

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Casa De Restauración Familiar opens Friday for a private service for church members only. Saturday and Sunday services are open to the public and the church will serve meals after. Church leadership has invited cong re gations of the same ministry in other states to join in worship. Services are a vibrant af fair with dancing and bright colors, according to Cruz.

Meet local vendors & owners with cargo bikes, adult trikes, e-bikes Food trucks!

A CELEBRATION OF EMISSIONS-FREE DRIVING & ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

GREEN TRANSPORTATION RALLY

A CELEBRATION OF EMISSIONS-FREE DRIVING & ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

about battery range & longevity, charging access & cost, longdistance EV driving,

PILGRIM CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH PARKING LOT

460 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60302

Check out EV models, talk to owners, & ask questions about battery range & longevity, charging access & cost, longdistance EV driving, & more Meet local vendors & owners with cargo bikes, adult trikes, e-bikes Food trucks!

SUN, OCT 8TH 3–5 PM

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If you can't walk or bike to this event, park free at OPRFHS garage at Lake/Scoville

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For more information, email wgreenhouse@gmail.com

SUN, OCT 8TH 3–5 PM

A CELEBRATION EMISSIONS-FREE ACTIVE

SUN, OCT 8TH 3–5 PM

RAIN DATE, OCT 15TH

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Check out EV models, talk to owners, & ask questions about battery range & longevity, charging access & cost, longdistance EV driving, & more Meet local vendors & owners with cargo bikes, adult trikes, e-bikes Food trucks!

PILGRIM

PILGRIM CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH PARKING LOT

PILGRIM CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH PARKING LOT

If

460 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60302

460 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60302

SUN, OCT 8TH 3–5 PM

PILGRIM CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH PARKING LOT

460 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60302

If you can't walk or bike to this event, at OPRFHS garage at Lake/Scoville

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If you can't walk or bike to this event, park free at OPRFHS garage at Lake/Scoville

When asked if people in the area are welcome to check out Casa De Restauración Familiar services, Cruz re plied with an enthusiastic, “Of course! Definitely.”

PILGRIM CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH PARKING LOT

For

If you can't walk or bike to this event, park free at OPRFHS garage at Lake/Scoville

For more information, email wgreenhouse@gmail.com

For more information, email wgreenhouse@gmail.com

460 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60302

If you can't walk or bike to this event, park free at OPRFHS garage at Lake/Scoville

For more information, email

For more information, email wgreenhouse@gmail.com

STACEY SHERIDAN Move-in ready.

I know it’s important to set guidelines for my kid about drinking and other drug use. When’s a good time to talk?

• after dinner

• before bed

• before school

• in the car, to or from school activites

Although active listening is important, remember, too much eye contact can feel like being put under a microscope. Talking while walking or on a drive together can help.

For more suggestions, visit: drugfree.org/ For Their Future.

Connect with us:

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Oct 19, Oct 26, Nov 2, Nov 9, Nov 16, Nov 30.

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Oak Park & River Forest Townships

Enjoy Native American Food on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

By DAVID HAMMOND Oak Park Eats Blog

We celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct.9 by chowing down on some Native American food. Now, if you asked a random person what Native American foods they regularly enjoy, they might need to think for a moment. But there’s a lot of Native American food that goes beyond fry bread — the common dish created during the indigenous peoples’ forced relocation — and that you probably eat quite often.

For example, Mexican food is one of the most popular cuisines in the United States; heck, we have at least 10 Mexican restaurants in our Oak Park/Forest Park neighborhood: Maya del Sol, Tacos ’76, Hecho en Mexico, Tacos el Tio #4, NRebozo, Boss Burrito, Cactus Grill, Margaritas, Taco Mucho, Chirrion Mexican Grill and probably others. However, native North Americans had a heavy influence on Mexican and Southwestern cuisine, offering them the corn, beans, tomatoes, chocolate, and chilies that have become staples of those diets

In northern parts of the U.S., turkey, wild rice, and berries were introduced to Pilgrims. Cranberries, which annually appear on our Thanksgiving tables, were used both fresh and dried by native peoples. In mid-September, we were in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, and we visited a cranberry marsh

in Three Lakes. Janel Depuis, who owns the marsh with her husband, explained to us that their marshland had traditionally been harvested by indigenous people, and when they revived the area to produce cranberries commercially, they hired Native Americans to help pick berries.

Later, at the downtown Three Lakes Winery, we sampled fruit wines, which have never been high on my list of favs This cranberry wine, however, was much more subtle and

much less sweet than I’d thought it might be; this best-selling wine won a gold medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

The McCain family runs Three Lakes Winery, and Mark McCain told us that many of his wines have a cranberry component; fermenting the whole cranberries “softens the acidity,” making for a very pleasant quaff. I could see pairing this wine with a fatty fowl, like duck or goose: the slight acidity would mellow the lush fattiness of the birds.

Driving around the Northwoods, we almost shot past a small sign announcing “mounds.” We hit the brakes and turned into the Lake Tomahawk camp area, weaving through densely wooded roads until we spotted interpretive signage. This signage marked the location of the mounds which, if you were not looking for them, would be easily unnoticed.

The Lake Tomahawk Mounds were created perhaps two thousand years ago, and they’re in geometric for ms (linear and conical), rather than Sheboygan’s animal-shaped effigy mounds that we reported on earlier this year. Just as we may not tend to think of tacos or cranberries as Native American food, these mounds, looking simply like piles of dirt, are touchstones of indigenous culture. Walking in sacred spaces like these gives one respect for the Native Americans who lived — and who still live — here. We are grateful for the cuisine they offered us.

DAVID HAMMOND

Mark McCain and his cranberry wine

A free mammogram could save your life.

Make your appointment today!

To register for your free screening mammogram, call (708) 660-6268.

Do you live in Oak Park, River Forest or Proviso Township and need to schedule a mammogram?

During the month of October, women who live in these communities can receive a screening mammogram for no cost at Rush Oak Park Hospital.*

Now, there’s no reason not to have one.

Breast cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in women — and mammography is the most effective screening tool. Experts at Rush recommend that most women have mammograms every year beginning at age 40.

Do you qualify?

• To qualify, you must not have insurance coverage.

• You must live in Oak Park, River Forest or Proviso Township. Proof of residence will be requested at the time of your visit (e.g., voter registration card, utility bill or personal check).

• Your mammogram must be performed by Oct. 31, 2023.

Digital mammography saves lives.

• We offer the latest technology in breast screening, including 3D mammography (also known as breast tomosynthesis), breast MRI, and hand-held and automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) screening for dense breasts.

* Funds are provided by a private grant for residents of Oak Park, River Forest and Proviso Township. Only those who do not have insurance qualify for a free mammogram.

Young River Forest hero honored for helping mom during carjacking

Dominic Schmahl, 11, is now honorary junior police o cer

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

An 11-year-old River Forest boy won the Outstanding Community Member Award after the River Forest officials were impressed by the actions he took during the hijacking of his mother’s car.

Dominic Schmahl was reco gnized by the River Forest Village Board at the end of September.

Police Chief Jim O’Shea presented the award. Domini also was sworn in as an honorary junior police officer.

In August, Dominic, his younger brother and the family dog climbed into his mother’s car in front of the home of other family members in the Beverly neighborhood. His mother, Kathryn, was loading the vehicle in preparation to retur n to River For-

Kathryn said Dominic yelled “What are you doing?” at the offender and started screaming. His mother saw what was happening and started chasing the car, also screaming and shouting, “My kids are in the car. Just let my kids go.”

The driver was accelerating and braking in an attempt to allow three companions to get in, which allowed Kathryn to open the back door on the driver’s side. The drive stopped long enough for Dominic, 6-yearold Drew and Rosie the dog to escape and to allow his three companions to enter. Kathryn was thrown to the street by the offender’s jerky driving and ended up needing stitches to close a cut on her forehead.

When presenting the award, O’Shea cited Dominic’s “g reat awareness, composure and bravery in the face of danger and uncertainty.”

“This fearless and selfless decision led to Drew, Rosie and yourself being returned to your family safely and without injury,” he said. “Your actions are a credit to your fam-

as a member of our community.”

His mother described Dominic, a sixth grader at Roosevelt School in River Forest, as a “happy kid, a smart kid” who is interested in hockey and soccer.

“He’s just a great kid,” she said. “I’m really proud of him.”

Kathryn said she is experiencing flashbacks and having trouble sleeping, but noted Dominic and Drew “overall have been doing quite well” — although she and Dominic are frightened by loud noises.

“I am trying not to let the experience limit my life,” she said.

Kathryn said the offender and his three companions were seen acting suspiciously in the neighborhood before the carjacking, and speculated that they were “looking for a crime of opportunity,” which turned out to involve her family. Her husband, Andy, and their 9-year-old son, Desmond, had been with them earlier, but had left before the incident occur red.

She said 9-1-1 calls were placed by her mother, who witnessed the incident; a neighbor who also chased the car; and another neighbor, who called because she heard Kathryn screaming so loud that she could be heard inside her house.

She said the Chicago police were “g reat,” and their swift response led to the offender and his companions being tracked to a gas station several miles asway. Not only did

the police use the tracking device on Kathryn’s telephone, which was in the car, but the Chicago police and state police were on a carjacking mission that day, which included the use of a police helicopter that followed the car until it stopped at the g as station.

Kathryn said the four apparently were planning to use her credit cards, which they found in the car, to withdraw cash from an ATM at the gas station when police arrived. They fled in her car but did not get far before they collided with another vehicle. Police arrested all four — two juveniles, an 18-year-old and a 22-year-old — who she said were all charged the next day.

She said they apparently were rifling through the glove compartment of the car and her purse while driving, tossing things out the window while stashing valuables in a backpack.

She said she received a series of telephone calls from Beverly residents re porting finding things that had been tossed out the window and offering to return them. The police also confiscated the backpack.

Kathryn said she and her family have been “helped tremendously” by the support of family and neighbors, from River Forest and from Beverly, where she grew up

“After this terrible thing happened, I was immediately surrounded by Beverly neighbors,” she said. “We have been absolutely surrounded by love and care.”

RIVER FOREST POLICE DEPART MENT Mom Kathry n, dad Andy, Dominic and Police Chief Jim O’ Shea presenting the award.

RIVER FOREST POLICE DEPART MENT

Dominic Schmahl checks out his Outstanding Community Member award.

Whirlwind Co ee Co. expands roastery operations

Renovations will not be made to the co ee shop historic storefront

By STACEY SHERIDAN Senior Reporter

Madison Street’s Whirlwind Coffee Co. is turning its unattached garage building into a new workspace, allowing for expanded services and coffee roasting events.

“The garage and workspace is going to be for growing our roastery or cold offering, and also servicing a lot of our wholesale [business-to-business] customers,” said David Silverstein, Whirlw founder and owner.

The garage sits behind the main co shop’s landscaped side yard, where customers can sip their drinks under turquoise umbrellas. Once the grass of the yard recedes, paved section backs up into the back of garage. Silverstein plans to put a glass up garage door at the back of the garage that the paved area can be used for additional seating for a sort of outdoor coffee bar.

Part of Whirlwind’s roastery operations will be moved into the remodeled garage, allowing customers to watch as beans are roasted through the glass garage door for an “upgraded experience.”

“It’s almost going to be set up like a lab,” Silverstein said of the remodeled garage, which will also have a restroom.

Whirlwind offers intimate roastery training sessions for small groups of up to four individuals, which will take place in the new workshop once completed. The sessions are often donated by Whirlwind to charity auctions and raffles, but interested parties can also purchase sessions for just under $300.

During the two-hour sessions, Silverstein and Whirlwind staff teach the participants about coffee and the different regions of the world where coffee beans are harvested, then participants are instructed in the actual roasting process and its nuances

“We actually supervise them on a roast and then at the end, they get to take whatever coffee it is that they roasted, they get to take 10 pounds of that home with them,” Silverstein said.

Grounds for expansion.

Desserts and, of course, coffee are served during the sessions.

Whirlwind already holds some events in its side yard. The coffee company hosted the Chicago Children’s Theatre for a free performance of the theater group’s “Red Kite” show Aug. 5, which Silverstein said was a “huge event.” He estimated 125 people showed up for the show, despite the forecasted inclement weather.

“We were nervous because it was threatening to rain that day and was misting, but people still came out,” he said. “It was jam-packed.”

Silverstein said he expects to host similar events in the future, but those interested in supporting Whirlwind and the Chicago Children’s Theatre can purchase bags of the “Red Kite” blend at whirlwind. For every bag sold, $3 is donated to the theatre group and its “Red Kite Project,” an initiative to give neurodivergent children the opportunity to experience theater in an

environment conducive to their needs. Now empty, Whirlwind the garage had a small office and a bathroom, but the rest was mostly storage space. Crews have already completed the interior demolition and plumbing work will be carried out soon. Silverstein hopes to have the entire project completed by early December Whirlwind’s storefront, which used to house the A.A. Gilchrist plumbing and hardware store, won’t be undergoing any changes. Silverstein purchased the building, which he said is over a century old, and its unattached garage from a member of the Gilchrist family

The company’s restoration of the storefront won Whirlwind a historic preservation award from the Village of Oak Park last year. Whirlwind’s design approach for its café was to preserve the building’s history by emphasizing certain elements, such as the tile floors and lighting, while modernizing it.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT

AND CIRCULATION

(Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685)

1.Publication Title: Wednesday Journal

2. Publication no.: USPS 0010-138

3. Date of filing: October 4, 2023

4. Frequency of issue: Weekly

5. No of issues published annually: 52

6. Annual subscription price: $50.00

7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302, Cook Co.

8. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of publisher: (same)

9. Names and complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor and manager editor:

Publisher: Dan Haley, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

Editor: Erika Hobbs, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

Managing Editor: Dan Haley, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

10. The owner is: Growing Community Media 141 S Oak Park, Oak Park IL 60302

11. Known bondholders, mortagees and other security holders owning or holding one percent or more of the total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities are: None.

12. N/A

13. Publication name: Wednesday Journal

14. Issue date for circulation data below: September 27, 2023

15. Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months:

A. Total no. copies printed (net press run): 4439

B1. Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions stated on Form 3541: 72

B2. Mailed in-county paid subscriptions stated on form 3541: 3129

B3. Paid distribution outside the mails including sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales and other paid distribution outside USPS: 279

B4. Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 0

C. Total Paid distribution: 3480

D1. Free or nominal rate outside-county copies included on PS form 3541: 0

D2. Free on nominal rate in-county copies included on PS Form 3541: 526

D3. Free or nominal rate copies mailed at other classes through the USPS: 0

D4. Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail: 83

E. Total free or nominal rate distribution: 609

F. Total distribution: 4089

G. Copies not distributed: 350

H: Total: 4439

I. Percent paid: 85.11%

15. No. copies of single issue published nearest to filing date:

A. Total no. copies printed (net press run): 4131

B1. Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions stated on Form 3541: 66

B2. Mailed in-county paid subscriptions stated on form 3541: 3221

B3. Paid distribution outside the mails including sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales and other paid distribution outside USPS: 302

B4. Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 0

C. Total Paid distribution: 3589

D1. Free or nominal rate outside-county copies included on PS form 3541: 0

D2. Free on nominal rate in-county copies included on PS Form 3541: 227

D3. Free or nominal rate copies mailed at other classes through the USPS: 0

D4. Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail: 70

E. Total free or nominal rate distribution: 297

F. Total distribution: 3886

G. Copies not distributed: 245

H: Total: 4131

I. Percent paid: 92.24%

16. Publication of statement of ownership will be printed in the Oct. 4, 2023 issue of this publication.

17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: Jill Wagner Circulation Manager, October 3, 2023

STACEY SHERIDAN

Despite the emergenc y repairs and expected price hikes, the village says it saved money

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

The River Forest Village Board approved spending more than $90,000 in unexpected fire department expenses at its last September village board meeting

Of that total, $68,604 will cover the cost of three equipment items for the new ambulance that was ordered a year ago, and $23,302.21 will cover the cost of emergency repairs for engine 213.

In a memo to Matt Walsh, village administrator, Fire Chief Tom Gaertner explained that they received the estimated cost of the three items when they purchased the ambulance for $304,021. But he recently learned that the items were subject to an 8% price increase that will take effect Nov. 1. Purchasing the Stryker power lift and cot, AeroClave decontamination system and Ziko oxygen system now results in a savings of $5,488.32.

“Since covid, manufacturers are no longer absorbing the many price increases that they are experiencing due to supply chain and lack of labor issues,” Gaertner told Wednesday Journal. “That includes the price on third party vendor items such as the items we had passed at the board meeting Sept. 25.”

“Being that it takes two to three years to get a vehicle built now a days, manufacturers cannot lock in any pricing into their contracts. They have no idea what the cost of materials, etc., will be two years out. It is causing a lot of frustration for fire and police departments nationwide for sure.”

In response to a question from Bob O’Connell, Gaertner explained the items will be stored onsite until the new ambulance is delivered in late 2024 or early 2025 as opposed to scheduling delivery of the items at the same time as the delivery of the am-

bulance.

Gaertner said the department members learned of the issues with the engine “at the last minute.”

He said the brakes “suddenly began making a loud noise” when the engine was returning from a call. He said the engine was taken out of service “immediately” and taken to the department’s service provider, Fire Service Inc. While there the engine underwent is annual preventative maintenance inspection, which revealed an electric issue that was preventing the pump from flowing water

Fire Service employees replaced a wiring harness to remedy the pump issue and replaced brake pads and rotors. They also replaced the diesel exhaust fluid tank.

Gaertner said the vehicle was out of service for almost two months “due to supply chain issues” and was replaced with our much older reserve apparatus that is maintained for such purposes

“Luckily we didn’t have any major calls during that time,” he added.

The two-year wait for delivery of the 2024 Life Line Type III Advanced Life Suppo (ALS) ambulance is “well past” the previous five- or six-month delivery time, Gaertner said in 2022, explaining that the delay is bein caused by supply chain and staffing issues.

Those factors and inflation also have led to price increases over the past year that ar causing an escalation in costs for the chassi and production. The budgeted amount for new ambulance in the 2023 Capital Improv ment Plan was $230,000.

The new ambulance will re place a 2014 Type III ALS ambulance, which Gaertner said is in the seventh year of its useful life of eight years. That vehicle will be put into a reserve status and used when the new unit goes down for maintenanc e, re placing a 2006 model.

Gaertner said in 2022 that the new ambulance will have better emergency lighting, as well as a dual air-conditioning system that will provide better air flow to the rear of the ambulance, and the AeroClave system that scrubs the air and surfaces of the interior of the ambulance, killing bacteria and airbor ne viruses such as COVID-19.

Firearm taken during car burglary CRIME

A black Glock 43X .9mm handgun in a black leather holster was taken from an unlocked Kia Rio belonging to a Villa Park resident between 5:15 and 6 a.m. Sept. 28 on 1100 block of Lake Street in Oak Park. The firearm was inside a gray backpack, which was sitting in the car. The interior of the car was ransacked, and a house key and a brown leather wallet were also taken from the car during the burglary. The wallet contained the victim’s state identification and driver’s license, as well as a firearm owner’s identification card, three payroll checks and eight credit cards. The estimated loss is $820.

Burglary

A firearm was taken from a car with an unlocked door parked on the 800 block of North Austin Boulevard between 12 p.m.

Aug. 10 and 12 p.m. Sept. 1. The estimated loss is $420.

Motor vehicle theft

■ A brown 2016 Kia Soul parked on the 800 block of Washington Boulevard was taken between 7:47 and 8:09 p.m. Sept. 28.

■ A 2016 Kia Soul was taken between 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sept. 27 from the 1000 block of Scoville Avenue.

