LAKE FOREST – Through a partnership between Lake Forest High School and the Lake Forest High School Foundation, a unique year-long honors business course, the Business Incubator, was offered to juniors for the first time last year. Designed to get students excited about becoming entrepreneurs, a key component of the curriculum is the involvement of real-world entrepreneurs and business experts who serve as coaches and mentors to the students.
We are looking for interested entrepreneurs and business leaders from the community to serve as Business Incubator coaches and mentors again this year.

Coach Description

A coach is a business expert who helps deliver a specific part of the curriculum, while adding their knowledge and expertise to the lesson. Coaches are typically in the classroom for 2-5 days. Some of the subjects that we are looking for coaches to help teach this year include: market sizing, positioning, business regulation, sales planning, staffing and operations.

Mentor Description

Mentors work directly with the student business teams or “startup companies” throughout the course, providing further direction, feedback and encouragement. Typically mentors are entrepreneurs or individuals who have worked in startups or small businesses. Mentors should plan to spend 1-2 hours per week working with their teams.
“I had no idea the energy and creative ideas the students would give back to my career. It has been rewarding and inspiring watching the teams quickly grasp new concepts and apply them to their products and services. They have inspired me to think even more creatively,” says Business Incubator Coach 2014-2015.

If you are interested in becoming a Business Incubator coach or mentor please go to www.lfhsfoundation.org to download a volunteer application. Questions can be directed to lfhsfoundationbi@gmail.com.

Submitted by Lake Forest High School Foundation

Alvin Weinstein, Arman Talaefard, Jean Davidson, Marilyn Doane, Jerry Levin, Suzanne Noonan, Bill Schwartz, Harry Metropoulos, director Kate Hall

NORTHBROOK – The Northbrook Public Library hosted an ice cream social event on July 17 to honor its numerous volunteers and thank them for their invaluable contribution to the Library. At the event, volunteers and staff mingled over ice cream and root beer floats, chatting about the Library and enjoying a few words of thanks for their efforts.

“Our volunteers are one of the main sources of support for the Library,” said Assistant Director Andy Kim. “They provide a lot of flexibility and availability, which makes them a great complement to our staff. Plus, a great majority of [our volunteers] are Northbrook residents, which lends a lot to the Library’s relationship with the community.”

The Library is pleased to honor the following volunteers for their work:

• Marice Aiston
• Jan Alberts
• Angelita “Lita” Canela
• Mary Chadderdon
• Jean Davidson
• Marilyn Doane
• Yaseen Fawzi
• Stephen Ginardi
• Jason Golden
• Artemis Golzar
• Anastasia Gonzalez
• Daniel Hu
• Kathy Kather
• Kara Kramer
• Jerry Levin
• Harry Metropoulos
• Linda Nelson
• Suzanne Noonan
• Jim Ozimek
• Renee Roth
• Julie Schneider
• Bill Schwartz
• Anne Spivack
• Marilyn Takiff
• Arman Talaefard
• Gregory Wallenstein
• Alvin E. Weinstein

The Library would also like to thank Marcello’s for their help in recognizing the volunteers.

The Northbrook Public Library is located at 1201 Cedar Lane, Northbrook, IL 60062. For more information, visit www.northbrook.info.

LAKE FOREST – Moody’s Investors Service has once again issued a Aaa rating to The City of Lake Forest, which was assigned to the City’s planned issuance of up to $10.0 million General Obligation Bonds, Series 2015. Bids will be received on August 3 and a bond ordinance confirming the sale of the bonds will be considered by the City Council at their meeting that evening. The bond proceeds will finance infrastructure improvements identified in the City’s Five Year Capital Improvement Program as well as improvements in the City’s Laurel Avenue Tax Increment Financing District.

In assigning its highest rating available to municipal bonds, Moody’s noted the City’s large residential tax base, strong financial operations, sound reserves and operating flexibility, and favorable debt profile. Lake Forest remains in an elite group with a small percentage of municipalities in the United States with Aaa/AAA status granted by one of three national credit rating services. A copy of the detailed rating report is available on the City’s web site (www.cityoflakeforest.com).

“The Aaa rating is a testament to the City’s prudent and long-range financial management. In light of continued uncertainty, we are very proud to retain such a positive assessment,” said Mayor Don Schoenheider.

– Submitted by the City of Lake Forest

Jazzy Kerber, who trains at the North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center in Deerfield, claimed five medals at the Pan American Games in Toronto earlier this summer. Photography by Team Photo

Jasmine “Jazzy” Kerber’s eyes probably grew to the size of dinner plates. The impressionable Highland Park resident was four years old at the time, a spectator at her first rhythmic gymnastics performance. Girls executed unique moves to music in Northbrook Court, leaping and pirouetting and dancing.

Some of the gymnasts manipulated a ribbon or a hoop during their routines, others a ball or a pair of clubs. Kerber, mesmerized, watched. She wanted to try that. She wanted the opportunity to move spectators, to widen eyes.

“I got really interested in rhythmic gymnastics that day,” Kerber, now a recent 2015 Highland Park High School graduate, recalls. “I liked the music, the dance leotards … I started [that year] at the North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center [in Deerfield] and stuck with it. It was a sport that fit me the best.”

Some 14 years later, Kerber traveled to Toronto for the Pan American Games. Spectators watched her last month. Spectators also watched her receive four silver medals and a bronze medal in rhythmic gymnastics. The member of the USA delegation finished runner-up in the all-around (62.2 points) to Laura Zeng (64.575), a Libertyville High School sophomore-to-be and another North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center trainee. The 5-foot-5 Kerber, 18, also earned silver in three of the four apparatus segments (hoops, ball, ribbon) and bronze in the clubs category.

“It was exciting, definitely exciting, competing in a multi-sport meet like that,” Kerber says of the quadrennial gathering for athletes from the nations of the Americas. “It was a different feeling, helping Team USA add to its medal count. It was an interesting experience, pretty cool.”

