Wednesday Journal 060221

W E D N E S D A Y

June 2, 2021 Vol. 41, No. 44 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

Whistleblower cop’s pension in dispute

Police officer remarried, then died; court to determine which wife should get pension

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

AFTER THE GRIND, THE AXE: The OPRF axe is one of the school’s oldest traditions. Each class attaches a ribbon to be remembered by.

Class of 2021 graduate Gia Fisher passes the axe to the class of 2022 during Commencement at Oak Park Stadium on May 29.

New OPRF supt. builds out his administrative team

D200 board approves 8 hires, promotions

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

Greg Johnson, currently the associate superintendent at OPRF but about to become superintendent, received school board support May 27 for a batch of key hires and promotions within the school’s administration.

Among the notable changes is the return of the title of principal at the school. For the past two years, District 200 has not had

a principal. But come fall Lynda Parker, currently director of student services, will become assistant superintendent and principal.

Some of those hired or promoted were recognized at the meeting and welcomed to the District 200 community.

Among the newly hired are Patrick Hardy, who has been named executive director for equity and student success.

Hardy, a longtime educator and former principal of Proviso East High School in Maywood, will succeed LeVar Ammons, the district’s first equity director. Ammons resigned from the position after two years.

See D200 HIRES on page 16

Who is entitled to former Oak Park police officer and 1980s whistleblower Patrick Kelly’s pension – the wife at the time he entered into the pension agreement or his wife at the time of his death?

Kimellen Chamberlain, Kelly’s widow and second wife, has filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against the village of Oak Park for failure to make her husband’s 2020 pension payment to her.

Kelly died in 2017.

Since the death, Chamberlain had received annual payments of $30,685 from the village of Oak Park.

However, Kelly’s ex-wife Carol Kelly claimed the annual payment in 2020. Oak Park Village Attorney Paul Stephanides declined to comment, other than stating the village has not paid Patrick Kelly’s annual payment for the year 2020. Chamberlain’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.

Carol Kelly retired as a Cook County judge in 2014. Chamberlain has been an assistant state’s attorney in the Cook SEE DAN HALEY’S COLUMN County State’s Attorneys office since 1994.

FOR MORE BACKGROUND In 1984, Kelly and anPage 5 other officer, Ronald Surmin, independently reported to then-chief Keith Bergstrom that Oak Park detectives had stolen from the homes of homicide victims. Both officers agreed to resign after cooperating with a state investigation into the corruption claims because of threatened harassment within the department, acSee PENSION on page 15

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Congratulations to Fenwick High School Class of 2021

College Choices

Anna Abuzatoaie ....................................University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Romania Salvador Aguilar ...............................................United States Military Academy Michael Ahrens .................................................................Dominican University Brock Alvers ..........................................................................Syracuse University Mateo Anaya ................................................................................. Triton College George Anderson....................................................................Bradley University Roseanne Androwich ......................................................... Saint Mary's College Michael Anisorac ...........................................................Arizona State University Julian Arenas..................................................................Arizona State University Julissa Arjon ........................................................................University of Arizona Juliana Armetta ............................. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Alexander Artz ....................................................................Valparaiso University William Atchley .........................................................................Butler University Evan Auriemma ....................................................................Elmhurst University Joseph Bacino ................................ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Francis Ballarin .................................................................. Marquette University Sofia Banuelos ...................................................University of Illinois at Chicago Mary Barshop ...............................................University of Wisconsin-Platteville Katie Bartlett ........................................................................Fordham University Brandon Basulto ................................................................ Marquette University Brian Basulto ........................................................................Monmouth College Savanna Basulto ................................................................Iowa State University Anthony Battaglia....................................................... University of Notre Dame Grant Benson ................................................................ Georgia State University Brent Bergnach ...................................................................................Undecided Ashley Bisaillon ..................................................University of Colorado Boulder Anna Bjorson ................................................... Indiana University Bloomington Vaughn-Regan Bledsoe..............................................................Duke University Tyler Bloom .........................................................University of Colorado Boulder Catherine Blum ................................................................... University of Dayton Alexis Bocanegra .....................................................................DePaul University Skylar Bogumil ............................................................Michgan State University Kyesha Bowers-Strong ..........................................................Augustana College Caitlin Brady .........................................................................Clemson University Dane Brazil...............................................Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Aidan Breslin............................................................... University of Notre Dame Melanie Brew .............................................................Loyola University Chicago Joseph Brocato................................................................ Miami University, Ohio Luke Brown................................................................. University of Notre Dame Peter Buinauskas ................................................................... Occidental College Tatum Burek ...........................................................................Providence College Olivia Buzil ..................................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Mary Cahill ......................................................................University of Michigan Angelina Cakuls .............................................................. Miami University, Ohio Jillian Calcagno .......................................................................College of DuPage Anthony Calistro ......................................................................DePaul University Meredith Callahan ........................................................... University of Alabama Jonas Capek .............................................................Illinois Wesleyan University Jerome Capozzoli ............................................. Indiana University Bloomington Tyler Cappelli.................................................... Indiana University Bloomington David Capron ...................................................................... Cedarville University Brendan Carey ................................................. Indiana University Bloomington Donna Carinato........................................................... University of Notre Dame John Carmody ............................................................. University of Notre Dame Gabriella Cavalieri .............................................................. Marquette University William Chioda ..................................................................... Belmont University Margaret Chudik................................................................ Vanderbilt University Luke Coffey ...................................................... Indiana University Bloomington Brianna Comstock .............................................................. University of Dayton Brendan Conboy .............................................................. University of Alabama Alison Conniff .................................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Nicole Conniff .................................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Conor Corcoran ..................................................................Saint Louis University Jason Cruz .......................................................................... Marquette University Isabella Czarny ...............................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Alexandra Dabkowski .................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Patryk Dabrowski .................................................Concordia University Chicago Damian Dalic ...........................................Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Elle Daly .............................................................................. Chapman University Caroline Darrow ...............................Holy Cross/Notre Dame Gateway Program Ava Del Giudice............................................................... Miami University, Ohio Adrian Delatorre ....................................................................Augustana College Yaroslav Demidiak ..........................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Marco Di Silvestro.................................................................. Edgewood College Emilio Dillon ............................................................ Southern Illinois University Bianca Dimailig .............................................................Northeastern University Jenna Dolsen........................................................................ Villanova University Anisa Dominguez ............................................Case Western Reserve University

Hayden Dondlinger ............................................University of Colorado Boulder Declan Donnelly ............................................................. Miami University, Ohio Anna Dray ................................................................... University of Notre Dame Edward Dugan ................................................. Indiana University Bloomington Lauren Dvorak ................................................................. University of Alabama Siron Edwards .....................................................................University of Arizona Daphne Embrey ......................................Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Michael Erwin III ................................................................ University of Dayton Isabella Facchini .....................................................................Auburn University Connor Fahey ..................................................................... Marquette University Anna Falls....................................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Matthew Falzone...............................................................North Central College Logan Ferjak ...................................................................... Marquette University Emmet Filbin ..................................................................... Marquette University Caroline Finn ....................................................... Florida Institute of Technology Gino Fioravanti ................................................ Parkland College/UIUC Pathway Mary Fitzgerald ...............................Holy Cross/Notre Dame Gateway Program William Foley ..................................................................... Marquette University Lily Freda .................................................................... University of Notre Dame Jackson Freund ..................................................................... Belmont University Lucas Gallagher ...........................................................Colorado State University Andres Gallegos-Valencia ............. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Cristian Garcia ................................ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Matthew Garcia ..................................................Loyola University New Orleans Cade Gawley ................................................................... Miami University, Ohio Therese Giannini .........................................................Loyola University Chicago Thomas Gibbs .................................................. Indiana University Bloomington Caden Gierstorf .............................. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Ian Gies ........................................................................... Miami University, Ohio Katherine Gilboy ......................................................... University of Notre Dame Juliana Giuffre ..........................................................................Purdue University Jack Giura ............................................................University of Colorado Boulder Elizabeth Griffin .................................................................Saint Louis University Benjamin Groll...................................................Concordia University Wisconsin Campbell Guillen ...............................................University of Illinois at Chicago Wilhelm Gurski ...............................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Erin Halfpenny ....................................................................Texas Tech University Lauren Hall ......................................................................University of Michigan Paulina Harnisch......................................................... University of Notre Dame William Harrison.......................................................................... Boston College Belema Hart ......................................................................University of Chicago Hunter Heneghan ........................................................... Miami University, Ohio Vanessa Hernandez ...........................................University of Illinois at Chicago Matthew Hickey ............................ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Clare Hill...................................................................... University of Notre Dame David Hoban ............................................................. Coastal Carolina University Bryce Hopkins..................................................................University of Kentucky Todd Hutchinson.....................................................University of South Carolina Casserly Hyland .......................................................... Texas Christian University Isabel Hynes ............................................................... University of Notre Dame Isabella Ibarra-Bach ................................................ Harold Washington College Mary Jacobs...................................................................University of Pittsburgh Jelena Jaksic........................................................................ Creighton University Aidan Janc ...............................................Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Diego Jimenez ........................................................................Bradley University Grace Jisa ............................................................................ University of Dayton Erin Johnson ......................................................................Saint Louis University Catherine Kaiser.................................................................. University of Dayton Emilia Kapusta.......................................................................DePauw University Joseph Karris .................................................... Indiana University Bloomington Kathleen Keegan ........................................University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Patrick Kelly ....................................................................... Marquette University Gabriella Kiel...........................................................................College of DuPage Emmett Koch................................................... Indiana University Bloomington Jacob Korus ....................................................................University of Pittsburgh Julia Kozaczka .....................................................Loyola University New Orleans Owen Krippner .........................................................................Tulane University Ronan Kristufek .......................................................... University of Notre Dame Patrick Kronstein......................................................... University of Notre Dame Natalia Kuchinic........................................................................Tulane University Dylan Kupiec...................................................................... Marquette University Demetra Lagios .............................................................. Miami University, Ohio Mary Latz........................................................Saint Mary's College of California Cosmo Laudadio .............................................................. University of Alabama Tyler Lavin ........................................................................... Creighton University Lazaro Lazos ......................................................................Iowa State University Afia Leeming.........................................................................Fordham University Jordan Leibig................................................................. University of St. Thomas Samuel Leone .............................................................Loyola University Chicago

Blaire Lepore ......................................................................... Belmont University Sean Liston ...................................................... Indiana University Bloomington Alexandra Lombara .................................................................DePaul University Ciro Lombardo, Jr. ..............................................................Dominican University Sarah Lowery ............................................................................Carthage College Anders Luthringshausen ...................................Georgia Institute of Technology Justin Ly ......................................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Colin MacKinnon ......................................................................... Boston College Daniel Majcher .............................................................Northwestern University Kathleen Malchow ...................................................................... Boston College Leeza Maloney ................................................................ University of Alabama Aidan Markham..................................................................................Undecided Angelica Martinez ..............................................................................Undecided Logan Maue................................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Lukasz Mazur......................................................................................Undecided William Mazzocchi ......................................................... Miami University, Ohio Jackson McAleer-Forte ..................................................University of Pittsburgh Joseph McAllister........................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Martin McCann .................................................................. Creighton University Connor McCarthy.....................................................................Purdue University Liam McCarthy .................................................... United States Naval Academy Declan McDermott ........................................................................Junior Hockey Rhianne McDermott....................................................... Miami University, Ohio Grace McGann ..........................................................................Tulane University Lucas McGarel ................................................................ Wake Forest University William McGee ................................................................John Carroll University Colin McHugh ................................ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Luke McKenna ............................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Martin McNaughton ..................................................Loyola University Chicago Cullen McTigue ..........................................................................Butler University Jacob Mejino............................................Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Rebecca Melero ......................................................................University of Iowa Madeline Miller ..........................................................Louisiana State University Frances Monroy ................................................................. Marquette University Ella Montesano.................................................................. Marquette University Arianna Moore ...................................................University of Illinois at Chicago Brian Moore ..................................................... Indiana University Bloomington Paloma Morales..........................................................Loyola University Chicago Jamie Moran .......................................................................................Undecided Charles Morrissey ............................................ Indiana University Bloomington Colin Morrissey .................................................................. Marquette University Maeve Mosbrook........................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Anna Mulcahy ............................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Martin Mullarkey III........................................................ Miami University, Ohio Ailish Mulvihill .................................................University of Southern California Aidan Murphy.................................................. Indiana University Bloomington Ryan Murphy .................................................................. Illinois State University Mary Rose Nelligan .................................................... University of Notre Dame Vivian Nguyen ............................................................Loyola University Chicago Isaac Novak......................................................................John Carroll University Benjamin O'Bryan ............................................................. Marquette University Thomas O'Connor ....................................................... University of Notre Dame Kaitlyn O'Donoghue .......................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Dmytro Olyva................................. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Jack O'Malley .................................................................. Miami University, Ohio Margaret O'Malley.............................................................Saint Louis University Ava O'Neill .......................................................................John Carroll University James Owens ..................................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Zachary Ozga ..............................................................Loyola University Chicago Robert Pauly ............................................................Illinois Wesleyan University Alexandra Pavalon ..........................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Alejandra Perez .....................................................Concordia University Chicago Nicholas Pethokoukis .....................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Jason Pierson ...................................................................... Creighton University Devan Pietrzak..........................................................................Tulane University Nikolas Poholik ..................................................................Saint Louis University Nicholas Polston .................................................University of Colorado Boulder John Prabhu ................................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Maria Quinn....................................................................Georgetown University Chelsea Quiroga............................. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Mackenzie Ramonez .......................................................... University of Dayton Edward Raniere ............................................... Indiana University Bloomington Krystyn Raza ............................................................................ Aurora University Emily Reyes......................................................................... University of Dayton William Ritchie IV .....................................................................Tulane University Landon Rivera..........................................................................DePaul University Jessica Rodriguez ...............................................................Saint Louis University Justin Rodriguez ............................................................. Illinois State University Grace Rohrbacher ........................................................... Miami University, Ohio

Marissa Rotolo ................................................................ Miami University, Ohio Stefen Ruiz .......................................................................... University of Dayton Jessica Saavedra............................. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Diego Salinas ................................. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Adam Samuelson .............................................................. Marquette University Andres Sanchez ..........................................................Loyola University Chicago Sophia Saunders ..................................................Loyola Marymount University Stefanie Scarlatis............................................................Northeastern University Joshua Schierl .................................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Lauren Schleiter...............................................................University of Michigan Joseph Schultz ............................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chloe Seavey ...........................................................................DePaul University Delaney Seligmann ..................................................................Brown University Narayan Sharma ............................................................Northeastern University Svitlana Shenyuk ...............................................University of Illinois at Chicago Rafal Sieklucki ................................................................ Miami University, Ohio Samuel Sikora ..................................................................University of Michigan Armoun Sinnung ........................................................Loyola University Chicago Jeffrey Smith ............................................................................DePaul University Anel Solares ........................................................................ University of Dayton Eduardo Solis .....................................................................Dominican University Julissa Soto .................................... University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Liam Soule......................................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Peter Spina ..............................................................................Purdue University Isabella Stathas ..................................................Loyola University New Orleans Peter Tabet ............................................................................Fordham University Clydon Tare..........................................................................................Undecided Anton Torchia ................................................................ University of Mississippi William Toriello ................................................ Indiana University Bloomington Iris Tovias.....................................................University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Sarah Turcich ..........................................................................Providence College Katelyn Turner ............................................................. University of Notre Dame Beau Vanderlaan ......................................................................Brown University Jazlynn Vargas.............................................................Loyola University Chicago Lizeth Vargas...............................................................Loyola University Chicago Ryan Veach ...................................................................... University of Alabama Aristide Velliotis ........................................................................... Boston College Joshua Venable ................................................ Indiana University Bloomington Christopher Vollman ..................................................................Lewis University Griffin Vrdolyak ........................................................... University of Notre Dame Mary Ward .................................................................. Texas Christian University Lucas Waunn .......................................................Illinois Institute of Technology Colin Welsh ..............................................................................Purdue University William West ..........................................................................Auburn University Daniel Westerman ..........................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Maeve White ..................................................................... Marquette University Jake Wiktor......................................................... North Carolina State University Miles Wildermuth......................................................James Madison University John Williams ............................................................................Butler University Kaylee Wilson ..............................................................................Tufts University Claire Woods ....................................................................... University of Dayton Elizabeth Young ......................................................................University of Iowa Courtney Yungerman .....................................University of Wisconsin-Madison Kira Zielinski ................................................................................St. Olaf College Alessandra Zuleta .........................................................Northwestern University ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS 2020-2021 • ACT Composite 27.24 • 24 students recognized in the National Merit Program - 5 Finalists - 14 Commended - 5 National Recognition Finalists • 63 Illinois State Scholars, Appeals for 39 pending • 99 Presidential Scholars (68% of class) • 4 Evans Scholars • 2 appointments to the United States Military Academy West Point and the United States Naval Academy ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS 2020-2021 • 28 Friars to Play Collegiate Athletics • 6 NCAA Athletic Grant Awards • 2 Regional, Sectional, Super Sectional Championships (Most sports did not have a State Series due to Covid-19.)

• 40 All-Conference Athletes • 2 All-State Athletes • 3 Academic All-State Nominees

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Remembering the Tulsa Massacre and its Wright connection

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n May 30, 1921, the resiof the oil-boom wealth of white dents of Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa, made it a target for jealgathered for a Memorial ous whites who felt that Blacks Day parade despite the should always occupy the lowest day’s forecast, which rung of society. called for heavy precipitation.

Last week, major media out“The parade went on despite lets broke their necks covering the rain,” writes Randy Krehbiel the 100th anniversary of the in “Tulsa 1921: Reporting a MasGreenwood massacre. What sacre.”

Krehbiel calls the “deadliest outFrom the published accounts break of white terrorist violence of that day, you wouldn’t know against a black community in that Black veterans had particiAmerican history” took place pated, as well. Their sacrifices between May 30 and June 3. were not being remembered.

“It is estimated that more Commentary And, besides, the country for than three hundred people which they risked and, in many (mostly Blacks) died due to the cases, lost their lives was not a country violence,” the author writes. “All told, in meant for them, in the eyes of many whites less than twenty-four hours, the thirty-five at the time. square blocks that constituted the GreenThe year prior, in 1920, the U.S. census wood District — more than one dozen “concluded that Oklahoma had the nation’s churches, five hotels, thirty-one restaurants, highest percentage of native-born citizens,” four drug stores, eight doctors’ offices, two which was itself cause for celebration. dozen grocery stores, a public library, and Courtesy Library of Congress/Public Domain Indeed, Tulsa “prided itself on not just its more than one thousand homes — lay in patriotism but its Americanism. It even obruin.”

THE MAKING OF A MASSACRE: A truck on a street near the Litan Hotel in Tulsa carrying white served Americanism Day,” Krehbiel writes.

But the Tulsa Massacre, as it’s come to be soldiers and African Americans during the 1921 Greenwood Massacre.