Attempted motor vehicle theft

S omeone shattered the rear p assenger’s s ide wind ow of a 2021 Kia Rio to ga in entry i nto the vehicl e, then r ansacke d i ts i nterior and d amaged i ts steering c olumn b etween 10:30 p. m. Sept. 27 and 7:30 a.m. Sept. 28 on the first block of West Van Buren Street.

Theft

■ A woman was captured on a security camera taking two delivered packages from a front porch on the 1200 block of North Ridgeland Avenue at 11:45 a.m. Sept. 30.

■ The catalytic converter was cut from a 2014 Toyota Prius parked on the 400 block of South Cuyler Avenue between 3 and 7:01 a.m. Sept. 25.

Criminal proper ty damage

Someone took a sharp object and scratched an Oak Park resident’s gray 2024 Mercedes Benz parked on the 900 block of

South Humphrey Avenue between midnight and 11:30 a.m. Oct. 1.

These items were obtained from Oak Park Police Department re ports, dated Sept. 26-Oct. 2, and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

Oak Park’s Healthy Greens CBD store closing

The shop rst opened in summer 2020 under the name Your CBD

By STACEY SHERIDAN Senior Reporter

Halloween is usually a cause for spooky celebration in the United States, but for Healthy Greens, the Oct. 31 holiday marks the end of its time serving Oak Park — at least for now.

The CBD shop is officially closing its doors at the end of October, but owners hope to find a new location in Oak Park or in one of its neighboring suburbs.

“Keep an eye out for us,” said Cheo Anaya, one of the co-owners of the minorityowned business.

The decision not to renew the lease on the store’s South Oak Park Avenue space was based on “various factors,” including the size of the storefront, according to Anaya.

“It’s too big of a location for the product we sell,” said Anaya.

Dan Haley, the publisher of Wednesday Journal’s newspaper group Growing Community Media, owns about a 19% ownership stake in the building. Growing Community Media does not have any ownership stake in the building.

Healthy Greens opened in the summer of 2020, under the name Your CBD, and weathered mandated COVID-19 restrictions. The shop’s name changed to Healthy Greens around a year after it opened.

Anaya told Wednesday Journal that the owners were grateful that the shop’s highquality CBD products were able to alleviate the stress of the shop’s customers, particularly throughout the pandemic.

“We helped a lot of people out with our product and a lot of people are really sad to see us go, but this is not the end of our journey,” he said.

On behalf of the store, Anaya expressed his gratitude to those who supported Healthy Greens, most of whom, he said, lived in the neighborhood and were “really great customers and nice people.”

“We would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to all our customers who have supported our small business,” he said.

Before its final day in business, Anaya hopes the store’s patrons will stop by to say goodbye to everyone at Healthy Greens.

“We’re sad to leave Oak Park and all the Oak Park residents who supported us during our journey,” he said.

Anaya hopes the store’s patrons stop by to say goodbye to everyone at Healthy Greens before it closes. Because of the community, he said, “We wish we could stay longer.”

Our beautiful 6-story building provides quality, a ordable, independent housing for seniors. e Oaks o ers studio and one-bedroom apartments, with kitchens and private bathrooms. Amenities include an award winning interior landscaped atrium, central meeting room, library, laundry facilities, computer learning center, internet access, electronic key entry system, and parking.

On-site management includes 24/7 emergency maintenance service and a senior services coordinator who is available during business hours to assist residents in accessing service

agencies and programs designed speci cally for seniors. e Oaks is owned and operated by the Oak Park Residence Corporation and is funded by the US Department of Housing and Ur-ban Development through the 202/ Section 8 Program. Monthly rent is based on the resident’s income, with individuals paying approximately 30% of their monthly income toward rent.

For more information, please visit us at www.oakparkrc.com or contact us at 708-386-5862.

Majestic Victorian Central Oak Park Historic District

By Lacey Sikora

Contributing Reporter

An Oak Park couple is among six recipients of the Wright Spirit Awards, an honor given to owners and stewards of Wright-designed buildings, as well as those who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to preserving and restoring the remaining Wright works or enhancing appreciation of his le gacy

Homes

The Wright Spirit Award was established by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy in 1991. This year’s winners include five in the Professional Category. Linda Eales is being reco gnized for guiding the transition of Samara, the John and Catherine Christian House in West Lafayette, Indiana, from private home to public site; Jonathan Leck, for his preservation work and craftsmanship in the restoration of a do z en Frank Lloyd Wright buildings; Keiran Murphy, for her

in-depth research on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright; and Mary Rober ts for she pherding the $50 million restoration of the Martin House in Buf f alo, New York. Special honors are being bestowed upon Judy and Dick Corson for their g enerous support to initiate the inscription of eight Wright buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage List

In the Private Category, Oak Parkers Mark Donovan and Mary Ludgin are being reco gnized for their restoration of

BY

Wright’s Harry Goodrich House. The couple moved into their Wright-designed home on East Avenue almost 24 years ago, and Ludgin noted that their purchase of the home almost didn’t happen.

“Mark had a few r ules when we were looking for a house in Oak Park,” she said. “It couldn’ t be designed by a named architect, it couldn’ t be on a corner, it couldn’t be stucco and it had to have a fireplace.”

See GOODRICH HOUSE on pa ge 18

PROVIDED

MARK DONOVA N Harr y Goodrich house

intent

GOODRICH HOUSE Original

from page 17

Donovan quipped: “I got two out of the four, so I’m batting 500.”

The stucco and wood frame home is one of Wright’s earlier designs, dating to 1896. Ludgin, who was a docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, said that she had a bit of remodeling experience under her belt in previous homes. Even so, she and Donovan had their work cut out for them and have spent the past 24 years meticulously restoring their home.

While the exterior of the home, which is in a local historic district, was protected, Ludgin said that the interiors were fair game for remodeling. Even with carte blanche for the interior, she said, “All along, our goal was to be as original to the materials and as well as the style choices as we could be.”

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust permitted the couple visits to the Home & Studio after hours to examine wood and finishes up close. In their first big project, they remodeled the kitchen, choosing cabinets made of birch and soapstone counters for a period authenticity. Ludgin said, “From the start, we were trying to be as true to Wright as we could, reco gnizing that Wright was not a kitchen guy.”

The back of the house had been altered significantly over the years, and the couple continued to tackle more projects. They removed a first-floor bathroom that wasn’t original and reworked the third floor when they had to rebuild the roof

Originally unfinished space, the twofloor height attic was finished by previous owners. When Donovan and Ludgin’s contractor, Bosi, restored the attic in the process of rebuilding the roof, carpenters found sandwiches in the wall cavities wrapped in newspapers dated to spring of 1929, providing a clue about when the attic was finished.

“One thing that was really challenging was that we wanted to make the house as energy efficient as possible. It’s challenging because some energy efficient things get in the way of historic accuracy or vice versa,” Donovan said.

The couple added geothermal heating and cooling to the house, becoming, they believe, the first Wright-designed house to do so They also opened up the screened-in porch, revealing its original design and repainted the entire house, inside and out, in

its original colors.

The pair got to be creative in the backyard. The garage was not a Wright original, so they were able to re place it with a custom-designed coach house that was based on a Wright design. Donovan said that originally their house was part of planned subdivision of Wright homes. None of the other homes were ever built, but they used the plans for one of the sister houses to inform the coach house’s design.

“We’ re trying to keep everything talking to each other as best we can,” he said.

Through their years of renovations,

they’ve been guided by architect John Eifler, who they note is a Wright scholar and a Wright homeowner himself

“By owning a Wright house, you come into a group of other Wright owners. You share ideas, stories and hor ror stories. That’s been wonderful,” Ludgin said.

Calling their work on the home a “journey,” she spoke for her husband, too, when she added, “For sure, we’d do it all again. It’s a great place to live in.”

Barbara Gordon, executive director of the conservancy states commended the couple’s work

“Mark and Mary are very deserving of this award because of their long-time, dedicated stewardship and their ef forts, which have brought the Goodrich House back to Wright’s original design intent,” she said.

T he six winners were reco gnized in Se ptember at the conservancy’s conference in Minneapolis.

For those interested in seeing the home, Donovan and Ludgin said that it will be featured on the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust’s Wright Plus Housewalk in the spring of 2024.

e Goodrich house the 1900’s.

PROVIDED BY MARK DONOVA N e Goodrich house over the years.

PROVIDED BY MARK DONOVA N Harr y Goodrich

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

My own ageism and ableism

These days, I see my possible future self everywhere. Most of the time, it’s the possibilities I’m dreading that jump out at me first. At the gym, there are always some people moving very deliberately and with much more effort than I do. At recent religious services, there were more walkers or wheelchairs parked at the end of aisles than I ever remember.

I encounter more older people ving in what appears to be a ry cautious manner. And in the local super market checkout line, I’m often behind an older person ho seems confused and moves more slowly than everybody else around. I used to just get annoyed and feel imposed upon. Now, I get annoyed and I get scared.

One day I might be like that.

I’m not always aware of feeling scared about getting older. Sometimes it’s just an unconscious bias, my own ageism and ableism. And every so often, conscious aging helps me see future possibilities with hope and trust.

Recently, in my post-COVID phase, I attended a large birthday party dinner for one of my friends. As expected, I recognized many people I hadn’t seen in a long while, and I enjoyed the quasi-reunion atmosphere. I didn’t remember everybody’s name, so I just admitted that fact and asked for their name. It was a lighthearted, fun and convivial evening

Then I saw Ellen. She was not a friend, rather a pre-COVID acquaintance I’d known mostly through her husband. Ellen was now severely bent over, almost facing the floor and shuffling with a cane. I learned later that she’d had a series of surgeries, but at that moment, from my point of view, all I could see was someone misshapen.

What I realize now but had no clue about at that moment, was that, to me, Ellen’s physical appearance was disturbing and it influenced how I judged her and how I treated her based on that judgment. My judgment of her appearance, and my assumptions that flowed from that assessment, affected how I interacted with her.

Without realizing it, I didn’t want to be near her or even talk with her. I mistakenly assumed that her conversation would be like her appearance to me — misshapen. I averted my eyes. I dismissed her. It was as if an invisible chasm appeared between us, a chasm of my creation.

DOOPer ’s Memories: Bibliophile Grandpa

First Baptist Church celebrates 150

On Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 14 and 15, First Baptist Church, located on Ontario Street, just north of Scoville Park, will celebrate its sesquicentennial. The church would like to formally invite you to celebrate this momentous occasion with our membership.

First Baptist Church of Oak Park formally began with a service at J.W. Middleton’s home on Maple Avenue on April 25, 1873. Rapid growth during the early years led the cong re gation to rent various halls for worship, including Temperance Hall (Lake and Forest), until they occupied their first church building in 1883.

The present church was dedicated on April 22, 1923, with the addition of an education and community building later in the decade. In adding the educational facility, First Baptist opened a Child Development Center (currently known as First Baptist Preschool, Kindergarten, and After School Care) serving countless children and families for 97 years. The Preschool and Kindergarten remain a primary focus of the church’s mission.

First Baptist Church membership peaked at 1,400

members immediately following World War II. On Jan. 1, 1972, a merger between First Baptist Church of Oak Park and Second Baptist Church of Chicago (Austin neighborhood) became a reality, following both churches’ long and careful study and planning. Austin-Second Baptist Church was a merged cong re gation for med in 1960 from the First Baptist Church of Austin, established in 1871, and Second Baptist Church, founded in 1864. Strong le gacies of faith, from three congre gations serving separate areas of Chicago coming together, strengthened their witness in the new environment.

Faithful service by many, whose names and contributions are not mentioned, continues the tradition of bearing witness to the Gospel throughout the years, amidst challenges, changes, and opportunities.

Later this year, First Baptist will welcome the Children’s School of Oak Park as a new covenant partner.

Our celebration will begin on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m., with coffee and tours of the church’s 100-yearold building. The building, designed by E.E. Roberts,

REV. DAVID JOHN HAILEY One

New church in an old church

It is hard duty watching historic mainline Protestant or Catholic churches diminished and then close. Locally and across America, congregations are aging and in decline and a point is reached where the few remaining congregants are not able to sustain similarly aging buildings or pay a salary for a minister and staf f. We saw it happen at Parkview Church on Oak Park Avenue and Jackson Boulevard. We reported two years ago on its closing after 160 years — the church started in the city on the near West Side. At the time of its closing it was down to 28 members.

That vacant church and one other led Oak Park to recently adopt an ordinance creating new potential uses for what is expected over time to be multiple empty church structures We applauded that foresight.

However, here’s another outcome now unfolding at Parkview: This venerable building, 95 years old and designed by E.E. Roberts, is going to be a church again. We spotted signs of life at the cor ner last week and have visited twice. We were war mly welcomed by hard-working members of the congregation of Casa de Restauracion Familiar Church, who have been clearing out the building, doing a deep clean, and undertaking some modest upkeep

This weekend the 12-year-old congregation will hold its first services, having relocated from leased space in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood on the city’s Northwest Side. Members told us the church has approximately 150 members and has an evangelical Christian focus.

Church members expect current congregants to travel the short distance to the new space and are very welcoming to new neighbors who want to stop in and check it out.

We welcome the vitality Casa de Restauracion will bring and the reverence its members demonstrate for this sacred space.

Welcome to Oak Park

Smart options in River Forest

Good for the village of River Forest to take a wide lens to analyze its limited and expensive options to continue addressing stormwater retention issues. A decade ago village gover nment began working to update and expand the capacity of its antiquated water and sewer system on the north side of town.

That was a costly and bold initiative. Work has progressed from there to improve capacity on the south side. Now the key area of focus is the central core along Lake Street where the need is high and options limited and expensive

The consensus of the village board is to move ahead on a series of smaller-but-positive steps in that area while seeking grant support along the way.

That there are more major options being considered is a testament to inevitable concerns that flooding events will intensify in the years ahead. That challenge will come to River Forest and, in some variation, to every community

My epitaph is inescapable. It will read: ‘He sent a midget up to bat.’

Bill Veeck

From “Veeck – as in Wreck”

Well, that was a drag. The baseball season, I mean. The Sox lost 101 games. But it was arguably worse being a Cub fan this year. The Cubs committed the mortal sin of raising fans’ expectations, then dashing them at the very end.

Sox fans were resigned to the worst by August. Never has a team that was supposed to be so good been so bad. But at least we weren’ t living and dying with them over the course of this way-too-long season.

If there is any justice in this world, to be a White Sox fan frees a man from any other form of penance.

I love baseball, but hate being a fan. Too much distress. So I took refuge in one of the best baseball books of all time, Veeck – as in Wreck, by for mer White Sox owner Bill Veeck (with Ed Linn), who died in 1986 after making Major League Baseball much more interesting

Veeck was called many things in his time — colorful maverick, conniving carnival barker, Hall of Fame hustler — but the only label that truly captures him is flamboyant fun-meister.

We can’t always guarantee the ball game is going to be good; but we can guarantee the fan will have fun.

Bill Veeck was of the people, by the players, and for the fans. He didn’t own teams to make money. He owned them to give the fans their money’s worth.

I have discovered, in 20 years of moving around a ball park, that knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats.

And move around the ballpark he did, sitting with fans and getting some of his best ideas from them. Harry Caray owed his fame to Veeck, who talked him into singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch. Caray didn’t want to “I can’t sing,” he protested. “That’s exactly why I want you to do it,” Veeck told him.

The man with the wooden leg and boundless energy specialized in special events — like Musical Instrument Night. Fans were asked to bring their music-makers to Comiskey Park. Anyone who didn’t was handed a kazoo. During the 7th inning stretch, the assistant conductor of the Chicago Symphony came out in white coat and tie and conducted the world’s largest orchestra to the tune of the aforementioned baseball hymn. It must have been a hoot (and toot).

Little League Night gave kids, including subsequent generations of Oak Parkers, a chance to walk around the field.

Veeck never had to deal with contract holdouts because he paid his players more than they asked for. The only people he didn’t like were his fellow club owners. He enjoyed outmaneuvering the Old Boys Club, which loathed him for it

We’ve never needed Bill Veeck more KEN TRAINOR

But the players and fans loved him. Not only doesn’t the city owe the operator of the franchise anything, but the ball club as an organization, which depends in many ways on the facilities of the city and is totally dependent on the good will of its citizens, has certain responsibilities toward the city Specifically, a responsibility to give fans a good time. And his teams won. When he owned the Cleveland Indians, they won the World Series (in 1948, the year Veeck broke the color line in the American League by signing Larry Doby and Satchell Paige). When he owned the White Sox, they won their first pennant since the Black Sox scandal. And his showmanship broke attendance records.

Excitement is contagious. It jumps from the fan to the non-fan and, to a degree that is astonishing, it spills over onto the field and infects the players themselves. … I would submit that without the excitement generated by the new management, the White Sox would not, out of the blue, have won their first pennant in 40 years.

He called his front office the “Fun & Games Department,” which included the first exploding scoreboard.

When he was forced, for health reasons, to give up ownership of the Sox in 1961, Early Wynn, Hall of Fame pitcher, known as a taciturn fellow who would “brush back his own mother if she dug in at the plate,” wrote Veeck a letter:

“To me and the other players, you’ll always be the No. 1 club executive of all time. … The most important thing, though, is that you enjoyed it. It’s the same thing about all the prizes you gave away at the ball park. You enjoyed seeing someone stand at home plate and discover that he had just won two dozen live lobsters or a barrel of chocolate-covered butterflies. You weren’t the only one who laughed. We all did.”

Joy and laughter are what’s missing these days from the White Sox — and the Cubs, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks. What they need is an owner like Bill Veeck.

Come to think of it, there is someone. His name is Mike Veeck, Bill’s son. Check out the new documentary film, The Saint of Second Chances, on Netflix. He’s doing what his dad did — in the minor leagues. Maybe Mike can find a way to buy the White Sox out from under Gloomy Jerry Reinsdorf.

Support IL Tax Credit Scholarships

The Oak Park-River Forest community has a long and storied tradition of offering excellent educational opportunities for students and families, both public and private, particularly Catholic schools among the private school options. This has been one of the hallmarks of our villages for generations. It is one of the reasons people choose to live here.

LOCAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

One View

Whether families choose one of the many fine public elementary schools — Roosevelt Julian or Brooks middle schools, and Oak Park and River Forest High School — or one of our community’s five parochial schools — St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Luke, St. Giles, Ascension, St. Catherine/St. Lucy, and Trinity and Fenwick high schools — or some combination thereof, the opportunity to choose from excellent public and private school options is good for our community.

As leaders of the seven Catholic schools in Oak Park and River Forest, we applaud the state’s efforts in recent years to significantly increase funding for public schools and also for enacting the Invest in Kids Act, which established the IL Tax Credit Scholarship (IL TCS) program, making private schools, including ours, more affordable for low-to-moderate-income families/students. Both of these initiatives have bolstered education in Illinois and have strengthened our community by enhancing educational oppor tunity in Oak Park and River Forest.

Without action during the veto session of the state legislature, Oct. 24 thru 26 and Nov. 7 thru 9, the IL TCS program will expire at the end of 2023.

This program allows IL taxpayers (and corporations, though there has been virtually no corporate involvement since program inception in 2018) to make a contribution through a “scholarship granting organization” (SGO), direct their contribution to a specific K-12 private school in Illinois, and receive a 75% state income tax credit for the amount of their contribution.

These dollars must follow a student, whose family completes a thorough application process, including income verification. The SGOs deter mine student eligibility based on legislative-mandated income levels to assure that only low-to-moderate-income students/ families qualify

A taxpayer has no say over which students receive scholarships. If a student/family qualifies and there are funds available that have been directed to that student’s school, the student may receive a scholarship, which is sent directly to the school to offset that specific student’s tuition.

