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I enjoyed your newspaper’s account of Hinsdale’s 150th anniversary. The 1960s-70s were an electric time. HTHS was much more than an athletic powerhouse. The junior high and high school had outstanding teachers. Robert Michalek taught an eighth-grade advanced science class that presented DNA concepts other students did not get until college. The foreign language program prepared us for college and lifetime travel abroad. In 1965, the high school hosted a Community Conference on Values. Dr. Bruno Bettelheim was the keynote spe...
Once upon a time, in the good old days of analog, I could do no wrong. In fact, some said - mostly me - that I was the King of Analog. Yes, as the song goes, "Those were the days." During those dear old analog days, I was smarter than all my kitchen appliances. And they darn well knew it. Yes. I knew how open the fridge, turn on the stove and even use the oven without a YouTube tutorial. Now, all my kitchen appliances are smarter than me. My fridge knows when I've left the...
I am sorry to report Hinsdale once again has fallen short of the North Shore. One of those fancy “W” towns — Winnetka — beat out Hinsdale for the No. 1 spot on the latest list published by HomeSnacks. What is HomeSnacks, you ask? We’re not entirely sure, but it produces lots of lists — safest states, most dangerous states, even dumbest states. You can read all of these lists on its Facebook page (which contains no information about who is preparing them or why). And what do...
Mark the holidays by making a life-impacting gift to a local nonprofit agency on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28. At the Hinsdale Humane Society, funds donated as part of #GivingTuesday2023 will help save animals’ lives by enabling the organization to offer the programs and services people and pets in more than a dozen area communities rely on. Contributions will be used to shelter strays, adopt out hundreds of homeless pets and provide veterinary care for animals in need. Visit www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org/donate. Gifts to Wellness...
Medicare open enrollment, now in progress, will end on Dec. 7. Medicare recipients have two choices for covering their medical expenses not paid by Medicare Parts A and B: traditional Medicare, or a Medicare Advantage plan (also known as Medicare Part C.) “Traditional Medicare” is defined in this letter as Medicare Parts A and B, plus a Medigap plan, also known as “a supplemental,” plus a Part D plan that covers medications. Advantage plans are allowed to advertise without disclosing the financial incentives for insuran...
It’s a privilege to be entrusted with sharing the stories of people’s lives. I feel that often as I sit typing on my laptop at The Hinsdalean office, looking out on First Street. I’ve completed an interview and face the task of transforming my notes into a story that will capture the individual I’m writing about, make sense to the reader — and fit the assigned space. Some days the job is easier than others, but it’s one I always enjoy doing. As we approach Veterans Da...
Two-hundred and seven. That’s how many veterans are listed in our Veterans Day special section today. And it’s a record. The number of submissions we receive has grown each year since we ran our first pages in 2015 honoring 72 men and women who had served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Some of these men and women are neighbors here in town. Others are the parents, grandparents, children, aunts and uncles of Hinsdale residents. They are members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines who fought in the Civil War, World War I, World...
The premise of your Oct. 26 commentary (“Want free speech? You’ll hear things you don’t like”) is at best flawed and misleading and at worst is a piece of propaganda. In this column, you do not distinguish between free speech, the right to speak our thoughts and opinions without government interference or retaliation, and unprotected speech, which includes threats and messages that transmit hatred and may provoke violence. Since you did not distinguish between free speech and unprotected speech, you misled your readers...
A recent guest columnist characterized Disney’s remake of “Snow White” as an insult to the tradition of its iconic princesses. To be sure, the tradition goes way back — my three sisters and I had been obsessed with Disney princesses in the ’50s and ’60s. Fast forward to the ’90s: we raised our two daughters from China, turning to Disney flicks and traveling to Orlando for the additional treat of having tea with these princesses. Then we got lucky. “Pocahontas” came out and then “Mulan” followed. This was during the peak y...
During my 35 years of working in Hinsdale, I've gotten to know a lot of people - and a lot of groups. Some are quite familiar, like the Hinsdale Infant Welfare Society or the Hinsdale Assembly. Others, like the National Charity League, are more recent arrivals in town. I was surprised to learn a few months ago about a group that has been meeting in town for 120 years - and I had never heard of it. "We say it's the oldest organization in Hinsdale," said Lise Spacapan,...
