NewsTribune_Boomers_022220

ILLINOIS VALLEY

Boomers TODAY February 2020

SHARING A BEST FRIEND: Therapy dog owners make the rounds

ALSO: n DNA gives new

hope for families of Missing in Action

n

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Hope

CONTENTS

The POW/MIA flag flies at various sites such as the Illinois Veterans Home at La Salle. But until the past couple of years, flag has, more or less, signified a wish and commitment to bring soldiers or their remains home from foreign lands.

Today, advances in DNA testing make the recoveries and discoveries much more likely.

Page 9

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

On the cover Various factors, including a love of dogs, led a handful of area baby boomers to get themselves and their canine companions trained to provide therapy to senior citizens, cancer patients and veterans. And those handlers, including Julie Condie of Peru, remain amazed at the power of pets, such as Ruby. Page 13

Face in the Crowd 5

Ed Melendez started an entirely new career around age 60.

At 68, he’s learning a lot about his students and himself as he helps high school students find their path toward careers and college.

Advice from Friends 18

Tom Henson and Kim Shute mine for gold — the key to happiness after 50.

Fifty years ago

21

22

426 Second Street La Salle, Illinois 61301 (815) 223-3200 (800) 892-6452 www.newstrib.com Publisher Dan Goetz Editor Craig Sterrett

Cities protest US Census numbers.

Humor

Boomers Today

Advertising Director Jeanette Smith

jmsmith@shawmedia.com

Peg has been watching how kindred spirits and folks with a lot in common acknowledge one another.

Writers Tom Collins Tom Henson Peg Schulte Kim Shute Craig Sterrett Photographer Scott Anderson Designer Liz Klein Published by: est. 1851

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www.simplythefinest.net 4 February 2020 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

Ed Melendez, (center) instructs LaMoille High School students Dylan Tornow and Marcus Winn how to wire electrical outlets during a vocational class at the school. Melendez spent most of his life working in city and state parks.

A new calling after 60 First busy career trained this teacher to relate

By Craig Sterrett

I

t’s the last hour before the final bell and Ed Melendez is quizzing high school juniors and seniors in the old library at Ohio High School.

“If you’re self-employed, what percentage of your insurance is deductible?”

Students give a few guesses.

“You guys haven’t had insurance, have you?”

The senior next to him says, “100 percent.”

“Ding. Ding. Ding,” Melendez, 68, says, imitating a game show bell.

After more than 30 years of laboring, and then managing — and still toiling — in the field of parks and recreation in four states, Melendez veered into an entirely different career.

Well, he says it’s not entirely different.

He has participated in teaching

throughout his career, whether it was teaching park employees about native plants or the best ways to create paths and walkways or teaching at universities during slower months.

While he was director of parks in West Lafayette, Ind., he taught leadership management, introduction to parks and recreation and business management at Purdue See MELENDEZ page 6

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MELENDEZ

Pavilion

FROM PAGE 5

West Lafayette.

While serving as superintendent of parks and forestry in Adrian, Mich., (which had a $19.2 milliondollar-a-year budget thanks in part to a bequest from an estate), he took workers to the Detroit Tigers’ stadium to train with the grounds crew. Later, he said, Adrian won the contract to host the state baseball tournaments.

While leading the parks at Beloit, Wis., he took employees to the Milwaukee Brewers games to learn the finer points from the field crew.

The Beloit parks’ responsibilities included the Beloit Snappers’ stadium.

Near the end of his parks career, in the 2000s, he served for 10 years as superintendent of parks and recreation in Porter County, Indiana, near Valparaiso where he managed acquisition of 500 acres of former dairy land left to the county for future parks development.

“They were literally building a whole new park,” he said of his duties.

Of course while helping to develop a new type of park for that area, his duties still included prioritizing park operations and capital improvement projects, and supervising full- and part-time employees.

Upon receiving the land, the county and Melendez worked to find a niche for it. Nature lovers and recreation seekers could visit a national park and state park on the shore of Lake Michigan nearby, so they needed to make the park different to make it attractive. They created a nature greenway park, with winding trail systems and mown pathways throughout half of the property.

They planted prairie and suitable trees and protected natural sand dunes and shallow wetlands.

They moved nature and educational programming and attractions to the front of the park. They created a wide-open grassy area for use for an annual tractor club event and harvest fairs. They also grew crops such as wheat, kept geese and ducks, and had educational programs for children about agriculture, nature and insects.

“We developed a parks-to-school education program,” he noted.

Programs ranged from high school science activities to identification of animal tracks to a

Bigelow Ed Melendez, who changed careers to teaching full-time at age 60, shared some photos from projects and areas he and his crews oversaw while he was parks and recreation director in Peoria, Porter County and West Lafayette, Indiana, Beloit, Wis., and Adrian, Mich.

Grand View Drive

U.S. 150 and Illinois Route 40

His unusual Peoria responsibilities included maintenance of the many wide boulevards in Peoria in the 1970s, such as Bigelow and Grand View Drive. He submitted photos of the boulevard as well as a view over the river and a pavilion along luxurious and historic Grand View Drive.

In addition, he provided a photo of unusual landscaping at U.S. 150 and Illinois Route 40, for which he received a city Orchid Award in Peoria.

He also helped with the establishment and planning for Sunset Hill Farm Park after the estate of a deceased dairy farmer left property to Porter County, Indiana.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Sunset Hill Farm Park

6 February 2020 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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Halloween spiders event.

While in Porter County, he helped grow the parks system and the parks budget significantly. In 2007, he helped the county and city with creation of a park space at the former site of the Porter County Home, too.

But he was getting tired. He needed something different.

“I fired myself roughly 10 years ago at about this time of year. My dad passed away and mom got sick,” he said.

Melendez, now a Mineral resident, headed home to Kewanee to take care of his mom.

“Then she got healthy again, and I’m like, ‘Uh-oh!?”