Team USA ended up topping the Pan Am Games field in total medals (265) and gold medals (103), ahead of Canada (217, 78) and Brazil (141, 41). The Games started on July 10 and ended on July 26.

Kerber began performing on international stages at the age of 12, capturing bronze in the all-around at a tournament in Calais, a town in northern France. Her talent and passport have flown to Ukraine and Turkey and Portugal, among other countries. Before heading to Germany in September to compete for a third time at the World Championships, Kerber plans to vie for medals at World Cup meets in Bulgaria and Russia.

“I’m grateful for the multiple people who have helped me for all these years … 14 years now,” she says, alluding to North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center (NSRGC) owner and head coach Natalie “Natasha” Klimouk, a former rhythmic gymnastics coach of the Belarus National Team, and NSRGC coaches Angelina Yovcheva, Dani Takova and Irina Korosteleva.

“Natasha,” Kerber adds, “has a ton of knowledge, knows the process of raising gymnasts for top competitions, and she knows all about developing a gymnast’s technique and love for the sport.”

Typically, during her years at Highland Park High School, Kerber trained for four hours a day six days a week. In the summers, like the temperatures outside, her hours at NSRGC increased. There’s a lot going on in the sport, often all at once: the need to be precise, strong, flexible, explosive, graceful, balanced. Elite rhythmic gymnasts need to juggle more than just clubs. Much more.

“What people usually notice first about a rhythmic gymnast is her flexibility,” says Kerber, rhythmic all-around runner-up to Zeng at the USA Gymnastics Championships in June. “But you also have to control that flexibility, which requires strength. It takes energy, timing, the ability to stay calm. You can’t possibly think about everything all at once when you’re out there, and that’s why practicing for all those hours is important. Everything we do in a routine has to become a habit.”

Kerber and Zeng met each other four years ago at NSRGC, their second home, their launching pad to success in times zones all over the world. Zeng has been a big Jazzy Kerber fan since Day One. Some rhythmic gymnasts turn heads with their athleticism, others with their magnetism. The discipline is part sport, part art. It combines elements of gymnastics, ballet and dance. Kerber’s primary strength in rhythmic gymnastics doesn’t turn heads.

It yanks them.

“I love watching Jazzy perform because she’s so elegant,” Zeng says. “Her turns … they’re all elegant, so graceful. She motivates me when I watch her. She motivates me to work harder. Training next to her, it’s a great privilege.”

Kerber applied for admission to Stanford University and was accepted but chose to take a gap year, meaning she won’t enroll at the school until the fall of 2016. She will hit the mats full-time until then, though she will find time to travel between prestigious meets and hone her grasp of Russian, a language she started to learn in the fifth grade. Natives of Russia and other Eastern European countries have won more collective medals at Rhythmic gymnastics World Championships than any other region in the world has since the 1960s. Some of the best rhythmic gymnastics coaches in the world speak Russian. Some of the best rhythmic gymnastics judges speak Russian.

Why not speak Russian with the best? Why not learn from the best?

Not too long ago, after a long day at a meet, Kerber and Zeng rested and talked. The topic of world religions surfaced. Zeng posed some questions. Kerber had some answers, plus views, plus a captive audience of one.

“Jazzy,” Zeng says, “is not just kind and considerate. She is also intelligent. I love her intelligence. She started talking about Christianity and Judaism and other religions. And passages in the Bible. It turned into a lecture … a lecture I enjoyed. I took notes that night, on my computer. I learned so much from her that night.”

Jazzy Kerber. Tuan Nguyen Photography

Chris Carothers, a New Trier High School graduate, barks instructions to his eight oarsmen during the Henley Royal Regatta in England last month. Sumitted photo

Eight of Chris Carothers’ best friends in the world threw him as far and as high as they could in England last month. Some friends, huh? The 2012 New Trier High School graduate and senior-to-be at Yale University flipped horizontally on the way up, a 5-foot-8, 125-pounder wondering, in mid-toss, How is this going to end?

“I felt a ton of emotions going through me when I was up there,” Carothers, a Kenilworth resident and economics major, recalls. “I remember flying high and twisting and twisting some more.”

Carothers survived the harrowing ordeal that wasn’t really a harrowing ordeal, splashing down in the body of water where he and his favorite octet had just made Yale rowing history. Carothers, a coxswain (steersman in the stern of the boat), and the others had stunned heavily favored and five-time reigning national champion University of Washington by 2 ¼ lengths in the men’s eight final (Ladies’ Challenge Plate division) at the Henley Royal Regatta on July 5.

A varsity eight boat of Yale Bulldogs had never oared to victory at the storied regatta that was first held in 1839.

“It was a perfectly executed race,” Carothers says. “The guys trusted each other. There was a point in the [2,150-meter] race, about halfway, where I knew we could break Washington. We did that. It was incredibly satisfying at the finish, knowing all of our hard work had paid off. The guys in the boat … we all put school first. We all have a lot on our plates when we’re in school. But we find time to practice hard and train hard for 25-30 hours each week.”

The win avenged a loss to Washington in a national semifinal weeks earlier, and it was preceded by defeats of Ruderclub Germania Dusseldorf von 1904 in a quarterfinal on July 3 and of England’s Leander Club in a semifinal on July 4. The nine elated Ivy Leaguers approached their coach, Steve Gladstone, following the Henley Royal Regatta final and noticed something special, something …

“… kind of rare,” Carothers says. “He had a bright smile going. He then paused for a second or two and said, ‘Unbelievable job, guys. I love you guys.’ It was an incredible moment for all of us.”

None of the nine men was a Yale senior in 2014-15. None of the nine men assumes he won’t have to work hard to get the nod to row for the crew next spring. They all know how strong this year’s freshman class is expected to be.

When Carothers was a freshman at NTHS, in the fall of 2008, he was a 5-foot, 100-pounder, a quick and shifty kid. New Trier’s crew club had fall and spring seasons then. Carothers also enjoyed lacrosse. He did crew in the fall, ran around and through bigger and taller lacrosse players as a slippery attackman in the spring. His sophomore year arrived. He put away his lax stick, for good.

