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Exploring antiquity has been a passion for Hinsdale's Sarah Jane Nicholson since not long after her own timeline began. Her American Girl dolls were more than just play props - they were portals into the past with their representations of colonial and pioneer-era Americans. World history was also a source of fascination. "When I was probably in first or second grade I took a class at Northwestern University about ancient Egypt," Nicholson related. The Hinsdale Central junior...
Suja Mathew's first encounter with Cook County Hospital, now known as John H. Stroger Hospital, wasn't as a physician or even as a medical student. It was as the daughter of a critical patient. That experience 30 years ago led Mathew from a career in foreign service to one dedicated to providing care for underserved populations. Today as chair of medicine for the Cook County Health System, Mathew considers it "a profound privilege" to help lead the team at the same facility...
Hinsdale's Helen Johnson may be on the verge of turning 100, but don't rush her. "I'm not there yet," quipped Johnson, who will reach the milestone Saturday. For her, one's level of activity is a more accurate age barometer than the number of calendars burned through. "I'm still moving. As long as I can move around, it's all right with me," she said. "When I can't do that, then I'll complain. Then I'll be 100." Johnson continues a pedigree of longevity in her family, with a...
As associate vice president of facilities at Governors State University, Hinsdale resident John Potempa has a lot on his plate, not the least of which is the construction of a state-of-the-art cafeteria where students can fill theirs. The nearly $4 million remodel of the dining hall, expected to be unveiled when school starts in late August, is perhaps the largest project currently under way on the University Park campus. "It's an unending job," Potempa said of his role as...
The Willowbrook Corner program, run by The Community House, provides life-impacting academic and social support to youth and families in an underserved community about 10 minutes south of Hinsdale. Hinsdale's Trayce Biancalana, a longtime volunteer, said the pandemic's repercussions have taken a particularly heavy toll on residents there. "They have absolutely been hit a lot harder," she said. "The whole issue of child care for people who were able to maintain their jobs has b...
When Dina Patel's parents moved to the United States from western India in 1970, there was no cultural center or organization to help them connect with people who shared their culture. So they got creative. "They used to call random people with the same last name and made friends through that cultural bond," Patel said. Born and raised in the United States, Patel said she grew up in the traditions of her culture and the community her parents helped to build. A few years after...
Several years ago a recent immigrant from China who had settled in the Hinsdale area with her family stopped into The Community House, looking for a way to connect with her new neighbors. She met Marcie McGonagle, director of volunteer services, who worked through the language barrier to find a good fit. "I was trying to get a sense of what she would be interested in," McGonagle recounted. "I could sense that she was lonely." She asked the woman if she had made any friends....
New Hinsdale Central High School graduate Vivian Eck wants to turn her love of fashion into a career, and she's not waiting until after college to get started. "I realized I didn't have to wait," said Eck, who was spurred to action when she read her senior letter - a letter she had written to herself as a high school freshman. Realizing that she still held the same dream of starting her own fashion company, she decided to waste no more time. In November 2019, Eck presented...
Fatherhood arrived decades ago for Hinsdale's Bob Hinkle, 89. Dad to son Rob and daughter Kristin, Hinkle said the experience has been joyful - and fast. "One thing I've learned is that (time) speeds up," as a parent, he said. Both children have kids of their own now. Rob is a doctor in Baton Rouge, La., and Kristin is a veterinarian in Columbus, Ohio. Hinkle remembered Rob as an easy baby. "He didn't cry much. He was pretty good," he said. Wife Barb, listening in, chuckled...
Growing up in South Carolina, Brian Kenney loved visiting the ocean and admiring its creatures. And while Chicago doesn't offer much of an ocean view, Kenney has found a way to enjoy and support ocean wildlife while living in the Midwest. As Kenney transitioned into the role of CEO of Chicago-based GATX Corp. in 2005, he began looking for a single nonprofit organization to which he could offer his time and expertise. Already a "huge fan" of the Shedd Aquarium, Kenney said his...
Aspiring lawyer Allison Lantero of Hinsdale cites her grandfather, a former judge in DuPage County, as her inspiration for pursuing a legal career. "My dream is to one day be a judge like my grandfather," said Lantero, a rising third-year student at Notre Dame Law School. "I'm someone that has a really strong sense of justice." She's blazing path of her own, however, evidenced by her recent selection for the American Constitution Society's 2020 Next Generation Leaders...
Donna Vorreyer never wanted to be anything but a teacher. "I was one of those kids who loved school," she said. "There was never a doubt in my mind that this is what I wanted to do." In her 36-year teaching career, Vorreyer taught students from kindergartners through eighth-graders. But it was the middle schoolers who she came to enjoy most. "I started to realize how much more I could do with the older kids," said Vorreyer, who after a few years teaching in the lower grades...
