Hinsdale Magazine February 2013

Conversations with

DR. PETER HARNOIS

KEVIN BURKE

JOEL WEINBERGER

INSIDE: Graue Mill & the Underground Railroad Chicago Blackhawks & Luxury Cars - Paddle Ambassador Bill O’Brien Hinsdale Social Scene - HJWC President Amity Comiskey www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 3

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Contents 26

8

Graue Mill

The Mystery relating to the Underground Railroad

13

Grease is the Word

14

at Hinsdale Central

Racing for a Cause

Joel Weinberger

18 Talking about Beer

Kevin Burke

20

At Home in Hinsdale

Dr. Peter Harnois

24

WeatherTech Founder & CEO

26

Mr. Ambassador

Bill O’Brien

32

Hinsdale Woman

37

Clarendon Hills 60514

38

Mission of Heart in Kenya

32

What Matters to David MacNeil

48

51

Amity Comiskey

Residents sound off on the new 55th Street The Chapel Pastor Jeff Knitt

Men’s Style

William Walker & Steven Potter

Mis Amore for Misericordia

Misericordia Women’s League Annual Benefit

60521

Hinsdale magazine

Founder & Publisher Print Managing Editor Photographer Columnist Lead Designer Designer Cover Art & Designer Correspondent Contributing Writers Advertising Sales

| | | | | | | | | |

Scott Jonlich Mike Ellis Marcello Rodarte William Walker Eriona Baholli-Karasek Julia Sinogeikina Marcello Rodarte Mike O’Connor Errol Janusz | Lisa Stafford Renee Lawrence | Kirby Palait Tammy Kaplan

700 Commerce Drive Ste. 500 Oak Brook IL 60523 phone: 630-655-3400 I fax: 630-622-1300 e-mail: news@Hinsdale60521.com The advertisements,photographs,logos,and any other content inside this publication are not the opinions of Hinsdale Magazine, Inc., unless specified. This magazine may not be reproduced in any way, including ads designed by our graphic staff, and remain the property of Hinsdale Magazine, Inc.

8 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

I

Publisher Letter

n this issue, we turn the spotlight on the men of Hinsdale. On the cover, we feature Dr. Peter Harnois, Kevin Burke and Joel Weinberger—all of whom agreed to share their personal and professional stories with us.

Dr. Harnois turns back the clock for us and shares his memories of growing up in his hometown of Hinsdale— the place in which he has practiced dentistry for over 30 years.

Burke planted his roots here in Hinsdale 43 years ago, and is an active supporter of Wellness House, while steering his beer distributorship, Burke Beverage.

I had the pleasure of meeting him during a conversation at his headquarters in McCook, just a few miles east of Hinsdale.

That same week, my conversation turned to Weinberger of Continental Auto Sports. You will read how Joel, a professional race car driver, harnessed his enthusiasm to raise money for DuPage PADS, a local support organization for the homeless. Prior to our interview, he had just completed the United States Air Force Thunderhill Race, a 25-hour race held in San Juan Capistrano, California.

As you turn the pages to Bill O’Brien—the Ambassador of Platform Tennis in Greater Hinsdale, you will read about an extraordinary gentlemen who is respected by over 1,000 local men and women paddle players. Many credit O’Brien for bringing the great sport to this area.

Bill’s passion for the sport has helped form hundreds of friendships on the paddle courts.

David MacNeil of Hinsdale stared the recession in the face over the last several years, and continued to build an auto accessories empire — WeatherTech. He put up impressive sales growth during those years while creating jobs in America at his Bolingbrook-based manufacturing plant. You will read how MacNeil started his company, and how his business philosophy charted a course to international expansion.

Finally, Pastor Jeff Knitt of the Chapel Church in Hinsdale takes a spiritual journey to Kenya—a very different world from here and describes his experiences in his own words. Remember to visit our web site Hinsdale60521.com to read more about the people and events that shape Greater Hinsdale. The site is updated daily, so you will find timely content that you may not see in the print magazine. I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

Sincerely, Scott Jonlich, Founder & Publisher Hinsdale Magazine, Inc. | Hinsdale60521.com

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T

by mike ellis

he Greater Hinsdale area is sprinkled with historical anecdotes recent and distant, and the legend that Graue Mill was once a station along the Underground Railroad is among the most fascinating.

The Mill

Located at York and Spring Roads in Oak Brook, Graue Mill dates to the middle of the 19th Century. German immigrant Fredrick Graue came to Fullersburg, Ill., named after Benjamin Fuller, the forefather of Hinsdale’s Fuller family, in 1842, and built a gristmill at that site about a decade later.

Graue Mill Executive Director Leslie Goddard said that in those days, a gristmill was a vital element in pioneer communities.

“You needed a place where people would go to bring the flour that they were growing,” Goddard said. “The corn, the buckwheat—anything they needed ground into flour, they could bring here. Typically, gristmills became a kind of gathering spot, because a lot of people had to use them regularly.”

The mill itself was employed until the late 1910s, after which time it lay dormant until the 1930s, when an attempt was made to restore it to its original condition (1852-68). In 1950, local residents formed the DuPage Graue Mill Corporation, which was responsible for fixing the waterwheel and founding the museum.

Today, remnants of the pioneer days of old Fullersburg are encapsulated at the Graue Mill Museum.

The Great Debate

While Graue was fortifying his mill, the United States was embroiled in a controversy over the issue of slavery that had been raging since its incipient stages as a nation.

The tradition of West African slavery on American soil predates the Declaration of Independence, when the modern-day Eastern Seaboard was comprised of 13 British colonies. Slavery holds an ignominious position in the U.S. Constitution, whose crafters came to an agreement that a slave would tally three-fifths of a person—that is, in determining representation in the House of Representatives.

But by the early 19th Century, slavery had become a decidedly sectional issue between northern and southern states, as manufacturing and mining evolved the northern economy, while that of the South remained predominantly agricultural.

About 1830, the anti-slavery movement in the North received a boost from Abolitionist publications such as William Lloyd Garrison’s The Liberator, that demanded the cessation of this long-standing institution in the United States. It stated: The conditions of slaves varied

from master to master, but it is beyond dispute that many were treated with abominable cruelty and contemptuousness.

Continued on Page 10

Photos by Marcello Rodarte

10 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

Feature Story

The Mystery Relating to the

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

at GRAUE MILL www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 11

Feature Story

Portrait of slaves before their cabin, c. 1861

“If I was free, I would go to work for a year, and get some money for myself…

I buy me, [in the first] place, a little house, and little lot land, and [then] I would go to old [Virginia], and see my old mother.”

-Louisiana slave in conversation with Frederick Law Olmsted Continued from Page 8

I

n his Journey in the Seaboard Slave States, Frederick Law Olmsted relates that in Virginia, “I met a comfortably-dressed negro leading three others by a rope; the first was a middle-aged man; the second a girl of, perhaps, twenty; and the last a boy, considerably younger. The arms of all three were secured before them with hand-cuffs, and the rope by which they were led passed from one to another.”

With a growing awareness of the horrors of slavery in the North, over time an “Underground Railroad” was developed to aid runaway slaves in safe passage from their masters’ plantations to free states; after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Canada became the chosen destination.

Glennette Turner of Wheaton, author of The Underground Railroad in Illinois, described the horrors of Missouri slaves who dared to flee bondage by crossing the border into Illinois.

“Most freedom seekers who travelled on the Illinois Underground Railroad had been enslaved in Missouri,” Turner 12 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

said. “They had to access the best time to escape, set out for the unknown, endure inclement weather, survive on edible plants, and attempt to reach and cross the Mississippi River.”

As its name suggests, the Underground Railroad was clandestine in nature. Abolitionists were protected by freedom of the press, but aiding and abetting fugitive slaves was an entirely different story. Under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, those who “harbored or concealed” fugitive slaves could spend up to six months in prison and be fined as much as $1,000—which was quite a sum of money in those days.

DuPage County Connection Chicago was a crucial destination on the Underground Railroad, as from there runaway slaves could use Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes waterway system to access Canada.

Numerous rivers, roads and railways terminated in Chicago, and consequently, Turner said, DuPage County formed the final portion of the journeys of many Missourian runaway slaves in Illinois.

“The east and west branches of the DuPage River, old roads such as Ogden Ave., and the Chicago Burlington and Quincy,

and Chicago Galena (now the Union Pacific) railroads all passed through the county,” she said. “There was Underground Railroad activity in [present-day] Hinsdale, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Naperville, Lombard, Downers Grove, Lyons, West Chicago, Warrenville, Glendale Heights and Oak Brook.”

Although Graue Mill and several other sites in DuPage County are reported to have been Underground Railroad stations, the only confirmed station is the Sheldon Peck Homestead in Lombard. But that does not mean the mill was not a station it just means that there is not sufficient evidence to prove that it was a station.

“People are really fascinated by the idea that there was antislavery work going on here in Illinois, in DuPage County,” Goddard said. “We have no letter from Frederick Graue saying, ‘Bring those escaping slaves here to Graue Mill.’ But this is not unusual; it was illegal activity. For much of the history of the Underground Railroad, there is no primary evidence.”

The theory is that blacksmith John Coe, a Fullersburg resident whose store once stood in the place of Dunkin’ Donuts, was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and that station master Frederick Graue’s mill served as a safe house along the journey.

Turner said Coe reportedly hid these freedom seekers under a tarpaulin at the bottom of his wagon, and transported them across the Des Plaines River near present-day Riverside. The mill cellar is dark, damp and inconspicuous—a brand of venue that would seem well suited for a station on the Underground Railroad.