“A family friend was a coxswain at Dartmouth,” Carothers says. “He sat down with me, and we talked. I found out later I had a knack for that position.”

In the summer of 2010, before his junior year at NTHS, Carothers made the U.S. Junior Men’s Development Team. So did five other coxswains. The experience woke him up in a hurry, and he didn’t need a splash of lake water to the face to realize what he had to do to become an effective coxswain, or “the coach in the boat.” Carothers was shy and timid next to his fellow coxswains. A shy and a timid coxswain in a boat is akin to a shy and timid quarterback in a huddle. Uninspiring.

“That hurt me, the way I came across to those around me,” Carothers admits. “It was a huge learning experience. It was also a tough experience.”

Carothers made the national development team the following summer. He was a different coxswain, a completely different coxswain. He oozed confidence. He took charge. He inspired. The smallest guy in the boat got the attention of the bigger guys in the boat. That’s what effective coxswains do. That’s what Chris Carothers did. The former lacrosse attackman was now a young man interested in doing whatever he could to make sure his mates attacked races.

“A coxswain has a lot of responsibilities,” Hubert Trzybinski, a Yale senior-to-be and the Bulldogs’ 2016 varsity eight captain, says. “He makes calls, orders shifts, has to be aware of race strategies, has to implement those strategies and communicate strategies and advice to all kinds of characters in the boat, some outgoing and loud, others calm. Chris does a good job of getting a feel for the crew, of recognizing our moods and then, if necessary, of coming up with a solution to a challenge in the middle of a race.

“He’s a very good listener, with a strategic mind,” the native of Germany adds. “Chris is a calm, humble, modest guy. He’s also self-driven and very balanced, very level. Sometimes there’s tension in the boat, and he knows what to say to bring poise to the boat.”

Any day spent outdoors is a grand day for Carothers. Among his fondest memories before the start of his Yale days were trips to Cap Cod in the summers, boating and fishing and playing tennis and golf. A minute spent indoors was a minute too many.

“I loved being outside, in general, especially with members of my family,” Carothers says. “I still do. I also love meeting up with friends, being social. Summers are great. Summers are great after grueling winters, and winters in New Haven, Connecticut, are as grueling as they are in Chicago.”

Two times this past spring and once in the early summer, Carothers, thanks to a tradition and eight happy oarsmen, found himself airborne above water, the brief flight and ensuing plunge signifying a significant rowing victory, the sport’s equivalent of happy hoopsters snipping a net off a rim after a championship game.

“Chris,” Trzybinski notes, “is very photogenic when he’s in the air. I’ve seen pictures of him in the air after races. It’s like he was born to be a coxswain.”

Members of the Yale University rowing team send Carothers airborne. Submitted photo

Emma Patlovich, who verbally committed to the the University of New Hampshire earlier this summer, earned all-tournament honors at the USA Volleyball Nationals in New Orleans. Photography by Joel Lerner

The University of New Hampshire girls T-shirt, extra small, rests in a drawer in Emma Patlovich’s room, mostly taking up space. It not longer fits the Lake Bluff resident and junior-to-be volleyball player at Lake Forest High School. She was a 5-foot-5 seventh-grader at the point of purchase, a little sister joining big brother Jack on one of his college visits.

Little sister, probably still growing, is a 5-11 setter today, an impact player for a highly successful Sky High club volleyball team (16 Red), a Scouts varsity player since her freshman year and a … University of New Hampshire volleyball recruit. Her high school career hadn’t even reached the halfway mark when Patlovich verbally committed to set up hitters for the UNH Wildcats — the two-time reigning America East Conference champions — last spring, near the end of the second semester of her sophomore year.

“They’re calling me ‘Baby ’Cat,’ ” Patlovich, the first Class of 2017 recruit to commit to the Wildcats’ women’s volleyball program, says. “I attended a [weekend] camp there this summer. I met the 2016 recruits, the incoming freshmen, everybody. On my visit [last spring], I met with the coaches and watched a practice. The players made it seem like they’d known me for years.

“My dad [Mike] was shocked when I made my decision because I had made it so early. He was a walk-on baseball player at Miami of Ohio. I told him, ‘This is normal; athletes are making their college decisions earlier than ever.’ ”

It is not normal for a prospective athlete to have been courted by Division I college coaches after deciding to try a sport as an eighth-grader. Late. That’s late, way late in the game. But that’s when Emma Patlovich’s volleyball story started. She was a soccer center-midfielder and a basketball guard when she and two of her soccer friends, Ashley Williams and Claire Torkelson, headed to Vernon Hills for a Sky High volleyball season in the 13s division, under the guidance of club coach Jake Conrad. Patlovich liked to distribute soccer balls and pass basketballs, so, naturally, she felt quite comfortable lofting sets in her new sport.

“So many times, in basketball, I heard people shout, ‘Shoot, Emma, shoot!’ ” Patlovich recalls. “I guess I passed too much. But I loved passing in soccer and in basketball, and now I love setting for my hitters in volleyball.”

Her sets for Sky High’s 16 Red spikers this summer were dead-on, William-Tell-apple-shot accurate. Her Crystal Lake-based club (16 Red trains in Lake Barrington) finished third at the USA Volleyball National Championships in New Orleans June 23-July 2. She made the Division All-Tournament Team in The Big Easy. Weeks earlier, in the Windy City national qualifier held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Patlovich and her club mates went 9-0, dropping nary a set. Before that, 16 Red earned runner-up honors at the Mizuno Presidents’ Day Challenge at one of three Chicagoland sites in February, with Patlovich emerging as an all-tournament pick.

“Emma was a good player a year ago,” Sky High executive director and 18 Black coach Scott Harris says. “Now she’s twice player she was then. She’s a great athlete, passionate about the sport, determined. She anticipates well. She connects well with her hitters. Her consistency, her accuracy … those qualities make her an effective setter. Some setters get it quicker than other setters get it. Emma picked up setting quickly, and she grew confident along the way.

“Great kid, great family,” he adds.

