…And Many More

We applaud the Independence Day organizers for this year’s  theme — Hometown Heroes.  It inspired some excellent floats and imbued this year’s celebration with a spirit of civic pride and participation.  It was heartening to find such a diverse and largely unsung group of people being honored, and we hope Glenview will consider making this a regular feature of the annual celebration.  There are so many people who deserve the moniker of hometown hero — those who work quietly, and those who speak out in the great American tradition of dissent to make Glenview a better place.

Holiday Heroes

Congratulations to our fellow hometown heroes: 

— Lt. Michael Beslow,  a Blackhawk helicopter pilot who flew medical evacuation missions in Iraq.

— Joyce Bleser, the former United Way director who’s been active in Helping Hands, the Values Committee and Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook.

— Joe and Julie Burke, instructors at ATA Black Belt Academy, who emphasize integrity, self-control and perserverance.

— Sam Cipolla, a GBS graduate who’s been battling a rare form of pancreatic cancer with courage and optimism.

— Wendy Groesch Springman, a teacher and coach who, according to her students, always goes the extra mile.

— Sister Paulanne Held, who runs the OLPH Needy Family Fund.

— Tom Jacobs, the maintenance manager at Thomas Place and a volunteer football coach.

— Dave Jones, an award-winning Pleasant Ridge teacher, talent show director, fund raiser and master of the school’s Japanese garden.

— Teddie Kossof, owner of the eponymous beauty salon on Waukegan Road and a prolific fundraiser for Youth Services.

— Patty Marfise-Patt, president of the Westbrook/Glen Gove PTA, a den mother, Friends of Youth Services volunteer and much more.

— Norma Morrison, the first woman elected to Glenview’s village board, a founder of the group that helped preserve Wagner Farm, and a tireless participant in civic life.

— Todd Price, Wagner Farm’s director.

— Pam Rawa, a teacher who works with kids who have learning challenges.

— Sgt. John Rohrer, winner of a military commendation for service in Iraq.

— Dave Tosh, Springman’s athletic director and a long time Youth Baseball volunteer.

— Lori Lambert Tracz, a math teacher at Attea and tireless fundraiser for leukemia support groups.

— Sue and Brian Walsh, who have taken their medical and construction expertise to Haiti.

— Matt Whipple, a popular social studies teacher at GBS and organizer of Students Taking Action Now in Darfur (STAND).

— Jeff Wienski, the long-time manager of Wagner Farm.

Citizen of the Year Exclusive

The Citizen of the Year awards, organized for over a decade by Samantha Smith and Linda Kimball, were again held at the exclusive North Shore Country Club.

This year’s top honor went to Mary Long, a prolific volunteer for Rotary Club of Glenview-Sunrise, the North Glen Business and Professional Women’s association, the North Suburban Bar Association, the Glenview Council of the Navy League, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Glenview Hangar One Foundation, American Legion Auxiliary and the Glenview Area Historical Society.

A lifelong resident of Glenview whose husband Don won the award in 1994, Mary Long fit the bill. Nothing controversial about her. But when the awards committee was ready to make its decision, a letter came in that made some people uncomfortable with the choice.

Several village residents favored 92-year-old Norma Morrison for Citizen of the Year.

Passed over in previous years, Morrison was a more complex candidate. She had rocked the boat – won election as a trustee long before women routinely held that job. She campaigned to get the Lutter Dump closed; demanded the Naval Air Station – which periodically crashed planes in Glenview’s back yards — be closed; crusaded to save Wagner Farm; and then became a thorn in the side of a park board determined to develop the farm to fit its own agenda. She raised hell over teardowns that towered over smaller homes next door and objected strenuously to plans for a new library at The Glen.

Editor’s note: When you’re a naysayer in Glenview, some people get uneasy – especially the gang that controls the Citizen of the Year awards. But even they were shamed by the letter that arrived in support of Morrison. After detailing her many civic activities, the authors quoted Norma herself.

“I haven’t been able to let go,” she says. “I’ve called myself a ‘municipal junkie.’ It’s impossible for me to dissociate myself from the issues in town. I really feel that to be an American woman in a community like this and not participate in decision-making is to miss out on living fully.”

“In addition to her civic work, Norma’s full life includes husband Bill, two granddaughters and two grown sons – Ken and David. As a toddler, David didn’t talk, so Norma and Bill took him to Northwestern University’s medical center for an evaluation,” the letter explained. “At the time, doctors knew little about autism, but they told the Morrisons that their son would never speak and encouraged them to place him in an institution.

“Norma cried all the way home – then decided to defy the doctors. She began working intensively with David and helped to organize the Northern Suburban Special Education District. Today, David speaks normally, reads, engages in conversation with family members and friends. He assists his mother with her community work, is an avid reader and an expert on popular music. (Many Chicago-area disc jockeys have gotten to know David as the guy who wins all the trivia contests!)

“We hope you’ll agree that it’s time to recognize the contributions made by David’s mother and our friend Norma Morrison. Many thanks for your consideration!”

Long was an easy choice, but Morrison was clearly deserving, so the committee decided to give Norma a “special award,” which they also handed out to Samantha Smith and Linda Kimball, the Civic Awards’ party planners who had already won the top awards in previous years.

Morrison was gracious enough to show up, but only because her husband insisted. Bill Morrison lay in a nursing home with a spinal fracture, listening to the event via cell phone.

Norma spoke briefly, saying she had only done what needed to be done to help Glenview become the community it is today. “I don’t deserve this,” she said of the award, “but then I have arthritis, and I don’t deserve that either.”

The line won her a standing ovation.

Editor’s note: It was perhaps another sign of how adverse Glenview is to social change. Village President Cummings read from the letter written by other residents in support of Morrison. But when she came to Norma’s own words: “I really feel that to be an American woman in a community like this and not participate in decision-making is to miss out on living fully,” Cummings ditched the word “woman.” You have to wonder if Cummings would be where she is, were it not for the feminist movement and for people like Norma Morrison. Perhaps Cummings simply misread. We would love to hear from her – to know why she changed the quote, but months ago Cummings told us she refuses to read The Watch.