“If you look around in the basement here, it’s incredibly evocative of what it might feel like if you were an escaping slave,” Goddard said. “It’s cold, has a stone floor—it would have been noisy and wet. A place like this—which no one would think you’d want to sleep in—would be the perfect place for someone escaping.”

Goddard said that the theory is grounded primarily on a “strong oral tradition.”

“We have a long tradition of oral history indicating that [Graue Mill] was used as a stop,” she said.

There are also two newspaper clippings from the Hinsdale Doings, extracted from the early part of the last century, which appear to corroborate the theory.

In Coe’s obituary, dated Feb. 17, 1906, it is stated that: “Mr. Coe was quite prominent in the days of the Old Plank road, and during slavery days experienced some exciting adventures, his home being one of the stations on the famous underground railway.”

This clipping, while strongly suggesting Coe’s involvement in the Underground Railroad, does not hint at Graue Mill being a station; that portion being inferred from the oral tradition of the connection between Coe and Graue.

The second clipping, a photo caption taken from Apr. 18, 1929, states that: “[The Fuller Inn and the Fullersburg Tavern] were of especial significance since they were connected by an underground tunnel which formed a link in the ‘underground railway’ used to smuggle negroes from the slave territory in the south to the free territory in the north.”

Examining the second clipping, one might think that there is overwhelming proof that such a station existed;—but remember that this was written in 1929, 64 years after the eradication of slavery. There is also no physical proof that such an “underground tunnel” exists or ever existed.

We will probably never know definitively whether or not the Graue Mill cellar was actually a station along the Illinois Underground Railroad; but what is perhaps more important is that the legend has fomented a tribute to a momentous chapter

The memorial to the Underground Railroad at Graue Mill in Oak Brook

in American history right in our own backyard.

Today, the Graue Mill cellar serves as a tribute to the tradition of the Underground Railroad, filled with historical artifacts and vintage reproductions. “[Graue Mill] provides a sense of place,” Turner said. “It makes visitors aware of how the role of local people, places and events fit into the larger story of the Underground Railroad.

This is especially important, because the activities in this part of the country are not as well known as those further east.

“Although it is situated adjacent to 21st-century traffic on York Road, visitors feel as if they have stepped back in time.”

Sources: John Bach McMaster, A History of the People of the United States; Albert Bushnell Hart, Slavery & Abolition; Frederick Law Olmsted, Journey in the Seaboard Slave States.

Further Reading: Ms. Turner’s book, The Underground Railroad in Illinois, is available at your local library. To read Mr. Ellis’s Inquiry into the Abolitionist Press: Its Techniques, Principles, and Effects on the Slavery Question, visit www.Hinsdale60521.com

www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 13

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G

GREASE IS THE WORD at Hinsdale Central

by Lisa stafford

rab your leather jackets and slick back your hair for an evening filled with fun during the hit musical production Grease at Hinsdale Central High School on Mar. 7, 8 and 9. The recentlyupdated auditorium will be transformed into legendary Rydell High School, as over 60 talented student performers and musicians will bring this high-energy, rock-and-roll musical to the stage. The shows begin each night at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium, located on Grant Street, just south of 55th Street.

Directed by the esteemed Chris Hicks, choreographed by Christie Kerr, and with

music direction by choir director Jennifer Burkemper, the show will feature a rock band of talented high school students who will keep the audience dancing.

Following in the tradition of outstanding productions at Hinsdale Central, Grease will be sure to delight the entire family, as it traces the Greasers and Pink Ladies through the everyday complexities of teenage relationships.

“Performing in the high school musical is something I’ve wanted to do for years, but because I play a sport, I haven’t been able to do both,” student Ryan Lowe said. “This year the stars were aligned thanks to an understanding coach. I’m excited to be playing the role of Danny in

a show that combines singing, acting and dancing.”

This production will use all new sound equipment and lighting that was donated by local patrons of the Hinsdale Central Booster Club’s Advance the Arts Committee. Advance the Arts was founded in 2011 by the Boosters and a group of music and theatre parents committed to improving the music, drama and art facilities at the school.

Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for Adults, and can be purchased at the door, or by calling the box office at (630)-570-8165.

www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 15

Cover Story

Photos by Marcello Rodarte

RACING FOR A CAUSE

J

JOEL WEINBERGER

oel Weinberger has been around cars all his life.

His family business dates back 50 years, and if you ask him about racing, he may tell you racing runs in his blood.

He means that literally, as he and his father John Weinberger, founder of Continental Motors Sports in Hinsdale, have been racing in vintage and historic racing events since 1989. But it’s not just about the thrill of racing for this Weinberger. On Feb. 24th, Joel will team up with Chicago Indoor Racing and DuPage PADS for the third annual sixhour karting enduro for charity. He will compete with eight teams to collectively to raise money to assist families and homeless individuals.

16 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

“The teams are competitive on the course, but even more so in their fundraising for DuPage PADS,” Weinberger said. “At the end of the race day, everyone will walk away a little tired, but more importantly, proud of what their efforts have accomplished for this organization.”

Hinsdale Magazine talked with Joel about his fascination with racing last month.

Hinsdale Magazine: What type of racing do you do, and can you share some stories?

Joel Weinberger: I compete mainly in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Race Series at tracks around the country like Road America, Virginia International Raceway, Road Atlanta and other road courses. I have driven most types of race cars over the past 24 years,

from formula cars to sports racers to raceprepared sedans. The past three seasons, I have been competing with an Audi A4 that was formerly a pro-series car in the World Challenge Touring Car Series. While it looks like a regular A4 on the outside, it is pure race car under the skin, being one of two race chassis built by AudiSport UK from body in white. My top speed is typically around 140 m.p.h. I had a lot of success with this car, finishing second in the National Championship in 2010 and 2012. I also won the SCCA National Championship at Road America in 2011. I also had the opportunity to participate on a driver team for two premier endurance events. Finally, I spend my spare time at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet competing in some of its fun member racing events with a Formula Mazda and a

Mazda Spec Miata. If I have a half-day to play, I’d much rather head out to Autobahn than hit the golf links, so my handicap suffers as a result.

HM: Tell us about some of the cars you own?

Weinberger: Since I’m in the automotive business, I’ve owned a bunch of cars over the years. I tend to swap them out frequently, and there are several that I miss dearly, like my ‘66 Sunbeam Tiger and a ‘72 Ferrari GTC/4. However, there a few that have stuck around, including a ‘66 Mini Cooper S, a ‘64 Porsche 356 Coupe, plus the three race cars I mentioned. My daily driver for the past year and a half has been an Audi TT-RS, which has a driving sensation similar to my A4 race car, with AWD and lots of horsepower.

HM: Is your family concerned about you racing?

Weinberger: My family has been very supportive of my racing activities. My wife is the type that asks me why I didn’t go faster when I don’t win a race. She knows how important this activity is for me and my life-balance.

She also knows that we prepare the cars very well, and have all the best safety gear. I actually feel that racing on a track in a controlled environment with the right equipment is safer than driving on the street. At the track, nobody is texting or under the influence of any alcohol or drugs.—And we are all typically going in the same direction!

HM: How many children do you have and are they involved with your racing hobby?

Weinberger: I have two boys that are 16 and 14, and they are very interested and involved with the racing activities. They love to watch me race, but love even

more to be behind the wheel. They have been karting competitively for several years at Chicago Indoor Racing.

One of my proudest moments was teaming up with my boys in a 200-lap endurance karting event late last year.

We placed first overall, and the boys’ fast lap times were within fractions of each other. They have both spent time in the driver’s seat of my Spec Miata race car at Autobahn with a coach. My older son Aidan has graduated from two levels of Skip Barber Racing School, and has competed in a few member races at Autobahn. Hopefully his brother Kellan will be hot on his rear bumper this summer.

HM: Does anyone in your family share your racing passion?

Weinberger: My racing passion developed at an early age. My father John, who founded Continental Motors Group with his brother Herman over 50 years ago, was a Continued on Page 16

Hinsdale DRIVER

www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 17

JOEL WEINBERGER - Continued from Page 15

successful racer before he was a car dealer.

He was and still is a skilled mechanic on older Porsches, Alfas and Triumphs.

I grew up around the dealerships and the racetrack, so that fueled my racing passion.

When I turned 23, I convinced my dad to come out of race retirement and compete in vintage cars. Together, we won a variety of vintage races throughout the 1990s. I moved into more modern car-racing in the early 2000s, but he has continued on the vintage circuit in the same ‘63 Lotus 23B for all these years.

In fact, my dad won his class at Road America last summer at the age of 80, which is amazing. I’m happy to be part of his gene pool! I was also excited to have him present when I won the National Championship back in 2011. When I mentioned to the podium announcer that my father was a 50-year SCCA member, he invited my dad to come up on the victory podium with me. It was one of the highlights of my life. Obviously, my boys share my passion as well. They are huge fans of both F1 and LeMans style racing.

HM: What else should we know about Joel Weinberger?

Weinberger: I’m really fortunate that my father founded a great business with exciting products that I can continue to build, along with my brother Jay and cousin Cheryl. In addition to helping my father operate the Ferrari and Maserati dealership in Hinsdale, I own and operate the Acura, Audi and Mazda dealerships in Naperville. I also serve as a proud board member of DuPage PADS—an amazing organization that provides

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not only overnight shelter, but also permanent housing coupled with essential employment and support services. I have combined my passion for racing and DuPage PADS by organizing a six-hour endurance indoor karting race. Last year, we raised over $93,000 for DuPage PADS, and we hope to surpass that amount at our third annual event later this month.