Though he had to quickly make a new plan, his kids liked what they saw in their more-relaxed father. His daughter, an I.T. specialist for a harvester manufacturer, said it was nice to have her dad back. His son, 30, also is following a busy career path, as a vice president at Kellogg in Battle Creek, Mich.

After a short break, Melendez fell into teaching, first for Kewanee Wethersfield, the high school he attended prior to getting an associate degree in horticulture and then

bachelor’s degree in soil science from Southern Illinois University.

Right after college in 1969, he worked for a contractor that landscaped Interstate 88 east of the Quad Cities and then he worked for the Peoria parks and eventually became responsible for the historic, luxurious and scenic blufftop boulevard, Grandview Drive, Today, looking back, his college degrees may have been suited better to what he’s doing today — teaching high school students and FFA participants about agriculture, soils, business, finance, farm futures and crops.

Then again, he may have spent three and a half decades years training to teach teenagers during his career managing and training people and dealing with everything from storm damage after a microburst in Beloit to fundraising to bike path creation in Michigan, Since being hired at LaMoille by superintendent Ricardo Espinoza, Melendez has been building up the FFA, vocational technical training and agriculture programs at LaMoille and Ohio.

The FFA program participants also try to learn from area businesses, and in their quest to

afford participation in events and activities, the program also has been receiving donations and sponsorships not only in LaMoille and Ohio but throughout the region. The FFA has been receiving donations from Holland & Sons John Deere dealership, a tractor club in Geneseo, an auction house in Annawan and a Harley-Davidson dealership in Kewanee, for example.

Melendez’s students have been making a name for LaMoille-Ohio at state judging and testing competitions against students from much larger schools, and he said he’s glad to watch as many of the students become interested in careers or college. He enjoys when they realize the reasons that it’s valuable to listen and learn in high school.

“I kind of fell in love with working with the kids,” he said. “They like to hear the stories of what it’s like in the outside world.”

“I listen to what they say and then say, ‘Do you realize you gave me the answer?’ I treat them like I treat my son and daughter, and I love my son and daughter.”

Craig Sterrett is news editor for the NewsTribune.

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“When patients come into my office with a laundry list of aging concerns, a combination of procedures is always my answer.

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combination is BotoxTM or another neuro-modulator, IPL (Intense Pulse Light), Laser resurfacing, Hydrafacial™ and Filler. On the day of your consultation we discuss a timeline so I can have you looking your best over a 60-day period of time. Your transformation starts with Botox for the expression lines around your eyes and forehead.

Once these lines are softer, in about 2 weeks, I perform 1 or 2 laser procedures on the same day. If appropriate for your skin, an IPL (Intense Pulse Light) laser is used for

red vessels and brown pigmentation on the skin, then a Resurfacing laser is used for wrinkles, fine lines and skin tightening. After this laser “fairy dusting”, as I like to call it, most patients will have about 1-3 days of downtime. After this time of low social interaction, make-up may be worn and your skin will be healing underneath and making brand-new skin.

You will be asked to use a specific regimen of medicalgrade products to heal the skin with maximum collagen production. One month after your laser “fairy dusting”, I have you return to my office for follow-up pictures and a HydraFacial™. At this appointment, we discuss dermal filler to tweak areas of your face that may still need lifting and filling.

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collagen, but laser resurfacing stimulates your own body to make collagen.

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Call Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa this month to learn more and make your appointment with Dr. Norris to plan your customized combination of procedures. If you schedule your laser procedure at your initial appointment, your consultation fee of $100 will go toward that procedure. We offer creative packages of antiaging procedures and 6-month 0% financing through Care Credit TM.

8 February 2020 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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Dan Savitch of Spring Valley, at most Memorial Day ceremonies in Spring Valley, gives a talk about one person listed as Missing In Action, in order to remind people about military personnel who have never come home. The Department of Defense’s return of the remains of a sailor to La Salle just before Christmas serves also as a reminder that DNA testing can help the military identify remains. Adolph Loebach died in the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, and was buried in St. Vincent Cemetery, La Salle on Dec. 19, 2019.

NEWSTRIBUNE FILE PHOTO

DNA the key to bring home the MIA Hope arises for families of missing soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines

By Craig Sterrett

E

ach Memorial Day for the past four decades, Vietnam War veteran Dan Savitch has given a speech about a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine listed as Missing In Action.

During the ceremonies at Valley Memorial Park in Spring Valley, he will stand next to “the missing man chair” and emphasize the importance of finding the missing, dead or alive, and bringing them home.

It wasn’t always clear what exactly that meant.

But the impact of bringing the missing home took on clear meaning in Spring Valley and La Salle-Peru late last year when the Department of Defense notified Jim Loebach of Oglesby that they had identified his

brother. When Jim was 3, Adolph Loebach was killed in the Japanese attack on the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor.

Savitch had nothing to do with the identification of Adolph Loebach’s remains, but he believes the remains of more soldiers from the area listed as MIA may be identified and brought home due to scientific improvements.

A major advancement in DNA testing in 2015 made it possible for forensic investigators in 2019 to identify Adolph Loebach’s bones in a mixture of remains from 81 victims of the attack on the Oklahoma. As a result, the Navy offered to have full military burial services anySee MIA page 11

Known for MIA reports, Spring Valley veteran also has passion for wilderness

Most everyone in Spring Valley knows Dan Savitch for his presentations during Memorial Day ceremonies. But, in addition to his reading and study on missing soldiers and Vietnam War history, the veteran and retired City of Spring Valley laborer has another hobby.

“I like hiking out west in the mountains of Idaho, Washington,” he said.

He does a lot of the hiking alone, and usually in wilderness areas.

He notes that Central Idaho has some of the most expansive areas without roads in the Lower 48 states.

Though he enjoys the adventure, he also goes to great lengths to avoid risks and run-ins with wildlife. He doesn’t think it’s wise to camp alone in areas with grizzlies, black bears and mountain lions, so he doesn’t totally rough it. He stays in motels.

“I’ve been going out there for 45 years,” he said.