“All Tulsa Pays Homage to Dead,” blared known, wasn’t unique. Similar mob acts by the headlines of both of the city’s major whites had taken place in previous years District as “N—town” or “Little Africa,” of American white race theory.” newspapers — the Tulsa Daily World and in cities across the country, including in according to Tim Madigan’s “The Burning: Emerson “wrote the earliest full-length the Tulsa Tribune.

Chicago in 1919.

The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.” statement of the ideology later termed AngloOf course, by “all” they meant all who “Over the course of American history, And while Jones didn’t have a problem Saxonist, synthesizing all the salient ninewere white and Protestant and law abiding more than 250 episodes of collective white with Blacks who knew their place and were teenth- and early twentieth-century concepts and unaligned with labor unions or the sacviolence against black communities have polite and respectable, he wrote that “a bad of American whiteness,” Painter writes. rilege idea that Blacks are equal to whites. occurred,” writes scholar Karlos K. Hill. n— is about the lowest thing that walks on In the early 20th century, as more and more Time and again, events in Tulsa would bear We’d be mistaken to think that this white two feet. Give a bad n— his booze and his European immigrants poured into American this reality out. violence and the ideology of white supremdope and a gun and he thinks he can shoot cities, as white fears of violence and miscegeIn 1917, 12 white members of the Inacy that undergirded it were limited to the up the world.” nation grew, and as everybody bumped into dustrial Workers of the World, “a labor more unenlightened, less liberal whites of Jones’ rhetoric isn’t too far from that used each other in the collective rush for economic union then attempting to organize oil-field the South and Southwest or working class

by Wright himself, when describing a 1928 opportunity, social ideas like whiteness and roughnecks,” were arrested and charged enclaves on Chicago’s South Side. design for his (ultimately unbuilt) Rosenwald nativism helped to inject some semblance of with vagrancy before being hauled off by a The one man who perhaps bears the most Schools, “an educational network, mostly in order into the perceived chaos. mob of “fifty men in black robes and black immediate responsibility for the the segregated south, for AfricanThe 1915 film “Birth of a Nation” seemed masks,” and assaulted, whipped, tarred and Tulsa Massacre was WisconsinAmerican children,” according “to unite white Americans on both sides of feathered. born, Chicago-raised Richard to Fast Company. the Mason-Dixon Line in their racial fears In 1920, Roy Belton, an 18-year-old white Lloyd Jones — the son of the “Wright referred to Africanand hatreds.” That year, the Ku Klux Klan reboy, was arrested for murder, but a mob of great Universalist minister Americans as ‘darkies,’ and emerged in Stone Mountain, Ga., a little more white vigilantes didn’t want to wait to see Jenkin Lloyd Jones and Frank there appeared notes on drawthan a decade after President Ulysses Grant Lloyd Wright’s cousin. how things would play out in a trial, so they ings that indicated beliefs that all but outlawed the hate group in 1871.

Without Wright’s strong took justice into their own hands, lynching blacks liked bright colors or in By the time Richard Lloyd Jones got word affiliation with the Unitarian Belton and then rushing to get bits of his letters that they were a simple from his court reporter that Dick Rowland Universalists (along with his clothing to keep as souvenirs. people who took great joy in had allegedly assaulted Sarah Page in an uncle, Wright’s mother’s family When Sarah Page, the white elevator song,’” Mabel O. Wilson, a Coelevator on Memorial Day 1921, Jones, ever were Welsh Unitarians and his operator, told police on the morning of lumbia University architectural the opportunist, sensed an opportunity. Like father a Universalist preacher), the 1921 Tulsa Memorial Day parade that historian and professor told the Roger Ailes after him, Jones would exploit there may be no Unity Temple. a young Black man named Dick Rowland fear and economic insecurity for profit.

RICHARD LLOYD JONES publication.

As many scholars have noted, grabbed her arm, the circumstances were “These racist sentiments Even though, as Madigan writes, the the radical openness and hualready ripe for an explosion of white, emerge in the Jim Crow era charge against Rowland “was highly suspect manism of Unitarian Universalism helped nativist rage. after Reconstruction, which is exactly the from the beginning,” Jones’s Tribune printed influence Wright’s groundbreaking design.

By now, you may be familiar with at least period of Wright’s youth. And yet he was “an inflammatory account of the elevator The impulse and responsibility to rememthe broad outlines of the destruction of surrounded by many progressive family incident and of Rowland’s arrest” in its May ber that binds us to acknowledge the impact Tulsa’s Greenwood District, the relatively members like his uncle the Unitarian minis31, 1921 issue. The angrier the headline, the of Wright’s Unitarian Universalist roots on well-off Black community that Booker T. ter Jenkin Lloyd Jones, who embraced and more papers sold. his architectural legacy should also bind Washington dubbed in 1913 “Black Wall promoted socially progressive ideas about “To Lynch a Negro Tonight,” the headline us to confront this much uglier aspect of Street.” education.” read. history.

That name, Krehbiel correctly points out, In point of historical fact, concepts of “North of the tracks,” where the whites Jones, the famous publisher of the Tulsa was a misnomer, since Greenwood “had no progressive reform and abolitionism have lived, “the paper was passed from person to Tribune, may have committed a good portion always too easily coexisted with notions of formal financial institutions, no banks or person along Greenwood Avenue, the sickenof his life to preserving the birthplace of brokerage houses.” What the area lacked in biological determinism and racial hierarchy. ing headline staring up at them like a call to Abraham Lincoln (this “great American who capital accumulation, however, it made up For instance, the historian Nell Irvin arms,” Madigan writes. saved the nation and freed the slaves,” Jones Painter calls Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose The rest, as they say, is history and may we for in community and collaboration. Greenphilosophy of transcendentalism influenced never forget it. wood’s thriving, independent local economy, would say in a Feb. 12, 1921 speech), but in his newspaper, he referred to the Greenwood CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com Wright’s Universalism, the “philosopher king despite the fact that it was but a mere echo

MICHAEL ROMAIN

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

Summer Porch Concert with Lyric Opera Stage Artists Sunday, June 6, 7 p.m., Calvary Memorial Church’s West Parking Lot Hear an outdoor performance of opera favorites, art songs, musical theater hits, solos and ensembles where donations go directly to By the Hand Club for Kids, a Chicago nonprofit that supports students from kindergarten through college in four of Chicago’s most under-resourced neighborhoods with technology-based reading, after-school enrichment programs, tutoring/homework assistance, warm meals and vision and dental care. Lyric Opera performers include Desirée Hassler, soprano; Corinne Wallace-Crane, mezzosoprano; Cameo Humes, tenor; and Nick Ward, baritone.

Free; donations encouraged. 931 Lake St., Oak Park.

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

BIG WEEK

Fit/Lit Challenge Friday, June 4, through Saturday, Sept. 4, Zoom, Discord Channel and various sites with the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Here is a way to combine physical fitness with reading this summer. Join weekly sociallydistanced outings to places like the Eugene Field Memorial in the Lincoln Park Zoo or the Gwendolyn Brooks statue in Brooks Park. Let others know about your own outings (and invite others if you feel comfortable). Once, every other week, typically Sunday evenings, join Zoom sessions to talk about what’s been seen and read. Free; donation optional. More/register: chicagoliteraryhof.org/ events_entry/summer-2021-fit-lit

June 2-9

Rare Bird Preserves Mini-Market

Writers’ Word Feast

Thursdays, 8 to 10 a.m., side alley by Rare Bird Preserves Pick up pastries, produce, eggs, meat, beverages and more from Rare Bird and a curated selection of local vendors. 211 W. Harrison.

Music on the Patio Wednesday, June 9, 7:30 p.m., Cheney Mansion Grounds Enjoy the music of The Symphony of Oak Park-River Forest in this outdoor pop-up concert featuring Ireland’s Downland Suite and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, mov’ts 1 & 3. Bring chairs or a blanket and sit safely distanced on the lawn.

Limited chairs available on site. Registration includes two beverages (wine, beer or non-alcoholic) per person. 21+. $39; $30, Oak Park residents. Register: pdop.org. 220 N. Euclid Ave., Oak Park.

Magnificent Mutts & Meows Adoption Day Saturday, June 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., River Forest Public Library Give a shelter animal a forever home. Magnificent Mutts and Meows will have furry friends available for adoption.

Apply online to attend: magnificentmutts.org/forms/dogadoption-application. 735 Lathrop Ave., River Forest.

Sunday, June 6, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Zoom through the Oak Park Library Bring your words and words yet to be written to this writers’ group for all types and genres.

Each writer has a chance to read a story, poem or novel chapter and receive feedback from the group. Every first and third Sunday. Up next: June 20. Register: oppl.org/calendar

Sideyard Sounds at Compound Yellow Attend the new music series held safely outdoors in the art-adorned yard.

Friday, June 4, 7 p.m. - Marvin Tate and Bill MacKay Saturday, June 5, 7 p.m. - Sistazz of tha Nitty Gritty (rescheduled from May 28) Sunday, June 6 - Kolmar Collective $15. Register (or cash or card at the door): facebook.com/compoundyellow

Wish Upon a Star Friday, June 4, 7 p.m. through Sunday, June 13, 10 p.m., Virtually with BRAVO Performing Arts Join this family-friendly event featuring Gwendolyn Brooks 6th through 8th graders as they perform a revue of favorite Disney songs and scenes. Purchase a ticket code and access the show anytime during the event run. $15 per household. Tickets: bravoperformingarts.anywhereseat.com

The Healthy Chef Challenge Home Edition Register now. Cook June 11 through 13. Vote June 15 through 24.

John Beyond Hunger and spread awareness about good nutrition. New this year - community members, including kids/teens and amateur adults, can get creative in the kitchen along with local chefs battling to make a 5-star entrée with food pantry ingredients. Free. Register/more: gobeyondhunger.org/events/ healthy-chef-challenge-home-edition-0

Ahimsa Jazz Concert Series: Mario Duenas Trio Sunday, June 6, 7:30 to 9 p.m., Ahimsa School of Sound Healing Join in for this monthly jazz series. The evening begins with a short singing bowl meditation. The band consists of Mario Duenas (keys), Tony Hernandez (guitar) and Chris Paquette (percussion).

Wear comfortable clothing and a mask; bring a yoga mat, blanket, cushion and/or pillow. $20; $0, members.

Register: ahimsayogastudios.com/ahimsa-school-ofsound-events. 441 South Blvd., Oak Park.

Asanas for the Animals Saturday, June 5, 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., Wild Onion Tied House YogaSix, a new yoga studio slated to open in Oak Park this summer, is partnering with the Animal Care League to support their work with animals. Registration includes a 60-minute YogaSix Slow Flow Class, a swag bag with local discounts and goodies, a Meow-Mosa and 15 percent off food and drinks at Wild Onion after the class (take out or dine in). $25; all proceeds benefit ACL. Participants must wear masks and bring their own yoga mats. Register: https:// app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/AnimalCareLeague/yogasixasanas. html. 1111 South Blvd., Oak Park.

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Police corruption backstory on pension fight

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n 1984, two Oak Park police officers, both on the short list to become sergeants, independently turned up at the door of Keith Bergstrom, the police chief.

Each brought allegations that they had observed Oak Park detectives stealing from the homes of homicide victims.

Stunning charges.

Stunning in a town with a police department that was not without challenges but which was assumed to be clean. The two officers, Patrick Kelly and Ron Surmin, became permanently linked in the months that followed as Bergstrom, new to the department and seen as a full blown “egghead” in a still blue-collar department, went straight to the Illinois Department of Law Enforcement and asked it to lead an investigation.

Kelly and Surmin cooperated fully and for a time their identities as whistleblowers were protected. However, as the pair laid out in a lawsuit filed against the village and a raft of top officers in the department, pressure within the department to out the turncoats was intense and the chatter was vicious. Threats to the health of the whistleblowers were heard in the halls of the department, declarations that they would not have backup in critical moments was shared. Eventually a sting operation

in a room at the Carleton Hotel, planned by state investigators, was compromised. And then a state report, including the identities of Kelly and Surmin, was leaked within the department.

The eventual settlement of the suit, which by that time had narrowed to just Kelly and Surmin vs. the village government, included this line of legalese: The Defendant Village of Oak Park stipulates these allegations will be assumed to have occurred and that such occurrences have occasioned damages to the Plaintiffs by virtue of the denial of their constitutional rights and because of emotional pain and suffering.”

By now both Kelly and Surmin were on medical leave and the settlement allowed their resignations and an agreement they could collect pensions starting when they turned 50.

And that brings all this back to the present and our front page story that a new lawsuit has been filed against the village government, this time by the second wife and widow of Pat Kelly. Kelly died in 2017 and, under the provisions of the 1987 agreement, the village began to pay a $30,000 an-

Father’s Day Sale!

nual pension to Kelly’s widow, Kimellen Chamberlain, an assistant state’s attorney with Cook County. Those payments were made for two years before Carol Kelly, the first wife and a retired Cook County judge, wrote the village’s attorney and argued the pension payments should be hers.

For its part the village attorney won’t comment except to say that the village made no pension payment in 2020. The suit will play out, a resolution will be accomplished.

This hails back to the early years of Wednesday Journal and for us this was a major story that we told pretty much week by week. That we had a pipeline into the department was clear and did nothing to improve our relationship with the rankand-file.

Looking back, the gradual, painful resolution of these allegations was the start of a turn within the department. As deeply unpopular as the multi-degreed Bergstrom was, he was the outsider brought in to begin reforms, and the corruption charges only accelerated the process. A department that had doubled in size only a

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decade earlier as Oak Park faced integration was stuck with a young force of high school graduates not built for diversity or community policing. Those repercussions were lasting and eased ultimately with the eventual retirements of that era’s officers.

There were exceptional officers in that group, too, of course.

Bergstrom got bounced in fairly short order and became a chief in Florida where he promptly hired Surmin. Bergstrom died young and I lost track of both Surmin and Kelly.

It was a charged moment in Oak Park and the emergence of this pension fight makes it a good moment to remember.

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

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For West Sub nurses, equity is an everyday thing

Nurses Sylvia Williams and Evelyn Young-Huff are working to address state’s healthcare inequities

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Equity Editor

Last month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker gathered with other lawmakers at West Suburban Medical Center, 3 Erie St., for a press conference about the passage of the Health Care and Human Services Reform Act. In a statement, Pritzker’s office said the legislation, which is part of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’s wide-ranging Four Pillars agenda, “builds upon significant administration efforts toward health equity.”

The legislation, Pritzker stated, creates a Community Health Workers program, which would include training and certification, and requires the Health Facilities and Services Review Board to conduct a racial equity impact assessment for all future hospital closure applications that is publicly viewable.

The law would also create commissions to study statewide policy proposals to eliminate systemic racism, among other features of the bill.

For two nurses at the Oak Park hospital, however, equity is more than a notion, it’s an everyday struggle.

“I’ve always wanted to come back into my community and start a nursing program,” said Evelyn Young-Huff, an emergency room nurse at West Suburban who recently opened her own certified nursing assistant (CNA) training school in Broadview.

“I was a CNA,” Young-Huff said during an interview Photo provided last month. “When I was going through nursing school, CARETAKING: Evelyn Young-Huff , a West Suburban nurse, inside of her Vital Signs Healthcare Training Institute in my CNA training helped me through and it’s helped me Broadview last month. throughout my career.”

Young-Huff, a longtime CNA instructor West Side, roughly 29 percent are at or below poverty level formation on the licensure process. at area colleges, said she hopes to bring Young-Huff said she hopes that the fed- and 20 percent are uninsured, the data shows. her perspective as a Black woman who Williams said she hopes more resources will allow the eral and state funding trickles down to progrew up in the area to the culturally spehospital to build up a robust primary care system on the grams like hers. cific struggles of the students who enroll “We need the funding to help us out,” she West Side, so that fewer people are showing up in the at her school. said. “If we had the funding, we’d be able to emergency room with non-life threatening conditions Opening the school, she said, has been its that could be better handled by primary care physicians add more programs and more vocations.” own battle — one often fought with PritzKisha Stansberry, Young-Huff ’s niece during routine clinic visits. ker’s administration. Young-Huff said Williams said the hospital often has a difficult time rewho is working on her nursing degree at despite the need for more cultural compeNorthwestern and who helps her aunt cruiting patient care technicians, so collaborating with tence in CNA training — particularly when programs like the one Young-Huff offers may be worth out at the school, said communities of 1 in 3 CNA’s are Black women, according to color could benefit from more caretakers exploring.

U.S. census data — minority-owned schools Williams said she also hopes more funding and resourcwho are formally trained, particularly by like hers aren’t adequately supported. culturally competent instructors like her es are poured into the hospital’s efforts to reach out to Young-Huff said that her path toward acsenior citizens who may need assistance booking doctor’s aunt. quiring the necessary approval to operate “A lot of people are caregivers to a rela- appointments, traveling to receive treatment or who may her school from the Illinois Board of Hightive and they get paid by the state, which be homebound and in need of a doctor to come to them. er Education was littered with unneces“We have a lot of people being well taken care of by requires them to have no training,” Stanssary obstacles, many from the IBHE itself. their families and at home, but sometimes they can’t get berry said last month.

For instance, she said the agency held Sylvia Williams Sylvia Williams, a nurse director at West to that clinic visit, so having funding for that will really up the approval process for two years even Suburban and a longtime Austin resident, help, as well,” Williams said. though the board already had her documentation. On said she’s excited about the new legislation, but anxious For Young-Huff, the underlying need — among Black top of fighting to even open, Young-Huff said she’s had to see how the funds are allocated. She said hopefully, the CNA providers like herself, but also among Blacks navito fund her school out of savings she’s accumulated by law means more resources for safety net institutions like gating the healthcare system more generally — is very West Suburban, whose patient population is 74 percent simple. working full-time as a nurse.

“The state needs to recognize us — we’re not recogWhen reached for comment last month, a spokesperson Black and 11 percent Hispanic, according to data provided nized,” she said. for the agency did not directly respond to comments about by a hospital spokesperson.

Around 61 percent of the hospital’s patients live on the CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com Young-Huff ’s situation and instead provided general in-

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

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7

Battling period poverty Chamber collects tampons, pads To stock the community refrigerator with menstrual products

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Locals experiencing period poverty are about to get some relief. Through June 18, the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce is collecting donated menstrual products and diapers, as well as cash donations to go toward purchasing such necessities for the Oak Park Community Fridge, located at Carnival Grocery, 824 S. Oak Park Ave. “There’s no way that women do not feel a monthly burden when it comes to the expense of their menstrual products,” said Melissa Elsmo, who volunteers at the fridge and is serving as an advisor for the drive. Elsmo is also Oak Park Eats editor for Wednesday Journal.

Since its opening, the fridge has become an invaluable resource for many dealing with financial insecurities that prevent them from having the ability to buy groceries and other supplies.

“I’m consistently amazed but not surprised by how much use the community fridge gets,” said Elsmo. “It stands to reason that one of the shelves outside of the community fridge should hold feminine hygiene products to help defray these monthly costs. The same logic applies to diapers for children.”

The initiative is being championed across communities, with the collaboration of the Berwyn, Forest Park and Maywood chambers of commerce through the Women in Business affinity group.