- Hinsdale Magazine Staff

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Cover Story

Photos by Marcello Rodarte

TALKING ABOUT BEER with KEVIN BURKE

H

insdale Magazine met with Burke Beverage Founder Kevin Burke at his corporate headquarters in McCook. Today happened to be a retirement party for a long-time employee of Burke’s, and the room was prepared with a catered lunch for the Burke

Beverage crew.

“I have been very fortunate in life, surrounded by a loving and understanding wife and great children. I have been successful due to a lot of hard work and commitment by the people at Burke Beverage and River City Distributing (another beer distributorship Burke founded in Louisville, Ky. in 1987),” Burke said.

Burke and his wife Mary Grace are also lifetime trustees of Wellness House, a non-profit organization that supports those afflicted with cancer and their families.

Burke gave Hinsdale Magazine a tour of his facility. Our conversation ranged from his early beginnings in the beer business to where he is today. Along the way, we learned something about the history of beer and his success.

20 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

Hinsdale Magazine: What types of beer do you drink?

Kevin Burke: My go-to beer is Miller Lite, but I drink other beers depending on the occasion. I like pairing Blue Moon and Peroni with certain foods. Beer is easier to pair with food than wine, and many upscale restaurants now offer beer dinners just like they have been doing wine dinner for years.

HM: Tell us some things everyone should know about beer?

Burke: Most people don’t realize that beer dates back to the Egyptian days. Pilsner-style beer was first brewed by Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic in 1842. Miller Lite was the first nationally-distributed low-calorie beer starting in 1973, and is the largest selling beer in Chicagoland. Miller Brewing Company obtained the recipe for it when it bought the Peter Hand Brewing Company in the early 1970s that made Meister Brau Lite and renamed it Miller Lite. The first nationally-distributed craft beer was Sam Adams, and the No. 1 selling craft beer in the United States is Blue Moon, which was first produced at the Sandlot

Brewery in Denver, Colo., at Coors Field.

HM: Tell us about the beginning of Hinsdale Wellness House and your involvement with the organization?

Burke: Wellness House was started by a small group of people from Hinsdale. We started by meeting in the basement of Hinsdale Hospital. After a brief period, I decided Wellness House would be better served by someone who could devote more time to it than I could; so my wife, Mary Grace, took my place on the Board and became very involved. She did a lot of work, encouraging people to donate goods and services to help get the current facility built and furnished. She is no longer on the Board, but both of us are lifetime trustees, and we are financially committed to making sure the great services they provide continue for a long time.

Miller distributor in Geneva, and in 1979 was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a small distributor in Lyons. I was the 13th employee back then, and we now employ about 110 people at Burke Beverage. When I got transferred to Chicago in 1970, two weeks before I was married, I told Mary Grace we would be back in Milwaukee within a year. 43 years later we are still here. Some things don’t turn out as planned, but I would not have it any other way.

“When I got transferred to Chicago in 1970, two weeks before I was married, I told Mary Grace we would be back in Milwaukee within a year. 43 years later we are still here. Some things don’t turn out as planned, but I would not have it any other way.” - Kevin Burke

HM: You founded Burke Beverage? What path brought you here?

Burke: I grew up in Milwaukee; after college I went to work for the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company, and was transferred to Chicago in 1970. In 1973, I left them and joined Miller Brewing Company in Chicago until 1975. I then was offered a job to run a

HM: What do you like to do in your spare time?

Burke: Other than riding my bike in the summer, I enjoy playing golf, but I am not very good at it. In the winter, I try to spend as much time as possible skiing in Telluride, Colo. I have been skiing since I was five and still really enjoy the sport. If the snow is not good, I like to head down to Punta Mita, Mexico for some warm weather.

- Hinsdale Magazine Staff

The Burke Beverage Team in McCook www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 21

Cover Story

At

HOME in HINSDALE Dr. Peter Harnois

l

ike many Hinsdaleans, Dr. Peter Harnois came full circle from his childhood days at Monroe Elementary School to raising his own kids in the same town that he has loved for so long. He returned to Hinsdale from the South Loop four years ago with his wife Beatriz.

Today, Harnois is an accomplished dentist of 30 years. During his formative years in Hinsdale and later in college, Harnois explored sciencerelated fields—including zoology.

Photo by Marcello Rodarte

22 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

Hinsdale Magazine met with Dr. Harnois to talk about his life and journey back to his hometown roots.

Hinsdale Magazine: You grew up in Hinsdale and you are raising children in the same neighborhood. What is that like?

Dr. Peter Harnois: We raised all three of our children, who were all born at Hinsdale Hospital and attended Oak School, St John of the Cross in Western Springs, and then St. Ignatius and Hinsdale Central. I remember what a great family community Hinsdale was in 1965. The schools, parks, town library, downtown Hinsdale and all the supporting services were fantastic. We all had a real sense of community growing up here. As I sat in the gym on a rainy Thursday night last May and watched my youngest of three children graduate from Hinsdale Central, I felt that sense of community in such a powerful way. The District 86 Superintendent stood up and stated that Hinsdale Central High School had recently passed New Trier in the state rankings of best schools in the state. A very loud cheer went up from the crowd.

HM: You swam and played tennis throughout high school and college. What got you started?

Dr. Harnois: At age eight my mother signed me up for Jay Kramer’s summer tennis camp at Burns Field. We joined Salt Creek Club, where I swam on the tram and played tennis. I swam early every morning at the community pool, and I loved Hinsdale, with all its parks and sports programs. I remember meeting John Kinsella for the first time when he and some of my oldest sister’s friends at Hinsdale Central came over to the house. I felt like I was in the presence of a swimming god! That was it for me; from that day forward, I had a burning desire to be on the Hinsdale Central swim team. Even though we moved before I could get on the high school swim team, it lit a fire that had me swimming all the way through college, and eventually ending up in the Athletic Hall of Fame at my alma mater, Ohio Wesleyan University. (Harnois qualified and swam as a Captain in NCAA Championship Division 3. He set a conference record for the 200 free relay and five individual school records —50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle. He was part of three school relay records —200 free relay, 200 medley relay and 800 free relay) HM: You also have a Zoology degree?

Dr. Harnois: Zoology was my true passion in college. I took all the necessary classes to apply to dental school, but quickly realized how much I enjoyed in-depth studies in biology, anatomy, evolution, botany, ornithology and independent field studies. As I was deciding what to do immediately after undergrad, I briefly entertained a career in field biology, but kept on track with my original plan from 8th grade in Hinsdale. I applied and was accepted to dental school at the University of Illinois. (Harnois graduated Cum Laude and went on to graduate University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1982.)

HM: Can you tell us what a good day is for you?

Dr. Harnois: I get up and go work out in the pool at 5 a.m., and I’m in my office by 6 [a.m.] to meet my team —who I think are the most committed group of individuals. In the evening, my wife Beatriz and I like to go to our favorite restaurant, Nabuki and running into friends and neighbors. In the evening we walk our dog Lulu around Burns Field.

HM: What’s next for Peter Harnois?

Dr. Harnois: Beatriz and I are excited to be a part of this community and God willing, we will have children that can attend Monroe School where I grew up one block from there at the corner of Maple and Monroe.

- Hinsdale Magazine Staff www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 23

Hinsdale Driver

NAPLETON PORSCHE

W

Photos by Bob Chapman

DEBUTS WITH VICTORY IN ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA

estmont-based Napleton Racing captured the inaugural victory at the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series’ new GX class in the 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Napleton team drivers Shane Lewis, David Donohue, Dr. Jim Norman and Nelson Canache led nearly the entire 24 hours aboard the team’s debuting No. 16 Napleton Racing Porsche Cayman S. The win was quite a statement for the emerging team, based out of Napleton Porsche of Westmont.

“It’s a testament to these guys,” Lewis said. “When I say they started this project in November and it was 24/7, it was 24/7.”

Hinsdale resident Ed Napleton, owner of the Ed Napleton Automotive Group and a Cayman competitor as well, served as team principal behind the effort, along with Napleton Porsche of Westmont General Manager Ron Barnaba.

Donohue, a former Brumos Racing veteran and winner of the 2009 overall team race, praised the team’s preparation and the Cayman’s performance during the 24 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

“We did push pretty hard for a long time through the night. I wasn’t pushing towards the end, obviously, but I think it’s a testament to Porsche and the Cayman.”

— David Donohue, Napleton Driver race.

“We did push pretty hard for a long time through the night,” Donohue said.

“I wasn’t pushing towards the end, but I think it’s a testament to Porsche and the Cayman. Each of these cars in our class was independently built by small shops, and Napleton is probably the biggest shop, because it’s actually a Porsche dealership.”

It was a nearly flawless race for the No. 16, adorned in a “hippy” paint scheme

that paid tribute to the famous purple and green Porsche 917L that raced in the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car did not make one single trip to the garage area.

“That was probably the key to our success,” Lewis said. “If it weren’t for the pit-lane violations that we had and a couple other minor incidents on track, we would have had the cleanest run that I think anybody has had at Daytona for a long time.”

The Napleton team cruised to victory after holding leads of two or more laps throughout much of the race.

“For us it was a race of preparation,” Donohue said, “and our guys did a superior job when this program was conceived in early November of building a car, making it reliable, and keeping the stock parts.”