He has made certain not to stray into dangerous areas and to understand animal behavior and avoidance — a word for the wise in the outdoors.

“One of my favorite sayings is if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ve got no business doing it,” he said. He takes strides and takes extra precautions to avoid dangerous situations.

Some of his recent solitary hikes have been following the path of the Lewis and Clark Expedition as well. He’s getting older now and believes one of his biggest dangers is simply falling down.

“But living life is a risk. You could get into a crash going to the supermarket,” he said. He says some risks are necessary to live a full live. “It’s the unnecessary risks you want to avoid.”

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Among the Missing The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency works to find missing military personnel, identify remains and provide closure for families of the missing. Note: At the end of World War II, the number listed as missing amounted to 79,000. Today, DPAA has 72,000 listed as missing, and is working to identify recovered remains. More than 3,500 were listed as missing from Illinois. (Source: DPAA)

SGT. WILLIAM ANTHONY EVANS On March 2, 1969, 11 members of a U.S. Army reconnaissance team embarked on a combat mission in Cambodia. They departed the landing zone and approached their objective, but enemy forces ambushed them. One soldier was wounded, and the team retreated to elevated ground in the vicinity of grid coordinates 48P XT 415 935, where they formed a defensive perimeter. As the enemy continued to close in, the team called in a friendly gunship to provide air support. As soon as the gunship departed, the enemy attacked again. An enemy rocket exploded directly over their position, wounding eight of the team members, two fatally. The team members then left the area, but were unable to evacuate the two dead soldiers, whose bodies were still in their fighting positions when it was overrun by the enemy.

Evans, who joined the U.S. Army from Wisconsin, served with the 5th Special Forces Group and was a member of this reconnaissance team. He died of wounds suffered when the rocket exploded over the team’s position, and could not be evacuated at the time. His remains were not recovered.

DPAA has been actively pursuing the case.

LT. COL. JOHN WILLARD SWANSON JR., ARLINGTON Capt. John Willard Swanson Jr., of Arlington, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Illinois, was a member of the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing. On June 15, 1967, he piloted a single-seat F-105D Thunderchief (tail number 61-0213) as part of a four-plane strike mission over North Vietnam.

While making an attack on the target, enemy ground fire struck Capt. Swanson’s Thunderchief. After being hit, Capt. Swanson headed for the Gulf of Tonkin and ejected over the water in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q WG 684 064. The aircraft then crashed in the vicinity of (GC) 48Q WG 683 061. Another pilot observed Capt.

Swanson successfully eject from his plane, but then lost visual contact with the parachute. When he reacquired contact, he saw the parachute sinking in the water, but saw no sign of Capt. Swanson. Search and rescue efforts in the area found no trace of Capt. Swanson, and he remains unaccounted-for. Subsequent to the incident, and while carried in the status of missing in action (MIA), the U.S. Air Force promoted Swanson to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Today, Lt. Col. Swanson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Active Pursuit.

STAFF SGT. BILLIE LEROY ROTH, LACON On June 27, 1965, a C-123 Provider carrying two U.S. crew members, including the crew chief, Staff Sgt. Billie Leroy Roth, and an unknown number of non-U.S. evacuee passengers took off from Nha Trang Air Base, Khanh Hoa Province, on an emergency evacuation mission to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon. While on its final approach to Tan Son Nhut airfield, the aircraft exploded for unknown reasons, and crashed south of Bien Hoa. No one on board survived the crash. Rescue teams arrived on site shortly after the incident and ultimately recovered 12 sets of remains; however, attempts to identify the remains were not successful.

Roth’s remains were not recovered, and he is still unaccounted-for. Today, Staff Sgt. Roth is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

SGT. JOSEPH KASPER CIESLAK, SPRING VALLEY On Nov. 27, 1950, the 31st Regimental Combat Team, tasked with replacing the 5th Marine Regiment on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir, arrived at the P’ungnyuri Inlet. That night, and for the next three nights, Chinese Communist Forces launched a massive surprise attack against the 31st RCT. On Dec. 1, the 31st RCT withdrew to Hagaru-ri at the base of the Chosin Reservoir. Heavy Chinese attacks continued there until December 6, and forced the 31st RCT into another fighting withdrawal, this time to Hamhung. Heavy fighting took place all along the withdrawal route from December 9-12, and a number of men were killed or went missing before the action.

Sergeant Joseph Kasper Cieslak entered the U.S. Army from Illinois and served with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, which was a component of the 31st RCT. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 12, following the 31st RCT’s withdrawal, though the exact circumstances and date of his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, he is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Deferred. The Department of Defense was seeking more information from family members PAUL R. FOSTER, TROY GROVE During the Cold War: On Nov. 6, 1951, a U.S. Navy P2V Neptune on a secret reconnaissance mission, crashed, presumed to have been shot down by Soviet La-11 fighters, over Sea of Japan. The entire crew of 10, including Petty Officer 1st Class Foster, was listed as missing, unaccounted-for.

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MIA

FROM PAGE 9

where the Loebach family wished — Arlington National Cemetery, a national cemetery in Hawaii or in his hometown.

The Loebach family chose to have Adolph buried next to his mother and father in St. Vincent Cemetery in La Salle. And Jim soon learned just how serious the military is about bringing home the missing and bringing them to their final resting place, with honor.

Navy personnel escorted the coffin and remains all the way on a flight to Midway Airport, with personnel carrying the coffin from the tarmac to the Barto Funeral Home hearse and Chicago firefighters saluting and Chicago police providing an escort.

At the funeral ceremonies, Navy personnel including an admiral participated, the Rolling Thunder motorcycle escort group showed up just in case of interruptions from a religious group that tries to interrupt military funerals, Navy personnel with modern military rifles gave a 21-gun salute and the admiral handed the U.S. flag to Jim Loebach.

“It was the first full military funeral I’ve seen, and I was impressed,” Peru VFW commander Andy Ruggerio said, noting in the past couple of years, the military has been able to bring the remains of 75 previously-MIA personnel home to be laid to rest. “That means a lot.”

