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When Chris Black finished high school at age 17, the Carbondale resident said he didn't think twice about what would come next. "It was natural for me to go on to SIU (Southern Illinois University)," Black said. But it didn't take long for Black to realize that while he wasn't quite ready for academia, he also didn't want to stick around town. That's when he made the decision to "see the world" as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Over the next several years Black did see...
What is the best way to fight winter viruses? COVID no longer makes the daily headlines, but like the flu and other common viruses, it hasn't gone away. "I'm seeing a lot of COVID," said Dr. Zoheb Osman, DO, of AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine in Hinsdale. He said patients are presenting with a wide variety of symptoms, including sore throat, earaches and loss of taste and smell. Thankfully, Osman said, the symptoms tend to be mild in most people. That's because as...
Tom Kloster's life hasn't always followed his intended path. But despite some unexpected curves in the road, Kloster isn't complaining about where the detours have taken him. Kloster left Hinsdale Central High School with ambitions to become a veterinarian, but Kloster said one particular class was the final nail in the coffin of his veterinary career. "I was a victim of organic chemistry," Kloster said. With two years of college under his belt, Kloster spent the next two...
How does exercise help cancer patients? Jeri Lau had several certifications and a successful personal training business when she added cancer exercise to her fitness arsenal. Encouraged by a friend, Lau approached Wellness House with the idea of a class for women with breast cancer. Seventeen years later, Lau is the oncology exercise specialist at Wellness House, where she leads 22 classes a week, each designed to help people with cancer gain physical and emotional strength for their cancer journey. Three of those 22 classes...
Hinsdaleans don't have to look far to find plenty of good, off-screen entertainment for the entire family this weekend. The annual Fall Fest at Hinsdale Middle School, downtown trick-or-treating and an open house at the fire and police departments all take place Saturday, Oct. 15, and all are completely free and open to everyone. "There's lots to do on the 15th," said Hilary Poshek, the village's recreation supervisor. After a few years of changes and limitations due to...
Kathleen Hanley's transition from working professional to mom also marked the start of her journey into a brand new career. "After my third child, I worked part time," said Hanley, who spent 15 years researching and developing hospital products after earning a degree in biomedical engineering from Marquette University. As she stepped away from full-time work, Hanley said she found herself getting more involved with her community. A resident of Glen Ellyn at the time, she...
Lisa Mussman Steele isn't about to let a few hundred miles stand between her and the chance to reconnect with her classmates from the Hinsdale Central High School Class of 1982. A resident of Asheville, N.C., Steele said she's never missed a reunion, and she won't miss the one planned for this weekend, either. "I haven't lived back in Hinsdale since I graduated from high school," Steele said. But she's remained in touch with her Central friends, and thanks to regular...
The American Girl website describes their newest doll, Claudie Wells, as "most likely to have five college majors." That's just one thing that Claudie has in common with Rio Lewis, the Hinsdale girl chosen as Claudie's real-life model. The ambitious 11-year-old said she plans to attend Julliard before embarking on a career that will involve movies, television and Broadway. She also wants to be an animal rights activist, and one day open her own school to teach others about...
A sermon delivered in church one Sunday stuck with Mark Wanless for years. The message was about the importance of volunteering one's time, when and if that time becomes available. As the father of four saw his children begin to make their way through high school and on to college, he found himself with time to give to his community through his involvement in the Rotary Club of Hinsdale. "Rotary is an organization I've always been intrigued with," said Wanless, a resident of...
Every member of Hinsdale's three Little League All-Star teams had winning on their mind as they traveled to the state tournament in Moline. Chances are none of them expected to also make history. Even Hinsdale Little League President Robert Tonn said he was surprised when all three Hinsdale teams - 10U, 11U and 12U - won their respective state titles, sweeping the tournament for the first time in Illinois history. 10U Jimmy Macri, a member of the 10U team, was chosen by the...
What inspired your new suitcase design? Hinsdale resident Maggie Gerth spent several years as an investment banker, but no one needs to be good at math to know that six people, six suitcases, one luggage rack and one hotel room add up to one big mess. "I was always looking for ways to organize the girls better," said Gerth, whose trips with her husband and four daughters seemed to always involve luggage on the floor, the beds and every other available surface. That's when she...
For many people, the Hinsdale pool is a place to cool off and hang out during the hottest days of summer. For Kayleigh Hester, Luke Leddy and the rest of the staff at the local pool, it's that and so much more. Although he enjoyed visiting the pool as a child, Leddy said he never thought of himself as much of a swimmer. So when the opportunity arose several summers ago to become a lifeguard at the Hinsdale pool, he initially questioned whether it would be a good fit. It was....
An educator's passion for their field doesn't end when class is dismissed. At least that's the case with Hinsdale Central High School foreign language teachers Jennifer Klein-Chaney and Rebecca O'Connor, both of whom spent time this summer immersing themselves in the languages they teach. This summer's trip to France was more than a vacation for teacher Klein-Chaney. It was a chance to reconnect with family and friends while immersing herself once again in her native...