Each year of the program’s existence, a maximum total of $100 million in state tax credits has been available to claim. All $100 million has never been claimed in any one year

According to a May 27, 2023 article in “Chalkbeat

Chicago,” an educational re porting news outlet, the $50.6 billion State of Illinois Fiscal Year 2024 Budget includes $10.3 billion for public K-12 education, approximately 20% of the total. If all $100 million in tax credits were claimed by taxpayers who make contributions through the IL TCS this year, it would account for approximately .2% of the state budget.

According to a June 28, 2023 Research.Com article, 11.6% of K-12 students in Illinois were enrolled in private schools last year

There are currently nearly 200 students attending our seven schools who receive scholarships through this program, making their “best fit” school a viable option. Without this program, many of these students would not be able to attend their school of choice. Another 200-plus students are on waiting lists to receive scholarships through this program to attend our schools.

Statewide there are 9,500 students at K-12 schools receiving scholarships through this program with another 26,000 on waiting lists. Many of the students on the waiting lists may never be able to attend their “best fit” school.

As one of our school parents put it, “The Tax Credit Scholarship allows families that are in a difficult financial situation to have their children attend schools they wouldn’t be able to. I am a single, disabled mom due to Lupus, and if it had not been for the Tax Credit Scholarship, I don’t know what we w ould have done I am unable to afford tuition at this time, but because of the scholarship, my daughter is able to attend [her] school and receive the best education possible. And we are forever grateful for this. We really hope the scholarship is able to continue helping those who are in need.”

Please join us in giving a voice to those in need and encourage le gislators to keep the IL TCS program for our brothers and sisters. Please contact your local representatives and encourage them to continue to fund public schools appropriately and to make per manent the IL Tax Credit Scholarship program so that all of our students can thrive.

Maureen Aspell Principal, St. Vincent Ferrer School, River Forest Meg Bigane Principal, St. Giles School, Oak Park Laura Curley President, Trinity High School, River Forest Andrew DiMarco

Principal, St. Luke School, River Forest Sharon Leamy Principal, St. Catherine/St. Lucy School, Oak Park Maureen O’Neill Nielsen Principal, Ascension School, Oak Park Fr. Richard Peddicord O.P. President, Fenwick High School

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Editor Erika Hobbs

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Senior Repor ter Stacey Sheridan

Sta Reporters Francia Garcia Hernandez, Amaris Rodriguez

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

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Big Week Editor James Porter

Columnists Marc Bleso , Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, Harriet Hausman, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger

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Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

Publisher Dan Haley

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Judy Gre n Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

About Viewpoints

Our mission is to lead educated conversation about the people, government, schools, businesses and culture of Oak Park and River Forest. As we share the consensus of Wednesday Journal’s editorial board on local matters, we hope our voice will help focus your thinking and, when need be, re you to action

In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for ling.

Please understand our veri cation process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that veri cation, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot con rm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay.

If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com.

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‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

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Someone who cared

We were in the process of shedding the heavy outerwear we had worn at the free zing-cold Bears football game earlier that Sunday. The tele phone rang re peatedly. We were busy, rushing to change clothes and grab a bite of dinner before going to the Blackhawks hockey game that night. I was not pleased that my husband, Mar ty, purchased Blackhawk tickets for the same day as the Bears game, but knowing Marty’s love of sports, I let the subject drop.

Annoyed by that persistently ringing phone, I red it. T he caller said he was Jerry and he wanted to speak with Mr. Martin Hausman. Yeah, right … I was sure it was one of our crazy friends posing as the then-famous come-

Some months previous to this phone call, there was considerable news about the break-up between rry Lewis and Dean Martin who were a very tainment duo at that time. For Dean Martin, this was a step up into Hollywood stardom, rry Lewis it was a drop down into what was feared would be a struggling single act.

Grandpa was a bibliophile

Book collecting is simply the acquisition of books grandfather collected books dealing with American history. He did not collect rare books or first editions. He was a booklover who obtained books that he thought members of our family would profit from reading.

Time after time my told me that to him book collecting was one of the most rewarding of hobbies, and for him it was a serious study of American history, specifically the Civil War.

HAUSMAN

My dear, compassionate husband felt sorry for Jerry Lewis, especially because of the way critics demeaned him and lauded Dean Martin. In an act of kindness, he wrote a letter to Jerry Lewis, complimenting him on his comedic skills and urging him to continue honing his now solo act.

Marty always had concer n for the underdog, and he felt that reaching out and giving a boost to one’s morale was important. His friends teased him about his letter-writing to strangers, folks who often didn’t even acknowledge receiving his letters.

But, back to that Sunday call … we were so sure the caller was not Jerry Lewis that when he called a second time, we hung up on him again. Fortunately, he persisted! He said he was truly overwhelmed by Marty’s thoughtful letter, and he wanted to meet us. He invited our family of four to Chicago’s elegant and renowned, Chez Paree Nightclub for dinner and ringside seats to his show there in the upcoming week.

What a sur prising, wonderful gift. That evening was a thrill for our young children and a great evening for Mar ty and me. Adding to our fun at the show, Jer ry came to our table, and brought our sweet 5-year-old daughter, Barbara, onstage with him and placed her on his lap. He told the audience that he and his wife raised a houseful of boys, and they had always dreamed of also having a little girl. He proceeded to serenade Barbara and the audience with the song, “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.” When he accompanied Barbara back to the table, he played the role of a good father, not playing “favorites.” He introduced our 8-year-old son, Dan, to the audience and gave him an autographed photo, personalized specifically to him.

This episode may seem inconsequential in the bigger scheme of life. However, I believe it speaks to the very essence of our humanity. It exemplifies, whether reciprocated or not, how important it is to write the letter/email that doesn’t have to be written, to make the phone call that doesn’t need be made, and to acknowledge and/or compliment a small act that is typically overlooked. Expressing warmth and kindness to one another adds so much to our lives.

Marty was a man who aspired to be his brothers/sisters’ keeper, and he tried to make life sweeter for all. Even on his gravestone, the printing aptly reads, “Someone who cared.”

I say, let’s emulate him!

Harriet had a health scare this past week, which is bound to happen to someone who is 99½. Anyone who wants to send a kind word of encouragement can email ktrainor@wjinc.com and we will forward the messages to her.

When he was a young man, he started with the works of two or three authors and built a library of over 200 books, which were ke pt in a large glass and mahogany cabinet. He encouraged family members to bor row any books we wanted to read, but we had to follow the rules he established.

All books would have to be handled carefully so as not to break the backs or loosen the covers. To open a book, we would have to place it flat on a table or desk and open it a few pages at a time, working from the front and back covers toward the middle. He also told us not to fold the covers back against each other or the entire book could be seriously damaged.

Underlining or writing in a book was taboo because this destroys the value of the book for another reader. He said the best practice is to take notes on separate pieces of paper and to never touch book pages if your hands are not clean.

My g randfather repeatedly instructed me over a period of years, to the point that I re-

membered most all of his instructions. He said that if a book does a protective jacket, one can be made from a piece of wrapping paper about 3 inches larger than the open book. He taught me to cut two wedges from the top and bottom of the paper to fit the back of the book, and then fold the paper around the book covers. The family was told very clearly n a book face down when it is open, because if this is done, the glue on the spine of the book may break and loosen the pages. This admonition came when he saw Gene do just that.

He told me that when a book is not in use, it should stand upright on a book shelf with other books and be just tight enough so it will not sag or lean. However, long atlases are to be placed on their sides.

One time when I was examining the pages of one of his books, I was told I was tur ning the pages inco rrectly and that I should tur n the pages by slightly lifting the corner of each leaf.

When cleaning his leather-bound books, he wiped the outside of these books with a protective solution consisting of a few drops of paraffin dissolved in 2 ounces of castor oil. Since I had mostly paperback books when I was in high school, I simply wiped these books with a dry cloth from top to bottom.

When my g randfather died in 1955, my bookish Uncle Hubert inherited the collection. Over the years, I have followed grandpa’s rules in preserving my own modest hard cover book collection with very fine results.

Hunter’s getting what he deserves

Mr. DeCoursey, whether you’re a Re publican, Democrat or Independent, there’s no way any party could defend the 2nd amendment gun rights of a lying, crack-addicted, prostituteloving first son of gun [Why aren’t Re publicans defending Hunter’s gun rights? Viewpoints, Sept. 20]. Pun intended.

Hunter Biden was indicted by his father’s own Justice Department’s handpicked special counsel. To refresh your memory, the charges

include making false statements on a federal firearms permit and possessing a firearm by an addicted person back in 2018. He swore he wasn’t a user at the time of the purchase.

Hunter’s going to get what he deserves. Then daddy will pardon him and all will be well. But Tom, don’t make this a Re publican issue Democrats and Independents use guns too.

Jim Gotti Oak Park

Getting village, schools in sync on racial equity

Throughout the first years of racially integrated housing in Oak Park in the 1960s, village officials and District 97 leaders stressed the need to closely monitor the direct interface between housing integration and school integration if the new Oak Park vision of racial diversity were to succeed. The numbers of African American children in Oak Park and the relative balance of integration of schools became paramount data on whether the Oak Park vision of racially integrated housing was on the right track.

Today, we may be witnessing a reversal of Oak Park’s early measurement of success as the percentage African American students is declining significantly at Oak Park and River Forest High School and in D97. A loss of racial and economic diversity in housing appears to be following close behind. But what do we know for sure? What questions should we be asking and what can we lear n to apply to housing diversity from recent efforts in District 200 decisions to expand, not diminish, racial equity in students’ opportunity to lear n?

For sure, the current village survey around

housing challenges and priorities is a step in the right direction. Equally promising is the commitment by President Vicki Scaman, our trustees, and Village Manager Jackson to actively use racial equity assessment protocols under the guidance of Oak Park Equity Director Danielle Walker. After major resistance from previous village leaders, our schools and village hall are finally getting in sync.

There is an important lesson the village must now apply, which was vital to bringing about unprecedented, equity-based reorganization of curriculum at OPRF by de-tracking most core freshman courses and making all honors level courses open to more students of color. These curriculum refor ms were backed by D200’s own, extensive research data, with close attention to the history of race and education, and with understanding of what national and international research said about curriculum equity

D200 could not allow major decisions

JOHN DUFFY

impacting equity and the community’s faith in its high school to be made intuitively or to rely on long-standing popular beliefs about the best way to organize riculum. Instead, D200 broke with that tradition and resolved to make decisions about racial equity that were tied to a rich data base and research-based vidence. This is a standard that should guide the village’s housing inquiry

I suggest that new data on housing should prioritize assessing in what ways both market and gover nmental forces are actually advancing the vision and values incorporated in the Village of Oak Park Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion statement, adopted in 2019. Here are a few questions I shared recently at the village meeting on housing:

To what degree do major losses in African American student population over the last 10 years in D97 and D200 correspond to a loss of racial diversity in housing?

What are the exact racial demographics in

Your column reminded me of 1967

I had to send you this message telling you how much I enjoyed your column [Libertad! Ken Trainor, Viewpoints, Sept. 23]. It was fun to read, and anyone who has lived and driven long enough in Chicago has shared your frustration, and the overwhelming feeling of being hapless and helpless. Chicago snowstor ms of ‘67 and ‘79 come to mind

I was trapped by the ’67 storm. As part of a group of bankers heading from downtown to the University of Chicago campus late on a Friday after noon to recruit students in the MBA program, we barely made the taxi ride to the IC station, and boarded what tur ned out to be the last commuter train out that evening

The train plunged along through the alreadyheavy snow accumulation, and we exited at the U of C station east of the University.

Oops! Not a long walk in nor mal weather, but with about a foot of fresh snow already fallen—and more still fluttering down—we had to walk to the campus building where the reception was scheduled

Needless to say, we arrived looking exactly like you would expect: covered with snow, perspiring under our heavy clothing, red-nosed, and hungry and thirsty. But we were also under the admiring, ap-

preciative, collective eye of the students. They knew of the battlefield conditions outside, of course. Whoever said bankers lacked toughness and were not committed?

We stayed over night in on-campus hotel accommodations. In the mor ning, the only public transportation operating were the CTA trains, which we took back downtown. What a sight, riding up above all the deserted streets, cars and buses abandoned everywhere at all angles and in all locations.

And the quiet! Absolute silence as we rode, with the fresh, heavy snowfall of almost 2 feet’s depth, snuffing out the normal clanging sounds of the el and the city below. It was as in a dream.

Why did we head downtown? The bank was open ... it was an era when banks just didn’t close unless it was a national holiday. I recall most of the nor mal Saturday bank staff stayed home, and no customers showed up either.

I left early and took—you guessed it—the Lake St el to Oak Park, and walked to Division and Columbian, where we lived.

I did not escape having to shovel the sidewalk.

Tom Lynch Oak Park

Oak Pak over the last 20-30 years since some people claim all is good and there is no crisis in economic and racial diversity around housing?

When and why did the village stop tracking racial demographic data in housing and is such a practice supportive or aversive to equity and diversity?

About 6 million home mortgages were foreclosed after the great financial crash of 2008 with African American and Latinx people grossly over-represented in losing their homes. What do we know about how that disaster played out in Oak Park; was it a factor influencing racial and economic diversity in housing?

The list of important questions is much longer and varied. But if we don’t ask the right questions and have accurate data, we as a community cannot live up to having the inclusive, racially and economically diverse community that brought so many of us to Oak Park over the last half century.

John Duffy is co-chair of the Committee for Equity and Excellence in Education. He has lived in the Longfellow School neighborhood with his wife Patricia for 46 years.

FIRST BAPTIST Spiritual Sesquicentennial

from page 19

began construction in 1921 and was dedicated in 1923. Known for its size and beauty, the church building has 110 rooms, including a large and beautiful sanctuary, Fellowship Hall (equipped as a gymnasium and containing an entire stage), a chapel, a dining room, a large kitchen, an office suite, a parlor, educational rooms and offices for the Preschool & Kindergarten, Sunday School rooms, and other multipurpose spaces used for gatherings and as hospitality areas.

The third floor is currently under construction in preparation for the Children’s School’s arrival later this year

On Sunday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m., First Baptist will host a celebratory worship service with a theme of “Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Future,” with musical selections provided by the Sanctuary Choir, a ser mon on Genesis 49:29-50:14; 50:22-26, and the celebration of Holy Communion.

First Baptist is proud to celebrate 150 years of faithful service to Christ’s kingdom and the Oak Park community. Our current congregation sincerely desires to follow faithfully in the footsteps of our foremothers and forefathers who charted a path for us to jour ney. If you’re interested in learning more about First Baptist, we invite you to ‘Come and see!’

For more information, call 708-848-4070 or visit www.fbcoakpark.org.

e importance of knowing where we came from

Mr. and Mrs. Bertrand Buehle went to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a few months, according to a news article published in Cicero Life on Jan. 5, 1934. This relatively useless fact was sandwiched between articles also describing a “Milk War” and a Cicero police investigation into the mystery killing of a local woman.

ANKUR SINGH

Using a microfilm reader near the reference desk at the Cicero Public Library, Assistant Director Patricia Conroy projects an image of the front page of the old news publication.

The library’s microfilm collection is part of a broader collection of historical artifacts that the library has collected for more than two decades, which preserve Cicero’s storied history of mob activity, civil rights marches, manufacturing, immigration, and more. Many of the surrounding suburbs such as Berwyn and Oak Park share a similar history.

According to Brian Dillon, president of the Berwyn Historical Society, preserving local history is important so that “people have a sense of where we came from and how we got here … if you read through the old newspapers, many of the issues back then are the same issues we’re dealing with now: money, taxes, people wanting better city services.”

Many Cicero and Berwyn community members, and organizations, have stepped up to preserve and archive and share the re gion’s history.

T.G. Masaryk Czech School is a place where history meets the present. The school, which was built over 100 years ago when Cicero’s population was around 70 percent Czech, teaches language, culture and history to adults and children and has served as a center of the Czech community since its founding.

According to Klára Moldová, vice president of the school, the school was built with an apartment attached to it where the janitor lived, similar to how schools are constructed in the Czech Re public. Today a teacher lives there.

For many years, the second floor of the school was home to the Czech Geneal-

og y Society and Moldová was curious

“I just made the ef fort one day to climb up the stairs … and I couldn’t believe what I found,” she said.

Moldová discovered that her great-grandmother actually lived in Cicero and Berwyn and worked at the Western Electric Company, where she spent many years manufacturing telephones and cables before retur ning to her home country.

Today, a large room on the second floor is rented out to the Czech Heritage Museum, housing boxes full of items stored as the museum works to develop a new space for them.

For those looking for a more public way to learn local history, one of the best places to go is the museum run by the Berwyn Historical Society, 1401 Grove Ave., where admission is free.

Their website states that they are, “dedicated to collecting, preserving, and disseminating historical infor mation about the city of Berwyn, including its architecture, its people, communities, businesses, economics, cultures and ethnicities, past and present, and its overall societal foot-

print as a near-west Chicago suburb.”

According to Dillon, the organization is committed to sharing local history by inviting guest speakers, making presentations at schools, sharing old photos on social media, and responding to requests from community members who are seeking infor mation about their homes or old relatives. He says helping people under-

stand local history helps them understand the present.

In the past, a similar organization, known as the Cicero Historical Society, existed. However, the group stopped meeting about 20 years ago and decided to donate all their items to the Cicero Public Library. The library now houses these archives in a dedicated history room.

In the room are old newspapers, posters, little knick-knacks from local businesses over decades, videotapes, maps of factories, Town of Cicero budgets and zoning maps, yearbooks, phonebooks and so much more.

“I do think that the library is a natural spot for such a collection to land,” said Conroy, who recalls one woman from Argentina coming to the library to look up ancestors who had settled in Cicero, and the library was actually able to connect her with some distant cousins who still live in town.

The ef for ts of Cicero and Berwyn community members and organizations to preserve this history helps maintain the strong fabric of both neighborhoods.

“We don’t exist in a vacuum,” Conroy said. “Really everything that comes before us shapes the place that we’re in and could hopefully point us forward too.”

Ankur Singh is a freelance journalist and a co-founder of Cicero Independiente, a hyperlocal bilingual news outlet in Cicero.

PROVIDED

Cicero Public Library archives.

PROVIDED

Micro lm of Cicero Life, 1934.

When should Sen. Bob Menendez resign?

A growing chorus of Democrats are baying for the resignation of New Jersey Senator Menendez. This self-defeating behavior explains in a nutshell why Democrats lose elections, despite supporting positions that benefit 99% of their constituents.

Republicans support positions that are destructive to their constituents, and many openly call for the overtur n of American democracy, yet they retain power. How can this be?

It’s because Democrats live in a fantasy world where their constituents appreciate ethical behavior, a belief that was last credible in the 1950s.

Republicans are ruthlessly opportunistic and will do literally anything to maintain power. Mitch “Walking Dead” McConnell violated the Constitution to block President Obama from appointing a Supreme Court justice, with no repercussions Republicans know that openly and shamefully corrupt Supreme Court justices (Thomas and Alito,

MARC BLESOFF

Overcoming ageism

from page 19

During the pre-dinner socializing, as I sat on a couch, Ellen approached me from behind and gave me a big ‘hello!’ For a fraction of a second I was speechless, and then we had an enjoyable, substantive, animated and comfortable conversation. Thanks to my hearing aids, I could easily understand her My fears had vanished, the chasm between us closed

It wasn’t until the next day that I realized the character of my interaction with Ellen. Although I’m not proud of how in my mind I had at first dismissed her, I am glad I eventually realized it. Now I at least have an opportunity to change my behavior in the future. There’s no guarantee I will change, but being aware offers that possibility.