Likewise, Loebach and funeral director Jim Barto had never seen such an impressive funeral or military display.

DNA research is making it possible for more families of the MIA to gain closure and give their loved ones a proper, and ceremonial, burial.

“I was taken aback by the emphasis the military places on this,” Loebach said.

DNA MAKES IT POSSIBLE Loebach emphasized the importance for family members to submit DNA samples if a loved one is listed as missing. In his case, the Department of Defense mailed him a package in 2011, asked him to take a swab from the inside of his mouth and return the sample packaged as instructed.

On the day of the funeral, a commander told Loebach “there

Adolph Loebach

Members of the U.S. Navy in dress uniforms carry the coffin of Adolph Loebach from a Southwest jet to a Barto Funeral Home hearse at Midway in Chicago. The identification of the remains of the sailor who died in the attack on the USS Oklahoma allowed him to be laid to rest next to the graves of his parents and allowed the Navy to have a full military funeral and formal ceremonies.

NEWSTRIBUNE FILE PHOTO

would be more of these (remains) returned if family members would give a sample.”

DAN SAVITCH’S OPTIMISM: MORE OF THE MISSING COULD BE IDENTIFIED SOON Dan Savitch said he has a glimmer of hope that the remains of two additional men listed as MIA and who had Spring Valley ties could be identified fairly soon.

Army Sgt. Joseph Kasper Cieslak, son of Florence Cieslak of Northwestern Street, Spring Valley, was attached to a Marine Corps unit in the Korean War. He was listed as missing in 1951 and then presumed dead in 1953. He disappeared east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea in December 1950 in one of the fiercest battles of the war. His

family was told by the military, “due to the internal chaos within the unit due to high losses, it is impossible without eyewitness confirmation to have a specific date of actual loss.”

However, Cieslak’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Savitch thinks there’s a chance that his bones were among remains that could not be identified when Marines on recovery expeditions near Chosin Reservoir made efforts to not leave their brothers behind.

Savitch speculates Cieslak’s identification may have gone missing during the battle or if he was hit by artillery.

See MIA page 12

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MIA

in Spring Valley, high school years in Milwaukee and summers working at his uncle’s FROM PAGE 11 small hardware factory makA report from Cieslak’s ing washers in Spring Valley. sisters indicated that a soldier Alan said there’s a chance told their parents Cieslak was someone picked up his brothplaced in an ambulance beer’s bones and tried to sell fore vanishing. them to the U.S. military. He Savitch said unidentified said there’s also a chance remains from specific locathe North Vietnamese totally tions were grouped together destroyed the remains, as in mass graves in Hawaii, they hated the Special Forces and if the military exhumes guerillas who killed many remains and Cieslak’s bones of the North Vietnamese are recovered, there’s a and kept the NVA occupied chance he’ll be identified. and unable to attack other Savitch said Greg McCook U.S. units. William Anthony is a relative of Cieslak’s, Evans and his unit also were and the Bureau County part of a secretive mission Republican reported in and did not carry ID. 2003 that Cieslak’s sisters, Alan and his sister Lois Campbell and Florence gave DNA samples to the Samolinski and Julia Department of Defense alCavaletto, cooperated with most 20 years ago, and they DNA sampling in hopes that haven’t heard anything promthe military could identify ising. The military invites him their brother’s remains. and his sister to take a free Cieslak’s big sisters Lois flight to a conference from and Julia died without time to time to meet with knowing what happened to other families of the missing their brother. or killed-in-action, but they The Department of Defense have never gone.

Accounting Agency continAlan was proud of his ues to list Cieslak as “unacbrother and amazed by his counted for.” training and abilities. He said he was part of an elite unit of BROTHER OF GREEN BERET commandos that likely saved HOLDS ONTO HOPE a lot of U.S. troops and South Savitch and former Spring Vietnamese by keeping the Valley resident Alan Evans of enemy busy and unable to Milwaukee hold on to a glim- move around freely. However mer of hope for the return of in the case of his brother’s remains of William Anthony death, he believes he and a Evans, U.S. Army Green patrol were ambushed by a Beret, presumed to have regimental-sized force and he been killed by heavy ordwas killed by an exploding nance March 2, 1969, while B-50 rocket (launched simion a Special Operations mis- larly to a bazooka). sion in Cambodia.

The United States tried to Alan Evans said his brother save the men and then respent part of his childhood cover the bodies.

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“They lost two gunship helicopters trying to extract my brother,” Alan said.

He said William Anthony Evans was “raised to be warrior” by their father. “He was 6-foot-4 and could run like the wind,” Alan added.

His big brother signed up at 17 and worked his way up from a grunt and moved up to be a paratrooper and then a Green Beret and special operations.

While Alan has only a little hope for discovery of the remains of his brother, he firmly believes he’ll see him again after death.

“I know that’s a done deal that I’ll see him again. I got more religious the last several years,” Alan said.

SPRING VALLEY MAN’S PASSION: POW/MIA Savitch said he developed his passion about bringing the missing home soon after getting out of the Navy after serving in Vietnam. He was involved in one incident while “in country” that made him realize he could

very well have gone missing and never been recovered.

Savitch said he does not want to talk about the incident, because it brings back memories he doesn’t want to revive.

The incident occurred during one of his frequent trips from an aircraft carrier to Da Nang, where he and fellow sailors had to deliver paperwork and supplies. Upon arrival in Vietnam, they would stay with Marines, sometimes on reconnaissance missions.

“It was like any war. There weren’t any safe areas,” he said. Because of his experiences, he became passionate about spreading the word about the missing and the cause of bringing them home.

He finds it important to share stories so people here at home understand what the missing soldiers went through and what their families endured or are enduring.

“It was kind of a big can of worms that still remains open for a whole lot of people,” Savitch said of the Vietnam War.