Those who would like to participate are not required to

be chamber members or a part of the Women in Business group. The chambers welcome anyone to make a donation at any of the six collection boxes located in Oak Park and River Forest. Volunteers will empty the collection boxes periodically.

Boxes can be found at the Hearing Place, the River Forest Community Center, Lively Athletics, Brewpoint Coffee, Centre Physical Therapy and Fuller Health Group, which is managed by OPRF chamber vice president Sam Yousif.

Greater access to menstrual products is a cause particularly close to Yousif, according to Liz Holt, the executive director of the OPRF chamber.

“He’s so passionate about this,” said Holt. “I mentioned we were doing this at a board meeting and suddenly he’s flooding my inbox with toolkits and information and links to articles about how important it is to family health.”

Holt hopes more men will follow Yousif ’s lead by getting involved with the drive, not only to help others but to broaden their understanding.

“It isn’t a men-versus-women topic,” said Holt. “This is an everybody issue.”

To make things easier on men or other people who may feel embarrassed buying a box of tampons or pads, cash donations will also be accepted but actual products are preferred.

The drive ends June 18 with the first in-person Women in Business meeting since the pandemic hit last year. The one-hour meeting will be held in the parking lot of the grocery store at 9 a.m. that morning and will likely be the first opportunity for many of the group’s members to meet each other in person, as all recent meetings have been conducted over Zoom.

“We want people to grab a pack of diapers or a pack of tampons or whatever, come out and meet us there,” said

Two charged in Lombard Ave. shooting Third suspect released from custody

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Two 22-year-old men have been charged with aggravated use of an unlawful weapon in connection with the shooting that occurred at an Airbnb rental property located at 642 S. Lombard Ave. at 2:53 a.m., May 23. The incident left one person with a non-life-threatening injury. Neither of the two men live in Oak Park.

Kenji Moses, of the 5W200 block of Forest Lane in Elmhurst, and Montarius Sanders, of the 500 block of 47th Street in Bellwood, received the charges against them May 25. The police department did not specify if either man was the renter of the Airbnb.

Commander William Rygh told Wednesday Journal the Oak Park Police Department held Moses and Sanders overnight. The two men were then transported to a county jail facility in Maywood.

The third suspect picked up by the Oak Park police was released from custody without charge, according to Sergeant Joshua Bertels, who told Wednesday Journal the investigation is still active.

Kevin Radzinski, who lives four houses down from 642 S. Lombard Ave., witnessed the aftermath of the shooting. The gunfire woke Radzinski and his wife. He relayed to Wednesday Journal that he saw at least three cars flee from the area and about 15 to 20 people disperse. The people looked not much older than teenagers, according to Radzinski.

“They all looked like high school kids to me,” he said.

From his porch, Radzinski recorded the commotion he witnessed in his neighborhood, later posting it on Facebook. He did not believe that anyone from Oak Park or Austin was involved in the shooting.

Radzinski told Wednesday Journal he thinks three firearms were used, having overheard police officers say the street was littered with three different types of shell casings. He saw police tag 22 shell casings up and down the street.

Holt.

The goal of this drive is to collect enough products to keep the fridge stocked for six months, but it also has the added benefit of spurring group members to make connections with other businesswomen across the five communities.

“We’re trying to use it as a way to jumpstart camaraderie at the chambers,” said Holt.

Oak Park opens pools Rehm first, then Ridgeland Common

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Nothing says summer quite like taking a refreshing dip. After not opening last year due to COVID-19, Oak Park public pools are making comeback in a big way.

The Park District of Oak Park has announced the Rehm Park pool, 515 Garfield St., will be the first to open beginning Saturday, May 29, with the Ridgeland Common pool, 414 Lake St., opening the following Saturday on June 11.

The good news doesn’t stop there. Some of the expected restrictions have also been ditched, thanks to new COVID-19 safety guidelines. Both pools will have extended capacities. Swimmers will not have to make reservations. Passholders get early access to pools and can enjoy two and a half hours’ worth of pool time.

Those who don’t have passes get an hour and a half timeslots and 50 minutes for

lap swimming.

The park district is introducing a new contact-free check-in procedure as well for fast, easy and safe pool admittance.

Upon arriving to the pool, staff will scan pool goers’ digital access cards.

To access digital cards, residents must download the Amilia app, which is available for both iPhones and Androids. Once the app is opened, tap the option to view account, which will bring the user to the card and a barcode. Staff will then scan the barcode to check the guest in.

People can also still use their universal access cards or pool employees can look up the names of guests in a park district system. Guests can also pay the daily admission fee to enter the pool. To allow everyone a chance to swim, the park district asks that people limit their pool time to one session per day.

As the threat of COVID-19 has not been entirely eradicated, some safety guidelines are still in place, including maintaining social distancing. People are required to wear masks when not in the pool, as well. Those who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms or feel sick should stay home.

8

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

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Mohr concrete site back under contract

A Hinsdale-based developer has yet to unveil development plans

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Almost one year since its last potential buyer backed out, the Mohr concrete site is back under contract as of May 26, according to the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation (OPEDC). A Hinsdale-based developer, whose name OPEDC would not yet announce, has yet to formulate specific plans for the site.

“It’s safe to say that a number of options are under consideration at this point,” said John Lynch, OPEDC executive director. “This developer has experience in most retail sectors.”

Formerly the H.J. Mohr & Sons Co. concrete plant, the property sits on a 3.29-acre plot of land at the corner of Harlem Av-

enue and Garfield Street and includes a small parcel to the east of South Maple Avenue, which was once used to store trucks.

The site was last under contract in February 2020 to an unnamed developer who was expected to convert the site into retail space with the possibility of using the secondary parcel for residential purposes.

Once constructed, the developer intended to sell the property.

When COVID-19 hit, the uncertainty of its duration caused the deal to fall apart, according to Peter Poulos, the realtor representing the site. The developer backed out of the contract and the property returned to the market early last summer.

Poulos told Wednesday Journal last June that the developer could not get a firm commitment from their retail client.

Lynch called it “too early to say” whether the contractor plans to sell off the parcel once developed, as the previous developer had intended to do. The offer, he said, was made by the developer without having potential buyers or tenants signed.

“For this developer, it’s less about having

a preconceived notion of what will work best on the site, and more about them believing in the merits of this location,” he said.

Lynch told Wednesday Journal that he has no prior experience working with this developer. To his knowledge, this will be its first venture in Oak Park.

“I’m just learning about this group myself,” he said. “I don’t have a history with them.”

At the time the site went back up for sale, its listed price was $6.675 million. Lynch did not know the exact figure attached to the current contract.

“I have a fairly good sense of what it is, but I wouldn’t provide that now,” he said.

The developer will conduct an environmental study of the parcel next week, according to Lynch, who believes the developer will possibly need to seek some relief upon determining the site’s end use.

“It’s likely that there will be some type of variance or special use or need for planning commission review.”

In second bid, Kina Collins takes on Danny Davis Collins to focus on gun violence, health care

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Austin native and gun control advocate Kina Collins is making a second bid for U.S. Congress, vying to represent the Illinois 7th Congressional District and unseat the longstanding incumbent Rep. Danny K. Davis.

“We are building a stronger coalition based off of the foundation that we laid in the previous election cycle,” Collins told Wednesday Journal.

She previously ran in 2020, coming in second to Davis with 13.8 percent of all votes during the March 17 Democratic primary.

Davis, who has held the office since 1997, received 60 percent. Oak Park’s Anthony Clark received 12.95 percent of votes.

Davis was not immediately available for comment but filed his statement of candidacy for 2022 with the Federal Exchange Commission on May 17. Clark will not make his third bid for congress in 2022, but said he remains committed to addressing systemic oppression in society “My days running for political office have ended,” Clark told Wednesday Journal.

Clark was defeated in his April bid for a seat on the Oak Park village board.

Gun control, along with expanded healthDespite the well-documented difficulty care and economic recovery, is one of Colof unseating an incumbent, the results of lins’s platform issues.

Collins’s exploratory committee “We see on the national have encouraged her to move level people talk about the forward with her congressional city of Chicago and use it pursuit. as a political punching bag, “People really are hungry for when they speak about gun that change,” she said. violence and other issues,” The daughter of two union she said. workers, Collins was born and “I want to win so that I raised in the district and was could go to the halls of Cona student of Chicago Public gress and take on the gun Schools. As a child, she witlobby and take on the nessed the murder of a GOP when they spew child outside her home, these mistruths about spurring her future as an the people who live in advocate against gun vioour neighborhoods.” lence.

She is already familCollins has made a iar with creating legisname of herself in polilation, having written tics through her work the bill that created with the non-profit Gun the Illinois Council on Violence Prevention EduWomen and Girls, an cation Center and Illinois advisory committee to Council Against Handgun the governor and genViolence. Last February, eral assembly. she was invited to particiCollins is entering pate in a virtual violence KINA COLLINS the 2022 congressioprevention discussion nal race with a more hosted by U.S. Domestic seasoned approach, Policy Advisor Susan Rice and White House Public Engagement leveraging the knowledge acquired during Director and Senior Advisor Cedric Rich- her first run to strengthen her current campaign. mond.

“I want to win so that I could go to the halls of Congress and take on the gun lobby and take on the GOP when they spew these mistruths about the people who live in our neighborhoods.”

“I learned that it’s not just a one-size-fits all. Even though we are a plurality African American district, there’s not going to be one demographic that helps us win the race,” Collins said.

The way to win is having a “rainbow coalition” of voters across the district backing the same candidate, according to Collins, who noted the inequality between neighborhoods in the district using the Oak Park and Austin communities as an example.

“We need to make sure that we are courting and speaking to all voters in the district, and even some folks who haven’t participated in the past in primaries,” Collins said.

She has also learned the importance of having strong financial support when running against veteran elected officials who have the benefit of strong name recognition among constituents.

“You got to be a strong fundraiser in order to keep up,” she said.

Collins has already snagged the endorsements of several groups including Justice Democrats, the organization that backed Rep. Marie Newman’s campaign to represent the Illinois 3rd. Newman successfully unseated 15-year incumbent Dan Lipinski.

Women’s March IL, Illinois Youth Climate Movement, 14th Ward Independent Political Organization and Western Springs Indivisible have also given their support to Collins.

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

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9

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Julian students bring Vietnam vet stories to life

Five vets tell stories of service and returning home

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

Al Krause was 24 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in the Vietnam War. It was July of 1969, and by that time, Krause was a college graduate with a psychology degree and living in Washington, D.C., a hotbed of the antiwar movement. He remembered all the stories coming out of the Washington Post about the war and witnessing the tide of public opinion changing, especially after news of the Tet Offensive, one of the bloodiest battles, came out.

The Tet Offensive took place in 1968 and was seen as a “military failure for America’s enemy,” claiming the lives of over 60,000 troops, wrote journalist John Woodrow Cox in 2018 for the Post commemorating the event’s 50th anniversary. It was also considered a pivotal moment in the war.

“That’s what I try to tell people,” said Krause, now 75 and a lifelong resident of Oak Park. “When you look back and put it in perspective, all these things happen gradually. It’s not like everybody was against the war.”

“People’s attitudes changed as the information changed,” Krause said, adding he came home from Vietnam in July of 1971, a month after the Pentagon Papers were leaked.

For over a decade, Krause has shared the stories around his service, and now, he is one of five local veterans featured in a school project. Liam O’Connor and Charlie Newman, two eighth graders at Percy Julian Middle School, 416 S. Ridgeland Ave., based their community service project on talking to veterans such as Krause and listening to their experiences. The interviews – which are now online – are meant to serve as a historical record.

O’Connor, 13, and Newman, 14, said they were inspired to do the project after Krause came to their class and spoke about his deployment in Vietnam. The teens said they didn’t know much about the Vietnam War and wanted to ask Krause more questions. They wanted to know what Krause was like as a young man. They asked him about where he grew up, what he studied in school and what his life was like before the army and after he returned from the war.

During his interview, Krause told O’Connor and Newman how tough

it was for him to slip into his old life after Vietnam. To this day, Krause can still recall the couple who passed by him, while he was sitting in an airport in California, waiting for a connecting flight to get back home.

“They looked at me, and they said, ‘You just come back from Vietnam?’ And I said, ‘yes,’” said Krause, the conversation forever sealed in his memories. “They said, ‘Well, it’s too bad you didn’t lose an arm or got your leg blown off for all the terrible things you did over there.’

And then, they just kept on walking. That was my official welcome home.”

The other men who spoke to O’Connor and Newman had similar experiences. Some of them said they were spat on, while others were called names such as “baby killers.”

“People didn’t understand that I didn’t choose to go,” said Thomas Redich during the interview. Redich, like Krause, was drafted into the army. “We were really looked down upon, and we were losing the war.”

Because of the way Vietnam War veterans were perceived, Krause kept his service a secret. No one outside his family or close friends knew about it. Following the war, Krause said he didn’t look for any veterans organizations, nor did he want to be part of them. He was “against the war” and “just wanted to be left alone.”

“A lot of people I worked with for like 20 or 30 years never knew I was in Vietnam,” he said. “It’s just something you never talked about.

I never interjected it into any conversation, and if I didn’t raise it, there is no way anybody would ever know I was a veteran.”

Krause said he only began talking about Vietnam when he reunited with a platoon mate in 2011, “and that was like some 40 years later.”

For O’Conner and Newman, those personal anecdotes hold meaning. O’Connor and Newman said they met the veterans on Zoom, and some shared a handful of combat photos.

“Those stories are pretty interesting,” Newman said, noting some veterans opened up about how fighting in the war felt like being trapped in a time capsule. When they got back to the states, they often felt stuck, realizing the world quickly moved on without them. Their home looked like a “completely different country,” totally unrecognizable, Newman said.

O’Connor added that he hoped people who see their project just read the veterans’ stories. There’s a lesson in empathy and compassion wrapped up in every thought and tiny detail.

As Krause thought more about that word – empathy – he offered up his own definition. He said empathy is about taking a moment to walk in someone else’s shoes.

“One thing you really learn by being drafted and being in the military, even in a time of war, is you are put together with people from all walks of life, from all over the country, from different classes and religions and backgrounds and educations,” he said. “You really meet all Americans, whereas most people grow up and never do anything other than associate with people who are just like them.”

To view O’Connor and Newman’s project, visit https:// sites.google.com/op97.org/vietnam/home.

One thing you really learn by being

drafted and being in the military, even in a time of war, is you are put together with people from all walks of life, from all over the country, from different classes and religions and backgrounds and educations. You really meet all Americans, whereas most people grow up and never do anything other than associate with people who are just like them.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

HISTORY PRESERVED: Al Krause was one of the Vietnam vets interviewed by Julian Middle School students for their oral history project.

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

In vino veritably, See Jane Drink Wine

Interactive wine tasting business debuts

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

Twenty years ago, River Forest resident Jane Norrington visited a Napa Valley winery and kicked off a wine exploration that took her to wineries in Oregon and Washington and across the ocean to France, Italy and Spain. She tasted a bit of history in a 1976 Château Latour she remembers as “a really important glass of wine,” but also developed a keen interest in minimizing the snobbery associated with wine tasting and making memorable wine accessible to every palate.

Four years ago, while sitting with her newborn son, the mother of two with a former career in advertising, started wondering when or if she would ever be able to embark on the wine adventures she had come to love. As she flipped through photos remembering her travels, she began posting them to an Instagram account she gave the cheeky name, See Jane Drink Wine. By morning, the account had more than 100 followers. See Jane Drink Wine exploded from there now and now has more than 4,000 followers.

Norrington holds WSET Level 2 in Wine with Distinction certification through the Napa Valley Wine Academy and is in the process of establishing See Jane Drink Wine as an LLC offering cellar consultations as well as virtual or in person wine tastings for corporations and private clients.

“People want to see their friends more than ever, but friendships are malnourished right now,” said Norrington. “Wine tastings help people overcome the social awkwardness they may be feeling after the pandemic.

A tasting can be a centerpiece that brings focus to a gathering.”

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

OENOPHILE: Jane Norrington pours a glass for your tasting pleasure.

Norrington began offering private wine tastings in March. The social events, predominantly hosted outdoors, are steadily gaining momentum thanks to Norrington’s efforts to make the events bright and interactive. While virtual wine tastings are limitless in their attendance, Norrington considers 12 guests to be ideal for in person tastings.

“Wine tastings have a reputation for being stuffy,” said Norrington. “But wine is fun. It shouldn’t be intimidating to discover what you like in a wine.”

After consulting with a host about goals for an event Norrington takes up to a week to research suitable wines and typically selects three or four arranged by region, grape type or personalized themes. Hosts

purchase the wines based on her recommendations and Norrington arrives to walk participants through the “five S’s” of wine tasting.

Guests “see” the wine first and learn how to discern wine age, grape type and alcohol content through visual examination. The “swirl” not only makes participants look cool, but releases aromas to set up the all important “sniff.” After a discussion guests enjoy a highly anticipated “sip” and then “savor” the flavor and discuss if the wine has a long or short finish. Norrington also educates attendees on wine regions, makes pairing suggestions and shares tips on how to locate good wines on shop shelves.

For folks looking for a value wine to please a crowd, Norrington suggests sourc-

ing a Spanish Rioja Gran Reserva. Many are available for under $20 and spend a minimum of 24 months on oak before being bottled. The resulting wine is big and complex, but not too heavy and pairs well with Asian flavor profiles and shellfish dishes.

“When it comes to selecting wine, my goal is to empower people to make educated decisions in public spaces,” said Norrington.

“And that starts with knowing what you like and don’t like.”

In fact, Norrington used to think she disliked all Chardonnays. Through education she learned she simply is not a fan of oaked chardonnay — she confidently enjoys unoaked versions of the same wine.

“Broadly declaring you dislike all wines of a certain type is like saying you don’t like the United States, but you’ve only ever been to Arkansas,” said Norrington.

Drinking wine is about discovery for Norrington and she cautions against purchasing the same wine again and again. On the most basic level she urges people to focus on independent producers rather than wines made for mass production. Mass produced wines are often over-priced and under deliver.

Norrington is eager to build See Jane Drink Wine into a vibrant interactive business in the Oak Park and River Forest communities and intends to help people discover wines they love to drink while developing the skills to help them discover enjoyable wines in any setting. Interested parties can schedule a tasting by visiting seejanedrinkwine.com.

An anniversary for Angie’s Pantry

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

Attention to detail, determination, and adaptability are just a few of the key ingredients that helped Angie Montroy, chef-owner of Angie’s Pantry, achieve 10 years in business in May. She credits a steady, but manageable growth trajectory for the long-term success of the food-focused business she officially started in 2011. Thanks to creativity, positive word-of-mouth, and a few pandemic pivots, business is booming at Angie’s Pantry, 809 South Blvd.

Angie’s Pantry started when Montroy offered her personal-chef services to four clients in the mid-’90s and grew to include small catered events. In time she started operating out of The Nineteenth Century Club before moving into the brick-and-mortar on South Boulevard where the bulk of her business now revolves around providing a vast array of heat-and-eat meals for individuals and families.

“I have to be careful about taking on catering orders now because the weekly meals are just jamming,” said Montroy.