Steven Bonnem, 16 Red coach, saw Patlovich play here and there for Sky High’s 15 Black team a year ago. He, too, noticed a different Emma Patlovich in 2015, a clear leader — what setters have to be at practices, in huddles, during points, in between points.

“Emma knows where her hitters are, knows exactly where to put the ball for each of them,” Bonnem says. “Her hitters love her, love her accuracy.”

Some hitters like high sets, others quick, medium deliveries. Patlovich makes sure she knows the preferences of her hitters and is quick to huddle, in mid-match, with a hitter if a connection had appeared to be a little off.

“Different speeds, different heights,” Patlovich, owner of soft hands and a 9-foot-5 approach touch, says of what she has to process before shoving a set to one of her targets. “It can be tricky. I like it when a hitter gives me feedback after a match or right after a point. It helps me. It helps the team. That’s what I love so much about volleyball, how it’s such a team sport. You need good team chemistry, and our club team had that, especially at McCormick Place at that qualifier.”

The 16 Red crew thumped its opponents there, leaving no doubt it deserved to represent the region at nationals in Louisiana. Woodstock High School junior-to-be and 16 Red libero Georgia Wicker, a former setter, enjoyed witnessing the roles Patlovich fulfilled in each of the team’s nine straight-set victories.

“Awesome. She was awesome,” Wicker says. “You should have seen her in our last match, the way she was picking everybody up, the way she was pumping everybody up. She was excited. She got us excited. Emma is an amazing setter, an amazing leader, and her blocking has improved. She takes charge, lets everybody know what to do, runs the court. It’s easy to tell, when she’s playing, she’s a leader.”

New Lake Forest High School volleyball coach Molly Grzesik, a middle hitter when she played for Indiana University’s club team, inherits Patlovich, the Scouts’ returning setter and the team’s leader in aces last fall. Good teams need eager, unpaid coaches on the floor. Patlovich is such a coach. Grzesik gets to rely on such a coach for two full seasons.

“She has a lot of energy,” Patlovich says of the former assistant girls and boys volleyball coach at Deerfield High School. “We’re excited about her and about the season.”

Back to Jack, Emma’s brother. He chose to attend the University of Dayton, not the University of New Hampshire. Emma got a glimpse of the UNH campus three years ago, as well as that small navy-and-white UNH T-shirt. She wears other UNH threads these days, fitting ones. She can’t wait to wear a UNH Wildcats volleyball uniform in 2017.

Patlovich is set. The setter’s future is all set.

Emma Patlovich. Photography by Joel Lerner

Emma Patlovich. Photography by Joel Lerner

Josh Bartelstein played his college basketball at the University of Michigan. Photography by University of Michigan

Playing basketball at a high level is all about building “sweat equity.”
“You’ve got to work at it,” Josh Bartelstein says. “You’ve got to put in the time.
“And I think that Chris (Wroblewski) and I are two good examples of the that,” adds Bartelstein.
Which is one of the reasons why Bartelstein and Wroblewski are teaming up — again — and conducting their inaugural Alumni Hoop Clinic.
This “interactive basketball boot camp” will feature collegiate drills and skill development.
“All players will take home a packet of drills to work on,” says Bartelstein.
Here’s the who, when and where:
— Grades 3-4: Aug. 22 (1-2:30 p.m.) at Highland Park High School.
— Grades 5-6: Aug. 22 (3-5 p.m.) at HPHS.
— Grades 7-8: Aug. 23 (10 a.m.-12 noon) at HPHS.
— Grades 9-12: Aug. 23 (1-3 p.m.) at Highwood Rec Center.
“We’ve been talking about doing this for a while,” Bartelstein says. “Our goal is to do it every year.”
Wroblewski and Bartelstein have been basketball buddies since kindergarten. During their junior and senior seasons, HPHS claimed back-to-back regional titles. The Giants finished with 23 wins in 2006-07. They won 22 the next season.
After graduating in 2008, Wroblewski went on to star at Cornell University, earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 and finishing his career with 1,202 points and 189 three-pointers. His free-throw percentage is eighth best in school history (.823). He also was a two-time team captain and Academic All-American.
Bartelstein (HPHS, ’08) played his college ball at the University of Michigan. The guard played in three NCAA tournaments and was the captain of the 2013 Final Four team. He was a member of the Big Ten championship team in 2012. And he was a two-time Big Ten Academic All-American.
The two players, who now live and work in Chicago, have stayed connected with HP basketball. This past winter, Wroblewski coached the eighth-grade boys feeder team. Bartelstein was the seventh-grade feeder coach.
“Doing this is a no-brainer. People in this community know our names and know we love basketball,” says Bartelstein. “It’s a chance to give back.”
The camp fee is $35.00, which includes a T-shirt. Interested players can reserve a spot by e-mail: alumnihoopclinic@gmail.com.

WILMETTE—George Scherb, formerly of Wilmette, passed away at the age of 81 on July 23, 2015 in Waupaca, Wisconsin.

He joins his first love, Mary, in God’s heavenly kingdom. He leaves behind his angel, wife Dorothy Heim Bentler; sister Eleanor (John) Kachmarik; brother Walter (Beverly) Scherb; beloved daughters Caryn and Lauryn; and cherished grandchildren of whom he was so fiercely proud: Andrew, the “big guy” and his fishing buddy; Jack, his “special;” and Kathryn, his “sweetheart” and the apple of his eye.

He is also survived by loving step-children Jennifer (Jeff) Barlow, Elisa (Tom) Sand, Bridget (Mike) Purchatzke, Brian (Teresa) Bentler and Laura (Kellen) Gintner; step-grandchildren Katie, Emily, Brenna, Jazzmen, Lexie, Serena, Levi, Adelyn, Karah, Dorothy, Bethany and Nathan; as well as his extended family, and many close and life-long friends.