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12 February 2020 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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Deb Schroeder of Peru smiles while being licked by “Sunshine,” a therapy dog at Valley Regional Health Services in Peru.

This job is for the dogs Therapeutic pets bring smiles and healing to the sick and infirm

By Tom Collins

NEWSTRIBUNE SENIOR REPORTER

K

aren Karczewski had some doubts at first. The idea of bringing a “therapy dog” into the cancer center sounded good on paper, but what would cancer patients get out of a visit from a pooch, anyway?

By the end of the first visit, Karczewski had changed her mind completely.

Karczewski had watched in

amazement as Annabelle, a German shepherd, worked the room and produced electric reactions not only from those battling cancer but also the caregivers at Valley Regional Health Services in Peru.

“I did not anticipate it would be as fruitful as it was,” recalled Karczewski, clinical coordinator.

“Everybody’s mood changed.

There’s a lot of emotion in caring for patients with cancer and the dogs just brightened our day. It’s unconditional love — a quiet, heal-

ing presence — and just a pet or a snuggle from them makes all the difference to a patient.”

Today, about five therapy dogs and their handlers make the rounds at Valley Regional Health Services among other places where the ailing and infirm need a pickme-up. And while reports from the administrators and health-care providers are overwhelmingly positive, the handlers say they, too, derive See DOGS page 15

PHOTOGRPAHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

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Ruby, a 10-year-old dog, rests against the leg of patient Ron Eichelkraut at Valley Regional Health Services in Peru.

14 February 2020 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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PHOTOGRPAHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

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Mike Smith of Princeton reaches down to pet “Sunshine,” a therapy dog handled by Kemp Smith of Spring Valley at Valley Regional Health Services in Peru. Mike Smith was receiving radiation therapy and, as with most patients, welcomed the diversion of a friendly pet.

PHOTOGRPAHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

DOGS

FROM PAGE 13

much joy and satisfaction from the work they do with their dogs.

“I find it to be one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” said Julie Condie of Peru.

Condie is an occupational therapist who has used her cockapoo, Ruby, at schools and with cancer patients. In both settings, Ruby has had a magical effect on special-needs children and with the sick.

“Ruby just makes people feel better just by her presence or by petting her,” Condie said. “It just opens people up. I would say 90 percent of the people here want to react with her, which is awesome.”

Kemp Smith of Spring Valley has had two therapy dogs, one now retired, and he has been no less im-

pressed by the emotional and even physical response his dogs have produced in the sick.

“There are a lot of studies that show it helps lower blood pressure, it releases all kinds of endorphins,” Smith said. “It helps with healing. It does a lot of good. It helps people heal and relax. It’s a very soothing thing.”

For Patrick Fitzpatrick of Ohio, Ill., a longtime resident of Earlville, it’s a way of giving back. Fitzpatrick was badly hurt in a car accident and recuperated in a nursing home where therapeutic dogs were brought in to boost morale.

“And I thought, ‘My dog can do this,’” he recalled. He was quickly proved right and now is a veteran of more than 1,000 visits.

“You’re doing God’s work,” Fitzpatrick said. “You’re visiting the forgotten and the lonely and many times these people become good friends.”

TRAINING REQUIRED Got a dog at home that likes people and might help others?

Karczewski appreciates all volunteers, but therapy dogs require specialized training and certification before a handler, however well-meaning, can walk in the door with a leash.

“If I have a little Pekingese at home, I can’t just bring him in and say, ‘I want him to be a therapy dog,’” Karczewski said. “It is a commitment of time and that’s hard. They also have to prepare the dog before they come. Their nails have to be trimmed and they have to be groomed.”

Condie agreed that raising a therapy dog requires an enormous commitment of time and resources, starting with careful selection of the dog at birth. Condie acquired Ruby from a breeder in Grand Ridge and, hoping to turn Ruby into a therapy dog, went in looking for particular traits such as docility and a mild temperament.

“They always tell you if you’re going to pick out a dog for therapy work, then don’t ever do it based solely on cuteness,” Condie cautioned. “You want a dog that’s maybe not the most rambunctious of the litter but not the most timid. Pick one out of the middle.”

Smith agreed that would-be handlers should be braced for a regimen that not all dogs are bred for.

Trainers first must determine whether a dog will be suitable for therapy dog training. Dogs must be at least a year old before they can begin training, and the first hurdle is passing a good canine citizen test, needed to ferret out animals that won’t react well in difficult situations. That is followed by advanced training to ensure the animals respond appropriately among the vulnerable.

“It teaches them to sit and stay and come when called and behave around strangers and other dogs,” Smith said. “They have to be able to work around wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds.”

Condie said Ruby’s training paid off immediately. At that time, Condie was working as an occupational therapist at Mendota schools and she brought in Ruby to interact with children who had autism and muscular dystrophy, among other special-needs children. Ruby had a calming effect on all.

“It was very beneficial not only See DOGS page 16

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DOGS

FROM PAGE 15

for the kids I saw but even for the teachers and the administration,” she said. “Everybody enjoyed having Ruby there.”

A similar magic happens at the cancer centers. Patients struggling with adverse side effects or fighting for their lives find therapy dogs to provide a talking point and a welcome diversion amid a tough day.

Karczewski said the dogs also ease the stress levels for her and her staff.

“We would be lost without our dogs,” Karczewski said. “It makes a whole difference.”

A GROUNDBREAKING CASE Ruby also made history at the La Salle County courthouse. A Streator woman was stabbed to death in early 2017, resulting in murder and sex assault charges against Carl Lenard, now serving a life sentence.

Lenard wouldn’t cooperate when apprehended, leaving prosecutors to build their case around physical and circumstantial evidence plus the eyewitness testimony of a traumatized child.

La Salle County state’s attorney Karen Donnelly found the child understandably hesitant to take the stand and found a solution in a relatively new law. The Illinois General Assembly had clarified and expanded the use of therapeutic animals in criminal cases. Donnelly prepared a motion to permit the dog’s use in the Lenard case and had Condie bring Ruby in to meet the victim. The boy and the dog formed an “instantaneous” bond and Donnelly grew confident the dog would facilitate the boy’s pivotal testimony.

