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Since our son, Conor, was born in 2002, I have always anticipated Father’s Day with joy and expectation. It was one of my favorite days of the year. A Sunday in June when everyone is kind to you and you get to do whatever you want. You receive gifts, some of them handmade (the best kind). Dinner with the entire family. U.S. Open golf on TV. What is not to love? This year, I am not anticipating Father’s Day with joy and expectation. This Sunday will be my first Father’s Day without my 14-year-old son, Sean, joining me for a ro...
I graduated high school two weeks ago and have no idea how to feel. I’m a sentimental person, so as the school year wound down, I spent time thinking about my departure from family, friends and my Hinsdale life. I’ve lived here since birth — my first breath taken at Hinsdale Hospital. The thought of moving to Boulder, Colo., and living there for most of the year is, currently, an impossible one. These 18 years passed in a flash, but I feel grateful to have absolutely loved where I’ve grown up, the people I’ve met, the schoo...
I was definitely warned about junior year. I remember being in seventh grade and thinking about high school as this huge, foreboding experience that I would never get through. I would sit in my class, glad to be only in middle school, where the stakes felt low. People talked about high school, and when I got to high school, they still talked about high school. Maybe the fantasies of "High School Musical" rubbed off on everyone? Except for the part where everyone breaks into...
I would like to thank the Hinsdale Village Board and Deputy Chief Tom Lillie for addressing the issue of e-bikes. Parents: you probably think your (mostly male) pre-teens/adolescents are being responsible as they ride around town on their e-bikes, scooters, etc. They are not. I run, walk, bike and drive through Hinsdale several times a day. If you saw your sons cutting across Madison, crossing 55th Street (against the light), heading south toward Ruth Lake in the middle of the street popping “wheelies” with a friend or siblin...
The newspaper business, like many others, is seasonal. Our schedule mirrors the school year in many ways, with our busiest times occurring while classes - and high school sports - are in session. And then summer rolls around, and with it comes a slightly different to-do list. One of my responsibilities each June is to thank a group of contributing columnists who have been writing for us for the past two years and to invite interested writers to apply for one of the openings....
On this day in 1944, the land, air and sea forces of the United States and 11 allies conducted what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. Some 155,000 Allied troops stormed five separate beaches at Normandy on D-Day, with the Americans landing at Utah and Omaha beaches and the British and Canadians at Gold, Juno and Sword beaches. By the end of June, the Allies had sent 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles and 570,000 tons of supplies to the Normandy shores. The success of the invasion created a path...
I've been thinking a lot about AI, specifically Generative AI. There are many discussions - some about AI replacing hundreds of thousands of jobs, some about the literal extinction that AI poses to homo sapiens. If AI does develop into super intelligence, what I call "The Entity," what will be the psychological effects on humans? I'm not worried about my generation. We've lived full lives. I'm worried about my children's generation and especially about my grandchildren's...
I can't make up my mind most days whether I find cicadas fascinating or disgusting. I can't deny, though, that they provide a great writing opportunity. I wrote my first cicada story in 1990 for The Doings. My father-in-law, John Litster, was a letter carrier in town and had recorded interviews with homeowners on his route about the emergence of these rare insects. Their comments were hilarious. Seventeen years later, in 2007, before this paper had even turned a year old, I wr...
May brought the Northern Lights and noisy cicadas to remind us of just what a fascinating planet we inhabit. Now on the doorstep of summer with June’s arrival Saturday, let’s remind ourselves of how much fun the community rolls out this season. The 51st annual Fine Arts Festival is in Burlington Park this weekend, featuring works by 85 participating artists (see story on Page 21). Monday, June 3, sees the return of the Farmers Market, another chamber event, at its familiar home on Chicago Avenue along Burlington Park. The...
In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not...
"What's his name?" we asked the young man at KLM park, some dozen years ago. At the end of the leash he held in his hand was an English bulldog, adorably plump and wrinkly. My daughter and I petted the dog, whose tail wagged furiously at us. "Juice Box," the man said. My daughter and I replied with delight, "Juice Box?! What an awesome name for a dog." The man laughed and said, "No, not Juice Box. Maddox." Or Randolph or Tree Tops or some other name that was not, in fact, Juic...
Amy Owens had undergone a cancer diagnosis, a total mastectomy and chemotherapy when I first met her in 2007. She had generously agreed to meet with me once a month for a year as she recovered from a rare form of breast cancer, invasive triple negative ductile carcinoma, as part of our Making a Difference partnership with Wellness House. I talked to her again in September 2009, about a year after my story was published and days before she celebrated her second year of being...
If you didn’t enjoy a meal outside during Hinsdale Restaurant Week in April (it was still pretty chilly), now is the time to enjoy one outdoors. Al fresco dining has not always been part of the downtown Hinsdale landscape, but it was born of necessity during the pandemic in 2020. And Hinsdale residents, restaurateurs and officials found it to be a welcome addition. The outdoor dining scene took another step forward in 2022 when the Hinsdale Village Board instituted new design standards for outdoor eateries on public p...