George was born on March 25, 1934 and raised in Chicago, the son of Eleanor Pagel and Louis Scherb. He spoke often and proudly of his parents from whom he inherited his tremendous work ethic. George graduated with degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota, and was a life-long educator, in and out of the classroom. To him, every circumstance presented a teachable moment, which is why his children and grandchildren know (or should know) their way around all sorts of power tools, engines, rifles, tractors and tackle boxes. George could fix anything with the right tools, and liked to do things himself. He appreciated the value of a dollar. He was never shy about offering his opinion on the right way to get things done. He loved fishing, tinkering, and good food, including a good plate of liver & onions, raw hamburger with a slice of onion on rye, and a dish of home made pastichio. His delicious smoked fish and turkey were eagerly devoured and fondly remembered by family and friends, and he made a mean whiskey sour cocktail.

George raised his family in Wilmette, and was deeply involved with his church and teacher’s union. Upon his retirement from Niles Township High School, where he taught AP United States History, Waupaca became home. George was very active with the Waupaca Lion’s Club and Historical Society, and enjoyed his treks around town delivering Meals on Wheels. He made many treasured friends.

Among other things, his grandchildren will miss his love, generosity of spirit, sense of humor, funny faces and corned beef.

Visitation was held on Friday, July 31, 2015 at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1235 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the funeral service to follow at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Mary Scherb.

From the Wm. H. Scott Funeral Home

NORTHBROOK—A man was walking by a residence at 2311 Techney Road on July 25 when he felt he was aggressively approached by a German Shepherd that was off his leash, the man told police.

The man stated that in order to protect himself, he began running around a garden area on the property and accidentally trampled some flowers.

The resident of the property, who owned the German Shepard, allegedly approached the man, began yelling at him, and shoved him in the chest, almost knocking him over.

The resident, 55-year-old Everardo Herrera, denied that his odg approached aggressively, but police said he gave officers differing accounts with regards to the confrontation. Herrera was cited under a local ordinance for disorderly conduct and released at the scene.

From the Glenview police blotter; please note that an arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt. Only a court of law can make that determination.

The Double-Cut Smoked Pork Chop is a decadent treat at the Wilmette Chop House. Photography by Joel Lerner

There is a sign on the way to the kitchen of the Wilmette Chop House that purports to break down the culinary hierarchy into one tyrannical, easy-to-digest maxim.

“The chef is always right,” the sign not so much says as declares in big, bold letters.

But what if that very same chef is also the owner, head waiter, bartender, and food runner? More on that later.

In August of last year, the Wilmette Chop House opened on the very spot where the bakery that made the first Midwest Girl Scout Cookies was located. Since the opening, they’ve featured succulent choice, prime, and certified-Angus steaks; at least seven sides; daily seafood specials, and two soups every day. The space is cozy — remember, it used to be a bakery — and brings to mind a Parisian bistro abutting a moonlit cobblestone street.

Lawrence Hulseman is the chef of this outfit. Hulseman wears many hats — actually, wears all the hats.

Chef Lawrence Hulseman

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you’ll generally see him by himself, a one-man culinary dynamo. When service ramps up towards the weekends, he employs a handful of waitstaff and chefs to service the 12 tables inside and five outside. One helper is his 17-year-old son, who has ambitions to become a chef like his father.

The phone rings. Hulseman hustles to get it.

“What could I do for you?” he asks rhetorically. “I can have champagne waiting for you or make a specific dessert for you or an individual plate — I’m happy to do that as well.”

He gets off the line, intimating it was a call concerning an anniversary meal. They may well order the Double-Cut Smoked Pork Chop, which is certainly a decadent treat for a special occasion.

“It’s really succulent. It’s got a lot of great flavor by itself, but this pork chop is smoked for such a long period of time that it has a holiday ham quality to it,” notes Hulseman. “It falls right off the bone. When you’re doing it with the bananas, you’ve got sweet and smokiness together. It’s just a great combination.”

Sweetness and smokiness is an apt way to describe Hulseman, as he disappears, almost in a cloud of smoke, to tend to something in the kitchen. The magician pulling the levers and ringing the bells, making food appear with a smile and a wink.

Wilmette Chop House is located at 1162 Wilmette Ave in Wilmette. Call 847-278-2462 for reservations.

TOTAL TIME: 6 hours

SERVES: 1-2

Wilmette Chop House’s Double-Cut Smoked Pork Chop

1 pound pork chop

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1 plantain

1 ounce brandy

Sautée all ingredients to desired coloring, then carefully pour in brandy to flame — burning off alcohol. Pour sauce over grilled double-cut pork chop (after smoking it, if possible for six hours) and serve pork fully cooked.

Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus signed a picture of themselves during their 1963 match at Glen Flora Country Club.

It’s been a bonanza of late for professional golf on the North Shore. With the BMW Championship and the Encompass Championship being contested in Lake Forest and Glenview the past few years, golf fans have been able to watch the best in the game up close.

But what if the three top players in their prime played a local course in a two-day tournament to the delight of a few thousand spectators, the biggest names in the sport who ended up winning more than two dozen majors combined?

That’s what happened in 1963 when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player competed for a $50,000 purse at Glen Flora Country Club in Waukegan. Imagine Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson gathering at Indian Hill for a battle, and you’ll get the idea.

The event was organized by the legendary Mark McCormack, once referred to by Sports Illustrated as “the most powerful man in sports.” His International Management Group turned those three golfers into wealthy celebrities thanks to the power of television and endorsements.

Recalls Dave Hiner, who boasts almost as many Glen Flora Country Club championships (20) as that trio does majors, “I followed them for the whole event. I remember they hit quite a few three woods when teeing off as Glen Flora’s fairways are very tight.”

At the par-70 course marked by those narrow fairways along with slick, undulating greens, Player’s rounds of 67 and 69 prevailed for first place (the course record is 65). On the last day, Nicklaus reached all 18 greens in regulation but could only manage a 70.

Hiner played a round with Player before the tournament that weekend.
“He was very kind to me and asked questions about the course, such as how the greens broke, yardage marker accuracy, and the like,” says Hiner, a Glen Flora member since the Eisenhower Administration. “This was a practice round so he hit two or three balls on some holes. He probably was two or three under par.
“Some years later I ran into Mr. Player at another course. We visited briefly, and he talked about having played at Glen Flora and especially remembered our seventh green — which is quite memorable.”