Judge Cynthia M. Raccuglia was persuaded to allow the 11-year-old survivor to hold Ruby in his lap while he testified to the brutal murder.

“I didn’t want this boy to be traumatized again,” Donnelly emphasized, “but we needed his testimony.

I know Ruby helped him because you could clearly see the difference in his demeanor having Ruby there versus earlier practice runs when she wasn’t there.”

Donnelly was so pleased with the outcome that she hopes to acquire a permanent therapy dog for La Salle County, both to assist on the witness stand and for use at the Child Advocacy Center.

“Children have to recall horrific events (at the CAC),” Donnelly ex-

Mary Joe Kotecki and her husband Joe pet Ruby, a therapy dog, with handler Julie Condie at Valley Regional Health Services in Peru.

Ruby had to go undergo training to become a therapy dog, but Condie said the time and resources she invested were well worth it. “I find it to be one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” Condie said.

PHOTOGRPAHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

“She sat out on the floor with him for half hour and cried,” he said. “He sat there the whole time. She hugged him and he sat on her lap.”

HARD WORK, LONG DAYS All of which takes a toll, on The Lenard case was emotionally the therapeutic dogs and on him. taxing for all concerned, but Condie and Smith warn that even the hospi- Smith said his dogs will come home from service and flop, roustal and school visits can be draining ing only to eat supper before refor dog and handler alike.

Condie said eight-hour school days turning to bed. He, too, sometimes comes home depleted. were predictably taxing for Ruby — “It’s less to than it used to be,” but so, too, can be four or five hours at a cancer center. One sign to watch he allowed, “but sometimes I take a for is yawning, which does not signal piece of their suffering with me.”

But all it takes is one electric refatigue but rather is a self-calming technique that tells Condie that Ruby action to make the stress and hours worthwhile. Fitzpatrick recalled a needs a break from the stress. visit to Liberty Village in Princeton, Smith, too, finds his animals limp where an immobile man abruptly after visits with the infirm, which began speaking to Fitzpatrick’s dog. is understandable considering the emotional settings in which his dogs A woman watching the exchange burst into tears; the man had been are thrust. He recalled one instance afflicted with a stroke and hadn’t where he brought Lincoln, now reuttered a word in six weeks. tired from therapeutic service, to a “We’re all takers,” Fitzpatrick said. patient who had just learned her can“This is a way of giving back.” cer was terminal. plained, “and need a little help from a furry friend.”

16 February 2020 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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Keys to Happiness after 50

By Tom Henson

W

e’re all familiar with the image of a cranky retiree yelling at kids to stay off his lawn.

Our culture has bombarded us with this picture, and, in truth, even the most positive mid-lifer may have been scared off a few lawns early on. We usually end up promising ourselves we’ll never be “that way when we grow up.” But, between childhood and middle age, something happens.

It’s called life. And how we live it after age 50 largely is up to us.

We can wallow in regret and bitterness over decades-old circumstances, or we can look forward to what’s still to come — a stage in life that can be the most fulfilling time of our lives.

And, as we’re living longer and largely healthier lives, it’s wise to opt for the latter approach.

But, what can we do to help shape that positive future?

As Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D., wrote in 2012 in the pages of Psychology Today, we can benefit from making a purposeful change in what motivates us. Past age 50, he said, it’s good to shift from questioning what we want to asking why we’re here. He called it moving from the pursuit of success to the pursuit of significance.

Once that change has taken hold, it’s just a matter of identifying what being significant means to you. In 2018, writer Deby Germino posted a list of 10 principles to Medium.com; she offered these as stepping-stones to happiness.

1. DO THINGS FOR OTHERS Giving of yourself doesn’t have to involve throwing yourself into charitable work (though that’s a great thing to consider doing). It could just be a question of making small changes for a big impact.

In her teaching career, Maryhelen Bidasio of Peru brought positive energy and a breezy yet serious approach to teaching not just academics, but also to helping her fourth-graders understand how to be good citizens and good people.

Today she’s 75, and she’s still sticking with the program. “Keep a smile on your face, and smile, and say hello to people,” she says.

2. CONNECT WITH OTHERS “Marry your best friend,” says Joe Strait of Dalzell. “I’m 61 and [I’ve been] happily married for 34 years.”

To MJ Denis of La Salle, connecting with other people doesn’t mean just family.

“Appreciate and realize who your true friends are, because you’re all going to need each other one day,” she says.

3. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY “Keep an exercise program, or at least begin one,” says 74-year-old Barry Gold of Tustin, Calif., who offers other advice on the topic of body care. “Keep your meat intake down to two or three times a week.

Have regular checkups that include colonoscopies, treadmill tests and the like.” Anything else? “Drink a couple of glasses of red wine each week, with some dark chocolate.”

4. LIVE LIFE MINDFULLY Mark Smith of St. Charles, Ill., sums up an important distinction for living life well on each side of middle age. “Life before 50 is about addition; life after 50 is about subtraction,” he says. “Acknowledging that is a key (not the only key) to happiness.”

Bidasio is equally reflective.

“Make every day count, learn to say ‘no’ to doing things you don’t love, and have days when you don’t get out of your PJs and curl up with a good book.” But, overall, she says, “Keep moving as long as you can, so, when you do start to break down, [you’ll] have no regrets.”

Seventy-six-year-old Marian Cichy of Peru sums things up nicely: “Go while you can. Live in the day. Forgive and forget. And, say your prayers every day and be thankful.”

See HAPPY page 20

18 February 2020 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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We asked the experts for advice on fulfillment

By Kim Shute

HAPPINESS means something different for all of us, but these tips from a few locals indicate there may be a common thread of fun, friends and family that keeps us going as we get older.

Stay young of mind by listening to new music, try new foods, stay fit so you can do the things you want to do, make time to play games, and spend your time with people you like, go to concerts, plays and movies.