“The weekly meals are my baby.”

Montroy has spent nearly a decade building her recipe repertory while steadily increasing her customer base. Today, Angie’s Pantry has a client list of more than 1,200 people and offers a weekly menu of healthy ala carte meals and devilish desserts for pre-order and pick up. Angie’s Pantry prepares 200 to 300 meals a week featuring signature dishes like parmesan crusted chicken and light tomato cheese pasta, spicy basil chicken with veggie fried rice and roasted salmon salad, spiked with parsley chives and dill relish.

Montroy learned to cook in her mother’s kitchen and recollects cutting herself “a million times” as she learned to cut potatoes using a steak knife. Though her skills have improved over the years, her mother’s recipes still hold a special place in her heart and Montroy strives to have a personal connection to her recipes. Her mother’s fried chicken remains her favorite meal and Montroy treasures a handwritten recipe card for the applesauce cake she enjoyed as a child.

An insatiable love of flavor, respect for global cuisine and curiosity about cooking methods form the foundation for the Angie’s Pantry menu. However, it’s the diversity of

dishes that has aided Montroy in keeping her customers satisfied.

“When COVID hit our biggest problem was actually getting food here,” said Montroy. “Unlike other businesses, the pandemic really increased business for us. I was running with my hair on fire to get everything done.”

Additionally, Montroy added an ala carte option to donate to Beyond Hunger or Housing Forward on her online order form. Her generous customers have been raising $400 to $500 each month for the organizations.

“Some of my older customers live alone and are not capable of placing an online order,” said Montroy. “During the shutdown I called them every week to see if they needed something. Sometimes they ordered and sometimes they didn’t, but I always made sure they were doing okay.”

As Montroy celebrates a decade of cooking in the Oak Park community she is grateful for her loyal customers and is proud to be a veteran among the growing number of successful women-owned businesses on South Boulevard.

“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” said Montroy. “When I think of where I started I feel a great deal of pride.”

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

13

ART BEAT

Love of books leads to top library post

By MICHELLE DYBAL

I

Arts Editor

t started with a love of books. Add a spark working on the Trapeze newspaper at Oak Park and River Forest High School in the mid-1980s while she lived in River Forest during her high school years.

Then running the Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago, working as a bookseller and in neighborhood development. Experience in the nonprofit sector helped, as did 20 years at the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office.

Now Mary Davis Fournier will take the helm as executive director of the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of ALA, on June 14. PLA focuses on the needs and services of public libraries, librarians, and the communities they serve. There are nearly 10,000 PLA members.

Much of Fournier’s work at ALA has centered on community engagement. As deputy director of the Public Programs Office, Fournier has secured grants, partnered with museums or outside organizations, and worked with teams of people from ALA and practitioners in the field. ALA serves librarians and public, school, academic, tribal and specialty libraries and brings exhibits and programming to them across the U.S. and Canada. The needs in rural areas may differ, so programming is tailored.

An example is Muslim Journey Bookshelf, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to help “audiences in the United States become more familiar with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims,” according to ALA’s website. Another programming grant was available for libraries — Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys. Fournier said the model has changed “from outreach to real engagement” during the past eight years.

“So library workers could put community needs at the center of their service,”

Fournier said, “thousands and thousands of library workers” nationwide have been trained under her leadership through Libraries Transforming Communities, a professional development initiative in dialogue and deliberation that provides tools and resources.

Fournier, who finds it impossible to drive through a town and not visit the local library, called the evolution to community engagement at public libraries a “mindful attitudinal shift.” She said Oak Park Public Library’s executive director was among the first to embrace it.

“David Seleb jumped in under the Transforming Communities initiative and it has been a sort of turning outward,” Fournier said. “… The beginning of the planning process for public libraries is communityfacing rather than institutional-facing.”

The Oak Park library has integrated antiracism into its community engagement programming. Although Fournier is moving into a new role, she sees herself continuing to be involved with community engagement, especially with such critical work.

“I am passionate about the potential of community engagement, especially when it is aligned with antiracism work and diversity, equity and inclusion work,” she said. “I think that is the opportunity for all of us in the coming years.”

Programming Fournier spent time on can also be seen in her hometown, where she has lived for the past 23 years or so. She “lived in the children’s room” with her two kids for many years at the Oak Park Public Library. When “In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak” arrived, or whenever the library gets anything she worked on, she is “thrilled.”

For the Sendak exhibit and programming — brought in conjunction with the Public Programming Office, Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, and Nextbook Inc., a nonprofit focusing on Jewish literature,

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culture and ideas — Fournier asked her family, “Remember this thing I kept talking about, that I was so excited about?”

“Those exhibits are a springboard for related programs,” Fournier said. “… The library is able to tie [programming] into whatever their current goals are with their community engagement.”

ALA and PLA also have had to respond to outcomes of the pandemic.

“The coming months and years for libraries and across society, we’re reknitting a social infrastructure as we move from crisis to recovery,” Fournier said. “So much of the work of libraries is going to be focused on moving back, not just into physical spaces, but also really advancing the progress that has started to be made in the digital divide, which became very explicit during the pandemic, ... helping people up-skill and re-skill for employment, recover from learning loss.”

As executive director, Fournier said the work of PLA will focus on moving forward, “helping the field where they are at and where they need to be.” That includes figuring out what to keep from the experience during this time, such as being able to reach association members in a more equitable way.

“There’s also a lot to be done to meet the needs of public library workers as they deal with safe re-openings and the very complicated nature of their individual lives,” Fournier said. “And the incredible efforts of public libraries have been and will continue to be affected by the hit municipal budgets are taking.”

To further the community engagement model, she has also co-edited a book that is a how-to collection of case studies, essays, theory and practice written by library practitioners from across the country. Act, Listen, Empower: Grounding Your Library Work in Community Engagement came out in December 2020.

Mary Davis Fournier “There has not been any sort of book or collected resource that would function both as a professional development resource for practitioners in the field as well as for the folks getting their master’s in library information science,” Fournier said.

“During the time I’ve been in the Public Programs Office, library programs have really come to the fore and the specialties of programming librarians and community engagement librarians have become actual job designations and job titles,” she said.

When not bringing programming to others, Fournier finds herself entertained by her husband John Fournier playing tenor saxophone in the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, her son’s Oak Park Youth Baseball games, or a trip to the Oak Park Farmers Market. She also enjoys yoga and working in her garden, which has grown thanks to other local gardeners who generously exchange plants. But Fournier also benefits from the joy of her career.

“It’s wonderful to be in mission-driven work,” she said.

Fournier considers herself lucky. “I spent 20 years in one of the most fun jobs I can imagine.”

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

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ART BEAT

I

Piecing together our family history

book until recently when I revised n 2020, I revised my manuscripts, which were actheir moments into a story line. The cepted by Aquarius Press, Mac and Irene Trilogy was written for the Mac and Irene Trilsimultaneously from a handful of ogy with a fourth YA book, Dad’s enigmatic idioms.

Airdrie: Recollections of an The stories I heard about were Artist in Bloom, available separated into Mac and Irene’s life for school curriculums. The before having a family, 1938-1947. If trilogy is made up of Mac & Trees Could Talk is told from clues Irene: A WWII Saga, If Trees I lived with — Dad’s paintings and Could Talk, and Resist! A ViMom’s writing — that made me sual History of Protest. One wonder. In A WWII Saga, that is artistic Catholic family from interspersed with clues from Dad’s Northern Ireland sought scrapbook. I had seen the scrapbook C social justice in the Adirononce when I was about 7 years old, Guest author dacks for a century and Chibut it was closed and not opened cago for a century. again until my son was in middle Mom passed away leaving so many ques- school. Dad told the story to Brendan and tions unanswered. Dad, was uncharacter- his friend who had a WWII interest. I videoistically willing to talk. For two curious, taped one hour of the story and that is our nationally-awarded journalists with an family’s record. undying passion to uncover stories, Irene A WWII Saga tells how Mac and Irene’s and Franklin McMahon mentioned little of high school romance was interrupted by their own life adventure. These books start- their service before they were married. Two ed with my curiosity and became a long- Boeing Stratoliners (domestic planes determ filling out of Dad’s cryptic one-line signed from the B-17 bomber) were ordered answers. Like me asking, “When did you fall in 1937. As Mac and Irene finished their ice in love?” And him replying, “Not sure about cream, one Stratoliner took its 1938 maiden your mother. It might have been my birth- flight. It crashed in 1939. In 1940 FDR ordered 50,000 aircraft, then another 50,000. day at the ice cream parlor.”

Between 1940 and 1942, 300,000 aircraft I didn’t think of this exploration as a

MARGOT M MAHON

Join Us in Celebrating 35 Years!

were produced, a 16-fold production rise.

Irene was studying art education at Francis Parker Teacher’s College while planes buzzed overhead. Mac joined the Navy Air Force as a reporting cartoonist for a Chicago magazine and was certified a B-17 pilot

by January of 1943. When Irene graduated, Congress diverted the education budget to the war effort, so she traversed the continent in the Stratoliner. Irene’s Chicago flights took off from crisscrossing runways with a locomotive track down the middle.

No wonder they didn’t tell us! My challenge was to remember in which spiral notebook I had scribbled Dad’s answers.

For WWII context, I took a course conducted by scholar Professor Jay Winter who offered a week of lectures by literature, film, poetry and history professors. Once I stopped hyperventilating over the 4-foothigh stack of books that arrived, I sat on the couch to read as I went from readers to LED bulbs to prescription glasses.

Some reactions to my readings were visceral. Did I intuitively recognize my parents’ experience? Or was their experience strong enough for DNA memories? I trusted my gut, scrawled notes and researched to be sure. It was uncanny how often my hunch was almost right. From the couch, Dad’s paintings on the wall started to vibrate in a

Harry Potter kind-of-way. I realized he had painted his story! My family and I were surrounded by it. Works I, and my kids, had grown up with were flipped for clues of dates, places and titles. Like Chasing Vermeer with a scavenger hunt, I matched images to years to find where Dad went and why.

Franklin McMahon went on to be a reporter, artist and courtroom sketch artist. He documented the “Chicago Seven” and murder of Emmett Till trials, as well as political events and social justice actions with his art.

“Airdrie” is available for preorder: aquariuspressbooks@gmail.com. Find updated order information at margotmcmahon.com.

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PENSION

To be decided from page 1

cording to court documents.

In a legal settlement at the time, the village stipulated without accepting responsibility that Kelly and Surmin’s harassment by fellow officers was a legitimate reason for them to retire and collect pensions. The village agreed to pay both officers an annual pension once they turned 50. On the occasion that one of the officers died before or after turning 50, the agreement specified that the pension payment would go to “his present wife.”

In a letter sent to Stephanides on Sept. 23, 2020, Carol Kelly alleged that she was enti-

tled to receive her ex-husband’s annual pension payout, stating that Surmin agreed the language “present wife” meant wife at the time the parties entered into the arrangement with the village of Oak Park.

“Since I was the wife at the time, I should be the person to receive payments after the death of Patrick Kelly,” Carol Kelly wrote to Stephanides.

The marriage of Carol Kelly and Kelly ended in June 1994, per Chamberlain’s filing, and as part of their marital settlement agreement, his ex-wife lost her claim to Kelly’s pension. Kelly married Chamberlain in 1995 and he turned 50 in 2001.

Chamberlain is suing the village of Oak Park for the 2020 payment of $30,685. Her case has also requested that the village declare her the intended beneficiary of her husband’s pension and to make all future payments to her. A telephonic status hearing is set for June 11, 2021.

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OPRF board eases grad policy, nixes grade changes Change allowed three students to graduate on time

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

Three Oak Park and River Forest High School seniors who were not on track to graduate had the chance to walk in Saturday’s ceremony, as the District 200 Board of Education voted Thursday evening to waive local graduation requirements for the Class of 2021. The decision came after a lengthy discussion during the May 27 meeting and was among three items up for vote based on concerns voiced by some students advocating for a “no-fail” grading policy.

For the last two weeks, students from the Revolutionary Youth Action League in Oak Park have demanded school administrators , change the school’s A through F grading policy as a way to help students of color who are failing their classes. Black and Brown youth leaders have said police brutality and racial violence on top of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted their academic performance and their mental health and urged the school to show empathy.

Board member Gina Harris, who voted for the graduation requirement measure, said she felt “torn” and “disheartened” by the conversation. Harris said she understood how faculty has worked throughout the pandemic to help students, but she also recognized the outcry from students, including those who have continued to succeed and those who have struggled and fallen behind.

“People should not be penalized because

D200 HIRES

Hardy and Parker join staff from page 1 During the meeting, Hardy appeared in front of board members to share his excitement on the new role. “I’m absolutely looking forward to working with the incoming superintendent, the team that is being assembled here tonight and in other places,” he said. “I’m also excited to join this particular school and its local conservation on racial equity but also be able to be part of the national conversation. This is a very timely conversation that I get to be a part of and lead.”

Other new additions to district staff are Lesley Roberts, who will serve as the assistant director of special education; Maureen Miller, director of instructional technology; and Brian Contant, division head for the English department.

Like Hardy, Roberts took a moment to thank the board for the opportunity and

we’re in the pandemic,” said Harris, adding still need to meet state requirements in orthe issues at hand are yet another example der to graduate. of “division.” “At the same time, there are Local graduation requirements are coursgoing to be students who did work very hard es selected by the district, not the Illinois to gain that letter grade who are going to feel State Board of Education, and the school what about all their hard work? This breaks board can change those requirements, as my heart. I can’t determine who worked they see fit, said Associate (incoming) Superintendent Greg Johnson harder. I can’t determine who in a separate interview. Exwas traumatized.” amples of those courses are Echoing Harris, board writing, computer proficienmember Henry Kebreab said cy and fine and performing he believed no student at arts, according to the school OPRFHS should fail this year site. and to “let these kids walk” Also at the meeting, the and give them the opportunity board rejected an item that to move forward. sought to change students’ Tom Cofsky, board vice failing marks into a “no credpresident, was the only memit” for the 2020-21 school year. ber of the seven-member When a student receives a “no board to cast a dissenting credit” on a report card, the vote. While Cofsky agreed class does not impact his or with his colleagues that the her grade point average, the decision was difficult, he said school site stated. F’s, howevhe was against modifying er, are factored into the grade the graduation policy. Like point average.

Harris, Cofsky reflected on Kebreab joined board memthe resources staff offered to ber Mary Anne Mohanraj in students, especially when it voting for the measure, while came to meeting their socialthe rest of the board opposed. emotional needs.

“I don’t know how I could School administrators initially reported that a total of fail a kid when I know adults 29 seniors – which is less than who are struggling – and have 5% of the Class of 2021 – were more coping skills to put food not on track to graduate. The on the table, to go to work RALPH MARTIRE board’s decision to waive all – who can’t get out of bed,” Board member the local graduation requireKebreab said. “That’s real. ments brings that number I can’t put the same level of down to 26. Those 26 students burden or high level of expec-

tations on a child.”

During the meeting, board member Ralph Martire offered up his opinion. Martire, who at the last minute voted “yes” to waiving the local graduation requirements for this year’s senior class, said he disagreed with converting F’s into “no credit” marks for all students.

“I look at the supports that our administration and faculty put in place and the very small number of students that were seniors that were at risk this year [of not graduating] compared to years prior to the pandemic, which means that our faculty and administration stepped up to the plate,” Martire said. “They put in place great supports.”

“No matter how great the supports are, no matter how well you design a system, not everyone is going to thrive in that system,” he said. “Not everyone’s going to take advantage of that system and not everyone will succeed in the system, even if it’s as well designed as it possibly could be.”

Board members unanimously agreed to waive summer school fees for district families and aim to reimburse those who have already paid. The cost for summer school classes varies, Johnson said. For students who have to retake a class over the summer because of failing marks, they are charged $100 for that class. If students are required to retake more than two classes, the fees do not go beyond $200, Johnson said. Students who choose to take a regular class over the summer are expected to pay a $250 fee.

Summer school fees typically bring in revenues of $215,000 to District 200. The district plans to reimburse the $161,022 already collected.

said she looked forward to workParker, director of student sering alongside the students and vices, who will now step into Shalema Francois-Blue, the spethe role of assistant superincial education department’s extendent and principal. In the ecutive director. Before coming last three years, Parker has to D200, Roberts was at Evanston sought to continue building a Township High School and overmore supportive environment saw roughly 90 special education at OPRFHS. Some examples inteachers, therapists, interns and clude launching a schoolwide paraprofessionals, according to a campaign to create an “envinews release issued by the district. ronment of care,” expanding PATRICK HARDY Roberts was part of the Evanthe district’s support system to ston high school’s district equity meet students’ needs and creatleadership team and has experience as a ing the first trauma-informed interventionschool psychologist and assistant principal ist position, the news release stated. at other Chicagoland schools.

“As we ride the waves together, I’m just As for Miller, she previously served as the excited that it was seen that I could do this director of technology for Winnetka Public work, and I’m so excited to do this work,” Schools District 36 and held various admin- Parker said during the meeting. istrative roles at surrounding school disLaurie Fiorenza, director of student tricts such as North Shore School District learning, has been promoted to assistant 112 and Deerfield High School. For almost a superintendent for student learning. Addecade, Contant has been the curriculum di- ministrative Assistant Lisa Evans, a 17-year rector of English for Joliet Township High district employee, also received a promotion School District 204 and led the district-wide and will take on the position of executive initiative for racial equity. assistant to the superintendent and clerk At the meeting, the board also recognized of the board. Evans will replace current ex-

ecutive assistant to the superintendent Gail Kalmerton, who plans to retire in June 2022.

Rounding out the list of key hires is Dean of Students Brian Beyers, who was recently named LYNDA PARKER the division head for the physical education, health and driver education department.

During Beyers’ brief speech, he told board members and his colleagues how eager he is to have the opportunity and work even more closely with students and teachers. When Beyers began his career as an educator, he taught physical education across all grade levels, the news release stated.

“I’m humbled. I’m honored,” said Beyers, who has been a dean at OPRFHS for the last eight years. “I’m looking forward to this change in this position here at home.”

“No matter how great the supports are, no matter how well you design a system, not everyone is going to thrive in that system. Not everyone’s going to take advantage of that system and not everyone will succeed in the system, even if it’s as well designed as it possibly could be.”

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

17

C R I M E

Teenager arrested in shooting The Oak Park Police Department arrested a 19-year-old Broadview man, after he allegedly pointed a firearm at an Oak Park resident. The incident occurred at 10:22 p.m., May 26 in the 1000 block of Washington Boulevard.

The suspect had been arguing with the victim, according to Sergeant Joshua Bertels. When the argument became heated, he allegedly brandished the weapon, pointing it at the victim.

He “attempted to run from the Oak Park police officers, but was apprehended,” Bertels told Wednesday Journal. He “was found to still be in possession of the handgun.”

The suspect was arrested for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated assault and resisting a police officer.

Burglary ■ The side service door to a garage on the 600 block of North Lombard was forced open and a lawnmower and garden cutting tools were removed from inside between 7 p.m., May 26 and 6 a.m., May 27. The estimated loss is $580.