The course today, built in 1911, is much the same as it played a half century ago. That seventh green is as tough as ever, almost like a miniature golf course with its two small hills causing putting havoc. The ninth hole is an uphill dogleg that offers a sharp test for amateurs, and one needs a perfect tee shot over water to reach the par-three 11^th.

With today’s great golfers in no need to supplement their eight-figure income, the chances of a similar match occurring in these parts is as likely as me firing a hole in one. But during one memorable weekend, the best in the game captivated the area. Says Hiner, “It was very exciting for the members of Glen Flora and for the city of Waukegan. I enjoy recalling that time.”

Enjoy the weekend.

David Sweet
Editor in Chief
david@northshoreweekend.com
Twitter: @northshorewknd

Barbara Stark-Nemon Illustration by Barry Blitt

Cherubs spin lazily while suspended from the ceiling at Cafe Buongiorno in Winnetka. What was once a decoration for Valentine’s Day has now become a lasting staple, chubby winged ornaments grinning from cheek to cheek.

“Children love them,” says our server. Natural light pours in from the almost floor-to-ceiling windows as I take a seat across from Barbara Stark-Nemon.

The speech-language pathologist turned author is at the tail end of a book tour for her first novel.

“I haven’t been home for more than 72 hours since April,” Stark-Nemon tells me.

But you won’t find her complaining, even with what is a comparatively punishing schedule. She enjoys touring, with its barnstorming, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants mentality.

Stark-Nemon orders a coffee and eggs and prosciutto. That last one especially “is so not kosher,” says the Jewish author, laughing. “Oh well!”

On Oct. 14, Stark-Nemon will be back in Illinois for “Even in Darkness: Family Histories, Family Mysteries . . . Legacy of the Holocaust on the Generations” at Am Shalom in Glencoe. In cooperation with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Stark-Nemon will share her family’s splintered history, told through the semi-fictional account in her novel.

“Even in Darkness” takes its name from the Book of Psalms, the third section of the Old Testament. “Even in darkness light dawns,” is its inspirational message; one that resonates throughout the novel about Stark-Nemon’s great aunt in World War II Germany.

Stark-Nemon’s grandfather was a vivid storyteller. As a young girl, she would sit captivated by his stories. Most were of the Old World. Many had to do with his sister, Kläre Kohler, who visited the United States when Stark-Nemon was only five. Kläre, unlike the rest of the family, still spoke only German.

Says Stark-Nemon, “Her life was a little mysterious — like what was she doing there?”

While most of the family was able to escape Germany, settling in Belgium, England, and the U.S., Kläre made the harrowing choice to stay. Her husband was ill with severe palsy and being sick meant not being able to secure an affidavit that would allow him to leave the country. Kläre stood by him, in the process witnessing the explosion of anti Semitism that culminated with the SS eventually coming for her.

Kläre was sent to the Theresienstadt Ghetto, a concentration camp in what is now the Czech Republic. Like many of the Nazi concentration camps, the entrance was marked by the words “Arbeit macht frei” (work makes you free). While the slogan was a false promise, Kläre found work as a massage therapist. The position allowed her to survive day-to-day: avoiding the trains that were leaving daily for Auschwitz. In other words, certain doom.

Leo Baeck, the German rabbinical scholar, “called her the angel of Theresienstadt because she was so inspirational to other people,” says Stark-Nemon.

From darkness, a relationship with a commandant blossomed. But true happiness would eventually come after liberation, in as unconventional of a life as Kläre could have ever expected: sharing the second half of her life with a Catholic priest half her age.

Even through all of the hardships she faced — loss of loved ones, separated family members, surviving a concentration camp — “she never stopped being Jewish,” notes Stark-Nemon. Only a handful of their friends in the sleepy town of Dülken where they lived knew she was Jewish.

“There was such an aura around the two of them,” Stak-Nemon recalls. “They never had a bad day.”

Writing about their story was always at the top of Stark-Nemon’s bucket list. Finally, she was able to dedicate the necessary time. It was a labor of love. The book required 15 years of research: traveling to Germany several times, the Czech Republic to visit Theresienstadt, Israel where Kläre’s son had escaped to.

Research, indeed, abounds in this novel. The colossal amount of historic and local reference does nothing to lessen the immediacy of the moment: Stark-Nemon writes with an intimate elegance, as if she, herself, had stood witness to the fracturing of her extended family to the far corners of the globe. As if she was there at Theresienstadt when hope was in as short supply as meager meal rations. As if she was there to witness the newfound love brought together by tragedy, firsthand.

When Kläre passed away, Stark-Nemon received her personal effects. Included were letters to her son in Israel written on bread wrappings (letters feature prominently in the novel), work papers, and her great aunt’s faded yellow star.

If she were sitting under the lackadaisical spin of a cherub today, Kläre would’ve approved of Stark-Nemon’s meal.

“This is in honor of her, because she made a killer hollandaise sauce and loved schinken (ham).”

Stark-Nemon recalls her great aunt’s vitality; her profound appreciation and lust for life. In that respect, this isn’t another Holocaust story: a flower, taken in its prime, slowly withering in a dark room. This is a story of hope in the face of atrocity.

Says Stark-Nemon, “This transcends — it’s a model for how you can live through trauma and not be defeated by it.”

Be alert to IRS phone scams. Daily North Shore recently heard about an elderly woman who was victimized by a phone scammer until her family figured out something was up and was able to put a stop to it. Lake Forest Police Deputy Chief Craig Lepkowski said police are seeing more and more of this type of scam.

“The IRS phone scam usually rears its head around tax time, but it seems to be occurring more frequently now,” he told Daily North Shore. “All suspicious or unexpected calls purporting to be from government agencies should be verified. The caller can look up the agency’s phone number and verify the caller’s name, badge number, etc…
DO NOT call any numbers the suspicious caller provides because they often work with others who pretend to be in a call center or company/department/agency switchboard.”

