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Damar Hamlin and Bronny James are lucky. They were in the right place at the right time when they suffered their sudden cardiac events. Many are not so lucky, like our family friend Michael Brindley. Michael attended Hinsdale Central. He was known for his big heart and big hugs. Michael loved all sports. He dreamt of becoming a sports journalist. Sadly, Michael's dream was never realized because he passed away in 2016 from sudden cardiac arrest at age 16. October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness month. SCA is the No. 1...
Last week, The Hinsdalean misquoted D86’s board president advancing a narrative of a “dysfunctional” board. During the discussion of legal representation, President Greenspon welcomed discussion: “I can ask for discussion so that everybody can provide feedback;” and contrary to the report, Dr. Yonke did not push back. Drs. Yonke and Lechner both support a legal representation review (Levinthal and Greenspon did, as well). The split 2:5 vote responded to “possible action to withdraw prior approval of minutes.” Levinthal and...
I have always hated getting shots, COVID, flu - and I am sure I hated getting the chickenpox vaccine when I was young, too. Flu season would come around, and I would push off getting the shot until the leaves on the trees had curled and crisped and crumpled on the ground and the air had a hint of winter breeze. When I was younger it was the pain that scared me, but also the second of anticipation right before the jab. I like to think I am a lot less scared now, but that...
Thanks for taking time out to read this column in the midst of your National Newspaper Week celebrations! What? You haven't been attending countless cocktail parties and dinners to celebrate this momentous week? Well, I will forgive you. Newspaper Week hasn't quite gained the traction of everyone's favorite fall holiday (perhaps because it's tough to decorate for), but we do observe it here at The Hinsdalean. And in honor of this week, I'd like to present my Top 10 list of rea...
Read any compelling stories recently? We hope so. After all, that’s what we aim to deliver every week. Whether it’s an update on a school board or village board activity, the latest exploit by a Red Devil sports team or a write-up to let patrons know of new arrivals to Hinsdale’s shopping and dining scene, The Hinsdalean is committed to providing news that informs, enlightens and enriches our readers’ experience as members of this community. This first week of October 2023 marks the 83rd celebration of National Newspap...
Before the April election, we hoped the addition of some new faces on the Hinsdale High School District 86 Board would create a more cohesive governing body with less dysfunction. How naive. The recent resignation of board member Debbie Levinthal highlights continuing problems on the school board. The argument could be made that Levinthal hasn’t been happy since Cat Greenspon became board president immediately after being newly elected. Levinthal clearly had hoped to be president herself and believed someone with e...
Come one, come all to the 2023 Rotary Run Charity Classic this coming Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. The motto of Rotary is very simple, “Service Above Self.” That is the reason I joined the Rotary Club of Hinsdale just a few short years ago and that is the reason that this race is so important to me. Almost every penny donated to the race will be given away to excellent charitable causes, including The Community House of Hinsdale, the D181 Foundation, the Ray Graham Foundation and the Hinsdale Hospital Foundation. Since I del...
Ahh ... that's better. The good old prefrontal cortex. Where would we be without it? Pretty much brain dead; that's where we'd be. The prefrontal cortex is the region of the brain responsible for planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision-making and moderating social behavior. But why empty it? And how would you even do that? You might not be familiar with this process as I identify it here. You might know it by other names - writing, painting,...
Whew! When we sent the 120-page special section commemorating the village's 150th anniversary to our printer Tuesday morning, I felt a sigh of relief. The section has consumed a lot of time and energy since early this summer, not just for me, but for everyone who worked on it. We wanted, as we state in the introduction on Page 5, to create a truly special section that would celebrate the village's sesquicentennial. And we created, I think it's fair to say, a pretty ambitious...
I brought a book with me when I traveled this summer. I was not invested in it; in fact, I predicted I'd finish it on the plane and leave it there. It was a guilt read, meaning it had been recommended so fervently by one friend so often that I thought I'd just breeze through it to appease her. A nonfiction, self-help best-seller, it was a weird genre for fiction-loving-me. Luckily it was slim, so I could tote it around with me. And tote it I did, because I discovered it was...
Eighty-one percent of crashes at public railroad grade crossings in Illinois occur where active warning devices, such as flashing lights, ringing bells and/or gates already exist, according to government statistics. During 2022, 129 vehicle crashes were reported at public highway-rail grade crossings, resulting in 30 fatalities and 39 personal injuries in Illinois. An additional 62 pedestrians trespassing on railroad rights-of-way were struck by passing trains, resulting in 39 fatalities and 23 personal injuries. Sept. 18-24...
I am jumping the gun a bit with that headline. Fall doesn't officially start until the autumnal equinox occurs at 1:49 a.m. Saturday. But we're close enough (especially when TV folk started observing "meteorological fall" Sept. 1). Fall, as many of you know, is my favorite season. I frankly don't understand why that's not true for everyone, given all there is to recommend it. I will admit I have warmed up to summer since my daughter was born 14 years ago. I think it has...