When preparing to venture outside the house, people will often remind one another that "it's not a fashion show." That statement doesn't apply to Donovan Laux of Hinsdale. For this budding fashion designer, every location is a runway, and every person is a model. Laux said her fascination with fashion began long ago as she watched her mother and three older sisters purchase clothing and put together outfits. She said her home was full of creative energy and confidence, both...
The benefits of serving one's community are many, said Hinsdale Hospital Foundation Junior Board President Maddie Molis, and some of them are delicious. Molis and others on the 150-member board are looking forward to the 68th ice cream social event from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28. People of all ages from throughout the area are invited to Burlington Park in downtown Hinsdale for ice cream, a cake walk, games, an art project and a chance to support the work of the junior...
By Sandy Illian Bosch [email protected] Hinsdale Central High School Spanish teacher Tonya Walery has been planning a summer trip to a Spanish-speaking destination for years, only to have the last two trips canceled due to COVID-19. This summer, her trip finally happened. Walery and a fellow teacher traveled to Mexico in July, where along with taking time to enjoy a bit of resort life, Walery took in the ancient ruins of Chichén Itzá and the culture of the Mayan p...
Long before she took her first engineering class at Hinsdale Central High School, Grace Deane knew a thing or two about using science to make life easier. Tasked with keeping her family's upstairs bathroom stocked with tissue, a much younger Deane used a basket and bungee cord to fashion a makeshift dumbwaiter to do the job. "I would dump all the toilet paper in there and then walk upstairs and pull the cord," she said. Now a senior at Hinsdale Central with several...
For many teachers, summer is a well-earned time to relax, recover and recharge after a busy school year. For Hinsdale Central High School teacher and soccer coach Mike Wiggins, the end of the school year is just the beginning. Wiggins started his Five Star Soccer Camps in 1994 at Hinsdale Middle School, attracting about 60 young players eager to learn the skills of the game. That first camp took place in the winter but quickly became a summer tradition for Wiggins and the...
Hundreds of basketball players are expected to test their skills, challenge their opponents and have some fun at the 3-on-3 tournament at The Community House in Hinsdale Saturday, Aug. 13. The annual event raises money to support youth programming at The Community House while offering basketball players and their fans a fun way to spend a Saturday. "It's really a fun atmosphere," said Amy Velco, whose sons Hayden and Hunter will be on the courts for this year's tournament. The...
Each summer the Bank of America Student Leaders program chooses 300 high school juniors and seniors from across the country to gain leadership experience and develop skills while working with a nonprofit organization close to home. This summer, Sahan Sahgal of Hinsdale was among those 300 and one of five Chicago-area teens to embark on the eight-week endeavor. "I'm committed to helping out and giving back to my community," said Sahgal, who was introduced to the program by a...
Without realizing it, Olivia Ostrowski has been preparing for her summer job at the Hinsdale Public Library since childhood. "I spent a lot of time at the library as a little kid," Ostrowski said, taking part in the summer program that she helped to plan and run this year as youth services summer assistant. This wasn't the first library job for Ostrowski. Before graduating from Hinsdale Central High School in 2021, she worked at the library as a page. The job involved...
Jerry Thomas' 42nd Race to Mackinac is another for the books, and one that he and the crews of all 242 vessels that embarked on the annual race from Chicago to Mackinac Island, Mich., aren't likely to forget. "It was very challenging," Thomas said upon completing the trek. He said the crew of the Winnebago worked against three bouts of high winds that peaked at more than 70 miles per hour, as well as heavy rains and thunderstorms. Thomas said the goal of the six-member crew...
If you live in Hinsdale and get a call from someone telling you your toilet is running, it might not be a prank. It might be Karen Buccieri. Hinsdale's water billing clerk pays close attention to the water use of all 6,800 customers on the village's water system. When she sees signs of a potential leak that could be wasting water and costing a customer extra money, she lets them know. "I go through the leak report every day," said Buccieri, who joined the village staff 11...
Cameron Linn can't remember a summer that didn't involve baseball, but until last summer, his time on the field was spent strictly in front of home plate. "I love being around baseball and Peirce Park," said Linn, who spent this summer not as a player, but behind the plate as an umpire for Hinsdale Little League's 7U, 8U and 9U games. Players who complete their time on the 12-year-old Little League team are eligible to serve as umpires, and as a rising eighth-grader, Linn...
In the Stage Door Fine Arts production of "High School Musical 2," actors Libby Larson and Tess McArdle play a pair of rivals with a mutual interest in a handsome young man. In real life, the girls are longtime friends about to share the Stage Door Fine Arts stage for the final time. "I'm a little sad, because it's Libby's last show," said McArdle, who plays the show's antagonist, Sharpay. She and Larson have shared the stage since they appeared as ensemble members in "Peter...