Ed Napleton Automotive Group is a family owned and operated business with Chicago roots. Edward W. Napleton established the group in 1931, with a single dealership on the South Side.

www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 25

Inside 60521

WeatherTech Founder & CEO David MacNeil stands next to his Aston Martin at his new Bolingbrook factory showroom.

WHAT MATTERS TO

Photos by Marcello Rodarte

DAVID MacNEIL

by scott jonlich

H

insdale resident and WeatherTech Founder and CEO David MacNeil is not shy about telling you what matters to him.

What matters to the 53-year-old automotive accessory king is that he built his Southwest Suburbanbased corporation on ingenuity, hard work and a belief that “you take care of the people who work with you and the people who buy from you”—his customers.

Although MacNeil has served millions of customers, his loyalty to the American consumer and worker resounded throughout our recent interview.

“I believe in exporting products— but not exporting jobs out of America,” MacNeil said, as he gave me a tour of his massive manufacturing facility just 26 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

off I-55 in Bolingbrook. He also has

support locations in Downers Grove where Product Development, Tooling and Marketing functions take place along with a Sales and Warehousing facility in Parma Italy.

“We need to preserve manufacturing,” MacNeil said. “When you walk into a store, buy American first, then from a country with which we have balanced trade relations. I believe in building here in America and employing our labor force.”

MacNeil sources the steel and aluminum for WeatherTech’s tooling from vendors such as Vista Metals in Fontana, Calif.

The raw materials for WeatherTech’s mats are made in Ohio, Texas, Kansas and Tennessee. MacNeil sources domestically, because he understands that way of business is vital for the prosperity of the

country.

“If my neighbor doesn’t have a job, sooner or later I won’t have a job either,” he said.

WeatherTech is the largest consumer of plastic sheet product in the United States, having been exported around the world by its 30 distributors in more than 21 countries outside of the United States.

MacNeil’s market expansion led to his manufacturing facility in Bolingbrook, completed in 2007. The bold move was just one year before the nation’s great recession, and required unwavering commitment from him and his team. Large investments in machinery, tooling and production facilities were implemented, along with a work force that would be needed to produce a worldwide demand for a growing population.

MacNeil founded his company in Clarendon Hills, Illinois in 1989. He was in London, sitting inside a 1988 E-Class Mercedes-Benz, and he noticed that the floor mats fit precisely with deep counters in side the quality mat.

A true Aha! moment happened.

He flew back to America and initially imported floor mats from England but soon transitioned into Manufacturing in America the best floor mats, floor liners and cargo liners under the proud statement “Made in America” as was his goal.

“I’m one of the most verticallyintegrated companies you will ever find; it pays off every time I add something,” he said of the manufacturing space, which uses modern American technology, raw materials and skilled American workers.

The company produces all of its floormat manufacturing in the United States with high-tech product development and engineering.

“We believe in exporting products, not jobs. I’m all for a balance of trade—I’ll buy ten from you if you’ll buy ten from me,’’ MacNeil said in his newly built customer showroom complete with a caféstyle coffee bar that serves espresso and

At a time

national retail stores, warehouse distributors and auto dealers.

WeatherTech has over 500 employees today, and is also producing crossover products such entrepreneurial as TechFloor—the first modular by example, floor tile system to offer two distinctly different materials stepped up, and molded into one tile.

America

when was seeking

leadership

MacNeil

his customers stepped into their vehicles with the

WeatherTech brand affixed to their custom fitted car mats.

cappuccino for his customers and staff.

“If the customer is not happy with your products, then nothing else you do matters.” If they do like your products, then everything else will fall into place.” That’s why we focus so hard on customer satisfaction.

Jobs at WeatherTech have been falling into place too. A 45-member in-house customer service department walks customers through question-and-answer ordering process from a 1-800 shopper line. Field representatives also call on

MacNeil’s WeatherTech company involves domestic and international travel, and he is rated as an airline transport pilot.

He has flown his own plane in 48 States and 28 countries. When the Hinsdale native is on the ground he has done some professional sports car racing in Grand-Am and the 12 hours of Sebring, but mostly with the SCCA. He also collects sports cars with an appreciation for old air-cooled Porsches. MacNeil participated in a number of notable rallies, including the Mille Miglia, California Mille and the Colorado Grand.

MacNeil’s two sons Devon and Cooper attend the University of Colorado in Boulder, and his daughter Devon, a nationally-recognized competitive equestrian rider, will be attending Stanford University this fall. Cooper races at a professional level, and Roderick has his pilot’s license.

MacNeil Automotive - WeatherTech factory showroom is located at 841 Remington Blvd. in Bolingbrook. www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 27

Spotlight

MR. AMBASSADOR

Photos by Marcello Rodarte

BILL O’BRIEN PLATFORM TE 28 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

P

Until roughly a decade ago, most Greater Hinsdale residents would have chuckled at the thought of playing tennis outdoor in the winter. But thanks in large part to the dedication of Burr Ridge resident Bill O’Brien, platform tennis has rapidly blossomed into one of the area’s most popular sports. by mike ellis

latform tennis, or paddle, as most players refer to it, is played on elevated courts that resemble tennis courts. Paddle court dimensions are considerably smaller, and whereas tennis is generally played on grass, clay or concrete, the paddle court surface is generally constructed out of aluminum.

Bill O’Brien was introduced to the game in 1978 while residing in New Jersey, and became hooked almost instantly.

“I had a neighbor who said, ‘Let me show you how to play; you’re going to like this game,’” O’Brien said. “I felt like I was part of a group, all of whom wanted to see you be successful and get better and that was really a nice feeling. I just decided I wanted to bring that to Hinsdale and the surrounding communities—to have the opportunity to find something that is fun, connects them to people, and creates a healthy environment for the village.”

In 1990, the Keller and Templeton families donated two paddle courts to Burns Field in Hinsdale. At that time, notwithstanding the abundant tennis talent this area has produced, hardly anyone had ever played its platform counterpart. Seizing the opportunity to

share his love of the sport with others, O’Brien constructed a team to play in the Chicago Platform Tennis Charities (CPTC), a league primarily concentrated on the North Shore.

“Bro Ballantine, who was a big-time tennis player at Hinsdale Central, got a lot of his old tennis buddies together, created a team, and got the [CPTC] to allow them to enter,” O’Brien said. “One day, I waited for those guys to come off the court, and I said to Bro, ‘I don’t know tennis players in Hinsdale—I’m relatively new to town—but if you can give me some names, I’ll start the second team.’”

Over roughly the next decade, Bill built a sizable program comprised of 120 men, playing in the league himself until the 2011-12 season. The sport’s popularity exploded after the construction of four new courts at Katherine Legge Memorial Park in 2004.

“It’s important to have the courts together, because it creates that sense of community or connectedness between the players,” O’Brien said. “People meet friends and see people that they know [on the courts], and that makes it more fun than just going to the park and hitting the ball around.”

Since then, Salt Creek Club has constructed courts and Hinsdale Golf Club has redesigned its paddle facility.

Within the Hinsdale Park District, SCC and HGC, there are currently 630 men and women who compete in the CPTC, as well as about 200 additional men who compete in the “Weekend Warriors” league exclusive to Hinsdale Paddle. Altogether, over 1,000 people in the Greater Hinsdale area play paddle, whether competitively or recreationally —and it all started with one man.

“For almost all the men who’ve learned to play in the last 20 years, their first introduction to paddle was from Bill O’Brien,” said Charlie Usher, Captain of the Series I team at Salt Creek Club.

“He’s taught people who were very highlevel college tennis players who didn’t know how to play paddle yet, many of whom will say that the only lessons they ever took were the fundamentals from Bill O’Brien.”

“It takes someone like Bill to inspire hundreds of volunteers, and paddle depends almost entirely on volunteers,” said Paul Wiggin, a 20-year Hinsdale resident.

O’Brien currently serves as Secretary of the American Platform Tennis - Continued on Page 28

NNIS PIONEER IN HINSDALE

www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 29

BILL O’BRIEN

- Continued from Page 27

Association (APTA), co-leader of the CPTC and the President of the Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association (HPTA); but in Hinsdale Paddle circles, he is best known for introducing newcomers to the game of platform tennis.

Every Sunday night between September and April, O’Brien holds free practices for men new to the sport at Katherine Legge Memorial Park. Even if you have never gripped a paddle, he is happy to supply one for the evening and invite you onto the court to give the game a try with other beginners.

“I get a lot of enjoyment out of helping people fall in love with this game,” he said.

O’Brien’s free practices enable paddle newcomers to develop their skills with other novices attempting to do the same, and serve as a gateway to participation in league play with other newcomers. The CPTC operates 24 “series”—or, individual men’s leagues partitioned according to skill-level.

Bill’s beginners start at Series XXIV. He is also responsible for evaluating Hinsdale Park District players across the board and placing them on appropriate teams.

“I’m not very good at teaching fundamental strokes like [six-time APTA national champion] Mary Doten is,” O’Brien said, “but what I am able to do is teach people the fundamentals of positioning and strategy. We have a good time together for a whole season, and then they move on to other teams, and I start a new bunch of guys the next season.”

Overall, Bill said he believes paddle helps to fortify a sense of community in the area, which inspires him to continue spreading the word about the sport.

“What this game does for adults in Hinsdale is [produce] fun, health and community,” O’Brien said. “You’re providing

the opportunity for adults in our community to have a lot of fun together.

“Instead of [Hinsdale] being just a village, it becomes a community.”