We moved to Hinsdale 17 years ago. In that time, I've grown a few kids, volunteered in their schools, engaged in the community, logged a lot of hours on the sidelines of sporting events and logged even more hours behind the steering wheel of a mini-van shuttling young passengers around to those events. Treasured friendships have been formed and professional achievements celebrated all within the friendly confines of the 60521-zip code. About the time our family moved to town,...
The Hinsdale Central High School Homecoming Pancake Breakfast is back! Please join us on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 7:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. in the beautiful HCHS student cafe. Tickets are $10. Pay at the door. All proceeds go to HCHS student programs. Brought to you by the HCHS Foundation and the Hinsdale Rotary. Yum!!!! — Pam Kalafut, HCHS Foundation...
People commemorate 9/11 in their own way. My husband and I always make sure our American flag is on display near our front door. Monday morning we watched news coverage of family members reading the names of those lost in the attacks, including their loved ones. One of the readers was a young boy there to honor the grandfather he never had the chance to meet. Hinsdalean Dave Pequet sent out the annual "Remembering Sept. 11" email from his company, MPI Wealth Management. "The...
September is Suicide Prevention Month and this week is National Suicide Prevention Week. This isn’t a topic most are eager to talk about. But talking is sometimes the one thing that can save someone’s life. Most people who are having thoughts of suicide feel relief when someone asks after them in a caring way, according to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Individuals are more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed and more hopeful after speaking to someone who listens without judgment. And hel...
Many in the community began the school year with attending curriculum night in District 181. We were welcomed by enthusiastic, caring, smart professionals who excel in the craft of teaching. We entrust these teachers each day with laying a solid foundation of academic excellence. We relied on these same teachers to guide us all through a global pandemic and expected our tradition of excellence to continue. It did. Yet, as we begin the 2023-24 school year, teachers in 181 are working without a contract and federal mediators...
The last time I wrote an article for the paper, I was headed off to study travel writing in Prague, Czech Republic. Two months later, I can confidently say that my time abroad was life changing. While I was in Prague, I experienced gratitude and excitement for life like never before. I formed connections with the other students on the program, and we all went from strangers to friends in no time at all. I made memories that will live in my mind forever- swimming in a pond at...
At my last book club gathering, one member said she wants to live to be 120. “I’ll be dead,” I replied, knowing she’s about 20 years older than I am. I couldn’t understand why she would want to live that long. But then I went to a presentation at the Hinsdale Public Library last week and learned all about the secrets to living to 100. Adult service librarian Doug Nye told us about five Blue Zones, or places with a high concentration of centenarians. They are Sardinia,...
Monday marks 22 years since the terrorist attacks that shook the nation and launched a global battle against Islamic extremism that continues today. Hinsdale residents Bob Rasmussen and Jeff Mladenik were among the 2,996 lives lost in those shocking acts of mass murder committed the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, searing images of both unspeakable horror and awe-inspiring heroism into our collective memory. More than 6,000 were injured. For those of us who can remember the horror of that day, the memory of the experience likely...
You'd be hard pressed to find Buncombe, Illinois, on a map. Buncombe is a five-hour drive straight south from Hinsdale as the crow flies, as my dad would say. I dreaded visiting Buncombe as a kid. In the early 1970s there was nothing there. Miles and miles of farmland interrupted by old farmhouses and grain silos. Maybe an occasional Stuckey's along the way. My paternal grandfather grew up near Buncombe before he made his way to Chicago in 1920. However, a few distant...
Were it not for my summer sabbatical from column writing, each one of these probably would have been its own column. Instead, I offer an abbreviated look at summer 2023. Since June, I ... • saw my birth mom and birth dad reunite for the first time in more than 50 years when they traveled here for Ainsley’s eighth-grade graduation. Not long after I connected with them in 2020, someone asked me if I ever thought they would meet. “I hope not!” I replied, thinking it would b...
As students get acclimated to their class schedules, locker combinations and homework, adults also have some adjusting to do now that school is back in session. Traffic patterns have changed dramatically since the first day at Hinsdale Central Aug. 21 and District 181 schools Aug. 22. More students are heading to and from school on foot or on their bikes — or getting a ride from mom or dad or even a classmate. They might not be paying as much attention as they should be, so drivers need to be extra vigilant. To that end, w...
You might recall from previous columns how much I detest the use of June 1 and Sept. 1 as the start of summer and fall, given the existence of actual events that mark the seasons. That said, the summer solstice and autumn equinox are not always the most pragmatic dates to use. Autumn won’t officially start until Sept. 23, but practically speaking, summer is over here at The Hinsdalean. I know because my summer column-writing sabbatical has ended. I’ve spent the past 10 wee...
Hinsdale youth are back in class! Stepping up a grade means a higher level of academic rigor — and a greater need for effective study habits. Here are some tips from “The Princeton Review” to help make the year a success. 1. Have multiple study spaces. A quiet place at home is key, but variety can help, too. Libraries, parks or even just moving from the bedroom to the kitchen table can stimulate the brain to retain information better. 2. Keep a catch-all calendar. In addition to jotting down homework assignments, mark extra...