As we age, some changes are indeed guaranteed. We just can’t predict or control them. Life is change. Inevitably, if it’s not one thing, it will be another.

About eight years ago, one of the first things that caught my attention about con-

most prominently) will still vote for hardcore Republican positions

In contrast, Democrats “eat their own,” ousting Al Franken, a superb senator, over accusations of a subtle violation of political correctness in 2018. Meanwhile, Donald Trump advocates grabbing women “by the pussy” and is elected president. Every Democratic senator who resigns makes way for a Republican who will vote to appoint yet another Republican rapist to the Supreme Court.

Can you imagine Josh Hawley resigning for violating his oath of office by supporting a violent insurrection against the U.S. gover nment? It is time for Democrats to learn what game is being played in Washington D.C., and to fight for their constituents When Clarence Thomas resigns from the Supreme Court, and not before, Democrats should call for Menendez to resign

HO Trains Run Here

HO Trains Run Here

scious aging was when I realized the foolishness of fearing and denying the inevitable Most of us fear and deny our own aging and dying. I may not ever have a stroke or drive slowly or search for the right word I want to use — oh, wait, I already do that — but I will change in some ways. That is inevitable. How can I face those changes without fear and denial?

Ageism and ableism inhibit a balanced outlook on our inevitable changes. The changes won’t always be loss. They can also be something unexpected, powerful and meaningful. Perhaps even delightful. Although I no longer ride a motorcycle, I just bought a bicycle and I really enjoy riding it. I started driving an electric car, and it’s really fun.

After two previous careers, I think I’m having some positive impact in my community doing things I never even pictured 10 years ago. A year ago, I had major heart surgery, from which I am recovering smoothly — unexpected, yes; dreadful, no.

I’m trying to have a more balanced attitude about future changes as I age and not focus on possible losses. And I’m trying to recognize and appreciate the humanity that I share with other older people, no matter how they act or how they appear to me

HO Trains Run Here

HO Trains Run Here

HO Trains Run Here

HO Trains Run Here

HO Trains Run Here

Julia Buesser, 82 19th Century Club member

Julia Guest Buesser, 82, died on Sept. 19, 2023 after battle with cancer. In 2011 she relocated with her Fred, Michig an to to be closchildren andchildren. She was the mother of three and grand. A kind and thoughtful womile she lived in this community, including her coffee group friends, her online friends through her practice of Tai Chi and Qigong, and her friends through the 19th Century Club. She will be dearly missed by many. Private services will be held at a later date.

Rev. John Adler, 81

Episcopal priest, lawyer, church planter

Rev. Dr. John Stuart Adler, 81, for merly of Oak Park, died on Sept. 10, 2023 in Fort Myers, F lorida. A Vietnam veteran, lawyer, Episcopal priest and “church planter,” mentor

and devoted family man, he led a richly fulfilling life, characterized by leadership, caring, and genuine interest in others.

Born on July 31, 1942, the son of Gordon and Catherine (McBratney) Adler of Harvey, he attended Thornton Township High School and graduated from Shattuck St. Mary’s School, an Episcopal boarding school in Faribault, Minnesota. He then joined the U.S. Ar my, where his leadership skills were quickly noticed. After basic training, he was recommended for Officer Candidate School.

Early in his military training, he was introduced to Wanda Billings, who also attended Thornton. The couple married later that year and relocated to Fort Benning, Georgia. He was de ployed to Vietnam in 1964, the same year the couple’s daughter, Audrey Christine, was born. He subsequently returned to Ar my headquar ters in Fort Mead, Maryland.

“The Ar my had chaplains in Vietnam, and John volunteered to fly the chaplains to campsites to hold worship services for the troops,” recalled his friend Dave Wilson. “John would fly a twin-engine plane into remote military bases, landing on grass slips on the side of hills. The chaplains brought with them a moveable altar. He would help set up for the service and then fly the chaplains back.”

He left the Ar my in 1969 with the rank of captain and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois Champaign, followed by a law degree from Illinois Institute of Technology - Kent College of Law in Chicago.

The Adler family moved to Oak Park where they lived for nearly 20 years and were active members of Grace Episcopal Church. He led the church’s high school

youth group, served as a deacon and on the church’s governing board. When Hollywood movie director Robert Altman selected Grace Church as the site to film the 1977 movie, A Wedding, drew up the church’s legal contract with Altman’s IDO Corporation. He and many others in the congregation were invited to serve as “extras” in the movie.

In the mid-1980s, after a successful 13-year law career, he felt called to the priesthood. Leaving his law practice, he enrolled in Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, graduating with a Master of Divinity de gree in Parish Ministry and a Doc tor of Ministry in Congregational De ment in May 1989 at age 47. Not long after, he was offered a position as an associate priest at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, on Siesta Key, Florida, and the family relocated

In the mid-1990s, he accepted a position as the priest of a new Episcopal church ing for med in Naples, Florida. “John was considered a church planter,” Wanda Adler said. That congregation today is a thri St. Monica’s Episcopal Church.

Some years later, the opportunity to star a new Episcopal mission in south Fo ers presented itself and Father he accepted the challenge. That congregation became Iona Hope Episcopal Church. “He loved what he did and wanted to be of in any way he could for the people he she said. “His whole world projected outward.”

In addition to his wife, Wanda, he lea daughter, Christine; a son, John (Holly); and twin grandsons, Cameron Adler and (Allison) Adler. He was predeceased by his sister, Karen Anderson, and his brother, Dale Adler

A funeral service will be held on Oct. 15,

at 2 p.m. at Iona Hope Episcopal Church, in Fort Myers. The service will be livestreamed on the website, www.ionahope. org.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties Inc., 12751 New Brittany Blvd., Suite 100, Fort Myers, FL; the Shattuck St. Mary’s School, 1000 Shumway Ave., Faribault, MN 55021; or a charity of your choice.

Bertha Gimbel, 100 Teacher and knitter

Bertha Gimbel, 100, died on Sept. 20, 2023. Born on Oct. 17, 1922, she was an educator in the Chicago Public School system for ral decades. She was a library trustee and twoterm clerk in Lincolnwood. A talentbears for nearly eryone (including Prince George!). She

Bertha was the wife of the late Morton; (Louise Mezzatesta) (Rita Layman) Gimbel; of the late Anne (late Irv) Don and reman. been held. flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the JUF, www.juf.org. For info: www.weinsteinandpiserfuneralhome.com.

Please contact Ken Trainor by e-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com, or fax: 708/524-0447 before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.

OPRF/Fenwick girls tenni match: As close as it gets

Friars and Huskies battle to a draw, with a thrilling nal

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

On a sun-kissed Sept. 30 afternoon on the Oak Park and River Forest High School tennis courts, the OPRF girls tennis team battled Fenwick in the latest crosstown showdown between the two schools, separated by a few blocks on East Avenue.

The competition was intense, as always between the Huskies and Friars, and ended with a thrilling #1 singles match. The teams ended even at 4-4 in matches.

“Considering the length of the day and how taxing the competition [w hich also included Highland Park],” said OPRF coach Fred Galluzzo, “our kids competed well.”

“This was just what we needed,” said Fenwick coach Gerard Sullivan. “Playing tough competition before conference, awesome.”

The #1 singles match paired Fenwick’s Lily Brecknock, who won the IHSA Class 1A singles title last fall, against OPRF freshman Lucy Stein. Stein rolled to 6-1 victory in the opening set, but Brecknock responded with a 6-1 second set.

Then the duo went back and for th in an intense third set. Brecknock, a junior, showed her experience at the end and

pulled away to win the match, 10-7.

“I was trying to change what I was doing after the first set,” Brecknock said. “I needed to stay patient, and it worked.”

Sullivan felt Brecknock needed to get pushed in order to find out how well she could make adjustments mid-match. He was pleased with the outcome afterward.

“[Stein] neutralized Lily’s powe her own big shots,” Sullivan said. “Lily managed to neutralize the neutralizing. It wasn pretty, but sometimes you’ve got to win ug and she came through with flying color

OPRF won the other two singles matches as Maeve Marzec defeated Emma Louderback 6-2, 6-1 and Baylee Piasecki got past Mia Menendez 6-2, 4-6, 11-9.

Fenwick won three of the five doubles matches, including the Friars’ #1 team of Megan Trifilio and Trinity Hardin defeating Kathryn Meister and Anika Gupta 6-1, 6-1.

“We’ve improved a lot since we’ve played together my sophomore year and [Trifilio’s] freshman year,” Hardin, a senior, said. “I feel like we’re stronger.”

Rachel Abraham and Caroline Gruber of Fenwick defeated Alice Cadwell and Sophie Welch of OPRF 7-6, 6-3 at #2 doubles, while at #3 doubles, the Huskies’ Maria Clara Lau and Ava Lebovitz prevailed 6-4, 6-3 over the Friars’ Mae Mae McDonnell and Marin Jancewicz.

OPRF and Fenwick also played Highland

Park The Friars got a draw against the Giants, 4-4. In singles, Brecknock rolled past Nadia Barbieri 6-1, 6-2 while Menendez defeated Ava Flutak 6-0, 6-2. In doubles, Trifilio and Hardin defeated Jenna Adelman 6-3, 6-4.

The Huskies lost to Highland Park 6-2, with both victories occurring in singles.

Stein prevailed 6-3, 7-6 over Barbieri, and Piasecki cruised 6-2, 6-2 over Adina Bard.

With postseason starting this week in conference tournament play, both teams like how they’re playing.

“We’re in reasonably good shape,” Galluzzo said. “The conference is brutal, so we’re just going to do what we can there, and then we go to the (Class 2A Lyons

Township) sectional, which is basically conference again plus Fenwick. It’s nuts, and doesn’t make any kind of sense to have all those teams in the same place.”

“We took some losses and that’s a good thing because it’s going to make them bounce back next week,” Sullivan said. “It’s not a perfect season, but we’ve got momentum, and that’s all right. Everyone’s healthy and we’ve got a little more grit now.”

OPRF will travel to Hinsdale Central for the West Suburban Conference Silver Division tournament, Oct. 5-7. Meanwhile, Fenwick will participate in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference tournament, Oct. 6, at XS Tennis in Chicago.

Friars girls golf misses going to state by tiebreaker

Fenwick ties Lyons Township for third in sectional

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

state finals as a team at the Class 2A Hinsdale South sectional, Oct. 2.

The Friars tied with Lyons Township for third place with 340 points, but the Lions advanced due to the first tiebreaker — the scores of each school’s fifth golfer. Only the top three schools along with the top 10 individuals from non-qualifying schools go downstate from each sectional.

“The tiebreaker just killed me,” said Fenwick coach Mike Trankina. “I wish there would’ve been a playof f. We did way better than we have in a long time, and I am thrilled with the job the girls did.”

Fenwick did advance one individual to the IHSA state finals: freshman Mairin Sweeney, who shot an 80.

“She’s been amazing,” Trankina said.

“She’s pretty intense, and nothing bothers her when she’s on the course. She stays focused, just like Kathryn [Mairin’s older sister].”

Kathryn Sweeney, a senior who was the top medalist at the IHSA Class 2A St. Ignatius re gional on Sept. 27 with a score of 78, See GIRLS GOLF on pa ge 28

SARA JANZ

Fenw ick Friar Lily Brecknock returning a serve dur ing the OPRF High School quad tennis tournament. Brecknock defeated OPRF’s Lucy Stein in a close match.

The Fenwick High School girls golf team nar rowly missed qualifying for the IHSA

OPRF’s Neumann, Fenwick’s Bennett qualif y for state

Boys golf nals take place this weekend

By MELVIN TATE

Contributing Reporter

Oak Park and River Forest High School senior Will Neumann qualified for the IHSA boys golf state tournament at the Class 3A Lyons Township sectional, Oct. 2, shooting a 70 to tie for third overall.

Neumann also had the lowest score of the top 10 individuals from schools that didn’t advance downstate.

“It was the round of his life,” said OPRF coach Bill Young. “He hit a lot of fairway and greens and made a lot of birdie putts. Tennis is really Will’s primary sport, but he’s just gotten better and better at golf, and he played an impeccable round today

OPRF had five other golfers participating at LT. Sophomore Kenneth McCaffrey shot a 79, four shots short of state qualification. Senior Jake Goldberg was one stroke behind McCaffrey with an 80.

Senior Peter Armstrong (85), sophomore Luke Roberts (85), and junior Reese Brotman (87) also competed for the Huskies, who did not qualify as a team the sectional after a four th-place finish at the Class 3A Loyola Academy re gional on Se pt. 27.

“Peter and Jake played so well all year, but it just wasn’t their best days today,” Young said. “They had great careers at OPRF, and it was really emotional for them to end.

“Their high school careers are over, but the tone was pretty positive on the bus ride

GIRLS GOLF

from page 27

missed the downstate qualifying cut by two strokes, carding a round of 84.

“I’m going to miss having Kathryn on the team so much,” Trankina said. “I wanted nothing more for her than to get downstate. It just wasn’t Kathryn’s day today; she was missing the putts she normally makes, and that’s what it comes down to sometimes.”

Juniors Olivia Tsitovich (89), Emma Maria Bassett (89), Molly Mullen (103), and Megan Grote (107) completed the Friars’ lineup.

“The year turned out way better than I anticipated,” Trankina said. “We had a lot

Oak Park and River Forest High School senior golfer Will Neumann (right) displays his sectional medal with OPRF boys golf coach Bill Young. Neumann quali ed for the IHSA state nals by shooting a 70 at the Class 3A Lyons Tow nship sectional on Oct. 2.

home,” he added. “They were happy for [Neumann], and that speaks to the character of the guys on the team.”

Young felt the Huskies had a good season. OPRF won two tournaments and saw Goldberg and Roberts earn all-West Subur-

ban Conference honors, with Goldberg also getting WSC All-Academic honors.

Young also cited successes at the lower levels of the program as a reason for continued future success.

“I’m really excited for Will this weekend and excited for OPRF golf beyond that,” he said.

Neumann will compete at the IHSA state finals, held Oct. 6-7 at The Den of Fox Creek Golf Course in Bloomington.

Fenwick

Joining Will Neumann downstate this weekend is Fenwick High School senior Clarke Bennett, who qualified, Oct. 2, at the Class 2A Lemont sectional, shooting a 76 to finish in a tie for 13th — right on the cut line.

Senior Mac Oberlies and sophomore Luke Sherlock nar rowly missed qualifying. Oberlies shot a 78 while Sherlock carded a 79, finishing two and three shots, respectively, shy of the cut line.

Senior Kevin Hanley (83), senior Liam Dugan (84), and freshman Grant Hickman (87) completed the sectional lineup.

On Sept. 27, the Friars won the Class 2A De La Salle re gional with a score of 293. Bennett was the medalist with a winning round of 68. Sherlock (74), Dugan (75), Hickman (76), Hanley (79), and Oberlies completed Fenwick’s re gional lineup. The Class 2A state finals take place Oct. 6-7 at Weibring Golf Club in Normal.

of untested talent, but they responded and did unbelievably well. We still have Mairin downstate, and we’ll see how that goes.”

Fenwick took second at the St. Ignatius regional with a score of 337, three strokes behind champion Oak Park and River Forest.

OPRF

The Huskies achieved a program goal with their St. Ignatius re gional title, shooting 334.

Senior Faith Lee led the way with a score of 81, good for a 4th-place tie. Freshman Nadia Vattana was fifth with an 82, and seniors Ella Homrok (8th, 85) and Renner Prouty (T-9th, 86) were also among the top 10 individuals for OPRF.

Junior Jane Sounders (T-11th, 88) and se-

nior Trinity Mosher (T-17th, 92) completed the Huskies’ lineup.

“That was something that the girls were really getting up for, and I was pretty excited we were able to achieve [the re gional title],” said OPRF coach Matt McMurray. “It’s only the second time we’ve done it in my tenure.” OPRF won the Payton Prep regional in 2018.

The Huskies hoping to keep the momentum going at Hinsdale South, but they ran into stif f competition and finished ninth with a score of 355.

“We had a pretty cold start on the front nine, and it was hard to recover from that,” McMurray said. “We just didn’t have our best stuf f on the biggest day, but I’m proud of them. We had a good season.”

Although OPRF didn’t advance any individuals downstate, McMurray felt Vattana acquitted herself well at the sectional, shooting an 84 to miss the qualifying cut by two strokes.

“Nadia played pretty well,” he said. “She played through some physical ailments today, and the way she competed is a good sign for the program’s future going forward.”

Prouty (87), Homrok (91), Lee (93), Mosher (95), and Sounders (104) completed the lineup. All but Sounders and Vattana are part of a large senior group that will be lost to graduation. But McMurray is optimistic about the Huskies’ future.

“We’ll definitely take a hit as we’re losing our two senior captains,” he said. “But we’ve got a good group of girls coming back.”

SUBMIT TED BY OPRF COAC H BILL YOUNG

HOME SERVICES

PART-TIME ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER

Experience or not.

Retired person or person looking for extra cash Call for more information.

708-738-3848

POLICE RECORDS SUPERVISOR

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Police Records Supervisor in the Police Department. This position will manage, supervise, plan and coordinate the activities and operations of the Police Records Division Support Services Bureau, within the Police Department including records maintenance and management services; and coordinate assigned activities with other divisions, outside agencies and the general public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at https:// www.oakpark.us/yourgovernment/ human-resources-department First review of applications will be September 22, 2023.

HELP WANTED

COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Community Service Officer in the Police Department. This position will perform a variety of public service, customer service and law enforcement related duties and responsibilities that do not require the services of a sworn police officer; and to perform a variety of administrative duties. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at https://www.oak-park.us/your-government/human-resources-department. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

POLICE RECORDS CLERK

GARAGE/YARD SALES

HUGE ANNUAL DOWN SIZING SALE

OCT 6,7,8

10AM-4PM

547 MARENGO AVE

FOREST PARK

Many quality items at reasonable prices. Much kitchen misc.: Gadgets & small appliances; much fine crystal; set of silver flatware; several rugs & runners; misc. garden, including pots; several misc. pieces of furniture, including vintage floor & table lamps; too much to list. Must see to appreciate. No early birds.

CARS WANTED

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Police Records Clerk in the Police Department. This position will perform a wide variety of specialized clerical duties in support of the Police Department including processing and maintaining documents, correspondence and coding reports; and to provide information and assistance to the public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at https://www.oakpark.us/your-government/human-resources-department. SUBURBAN

CLASSICS WANTED

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Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles Domestic / Import Cars:

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FLOORS

Domestic / Import Cars:

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

Collector James • 630-201-8122

MARKETPLACE HANDYMAN

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

klisflooring.com

CLASSICS WANTED

WANTED TO BUY

WANTED MILITARY ITEMS:

Collector James 630-201-8122

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles

Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys. Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400

Domestic / Import Cars:

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

Collector James 630-201-8122

708-296-2060

WOODWORK

Terry's Woodwork Restoration

On-site refinishing of wood and fiberglass since 1977. Includes doors, woodwork, windows, staircases and new woodwork etc. All work done by hand. NO sanders. Your unfinished project my specialty!

References available.

Contact Terry Seamans at 630-379-7148 or terryseamans@yahoo.com

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y23011011 on September 20, 2023

Under the Assumed Business Name of GRATEFUL GOURMET TO GO with the business located at: 535 S HARVEY AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: MARGARET A CVERCKO 535 S HARVEY AVE OAK PARK, IL 60304, USA

Published in Wednesday Journal September 27, October 4, 11 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF AUDIT REPORT OF RIVERSIDE TOWNSHIP

Riverside Township hereby provides public notice that an Audit of its funds for the period April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 has been made, and that a report of such audit dated September 11, 2023 performed by Selden Fox, LTD has been filed with the County Clerk of Cook, Illinois, in accordance with 30 ILCS 15/0.01 et seq. The full report of the audit is available for public inspection at Riverside Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, during regular business hours 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Friday, except for holidays.