Bill O’Brien’s Sunday practices are open to men through spring. O’Brien has not only helped to grow the sport in this area, but also in Glen Ellyn, Glenview, Wilmette, Springfield and even St. Louis. For more information about paddle in Greater Hinsdale, visit www.hinsdalepaddle.blogspot.com or www.hpdpaddle.com

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www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 31

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32 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

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www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 33

Hinsdale Woman

Photos by Marcello Rodarte

34 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

Amity Comiskey HJMC President leads charge for Hephzibah

M

by mike ellis

any roads lead to Hinsdale, but rather few have followed Amity Comiskey’s.

Amity was born and raised in LaSalle, Ill., a town probably best known for Starved Rock State Park, located about an hour and a half’s driving distance southwest of Chicago along Interstate 80 and U.S. Rte. 51. After graduating from LaSalle-Peru Township High School, she attended Southern Illinois University, receiving a degree in interior architecture before returning to her hometown.

Amity initially pursued a career in her field, but ultimately decided that she sought more income and wanted to explore the possibility of a life elsewhere.

“After college, I wasn’t satisfied with the money I was making, which is why I transitioned into sales,” she said. “Though my husband Kerry and I loved living in Peru, an area that we both grew up in, the city was calling our name. We try to make it back home as often as we can to see family and dear friends.”

Swapping a Peru address for a Chicago one occasioned a drastic environmental change for Amity, but one salient constant remained: her commitment to charitable causes. While still in the LaSalle-Peru area, Amity became active in the Illinois Valley Junior Women’s Club, an organization comparable to the Hinsdale Junior Woman’s Club, and after moving to Chicago, she proceeded to join the Junior League of Chicago.

Amity, who also holds a master’s degree in education, said she has always held causes devoted to aiding children near to her heart, even before the birth of her son, William.

“Junior woman’s organizations across the United States basically have the same mission: to raise funds for children and women,” she said. “I definitely have a fondness to help children.

Internally or innately, that’s the mother in me which has always been there.”

In 2008, Amity and her husband Kerry relocated to Hinsdale, and within a very short time she joined the Hinsdale Junior Woman’s Club.

“My husband has always had a liking for the Hinsdale area,” she said. “When we started looking [at houses], this was the only place he wanted to look.”

Despite not knowing a single person in the area at the time of her move, Amity quickly made friends in the burgeoning HJWC. Not shying away from leadership positions, she was selected as first vice president after just three years in the club, and currently serves as president of the organization, almost 200 strong.

Fellow HJWC members describe their current president as a genuine and inclusive leader.

“Amity is one of the most sincere and passionate ladies I have met while in HJWC,” Ali Rago of Westmont said. “She has a huge heart of gold, and will always put forth all of her effort to make [anything in which she is involved] a success. Amity is the type of person who is friends with everyone, and will give everyone a chance.”

“She’s a very genuine person,” HJWC First Vice President Tracy Zoberis of Hinsdale said. “She cares about the people in our club, the people in our community and the people we work with as beneficiaries. I think she wants people to always walk away from their encounters with her feeling better about themselves.”

Heather Linn of Hinsdale, who joined HJWC the same year as Amity, said she believes her friend’s roots serve her well in her current occupation.

“My favorite thing about Amity is that she doesn’t limit herself to a particular group of friends,” Linn said. “She is warm, friendly and has that small-town charm about her. I feel that she goes out of her way to make everyone feel comfortable and included.”

Members say that Juniors is an ideal organization for women to join when first moving to the Western Suburbs, but there is a misconception among some that the club is predominantly socially-oriented. Amity said that as president, she wants members to continue to imbibe the charitable nature of the organization.

“My objective is to focus on the philanthropic aspect of what we do as an organization,” she said. “I want to make sure we are giving back in a big way to Hephzibah [Children’s Association], and to other organizations in our community. So far, I feel like there’s been a great cohesiveness with the entire group, because everyone feels the great joy that you get from giving back.”

In the outset of the 2012-13 club season, HJWC embraced a new philanthropy focus, Hephzibah Children’s Association, an Oak Park-based organization that provides foster care to children in need. Thus far, HJWC members have conducted numerous hands-on service projects with the children of Hephzibah, including group outings to Lifetime Fitness and the circus.

Several HJWC families even spent Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve at Hephzibah House. All proceeds from the 2013 annual benefit, The Gatsby Gala, will be directed to Hephzibah.

Amity said the 1920s-themed benefit, which will be held at the McDonald’s Hyatt in Oak Brook, is set up to be quite the impressive spectacle.

“What you’re going to witness and see will be like walking into Gatsby’s mansion,” she said. “When you walk in, there will be a Rolls Royce at the check-in table. In the ballroom, you’ll be transported to a time of decadence and glamour back to the ‘Roaring Twenties.’ There will be several surprises throughout the night as far as entertainment goes—everyone should wear their dancing shoes.”

“Amity is excited about our cause this year, and her excitement is definitely contagious,” Linn said. “Each and every meeting you can see the emotion she has for the cause, and she has found - Continued to Page 34

www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 35

Amity Comiskey

- Continued from Page 33

ways to inspire us all.”

The HJWC president admitted that the work that club members have contributed over the past few months has touched her.

“All the incredible things we’ve been doing—it’s very overwhelming,” she said. “I get emotional almost every time we talk about it.”

Zoberis said that Amity’s passion for the children of Hephzibah is constantly on display—and her affections are sometimes communicated rather visibly. “[Hephzibah] is an organization that tugs at your heartstrings,” she said. “Coupled with the fact that [Amity] is caring and emotional, there have been a lot of tears shed at meetings. She could just be laughing and talking about our Halloween Party, and the tears might start forming in anticipation of talking about Hephzibah. She’s moved by the work that the women in our club are doing.”

Outside of HJWC, Amity devotes the bulk of her schedule to one-year-old son William, but she does find the time to squeeze in other activities, including Pinterest, Pilates and yoga.

“She is a killer Pinterest follower,” Zoberis said. “When she puts together our meetings, they are done to a whole ’nother Martha Stewart level. Any meeting she organizes has her personal stamp on it—homemade to the umpteenth degree of perfection and beauty and creativity. She puts me completely to shame. Now I always ask myself, ‘Would this be at my Amity level of creativity?’”

Having been involved in three different Juniors organizations for over a decade, Amity acknowledged that she is a bit uncertain as to where she will next direct her benevolent passions.

“I don’t know what I’ll do when I’m no longer a ‘Junior,’” she said, somewhat unsurely. “I’ll definitely stick around next year, if not for the next two years. I want to see Tracy [Zoberis] take the reins next year, and I want to continue the journey with Hephzibah.

“Juniors keeps growing every year in this community, and I think it has to do with the fact that we have an amazing group of women that have a zest for giving back. My hope is that it continues to go in that direction.”

The Gatsby Gala will be held this Saturday, Feb. 9, at McDonald’s Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook. Tickets are currently on sale for $125 a piece. For more information, please visit www.hjwc.us 36 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

Tech Know

Bring Mobility & Portability to your Business

A

s technology evolves in our workplace each day, the 20-pound desktop and monitor on your desk is slowly becoming obsolete. It seems each month a new tech product is introduced to the business world, and by the next month something even more powerful and smaller becomes available. In this edition of techKNOW, we will take a look at the three leading forms of office mobility, and some examples that go with them.

Errol Janusz Contributing Writer

Smartphones: Believe it or not, your smartphone is capable of more than browsing Facebook and taking funny pictures. Many popular software companies such as Intuit, LexisNexis and Sage are developing “apps” to run your software on your phone. Example: QuickBooks now allows you to view your entire company financials on your phone in an instant. This is great for retail storefronts that need quick invoice access for their customers.

Escape the isolation

Tablets: Microsoft Windows-based tablets are perfect for mobile productivity. Many tablets that are produced today are more powerful than some of the older desktop computers in your office! Companies like AT&T and Verizon are now introducing tablets equipped with cell-phone data plans for fast Internet access everywhere. Example: Dental firms can run Dentrix and Eaglesoft on tablets to easily show patients their charts and x-rays.

OF HEARING LOSS Hear the difference

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Ultrabooks: The gap between tablets and laptops is increasingly getting smaller. Ultrabooks are the newest wave of laptops that include touchscreens and weigh less than three pounds. The traditional keyboard and mouse that accompany laptops will always be a standard feature in the workplace, and that is the No. 1 reason why they survive in the business world today. Example: Because ultrabooks are small and portable, they can be a great alternative to the bulky desktops that reside on your employees’ desks.

Probably the single greatest feature of the three devices mentioned above is Remote Desktop Connection. This fantastic feature will allow you to remote connect to your offices desktop computers just as if you were sitting there. That feature, along with thousands of others, is becoming more and more adopted in the workplace to keep businesses at their peak productivity.

Errol Janusz is President and Lead Technician at Edward Technology.

For more information, contact Errol at (630) 333-9323, ext. 303, or email him at ejanusz@Hinsdale60521.com. Visit Errol’s website at, www.edwardtechnology.com.

6/4/2009

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www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 37

Featured in Hinsdale Magazine’s 2012 Top Doctors S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

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University Dermatology physician specialists are leading

From Left: Vassilios (Bill) Dimitropoulos, MD. Clarence William (Bill) Brown, MD. Stamatis (Tom) Dimitropoulos, MD.

DR. VASSILIOS (BILL) DIMITROPOULOS has been board-certified as a dermatologist for eight years. Dr. Dimitropoulos utilizes the most advanced skin-cancer removal technique—Mohs Micrographic Surgery.