At the close of tonight's Hinsdale Central virtual graduation ceremony, members of the class of 2020 will move their tassels across their caps to symbolize their transition. Although that final act will be done at individual homes due to COVID-19, it will pay homage to a four-year journey engaged in collectively, suggested seniors Lauren Hughes and Nick Moawad. "I don't want to be remembered as the class that didn't get a prom or graduation because of corona," Hughes said....
Volunteer work has always been part of Dot McCarthy's life. From preparing breakfast for guests at the PADS homeless shelter to raking leaves for senior neighbors, McCarthy said she enjoys giving back to her community any way she can. Involvement in Community Memorial Foundation's second annual Young Community Changemakers program allowed her to take her commitment to service to a whole new level. The Young Community Changemakers program, also known as YC2, is a leadership...
Before returning to her native Hinsdale last October, Sarah London became a Manhattan mom with the July birth of son James Wyatt. Determined to be parents on the move, she and husband Jack set out one lovely day for family fun to the fullest. "We went to brunch, then took a ferry to Brooklyn," London related. "We had to walk home from downtown Manhattan and it started raining. That night I couldn't get James to calm down." At her wit's end, she called the person she knew...
When the mid-March wedding of a Trinity Presbyterian Church couple had to be postponed due to COVID-19, fellow congregant and Hinsdale resident Tyra Bone felt the planned bridal shower must go on. But with shelter-in-place rules also prohibiting that event - which had been scheduled for last Sunday - Bone and other church women began collecting money and gifts to furnish the newlyweds' marital home. "We said we'll still gather gifts because they were still going to go forward...
Today, Hinsdale’s Aris Musabji and his family will join with Muslims around the world in observance of Ramadan, a month-long celebration marked by fasting, prayer and community. The annual holiday, which commemorates the Prophet Muhammad’s first revelation, falls in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a timing based the moon. “It starts at the beginning of the new moon and lasts for one lunar cycle,” Musabji said. Traditionally the family would head to their mosque...
For Carol Burck, spring cleaning doesn't just mean washing windows and cleaning out closets. As a master gardener, the promise of warmer weather takes her outdoors. Burck has spent spring's sunniest days cleaning and preparing her garden for this year's growing season and looking forward to the day when her Hinsdale yard is once again filled with delicious vegetables and beautiful flowers. Now semi-retired from a career in cancer research, the molecular biologist said she has...
This week the Rombergers were expecting to be sharing stories about their spring trip to Rome with friends, coworkers and Hinsdale neighbors. The trip, of course, didn't happen, thanks to COVID-19. And there hasn't been much sharing of anything with anyone due to shelter in place restrictions. But Lisa Romberger said her passion for promoting community mindedness has not been confined. Last week, she and her family created and displayed more than 100 luminaria on their block a...
A single sentence changed Colleen Bordeaux's view of the world and her own future. The lifelong Hinsdalean was a student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign when she entered a study abroad program in Capetown, South Africa. Her work there included a volunteer position at an orphanage, where four women cared for 84 children. During orientation, Bordeaux, then Colleen Kelly, was told to avoid asking the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. "I wasn't to ask...
Talk about an ending with a twist. E-learning without classmates is certainly not the way Hinsdale Central senior Lillian Niemeyer saw her final semester in high school unfolding. But she said the experience is equipping her with some useful life skills. "It's very easy to procrastinate, for sure. I'm having to schedule my own times to study and find some tools I can use, like a planner, to help me," Niemeyer related. "I think that this is definitely going to benefit me when...
Faith Drescher had only been in school a couple of years when she decided that's where she wanted to be for the rest of her life. Since second grade, Drescher has known that her future is in education. But it wasn't until she was selected for the Illinois State Board of Education's Student Advisory Council that she realized education doesn't take place only in the classroom. As a freshman at Hinsdale Central, Drescher was encouraged by a teacher to apply for membership on the...
Six years ago Hinsdale's Laura Alter was invited to Hinsdale Infant Welfare Society's Tablescapes, an annual benefit for the Angel Harvey Family Health Center in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. Stirred by the auxiliary group's mission, she joined up. Heading into this year's Tablescapes Sunday, March 22, at the Westin Hotel in Lombard (see Page 20 for details), Alter is now the organization's president, leading the effort to provide care for families in need. "What we're...
When Jim Piontowski started his new job with the village of Hinsdale, Jimmy Carter was president. Sports fans were discovering a new source of sports information called ESPN, and Americans had yet to fall in love with Pac Man. A lot has changed in and around Hinsdale since January 21, 1980. But one constant is Piontowski, who for 40 years has enjoyed his job as building maintenance supervisor for the village he considers home. Although he now lives in nearby Darien with his...
When Elliana Teuscher auditioned for a summer intensive with the Joffrey Ballet two years ago, she knew the experience could change her life. She had no idea to what extent. In addition to being accepted to the summer program, Teuscher also was invited to join the American Conservatory Program - a training program for dancers 14 to 18 years old who are preparing for professional careers in dance. Accepting the coveted invitation meant leaving Hinsdale Central High School,...