"So, make the friendship bracelets. Take the moment and taste it," my newly minted 13-year-old sings along as we string tiny colorful beads and letters on elastic. "Yeah, Mom, that's my favorite line," she claims. (Yes, this is a column full of love for Taylor Swift. So, if you're a hater, who's "gonna hate-hate-hate," apologies. You probably "need to just stop" - reading, that is.) The way my daughter starts the statement off with "yeah" makes me smile. It's as if she thinks...
Help wanted: Hinsdale High School District 86 superintendent Qualifications: • Ability to help foster a healthy, constructive dynamic on the board of education that emphasizes respect and transparency along with a deft conflict resolution touch that dissuades elected members from resigning mid-term out of futility and frustration. The fresh case studies in quitting of Debbie Levinthal (Sept. 18) and Kay Gallo (Oct. 26), both capable and motivated but compelled to depart because of “toxic” practices on the part of board colle...
A fellow Illinois Wesleyan alum recently blasted the school newspaper, The Argus, for posting a pro-Palestinian graphic on Facebook. "This is unacceptable from the Argus," she wrote in her own Facebook post. "The blanket statement that 'we' support terrorists is disgusting." She goes on to say the post is "evil incarnate" and that the newspaper staff apparently supports the genocide of Jews and other atrocities. "Please let the IWU administration know your thoughts on this. I...
Perhaps one of the most frightening things to happen the week before Halloween is our annual enumeration of scary scenarios that we have imagined afflicting our fair village. As always, we offer the following words of caution to readers: Beware the sarcasm. • The village takes a closer look at the old, weathered copy of its articles of incorporation and discovers it is actually dated April 4, 1874, requiring officials to coordinate yet another year of sesquicentennial celebrations. • The Hinsdale High School District 86 Boa...
It was a benevolent stand-off. Me and my dog, Dakota, and a doe and her two fawns. We startled each other into a frozen sort of bewilderment. After what seemed to be a forever stare-down, mom and her babies faded away into a wooded camouflage. Return visits to the place of the stare-down have yielded more surprising and beautiful encounters with wildlife. Great egrets and great blue herons stand lifeless in a river waiting for bluegill to present an easy meal. Familiar ground...
Clare Sullivan and Laura Cronin ran their first marathons earlier this month in the Bank of American Chicago Marathon Oct. 8. Both women are familiar faces in town. Sullivan is general manager at Altamura in downtown Hinsdale (and downstairs from our office!). Cronin is the nurse manager of NICU, pediatrics and lactation at UChicago Medicine Advent Health Hinsdale. I ran into Sullivan - a lifelong Hinsdale resident - Friday night before the race as I was ordering a pizza and s...
Years ago, my dad wrote an article in this paper about the Disney princesses, the important role that they play in the lives of young and impressionable girls, and the criticism they received from some feminists. He looked to 10-year-old me to show the power of the classic Disney movies and the positive impact the princesses have on young girls. Now, the little girl from the article who played with dolls is all grown up - and I've formed opinions of my own. Cast as the title c...
One in eight teenagers in the U.S. used an illicit substance in the last year. Sixty-two percent of high school seniors have abused alcohol and 50 percent of teens have misused a drug at least once, according to the National Center For Drug Abuse Statistics. Overdose deaths among 15- to 24-year-olds more than tripled from 1999 to 2017, climbing from 1,240 to 4,777. Statistics specific to Illinois are no more comforting. Almost 7 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds report using drugs in the last month and almost 9 percent drank...
When the children in our family were going through their toddler years, our uncle would often repeat, "Need help? Just ask!" I thought the idea was to teach our little people to ask for help before their frustration escalated into overwhelm. Asking for help doesn't always come easily, whether you're a child learning to put on your shoes or an adult juggling responsibilities. We live in a culture that values independence, busyness, hard work and self-care. Asking for help can...
Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast in history last weekend at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. She won four gold medals - in team, all-around, beam and floor competitions - along with a silver medal in vault. (Her lowest finish in her weakest event, the uneven bars, was fifth.) The story has some nice symmetry. It was 10 years ago in Antwerp that Biles won her first all-around world title at age 16. In that span she's earned 25...
The statistics from the National Breast Cancer Foundation are startling. One in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. An estimated 297,790 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in this country this year. An estimated 2,800 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. Breast cancer accounts for about 30 percent of all cancer diagnoses for women and is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in this country. Unfortunately, some risk factors for breast can...
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...
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...