Published in RB Landmark October 4, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE RESOLUTION NO. R-89-23

A RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR THE LEVY OF AN ADDITIONAL LIBRARY TAX FOR BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE

BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Village of Forest Park, Cook County, Illinois, as follows:

Section 1. The Board of Library Trustees of the Village of Forest Park, by Resolution dated September 18, 2023, has requested the corporate authorities of the Village of Forest Park to levy an additional 0.02% tax for the maintenance, repairs and alterations of library buildings and equipment, pursuant to 75 ILCS 5/3-4, in order to include the sum of $76,168.00 in the Village’s 2023 tax levy ordinance as the 0.02% Library Building and Maintenance levy.

Section 2. The corporate authorities of the Village of Forest Park hereby determine and propose to levy such additional 0.02% tax for the year 2023, subject to the provisions of 75 ILCS 5/3-4.

Section 3. The Village Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish a copy of this Resolution in the Forest Park Review, a newspaper with a general circulation within the Village of Forest Park, said publication to occur within fifteen (15) days of the adoption of this Resolution.

Section 4. Pursuant to 75 ILCS 5/3-4, notice is hereby given that if a petition requesting a referendum signed by 1,044 or more electors of the Village of Forest Park is filed with the corporate authorities of the Village of Forest Park on or before November 3, 2023, which is thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this Resolution, then the question whether this Resolution shall become effective and said tax imposed

shall be submitted to the electors of the Village of Forest Park at a general or special election to be held in accordance with the election laws of the State of Illinois in force at the time of such election. The Village Clerk is hereby directed to provide a petition form to any individual requesting one. Section 5. In the event no petition is filed with the corporate authorities within thirty (30) days from the date of publication of this Resolution, then this Resolution shall be effective and the additional library tax shall be levied accordingly, and included in the Village’s levy ordinance for library purposes.

ADOPTED by the Council of the Village of Forest Park, Cook County, Illinois this 26th day of September, 2023.

AYES: 4 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 APPROVED by me this 26th day of September, 2023.

/s/ Rory E. Hoskins Rory E. Hoskins, Mayor ATTESTED and filed in my office, and published in pamphlet form this 26th day of September, 2023.

/s/ Vanessa Moritz

Vanessa Moritz, Clerk

Published in Forest Park Review October 4, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Riverside will be held on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the business of the Planning and Zoning Commission may permit, in the Riverside Township Hall, Room 4, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, to review and consider various changes to the standards for porches as set forth in the Riverside Zoning Ordinance.

Application No.: PZ 23-0010

Petitioner: Village of Riverside

Proposed Text Amendments: Various changes to the Village of Riverside Zoning Ordinance regulations relative to front porches. The affected section(s) includes, but may not be limited to, Section 10-7-3 (Accessory Structures and Uses). Among the potential changes being considered include possibly changing the standards for porches for single or two-family dwellings in the R3 District. Other procedural and process changes to the site plan review provisions in the Village’s Zoning Code may be considered.

The application and proposed text amendments are available for inspection at the office of the Village Clerk, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546. The proposed text amendments may be added to or otherwise revised as a result of the public hearing. During the Public Hearing the Planning and Zoning Commission will hear testimony from and consider any evidence presented by persons interested to speak on this matter. Persons wishing to appear at the hearing may do so in person or by attorney or other representative and may speak for or against the proposed text amendments. Communications in writing in relation thereto may be filed at such hearings or with the Planning and

Zoning Commission in advance by submission to Village Planner Anne Cyran via email at acyran@riverside.

il.us or delivered to the attention of Village Planner Anne Cyran at the Village Offices at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, prior to 4:00 p.m. on the day of the public hearings. Please specify the public hearing to which your comments pertain.

The public hearing may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. The proposed text amendments may be added to, revised, altered, or eliminated as a result of the public hearing and prior to final action by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Riverside.

Dated this 4th day of October, 2023.

Jennifer Henaghan, Chairperson Planning & Zoning Commission

Published in RB Landmark October 4, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302

Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 for the following:

Village of Oak Park

2024 Water Service Line Replacement Program Bid Number: 24-102

Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park. us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 3585700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal October 4, 2023

VILLAGE OF OAK PARK COMMUNITY DESIGN COMMISSION

HEARING DATE: October 25, 2023

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302

CALENDAR NUMBER: 05-23-DRC

APPLICANT: American House, LLC.

ADDRESS: 703 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302

REQUEST: The Community Design Commission will hold a public hearing on an application filed by the Applicant, American House, LLC, seeking variances from the following sections of the Oak Park Sign Code relative to increasing permanent window sign coverage, increasing the size of temporary banners, increasing the number of banners that can be displayed on a zoning lot and increasing the amount of time a temporary banner can be displayed at the premises commonly known as 703 Madison Street, Illinois, Property

Index Numbers 16-18-200-0320000 and 16-18-200-005-0000

(“Subject Property”).

1. Section 7-7-15 (C) (1) of the Oak Park Sign Code, requiring that permanent window signs affixed to or painted on the inside of a window shall occupy no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the surface of each window area. Window area is counted as a continuous surface until divided by an architectural or structural element. There is a total of twelve (12) window areas along Madison Street; two (2) of the twelve (12) window areas

would contain 100% window coverage.

2. Section 7-7-13 (B) (2) (b) of the Oak Park Sign Code limits the size of temporary banners to 32 square feet in area. Whereas the proposal features two (2) 60 square foot banners located along the Madison Street elevation.

3. Section 7-7-13 (B) (2) (c) of the Oak Park Sign Code allows only one (1) temporary banner per zoning lot. Whereas the proposal features two (2) 60 square foot banners located along the Madison Street elevation.

4. Section 7-7-13 (B) (2) (f) of the Oak Park Sign Code limits temporary banners to a display of seven (7) days when not related to a date specific or, if date specific, may be erected no earlier than five (5) days prior to the event plus the duration of the event and must be removed within two (2) days after the event. Where as the Applicant is requesting that the temporary banners be displayed for one (1) year.

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the Commission to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

Published in Wednesday Journal, October 4, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302

Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 26, 2023 for the following:

Village of Oak Park 2024 Emergency Water and Sewer Repair Work Bid Number: 24-101

Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park. us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 3585700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal October 4, 2023

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

MATRIX FINANCIAL SERVICES CORPORATION

Plaintiff, -v.RONALD CAILLOUET, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD

CLAIMANTS, UNKNOWN

OCCUPANTS, UNKNOWN

HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF SUSAN L. CAILLOUET, DAMON RITENHOUSE, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SUSAN

L. CAILLOUET A/K/A SUSAN CAILLOUET (DECEASED)

Defendants

2022 CH 04542

31 LE MOYNE PKWY OAK PARK, IL 60302

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on July 12, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30

AM on October 25, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described

real estate:

Commonly known as 31 LE MOYNE

PKWY, OAK PARK, IL 60302

Property Index No. 16-05-112-007-

0000

The real estate is improved with a residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The

sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-

SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527

630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-22-09308

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2022 CH 04542

TJSC#: 43-2890

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2022 CH 04542

I3229738

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY IN ITS CAPACITY AS TRUSTEE OF CITIGROUP MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2021-

RP1 Plaintiff, -v.-

ADRIENNA BELL-CADE, BANK OF AMERICA, NA, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF ANDREW CADE, SR, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, CHRISTOPHER BROWN, ANDREW CADE, JR., DAMON RITENHOUSE, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR ANDREW CADE SR. (DECEASED)

Defendants

2022 CH 05424

845 S. HARVEY

OAK PARK, IL 60304

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on August 1,

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30

AM on November 3, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 845 S. HARVEY, OAK PARK, IL 60304

Property Index No. 16-17-126-0360000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The

Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-

SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-22-01405

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2022 CH 05424

TJSC#: 43-3379

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2022 CH 05424 I3230230

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

THE MONEY SOURCE INC.; Plaintiff, vs.

UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF GERZINE SPENCE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

AKA GERZINE L. SPENCE; KRAMER RESTORATION OF DUPAGE COUNTY LLC DBA PAUL DAVIS RESTORATION OF DUPAGE COUNTY; RONNEISHA JINKINS INDIVIDUALLY AND AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF GERZINE SPENCE AKA GERZINE L. SPENCE; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 22 CH 4005

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty

Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, October 23, 2023 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-21-402-009-0000.

Commonly known as 1643 Manchester Avenue, Westchester, IL 60154.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call The Sales

Let

Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Diaz Anselmo & Associates, P.A., 1771 West Diehl Road, Naperville, Illinois 60563. (630) 453-6925. 7182183141 ADC

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3229004

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals.

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777. GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA

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Celebrating

150 years of those things that are best

Oak Park River Forest HS

Oak Park River Forest HS

Oak Park River Forest HS

NO TE FROM THE EDIT OR

150 Years of OPRF

Founded as a oneroom school at the corner of Lake and Forest Avenue in 1873, Oak Park and River Forest High School has become a community cornerstone. Today, the school spans a millionsquare feet over several buildings. It is home to over 3,400 students. Thousands of alumni fondly remember their days at the school.

This special issue is the collaboration of current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents of alumni. Each shared memories of their time at the school that shaped them.

The Oak Park River Forest History Museum, which became the home of the OPRF archives in 2021, was instrumental in providing photos, memorabilia and stories of days gone by for this special issue.

Past, present and future Huskies celebrate OPRF’s sesquicentennial and the important place the school occupies in the towns of Oak Park and River Forest.

Thanks for joining the celebration.

Lacey Sikora Contributing Editor

Contributing Editor Lacey Sikora

Editor Erika Hobbs

Contributing Reporters

Donald Vogel, Elizabeth Short, Sherry omas, Jessica MacKinnon, Susan Montgomery, Steven Gevinson, Bob Skolnik, Sadie Collins, Mary Andolina, Amaris E. Rodriguez, Kelly Pollock

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designer Susan McKelvey

Contributing Photographer Todd A. Bannor

Ben Stumpe, Tram Huynh

Business & Development Manager

Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Judy Gre n

Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

e Histor y of the OPRF Crest

By Donald Vogel Contributing Reporter

The school crest is the readily identified symbol of Oak Park and River Forest High School. However, the history behind Ta Garista, the phrase that appears on the crest, is much less known—and has led to its meaning being greatly misunderstood.

In 1900, Principal John Hanna proposed a motto for the school which would encompass his belief that students should excel academically as well as in co-curricular activities. The motto is- Ta Garista oudein oumen enmenina- roughly translated as -Nothing assuredly but what is the best. The motto was rooted in the Greek and Latin curriculum of the school and was meant as a challenge for students, faculty and staf f. He hoped to inspire the school community in the quest, the struggle and the perseverance to give their all, in every endeavor, be it in the classroom, lab, on stage, or athletic field. The motto was adopted by a school-wide vote.

It was a design decision made a few years later that ended up obscuring the original intent of the motto. In 1908, Mr. Lee Watson, a teacher in the art and manual training department, designed the school crest with the trees, oak leaves, and river re presenting our communi-

ties. The entire motto would not fit on the new crest, so he included just Ta Garista, to re present the motto’s main idea of seeking “The Best.” Over the years, many have interpreted this shortened version of the motto to be a boastful statement about all things OPRF, rather than the aspirational goal it was meant to be.

A new school to house the growing enrollment and designed to give life to the motto was opened in 1907 at the cor ner of Scoville Ave and Ontario Street. The

new school with traditional classrooms as well as innovative facilities such as a library and science labs would grow quickly in the first two decades of the 1900’s. Soon it would also include the Classics Room, the English Club Room, a band room, an auditorium, manual training rooms and a gymnasium. In 1913 the enrollment topped 1000.

The school has been a leader in many ways: adoption of the AP curriculum, early instr uction in driver training, computer based instruction, world languages, African American studies, student television, equity and inclusion. Alumni are noted authors, performers, humanitarians, scientists, business leaders, educators, state champions and Olympic athletes. Each of these individuals has fulfilled the belief expressed by Mr. Hanna in the motto.

At the high school centennial in 1973, the motto was defined as “the willing and productive struggle ag ainst the ordinary and the limiting, in a broad spectrum of endeavors.” In the fifty years since the centennial, the high school has continued to evolve and change, reflecting the communities of Oak Park and River Forest. The challenge, however, for the entire school community remains as the motto proclaims- Nothing assuredly but what is the best.

Happy Anniversary to our Alma Mater

To all Past & Present Faculty, Staff & Board Members, Thank you for delivering us and our gigantic extended families an extraordinary education, both inside and outside the classrooms! Our high school experiences continue to pay dividends across our lifespans.

Most importantly, your contributions to the growth and development of all students help to keep families and our OPRF community healthy and strong.

May the overriding dedication to student success and well-being continue leading OPRF High School into perpetuity.

Forever Grateful!

Mary Jo & Stephen Schuler Class of 1980

Go Huskies!

e school before the village

Remembering OPRF’s forgotten beginnings

By Elizabeth Short Contributing Reporter

This fall, the community celebrates a century and a half of its public high school, making OPRF older than Chicago’s “L” system, 13 of the 50 United States, and, surprisingly, the villages of Oak Park and River Forest.

In the 1850s, Illinois was divided into 36-square-mile townships. Today’s Oak Park was part of Cicero Township, which also included land that is now Berwyn, Cicero, and the Austin neighborhood. Similarly, River Forest was part of Proviso Township. Harlem Avenue separated the two townships, just as it separates the villages of Oak Park and River Forest today.

By the end of the 1850s, the Oak Park area had its first school district–Cicero Township School District #1. A

brick schoolhouse, located at the southeast corner of Lake Street and Forest Avenue, was home to the Central School.

In 1873, Central School began offering upper level classes for “older and more dignified boys and girls,” according to a 1937 historical sur vey of Oak Park. In 1877, James B. Herrick, Walter Gale, and Herbert Whipple became the first three graduates of Oak Park High School.

At this time, publicly-funded high schools were a recent development. Attending high school, said OPRF historian Frank Lipo, was uncommon and a somewhat elite practice. These upper level classes of fered a “classical education,” said Lipo. “By the mid 1870s, (the textbooks they were using show) they taught Latin, botany, physiolo gy, philosophy, rhetoric, geography, bookkeeping–a little more practical in terms of business careers–as well as reading, writing, and arithmetic.”

By 1886, records show the school of fered four different

programs for students: the classical course, the Latin scientific course, the modern language course, and the English course.

As Oak Park’s population increased–from an estimated 200 in 1870 to over 2,000 by 1881–class sizes steadily grew as well–from three students to 42 in the same year, according to a 1972 article. At the end of 1891, the school moved down the street to a new three-story building located on the corner of Lake and East.

The 1890s brought political turmoil to Cicero Township. At the same time, discussions began between Oak Park and River Forest about creating a high school to serve both communities. River Forest of fered two years of high school education in an elementary school. To complete high school, students “usually attended Oak Park or Austin High School on a tuition basis,” according to a book on the history of OPRF from 1873 to 1976.

In two different 1899 referendums, voters living in today’s Oak Park and River Forest voted to create Oak Park and River Forest Township High School. While River Forest had been already incorporated as a village in 1880, it wasn’t until 1902 that Oak Park officially broke away from Cicero Township.

Oak Park and River Forest Township High School began instruction in the Lake and East building in 1900. By the end of the decade, the school had moved across the street onto a plot of land located at Ontario and Scoville, where it has been located ever since.

COURTESY OA K PARK RIVER FOREST HISTORY MUSEUM

In 1873, Central School began o ering upper level classes for “older and more digni ed boys and girls.”

1937 OA K PARK HISTORIC AL SURVE Y

COURTESY OA K PARK RIVER FOREST HISTORY MUSEUM Featured in this photo is Oak Park High School’s Class of 1895. Students from River Forest were later added to the school in 1899, and the school became Oak Park and River Forest High School

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Ode to Papa

By Sherry Thomas Contributing

A1917 Oak Park High School yearbook shows the grinning photo of a future Pulitzer and Nobel prize winner—a prankster, a self-described “class prophet,” and a storyteller like the world had never seen.

“None are found to be more clever than Ernie,” reads the tribute quote for Ernest Miller Hemingway, who (probably to no surprise of his classmates) went on to become one of the high school’s most f alumni. His short stories and novels would define American literature and his reputation as a sportsman, a journalist, and key figure in Paris’s “Lost Generation” would become the stuff of legend

The author himself became a character in his own right, a larger-than-life figure with personal escapades that many bio graphers trace to his alma mater. It was here that this young writer published his first articles, stories and poems on the pages of The Trapeze newspaper and in The Tabula. While some stuck to traditional journalism norms of the time, others were injected with Hemingway’s signature wit and sarcasm, such as sports stories he published der the fictitious byline of Ring Lardner Jr.—an homage to the iconic, real-life Chicago sports writer Ringgold Wilmer Lardner.

He also created a fake Shotgun Club at Oak Park High, gathering his pals around for photographs with rifles (which apparently only he owned) and then fabricating entertaining stories about it in The Trapeze. Beyond his

play, played on the football team, and joined the “debating society.”

The wood-paneled, fireplace-laden room where young Hemingway tackled the debates of the day more than a century ago has since been officially designated the Hemingway room, preserved in his honor and as a testament to his le gacy

Glynis Kinnan, an Oak Park River Forest High School alumna who taught honors and AP English Literature to sophomores and seniors in the Hemingway room for 18 years, says while she didn’t teach the actual works of Hemingway often, his spirit was often invoked within those walls—especially when engaged in the art of crafting sentences.

“Like the author for whom the room is named, the room has a style and a character that makes it stand out. Students find the room itself inspiring. It makes them feel cherished, that they are individuals deserving of lovely surroundings,” Kinnan explains, adding:

“The students take particular delight in noting that the room reminds them of Hogwarts. In an era when so many public buildings and, indeed, many of the other classrooms in the school— feature bland, lifeless design based on efficiency, the Hemingway room, with its oak and tile, its stained-glass windows, its built-in wood bookshelves, offers a haven of attractiveness and distinctiveness that speaks to students’

American novelist Ernest Hemingway published some of his rst works as an Oak Park High School student, building a legacy that endures more than a century later

Reporter

Heming way’s class of 1917 in front of the former main entr

ERNEST HEMINGWAY FOUNDATION OF O A K PAK

Ernie shows o the plaque he received at graduation from OPRF High School in 1917.

self, beautiful and profoundly meaningful in ways that exceed the understanding of the merely practical or functional.”

alle gedly hating his real name), our ev clever “Ernie” Hemingway gave himself a new nickname that stuck—Papa.

is pictured with his teammates on the OPHS football team. He is in the rst row, second from the right.

OPRFHS War Veterans

flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker and his Hat-in-the-Ring (94th) Squadron in France. He and Lt. Douglas Campbell achieved the first official aerial combat victories of the war by shooting down two German planes, for which Winslow received the French Croix de Guer re. While in a dog fight on July 31, 1918, his plane was shot down and he was taken prisoner. Following the war, he entered diplomatic service and served as an executive with PanAmerican Airways.

Alan’s older brother, Paul Winslow , enlisted with the British aviation service before transferring to the American aerial headquarters in London. During his first patrol, he was separated from his squadron during a storm and found himself behind enemy lines and under attack by German planes. Running short of petrol, he switched on the engine’s emergency tank, which gave him an additional 10 minutes, but crashed into an air hangar. Following his service, he returned to Chicago to work in his father’s business

Two other local brothers, Albert and Edward Mampre, achieved renown during WWII. Albert Mampre, Class of 1940, served as a staf f sergeant in charge of medics with the historic 506th Parachute Infantry Re giment of the 101st Airborne Division, commonly referred to as Easy Company. The company was made famous in the acclaimed 2001 HBO-TV series Band of Brothers. Albert received a Purple Heart among many other medals. Following the war, he dedicated his life to fundraising for veterans and visiting critically wounded military personnel at national military hospitals. He also was in great demand as a speaker all over the world.

