The souvenir was an unusual choice. With the fighting in Germany now over, Sgt. Robert J. Roeber decided to bring home an enemy hospital sign. […]
Season’s greetings from the Navy’s LST-77
Roger L. Christie selected a postcard with an image of the ship he sailed on, the USS LST-77. He wrote a brief message to a […]
An English war bride teaches music at the Latin School of Chicago
In 1941, Mary Younghusband was a newly certified school teacher. She did not imagine that her career would take her beyond the limits of her […]
Dance crazy: swinging to the music in wartime Chicago
During World War II, Chicago’s ballrooms, hotels, and other dance venues, buzzed with activity. In those uncertain times Americans celebrated life with dance. Providing a […]
A Polish refugee learns the ‘GI Salute’ in 1950
Stanley Kozak, born Stanisław, was my great-uncle. As a teenager he was abducted by the Nazis during the Second World War, and he ultimately settled in Chicago as a war refugee. He was then called upon to serve his adopted country in 1950.
Glenview’s Baxter Laboratories saves American war wounded
Baxter International Inc. is a healthcare company with a global presence. Its first major production facility was in Glenview, Illinois, and within the space of […]
The 28 submarines that sailed up the Chicago River
On the Chicago Riverwalk just west of Outer Drive Bridge, before the Columbus Drive bridge, exists a memorial dedicated to the United States Navy’s submariners. […]
Hackney’s on Harms, and the time they served patrons tear gas
Just south of Lake Avenue on Harms Road in Glenview is ‘Hackney’s on Harms’. Serving customers ever since the Prohibition Era, Hackney’s is a popular […]
Big noise in a little forest: Camp Skokie Valley
Blue Star Memorial Woods is located in the Village of Glenview, a community on Chicago’s affluent North Shore. Inside these woods was once a vibrant […]
Writing home: life in the Navy’s ‘black’ boot camp
The small manila envelope sat on top of a tray of old documents. Curious to know what was inside, I picked it up and slid […]