This is what happened to a local family (they asked to remain anonymous so as not to embarrass their beloved mom, who is 92 years old and lives locally):

In late July, my 92-year-old mother received a call from a man who said he was from the IRS. He told her she owed the IRS $3,000 and if she did not wire the money ASAP, all her assets would be seized. Furthermore, she was told not to tell anyone; if she did, she would go to jail and so would anyone she told.

My mother believed these threats. She told neither her primary caregiver (my sister) nor her accountant. We discovered this scam only because my sister arrived at my mother’s house when she was talking to this despicable man and observed that she was shaking. Fortunately, we were able to stop this scam in its tracks. Once informed, my mother’s accountant said he has seen a number of these IRS scams lately. Elderly people are especially vulnerable.

Please warn your family and friends about this scam. The phone number used in my mother’s case was 206-395-2014. Keep in mind that the IRS will never: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; 2) demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe; 3) require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; 4) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or 5) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

Our family hopes that by sharing this information with you, we can help prevent this kind of terror being perpetrated on your loved ones.

Prevention is the only way to fight back! If you receive a call like the one described above, regardless of whether you fall for it or not, you should:

1. Fill out and submit the Department of Treasury Identity Theft Affidavit at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f14039.pdf. The IRS will mark your account to identify questionable activity.
2. Fill out and submit the Department of Treasury IRS Impersonation Scam Report at <a href=”http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml”>www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml</a>
3. Report the incident and phone number to your local police department.

WINNETKA –  Come hang out at the coolest place in Winnetka – the Winnetka Ice Arena (490 Hibbard Road) on Friday, August 14 from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. We’re kicking off the skating season with a free evening of skating and raffles for the entire family. Attendees will also receive an exclusive 10% off Session 1 registration, that night only.

For more information contact the Winnetka Ice Arena at (847) 501-2060.

Animal Education & Rescue presents All About Dogs Seminar.

Learn about:

• Dog behavior
• Genetics versus nurture
• Socialization
• Breed characteristics—what you need to know

We will briefly touch on local laws and ordinances, with a Q&A session at the end.

Monday, August 17, 7 to 9 p.m.

Civic Center, Room A, 135 West Church Street, Libertyville, Illinois

Seminar fee: $5.00 each for AEAR volunteers and $10.00 per person to the general public.

RSVP to (847) 816-0831 or info@aear.org.

NORTHBROOK – Heartland Animal Shelter is asking for help in locating a dog that went missing after the shelter was broken into between 5 p.m. on August 1 and 8 a.m. on August 2. The dog is an 8-year-old male Jack Russell Terrier-mix who goes by the name of Mr. Reese.

Mr. Reese was close to finding his forever home when he was taken, leaving staff, volunteers and his prospective adoptive family devastated, according to a press release from the shelter.

Mr. Reese is microchipped through 24PetWatch; his ID number is 0A14122233. The shelter is offering a $1,000 reward for his safe return, according to Angelique Walker, shelter manager. If you have information about Mr. Reese, please contact Walker at 847-361-1901 or the Prospect Heights Police at 847-398-5511.

Heartland Animal Shelter is a no-kill humane organization located at 2975 Milwaukee Ave. Northbrook, and is dedicated to finding homeless animals their forever homes while educating the public on spaying and neutering their pets in order to decrease pet over population. Because Heartland is a 501(c) 3 organization, all donations are tax deductible.

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This Letter to the Editor is from Gail Schechter, Executive Director
Open Communitie . Letters to the Editor represent the writers’ opinions and not necessarily those of Daily North Shore.

Among concerns regarding an 18-acre development planned for construction on Skokie Boulevard, a lack of affordable housing is top of list for Open Communities’ Executive Director Gail Schechter.

Schechter spoke at a July 7 building and zoning hearing, reminding officials and attendees of Northbrook’s commitment to fair housing as part of its recent comprehensive plan.

On behalf of the organization, which advocates for inclusive communities and social justice in north suburban Chicago, Schechter submitted the following open letter to Daily North Shore for community consideration.

She highlights Northbrook’s current housing landscape and what the community can do to meet the fair housing goals outlined as part of the Village’s Comprehensive Plan.

“The question is not why affordable housing, but rather: why not?” she writes.

The building and zoning committee will reconvene Tuesday, 7 p.m. at Village Hall to discuss this and other related matters.

Letter to the Editor

“The question is not why affordable housing, but rather: why not?”

“Provide housing that meets the needs of the entire population of Northbrook” is the first priority listed in Northbrook’s Comprehensive Plan under “Neighborhoods, Housing & Community Diversity Goals & Strategies,” the Village’s “guide” for the next decade.

Northbrook knows it has a housing crisis. Housing prices are rising at a significantly faster rate than incomes. The Village documents that the home price-to-income ratio has increased from two to four in just 35 years. The housing for those with lower incomes in Northbrook is designated only for seniors. According to the State of Illinois, Northbrook’s affordable housing stock declined from 5.3 percent to 4.4 percent over the last 15 years, with only 522 out of over 12,000 housing units affordable to those earning between $40,000 and $60,000 per year.

Last year, Northbrook passed on a tremendous opportunity to ensure that the housing developed at the Northshore 770 development serves families at all income levels and family types. As it is now, 347 small, all-luxury rental units are slated to open this coming December.

But it’s not too late for an 18-acre parcel of land directly to its south, 1000 Skokie Blvd.

Within a 30 minute ride on transit, 66,863 jobs are available from this address, according to the Center for Neighborhood Technology. And within this job rich area, many employers are within walking distance which cuts down on traffic and also benefits the environment.

Northbrook has an opportunity to make good on the promise of its Comprehensive Plan. It can tell LTF Real Estate Company that at least 15 percent of the 338 rental units must be affordable to the workforce. These 50 apartments would go a long way toward meeting Northbrook’s housing goals.