By Jessica MacKinnon Contributing Reporter

Ernest Hemingway is unquestionably the most famous OPRFHS veteran, but the school has produced a number of alumni who have made distinctive contributions to war ef for ts and lived exemplary lives upon their return. Hemingway, who graduated in 1917, actually did not serve as a soldier in WWI. After being turned away by the Ar my because of poor eyesight, he volunteered at the age of 18 to drive ambulances for the American Red Cross in Italy, where he was seriously injured. His experiences infor med some of his greatest work, including A Fare well to Ar ms and The Son Also Rises. He was a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War, which inspired his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls , and covered WWII for Collier’s. According to many scholars, Hemingway viewed armed conflict as the most important experience of the 20th Century.

Alan and Paul Winslow, sons of prominent Chicago businessman William Herman Winslow, served as daring aviators in WWI. Their River Forest home was one of the first in our area to be designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Alan Winslow, who graduated in 1915, flew with famed

Edward Mampre, Class of 1942, had two brushes with celebrity during the war. He served as a pilot under the command of actor Jimmy Stewart and, through Stewart, met Bing Crosby during one of the crooner’s USO tours in England. Ed flew many missions over the English Channel in the B-24 “Liberator,” a key weapon of the U.S.’s strategic bombing campaign. After the war, Ed became a mainstay in the Oak Park community, serving for several years as PTA president at Lincoln School, a Boy Scout leader, Little League coach and an official for OPRFHS track meets. He and his wife Joyce lived in the same home for 63 years and raised four children who also attended OPRFHS. According to his daughter, Pam Scully, Ed was affectionately known as the “Mayor of South Oak Park” for his extensive community involvement. In 2008, he was selected for one of the first Honor Flights from Chicago to Washington, D.C.—and was joined by his grandson, Major Aaron Scully, an Ar my pilot. Ed celebrated his 99th birthday in May.

PROVIDED

Ernest Heming way in uniform, 1918.

PROVIDED

Edward Mampre (far right) was an OPRFHS cheerleader before joining the war.

OA K PARK RIVER FOREST HISTORY MUSEUM Alan Winslow

PROVIDED

Edward Mampre ser ved as a pilot in WWII, ying the B-24 over the English Channel.

more be drafted into the Ar my. He was stationed as an airplane mechanic in the recently constructed U.S. base in Puerto Rico. He survived a har rowing flight when a plane malfunction landed him in the Pacific Ocean, where he was finally rescued after seven hours. After the war, Frank returned to OPRFHS as a 22-year-old and got his diploma in 1948 before launching his own business, Carroll Tool, named for his wife of 68 years. Ed and Carol raised four

PROVIDED

of the players who went on to play for the OPRFHS 1981 State Championship baseball team. Connie’s son Michael Hernbrott is a chip of f the old block in many ways—he served as a Marine from 1982 to 1986 and has been the head coach for Illinois State University’s hockey team for the past decade.

PROVIDED

aduates, in officially retired only five years ago and, this July, his children celebrated his 97th birthday by treating him to a flight on a 1946 Stearman biplane, which he was able to briefly fly, under the observation of a commissioned pilot, in his original WWII uniform.

Connie Hernbrott, was an outstanding OPRFHS baseball player, covering center field for the 1942 State Championship team before enlisting in the war the next year, a month after graduating. Stationed with the 491st military police, he was engaged in battles and campaigns in northern France and guarded German POWs on ships traversing the ocean from England to the U.S. After the war, he was invited to try out for the Chicago Cubs and was of fered a roster spot with the farm team in Catalina, CA but ultimately decided to come back to Oak Park and work for the post office. A letter carrier, primarily in north Oak Park, Connie turned down a number of promotions so he could watch families growing along his route and spend his afternoons coaching youth baseball. He coached several local athletic standouts, including many

PROVIDED

John Re gister, Class of 1983 and an OPRFHS Tradition of Excellence Award recipient, enlisted in the Ar my after graduating from the University of Arkansas, partially as a means of continuing the athletic success he achieved in high school and colle ge. He served for six years, including active duty during the Persian Gulf War. During his service, Re gister participated in the U.S. Ar my’s World Class Athlete Program, winning nine gold medals in the Armed Services Competition and two World Military Championships. However, in May, 1994, while training for the 1996 Olympic Games, he suffered a devastating injury that necessitated the amputation of his left leg. Refusing to let this setback keep him down, after only 18 months of rehabilitation, he competed as a swimmer in the 1996 U.S. Paralympics in Atlanta, GA and as a runner and long jumper in the 2000 games in Sydney, where he set an American record in the long jump. In 2003, he founded the USOC Paralympic Military Program, which uses sports to enhance the recovery of wounded service members. Today, Re gister remains actively involved with veterans and serves as an inspirational speaker for corporations and organizations around the country.

PROVIDED John Register served in the Gulf War a er graduating from the University of Arkansas.

PROVIDED

Frank Schi ner wore his original uniform during a 97th birthday ight in a 1946 Stearman biplane

Connie Hernbrott was an outstanding OPRFHS baseball player.

John Register, an OPRFHS Tradition of Excellence Award recipient, served active duty in the Gulf War.

Connie Hernbrott was stationed with the 491st military police dur ing WWII.

A look at how a progressive approach to education has shaped OPRF

By Susan Montgomery

Contributing Reporter

When Central School, the precursor to what we now call Oak Park and River Forest High School, was founded in 1873, “progressive educati on” was not a buzzword among educators.

Yet a progressive approach to education has shaped Oak Park and River Forest High School since early on, largely due to two pioneering educators—John Hannah, principal from 1895 to 1914, and Marion Ross McDaniel, principal from 1914 until 1939.

Hannah believed that to receive a wellrounded education, students should also challenge themselves to excel in a variety of areas, including sports and extracurricular activities. To that end, he established a physical education program for both boys and girls. And, he sought to construct a building that would support his progressive ideas, which also included a school library to replace individual classroom libraries, as well as construction of science laboratories and a large room to house the student orchestra. In 1912, he supported the creation of a student newspaper.

When Hannah left to become head of the Illinois State Board of Education, he was succeeded by McDaniel. McDaniel’s goal was to build on what Hannah began in the design of school facilities and determining the appropriate curriculum and athletic activities where students would excel. He also searched the state and nation to recruit high caliber teachers.

“His forte was building a strong faculty, people who were innovative and willing to

try new things,” says Don Vogel, retired OPRF teacher and unofficial school historian. “This goes back to the notion of trying to get students to achieve in the classroom and on the field. If you look at teachers at the time, they included John Gehleman, the English teacher who taught Ernest Hemingway. He also hired Bob Zupke, who coached the football team that won three national championships between 1910 and 1912.”

Other milestones in OPRF’s progressive education have included the offering of summer school in the early 1900s; the establishment of the Crest literary magazine and a developmental reading program to support students preparing for the college board exams in the 1950s, along with the

launch of a driver’s education program.

By the 1960s, OPRF and a few other schools nationwide were selected by the Colle ge Board to pilot early Advanced Placement courses. OPRF was identified as a national model of a comprehensive high school in a 1968 Conant Re port, a national study led by Harvard University President James Conant.

In the early 1970s, the Experimental Program, or XP, was launched as a school within a school, providing differentiated instruction as an alter native to the traditional classroom structure. The program lasted 20 years. Also in the ‘70s, a course in ethnic studies was first offered.

As the community’s population became

more racially diverse during the 1970s, OPRF’s curriculum began to reflect the diversity of its student body as well. This included the creation of a gospel choir and, later, the introduction of courses in African history and African American history.

During the 1990s, African American achievement became a focus of OPRF. The school administration collaborated with Evanston Township High School to identify racially diverse schools nationwide that were interested in sharing best practices to address this achievement gap.

The quest to excel and provide the most progressive education continues to this day to meet the ever changing needs of students, the community, and the nation.

TODD A. BANNOR

History Teacher of the Year Dr. Ty rone W. Williams and students in his classroom at OPRF High School on Sept. 7, 2023.

“This goes back to the notion of trying to get students to achieve in the classroom and on the eld.”

DON V OGEL

Historic Homecoming

OPRF High School alumni from several decades march on the football field on Friday, Sept. 22 before the Homecoming game, celebrating the school’s 150th anniversary. (Above) A family with multiple generations of OPRF grads poses proudly

PHOTO S BY TODD A. BANNOR

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PROMS OVER THE DECADES

One can see much continuity in the 150-year history of Oak Park and River Forest High School, especially when it comes to excellence, but in thinking about its racial history, it makes sense to identify two distinct periods, even two distinct schools. T he first period lasted about 100 years, a period with no racial inte gration to speak of; the second emerged after the Fair Housing Act of 1968, passed seven days after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., be g an to have its impact on Oak Park and River Forest. T he school’s motto, “Those Things That Are Best,” has continued to define the aspirations of the school, but while “best” was synonymous with “excellent” during the earlier period, in the current era the school’s bywords have become “excellence and equity.”

The first OPRFHS was a remarkably successful sorting institution, funneling students through its four years so that the relatively few students remaining in honors track classes senior year reached the highest levels of academic excellence and attended the nation’s elite colleges and universities, making OPRF one of the top performing schools by any measure, not only in the state, but nationwide. Further, in its quest to turn out wellrounded students, OPRF provided rich extracurricular offerings. The school’s superb music groups of fered concerts locally, sometimes in national venues, and even on concert tours through Europe. Theater productions drew large local audiences and excelled in state competitions. Athletic teams won state championships in nearly every sport, sometimes gaining national reco gnition. Without question, the most important influence in making the early OPRF what it became was Marion Ross McDaniel, superintendent from 1912 until his death in 1939. Under McDaniel, the school developed, in the words of Don Offermann in his doctoral dissertation on McDaniel, “a culture in which there were academic and athletic winners and losers and no apolo gies for the latter, for losers themselves had decided to take the road to failure by their lack of energ y, ef fort, and enthusiasm,” and, according to Offermann, himself OPRF superintendent from 1992-1999, “The

Essay: Addressing race and equity at OPRF

By Steven Gevinson

values McDaniel cultivated in the school culture reflected the values of the community.”

When it came to race, those values revealed themselves most clearly during an episode in 1937 involving OPRF’s undefeated football team, which some called the best prep football team in the country, and Lewis Pope, a star in the offensive backfield and one of the few Black students to attend OPRF before the 1970s. At season’s end, Miami Central High School in Florida challenged OPRF to meet in Miami for a “national championship game,” but would not host a team with a Black player. OPRF received several communications, including letters from Percy Julian and the New York City chapter of the NAACP, urging the school to reject the invitation, but McDaniel wanted the team to play and had the OPRF head coach ask Pope to stay home while the rest of the team traveled to Miami, which he ag reed to do. In 1936, African American track star Jesse

Owens had humiliated Hitler and his racial theories by winning four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics; in the summer of 1937, African American boxer Joe Lewis had won the world heavyweight championship; but in the fall of 1937, to play a football game for a fantasy high school championship, OPRF surrendered to the Jim Crow South. The game ended in a tie, but along the long arc of the moral universe, history has judged the school and community of the day as retrog rade losers.

In 1996, OPRF invited Lew Pope back to the school to honor him with a Tradition of Excellence Award. Much had changed. The school’s Black population had grown from a fraction of one percent throughout its first century to about 27 percent by the nineties, with another several percent identifying themselves as mixed race. The school no longer aspired to winnow winners from losers but strove instead to individualize instruction to the extent resources allowed, enshrining in its first strategic plan in 1994 the overarching goal of providing a superior education to all students to enable them to realize their human potential. Adopting this goal was a signal moment in a movement, beginning in the seventies, gathering much steam by the nineties, and attaining unchallenged dominance in the first decades of the 21st century, aimed at achieving racial equity along with academic excellence. Indeed, throughout the 50-year history of the second OPRFHS, the school has enacted many concrete initiatives in service of explicit school policies in its ef for ts to bring educational excellence to the life of each of its students.

The sidebar to this article contains a partial list of the equity-related effor ts the school has made, especially from

Spoken Word reunion in August.

English teacher at OPRF from 1978-2010, Division Head 2002-10; School Board Member 2013-2017; parent of three OPRF graduates

LEWIS POPE

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CongratulationstoOakParkandRiverForestHighSchoolon150yearsofdedication toeducation,excellence,andcommunity!

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ADDRESSING RACE

from page B23

the 1990s on. An account of the successes and failures of these undertakings is far beyond the scope of this article, but the list may provide a sense of the approaches the school has taken on equity issues in recent decades.

In my early years at OPRF, as we began to reco gnize significant gaps in student success on a racial basis, I along with many like-minded members of the staf f felt that if there were a school in the country that could eliminate these gaps, OPRF, with its desire, expertise, resources, and commitment, was it. But by the mid-nineties when Superintendent Offermann initiated an ambitious, 10-year, gap-closing program for which, he announced, “failure [was] not an option,” I had come to understand that the task would require much more than this high school’s desire, expertise, resources, commitment, a well-intentioned program, and a motivational slogan, and I had become certain that the program’s failure was not only an option but inevitable. The problems of inequity in American society run deep, and it is far beyond the capacity of a high school to solve them. Yet, as the various measures of academic outcomes continue to disappoint us on a macro scale, the school’s many worthy ef for ts to address the issues have often brought appreciable educational successes. The more we have committed to the project, the better have been the results. Some strategies have been more effective than others, the idea being to evaluate, then expand, improve, or eliminate, as appropriate. But in these early decades of OPRF 2.0, innumerable individual students have benefited greatly from the school’s ef forts, in many cases their lives immeasurably improved. I’ve seen the results on the human, personal level; I’ve heard the moving testimonials from the heart; I’ve appreciated the complex process of a homogeneous, high-performing school remaking itself into a welcoming, diverse, high-performing school to which every student fully belongs. Decision makers at OPRF have understood that even a great school can do only so much, but it must do as much of the so-much as possible. OPRF has made manifold, focused institutional ef for ts to transform its proud early history into a prouder, evolving tradition. If the ef for ts continue, and the progressive OPRF spirit catches on throughout our society and its schools, the day may come, on another big anniversary, when all Oak Parkers and River Foresters will look at the results of the ongoing, honorable work of this venerable, estimable school with immense satisfaction.

EQUITY-RELATED INITIATIVES ( PA R TIAL LIST)

Diversity Training

• ADL’s A World of Difference Prog ram

• Kochman Group

• Local facilitators as part of 1996-2006 prog ram

• Courageous Co nversations About Race (CCAR)

• Numerous visiting speakers and facilitators

• Numerous professional development sessions and workshops

Research

• Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) research studies and conferences

• Consultation with local researchers

• African American Achievement committees and re ports

• Consortium for Educational Change (CEC) curriculum and conferences

• CEC Book Club

• Collaborative Action Research for Racial Equity (CARE)

Goal Setting

• 1994 Strategic Plan

• 2017 Strategic Plan

• Racial Equity Policy

Networks

• CEC

• CEC Four-District Network

• MSAN

• Illinois Coalition of Educational Equity Leaders (ICEEL)

• Illinois Par tners of Educators for Inclusion and Equity (IPEIE)

• MSAN Intersectional Social Justice Collaborative for High School Students

Curriculum & Instruction

• African American History

• African History

• African American Literature A

• World Studies

• Multicultural Literature inclusion

• Project Scholar

• Colle ge Prep Scholar

• Clustering in Honors classes

• Collaborative Teaching Model

• 4-for-100 school-within-a-school

• Team-teaching in Transitions and Colle ge Prep classes

• Social-Emotional Learning

• Numerous divisional ef forts, e.g., Learning Teams

• Student Support Program (SSP)

• Response to Intervention (RTI)

• Standardized test prep classes

• Summer School bridge prog ram

• Numerous Reading programs

• Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

• “Honors for All”

• AP African American Studies Pilot

• Equity and Youth Action

Co -c urricular

• Gospel Choir

• Blacks Organized for Student Support (BOSS)

• Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR)

• Spoken Word Poetry Club

• Black Leaders Union (BLU)

• Hip-Hop Club

Discipline

• Evolution of Dean/Counseling/Student Support system

• Behavior Education Plan (BEP)

• Culture, Climate, and Behavior Committee (CCB)

• Trauma-Infor med Interventions and Restorative Practices

Student Recognition

• Human Relations Award

• Student Hero Award

Mentoring & Coaching

• Senior Instructional Leadership Corps (SILC)

• Peer mentors

• Motivational Mentorship Prog ram

• Peer coaches

• Racial Equity Coach

Personnel

• Minority recruitment and retention work

• Director of Employee Relations and Recruitment

• Additions of student support personnel

• Office of Equity and Student Success

Community Outreach

• African American Parents for Purposeful Leadership in Education (APPLE)

• National African American Parent Involvement Dinner (NAAPID)

• Community Council

• Community Outreach Coordinator

Decision makers at OPRF have understood that even a great school can do only so much, but it must do as much of the so-much as possible.

Oak Park River Forest Museum’s Exhibit: Ever Changing, Yet the Same OPRF High School at 150 opens

The grand opening of the exhibit dedicated to the 150th Anniversary of OPRF High School will be held on Oct. 4 at 6 p.m., and the exhibit will be open until the end of 2025.

The new exhibit will feature memorabilia, yearbooks, school spirit wear from throughout the decades, photos, dance bids, scrapbooks, and a wide range of other artifacts that will help tell the rich story of Oak Park and River Forest High School, which enrolled its first students in 1873 in a classroom at Lake and Forest and graduated its first three alumni in 1877.

T he exhibit will curate milestones and moments along the way as the institution gradually grew from one classroom to its imposing campus, a diverse student body, its wide-ranging academic and cocurricular offerings, and its Tradition of Excellence.

The exhibit was developed with the gen-

erous support of a Park and River Forest High School Alumni Association and in partnership with the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee, comprised of faculty dents and alumni.

Visitors will be invited to find out more about some of OPRF’s notable and add their own stories to a that used to be located in the OPRF High School Library.

The exhibit will feature a of OPRF history and colorful banners which will break down the “big picture” of 150 years of tradition and innovation into smaller chunks. A large collection of memorabilia from the OPRF High School Archives (loaned to OPRF Museum in 2021) and from the Historical Society’s collection will show just how much the Huskies have changed through the decades and yet how entrenched traditions still echo from

earlier decades and impact the students of the 2020s.

OPRF senior Anna Miller worked as a paid intern for the project thanks to the Alumni Association funding, which also supported graphic and design work by

Museum Explorer, a Berwyn-based firm owned by a 1977 OPRF graduate.

“Ever Changing, Yet the Same …” is a line from the “Oak Park Hymn” (sometimes called the Alma Mater).

“We thought that line really captures OPRF Lipo, OPRF “Continuity every activities like sports and clubs and dances providing trathe same time each new cohort of students brings their unique skills and the school in new dievent m., with a rib-

OPRF Museum, located in an 1898 forStreet enue a few blocks east of dnesdays drop-in by ap-

IMAGES COURTESY OF OA K PARK RIVER FOREST MUSEUM

OPRF High School items on displ ay at the OPRF Museum.