■ Someone broke the lock to a work shed and removed a lawnmower and leaf blower

between 5 p.m., May 23 and 8:30 a.m., May 24 in the 100 block of South Humphrey Avenue.

The estimated loss is $900.

■ Someone entered an open residential garage and took out a bicycle between 2:40 p.m. and 2:44 p.m., May 21 in the 800 block of South Taylor Avenue. The estimated loss is $700.

Theft ■ The catalytic converter was cut from a vehicle parked in the 600 block of South Kenilworth Avenue between 10 p.m., May 26 and 7 a.m., May 17.

■ Someone cut the lock to a storage unit and removed a bicycle from inside between noon, Jan. 25 and 6:45 p.m., May 20 in the 200 block of Washington Boulevard. The estimated loss is $280.

■ A package containing clothing was taken from the vestibule of a residence in the 100 block of Washington Boulevard between 9:46 a.m. and 11 a.m., May 15. The estimated loss is $200.

■ Someone broke the lock securing a bicycle, then took the bicycle between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., May 24 in the 400 block of South Ridgeland Avenue. The estimated loss is $435.

■ Two unsecured bicycles were removed from a resident’s lawn in the 1000 block of North Taylor Avenue between 11:40 a.m. and 11:47 a.m., May 27. The estimated loss is $650.

Criminal property damage ■ A man was observed throwing a brick paver through a plate glass window of the 7-Eleven at 240 Chicago Ave. at 12:15 a.m.

The estimated damage is $250.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports May 25 – May 28 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

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Homes The house on Marion Street

Breathing new life into a century-old Oak Park home in danger of demolition

By ELIZABETH BERG

A

Guest Author

s an Army brat who moved what seemed like every 10 minutes, I am always in search of home. I’ve lived happily on Kenilworth Avenue in Oak Park for 20 years, but I can’t resist imagining living in other houses, or fixing them up for others.

I’m particularly fond of finding a place that’s fallen on hard times and restoring it to what it used to be. The crown jewel of my fixer-uppers is about to come on the market. Here’s how it happened.

So, I’m walking my dog, Gabby, and I come to the corner of Erie and Marion, where there is an Open House sign. From the outside, the place is old and unkempt, a former single-family house that is now a two-flat, with burgundy asphalt shingling and an uninviting front porch. There’s a weariness about the place, a dispiritedness.

“Ew,” Gabby the talking dog says. “We’re not going in there, are we?”

But we do, and what I see there is even less alluring than the outside. Also, there is a bad smell.

But. The high ceilings! The light! The bones of the place! One of the things I love about living in Oak Park is seeing all the old houses, so full of character and history.

One of the things I fear about living in Oak Park is that places with character will be replaced by things that have no character whatsoever and that, in addition, are poorly built.

I’ve learned a lot about integrity in building from my partner, Bob Pichiotti. He did my house, built in 1909, which was such a wreck (raccoons living in it, trees falling on it, electrical system like something out of a Frankenstein movie) that someone wanted to tear it down -- but the village wouldn’t let him.

Instead, Bob bought the place from the guy who wanted to raze it, restored it, and the Historic Preservation Commission of Oak Park gave him an award for outstanding work. It’s hanging in my entryway because he’s too modest to hang it in his own.

I talk to the realtor, who is standing by the fireplace in the dining room a little like Eeyore, not exactly fending off offers. I tell him I’m a writer, but that I love fixing up old places with my partner, who, in my opinion, is the Michelangelo of developers: not only a skillful builder, but an artist who isn’t afraid to envision plans for a place that probably no one else could, and then take his time in executing them, perfecting them.

If he puts up a wall and then decides maybe he doesn’t like it, he has no problem taking it down.

He makes a house he would want to live in: practi-

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

BEFORE & AFTER: Elizabeth Berg knew there was something special behind the homely siding of the Marion Street two-flat (right) that she bought and had brought back to life (above). cal but also full of charm and tasteful detail.

He adds a kind of playfulness, too: witness the hideaway nook in one of the bedrooms in the house on Marion, and the deluxe doggie shower (which, if I have my way, will have dog paw print subway tile.) He understands that although not everyone will see and understand the quality of his work, especially that behind the walls, he sees it.

He doesn’t skimp. And he does the kind of work that lasts.

The realtor shows me around the rest of the place, including the upstairs, which makes me gasp and wonder how anyone could have lived there. I think, “Uh oh. This is going to be a tough sell.” But I resolve to talk to Bob about the house.

I feel it’s worth saving. I feel it could be great. Besides, it kind of whispered to me when I was there.

I show Bob the place and he’s doubtful. We talk about whether to keep it a two-flat or convert it back to a single- family home, which would be a lot more work. We go for the “lot more work,” apSee MARION on page 20

19

20

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

MARION

Transformation from page 19 apparently because we’re both gluttons for punishment. Here comes a total gut job.

The first thing that happens is that Bob takes off the ugly exterior shingles, and beneath it finds unique hand carvings that are exquisite. No one knew that they were there. He calls me and tells me to come and see. When I get there, I just stand on the sidewalk, looking up. The craftsmanship! And I think, “Yup. Worth saving.” And the house says, “Told you.”

What follows are long months that turn into years, where Bob does his slow-motion bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, and the transformation occurs: a brick-and-board Cinderella rises from the ashes.

There are discussions about layout, about tile, about cabinet choices in the kitchen that will offer tons of storage, about whether the extra room on the first floor should be an office or a laundry room. Bob makes it so that it can be either. We find the exact right artist to make leaded glass for the front door.

Bob finds the basement ceiling too low and so he lowers the floor. That’s right. I never even heard of that!

In the end, what we’re left with is something we are both proud of. A kitchen that is both huge and welcoming, both classic and contemporary. A side porch that you

Photos provided

GUT JOB: Berg and builder Bob Pichiotti took the Marion Street home’s interior down to the studs during the renovation. can’t help but envision yourself sitting out on. Stylish bathrooms on all floors. Lots of options for using rooms that make the best sense for you.

Most of all, that light. Those bones! That ineffable sense of something recovered that needed not to be lost. To say nothing of the fact that it’s only a couple of blocks from the

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two ways. I’m so excited for someone to live there and enjoy it, but I’m jealous, too, because I wish I could live there. But we did it.

We’re almost done. We brought back to life a beautiful house over 100 years old. We’re helping to keep Oak Park, Oak Park. And maybe the people who buy it will let Gabby come over and use the dog shower.

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SPORTS

OPRF seniors two sides of the same coin

Sprinter Bryant, distance runner Cavanaugh eye all-state places

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

As Oak Park and River Forest High School senior Eamon Cavanaugh prepared for his 3,200-meter relay at the Lyons Township Invitational May 14, he received some usual last-minute inspiration.

The Huskies were winning the preceding 400 relay with senior Naahlyee Bryant anchoring.

“I see Naahlyee barreling down the track,” Cavanaugh said. “That’s just a really cool thing about this sport. Whenever we see one of our sprint guys absolutely crush the field, it just adds a lot to the whole momentum.”

Both Bryant and Cavanaugh follow older brothers and have become brothers as part of the Huskies’ 118th season. They’re key components as the OPRF prepares for the Class 3A Lane Tech Sectional on June 9 to earn qualifiers for the state meet June 19 in Charleston.

Sprinter Bryant, who will play football at Western Michigan, is going for his first top-nine, all-state honors in his first state appearance since freshman year.

Cavanaugh, who will run at Saint John’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota, seeks his first state berth after his strongest cross country season.

“Sprints complement distance like distance complements sprints. It definitely shows what we are bringing to sectionals and how we can be one of the best teams in the state,” Bryant said.

“When I’m warming up, I’m cheering them on.

When they’re better, that makes us better as a team.”

With their performances on May 26 at York, the Huskies’ 400 relay (42.65) and 800 relay (1:30.92) with Bryant are ranked No. 5 and 9 in the state this season, according to DyeStat. From the LT Invite, the 3,200 relay (8:02.52) with Cavanaugh and Bryant’s

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

22.29 in the 200 are No. 8 and 15.

“When [Bryant] competes, he competes hard,” said OPRF head track coach Tim Hasso, who oversees the sprinters. “The thing that makes him special and the thing that’s going to make him a quality football player is he’s got that extra gear. The most special athletes, they’ll get shoulder to shoulder with someone and all of a sudden they just take off.”

If not for the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the 2020 track season, Bryant and older brother Naz could have finally competed together at state.

As a freshman, Naahlyee reached state in the 100 (24th, 11.25) and with the 800 relay (11th, 1:29.88).

While Bryant was injured his sophomore postseason, Naz was part of the Huskies’ 2019 all-state, second-place 800 relay with two other juniors (1:27.41).

“Sophomore year was probably the lowest point,” Bryant said. “To tear my hamstring, that sucks.

Now I’m healthy. I’m just excited to see what our program can do.”

At first, Cavanaugh nearly didn’t follow older brothers Finn and Declan to four seasons of cross country and track. He tried football.

“The first summer [of pre-season football], kind of realized it wasn’t for me. I found a really nice [cross country] family who are working really hard, love each other and have a lot of fun,” Cavanaugh said.

Cavanaugh competed at track sectionals as a sophomore in the 3,200 and three times at cross country sectionals, winning a 2019 regional title.

OPRF boys cross country head coach and track distance coach Chris Baldwin has Cavanaugh logging more than 8,000 training miles over his four seasons.

That example especially is important considering Cavanaugh was the only senior in the Huskies’ topseven lineups for the 2020 West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet and IHSA regionals and sectionals.

“He’s been a training leader, really, since his sophomore year,” Baldwin said. “His dedication and his

Eamon Cavanaugh and Naahlyee Bryant

See TRACK on page 23

Walk-off win lifts Trinity as state playoffs loom Jessica Hoffman homer beats OPRF to cap regular season

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Jessica Hoffman hit a walk-off three-run homer to give Trinity High School a 14-12 victory over crosstown opponent Oak Park and River Forest High School at Triton College on May 31, giving the Blazers a lift heading into this week’s opening rounds of the IHSA Class 3A state playoffs.

“I knew I had to wait back on the ball and

make good contact,” said Hoffman of her approach on the final at-bat. “We had runners on base and I just wanted to get the barrel on the ball.”

Her younger sister, Danielle Hoffman, finished with a three-run homer and four RBI, while Meagan Murphy added three hits and two RBI for the Blazers (14-13), who rallied from a 7-0 deficit in the second inning.

“My team believed and answered the bell,” said Trinity coach Bob Osborne of his team’s comeback. “All the credit to the girls, they just did not quit.”

Trinity, which earned a No. 4 seed in Class 3A Sectional 1, ended the regular season on a hot streak.

“We’ve been playing well the last two weeks,” Osborne said. “Our pitching has settled down, and I don’t think anyone can hit with us. We hit up and down the lineup.”

The Hoffman sisters are among the area’s best players and are eager for the postseason to begin.

“Learning from the downs of the season are the reason we’ve improved to be the team we are today,” said Danielle Hoffman.

“Our coaching staff has high expectations for us in the final stretch of the season.”

Under Osborne, Trinity’s teams have been known for their long-ball prowess, and this season was no different as the Blazers slugged 41 home runs. In addition, Trinity

has received solid pitching from Danielle, Jessica Hoffman and Larissa Caino.

“Jessica and Larissa are both pitching great,” Osborne said. “Danielle was feeling overwhelmed and now she doesn’t have to do everything [on the mound].”

Osborne, who guided led the Blazers to a runner-up finish in the 2010 3A tournament, feels this year’s rigorous schedule has prepared the team well for the state tournament.

“We’re a dangerous .500 team because we’re battle-tested. We’ve lost four extrainning games this season,” said Osborne.

“I feel confident we can get to the sectional championship. … All you need to do is get See SOFTBALL on page 24

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

@ @OakPark

23

OPRF, Fenwick face brutal soccer sectional test Will have to overcome some of the best teams in the state

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School girls soccer team closed out its regular season with a 4-0 home loss to undefeated Lyons Township May 25 and head now into a very tough ISHA Class 3A Morton Sectional tournament, which begins this week.

Despite the Huskie’ 5-7 regular season record, OPRF coach Christie Johnson believes her team is capable of making noise during the sectional round of the state playoffs.

“We have some young talent that’s exciting,” Johnson said. “Our record doesn’t reflect how good we are as a team. We’re figuring our team out and changing formations to fit the caliber and talent of our players, and we’re going into the playoffs with a positive and optimistic outlook. I think we’ll surprise some teams.”

Junior forward Julia Daun leads OPRF in scoring with 12 goals and four assists, while sophomore midfielder Kiki Leman has 10 goals and five assists.

The Huskies are seeded 12th at Morton, considered the deepest sectional in 3A state tournament with several talented teams including Benet Academy, Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South, Fenwick, Hin-

sdale Central and Lyons Township.

“We have to play our game and execute our combination plays,” Johnson said. “We also need to work on our transition from the defensive end into the attacking zone and finish our chances.”

OPRF begins postseason play June 2 at Whitney Young in the regional semifinal round. If the Huskies win, they’ll face either Downers Grove North or York for the regional title June 4.

Fenwick draws No. 11 seed First-year head coach Craig Blazer had a solid debut season for the Fenwick High School girls soccer team, going 7-2-2 and

finishing second in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division behind Loyola Academy.

Senior Julianna Giuffre and junior Kate Henige tied for the team lead in goals with 10, and Henige added a team-high nine assists. Junior goalkeeper Linden Gierstorf had a goals-against average of 1.10 and classmate Audrey Hinrichs posted a 0.73 goals against average.

The Friars are seeded 11th in the Class 3A Morton Sectional and opened postseason play on June 1 (after Wednesday Journal’s press time) at Hinsdale Central. With a win, Fenwick would face either Curie or Downers Grove South in the regional final on June 4.

OPRF hopes to ride No. 2 seed deep into state tourney Compressed schedule means pitching depth will be tested

Spinks, Cole Shamhart and Evan Eberle.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys that we like, and we’re going to definitely need them,” Parenti said.

But if OPRF is to make another extended postseason run, it’ll have to do so without ace pitcher Grant Holderfield, who is out for the season with an injury. Duing the Hus-

kies’ game against Lyons Township on April 29, Holderfield slipped trying to field a ball and fractured his hand.

“The good news is that he’s expected to make a full recovery in time to pitch for Indiana next season,” Parenti said. “We miss Grant and would love to have him for the playoffs; you can’t replace a guy like him, but it does create an opportunity for someone else to step up.”

The Huskies have had a balanced offense this season, led by leadoff hitter and shortstop Jared Cortez. His on-base percentage is around .600, drawing 28 walks and striking out only twice. Moreover, he hasn’t been caught stealing in 20 attempts.

“Jared is the best baserunner I’ve seen since I started coaching varsity in 2008,” Parenti said.

OPRF (14-7) finished second in the West Suburban Silver this year behind Hinsdale Central, which beat the Huskies in a game Parenti called a “wake-up call.”

“We got a taste of what playing postseason baseball looks like, and I’m glad it happened then instead of getting the experience during the playoffs,” Parenti said.

The Huskies are scheduled to host Proviso East on June 4 in the regional semifinal round. Should the Huskies prevail, they’ll face either Maine West or Von Steuben for the regional title on June 7.

Bryant momentarily considered not returning.

“And then I saw guys at practice. I stopped by and I was like, ‘I’ve got to finish it strong.’

I didn’t want to end it on just COVID last year,” Bryant said.

“He had some concerns because Western Michigan wants those kids on campus in June. He reached out to [WMU head coach Tim] Lester and to his credit, he allowed Naahlyee to come after the season,” Hasso

said. “This is something he’s really wanted.

I know he wants a spot on that [all-state] Wall of Fame.”

Cavanaugh also has unfinished business.

In cross country, he earned all-conference honors in the state’s toughest conference with 10th at the WSC Silver Meet after 27th as a junior. He was a team-best 48th at sectionals.

“Those state meets. It’s what we work for every day but really it’s about being around the team and having those guys to hang out

with every day,” Cavanaugh said. “I’d do this sport, even if there weren’t any meets at all.”

If Bryant makes a name for himself, please spell his first name with two As. His mother intended it to be Naahlyee, but often it is spelled Nahlyee because of a clerical error.

“The doctor wrote it with one A so ever since I was born, legally it’s been one A, but at home it’s always been two As,” Bryant said.

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School baseball team is hoping to take advantage of its No. 2 sectional seed and ride that fortune deep into the state tournament.

Due to COVID-19 protocols, there are no designated host schools for regional and sectional play this postseason. In each round, the higher-seeded team is the host.

This means that as long as the Huskies remain in the playoffs, they’re guaranteed three home games. And should top-seeded Lane Tech lose before the sectional title game, OPRF would host that as well.

“Having the No. 2 seed and home-field advantage is huge this year,” said OPRF coach Joe Parenti. “Usually you play the regional and sectional in two weeks, but this year, it’s one week. So, it’s a test of your pitching.

“In the past, you could ride two guys and go back and forth. This year, you can’t, and you’re going to have to use everyone in your bullpen.”

Fortunately for the Huskies, they have good pitching depth, which includes Aidan Krupp, Calvin Proskey, David) Andolina, Jack

TRACK

Unfinished business from page 22 perseverance [are strengths].”

Since middle school, Bryant dreamed of playing college football. With this past OPRF football season moved to spring, it overlapped with the start of track season.

Photo courtesy of J. Todd Phillips

CAN’T CATCH HIM: OPRF’s Jared Cortez has an on-base percentage of around .600, with 28 walks and just two strikeouts during the regular season. He has also stolen 20 bases without being caught once.

24

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

SOFTBALL

Huskies need a hero from page 22 hot and have a couple of good days, and the next thing you know, you’re heading downstate. This sectional is winnable.”

Montini which split a pair of games with Trinity this season is Sectional 3’s top seed, with Ridgewood seeded No. 2 and Glenbard South No. 3. If the Blazers are to have postseason success, sustaining improved defense is a must according to Osborne.

“We can’t give extra outs and we need to keep the errors to under two,” Osborne said.

“Defense has been our biggest hiccup. We

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM can’t let one mistake turn into multiple mistakes that lead to multiple runs.”

Trinity opens up the postseason June 2 against visiting Northside Prep. If the Blazers win, they’ll face either Lake View or Resurrection for the regional title on June 5.

OPRF faces tough sectional Jessica Kohlenberger drove in four runs and Ella Kuenster had three hits, including a home run, and scored three runs in the loss to Trinity, a game that underscored coach Mel Kolbusz’s concern about the Huskies’ inconsistency.

“It was a wild one that was tough to lose,” said Kolbusz. “It just felt that whoever had the last at-bat was going to win. Bob [Osborne] and I agreed that this was a good tune-up heading into the playoffs.”

OPRF is the fifth seed in IHSA Class 4A Sectional 6 after wrapping up the regular season with a 14-6 record.

“The season has gone up and down,” he said. “We’ve been streaky and haven’t been able to keep momentum going. We’re not getting many hits with runners on base when we need them, and I hope that gets better.”