This surgery is performed in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia, minimizing the amount of healthy skin taken when removing skin cancer, thus minimizing scarring while maximizing the overall cosmetic result.

Dr. Dimitropoulos earned his M.D. at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago, before completing a dermatology residency at the University of Michigan.

38 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

authorities in their field, and use their expertise to offer compassionate care and state-of-the-art medicine, treating all diseases of the skin, hair, and nails for patients of all ages, infancy to elderly.

University Cardiology and Vein Center focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of leg diseases, including lower extremity swelling, ulceration, varicose veins and painful legs.

DR. CLARENCE WILLIAM BROWN, JR., has been practicing as a board-certified dermatologist for 13 years. Dr. Brown utilizes the most advanced technique to remove skin cancer—Mohs Micrographic Surgery—which enables him to map and remove cancerous areas in thin layers with unprecedented precision.

After earning his M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Brown completed residency training at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Brown also previously served as the Co-Director of the Dermatologic Surgery Program at RUSH.

DR. STAMATIS (TOM) DIMITROPOULOS is a board-certified cardiologist who has been practicing as a physician for seven years.

Dr. Dimitropoulos completed his medical training, internal medicine residency, and cardiovascular disease fellowship at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Dimitropoulos employs advanced techniques in treating leg veins and ulcers, including endovenous thermal ablation, sclerotherapy, and ambulatory phlebectomy. These specialized techniques are performed without sedation in an outpatient setting, thereby minimizing the patient’s down-time. After receiving treatment, patients can drive themselves home.

60514

A

Residents sound off on the new 55th Street

Photo by Marcello Rodarte

by mike ellis

fter nearly a year, construction on 55th Street throughout

Clarendon Hills and Westmont is complete.

The project, which was managed

by DuPage County’s Division of Transportation (DOT) and contracted by the James D. Fiala Paving Company, cost a hair over $4.4 million altogether, and was primarily dedicated to resurfacing the 1.8-mile stretch of 55th Street between Holmes Ave. and Williams Street.

What was Done Workers resurfaced 55th Street in several stages, shifting traffic to the north side of the street to construct the south side before reopening the revamped south side to work on the north side. As the project neared its conclusion, a stoplight was installed at 55th Street and Clarendon Hills Road, replacing the dangling flashing light that guarded the intersection for years. About a block to the east, workers also created a new entrance to the Country House Restaurant.

The Westmont portion of the construction was highlighted by the insertion of left-hand turn lanes from 55th Street onto Cass Ave. This intersection was notorious for bottling up traffic.

In addition, a barrier was placed between 55th and Churchill Pl. (between Clarendon Hills Road and Prospect Ave.), which reduced lot sizes in the process.

The Village of Clarendon Hills worked with DuPage County during both the

planning and implementation phases of the project. Village Manager Randy Recklaus said the village believes the modifications and improvements will benefit residents.

“We think overall the improvements were necessary and will enhance the drivability and safety of Clarendon Hills’ 55th Street corridor,” Recklaus said.

Community Feedback On the whole, Clarendon Hills residents held a positive view of the construction project, according to a recent survey conducted by Hinsdale Magazine.

Residents predominantly approved of the new Clarendon Hills Road stoplight and Country House entrance, and the addition of left-hand turn lanes at Cass Ave. was commended by almost everyone surveyed.

“It was dangerous trying to make left turns onto 55th Street [from Clarendon Hills Road], because it was hard to see oncoming traffic coming over the hill,” longtime resident Larry Carley said. “The light was a necessary improvement.”

“In terms of traffic patterns, it was a slight inconvenience—but it wasn’t the end of the world,” Philip Altvater said.

“The end result was worth it.”

The top inconvenience cited was the length of the project (about eight months), which compelled many residents to pursue alternative routes. Some wound their way to Holmes Ave. to avoid the eastern end of the construction, while others used Richmond Ave. to the west.

“I think it was a project that certainly

needed to be done, but it seemed to take a long time,” Bob Arnold said. “There seemed to be time periods when not much visible progress was being made.”

Another unpopular feature of the project was frequently changing lane patterns and closures, which made it difficult for drivers to know what to anticipate on a daily basis.

A couple residents even went as far as to suggest that safety was not always the top priority, but Arnold disagreed.

“Having young drivers who recently obtained their licenses, I was a bit concerned about traffic patterns,” he said, “but I didn’t notice any safety issues.”

Let Hinsdale Magazine know about other road or infrastructure projects at news@Hinsdale60521.com

Survey Results What were your overall impressions of the 55th Street construction project?

Positive: 66.7% Negative: 9.5% Neutral: 23.8% Clarendon Hills Road Stoplight Approve: 80.9% Disapprove: 4.8% Neutral: 14.3% Cass Ave. Left-hand Turn Lanes Approve: 95.2% Neutral: 4.8%

www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 39

Own Words

The Chapel Pastor Jeff Knitt, in Kenya last November.

Mission of Heart in

T

here are a variety of things that we can do to see life from a different perspective. Movies, TV shows and books make it relatively easy to leave life in the Western Suburbs of Chicago and visit someplace else, even if it’s primarily through our imaginations.

Most of the time, that’s how I “travel.”

However, in November, I traveled to Kenya, and I was granted the privilege of viewing life from a very different perspective—a Kenyan one.

For the record, it takes a long time to get to Africa. It took me 33 hours

40 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

to venture from Chicago to our destination outside of Nairobi. The Chapel, the church I serve here, has some very meaningful relationships with a few orphanages there, and it was through the orphanages that I was able to connect with some amazing pastors in Kenya. As part of a teaching team, the main reason I went was to serve and train these pastors, and our focus was to help them find meaningful ways to preach what they are learning as they read the Bible.

The focus of our week together was the first book of the New Testament, the Gospel according to St. Matthew. We

spent the week looking at Matthew’s account of the life of Jesus Christ, and we highlighted some of the major themes that Matthew emphasizes as he tells his incredible stories. The most prominent theme in Matthew’s account aligns with the major point that Jesus urged during his time on this Earth: the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven.

As someone who works full-time as a pastor, I understand Jesus can be quite the polarizing figure; and I’m guessing that the people who read this magazine share a diversity of views about who Jesus was and what he came to do. As a result, you may think of a variety of

Jesus labeled Israel’s – and humanity’s – biggest problem as hearts that are hard and turned inward. different things when I reference the Kingdom of Heaven.

To be brief, this is the phrase he used to describe the comprehensive plan of redemption that he was launching through his ministry. The intriguing thing about Jesus’ use of the phrase is that he meant something a little different and a little bigger than what most people in his day assumed.

Most people who encountered Jesus wanted to see God act in a powerful way, destroy the enemies of Israel, and exalt Israel to the highest place amongst the nations of the world. Jesus seemed to think that the problem people faced wasn’t the surrounding nations, or even the tyrannical reign of Rome.

Rather, Jesus labeled Israel’s—and humanity’s—biggest problem as hearts that are hard and turned inward. The battles he fought were to redeem and restore all the things that are broken in this world, including death itself. Thus, the Kingdom of Heaven was seen when Jesus healed the blind and the sick, when he invited the most unlikely to dine with him, and when he proclaimed a way of living that flowed from hearts that had been made new.

Examining the book of Matthew for a whole week in Kenya really expanded my own understanding regarding Jesus’ message. At first glance, the needs in Kenya appear to be very different than the needs here in the Western Suburbs.

In many ways, the needs in Kenya are more obvious, mostly because their needs are more material. Our needs often tend to be less material and more interpersonal or internal. Unlike many Kenyans, we can enjoy eating meat more than once a month if we desire, and we don’t have to save our dirty shower water to flush the toilet (assuming there even is a toilet!).

Nevertheless, despite such apparent differences in the types and dimensions of our needs, I was fascinated as I dug deeper into the issues that Kenyans face. As I listened to the Kenyan pastors share their personal experiences and the trials of their people, I couldn’t help but think that Jesus was on to something.

The brokenness that we see in this world, regardless of our culture or our particular needs, seems to be linked

The brokenness that we see in this world, r egardless of our culture or our particular needs, seems to be linked to what we find in the human heart.

- Pastor Jeff Knitt to what we find in the human heart.

Jesus’ solution, as we read in Matthew’s Gospel, was that he himself would pave a way to free the rest of us from the brokenness we find in our hearts and in the world around us.

It was incredible to hear how lifegiving this message is in Kenya, just as I have seen it be in many lives back home. Regardless of how you think and feel about Jesus, it’s at the very least pretty amazing that people 2,000 years later in diverse cultural contexts find his message relevant, inspiring and empowering.

This message is a major reason why I went on this trip. Fifteen years ago,

I went to college with the intention of becoming a chemical engineer. Those years were incredibly formative for me, as I began to wonder who I really was and what sort of contribution I was going to make in this world. Like most college students, I explored several different routes, but the life that Jesus spoke about is what most captured my imagination. I have spent the rest of my life trying to gain a better understanding of who Jesus is, and what this life he offers really looks like.

I am still on that journey and adventure today. I saw this trip to Kenya as a unique opportunity to hear how these pastors had encountered Jesus, and what they could teach me about him. I had the chance to articulate some of the things I had learned about Jesus through St. Matthew’s Gospel, and received immediate feedback from Kenyans with a different perspective.