Throughout its 150 year history there has probably been no time that Oak Park and River Forest High School received more attention nationwide than during the fall of 2018 when the 10-part docuseries America to Me aired on Sunday nights on the Starz network. America to Me was directed by then Oak Park resident Steve James, a noted documentary filmmaker who had made such highly re garded films as Hoop Dreams, The inter rupters and Life Itself

America to Me focused on the experiences of Black students at OPRF and was controversial within OPRF The school administration had strongly opposed allowing James access to the school to film students but in 2015 the school board voted 6-1 to allow James to film at OPRF. Sharon Patchak-Layman was the only board member to vote against approving the contract with Kartemquin Films. Even now, some at OPRF are reluctant to talk about the series.

James followed 10 Black or mixed race students, and midway through the 2015-16 school year, added 2 white students.

“When we started the project, I was not thinking of following white kids,” James recently told the Wednesday Journal.

James wanted to focus on the experience of Black students at OPRF but for mer OPRF administrator Chala Holland and for mer school board member Jackie Moore convinced James that he should include some white students to get a fuller picture. James said that it was hard to find white families that would allow their children to be filmed because they feared being the poster child for white privilege.

America to Me is an unvarnished look at the students’ lives and their experiences at OPRF, focusing a lot of attention on racial disparities.

“I’m very happy with it,” James said. “I think it’s a completely fair and honest portrayal of the reality of that school and that community around these issues. And the series isn’t all negative, it shows inspired teachers and kids who are incredible and who are having a great experience there. This is not some expose of Oak Park and OPRF at all.”

mates come up to me and be like ‘oh I saw you on TV,’” Buford recalled. “It felt like someone was reading my diary.”

Buford said that she thought America to Me accurately captured life at OPRF, at least for her.

Although the administration opposed allowing James access to the school to film once the school board voted to allow James and his camera crews in, administrators cooperated with him. But then-Superintendent Steven Isoye and Principal Nathanial Rouse and other top administrators refused to be interviewed by James for the series.

A Documentary that Captured a Moment in Time

By Bob Skolnik | Contributing Reporter

the second semester. Throughout the year James could not film in the faculty cafeteria and could only film in classrooms if the teacher allowed it

Sullivan is one of the few top administrators at OPRF from 2015-16 who is still at the school. Isoye announced during the year of filming that he would leave OPRF for a job as the superintendent of Niles School District 219. Isoye is now the chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education having been appointed to that post last year by Gov. JB Pritzker. Rouse resigned as principal OPRF in 2019, a few months after America to Me aired. Rouse first took a dean’s position at Bartlett High School and is now the Director of Equity, Race & Cultural Diversity for Barrington District 220. Many believe that Isoye’s and Rouse’s departures from OPRF were connected to America to Me.

America to Me was also divisive among the faculty. Some supported allowing cameras into the school while others opposed it in public comments made at the 2015 school board meeting before the board voted to approve the contract with Kartemquin Films which gave James and his crews access to the school.

Jada Buford, was a senior who James followed and filmed. Buford, who is now studying film in a master’s degree program at Columbia University, said although it seemed strange at first to have a camera crew follow her around at school, she soon got used to it

“It was, I want to say, kind of surreal,” Buford recalled in a telephone interview with the Wednesday Journal. “It was kind of uncomfortable at first, but once you get used to the cameras it kind of feels like they’re not there.”

The cameras captured some uncomfortable moments she had with a teacher

By the time the series aired on Starz, Buford was a student at Howard University. She was surprised by her new found notoriety

“It would be a little bit weird because I would have class-

“For some, having film crews in the building on a regular basis was exciting, but in many ways it was challenging to our educational mission,” said Karin Sullivan, the Executive Director of Communications at OPRF in an email. “Three teams of filmmakers were here for a full school year, and by the end, there were well over 700 entries on the filming schedule. The filmmakers’ goal was to have unfettered access to as many spaces as they possibly could, while our goal as a school was to protect the educational environment. The Superintendent, chair of the Faculty Senate, and I had weekly meetings with the filmmakers, and there is no doubt that we had some clashes around these different objectives.”

James said that the administration was mostly cooperative but tried to limit some access as the filming moved into

One teacher who emerged as something of a star of America to Me was young English teacher Jessica Stovall. Her attempts to connect with one of her students and her frustrations with administrators are shown in vivid and emotional detail. Stovall also is no longer at OPRF. She resigned her teaching position at OPRF in 2018 to pursue a doctorate in education at Stanford. This fall Stovall is beginning a job as a professor at the University of Wisconsin.

John Condne, a veteran film teacher at OPRF who is currently on leave, served as the producer for America to Me and was the impetus for the series.

In an interview with the Wednesday Journal after his documentary on Roger Ebert, Life itself, was released James, the father of three OPRF graduates, said that he was interested in making a documentary about race and OPRF but assumed that the school would never allow him to film in the school. Conde, who also has his own production company, read that interview and encouraged James to approach school officials and propose doing a film noting that it was

See AMERICA TO ME on pa ge B33

“I think it ’s a completely fair and honest portrayal of the reality of that school and that community around these issues.”

STEVE JAMES

America to Me

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from page B31

the school board, not the administration, who had the final say.

Conde is happy with the way America to Me turned out.

“I thought it turned out amazing,” Conde said. “What I was super pleased with is how we were really able to tell and show the lives of these students and what they were going through. Yes it was about race, yes it was about achievement, but it was also about just looking into the lives of high school students and what they’re actually doing and going through.”

Tom Cofsky, the only current member of the OPRF school board who was on the board when it voted to allow James to film at the school, said he doesn’t re gret his vote, except for one thing

“The one re gret that I do have is that if it caused some of our employees angst and made their life a little more difficult you don’t want to wish that on them, but in terms of actually doing it I have no re grets at all,” Cofsky said.

Cofsky said that he learned a lot from

watching America to Me.

“It gave me a lens that I didn’t see and I had five kids who went through this school,” Cofsky said. “I think it was benefi-

cial in the big picture of exposing things and learning things.”

Cofsky noted that the series was not a comprehensive look at OPRF

“It was through the eyes of our students of color,” Cofsky said. “They re present a fraction of our students but this was their lens and I thought it was well done.”

Sullivan says that she believes America to Me opened a lot of eyes, especially in Oak Park, about the persistence of racial disparities and whose responsibility it is to address those issues.

“I think the biggest impact was on the white members of our community—and I say that as a white person who moved to Oak Park 30 years ago in no small part because I valued its diversity,” Sullivan said in an email. “Oak Park was a pioneer in deliberately fostering racial integration back in the 1970s; I think a lot of us thought that history automatically made us a progressive, anti-racist community. America to Me opened a lot of white peoples’ eyes to the racism that people of color endure every day, not just in school but in our community. It’s not enough to have good intentions. As white people, we have to reco gnize and be willing to actively disrupt racial microaggressions whenever we see them. I think the series made a lot of people realize that becoming a racially just community takes a lot of hard, deliberate, ongoing work by ALL of us, not just the high school.”

Filmmaker Steve James and members of his production team shot for a year at OPRF during the 2015-16 school year for their 10-part documentary series, “America to Me.” e

result is a fascinating, metaphorical, non-judgmental exploration of race in America

A History of News: e Trapeze

By Mary Andolina and Sadie Collins Current Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor of The Trapeze

As Oak Park and River Forest High School celebrates its 150th anniversary, its rich history continues to be re presented by the student newspaper The Trap eze. The paper, founded in 1912, originally had four pages per issue, each with news and columns. Ernest Hemingway was an early re porter for The Trapeze when he was in high school in 1913-1917.

An OPRF Memorial History book (1976) said that The Trapeze was founded “to give the news of the school and its affiliated organizations in a spicy, clever. and altogether interesting manner.”

It was distributed every other Friday. By the 1940s, the paper expanded to 8 pages, and became weekly. In 1993, according to The Chicago Tribune, the Trapeze was awarded the highly prestigious re gional and national Peacemaker award.

Throughout history, the newspaper has covered important national and local issues. During the Vietnam war, re porters infor med students about the draft. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper covered mask mandates and cases in the community.

day, T he Trapez e distributes monthly 12-page papers with News, tures, Sports, Arts and Entertainment, and Opinion sections.

Although sponsored by the school, the paper has relatively free rein over what to publish and whether or not to criticiz e the administration. Head of communications, Karin Sullivan said “The administration really doesn’t get involved.”

“Students should have the freedom to speak up when they disag ree, and the student newspaper is an important for um for doing that,” said Sullivan.

The students operate a fairly traditional newspaper, with a team of editors overseen by an editor-in-chief and a faculty advisor, Kate Hawley. The student staffers and editors meet every day during a class period.

“When we protect student journalism, we

protect not only the future of journalism, but an important aspect of local journalism that is often overlooked,” said Hawley

“Listening and responding to student voice(s) is a fundamental value of our high school,” said Sullivan.

Any willing student can contribute to The Trapeze through monthly contributor meetings, which allows interested students to participate even if they are not currently taking the class.

The students’ coverage of school board meetings and administrative changes allows for the student body to stay infor med on important information.

Despite a highly digital News world, The

tion to the distribution, the paper has a re gularly updated website and an Instagram account.

In the rush of a Monday morning, members of The Trapeze class hand out newspapers to the thousands of students coming in through all entrances of OPRF.

“It’s pretty chaotic,” said Junior Alice Cadwell about distribution day. “I like to

Fothlete in Focus, a Trapez e special, highlights a different exceptional student athlete every edition.

From the crossword to the horoscopes, The Trapeze has something for every student.

“We’re really proud to have such an excellent student newspaper,” Sullivan said, “we’re happy that OPRF has the resources to suppor t such a robust publication.”

celebrates the beauty of the 150-year-old school

The “Our Time to Grow ” mural was commissioned to commemorate the school’s sesquicentennial anniversar y

Reliable, respectful, responsible are the three core values proudly displayed on the colorful mosaic mural Oak Park and River Forest High School dedicated on Monday in a special ribbon cutting event.

Held at the high school, faculty, staf f and students gathered on Monday evening to celebrate the “Our Time to Grow” mural, which was commissioned to commemorate the school’s sesquicentennial anniversary.

In attendance to celebrate the special moment, Superintendent Greg Johnson

it was the partnership between the school and community organizations that worked together to make the mosaic mural possible.

Largely funded by the Huskie Booster Club, which donated $50,000 toward the le gacy item, the remaining expenses, which were estimated to be a little more than $90,000, were covered by the Oak Park Area Arts Council.

The sesquicentennial mural was commissioned by OPRF art teacher and mosaic artist Tracy Van Duinen in partnership

See MURAL on pa ge B38

OPRF Art teacher Tracy Van Dienen cel ebrated the 150th anniversary of OPRF alongside artist Carolyn Elaine and students from the O the Wall summer program.

AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ

MURAL

from page B37

with local artist Carolyn Elaine and the Oak Park Area Arts Council’s Of f the Wall ogram. The latter hires OPRF students the summer to help design and construct murals around Oak Park. This summer’s project was the OPRF mural.

To fully understand the significance of the mural, one should read it left to right, said Johnson. Starting of f on the right side, a giant tree re presenting the start and ending of the school year is showcased with leaves blowing in the wind. Those leaves lead into a husky’s face, the mascot of the high school and a point of pride for the athletics department. The mural also includes the year the school was founded, 1873, leaves that read “reliable,” “respectful,” and “responsible,” and, over the entrance to the south hall, the school’s motto “those things that are best” displayed in ancient Greek.

an Duinen, who worked alongside 14 students and recent OPRF graduates in the OPRF auto shop, said it was a great eeling to be on the other side of the proj-

JAVIER GOVEA

e completed mural was unveiled on the west side of the school this fall.

ect and to finally g et to see the whole thing come to g ether

“It was a lot of work, but we had a really great team to get it all done so I wasn’t worried,” Van Duinen said. “It’s nice to be on this side of projects like these and to be here celebrating and having the community enjoy it.”

The project also provided Van Duinen a “full-circle” experience — the beloved art teacher plans to retire in the next three years.

“For a community based artist like me I always put a piece up in the community and then walk away Van Duinen said. “Here, I am around it every day with the kids that I did it with so that is a special feeling. It is a new experience for me.”

Because both began their art careers around the same time and have been longtime friends, working alongside Elaine was also a meaningful experience, Van Duinen said.

For mer OPRF student Hasani Cannon, 23, also had a hand in the mural. T he 2018 graduate has been working with Of f the

Wall since he was a sophomore at the high school.

“It was definitely surreal, coming back here every day and seeing how the school has literally changed right in front of my eyes,” Cannon said, adding that working with current OPRF students and his mer art teacher was his full-circle moment.

OPRF parent and local art teacher Brooks Middle School, Kristi Mury, whose son helped with the mural, said she was really excited to be able to see the mural up close.

“I love that Oak Park Area Arts Council gives students the opportunity to be a working artist,” Murray said, adding that being able to work on the mural solidified her son’s desire to pursue a career in the arts.

According to Van Duinen, the whole mosaic mural took about three and a half weeks to install.

The mural can be seen by the high school entrance of f of East Avenue as well as by driving down Linden Avenue.

AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ

OPRF students worked with mosaic tiles and mi rrors to build the mural in celebr ation of the 150th anniversar y of OPRF.

OPRF discovered a custodian was a former Nazi

How would they handle it?

By Elizabeth Short Contributing Reporter

After the end of World War Two, an estimated 10,000 Nazi war criminals made their way into the United States. One of those 10,000 worked as an OPRF custodian for over two decades.

In 1957, for mer SS guard Reinhold Kulle illegally immigrated to the United States. His family started a new life in Forest Park, and in 1959 OPRF hired Kulle as a custodian. In 1963, he was promoted to chief night custodian.

“When his shift started (at 3:30), he would go into teachers’ classrooms, shake their hand, and ask if they needed anything. He made sure anything they needed was covered,” said Michael Soffer, OPRF graduate and Holocaust studies teacher. “He was a really, really good custodian. He worked so hard that some of his colleagues complained that they were missing opportunities for overtime.” This spring, Soffer will be publishing a book with the University of Chicago Press about Kulle and the community

Kulle’s contact with students was limited, but he frequently interacted with students who participated in the theater program or during school dances.

By the time educator, advocate, and organizer RaeLynne Toperoff moved to Oak Park in 1973, Kulle had been chief night custodian for a decade. In the early 1970s, the village experienced a period of great change. Housing prices dropped, and people like Toperoff– “people who were looking for a liberal, progressive, on-the-move community”–flocked to the community. Toperoff compared life in Oak Park to “living in paradise.”

“I was absolutely astounded by how intelligent people were; the people that I somehow had the good fortune to land in their midst,” said Toperoff. “So many brilliant people that cared so deeply about the community.”

One morning in 1983, as Toperoff read through the morning paper–“I think it was the Tribune”–she saw an article that made her “bolt upright.”

The article was about that day’s federal court proceedings, and said there was a judicial hearing scheduled to determine if Kulle lied on his immigration papers about being a member of the SS.

When she realized who the man was, Toperoff decided to

take action. She called her friend Rima Schultz, who was working from home, and the two rushed to take the green line downtown to witness the public hearing. Soon the two were re gularly attending these hearings and became more familiar with Kulle’s past.

Kulle, born in Germany in 1921, grew up a member of the Hitler Youth. In 1940, he volunteered to join the Waffen-SS, “the lead Nazi paramilitary group that was largely responsible for many of the atrocities the Nazis committed against various groups including Jews, POWs, Roman Sinti, homosexuals,” said Soffer

In August 1942, Kulle was transferred to the concentration camp Gross-Rosen, where he worked as a guard and a training leader. Of the estimated 120,000 prisoners who entered the concentration camp between 1940 and 1945, 40,000 died. While working at the slave labor camp, Kulle earned two promotions

After learning of Kulle’s past, Toperoff and Schultz went to the OPRF administration and met individually with

PROVIDED

Reinhold Kulle, a former head custodian at Oak Park and River Forest High School.

Board of Education members in an attempt to put the custodian on paid leave

“We made presentations at the School District 200 board,” said Toperoff. “Everybody said we want to wait and see how the ‘trial’ turns out.”

Toperoff pointed out that it was not a “trial,” but rather a judicial hearing. When Kulle was originally called in for questioning in August 1982, his identity as a for mer SS guard was confir med. “He didn’t deny anything,” said Soffer

While attending the hearings, Toperoff witnessed community members express “love and adoration” for the custodian. She recalls one OPRF employee claiming to have “even more respect for (Kulle)” after hearing of his past.

Toperoff and Schultz continued to push the administration to take action, working with local organizations to raise awareness and bringing Holocaust survivors to speak at Board meetings. “They kept saying, no hard evidence,” said Toperoff. “Yada yada yada.”

Eventually, the two women gathered a group of citizens and “decided to go to the Board of Education and ask if they felt that it was within OPRF school policy to employ somebody who was a for mer member of the Nazi SS. If they said yes to that, then that would be a terrible admission. If they said no, they would have to terminate Kulle because his employment would be a conflict with district policy,” said Toperoff “And that’s eventually what happened.”

In January 1984, the school announced that at the end of the school year, Kulle would be placed on a terminal leave of absence. In November, a judge ordered Kulle to be deported to Ger many.

Before the affair, “Oak Park was so good at addressing problems before they became visible,” said Toperoff, and many community leaders lacked experience with an unexpected scandal of this size. Local media outlets, including the Wednesday Journal, failed to accurately report on the situation and often defended Kulle, said Soffer

“Nobody wanted to take (the issue) on,” said Toperoff. “They wanted us to go away.” To some, Toperoff said she became the “village idiot” or a “witch.”

“Why were we the issue, instead of the issue being the issue,” said Toperoff

“Oak Park is a community that prides itself on its ideals,” said Soffer. “Sometimes our ideals place us in personally uncomfortable situations where our ideals come in conflict with our friendships…It’s really hard to do the right thing. Oak Park did not live up to its ideals, but RaeLynne Toperoff and Rima Schultz made sure that it did.”

“I don’t mind being remembered as being angry,” said Toperoff, “as long as I’m remembered as being determined and trying to have some principles.” Later, she reflected on the events in an email: “What happened to us as individuals was insignificant against what happened to us as a community.”

e Wednesday Journal in 1984 repor ted on the Reinhold Kulle scandal.

“Sometimes our ideals place us in personally uncomfortable situations where our ideals come in con ict with our friendships.”

MICHAEL SOFFER

Kimberly J Wojack (‘77) 708-837-4142

Kim.wojack@bairdwarner.com kimwojack.bairdwarner.com

Anne Ferri 708-267-2113

anne.ferri@bairdwarner.com anneferri.bairdwarner.com

Five Generations of Huskies

It’s not unusual to see generations of Oak Park and River Forest residents who have attended OPRF. Some lucky students find themselves in classes helmed by instructors who taught their parents. Families of Huskies have a lot of bonds to celebrate.

Current OPRF Science Teacher Libby Kane’s family is one of those families that has a deep connection to OPRF High School. A 2012 graduate of the school, she and her siblings Jay and Paige are the fifth generation of the family to attend OPRF. Her great, great grandfather Clarence Fox started the family tradition when he graduated in 1886. Will the family tradition stretch on to a sixth generation and beyond? Only time will tell.

(Le to right) omas W. Hoagland, (Libby’s maternal grandfather), Amy Hoagland Kane, class of 1982 (center), Marcia McNeill Libby class of 1960 (Libby’s maternal grandmother).

John J. Kane and Amy H. Kane, class of 1982 and high school sweethearts (Libby’s parents), in their 1979 OPRF Homecoming photo.

Rober t A. Hoagland and Gertrude I. Fox, both class of 1928 (Libby’s maternal great grandparents).

(Above: Le to right) Elizabeth “Libby” Kane, class of 2012, with her brother John “Jay” Kane, class of 2023, and sister Paige Kane, class of 2015.