Louisville signee Maddie Grant leads OPRF with a .585 batting average, nine home runs and 26 RBI. Other top hitters for the Huskies are Sydney Ross (.518, 5 HR, 21 RBI) and Ella Kuenster (.391, 5 HR, 14 RBI).

Cassie Metzger, who threw a perfect game earlier this season, is OPRF’S leading pitcher with a 7-2 record and a 1.63 ERA. Alex Prouty (4-2) and Emma Brandt (3-1) have also made solid contributions from the mound.

In order for the Huskies to make a deep

playoff run, Kolbusz believes they’ll need to play good defense as well as improve their clutch hitting. Considering they’re in a difficult sectional that has top teams in Downers Grove North, Lyons Township, Marist and York, those improvements will be necessary.

“We could win or lose to anybody,” Kolbusz said. “We have to play clean defense; if we make a few errors and give extra baserunners, we’re probably going to suffer. And we’ve got to string hits together. Nobody’s trying to make an out, but somebody’s got to be a hero.”

OPRF’s first playoff game is June 2 against visiting Reavis at 4:30 p.m. Should the Huskies prevail, they will likely have to travel to Lyons Township for the regional title the next day. The Lions defeated OPRF twice this season, 3-2 on April 30 and 5-3 on May 17.

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The changing culture of dying

ach and every one of us will die one day. The older I get, the more accepting I’ve become that death is my final destination. When I was young, I thought of death as something way off in the future. Years back, that used to be the mindset of everyone who was young. Now with young people dying daily from senseless gun violence, death has become a fingertip reality. And because so many young people are dying, it’s also changing the way we participate in funerals and grave memorials.

Memorial Day was this past Monday. Originally created to memorialize those who had given their lives in military service, it has become an opportunity to remember all those who are no longer with us. And as I pass the multitudes of cemeteries in the various areas of the city, I can’t help but notice the way gravesites are no longer the somber realm of my youth. Instead many have taken on the appearance of minifestivals, fairs, and circuses.

Several days ago, I was driving northbound on Harlem, approaching Cermak. I looked to my left and saw a sea of pastels. There were balloons, wind spinners, flags, real and artificial flowers, stuffed animals. You name it. Had I not known better, I would have wondered what was happening at that park. But I knew it was a graveyard. And what I was witnessing was a cultural phenomenon occurring right before our eyes.

It is not confined to one cemetery but to a lot of them if they have space where younger people are being buried.

We are seeing how young people and middle-age adults are dealing with the deaths of young people. The once rare phenomena of a young person dying is now a daily occurrence. So our funerals and graveyards are reflecting the attitudes of those who are generations younger than I and their need to honor the dead.

I am neither a proponent nor opponent of the idea. It is a reflection that graveyards are no longer the dominion of the old. Truth is that, after having lived a long life, nobody would have decorated Grandma and Grandpa’s grave with wind spinners, balloons and all sorts of paraphernalia. As we sit on the cusp of this changing cultural phenomenon, we need to do some soul searching as a society. We can’t control death in old age, but we can do better controlling the number of young people who die from senseless gun violence.

We should have a PSA showing an old part of the cemetery versus the sections where the young are now being buried and asking of America, “The young have always been the trendsetters for this nation. But is this the trend we want to set?” The somber-but-visual reality is a wakeup call, long overdue.

Arlene Jones writes a weekly column for our sister publication, the Austin Weekly News.

ARLENE JONES

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

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The donut church p. 27

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Racial justice tipping point at OPRF This is the 12th and final installment of John Duffy’s series on the evolution of educational equity efforts in Oak Park and the surrounding area.

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n 2012, Superintendent Stephen Isoye introduced the District 200 strategic plan process, centered on racial equity, to the 60-member steering committee gathered at OPRF High School. In an upbeat spirit he described how transformative understanding about race underway in the district provided a critical mindset for addressing racial inequities.

He referred specifically to critical race perspectives and the personal learning that board members, administrators and faculty had been engaged in around racial consciousness through a program called Courageous Conversations About Race (CCAR). That professional development program focused on understanding race and whiteness as social constructs, engaging personal beliefs about race, and examining structural racism across society in general and inside OPRF in particular.

Board member Sharon Patchak-Layman and teachers Jessica Stovall and Devon Alexander first introduced CCAR in 2008. While yet to be formally evaluated, the program continues today as a foundational learning experience about race and how race shapes SHARON the culture of OPRF. CCAR has PATCHAK-LAYMAN been a key process internally in D200’s journey toward racial equity, the day when race will no longer be a predictor of student learning outcomes, discipline or cultural experience.

JOHN DUFFY

Blueprint Assessment of 2011 Unfortunately, in describing the personal and organizational insight CCAR was fostering about race and education, Isoye failed to share, or even mention, the recent compelling critical study about race and culture at OPRF — the Blueprint Assessment (BA) commissioned by the board in 2009 and completed by consultants from Minneapolis in 2011.

The BA findings, based on lengthy qualitative interviews with a representative group of 60 administrators, teachers, and community members, concluded that OPRF was two schools, separate and racially inequitable — an assertion made by APPLE and community activists for a generation. Especially disheartening was the finding that the faculty also experienced an educational divide between the honors/AP faculty and those who taught the college prep and transitions track.

The BA was rejected by influential board members

and essentially hidden from ongoing discourse around racial equity. Only when the Committee for Equity and Excellence in Education called on equity advocates and new board members in 2015-16 to examine the report did the study begin to play a role in the emerging commitment to address structural racism in D200, including the report’s recommendation to develop a unitary freshman curriculum grounded in equity.

The pattern, sadly, was familiar at OPRF — sponsor focused research on how race and education intersected — then either delay action, provide more remediation, or simply reject the unsettling findings the study revealed.

Following through on 2003 study Among the strongest final recommendations of the 2003 Learning Community Performance Gap Study (see part 10 of this series) was the call for an evaluation of what role curriculum tracking might play in racial disparities at OPRF. In 2008, Sharon PatchakLayman and Ralph Lee pushed the board to take up that evaluation but faced ongoing resistance from the administration, board members, and many faculty.

Patchak-Layman also moved racial equity thinking forward with ideas taken up only recently.

In her first of eight years on the RALPH LEE Board she informally proposed an all honors freshman experience and suggested a full-time equity director to complement the CCAR work.

Board member Ralph Lee zeroed in on the structural issue of how OPRF and other schools for generations organized learning. Lee, a former university chemistry professor and college president, who taught chemistry and physics at OPRF before retiring, expressed deep concern about the possibility of reduced expectations teachers might have for students in lower tracks. It was a hypothesis questioned by leaders of the teachers union and other dominant voices in the community and on the board. Lee nonetheless insisted that “If we are going to continue ability grouping, we ought to be able to say the assumptions we are basing this on and how what we are doing actually compares with what theoretically we think we are doing. I am concerned because what we have is a system whose basic tenet is separate but equal.” Lee’s fundamental question about curriculum organization at OPRF found one answer in the Blueprint Assessment.

As the assessment stated, OPRF had a remarkable history of student accomplishment in all educational endeavors. It has enjoyed extraordinary community See DUFFY on page 28

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Let Beye School heal

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t is an opaque process. By design. Getting rid of a tenured teacher is hard. So we’ve been told on the QT by disgruntled principals and school board members over years.

Seems to be the case even when a school district, in this case the District 97 Oak Park elementary schools, is trying to bounce a Golden Apple recipient.

There’s a lot we don’t know about the case of Patrick McAndrew, a longtime teacher at Beye School. We do know the currently disassembling administration of the district wanted him fired over the winter. With a lot of pushing, we found out it had to do with allegations McAndrew had manipulated sick days so he could make a trip to Nepal to see his adopted son.

The Kelley administration took their case to the school board which wisely and under pressure from the Beye community chose not to fire McAndrew but to issue an unpaid suspension.

We’re not clear why his job again seems to be on the line pending a grievance process, but that seems to be the case.

Here’s our take as that grievance will shortly be heard by one or both of the incoming interim superintendents of the district.

The initial case was brought by a Beye principal who arrived a year ago and will be gone as the school year ends. Jennifer Schemidt came to Beye from a school counselor job in Naperville and will now return there. The District 97 human resources chief is Gina Herrmann. After serving two years at D97, Herrmann is also departing, having just been hired at a school district serving Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills. And, of course, Supt. Carol Kelley is also about to leave D97 for a lead post in Princeton, New Jersey.

McAndrew has been a standout teacher at Beye through the long and successful tenures of two previous beloved principals — Susan Gibson and Jonathan Ellwanger. Beye parents held multiple protests as word spread quietly of his suspension back in February. As noted, he is a recipient of the prized Golden Apple Award.

Our advice to Patricia Wernet and Griff Powell, the interim superintendents, is to skip this fight, to make it possible for the next Beye principal, whether interim or permanent, to focus on healing this school, to send a message district-wide that the extraordinary teachers are valued even if, perhaps, they have made an error.

River Forest gets the lead out

There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. Zero.

That’s about as clear as a government agency can make it. And it is the long-term message of the Centers for Disease Control.

River Forest has heard the message and last week began to act on it with a new program that will pay the cost of removing lead water pipes from the village’s mains up to the property line of a building owner in town. And then the village will pay up to 50% (maximum $2,500) of the property owner’s cost of replacing the pipes from the property line into the home.

To start, the village has set aside $250,000 for the program.

That would cover costs for just over 30 property owners out of some 3,200 water customers on the village’s books. The public works director says that if the initial funding is fully tapped the village will consider adding funding. And, says John Anderson, the public works director, this is the start of a long-term project.

With the state of Illinois now looking to mandate that every community have some plan in place to replace lead pipes, it is also possible there will be some stated funding provided going forward.

Good for River Forest for getting ahead on this critical issue.

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Home, where the heart is

he small wall plaque in the bathroom says it all: House + Love = Home.

When I arrive for a visit, Kristen and the boys are cuddling on the couch watching “Home Alone,” which they’ve viewed often enough to memorize some of the lines. Kristen too — it was released when she was their age. It gives me two ideas, both involving Home.

They’ve never seen E.T., which I can hardly believe until I do the math and realize next year the film will be 40 years old. Older than their parents. The movie could be titled, “Alone, Not Home.”

I order it on Amazon and throw in Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson for good measure, which they also haven’t seen, but briefly encountered during their trip to Disney World two years ago. It has all the necessary elements for an adventure film: A treehouse that doubles as a fort, defending your home against pirates, and being shipwrecked on a South Seas island. What more could a kid possibly want?

They have learned, as so many of us do early on, that hitching a ride on someone’s cinematic adventure from the comfort zone of home is an irresistible Friday night combination — especially when you throw in pizza and cuddling with Mom. They’ve also learned the thrill of pulling off a prank. On April Fools’ Day, Kristen sets out a bowl covered with foil and asks if they FOND FAREWELL: I’ll be right here. want brownies, right after breakfast! Wow! The boys are on that in a nanosecond. The foil comes off and inside they find the bowl filled with E’s, cut out of brown construction paper. Brown E’s.

“Gotcha!” she says. Despite their disappointment, they give it high marks as a prank.

After she leaves for work, I say, “Let’s buy some real brownies and prank her back.” I have never seen so much delight enflame the human face. Off we go to the Jewel, and they take off like a shot as if this were their second home. I find them by the mylar balloons and Easter lilies, which we buy for Mom, this being Holy Thursday — along with the brownies, of course, which we cut into little squares to put in the Brown E’s bowl.

When she gets home and uncovers it, we tell her it’s an April Fools’ Day miracle! Gotcha back!

Meanwhile, the boys and I curl up with E.T. in the basement. They’re a little nervous, not sure what’s in store. I’ve told them the odds are very good that intelligent life exists on other planets far off in our hugely huge universe. What would they look like? Tyler can’t sit still. He’s not sure he’s going to like this. But E.T. turns out to be both undeniably alien and embraceably cute. And he loves Reese’s pieces, no doubt the most successful product placement in the history of cinema.

But there’s so much more than alien contact. There are flying bikes, a glowing heart, a healing finger, death and resurrection, an empathic hyper-bonded mind-meld between E.T. and Elliott, and of course the most incredible Rube Goldberg device ever devised using a record player, a circular saw, a fork and who knows what all else so E.T. can “phone home.” And at the end, a poignant goodbye with E.T. touching Elliott’s forehead and saying, “I’ll be right here.” Bryce, ever the sensitive observer, wipes the tears from my cheek. Good stuff, though Tyler’s still not sure whether he liked it. Too much to think about.

Such as going out to ride our bikes, which fly only from furious peddling, up and down the street. I brought along my venerable Schwinn LeTour and mention that it’s now 47 years old. Bryce asks how old I am. Sixty-eight, I reply. He does the math in his head. “So you were like 20 when you got this?” he asks, astonished. Not bad for a 7-year-old. This school thing is evidently having an impact.

Mom says, “Did you hear all those birds?” We go out on the back deck and find a major confluence of Sandhill Cranes circling high overhead. Hundreds, climbing the warm thermal breezes, then heading northwest in long V formations. I tell the boys each of those birds is taller than you are, which gets their attention because they look so small CREDIT: UNIVERSAL/KOBAL/REX FEATURES at that height.

They’re heading home to Wisconsin, I say, after spending the winter in the Southeast.

A month later, Dad returns home from his 10-month deployment with the Army National Guard in Djibouti, Africa. Several days later, he shows up in the driveway, in uniform, to surprise them when they get home from school. That was a good day.

A week or so later, I pay another visit. We ride bikes some more, then make sculptures with air-dry clay in the kitchen. Bryce notices my T-shirt, the only legible one I own, and asks, “Did you get that at Morton Arboretum?” How could you tell? “Because of the tree.

You love trees.” I point to the letters, two words run together. Can you read that? “thinkoutside,” he says.

Tyler says, “Like think outside the box.” Bryce adds, “Also think about going outside.” Yes, indeed. And home is the box we live in, the one we think outside of.

Tyler is spent after a long baseball game that carried over into the early afternoon. Lots of bases to run, leading always to home plate. He doesn’t want to think about going back outside, so we say our goodbyes. Tyler wishes I could live with them. Bryce says, a little wistfully, “I’ll be thinking of you.”

I leave them safe at home, not alone. Don’t worry.

I’ll be right here.

KEN

TRAINOR

V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

PROVIDED

HOLY DONUTS! The line for donuts at Farmers Market is longer, thanks to social distancing.

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‘We make donuts’

he opening of the Oak Park Farmers Market the Saturday before last brought thousands of people to the parking lot at Pilgrim Congregational Church and had a special joy for me. I write as a new member of the Oak Park community and a young pastor starting at a new church.

Last April, at the beginning of the pandemic, I became senior pastor of Pilgrim Congregational Church.

During the interview process, I learned this might mean I would learn about the Farmers Market and the church parking lot that was more than a parking lot.

I had asked the search committee what the church is known for in the community … anticipating something about feeding the hungry, providing for the vulnerable, perhaps a lovely youth or music program. You know, typical church stuff.

“We make donuts.”

It’s not exactly the answer one expects to hear. But sure enough, denominational colleagues and mentors, near and far, all responded in the same way when I inquired about Pilgrim: “Oh, that’s the donut church!”

My excitement for all my new job would require: visiting with people, worshipping together, sharing my life with theirs, and now, making donuts, all began to shift rather suddenly as the implications of COVID-19 spread.

I gave my first sermon online, met members via Zoom, but no one could join me in our historic church building or buy fruits and vegetables in our parking lot. My wife and I helped Pilgrim sell donuts from a corner of the church lawn and my young son learned to love them, but everyone told me it just wasn’t the same.

This year, the village of Oak Park is moving Farmers Market back to the Pilgrim parking lot and we rejoice in this aspect of a new normal. Safety protocols are still necessary, so there will be some restrictions, including limiting entry to the market and parking lot to one entrance, off Lake Street. The village has allotted the church space in the northwest corner of the lot (which it rents from the church for Saturday morning market purposes) to sell donuts. With health and safety in mind,

the donuts, still freshly made that morning in the Pilgrim kitchen, will be in prepacked bags of three and boxes of dozens. The bags won’t mix the three types — powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and plain — but mixed dozens will be available.

Health protocols prevent serving drinks in the market itself, but our solution is to have a second booth by realigning our traditional selling space behind the church. Coffee with lids will be sold there and people not wanting to wait in line to enter the market on Lake Street can come directly to the back of the church for donuts. Entry to the market from there will not be allowed by the village.

Like everyone else, we are adjusting to this new arrangement and we ask your patience for our allvolunteer endeavor. Also, we were among those who thought the market would open at 7:30 a.m. this year as last year. We asked our nonprofit partners to staff their work shifts with that in mind and not all will be ready by 7 a.m.

And perhaps most importantly in this season of new change, I join the Pilgrim donut committee and all our community partners in thanking the village for all the care that has been taken these past 15 months to ensure a safe and prospering market for the farmers and customers. VOP’s Cameron Davis, market managers Colleen McNichol and Kimball Ingram, Farmers Market Commission member volunteers and their former chair Laura Lencioni all deserve special thanks.

Once again, the Pilgrim Congregational Church parking lot is hosting the community on Saturday mornings.

On Sunday mornings, our lot has been rather bare, as I have led worship and delivered my sermons online these last 14 months. But that, too, will change. On June 13 we are planning a safe socially distanced worship service to be held in the parking lot!

Meanwhile, I look forward to enjoying these donuts and getting back to a new normal with my new community.

Rev. Colin Knapp is senior pastor of Pilgrim Congregational Church in Oak Park.

REV. COLIN KNAPP One View

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

DUFFY

Finally facing equity from page 25 support, a beautiful campus, and an outstanding, hardworking and talented faculty. But as the BA painfully also pointed out, our high school was stuck in the same racial inequities and unfulfilled promises that has plagued the longer and larger story of public education — an inequitable, segregated, and debilitating curriculum structure.

Since 2011, reams of local, national, and international research have answered Ralph Lee’s fundamental question. Racial inequity is a result of both design and default, ingrained for decades in schools serving African-American children. Second generation segregation, in the form of heavily segregated curriculum tracking, perpetuated historic inequities in both D200 and District 97.

Acknowledging that history and altering personal and institutional beliefs about race and how OPRF perpetuated white advantage and harmed students of color is a sea change of the last five years. Strong equity leadership from board members, an administration with the knowledge and skill to put needed changes in motion, along with an alliance of racial equity community organizations and courageous students of color, all made possible OPRF’s institutional epiphany imaged by equity advocates for decades.

Tentative equilibrium on equity In moving forward we must understand that racial equity is a process, not an arrival point. D200 has encountered intense opposition to racial equity for most of its history, even as thoughtful teachers designed important supports

Byline Bank 7751 Lake St., River Forest (708) 366-4700

COURTESY OPRF D200 BOARD

EQUITY-MINDED: The District 200 Board of Education c. 2015: Jeff Weissglass, Jackie Moore, board President John Phelan, Tom Cofsky, Steve Gevinson, Sharon Patchak-Layman and Ralph Lee. for expanding Black students’ access to honors and other high-status curriculum. Still, as the recent D200 and D97 elections demonstrated, the outlines and vision for equity are gaining broad support.