I was not disappointed. I’m thankful for my American upbringing in the Church, but I was certainly blessed to have the privilege of seeing a little bit of life through a Kenyan perspective. ­– jeff knitt

www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 41

Ask the Expert

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hile you may be planning spring break vacation (don’t forget your sun block!) it’s still several weeks away. In the meantime, winter rules and that means for the best skin possible it’s best to follow some rules.

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February marks Valentine’s Day— what can I do to freshen up my skin?

DR STEIL: First, don’t think of that one day as being any different than any other. You

42 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

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deserve to look “Valentine’s Day” special every day! And you can do that with a 365-day commitment to skin health. Here’s how: In addition to all the skin tips above, give your skin a glow and use products that contain glycolic acid if you have tolerant skin. If your skin is sensitive—and it may be especially so in winter months—try the newest generation of skin care “acids” in the form of polyhydroxy acids (PHA). Look for products that contain gluconolactone and lactobionic acids, types of PHA. These supply an effective yet gentle exfoliant. Find what is right for you and apply regularly.

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www.vasileflooring.com www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 43

D

Newcomers & Neighbors A Holiday Social

ozens of local residents gathered for the Newcomers and Neighbors of the Greater Hinsdale Area’s holiday social at Oak Brook Club on Dec. 8.

The members-only event, which was hosted by members and Oak Brook Club residents Jan & Sherry Thiry, featured musical entertainment provided by the Robin Watson quartet as guests dined and conversed at round tables fitted for the occasion.

Newcomers & Neighbors is a nationwide social organization devoted to helping local residents develop lasting relationships and find activities that interest them, thereby enabling them to feel more immersed within the community. The Greater Hinsdale Area chapter primarily comprises Hinsdale,

Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook and Burr Ridge. Newcomers & Neighbors offers a wide variety of activities to encompass the interests of both men and women, including Book Club, Euchre, Girls’ Night Out, Lunch Bunch, Men’s Poker Night, Philanthropy and more.

Daphne Brown, who has been a member of the organization for six years, said they joined just after moving to town, and that Newcomers has been very helpful ever since.

“The people are really sincere and helpful,” Brown said. “As time goes, [some] people move out of Hinsdale while new ones come in. Even though there is a solid group that has been here for many years, you meet new people too.”

Alan Orosz of Western Springs and Kay Wagner of Hinsdale are currently dating,

44 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

and joined Newcomers this past October. Orosz and Wagner said they felt the club could be an effective tool for meeting new people as their lives head in a new direction.

“We’re a new couple, and our kids are about to be going off to college—so we’re almost empty-nesters,” Wagner said, “so we’re looking to meet some new people and find a community of our own. Everybody’s friendly, open and welcoming.”

Daphne Brown said she encourages anyone new to the community to consider joining this club.

“I would recommend [Newcomers] to any person moving to Hinsdale,” she said. “Anybody who joins the club will meet a wonderful group of people.”

Social Scene Rose Ross

Kay Wagner and Alan Orosz Photos by Marcello Rodarte

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February is National Children’s Dental Health Month Each February, the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children’s Dental Health Month to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. Do you have any tips for parents?

The most important part of your kids’ oral health is your involvement. Brush and floss alongside them to help make oral hygiene seem like an exciting, grown up responsibility.

- Keep track of kids’ brushing and flossing with a chart, and reward consistency. Your children will soon be brushing of their own volition.

- Stock your fridge with sugar-free beverages. Not only are drinks like juice and soda loaded with sugar, they are highly acidic and erode your children’s tooth enamel. Serve your kids ice water or milk instead—water rinses away food particles and bacteria, and the calcium in milk is healthy for enamel.

- Always avoid sticky treats. Fruit roll ups, chewy snacks and sticky candies leave sugary residue between teeth that is very hard for your child to brush away. When it’s time for a sweet treat, choose chocolate; it quickly melts away in the mouth, and cocoa can have antibacterial effects.

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Photos by Marcello Rodarte

Blackhawks players

GLOBAL LUXURY IMPORTS FIGHTS HUNGER

Gary Grasso & Jesse White

Sultan Issa & Dave Bolland

46 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

F

Social Scene

amilies from throughout the Chicagoland area flocked to Global Luxury Imports in Burr Ridge to help the Sultan and Sakeba Issa Family Foundation support the Greater Chicago Food Depository in its second annual food drive on Dec. 8.

“We have wonderful friends and family who spread the word through e-mail, Facebook and Twitter,” Sakeba Issa said. “Our family appreciates how the food depository can stretch a $20 gift to feed a family of four for an entire day.”

Dave Bolland and four of his Chicago Blackhawks teammates also attracted visitors, signing autographs late in the afternoon.

“We’ve got some hockey players ourselves,” Jerry Gerami of Hinsdale said of his children.

“The food drive is a great opportunity for people to come out and do something good this time of year for people in need.”

“I came to donate some food for the [Greater] Chicago Food Depository and meet some Blackhawks players,” Mike Kavanaugh of Roselle said. “I know what it’s like to be out of work around the holidays—its happened to me. If I can help somebody, I will.”

The Greater Chicago Food Depository is a nonprofit food distribution and training facility dedicated to combating hunger in Cook County. Depository public relations coordinator Wendy Rake said over 800,000 Cook County residents are currently in need of food.

“We’re serving 85 percent more people than we were just five years ago,” she said.

Rake said she appreciates the Issa Family Foundation’s commitment to aiding the depository in achieving its mission.

“This is always an exciting opportunity to build partnerships with people in the community—especially leading into the holiday season,” she said. “Unfortunately, there are many families in our community that aren’t able to put food on their tables;— these events help that happen. We are so thankful to the Issa Family Foundation and the community members here, for their support in this fight [against hunger].”

The food collected on Saturday was taken to the depository’s warehouse, where it will be sorted and disseminated to food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters across Cook County. More than 1,000 pounds of food was collected and over $20,000 raised at last year’s event.

For more information about the Greater Chicago Food Depository, please visit www.chicagosfoodbank.org

Photos by Jessica Kaplan

Happy Birthday February marks the 23rd year since Mike first joined the Real Estate business. Ancient history: He started as a sales associate for Coldwell Banker in Hinsdale in 1990. He moved to RE/MAX Elite in Hinsdale four years later, then, to Coldwell Banker in Clarendon Hills in 2010.

His business model changed Some have noticed The early “formidable” years for Mike took him all over the western suburbs purchasing, selling homes, apartment buildings and investments. Mike’s understanding of the markets and industry grew and so did the numbers of families he helped and properties he sold. Finally, in 2010, he decided to focus on the immediate communities around his office. This change has made an impact on his business for sure. He was recently recognized as being one of the top 20 brokers in DuPage County. His clients have benefited as well because Mike brings sharp marketing and negotiation skill to every transaction.

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Prospect Park Pavilion – Clarendon Hills, 3-5 pm

Personal Life Mike, his lovely wife Amy, and their 4 children live in Clarendon Hills. He coaches soccer and basketball, is an Elder at Christ Church of Oak Brook and is active in the local chambers of commerce. Mike played college football at Indiana University, an offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings, was a pioneer in the Arena Football League and competed in Half-Ironman’s.

Mike McCurry

Mike@McCurryHomes.com Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage 5 S. Prospect Ave Clarendon Hills, IL 60514

www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 47

Social Scene

Community House Holiday Ball

M

Sally & Jim Porter

Gregory DiDomenico, Jenifer Fabian and Pat Oberle

ore than 430 guests joined us as we ventured “Into the Woods”, as the Community House was transformed into a gorgeous winter Napa Valley Christmas on Dec. 1.

Attendees were welcomed by the angelic voices of the Hinsdale South/ Central Madrigal Singers, and during cocktail hour perused more than 100 donated lots of wine generously provided from the cellars of many local wine enthusiasts.

Event Co-chairs and Hinsdale residents, Beth & Bill Kaczynski and Pam & Eric Malchow, tirelessly coordinated every detail to ensure guests were blown away when they entered the stunning “gymnasium” for dinner.

The center piece of the room was the result of the amazing feat of transporting and “planting” a real 20foot maple tree generously donated by longtime friends of the Community House, Mr. & Mrs. Richard & Andrea Burridge. After a fabulous meal provided by Food for Thought, guests were welcomed and thanked

by Board Chairman Robert Early, Executive Director Jenifer Fabian and the event co-chairs. The program for the evening continued with the debut of an inspiring video describing the works of the Community House ,and ended with the traditional singing of White Christmas, led by Life Trustee Jay Tuthill and the Community House Players. Guests returned to Kettering Hall to dance the night away to the tunes of popular Chicago disc jockey, DJ Meghan.

Sakeba Issa Photos by Marcello Rodarte

Beatriz Chalas-Harnois

48 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

Photos by Marcello Rodarte

Michael & Allison Roth

Julie & Scott Jonlich

JAM’uary Benefit Rocks the House

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ver 100 people turned out for the Community House’s inaugural JAM’uary event to benefit the Willowbrook Corner program on Jan. 26 at Madison and Eighth Streets in Hinsdale.

JAM’uary, which featured Chicago-based band Expo’76, drew guests from throughout Chicagoland.

“We were thinking of a unique, casual event where we could pull folks from all over the Chicagoland area to help grow our mission to help grow awareness about the good work we do at Willowbrook Corner,” Community House Development Director Michael Roth said.

The Community House has conducted the Willowbrook Corner program to support predominantly low-income residents of unincorporated Willowbrook south of the Stevenson Expressway for over 17 years.

“We’ve been there bridging the gap and giving the kids the requisite support they need to succeed academically, and end

the cycle of poverty,” Roth said.