— Jeff Sudakov, 53

Do not define yourself by your job. In fact, do not define yourself whatsoever.

Discover all that you are. The only definition of success should be the courage to try.

Just keep moving.

— Dave Roden, 53

— Diana Martin, 70

We’re not old. I maintain I’m on my second juvenile delinquency for the last five years or so.

Seriously. Have fun, have experiences and make memories.

Grandchildren and friends.

— Rex Piper, 73

Find a happy place to spend your time, follow as many sports as possible and keep one step ahead of the grim reaper.

— Tim Scott, 66

— Amy Johnson, who will turn 50 this year

Wake up every day and choose to be happy.

— Lani Swinford, 67

Being around family.

— Liz Anderson

It’s always best to get two opinions, especially if one of them is mine.

— Susan Carbenia, 68

— Bob Warren, 69

Good friends and family and having a great community makes me happy.

— Karen Towns, 66

Staying involved and busy and having grandchildren.

— Peggy Carr, 66

Participating in something bigger than myself has made me a happier person.

— Jack Olson, 60 SUBMITTED PHOTO

Keep laughing.

Cataract surgery.

— Carol Allicks, 77 A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | February 2020 19

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HAPPY FROM PAGE 18

5. KEEP LEARNING NEW THINGS The ever-present online world can be a big help here. Libraries, too. Now that you have some time, delve into subjects you’ve always meant to give some time to. Want a bit more structure and a chance to interact with others?

Community colleges aren’t just for young people. Consider taking a course.

6. HAVE GOALS TO LOOK FORWARD TO This can take many forms. Work toward a fitness goal. Plan a getaway.

Or consider starting a new ritual, as Germino suggests in her online article: “Rituals provide stability and comfort while also connecting you to the present moment.” And, if you’re still working but hoping to change that in the coming years, 59-year-old Vicki White of San Antonio enjoys taking long weekends when she’s able to, and planning for her retirement.

7. FIND WAYS TO BOUNCE BACK Have you experienced setbacks recently? Instead of focusing on what happened, keep going. Stay positive.

Take a yoga class. Take a close look at

what happened that led to the setback and find ways to make the most of that knowledge. Put another way, as we were taught a long time ago: Try, try again.

8. LOOK FOR WHAT’S GOOD IN LIFE Always wanted to take up a hobby when you had more time? No time like the present, says Bidasio. And don’t stop there. “Have lots of hobbies,” she says. Anything else? “Always have upbeat music playing.”

9. BE COMFORTABLE WITH WHO YOU ARE This one can be a challenge. After all, it can take a long time to recognize who you really are, let alone become comfortable with it. But, this stage of life should lend itself to this kind of introspection. It’s important to understand the real you, and not just because it’s good to be self-aware; in fact, we need to know our comfort zones, so we can push through and try new and exciting things.

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10. BE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER This point dovetails nicely with Nowinski’s advice to shift to a life of significance after age 50. Maybe you’ve spent your work life chasing symbols of status — cars, homes, vacations. Perhaps you’ve taken that approach in retirement. It’s worth looking at realigning your priorities. Consider volunteering for a favorite cause. Or, if you’re retired and you miss the feeling of working with others, consider an “encore career” where your age and experience will allow you to mentor younger people just getting started.

These years can be the most fulfilling of our lives, and keeping these points front of mind can help. (Consider that a new goal.)

But try keeping your sense of humor, too. Richard Bortz of La Salle seems to have this mastered. What is a key to happiness for him?

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A 50-page booklet on the U.S. Census 50 years ago provided explanations to residents about the economic impacts of the Census, the history of the Census and questions in the Census and the reasoning behind them. The Secretary of Commerce had the duty of determining which questions NOT to ask, out of the flood of proposed questions that came in to the Census Bureau prior to the completion of the census form: “Here are a few recently suggested queries, none of which was accepted: Have you ever been in an automobile accident? … Do you belong to a union? Which one? … Do you believe in God? … Obviously such questions do not meet the guidelines established by Congress.” Communities seeing the greatest growth between 1960 and 1970 included, not surprisingly, Hennepin, where the J&L Steel plant and an interstate highway spur arose north of the Putnam County village.

Fifty years ago: Cities protest US Census numbers From the News-Tribune files:

A NewsTribune headline in summer 1970 read, “Population Explosion Really a ‘Dud.’” “The population explosion everyone is talking about does not seem to be affecting the local area very much according to figures released for Illinois by the U.S. Bureau of Census,” the NewsTribune reported.

Residents of the Village of Dover were among the few who could say they had a population “explosion,” though the increase was simply from 21 in 1960 to 32 in 1970.

With the new steel mill constructed, Hennepin’s population grew from 391 to 535 in 10 years.

While Putnam County’s population had jumped 25 percent over a 10-year period — to only 5,585 people — La Salle County and cities such as La Salle received reports that their populations had declined slightly.

City leaders weren’t buying the initial counts, however.

In July of 1970, the city of Peru mobilized a force of students and other young people to take an informal population count to discover if there was any significant difference from the official U.S. Census count. Mayor Donald Baker and the city council wanted to double-check the population, which was needed to aid in redistricting required by state law.

Local students led by Alderman Terry Lane volunteered as local census takers. They included Dwight Ackerman, Greg Atkinson, Joyce Ausbeck, Pat Ausbeck, Don Baker Jr., Michelle Blocki, Mary Draper, Pam Dunn, Henry Hackman, Cindy Klein, Dennis Lucas, Suzi Nevicosi, Rich Prendergast, Marianne Stuhr, Nick Weber and Karen Wisgoski.

During their efforts, they

also asked residents if they were among the many people who installed air conditioners in the previous two years, so areas with high power usage will be identifiable to the light department.

The preliminary population counts from the 1970 Census had revealed a 1,370 decrease in La Salle since 1960 and an increase of 205 in Peru.