For certain, the fears that have blocked racial equity-minded change in the past have not disappeared. What has changed is a newfound honesty by many in our community and a willingness to call out and actually confront denial about racial injustice. When we act to change educational inequities, work to make schools places where all of our children can thrive, we can begin to take some solace that we are heeding the guid-

ance James Baldwin so wisely offered at the peak of the Civil Rights struggle years ago: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

John Duffy is a retired teacher and curriculum historian who co-founded of the Committee for Equity and Excellence in Education in 2011. He led teacher union community coalition efforts for racial equity in curriculum at Proviso East in the 1970s and 1980s and in Oak Park as a member of the Concerned Parent Association and the Oak Park Community Action Organization during the first generation of racial integrated schools.

Byline Bank in River Forest has now reopened! bylinebank.com/locations/river-forest

Among the Celebrants: Cathy Adduci, Respicio Vasquez, & Jon Pape, Village of River Forest; Keith Strom, Carla Sloan, Helene Connolly, & Karen Taubman, Township of River Forest; Michael Sletten, River Forest Park District; Carla Taylor, Baird & Warner; Teri Miller, Beyond Hunger; Pat Koko, Celebrating Seniors Coalition; Jake Bucher, Dominican University; Kim Goldschmidt, Equitable Advisors; Dan Browne, Forest Insurance; Sam Yousif, Fuller Health Group; Michael Glab, Nutriquity; Liz Holt & Mark Walden, OPRF Chamber; Donna Fantetti Slepicka, River Forest Chocolates; Judith Alexander, The North Avenue District; Kim Meyer, The Sheridan at River Forest; Dr. Mary Ann Bender, Weil For your own ribbon cutting contact us on oprfchamber.org Foot & Ankle Clinic; Susie Goldschmidt & the exceptional team at Byline Bank. Photos: Todd Bannor, Bannor & Bannor

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Reading dangerous stories in the dark

hen we were in grade school, my pal Jack Donaldson was the target of schoolyard bullies, especially Billy Simmons.

Jack became sick and tired of being mocked and pushed around, so when we were in seventh grade, this skinny, weak boy enrolled in the Charles Atlas Dynamic Tension course through the mail.

Jack worked diligently on this isometric course for some months, and he blossomed into a guy with power. He practiced twice per day and maintained a healthy diet, and I saw that Jack was no longer a weakling.

He didn’t put on much weight but, as he believed, it wasn’t the weight that counted, it was the power. No one seemed to really notice Jack’s new physique, and he continued to hear taunts which he simply ignored.

One day while Jack and I were walking home from school, Billy Simmons approached us, and told Jack that he would make him beg for mercy.

Billy shoved him, but Jack braced himself, doubled up his right fist, and hit Billy with a jab to the jaw. Billy went down on his back but quickly got up and ran toward his home.

Word got out that Jack was no longer a pushover, and the so-called tough guys gave him a wide berth. He now had the confidence to face his problems, thanks to the Charles Atlas class.

Jack’s dad owned a huge collection of pulp fiction magazines that dated back to the 1930s. Jack introduced me to these stories of superheroes, and I became a real fan. Many

of the tales were set in faraway places and were filled with action-packed adventure.

Jack and I read the adventures of Doc Savage and rode the trails with the Lone Ranger and the Pecos Kid. We fought criminals with The Whistler, The Shadow and The Ghost, traversed jungles with Sheena and Tarzan, and followed Wu Fang through the dangerous streets of Chinatown.

Many parents — including Jack’s — didn’t approve of kids reading these stories, so we had to read them secretly. Whenever Jack let me borrow a few magazines, I would read them in my basement and hide them in a pile of dusty National Geographics.

The magazines were never discovered by the adults in the house.

Many teachers, like our English teacher, believed that these stories would ruin our minds and turn us into delinquents. Even though many of our friends read these stories, none of us became criminals but grew up to be responsible citizens. Compared to many of today’s stories, these pulp tales were tame, and although there was some violence, the theme of these stories was that bad guys always lose.

For many years, I have been trying to find some of these pulp magazines, but they are probably owned by collectors who would never part with them. If I could find just one pulp magazine, I would hang onto it, open its pages and relive these great adventures.

At least I wouldn’t have to read the stories in partial darkness in my basement praying that I would not be caught reading “dangerous stories.”

JOHN

STANGER

Pick any four

I see our new village board’s top five priorities are environmental sustainability, equity, community safety, affordability and infrastructure.

Law firms are fond of pointing out that they offer high quality, fast turnaround and reasonable fees — pick any two.

I’d say affordability doesn’t have a prayer of attainment in the face of the other four goals.

Bob Stigger

Oak Park

MUSCLE MAN: Many wondered about Charles Atlas and his ads, but a friend actually benefitted.

Current leaf collection is more efficient

Trustee Jim Taglia rightfully requests resident input on curbside leaf collection. On this and other budget decisions, I submit that the board should consider not just cost but also resident benefit, including realistic assessment of service alternatives.

Leaf collection lends itself to such analysis.

According to the March 8 Wednesday Journal article on the Village Board President forum, Oak Park spent $212,000 on leaf collection in 2019 and $28,198 less in 2020, so approximately $184,000 last year. Oak Park has 23,193 households living in various structures from single-family homes to 50+ unit apartment blocks (see www.towncharts. com). An analysis of the residential housing distribution suggests that Oak Park has somewhere around 12,000 housing struc-

tures, most with a yard and trees nearby that drop leaves. For each housing structure, Oak Park spends around $184,000/12,000 = $15.33 or $2.56 per structure for each of the six collection weeks.

To replicate the village leaf pickup, each resident with a lawn must purchase paper yard waste bags ($2.22 for five at Menards) and affix one green Waste Management sticker per bag ($2.50 each). From a pure cost perspective, residents cannot even fill one bag let alone five, 10 or even more required to remove the same curbside leaf volume evident around town every autumn.

While not as straightforward an analysis, I daresay our consolidated village leaf collection has a smaller carbon footprint than the alternative. Despite dodging leaf piles while

driving and the related parking challenges, trucks idling in our alleys for bag pickup cannot beat the leaf pile consolidation and dump truck removal.

For a good analogy, consider shipping bulk freight by train rather than a fleet of trucks.

Trains have incredible scale that make them four times more fuel efficient than trucks. Our scaled leaf collection should have much greater efficiency than bag pickup in our alleys.

Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla states that “people should just keep their leaves on their lawn.” Her constituents disagree as the large curbside leaf piles every autumn suggest broad participation in a program that has clear resident benefit.

Sean Kelley Oak Park

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Rethinking redistricting Maybe it’s because of complacency that there isn’t much said in Oak Park about the legislative redistricting process currently being undertaken by the Illinois General Assembly. Not much has changed over the years for village voters, and maybe people are happy about that. Redistricting of my residence changed 10 years ago when gerrymandering moved my former state House district west by a half a block, relegating me to representation by Camille Lilly, not that I had anything to say about it as she again ran virtually unopposed for re-election in 2020.

Currently, the state legislature is proceeding with its decennial redistricting process that isn’t truly open to public comment. The hearings on the proposed maps for Senate, House, and the Courts are in two words, a joke. Released at the last minute, the House map doesn’t even specify the street boundaries for the districts.

Rep. Lilly’s local office wasn’t open yesterday for me to inquire if she or her staff had the complete

proposed new map. The district office of her next-door neighbor was open, and State Senator Don Harmon’s staff was helpful, although they also didn’t have a detailed map. When I asked how public comment on the maps being considered for legislative voting this week could be made without complete information, I was told that was a good question. No answer mind you, but then again Senator Harmon is part of the problem.

Like his predecessor, retired state Senate President John Cullerton, Harmon continues to stand in the way of putting a referendum for a vote on the statewide ballot for amending the State Constitution to establish an independent voting commission for redistricting.

Harmon will undoubtedly be on the ballots for both the 2022 primary and general elections. The redistricting process should be among the significant issues raised with him during his campaigns.

Chris Donovan Oak Park

A lesson in irrational decision making I’m a resident of Mills Park Apartments, in the heart of the Pleasant District. I’ve lived there since 2015. I’ve lived in Oak Park, on and off, since 1979 and have been here since 2010. As a senior citizen now, I’ve seen the recent “upscaling” of my neighborhood, and have written about how the older voices who spoke against the vertical growth of the buildings just have to accept progress. It’s generational, right?

Accepting the Big Picture canvas of 21st century Oak Park is one thing, but in a very small, virtually indistinguishable part of that picture, I do exist at the above noted Mills Apartments. Parking issues are a notorious facet of life in Oak Park, seemingly part of its reputation as much as Wright or Hemingway.

Realty & Mortgage runs this building, and has several thousand units spread across the area. Recently, one of about a dozen parking spaces behind my building became available.

As a senior, parking over two blocks away, I asked about being granted that space (at some additional monthly rental charge). I was told the space was assigned to a specific

apartment — one next to mine, each being a studio. I asked why one studio gets a spot, and even when it is vacated, that spot automatically goes to a new resident (likely half my age based on recent new occupants). The reply was essentially that’s just the way it is.

As I said, I’m a senior. A Vietnamera veteran. I’m on the faculty at Triton College, and as such serve this community, not to mention by paying rent and supporting local business in Oak Park and thus the village’s revenue streams.

I teach critical thinking. Logical reasoning. Rational decision making. Apparently, that’s not indulged at Realty & Mortgage. R&M clearly doesn’t care about me as any more than a faceless tenant. One who, for whatever reason, is being told his studio does not “qualify” for that parking spot. Thus I do not qualify.

My contribution to their business, and by extension to Oak Park itself, be damned. It would be refreshing to have some rationality applied in this matter.

Joe Harrington Oak Park

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Leave the leaf program alone

Many proposals, bad or good, seem to be wrapped in “good for the environment” packaging to make the bitter pill go down.

That is what is being sold by village trustees Susan Buchanan and Arti Walker-Peddakotla regarding the regressive plan for us homeowners to bag our leaves and then pay to have them taken away.

Basically, they are increasing our workload while instituting more fees to do this job.

There are simply too many leaves to compost and that is why environmentalists like me would like to keep the present plan.

1. Leaf pickup now is easy and effective. We compost what we can and rake the rest to the curb for mass pickup block by block, which is currently included in our refuse fees. This is convenient and easy for us.

2. Bagging is labor intensive and expensive.

First you have to buy the paper yard bags. Next you have to cram the leaves you used to rake to the curb into the bags. Then you tote them somewhere so they can be picked up. That is an in-

creased burden for the homeowner.

One argument is that gathering these leaves from the curb wastes fuel and five-man crews to pick them all up. That fuel supposedly would be saved but, of course, there is fuel and laborers needed to pick up the bags. Instead, the homeowner bears the brunt of this “environmentally friendly” proposal by his increased toil and trouble.

The fact is that having us buy the paper bags and pay per bag for disposal is really a shift of expense from the village budget to us as taxpayers. A tax increase, as you will, in the name of saving the environment.

I want to save the environment as much as these two trustees, but I resent their trying to prescribe a really bitter medicine for saving the environment when it is just a tax-and-switch budget balancer.

P.S. I am paying a $15 “service fee” on my water/sewer/refuse bill. How about using that to pay for leaf removal?

Charles Chauncey Wells Oak Park

Protect Black children Journalist Michelle Gallardo, of ABC-7 Chicago, recently reported that 16 Black children were killed and 108 shot in less than five months this year in Chicago.

Spike Lee made a movie about this. Chris Rock has talked about an underlying problem. Only one Black man is consistently seen on TV supporting the most recent grieving parents.

Dear National Black leaders, NAACP, BLM, and progressives, why are you silent about the ongoing violence against Black children?

In the Lathrop Homes housing project, there was a saying: sweep your own doorstep before saying mine is dirty. Many politicians, TV opinionists, and citizens ignore America’s responsibility for the safety of Black children while they are busy calling their opponents racists.

Congressional progressives want to defund police protection for Black children. They don’t want

to defund the Capitol Police and have added 25,000 troops for their own safety. How about Critical Systemic Equity protection for Black children?

President Biden said, “Silence is complicity.”

President Biden is silent about the ongoing deaths of Black children while he spends millions caring for kids coming from other countries.

Color-blind, family-values Republican Fox News only mentions these continuous tragedies as a political side note.

Gang violence is no excuse. Remember the Mafia?

Government’s first job is protection. Why aren’t we demanding protection for our American children?

Dear politicians, if you want my vote, protect these kids. Do your job!

Robert Sullivan Oak Park

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

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Love languages for conservatives and liberals

ast Saturday, Pastor Walter Mitty, Asch and Dominique happened to walk into the Main Café at the same time. It was the first time they had been together in person for the weekly men’s fellowship breakfast in 15 months.

Alice, sporting an American flag apron, greeted them with, “Well, if it isn’t the bleeding-heart liberals club.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Dominique replied with a smile. “I see that you and the other servers are wearing aprons decorated for Memorial Day.” She put her hands on her hips and said, “Yeah, well someone in this town has to show a little patriotism.”

On their way to the big table in the back corner of the diner, Asch leaned over to Dominique and said, “That’s the first time anyone has called me a liberal.”

And Dominique replied, “For Alice, anyone who admires Liz Cheney is a liberal!”

Pastor Mitty tried to steer the conversation toward the Pentecost story and the gift of the Holy Spirit which he had preached on seven days earlier, but the six men sitting around the table wanted to keep coming back to Memorial Day. Asch started the conversation with a question. “Am I the only veteran at the table?” his eyes panning the six other faces.

“I never thought about it before,” confessed Eric Anderson, “but you’re right, Asch.”

That opened the door for the secretary of the Poplar Park American Legion Post to wax

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V I E W P O I N T S

eloquent about the flag, motherhood and apple pie. “OK, so Alice is a curmudgeon,” he began, “but don’t let her grumpiness prevent you from hearing what she has to say. I mean, when was the last time we sang God Bless America in church? We used to have the American flag standing just to the right of the altar.”

“I’m only 25,” said Troy Williams as he spread grape jelly on his toast, “so I don’t understand why the American flag is such a bone of contention.”

Asch drew a deep breath. “Troy, the flag used to be a symbol that drew Americans together. Kind of a spiritual glue. But now it seems like liberals — or at least the ones on the far left — are ashamed of it. Like they feel they have to apologize to the rest of the world for being citizens of a country, which thousands and thousands of people risk their lives trying to get into.”

“As you know, Troy,” said Dominique when he saw that Asch had paused to let someone else join the conversation, “I didn’t vote for 45 even though I’m a card-carrying Republican.

Just like Asch, I wish Americans were more patriotic. Part of the problem is that the flag — like face masks, Birkenstock sandals, and cowboy boots — have become so politicized.

If you hesitate to get a vaccine, you also get labeled as a believer in the Big Lie.” “You mean sort of like what happened to

Colin Kaepernick?”

“Well, yeah.” Dominique looked around the table at the six other heads nodding in agreement.

“You saw the pictures of the riot on Jan. 6th, right? Remember how you saw the American flag right next to the Confederate battle flag?”

After thinking for a moment, Troy asked, “But isn’t that like letting those crazies define the meaning of what Asch said used to unite us?”

Mitty let the silence hang for half a minute as the men chewed on their hash browns along with what their youngest member said.

“Come to think of it,” Mitty said, “I saw President Biden on TV making some announcement and I thought I saw an American flag pin in his lapel. I have to believe he was making one small attempt to bridge the chasm created by the culture wars.”

“That reminds me of a book Trudi and I are reading,” Ryan Becker said as he folded his napkin and set it on the table. “It’s called The 5 Love Languages.”

Dominique nodded. “By Gary Chapman?”

“Right. What Chapman argues is that different people feel loved in ways that other people don’t, and if you want to nurture a relationship, you have to be kind of bilingual. Like know your friend’s or spouse’s language as well as your own.”

TOM HOLMES

Asch was intrigued. “Say more.”

“Well, Trudi asked me the other day if I really loved her, and I got defensive and listed all the things I do for her. She said she appreciated that, but what she wanted most was to spend an hour at least every other day just talking about how each of us is feeling.”

Asch’s jaw dropped and his eyebrows lifted.

“Almost verbatim what Dorothy keeps telling me.”

“I wonder,” Ryan concluded, “if President Biden is trying to speak a love language that conservatives understand.”

“Maybe you’re onto something,” said Eric.

“I wonder if that was hard for him to do, I mean knowing it would be a turn off to some in his party.”

A lightbulb went on at that moment in the head of the pastor of Poplar Park Community Church.

“Remember the Pentecost story from last Sunday?” he asked. “One of the things the Holy Spirit did was enable the disciples to speak to a diversity of people in different languages!”

“Even though it might not come naturally to them,” added Dominique.

“And even though,” Asch added with a semiembarrassed smile, “it might have pushed them out of their comfort zones.”

“And the key,” thought Mitty, “is that you have to care more about nurturing the relationship than winning an argument.”

Tom Holmes writes a regular column for our sister publication, the Forest Park Review.

Hit the pause button and figure this out, River Forest

id you know that River Forest has a motherlode of committee/commission/board appointments that are expired or vacant? Probably not because the village board has created no system for actively monitoring these seats and reaching out to recruit residents to fill these seats, thereby missing out on untapped potential value from talented residents from all over River Forest. The totals include 23 commission/committee memberships that are expired, three membership seats vacant, and three chair positions expired, and some unknown totals on other bodies. Here is the list, with the name of the advisory body and the number of expired/vacant seats: Membership seats currently expired Board of Fire and Police Commissioners (1) Development Review Board (3) Economic Development Commission (3) Historic Preservation Commission (3) Local Ethics Commission (3) Plan Commission (1) Police Pension Board (2) Sustainability Commission (2) Traffic and Safety Commission (4) Zoning Board of Appeals (1) Membership seats vacant Economic Development Commission (1)

Sustainability Commission (1) Zoning Board of Appeals (1) Chairperson positions expired Development Review Board Economic Development Commission Local Ethics Commission No information available for seats on these bodies Finance and Administration Committee Age Friendly Advisory Ad Hoc Committee Deer Management Ad Hoc committee Between agenda items at last week’s village board meeting, President Cathy Adduci mentioned she may be coming to the next meeting with some appointments. However, with the appointment process under review by the village board, it appears that holding off on any appointments before the review of the process is completed would be the more prudent and fair and appropriate course of action.

In January of this year, I and others voiced concerns over a lack of transparency and clear policy on River Forest‘s commission process, including appointments. I explained some of these concerns here: https://www. oakpark.com/2021/01/29/hey-river-forestcitizens-you-matter. Nothing has changed since then, except some added wording on

the website that was intended to create the appearance of change without the real substance of change.

When the issue was then discussed at a village board meeting on Feb. 22 (Zoom recording is on the website here: https://www.vrf.us/events/ event/1881) President Adduci and trustees Brennan, Bachner, O’Connell, Vazquez, and Henek all said they were grateful the issue was raised, and they would like a good thorough review to be initiated of the process. Additionally, 20 residents submitted statements to the board for the meeting, supporting a thorough review of this issue, and others made public comments of support for improvements.