Educational programs offered at Willowbrook Corner include the After School Program and the Summer Learning Program.

Program Director Rebecca Perkhaus said she has observed substantial growth in recent years.

“Over the past six years, the program has doubled in size,” Perkhaus said. “We are still looking for more space to [support] more kids in the neighborhood. Last year, we had a waiting list of 50 kids, which is the biggest list we’ve ever had; so the support of our donors and volunteers will definitely help.”

Perkaus said after the Community House recently lost funding from United Way, fundraisers like JAM’uary became more vital than ever.

“This event will definitely help sustain that funding and help us grow,” she said. “The public coming out and showing their support to the [Willowbrook Corner] program is really amazing, and we want to thank all of them.”

Expo’76 Band

Dr.Nichole Dawson and Dr. Cathleen O’Hare www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 49

Cufflinks Timeless Style

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MEN’S Style

by william walker

was sitting at Einstein Bros. in Hinsdale last week, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a cufflink on a perfect white shirt. Since we are in the business— Barley Twist always has a nice selection of vintage and antique links—, I tried to get a better look just as the owner of the shirt sleeve turned. Surprise—the second link didn’t match the first; in fact was a different metal and subject!

I asked, “Did you end up with two singles or are you making a statement?”

“No,” he responded, “each of my girls gave me a pair for Christmas, and this is the first day I’ve worn any links since. I put on one’s pair, and the disappointment on the other’s face was just too much.

Then they both thought it was funny for me to wear one of each. Wonder how many people will notice during the day?”

Indeed, I wonder how many people in his world would notice. Does he work in an environment where it’s common to wear cufflinks, or is he swimming upstream? Estimates are that one in seven men who go to work today in a white—translate business—shirt wear one with French cuffs with links. That is up from one in ten the last decade of the 20th century, but down from the one in six in the 1950s.

Of course, you are not likely to wear them if you don’t own them, but, chances are, if you have one pair, you have more.

A clear majority of men in the United States don’t own a pair of cufflinks, but owning one pair is very rare. The average number of pair owned by a man who wears cufflinks at least once a week is 11.

The cufflink in many forms became the upper and social classes’ wrist closure from before 1700, overtaking cuff “strings.” Cufflinks lost their almost complete dominance for business/social attire in the mid 1880s, when buttons became mass produced; however, they maintained competitiveness as a wrist closure in Victorian times with English gentry leading the way. Before then, cufflinks were almost exclusively precious metals and jewels, occasionally made personal with engraving.

In Victorian England, cufflinks began to reflect the leisure class’s interest in 50 Hinsdale Magazine | www.hinsdale60521.com

nature and other personal endeavors.

The owner of a shipping company might wear miniature paddle wheels; the cricket player, crossed bats. Jewelers were as likely to get an order for a pair of cufflinks as a pair of earrings at the end of the 19th century. Major jewelers like Tiffany and Cartier began to create signature pieces.

In the early 20th century, companies distributed their logos as men’s links.

The 1950s resurgence reflected the impact of the big screen and the little one, as well as an increased sophistication as so many men spent time in Europe during the war the decade before. You can relive this period with any episode of Madmen watching Don Draper’s wrists; the producers have become more exacting in obtaining his accessories, including the cufflinks. Companies like Swank began manufacturing for the general public with less expensive materials, as sterling silver became a nice gift and gold something special.

The toggle we most associate with the back of the cufflink was developed in 1949, and contributed to the resurgence as well. In a most egregious abuse of patent law, Jacob Oldak’s invention and registration of the toggle was ignored.

Many a man’s collection of links today begins with a woman saying, “I just don’t

know what to get him.” A shirt with French cuffs and a pair of nice cufflinks can be good planning. If he embraces this first gift, the door is opened for possibilities for many a birthday or holiday in the future. Who knows— he may be a budding member of the

Chris Knapp of Hinsdale

WHAT TO WEAR Answers by Steven Potter

Photos by Marcello Rodarte

International Cuff Link Association which held its 2012 meeting in Chicago.

Today’s options include new designs as well as old. Collectors might focus on sports teams’ logos, activities from skiing to stamp collecting, time periods, materials or designers. There is high demand for fly-fishing, art deco, humorous themes and Mexican silver designers like Spratlin. Men are now wearing cufflinks with jeans, dressing up their dressing down.

In addition to Madmen, with the attention to recent decades (Boss, Revenge or House of Cards) and not so recent (Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, Ripper Street, or Lincoln), there are lots of opportunities in movies and television series to see how men have pinned their wrists historically.

Actually, I am anxious to see The Great Gatsby; I’m wondering if they are true to the book. Meyer Wolfsheim, one of Gatsby’s gangster associates, wore “cuff-buttons” in the novel—“not ivory”—human molars.

William Walker is the proprietor of Barley Twist in Hinsdale

Hinsdale Magazine: Steven, shirt tucked in or out? What’s the trend and for what occasion?

Steven Potter: The current trend for dress shirts is always to be tucked in at the waist. For many of the new crossover shirts, if they’re trimmed at the collar and cuffs, they can also be worn after work with jeans or dress pants. Fashion-forward shirts are often shorter, and can be worn normally outside the trouser.

HM: What are some trends for men today?

Potter: The main trends for men are trimmer-fitting coats and pants, and more textured-weave fabrics. Lighter colors for spring and summer, such as grey, tan, and blue, have been strong for several seasons already. Peaked lapels and vests on suits are not unusual to see anymore.

HM: Pleated pants or plain?

Potter: We are currently at 99 percent plain front pants. Trouser fashions have been shaped by both the European market and the younger, trimmer American customer. They made us more aware of wide-legged trousers that aren’t as flattering.

HM: Custom tailoring—what should I look for?

Potter: Men who need smaller waists or an extra size often can’t find good variety for their wardrobe. When selecting a tailor for custom clothes and shirts, select a reputable store that does them all the time and not just once in a while.

HM: What is the appropriate corporate office look?

Potter: Suits for the corporate office are a part of its recognition of prestige and authority. Sport coats and blazers are appropriate in business environments that are less formal, such as Fridays, travel days or parties. Having a tuxedo in your closet is a must for the successful executive.

HM: When and where is business casual appropriate?

Potter: Corporate casual works well, when using a cleaned and pressed sport shirt with dress pants. But it’s not a good look with casual cotton pants, especially when they’re not well-pressed.

“The main trends for men are trimmer-fitting coats and pants, and more textured-weave fabrics. Lighter colors for spring and summer, such as grey, tan, and blue, have been strong for several seasons already.”

- Steven Potter

TOMBOLINI BASSA

Steven Potter is the proprietor of Hinsdale Clothiers. www.hinsdale60521.com |Hinsdale Magazine 51

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Amore

Misericordia Women’s League President Joan Zajeski and Event Co-Chairs Michelle Vranicar and Patty Burke at Pinstripes in Oak Brook

Mis

T

he Misericordia Women’s League will present Mis Amore, its annual benefit to assist Misericordia, on Friday, Mar. 8, at Pinstripes in Oak Brook.

Mis Amore [i.e., my love] will include bowling, bocce and bistro, as hundreds of Misericordia supporters from throughout the Western Suburbs come together to raise money for the north-side facility that currently provides housing to about 600 adults and children with special needs.

“I’ve been attending the Misericordia event for the past eight years or so, and I’ve always enjoyed it,” Mis Amore cochair Michelle Vranicar of Hinsdale said.“We’re excited to partner with a local business and a new business in our area.”

Guests will bid on a plethora of live, silent art-auction items, while being treated to a food buffet and musical entertainment by Paparocksi (the same band that opened Uniquely Thursdays in June 2012). The art auction, a new feature of the 2013 benefit, will be comprised of artwork crafted by Misericordia residents.

Funds raised at Mis Amore will proceed directly to Misericordia’s Personal Effectiveness Program (PEP).

Photo by Marcello Rodarte

for Misericordia

This program combines a specialized curriculum with emerging technology like iPads and SMART boards to assist residents in developing skills that increase personal independence.

Misericordia said that funds raised will enable more residents to be incorporated into PEP. “You think about the simplicity of everyday tasks—how they’re easy for you and I to do,” event co-chair Patty Burke of La Grange said. “But they’re not always easy for the children and adults who live at Misericordia. This program specifically helps them feel empowered in their daily behaviors and attitudes.”

The last two years, the benefit theme was March Madness, centered on the annual NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held in March. This year, however, organizers said emphasis will be placed on immersing guests in games and activities at Pinstripes, rather than directing their attention to games on gigantic television screens.

“This year, we’re focusing on our members getting involved in the bowling competition and other games,” Vranicar said.

Burke, whose husband’s cousin is a Misericordia resident, said that although this year’s theme is novel, the underlying objective of the benefit remains unchanged.

“The overall atmosphere will be the same,” Burke said. “It’s still people joining together in the belief in what Misericordia does. We like to try to keep [the benefit] fresh and not repeat [a particular concept] more than two years.” Organizers said the benefit, which has been conducted annually since 1996, typically raises between $250,000 and $300,000 altogether.

Last year’s auction included an autographed Mike Ditka jersey, a fourperson vacation package to Orlando, and the authentic 1953 Heisman Trophy.

Based in the Western Suburbs, the Misericordia Women’s League is geared towards raising funds for and providing services to Misericordia Heart of Mercy Center. The league also coordinates other get-togethers, including a Brookfield Zoo outing, an American Girl event and a Secret Santa program.

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