Clarence E. Fox, class of 1886 (Libby’s maternal greatgreat grandfather)

Mabel A. Fox, wife of Clarence (Libby’s maternal greatgreat grandmother)

New Exhibit Tells Story of OPRF High School at 150

The

An ode to thos e awful room numbers

I was going to find the answers that had been tormenting me since I began my time as a Huskie.

By Elizabeth Short Contributing Reporter

The 2021-2022 school year marked the end of an iconic OPRF tradition: the impossibly confusing room number system. Rather than being pelted by pennies on their first day of high school, as legend has it, OPRF freshmen found themselves in a much more difficult situation.

I was unfortunate enough to be a freshman at OPRF before 2021, and I remember feeling so powerless against it all; following signs that pointed me to rooms that weren’ t there and watching in disbelief as a hallway just over skipped the room number that was on my schedule. At least I knew to never, ever ask upperclassmen for directions.

This experience, and so many others like it, lives in generations of OPRF memories. I thought no section about the school’s history would be complete without mention of its old room numbering system. As I began writing this article, I was determined to find an explanation behind how they possibly came up with the old system.

After poring through the OPRF history museum’s archives, however, I realized there was not much to be found. The system most likely came to be in 1967, after the building’s largest renovation to date. Since 1907, the school has seen more than a dozen large renovation projects, so all hopes of having an easy-to-navigate building died long ago.

Somehow, however, the new numbering system does seem to actually make some sense. OPRF sophomore Madeline Walski told me about her experience over text.

“I honestly like the numbering system,” she said. “When I first started at OPRF all I really knew about the numbering system was that the system had changed. I wasn’t and still am not exactly sure when the numbering system was changed, but this way works well.”

e halls of Oak Park and River Forest High School

Does she even go to OPRF?

Growing up in Oak Park, I heard tales of the high school’s winding halls that were absolutely impossible to navigate. I could never imagine a version of myself who would carry herself confidently through that terrifying beige building. But time flies by; all of a sudden it was the spring of my sophomore year, and I advised my younger friends on how to make their way through the school.

Returning to school after the pandemic, my classmates and I entered an OPRF that we did not reco gnize. Senior year in 2021 was weird, and the new room numbers didn’t help

But my peers and I knew the old OPRF. The person sitting next to you in physics might have had different taste in music or opinions on Kanye West or plans for after high school, but we all understood the hopelessness of the OPRF freshmen on that first day navigating the paperclip. My OPRF was so different from the OPRF I looked forward to when I was in elementary school. Now I’m older and that version of OPRF is just in my memory. Things I thought were given went away, and I got so much more than I could ever imagine. I never actually did get to point the confused freshman in the wrong direction, and that’s okay.

In an e or t to make OPRF easier to navigate, the school lost its most iconic hazing ritual

Since 1907, the school has seen more than a dozen large renovation projects, so all hopes of having an easy-to-navigate building died long ago.

OPRF Alum Returns to High School, Musical in Hand

By Kelly Pollock

Contributing Reporter

On May 5, 2023, Oak Park and River Forest High School was the site of the world premiere of the musical X-Men: Mad Av enue written by Riley Thomas and directed by Michelle Bayer. It ran for two weekends and played to nearly sold-out crowds in the Little Theatre.

Thomas grew up in Rive

Woods. I say ‘surprisingly’ because that’s not who I am anymore. That role was before my growth spurt. Now I’m a pretty large man.”

Thomas attended Baldwin Wallace University and majored in music theatre but soon realized that he didn’t want to act anymore. “What I liked about acting was the storytelling. But as an actor, the only tool you have to tell a story is yourself. As a writer, you are worldbuilding and creating. Coming out of olle , I ealized that I

And Thomas has had other successes with a total of four off-Broadway shows.

All of which led him back to the doors of his alma mater when he contacted Bayer, the chair of the performing arts department. Thomas told her that he wanted to write something to be premiered at OPRF and wondered if she was interested. “I knew that Stuck had gotten good rece ption. And it would be a great opportunity for our kids. Why wouldn’t I say yes?” she said.

Once Bayer greenlit a world premiere, Thomas needed an idea. He had always wanted to write an X-Men musical. “I’m a huge Marvel nerd and I love the characters. I think it’s a great subject matter because

it’s so re presentative of civil rights. Plus the characters are diverse, well-known, and larger-than-life.”

He had some contacts at Disney who “agreed to look the other way” with the understanding that Thomas was interested in collaborating with them further. “They let me write the show and perform it at OPRF with certain stipulations. It’s just a threepage agreement.”

Workshopping the musical with the cast was a great experience. “I fell in love with all the kids,” said Thomas. He works a full-time job in New York as a professional

PROVIDED

OPRF students perform in the premier of alum Riley omas’ X-Men: Mad Avenue.

PROVIDED

omas was thrilled to return to his own high school for the premier of his original show. See X-MEN on pa ge B47

RILE Y THOMAS

from page B45

puzzle designer and flew back and for th every week to attend rehearsals and then took vacation time for three weeks leading up to opening night.

“The kids were so focused and so professional and so supportive of each other. It felt like a normal rehearsal process to me,” said Thomas. “What was different was the incredibly powerful feeling of being in the same green room that I rehearsed in and the same theater that I performed in over twenty years ago. It was a nostalgic feeling that I haven’t experienced anywhere else.”

Bayer thought it was a great show for the high school with sixteen leading roles and an eightperson ensemble. “It was a young cast with mostly freshmen and sophomores and just a few juniors and so we could feature kids who haven’t been highlighted in our shows before,” she said. “Riley was editing and adding and changing all the way through rehearsals, but the kids were amazing. Stuf f came to them on the fly and they just

did it. In fact, we didn’t get the last song until a week before the show opened.”

“It was a great experience for the kids. One, they got to work with someone who works in the New York theater industry; two, he is an alum of their high school; and three, they got to be the first ones to have ever done something,” said Bayer. “They worked very hard to master this super dynamic script and I’m so proud of them.”

When asked about the future of the show, Thomas doesn’t harbor any delusions of grandeur. “I don’t think it’s going to Broadway. My greatest aspiration for the show is an educational license where they let the show be done in schools. I want as many people as possible to perform it. And I love the message that’s summed up in the final number ‘The Light.’”

“It’s a message that we’ve heard over and over and over again, but now it’s packaged in a nice, superhero musical. Essentially, what are the choices you’re going to make that

make the world a better place for people who are disenfranchised? It’s very timely, unfortunately, because that’s what we do as a culture. We clash with anyone who is different from us.”

will

According to omas, the high school students were incredibly professional as they staged the Mar vel-themed musical.

“I’m a huge Marvel nerd and I love the characters. I think it ’s a great subject matter because it ’s so representative of civil rights. Plus the characters are diverse, well-known, and larger-than-life.”

RILE Y THOMAS

From the phantom jukebox to the oating girl: OPRF’s ghost stories

A discussion with the OPRF ghost stor y expert reveals the building’s ancient secrets

By Elizabeth Short Contributing Reporter

Hunting for stories of OPRF’s ghosts is nearly as difficult as ghost hunting itself, as these stories hide in the shadows and often jump out at those who never sought them in the first place. Rumors about paranormal activity are passed among students–whispers about a haunted water fountain or a second floor hallway to avoid at night–yet it can be difficult to distinguish rumor from urban legend…and urban legend from the truth.

After hours spent scouring the internet and attempts to interview staf f members who refused to tell their stories, I had only one lead: a 2012 Wednesday Journal article. Of a supposed OPRF “phantom,” the article said “(OPRF) security cameras captured a ‘wooshing’ sound.” The article also cites “rumors of a Huskie Hulk.”

But just as I thought I had reached a dead end, my friend knew what I should do: “Reach out to Mr. Ganschow!”

After attending OPRF as a student and working at the school for 24 years, English teacher and Tabula supervisor Daniel Ganschow has become keeper of OPRF’s seven legendary ghost stories and was the only source willing to share the lore.

“The only folks that have knowledge of these stories have either retired, work elsewhere, or don’t want to talk about them,” he said in an email.

When Ganschow began working at OPRF, he had the opportunity to see some of the more mysterious par ts of the school he had heard about as a student. “I’d heard crazy stories about tunnels here and there, secret walls, and secret stairwells,” said Ganschow. The hunt soon went beyond the physical and to the paranormal.

“I grew up with ghost stories,” said Ganschow. “I love the story, I love the oral tradition.”

Ganschow found an OPRF IT specialist who led a double life as a folklorist ghost hunter. T he source told Ganschow about seven different ghost stories, but said Ganschow would have to seek the stories himself. “I’ll tell you who to talk to and you can talk to them and come back to me” the IT specialist directed Ganschow.

And so the English teacher be g an his quest.

T he first story Ganschow told was the “story of the drinking fountain on the four th floor.”

While wandering the school one chilly f all evening, a couple re por tedly witnessed a girl in an “older period” dress drinking from the water fountain. As they walked up the stairs to the fourth floor, the two saw the hemline

of the girl’s dress floating a few inches above the floor with no feet touching the floor

Another paranormal occurrence is said to have happened in the old third floor library. After school one day, three employees apparently heard the “blood-curdling screams” of two girls. One employee ran to g et help, while the other two remained in the library, where they supposedly saw the girls run up to and pound on a set of doors before disappearing into a cloud of black smoke. Other hauntings include a woman who r uns around the second floor and an old jukebox that played songs after being unplugged. Additional paranormal activity was re ported in the culinary arts room, before the situation was handled with holy water.

Word count limits and fact checking can take away from the mysterious and absurdly entertaining nature of ghost storie s. For more detailed versions of these stories, you will have to ask somebody who had Ganschow as a teacher. Ganschow tells the stories to his students during the 31 days of October, encouraging students to think about oral tradition.

“We pass on stories,” said Ganschow, comparing the OPRF ghost stories to Greek mytholo gy. “We love to hear stories…With Greek mytholo gy, it was never meant to be written down. It was meant to be sung and then told generation after generation. ”

COURTESY OA K PARK RIVER FOREST HISTORY MUSEUM Oak Park River Forest High School in the early years.

“The only folks that have knowledge of these stories have either retired, work elsewhere, or don’t want to talk about them.”

DANIEL GANSCHOW

OPRFHS Alumni Domestic and International Service

By Jessica MacKinnon

Contributing Reporter

Throughout its history, Oak Park River Forest High School has encouraged students to engage in community service through clubs and activities including Tau Gamma, Best Buddies, Huskie Helpers, and the annual Empty Bowls event. In addition, many students participate in service projects through their churches and local nonprofit organizations. This year, in celebration of its 150th anniversary, the school is launching the Sesquicentennial Challenge by rallying current and for mer students, as well as parents and Huskie supporters, to log 150,000 hours of community service before

The following OPRFHS alumni were transformed their service experiences as teens and continue to ma a significant difference in their own communities and world. While at OPRFHS, Katlyn Keller, Class of 2007, volunteered with the Infant Welfare Society and participated in a variety of service activities through her including construction projects with Habitat Humanity and a camp for refug ee children. A year after aduating, she joined the Peace Corps in Guinea, teaching English to high school students and leading a women oup. She learned Malinke, the native Guinean language to communicate with women, many of whom drop out of school as adolescents to get married and have children.

“I always knew service would be a part of my life. I had been interested in the Peace Corps since I was a kid and I wanted to go someplace of f the beaten path,” Keller said. “I thought it would be a good way to see the world while helping others.”

Keller has spent most of her career working for causenonprofits, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Haven House in St. Louis. She moved back to Chicago this summer to take a development position with the University of Chicago’s Laboratory School.

PROVIDED

Javin Peterson , Class of 1995 and a 2013 Tradition of Excellence Award recipient, was a natural leader and

athlete at OPRFHS, serving as a member of the senior class council and captain of the boys gymnastics team. After graduating, he enrolled in the Air Force Academy and was a pilot in the Air Force for 20 years, earning a Meritorious Service Medal and Afghanistan and Iraq campaign medals. He also flew Air Force Two, shuttling

While serving with the Peace Corps in Guinea, Katlyn Keller worked to empower local women.

PROVIDED

Katlyn Keller served with the Peace Corps in Guinea, where she taught English to youth.

PROVIDED

Jav in Peterson (far le ) launched Shepherd’s Gate Health to prov ide the Jacksonv ille, FL community with information about the A ordable Care Act.

senior-level White House administrators to their destinations

Since retiring from military service, Peterson has seamlessly transitioned to community service. Disturbed by the political posturing surrounding af fordable healthcare during President Obama’s administration, Peterson decided to tackle the issue himself.

and engage with local residents. Kudlacz found the experience so transformative that she now co-leads Ascension Church’s ASP trips with her older sister, Katie, also an OPRFHS graduate.

212 S Marion Street Fl G Oak Park, IL 60302 Bus: 708-383-3163

Peterson got a certificate in health administration and, in 2018, launched Shepherd’s Gate Health in Jacksonville, FL. The nonprofit organization, which is now based in Charlotte, NC, works with community stakeholders to provide preventive healthcare solutions for the underserved.

“OPRF propelled students to discover what they wanted to do by providing opportunities for us to interact across what might be considered boundaries—we had shared experiences even if we came from different back grounds. And the Oak Park community was the incubator that helped us fulfill our dreams,” Peterson said.

Julie Kudlacz participated in the national Appalachian Service Project (ASP) all four years of high school. Over the past 20 years, hundreds of OPRFHS students have joined the week-long summer ser-

“It’s so much more than a week doing home re pairs. It’s the chance to give teens a new experience that takes them out of their comfort zone, unplug from their phones and see what the world is like outside our bubble. It’s easy to think that we keep going on these trips to give back to those in need, but we get just as much out of it as what we are giving them. I come home every year knowing how blessed I am,” Kudlacz said

Mike Carmody, Class of 2000, co-founded Opportunity Knocks (OK) in 2010 to provide developmentally disabled young adults with more options after the age of 22. He had a personal reason for starting the organization—he grew up with a brother, John, with Down Syndrome who was aging out of the high school’s transitional education program. OK was, and still is, a family affair, including his parents and three other brothers, Phil, Colin and Chuck, all of whom are OPRFHS graduates.

Here’s the deal. The right insurance should help you feel confident and comfortable.

Monday

Before co-founding OK, Carmody taught in the high school’s special education department, helped with

Olympics,

Impacting Lives of Young Musicians for 25 years

Serving students in need in Oak Park and River Forest public schools, including OPRF. pingoprf.org info@pingoprf.org

Serving students in need in Oak Park and River Forest public schools, including OPRF. pingoprf.org info@pingoprf.org

Support Students in Music

“

OPRFHS set a high standard and instilled in us the importance of doing something cool with our lives. The teachers and administration focused on preparing us to make our mark in the world.

ADAM WALL AC E

OPRF SERVICE

from page B51

and coached the basketball and soccer teams. In 2007, He organized a softball tournament to honor his friend Kathy Garrigan, a fellow OPRFHS graduate who died while serving with the AmeriCorps in Alaska. The tournament was a huge success and has become OK’s biggest annual fundraiser.

OK now provides recreational programming and life skills training five days a week to 20 to 40 participants, referred to as Warriors. The organization also includes a social enterprise, providing farm-to-jar pickles to local restaurants, and a catering operation. Last year, the OPRFHS Alumni Association provided OK with $10,000, the association’s largest grant in history.

“Opportunity Knocks was the best way for me to provide our Warriors with access to our community in ways that they might otherwise not have. It’s really the best of all worlds for me—I get to teach our Warriors in a way that stretches their limits every day,” Carmody said.

Adam Wallace and his wife Valentina Se govia, both

Class of 2009, spent several years after colle ge volunteering as emergency medical technicians with Floating Doctors, a nonprofit that provides healthcare to underserved communities in rural Panama. In 2015, Wallace joined the Air Force and served as an instructor with the rigorous Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) program.

Wallace and Segovia worked with a team of other Floating Doctors volunteers to prov ide healthcare to communities in rural Panama.

PROVIDED

“We taught Air Corps crews how to survive in brutal conditions, including in the desert, the Arctic and oceans. And we taught them how to resist becoming a tool of the bad guys if they were captured,” Wallace said.

Wallace is now pursuing his medical degree at the University of Washington while Segovia is getting her doctorate of nursing practice at Johns Hopkins University. He recently received a prestigious Pat Tillman Scholarship, awarded to remarkable active-duty service members, veterans and spouses committed to strengthening their communities.

“OPRFHS set a high standard and instilled in us the importance of doing something cool with our lives. The teachers and administration focused on preparing us to make our mark in the world. We knew that, with so many notable alumni, we were walking in some big footsteps,” Wallace said.

PROVIDED

Mike Carmody (right) and his brother, Phil, cofounded Opportunity Knocks with their parents and other brothers to prov ide oppor tunities for individuals with development disabilities

PROVIDED

Adam Wallace (center) and Valentina Segovia (le ) spent several years a er college volunteering with Floating Doctors in Panama.

Project 2 facilities plan designed to impact students’ educational needs

By Susan Montgomery Contributing Reporter

In 2024, Oak Park and River Forest High School will begin a nearly $102 million construction project to raze the antiquated southeast corner of its building—currently used for the physical education program, as well as athletics—and bring it into the 21st century.

The southeast wing, which includes the 1928-era girls’ pool, will be re placed with a new 10-lane pool and spectator gallery, larger multi-use gymnasiums suitable for use as competition spaces, and locker rooms, and will include gender neutral locker rooms, training rooms, a dance studio, a yoga studio, and a new Green Room and property storage for the high school’s drama program.

The high school will continue to offer traditional athletic programs while expanding its curricular offerings to include a focus on helping students develop the overall wellness skills that will serve them well throughout their lives, according to Dr. Greg Johnson, school superintendent. Having more gymnasiums that are larger will also allow the high school

to host more extracurricular events at On the curricular side, the high school will continue to develop and enhance the programming already in place. “The pool is part of our overall strateg y to enable all of our varsity programs, with the exception of golf, to have a home on our campus,” Dr. Johnsons says. “First, we are able to have any diving in our school as a result of the antiquated spaces we have Currently, students travel to RiversideBrookfield High School for diving practice. at transpor t time cuts into all aspects of their lives. So this is a huge benefit to our students. The same is also true of our track and field renovation.”

Given the anticipated cost of the project, some community members have expressed concern that it would increase the tax burden and make the community less affordable to residents who are low income, a population that disproportionately includes people of color.

Dr. Johnson emphasizes that funding for Project 2 will come from three sourc-

es: the district’s current fund balance, private fund raising, and through borrowing at a level that will not exceed its current tax burden for the community. Another concern that has been raised pertains to racial equity and whether this is the best use of funds to serve all OPRF students. Dr. Johnson explains that improving facilities and working toward racial equity are not mutually exclusive. “I understand the concern and share the values to ensure we are serving the educational and academic needs of all our students--and in a way that is consciously and deliberately focused on racial equity concerns in our community and country. It is the number one priority,” he says.

He goes on to point out that academics will continue to receive ample support “We need to keep in mind, as far as our yearly operational costs are concerned, that District 200 is funded at 138 percent of what the state deems as adequate. We are blessed to be in a community that supports education as strongly as it does,” he says.

Aquatic schematic design, aka the new pool, is one part of OPRF’s Project 2 proposal.

Exterior schematic design for Imagine OPRF Project 2.

Committed to Oak Park and River Forest

Whether you’re seeing a movie at the Lake Theatre or heading for a hike in the G.A.R. Woods, we think you should be able to get all of your banking done in your neighborhood… with people who love the area as much as you do. Byline is privileged to be a part of the Oak Park and River Forest community, and we are proud to partner with local nonprofits like Beyond Hunger and sponsor local events like Thursday Night Out in downtown Oak Park.

To learn more about our commitment to Oak Park and River Forest, visit bylinebank.com/oprf