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Eight decades ago, Hinsdale's Harold Bogigian was thankful to have made it back from a World War II "suicide run" with the U.S. Navy. A radioman on the SS John Stevenson merchant ship, Bogigian and his fellow crewmen departed New York in January of 1944 on a mission to deliver supplies to Murmansk, Russia, in the Arctic Circle. "My parents were terrified when I left," related Bogigian, who was 19 at the time. "Our mission to Murmansk was probably my most dangerous mission of...
Members of Hinsdale United Methodist Church will hear a new voice and see a new face when they arrive at church Sunday, July 7. That's when the church's new pastor, the Rev. Dr. Grace Oh, will deliver her first message at the church. Oh, 63, was appointed to the church following the retirement of the Rev. Young-Mee Park and began her job as senior pastor on July 1. Oh's new home in Hinsdale is just 25 miles in distance but a world away from her previous home in Chicago, where...
Shortly after moving to Hinsdale from Chicago in 2021, Hinsdale's Alex LaRoia signed up for a baby music class hoping to enrich the bond with her child. She had no idea the extent to which her personal connections also would flourish. "I met some girls who were in (Hinsdale Junior Woman's Club), and that opened up the floodgates to my entryway to the club," LaRoia said. Leadership posts in Juniors followed, first as new member chair and currently as one of the philanthropy...
Dave Stevens isn't one to collect cars. He and his wife share a Ford F-150 as their sole means of motorized transportation. Yet his basement is filled with pistons, cylinders and other parts from all sorts of vehicles. His collection of components are the fuel for a hobby that Stevens started decades ago, turning used car parts into one-of-a-kind lamps. Stevens said his hobby started with a broken washing machine. Back in the 1990s, he and his wife set out to shop for a new...
Blowing out 100 candles is no small feat. That is unless one employs a hand fan, as Hinsdale's June Franc did when she celebrated becoming a centenarian on May 31. "I'm full of hot air," Franc quipped while sitting on her front walk surrounded by a lush garden. She and her late husband, Harold, started tending their plot on the village's north side in 1958 as Ohio transplants. Harold's engineering career had brought the young family west, and they were smitten by Hinsdale's...
As an adolescent approaching her teen years, Grace Rodi struggled to find an activity in which she could excel. While friends were competing in gymnastics and discovering their musical talents, Rodi said she longed for something that fit her own set of skills. "I was very tall and uncoordinated and I couldn't sing," Rodi said of her 12-year-old self. That's when a letter arrived in the mail inviting young women to compete in an upcoming pageant. She went to an open call,...
Hinsdale's Molly McGarry was not familiar with the concept of philanthropy when she began her studies at Nazareth Academy. She is now, thanks to her participation in Community Memorial Foundation's Young Community Changemakers program. Upperclassmen from area schools are invited to apply for the program, known as YC2, designed to educate and empower local youth to become the next generation of philanthropists by sharing their time and treasure for the common good. "We learned...
Jay Klein grew up Jewish, which made his conversion to Christianity at age 32 unexpected and "electrifying," in his words. "It's life-changing. My God is not distant and far away. He is close at hand. He has given me his Holy Spirit to live and dwell in me," he said. Klein said he felt he needed to do something, but was uncertain of his next step. At the urging of his pastor, he agreed to spend a week on a mission trip doing street evangelism in New York City. "I saw the rejec...
Madison School's Nancy Kramer may lead a second-grade class, but her handle among students references her other pursuit: the Dog Teacher. "Because I foster dogs and train dogs and rescue dogs," she explained. "My world is dogs." After 35 years, Kramer is leaving the world of elementary education. She admits her farewell tour leading up to retirement has been emotional at times, but light on packing since she was able to clean out her three decades worth of stuff last spring...
Illness doesn't work on a 9-to-5 schedule. That's just part of why RUSH Concierge Medicine is the right choice for its members, said Marie Runyan, registered nurse and concierge nurse navigator at the Hinsdale facility. Opening its doors at 32 E. First St. just a month ago, RUSH Concierge Medicine is a new addition to both the RUSH brand and to Hinsdale. Concierge medicine provides members with 24/7 access to their doctor. Wellness care, including physicals, immunizations,...
Sasha Wolff said she wasn't prepared for the impact that becoming a Homework Helper at the Hinsdale Public Library would have on her life. "It's just been so rewarding to see kids be proud of themselves," said Wolff, who spends time after school helping younger students with homework, school assignments and academic improvement. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade have been invited to attend Homework Helpers between 4 and 5 p.m. a few afternoons a week at the...
After a single father lost custody of his seven children because of his drug addiction, he reached out to Brightpoint for the tools to get his life back on track and his kids back home. At last year's Derby Day fundraiser, sponsored by the agency's Hinsdale Auxiliary, guests were stirred by the man's powerful testimony of redemption. "And now he actually works for Brightpoint in their 'Fathers First' program," related auxiliary volunteer Beth Lyons. "It's nice to hear those...
Christine McCarty began to suspect something atypical about her daughter, Addy, when Addy was just a few months old. "Something was just different with her," said McCarty, whose oldest daughter was preschool age at the time Addy was born. The biggest indicator, McCarty said, was Addy's inability to look her in the eye. As she grew, Addy was unable to point or pick up small objects. There were therapies along the way, but it wasn't until after years of investigating, testing...
