From the President
By: Robert Remer
Summer opened in Edgewater with a wondrous gift – a new library.
On June 22, the new Edgewater Branch Library opened to an enthusiastic standing room only crowd, the largest new library opening crowd in years, followed by huge numbers of books checked out by visiting patrons. Edgewater is a community of readers – no doubt about that.
EHS was pleased to gift the new library with a beautifully framed blow up of an early 1900s picture post card with the message “Greetings from Edgewater,” which certainly summed up the community’s feelings toward the new library that day.
Shortly after the library opened, EHS members meandered across the street to the Broadway Armory for presentation of the 25 Edgewater Treasures awards to our wonderful neighbors who have done so much to contribute to Edgewater’s history. Thanks to Marty Stewart for emceeing the event and to all the volunteers (Dorothy Nygren, Betty Mayian, Tiffany Middleton, Pat Duff, Barbara Strauss, Marsha Holland and Paul Bonilla) who made the event so special for the recipients, who also received special notice from the Chicago Tribune and a wonderful front page story in the Streetwise magazine touting Edgewater’s activists.
Summer will draw to a close a few days after the EHS 25th Home Tour on September 15th in Edgewater Glen. This is your EHS’s major fundraiser to keep the museum doors open and we welcome your attendance and support. We can’t say enough to thank and acknowledge the team that over the years has worked so hard, diligently and effectively to make this an important community event and the foundation of EHS. Kathy Gemperle has spearheaded this activity for all these 25 years, including working with the neighborhoods, the home owners, doing the research, preparing the tour books, securing advertisers and organizing a dazzling team of volunteers and docents over the years. Mainstays on her team over the years have been Betty Mayian, Thom Greene, LeRoy Blommaert, Sandee Remis, Larry Rosen, and now, Betsy Kane. Our hats are off to you all.
As we enter Fall we will be paying a lot of attention to Senn High School, which will be celebrating its 100 year “Senn-tennial” the weekend of October 4th and 5th, with a reception at the school and then a gala at Navy Pier. An enthusiastic team of alums and teachers have been working prodigiously for the last couple of years to make this an historic event. Their great website (www.sennfriendsforever.org) lists the events, including old year book materials, lists of prominent alums, and a timeline of important Senn events since its opening.
The Lone Ranger was not the only famous alumnus of Senn, as we have been pouring over the lists of important business people, musicians and entertainers who were fellow Bulldogs. EHS will have an exhibit starting in September of several of those prominent alums, with a final open house for visiting alums the weekend of October 5-6, during regular museum hours. Thanks to Kathy Gemperle, Tom Murphy, Barb Strauss, Pat Duff, Tiffany Middleton, Kelsey Rodriguez and Morry Matson for their work on this new exhibit.
Our Twenty-Fifth Anniversary celebrations will come to a close with a gala event that is still in the planning stages.