Last month my husband and two of our kids went to Ohio to visit family and be in the "zone of totality" for the solar eclipse. It was difficult for our middle daughter, a high schooler, and me, to take a day away from school and work. We had a memorable experience here. We put on protective glasses and had all sorts of fun with coworkers and friends. It was great. But when I saw the photos and heard accounts from my parents' backyard in Ohio with everyone together as the sky...
I recall the unsolicited advice I received before heading off to college. I didn't want nor care for the free wisdom at the time, only to recognize how prescient it was much later in life. So, for all the high school graduates headed to college this fall, I offer a few pearls of wisdom. And remember how lucky you are for the gift of the next four (or five) years. • Don't let your ideology become your identity. Having core personal beliefs - political, religious or otherwise -...
My son, Eli, and I recently returned from a quick two-day trip to Dallas. Our shared goal was to see as much good baseball as possible. My own objective was to soak up as much one-on-one time with him as I could. Everything about this stage of his life feels like it's reaching forward and away. His body is poised for a growth spurt, ready to emerge Hulk-like at the breakfast table. His voice is slowly deepening, his knowledge on many subjects far surpasses my own, and his...
The recent unrest on college campuses has triggered my memory of 1968, when I was in the rather unique position of being an anti-war demonstrator and the daughter of a Chicago law enforcement officer. I was not present at the demonstration that turned violent in Grant Park the year following the Democratic convention, but my father was. His firsthand account of his experience lives in my memory. Among the sincere and well-intentioned young people who protested for peace and an end to the war in Vietnam were outside agitators...
The Mother's Day images we see always show the perfect celebration. Handsome husbands present their expectant wives with a stunning piece of jewelry. Gorgeous young children bring breakfast in bed to their beautiful mom (who looks like she's been up for an hour doing her hair and makeup). Multi-generational families enjoy fabulous brunch spreads in amazing outdoor gardens. We all know that's not the reality many women will experience on Sunday. Some will face their Mother's...
Historic preservation seems to be experiencing a renaissance, if you will, in Hinsdale. Meetings of the Hinsdale Historic Preservation Commission, which once were dominated by requests to tear down historic homes and rebuild new ones, now are filled with homeowners requesting preservation incentives such as zoning relief, property tax rebates and expedited processing. We’re pleased to see this development, as we’ve long been advocates for preserving the homes that add charm and character to the village — the very homes that...
A lot has happened since Cat Greenspon was elected to her first term as president of the Hinsdale High School District 86 Board just one year ago. Superintendent Tammy Prentiss was put on paid administrative leave. An interim superintendent resigned after working only 59 days in the district. Two board members resigned — one less than sixth months after she was elected. The assistant superintendent of human resources, the communications director and the Hinsdale South principal all resigned. The board has been the subject o...
Six years ago, I started writing for The Hinsdalean. It was the first time I had ever written anything that wasn't for a grade. It was the first time one of my stories got published. I remember my first article was about how my older sister, Anna, was going away to college - to a school called the University of Georgia. Two years later, I joined her, leaving my comfortable life in Hinsdale to study journalism at UGA. I didn't know much about journalism, only that it was a...
Ever since the most recent conflict in the Middle East began, there has been a witch hunt against Ivy League universities, their students and their presidents. Numerous attempts have been made to silence students on these campuses, especially after most of the presidents succumbed to political pressure. Instead of providing a platform for exercising freedom of speech, protesting and engaging in debate, these students have been continuously insulted, labeled, ridiculed and threatened with expulsion and loss of promised jobs. M...
I'll never forget a phone call I got one December when I was a kid. It was an elf calling from the North Pole! My own personal elf, he told me. I asked his name and was surprised when he said "Wee Wee." "Wee Wee?" I asked, wondering if he had a bed-wetting problem. He explained that was his name because he was a wee little elf. He told me a bit about Santa's preparations for the big day and after a short talk, hung up. I was too little to know that Santa's real elves don't...
I couldn't help but notice the headline of a Poynter article in a recent "E&P" digital newsletter: "AI is already reshaping newsrooms, AP study finds." The real shock was in the subhead: "Despite ethical concerns, nearly 70 percent of newsroom staffers recruited for an Associated Press survey say they're using generative AI to create content." As I'm sure you might guess, I fall into the 30 percent who are not using generative AI. Apparently, others are using it to create soci...
April is National Volunteer Month. We hope you were inspired by the stories of the four volunteers we shared on Page 5. In case you were, we’ve compiled a list of volunteer opportunities at the six largest nonprofits in Hinsdale. Many also have junior boards open to teens. Candor Health Education The nonprofit organization educates students, their trusted adults and communities on the topics of puberty, sex and substance abuse prevention. Like all nonprofit agencies listed here, Candor relies on volunteers to serve on its b...