La Salle Mayor Al Gunia said the drop in population would mean the city would receive less from the state from fuel tax and income tax.

“I can’t help feeling many La Salle citizens just never sent their census forms in.

They probably felt the government was prying into their private lives,” Gunia said.

John Schoeph, director of Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, said he had expected to see even greater growth in Peru (population 11,648 according to the U.S. Census Bureau) and for La

Salle’s population (10,527) to have remained stable.

Schoeph was not alone in criticizing the Census bureau.

In Washington, the bureau was hit with an unprecedented volume of complaints from disappointed towns who thought the census had shortchanged them.

By Feb. 11, 1971, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, increased its final population count in La Salle by more than 200 people and added 124 people to its count for Peru.

A count made independently by the City of Peru claimed a Peru population of 12,357, a bump up by more than 700.

Local newspaper stories focused on sheer numbers more than demographic statistics, such as La Salle and Peru, as well as some small cities near Peoria, having virtually no African-American population.

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | February 2020 21

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HUMOR

The Joys of Recognition I don’t care to belong to any club that will accept me as a member. ~ Groucho Marx ~

M

otorcycle riders have a tradition.

Each rider lifts a hand down low on the passing side as they drive by, in silent salute to their cycling brethren.

They’re acknowledging their shared membership in a smaller subset of the larger population.

Everyone wants to be accepted and respected by society in general, but we also want to acknowledge our brotherhood with others who share our interests or heritage. That thrill of discovering we have something in common with someone else is what my husband calls “the joys of recognition.”

Perhaps you’ve heard about secret societies and fraternities of old, with their secret handshakes and greeting rituals, but did you know about these lesser known groups and their special signs? n The things we do for love: The machismo posturing of

Peg Schulte

two men talking about football stats, car engines and other hyper-manly topics, shared while standing outside a dressing room holding their wives’ purses. n We got it going on: The superior smirk shared by super-fit work-out buffs as they sprint by one another on the track, or spot each other while adding another 100 pounds to the bench press. n I need a fix: The guilty glance shared by two fat people in a store’s clearance aisle on December 27, load-

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ing up on 70% off peanut brittle and foil-wrapped chocolate Santas. n No boys allowed: The annoyed scowl shared by women with bleach on their upper lips, hair bedecked with curlers and noxious chemicals, when some studly, bohunk guy walks in the beauty salon to get a trim. n A journey of 10,000 miles starts with a single step: The breathless, encouraging smile exchanged by the outof-shape, determined to do something about it as they huff and puff past one another at the gym. n Been there done that: The sympathetic look of one mom, be she 20 years old or 80 years old, given to another mom whose toddler is having a major meltdown in the middle of the grocery store. n You think YOU’VE suffered: The “oh, my’s” murmured by the listener to a friend’s blowby-blow description of her

recent surgery, complete with diagrams and pictures, as she waits with barely concealed impatience for her turn to gather “dear me!’s” while relating how medical experts practically want to write a book about HER condition. n The one that got away: Two fishermen’s “isn’t that just how it goes?” head shakes as they swap epic tales of the monster, 7 pound bass caught on Lake Shelbyville, which fought free as it was finally being wrestled into the boat, I swear on my mother’s grave!

My favorite Joy of Recognition, though, is the mutual admiration exchanged by newspaper column writers and newspaper column readers when they meet in public. This admiration is often expressed by the reader buying the writer a drink or a similar small token of esteem, and the writer responding with a gracious and heartfelt “Thank you.”

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A Personalized Approach to Joint Replacement.

Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology Mako Robotic-Arm Mako Robotic-arm AssistedAssisted Surgery is aTechnology new approach

Mako Robotic-arm Assisted Surgery is a new approach to jointRobotic-arm replacementAssisted that offers the potential forapproach a higher Mako Surgery is a newfor to joint replacement that offers the potential a higher level ofreplacement patient-specifi c implant alignment and positioning. to joint that offers the potential for a higher level of patient-specific implant alignment and positioning. level of patient-specifi c implant positioning.

Drs. Robert Mitchell and Connoralignment Kasik areand excited about Drs. Robert Mitchell and Connor Kasik are excited about using this new technology for total knee, total hip and Drs. Robert Mitchell and Connor are excited about using new technology for totalKasik total hip partialthis knee replacements.

Mako isknee, changing the and way using this new technology for totalare total hip and partial knee replacements.

Mako isknee, changing theUsing way these joint replacement surgeries performed. partial knee replacements.

Mako is changing the way to a virtual model, the Mako System allows surgeons these joint3Dreplacement surgeries are performed.

Using these joint3Dreplacement surgeries areplan performed.

Usingto personalize each patient’s surgical pre-operatively, a virtual model, the Mako System allows surgeons sovirtual there is clear patient’s plan how the plan surgeon will position a 3Da each model, the for Mako System allows surgeons to personalize surgical pre-operatively, the implant before enteringsurgical the operating room. During personalize plan pre-operatively, so there is a each clear patient’s plan for how the surgeon will position surgery, adjustments can be made to assurewill the best so there is a clear plan for how the surgeon the implant before entering the operating room. position During possible outcome. the implant before entering the operating room. surgery, adjustments can be made to assure the During best surgery, possible adjustments outcome. can be made to assure the best possible outcome.

Dr. Connor Kasik Orthopedic Surgeon

Dr. Connor Kasik Dr. Connor Kasik Orthopedic Surgeon Orthopedic Dr. Robert J.Surgeon Mitchell Orthopedic Surgeon

Dr. Robert J. Mitchell Dr. Robert J.Surgeon Mitchell Orthopedic Orthopedic Surgeon

815-223-2143 925 West St., Peru, IL ivch.org/orthopedics

815-223-2143 815-223-2143 925 West St., Peru, IL 925 West St., Peru, IL ivch.org/orthopedics ivch.org/orthopedics

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ILLINOIS VALLEY ILLINOIS VALLEY ORTHOPEDICS ORTHOPEDICS at Illinois Valley Community Hospital

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