And the Village can tell the developer that having 70 percent of the units be one-bedroom apartments does not meet the spirit of Northbrook’s goal of diversity. With an estimated 100 people slated to work in the new 1000 Skokie Blvd. mixed-use complex, where will they and their families live?

Northbrook’s Plan Commission next public hearing about the 1000 Skokie Blvd. development plan is August 4^th. In addition to the apartments, LTF plans to build a LifeTime Fitness luxury spa and a Children’s Learning Adventure luxury daycare center. They are asking for several zoning variations with no clear “public benefit” – a requirement in the granting of exemptions – in return for these exclusive amenities. Affordable housing could be a significant public benefit.

Open Communities, with over 70 north suburban partners, has launched the 2015 Justice Project: The March Continues as a platform for communities to become more just, open and welcoming to all. One way to get there is to have housing within the community that is attainable for all people.

We are asking the Village of Northbrook to follow through with its Comprehensive Plan and Affordable Housing Plan and foster affordable units in this robust location. The Village could work with the developer and groups like Open Communities on ways to make units affordable and it can reach out to people who work in the community and would like to live here, such as municipal employees.

In the process of leading this fruitful collaboration, the Village can market the Northbrook as, in President Sandy Frum’s words in a recent message to us, “a socially responsible, well-established and inclusive community.”

Gail Schechter, Executive Director
Open Communities
Contact: (847) 501-5760, ext. 406 or gail@open-communities.org

GLENVIEW/NORTHBROOK – Attention former Central Suburban League soccer players!

Miss your high school teammates and nostalgic for some spirited competition? Did you graduate before 2005 from a school that plays in the CSL?

If you answered yes, then join the first-annual CSL Alumni Soccer Tournament, Aug. 8 from 12 to 4 p.m. at Techny Fields.

Spearheaded by a committee of four area alumni, the event will benefit Youth Services of Glenview-Northbrook, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering the social and emotional well-being of local children and youth. All participant registration fees ($20 minimum) and any donations will go directly to YSGN and the services it provides.

Scheduled for the last weekend before area high schools begin their fall sports seasons, the event is a chance to look back and reconnect, explained co-organizer Paul Vignocchi.

“The whole philosophy behind this is to reminisce about our high school playing days,” shared Vignocchi, a Glenbrook North grad and the school’s current assistant athletic director. “CSL is one of the oldest conferences in Illinois with so many great schools and a lot of amazing achievements on the North Shore.”

Currently, the tournament has more than 30 registered participants with many more expected Aug. 8. Vignocchi said he’s excited for growth potential with the event in the next several years, “especially once we have some buzz,” he added.

Alumni are also invited to a social gathering following the tournament.

“We’re not event planners or anything,” Vignocchi said. “But we had this idea last year and wanted to see it happen and involve a great cause. I’m excited to see everyone come out!”

To register, please fill out this form. Questions or want to know more? Email cslsocceralumni@gmail.com and check out the group on Twitter and Facebook. Limited t-shirts will be available day-of the event, so arrive early.

Credit: Glenview Chamber of Commerce

GLENVIEW – This summer, businesses here are coming together to offer scores of sweet prizes in support of a great cause.

The Win with the Bear campaign, which kicked off the third week of July and represents merchants, restaurants and services from across the Village, encourages local shoppers to keep their dollars close to home.

With every purchase, 1.75% goes to support Glenview’s public services, explained Betsy Baer, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, which organized the event.

“That’s why we say, ‘When you shop local, your whole hometown wins.’”

Outside of giving back to your community, participating shoppers stand to win a host of prizes, including the grand prize: a GoPro Hero 4 waterproof camera, which retails for nearly $400.

“First, you’ll get connected with dozens of business and organizations you may not know well. And you could win a great prize. And you’ll get the benefit of shopping local,” Baer shared of the campaign.

Win with the Bear is designed to help people discover every type of business and organization Glenview has to offer. The range is big, it’s varied, it’s surprising.”

How it works: just visit any one of 78 area businesses and organizations and enter as often as you like. When shoppers enter a drawing at a participating local spot, they also receive a form for the grand prize drawing. The campaign concludes with this final drawing on Sept. 11 at Glenview Bank and Trust.

“You could make Win with the Bear part of your Saturday errands,” suggested Jerry Doetsch President of the Glenview Chamber of Commerce.

Drop off a video at Family Video-Marco’s, and enter to win pizza and 30 days of rentals at half price. Stop by Harrison’s to get some chicken, and enter to win a $50 gift certificate. Then take your entry forms over to Glenview Bank and Trust.”

Among the prizes: a haircut, color, and styling, plus manicure and pedicure; four terrace box seats for a Cubs/Cardinals game; a pizza party for 10; three 90-minute massages; and more (click here for a complete list of Win with the Bear participants and prizes).

Curious about the Bear’s origins?

“He’s been around since 1917,” Baer explained, referring to the statue that stands at the entrance of Jackman Park (and adding that her name is just a fun coincidence). “Glen is the symbol of Glenview, a gift to the Village, and he was excited to participate.”

Comprised of more than 450 businesses in Glenview and the region, the Glenview Chamber of Commerce works to make Glenview a great place to live, work and own a business. 

The new fence 

HIGHWOOD – The U.S. military recently erected a 10-foot-high chain-link fence topped with barbed wire on land it owns – and lots of people used to walk and run on – about a quarter-mile north of the Walker Avenue entrance of Openlands Lakefront Preserve.

The fenced-off land is an old U.S. Army landfill now owned by the U.S. Navy and managed by the Army, explained Aimee Collins, Openlands Lakeshore Preserve site manager.

“Openlands’ property boundaries lay where our paved path currently ends on either side of the Navy’s property. Openlands is working with the military to figure out where our trail connection will be placed,” she said.

Previously, people used the Navy landfill to get from one lakefront Openlands area to the next without disruption. Now they need to go around the fence via residential streets in the military housing area, from Johnston to Patten to Chatfield Drives.

Signs warning people they no longer have access to land that once connected Openlands’ lakefront property in Highwood and Highland Park.