When the Lohans first moved into their Hinsdale home, they discovered some unexpected neighbors: feral cats. "Then two years ago, one of these cats had kittens under our air conditioner," Amy Lohan said. "I called the Hinsdale Humane Society and said, 'What do I do?' " The lifelong dog lover and cat allergy sufferer was not exactly receptive to the humane society's suggestion that the family foster the two kittens. "I was like, 'Absolutely not. I have a dog, I don't know what...
McDonald's has played a role in Jeff Cantalupo's life for as long as he can remember. The son of former McDonald's Corporation CEO Jim Cantalupo, the Hinsdale resident knew from a very young age that the fast food giant was about more than cheeseburgers and fries. Through the work of Ronald McDonald House Charities, it's also about helping families. "I decided to join the board when there was an opportunity back in 2013," said Cantalupo, who served as board chair for Ronald Mc...
Hinsdale Central sophomore Arielle Shah didn't truly appreciate the gift of a good education until she entered into the young lives of those who had been denied it. The last three summers, Shah has taught English at a school for Venezuelan refugee children on the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad (and Tobago). Huellitas de Amor, whose name means "Prints of Love," is the sole educational option for the displaced kids. "They've been deprived of education for so long, so they...
People living in the Chicago suburbs seldom refer to driving as a relaxing activity. But Julie Beja of Hinsdale said every trip she takes as a volunteer for Interfaith Community Partners leaves her feeling good. "I always come home happier than when I left," said Beja, who began volunteering with the agency eight years ago. Based in La Grange, Interfaith Community Partners offers free transportation for seniors throughout the western suburbs who no longer drive. Volunteers...
Nov. 12, 2023, is a day the Meltzer family of Hinsdale will long remember. The late autumn Sunday began with a drive to the bike shop for 10-year-old Jacob Meltzer and his dad, Bob, to get Jacob's wheel fixed. Returning home, Jacob hopped out in the driveway and Bob proceeded into the garage. But something was off. "When my dad pulled in, he started hitting the garbage can," recounted Jacob, who jokingly admonished his dad to watch where he was going. It quickly became...
Grace Episcopal Church of Hinsdale was a part of Sara Clary's life long before she moved to the village in 2012. Grace was her grandmother's church of choice, and visits to her grandmother often included visits to the church, Clary said. "It just seemed like the logical place to continue going," Clary said. Today, Clary serves as senior warden at the church. Together with junior warden Sarah Tims, she helps interim rector Rev. Tom Crittenden make everything at the church run...
After five moves, Kassandra Fisher and her family settled down in Hinsdale in 2018 to put down lasting roots. She quickly sought out service opportunities to connect with her new neighbors. "The best way to meet people is just to jump right in and get involved," Fisher said. She accepted an invitation to attend Tablescapes, the annual fundraiser put on by the Infant Welfare Society-Hinsdale Auxiliary. She went away not only introduced to network of like-minded ladies but also...
Fresh back from an incredible three-day whirlwind experience at Junior Theatre Festival West in Sacramento, Calif., 11-year-old Veronica Gartner had flipped the script back to school. "I had a lot of work to catch up on, but we're getting there," the Hinsdale resident said this week. The assignment backlog was a small price to pay for the delight of taking part in the musical theater-dedicated annual event Feb. 9-11. Gartner, a member of Hinsdale-based BAMtheatre, was one of...
During Charlie Russ' visits to his family's longtime priest's retirement home, the teen pianist took note of how his playing had a way of resonating through the elderly man Alzheimer's disease haze. Russ then offered a performance for other residents who cared to listen. Dozens turned out. "They were serving wine and treats," he recounted of the Ravinia-like scene. "I played a lot of old jazz standards, which most of the seniors recognized, and their faces lit up with each new...
Less than two years ago, Katherine Wessel was a city-dwelling single woman with a corporate job and "living very much a bachelorette lifestyle." Today, she's living in Hinsdale with her partner, David Chiang, helping to raise Chiang's pre-teen twins and enjoying a very different work environment at the Hinsdale Public Library. "I made a 180-degree switch when I moved to Hinsdale," Wessel said. It's a change she does not regret. Not long after moving in with Chiang and his two...
Home. That was the theme of the West Chicago art show Rachel Weaver Rivera participated in a few years ago. For Rivera, home as a child was in Hinsdale, and life's unfolding had now brought her back mid-life. "I would be driving through the town thinking, 'Oh my gosh, I remember this event or that person,' " she related. "I thought I should do my own home show, because this is where my story began." Rivera drove around town snapping images of buildings and sites that...
As a child, Jeanne Hendrie remembers seeing her mother, a teacher, pack up food to bring to students in her classroom who didn't have access to breakfast. Hendrie said she's not sure if that experience sparked her own commitment to helping children, but the Hinsdale mom is dedicated professionally and personally to making life better for kids. Not long after moving to Hinsdale from Chicago in 2019, Hendrie discovered The Community House. Along with the many benefits the...