So, in light of the overwhelming consensus and energy toward reforming the appointment process and other aspects of the board’s management of these advisory bodies, let’s hit the pause button on further appointment changes, whether they be renewals of current appointments, or new appointments, or decisions to remove persons from seats they occupy currently, and so on. If we can have an “Acting Village Administrator” for an extended period of

JOHN GRANT

One View

time (four months now, without a search for a new administrator initiated by the board — a topic for another day) I’m sure having some “acting commissioners” for a while longer will do no harm.

Let’s allow the trustees themselves to lead a thorough review of this process, including research by trustees, direction for staff to do further research, and input to trustees by village residents, before we make any appointments or other big moves.

Tonight, Wednesday, June 2, at 7 p.m., at village hall and on Zoom (or you can dial in by phone), there is a public meeting to hear initial feedback from residents on this issue.

Please come with your comments, questions, feedback, etc. You may also submit written comments via email if you can’t be at the meeting. Info about the meeting, including registering to make public comment or other information is here: https://www.vrf. us/events/event/2080.

Let’s get going on tackling this. There’s no time like the present. The door is open. We need your input and your eyes and ears on this issue, which is critical to the efficient and effective functioning of the village board.

John Grant is a River Forest resident.

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

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V I E W P O I N T S

O B I T U A R I E S

The low-hanging fruit is CompostAble

Marianne Tagler, 83

If the village wants Oak Park to be on the right side of the fight against global climate change and environmental devastation and serve all residents equitably, municipal services need to bring more sustainable practices to residents. Composting is one such practice.

Instead of kitchen and yard refuse rotting in landfills to produce climate-warming methane, composting turns the same organic material into a valuable soil additive that boosts nutrient levels, reduces the need for artificial, manufactured fertilizers, and enhances moisture retention. The village’s current composting program makes it easy for households to reduce their carbon footprint — but not for all.

Although it’s been eight years since the village launched CompostAble, its curbside composting pick-up service, only about 20% of the 11,000 eligible Oak Park households currently participate. And many more residents can’t participate because they live in buildings of more than five units, which aren’t covered by the municipal waste-hauling contract — yet their households still produce organic kitchen waste that could be composted rather than trashed.

The village can help us do better by: ■ Switching composting from an opt-in to an opt-out program for already eligible households. If you’re automatically enrolled and billed for the program and supplied with a container for your kitchen and yard waste, you might as well give it a try and find out how easy it is, especially with curbside pickup.

More households would end up participating in a proven but underutilized program.

West Sub Auxiliary member

■ Allowing neighbors to share composting as well as recycling accounts. Since different households generate different amounts of these materials, sharing accounts makes sense and it lowers costs for consumers. The village should use its status as a major buyer of waste-hauling services in negotiating with contractors to eliminate the current requirement that each address have its own container whether or not it can fill it. Fewer truck stops for pick-ups translates to better air quality for residents and lower fuel and maintenance costs for contractors. Everyone benefits.

■ Bringing composting to the many Oak Park homes (and businesses!) not covered by the village’s waste removal services.

That can start with scattered collection sites where renters and condo-owners can drop their kitchen waste, and a vigorous public education campaign to encourage everyone to divert their vegetable peels, empty pizza boxes, chicken bones, and dead cut flowers from trash to compost. As more renters and condo-dwellers adopt composting, they could pressure their waste-haulers to offer curbside composting service, making it easier for yet more residents to participate.

These changes could not only increase participation in composting but make access to it more equitable, with benefits for the planet and for budgets. They represent low-hanging fruit in Oak Park’s work to go greener. Lowhanging fruit that is, of course, CompostAble.

Richard Alton, Wendy Greenhouse, Julia Knier Oak Park

Emailed every Friday morning!

Robert P. Gamboney Funeral Director I am there for you in your time of need.

All services handled with dignity and personalized care.

Cell: 708.420.5108 • Res: 708.848.5667 I am affiliated with Peterson-Bassi Chapels at 6938 W. North Ave, as well as other chapels throughout Chicagoland.

Marianne B. Tagler (nee Schmidt), 83, of Oak Park and River Forest, died on May 24, 2021. Born on May 19, 1938, the second child of John and Mary Schmidt, she was raised on Chicago’s South Side and graduated from Visitation High School in Chicago in 1956.

She forged many strong relationships that lasted a lifetime, including her circle of friends from Visitation.

After school, she became an X-Ray technician, working at several hospitals in the Chicago area, including Columbus Hospital, where her daughter was born. She met her husband, Bob, at the graduation party of a friend’s daughter. While seemingly very different, they were well matched and totally crazy for one another. They married on May 17, 1974 and adopted their daughter two years later. She was a devoted parent, room mother, troop leader, booster and all-

around champion of her daughter’s activities and interests. She was also a longtime member of the West Suburban Hospital Auxiliary.

A lover of books, crosswords, football, history, cats, and fantastic cook, she was fiercely loyal and protective of those closest to her.

Marianne was the wife of the late Robert “Bob” Tagler; the mother of Mary (Mike Nelis) Tagler; sister of Alan (Maureen) and the late John (Donna) Schmidt; sister-in-law of Pat (Marge) Tagler; and the aunt and great-aunt of many.

A visitation was held June 1 at Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home, followed by a funeral Mass at St. Giles Church, with interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) or Felines and Canines (felinescanines.org) are appreciated.

Wendell Smith, 86 Longtime OPRF instructor, coach

Wendell Leigh Smith, 86, died on May 28, 2021. Born March 18, 1935, in Ohio, Illinois to Thomas and Gladys (McVicker) Smith, he married the love of his life, Helen Marie Giltner, on Jan. 29, 1955 at St. Patrick Church in Sheffield, Illinois.

He graduated from Sheffield High School and attended Western Illinois University before spending four years in the Navy and Reserves as a hospital medic. He then attended St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. He went on to do graduate work at the University of Iowa where he was a teaching and research assistant and continued teaching in the Biology Department at St. Ambrose University. He later attended Northern Illinois University and was awarded a master’s degree in 1964.

He taught at Fremd High School in Palatine for two years and then Oak Park and River Forest High School for 29 years. He coached in the track and soccer programs, and after many years in men’s soccer, he was asked to start the women’s soccer program. His many accomplishments during his career at OPRF included Illinois Science Teacher of the Year, Illinois Coach of the Year for Woman’s Soccer, Coaches Hall of Fame, and initiating many academic programs like Earth Science.

He and his wife loved to travel which started with camping with their children, and later in life in their motor home.

They traveled to all 50 states and six continents where he loved jogging. He joked that he “jogged around the world.”

He was happiest spending time with his family, road tripping, and giving impromptu roadside geology “classes,” watching anything Chicago sports, and eating “his” ice cream. He was very proud of his children who were spread across the country so he and Marie could travel, sight-see, and visit their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Wendell Smith is survived by his six children, Loren (Janiece) Smith, Victoria (William) Iannazzi, Jeffry (Anne) Smith, Brian (Mary) Smith, Keith (Darla) Smith, and Kelly Smith; his 20 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren with one on the way.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or the American Heart Association.

There will be a Mass of celebration of Wendell’s life at St. Patrick Church in Sheffield on June 3 at 11 a.m., followed by interment at the St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery in Buda, Illinois.

Visit kahlemoore.com to express condolences.

Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

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Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice: Your right to know HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI

In print • Online • Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year OakPark.com | RiverForest.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com

Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM PUBLIC PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICES KOMAREK SCHOOL PRESCHOOL SCREENING What:

Preschool screening is designed to assess a child’s development and assist in identifying children who may require further evaluation to determine eligibility for special education services or those who may be eligible for a state-funded preschool program.

The screenings are by appointment, and at no cost to families.

When: June 24th, 2021 Where: Komarek School 8940 W. 24th Street North Riverside, Illinois 60546 Why:

Participation in the screening process does not guarantee a spot within the preschool program, but may put your child on the list of potential preschoolers for this year and/or next year. Your child must be at least two and one half years old to attend a screening.

If you have questions or to make an appointment, please call:

Contact Gail Anderson to schedule a screening appointment for your child.

(708) 447-8030 extension 101 or GAnderson@ Komarek94.org

PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICES PUBLIC ESCUELA KOMAREK - EVALUACIÓN PREESCOLAR DE INVIERNO Qué:

La evaluación preescolar está diseñada para evaluar el desarrollo de un niño y ayudar a identificar a los niños que pueden necesitar una evaluación adicional para determinar la elegibilidad para los servicios de educación especial o aquellos que pueden ser elegibles para un programa preescolar financiado por el estado. Las evaluaciones son con cita previa y sin costo para las familias.

Cuándo: 24 de junio de 2021 Dónde: Komarek School8940 W. 24th Street North Riverside, Illinois 60546 Por qué:

La participación en el proceso de evaluación no garantiza un lugar dentro del programa preescolar, pero puede colocar a su hijo en la lista de posibles preescolares para este año y/o el año que viene. Su hijo(a) debe tener al menos dos años y medio de edad para asistir a una evaluación. Si tiene preguntas o

PUBLIC NOTICES LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of BRUNILDA OTERO, Petitioner and IYAD ANWAR MOH’D MUSTAFA, Respondent, Case No. 2021D003027.

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before July 6, 2021, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk.

para hacer una cita para su hijo(a), llame a:

Published in Wednesday Journal June 2, June 9, June 16, 2021

Gail Anderson (708) 447-8030 extensión 101 o GAnderson@Komarek94.org

Published in Landmark June 2, 2021

Let the sun shine in..

Public Notice: Your right to know In print • Online Available to you 24 / 7 / 365

RBLANDMARK.com PublicNoticeIllinois.com

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New Starting Base Pay - .60cpm w/ option to make .70cpm for Class A CDL Flatbed Drivers, Excellent Benefits, Home Weekends, Call 800-648-9915 or www.boydandsons.com

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PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed separate bids will be received by the Oak Park Public Library (“Library”) for the following project:

thereof, or waive any irregularities or informalities, and to make an award that in the Board’s sole opinion is in the best interest of the District.

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

OAK PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY SECURITY RENOVATIONS MAIN AND MAZE BRANCH LOCATIONS OAK PARK, IL 60301

The site will be available for visits by appointment to be coordinated with Bulley & Andrews, LLC. Interested parties may inspect the existing conditions. Schedule an appointment with Bill Truty of Bulley & Andrews in advance if you wish to visit the sites.

BID GROUP 1 – ELECTRICAL and ACCESS CONTROLS Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m.

CST on Friday June 11th, 2021 at the Main Branch Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301, and will be publicly opened and read at 2:00 p.m. CST on that date. Bids shall be submitted in an opaque sealed envelope clearly marked: Oak Park Public Library Security Renovations 834 Lake Street Oak Park, IL 60301 Attention: Bulley & Andrews Project: MAIN AND MAZE BRANCH SECURITY WORK Scope of work for Bid Group 1 generally includes, but is not limited to: electrical, power, distribution, low voltage cabling, and access control.

All bids must be submitted in accordance with the bidding instructions contained in the Bidding Documents for the project. Bid security in the form of a bid bond in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the base bid amount shall be submitted with the bid. Should a bid bond be submitted, the bond shall be payable to the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301. All documents and information required by the bidding instructions contained in the Bidding Documents for the project shall be submitted with the bid. Incomplete, late or non-conforming bids may not be accepted.

All bidders must comply with applicable Illinois Law requiring the payment of prevailing wages by all Contractors working on public works. If during the time period of work, the prevailing wage rates change, the contractor shall be responsible for additional costs without any change to the contract amount. All bidders must comply with the Illinois Statutory requirements regarding labor, including Equal Employment Opportunity Laws.

For additional information on the project, contact Bill Truty of Bulley & Andrews, LLC at btruty@bulley.com or 773-645-2086.

Dated: 5/20/2021 Bill Truty Bulley & Andrews, LLC Published in Wednesday Journal May 26, June 2, June 9, 2021

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

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

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal-opportunity basis.

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-6699777.

PUBLIC NOTICES

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No bids shall be withdrawn, cancelled or modified after the time for opening of bids without the Library’s consent for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled time of bid opening.

The Bidding Documents for the project (which include the bidding instructions for the project and other related documents) will be available Monday May 24th, 2021 and are available for viewing/download online without cost or purchase on the Bulley & Andrews, LLC One Drive, located at the following link. No username or password is required. h t t p s : / / b u l l e y a n d r e w s - m y. sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/ btruty_bulley_com/Ep4N77OJkwtJt67lPDVsuggBHBgpHS8IJ0T1ffDzQA1PWg?e=DxkMYA A site visit/walk through is scheduled for 8 AM on Wednesday June 2nd.

It will take place first at the Main Branch Library then move to the Maze Branch at 9 AM.

local employees . . . happy employees!

Hire Local.

Place an ad on Wednesday Classified’s Local Online Job Board.

Go to OakPark.com/classified today!

Contact Mary Ellen Nelligan for more information.

(708) 613-3342 • maryellen@oakpark.com

The Library reserves the right to reject any or all bids or parts

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

CLASSIFIED

(708) 613-3333 • FAX: (708) 467-9066 • E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM HELP WANTED

Qualifications: Valid Illinois Professional Educator License with Grade-Appropriate Physical Education Endorsement; successful teaching experience in physical education preferred; Master’s Degree is preferred.

Job Duties: The part-time PE Teacher will work in partnership with the full-time PE teacher to instruct students in Pre-K through 4th grade on how to develop habits of mind and actions that support good health, fitness and enjoyment of sport and play. The PE teacher will facilitate a learning environment that engages students in learning skills for sport and fitness, as well as SEL skills by growing confidence, sportsmanship and team spirit.

Application Procedure: Interested candidates should complete the online application available at district90.org. Please do not send hard copies of supporting documentation, i.e.cover letters, resumes, licensure, etc. to River Forest Schools District 90; instead, upload these materials onto the online job application system for proper processing.

BAND SAW WELDER TECH, GENL LABORER OPENINGS Local sharpening service has two openings: Band Saw Welder Technician and General Laborer position. Apply at 1233 Circle Ave. Forest Park, IL 708-209-1636

• Previous experience in account-ing, finance, or other related fields • High level of accuracy in data entry skills • Strong organizational skills

• Deadline and detail-oriented

YOUR OWN ISLAND! 5 Acres of total seclusion, only accessible by boat, make this island the ultimate Rock River Escape! There are two cabins on this island: one features full kitchen and living space, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom with laundry. The other is one bedroom with a kitchenette. The larger cabin has large windows overlooking the river and your property. Updated kitchen is open to the living room and dining area. Fall in love with the rustic charm of the guest cabin offering additional space for your family or guests. Island has it’s own electric, well and septic. Boat dock and furnishings included. Fishing Boat negotiable.

Details here: https://tinyurl.com/4zjuxwk2

SUBURBAN RENTALS OAK PARK & FOREST PARK

708-386-7355

MMpropMgmt.com

Apartment listings updated daily at:

Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am – 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue.

Or call us toll free at 1-833-440-0665 for an appointment.

SPINET PIANO AND BENCH Baldwin spinet piano and bench. Light brown wood finish. $300 obo.

708-386-0087

• Proficient in Microsoft Excel • Proficient in QuickBooks

Benefits: Medical, Vision, Dental, Life Insurance, Short-term and Long-term disability and retirement plans, transportation subsidy provided.

Professionals: Quantitative Manager (job code R1154) and Quantitative Analytics Senior Associate (job code R-1152) to work in Chicago, IL. Opportunity to work from home. KeyBank National Association, apply online at www.keybank.com.

Must reference job code. EOE.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

QUARTZ HEATER Patton tower quartz heater. Sun like radiant heat. 4ft tall x 6 in wide.

Excellent condition. $59.00.

708-488-8755

• Ability to prioritize and multitask

We are hiring Relationship Bankers in Oak Park, IL. Visit the link below to check out this opportunity to join a great team! https://wintrust.taleo.net/careersection/2/ jobdetail.ftl?job=2100424&lang=en You can also learn about other career opportunities nearby.

BLACK LEATHER COAT Beautiful black leather coat purchased at Saks 5th Avenue. Excellent condition. Size 6. $40.

708-488-8755

ESTATE SALE Oak Park

ESTATE SALE 803 S CUYLER FRI 6/4 SAT 6/5 SUN 6/6 9AM TO 6PM DAILY

Collectables (e.g., Kincaid, Grandeur Noel, Hawthorne Village, Pacconi), Christmas Items & Collectables, Household Items, Small Appliances, Furniture, Cabinets, Lamps, Tools, Candles, Vases – CASH ONLY PLEASE

WANTED TO BUY WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys.

Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400

R E N TA L S & R E A L E S TAT E

Best Selection & Service

DECK FURNITURE 48” white wicker table with glass top, 4 chairs with matching umbrella, smaller table and umbrella cover. Best offer.

708-528-0896

Qualifications:

Office located in Chicago. Candidates will be tested on all skill sets.

Qualified Candidates should send their resumes and salary requirements to humanresources@icl-na.com

ITEMS FOR SALE

HELP WANTED

ACCOUNTING CLERK

Responsibilities: • Accounting duties • Process invoices accurately and timely • Check the accuracy of business transactions • Perform data entry and administrative duties • Preparation of payable checks • Posting of checks and ACH payments • Create, edit and update spreadsheets in excel • Daily, weekly and monthly reporting

ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER Must have own transportation.

For more information CALL 708-738-3848

STUDIOS, 1, 2 & 3 BR

MARKETPLACE

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking a Part-time (FTE 0.77) Elementary School Physical Education Teacher.

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Lost & Found, Items for Sale, and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified. To place your ad, call 708-613-334

OFFICE /RETAIL FOR RENT 1040 NORTH BLVD OFFICE Sub-lease, Move right in. Private furnished window office 10×15 @1040 North Boulevard, walk to CTA green line and Metra train. Asking $600m + 1m SD. Includes all utilities and internet. Note: this is a 2nd-story walkup space. Conference room available.

Call Michael @ 708 383-7900 LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION FOREST PARK HIGHLY VISIBLE OFFICE/STORE AVAILABLE FOR LEASE 1350 SF w/ AC & HIGHLY VISIBLE MADISON STREET EXPOSURE. 7607 Madison Street. Village parking lot next door. Bright, clean office. Great Madison Street exposure! Call Francis 708-383-8574.

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT THERAPY OFFICE OAK PARK Free wifi; flexible leasing, and offices nicely furnished right down to the Kleenex. Secure building & friendly colleagues, often giving referrals to other office mates.

Shared Waiting room, Conference room & option to join Peer Supervision Group. Ideal for new practice or 2nd location.

708-383-0729

RIVER FOREST–7777 Lake St. * 1116 sq. ft. * 1400 sq. ft. Dental Office RIVER FOREST–7756 Madison St. * 960 sq. ft.

OAK PARK–6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. * 3 & 5 room office suites FOREST PARK–7736 Madison St. *2500 sq. ft. unit Strand & & Browne Strand Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011

ROOMS FOR RENT Large Sunny Room with fridge, microwave. Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $125.00. New Mgmt.

312-212-1212

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNIT YMEDIA.ORG

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Wednesday Journal, June 2, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM