THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2007
Autumn Is A Good Time To Go Back To School
Off The Record
By TODD WESSELL
Last weekend was a time of reminiscing and wonder as I decided to take the plunge and attend my high school homecoming football game followed by a visit to the University of Iowa.
In the 37 years since graduation day from Maine West High School, I had never returned for the sole purpose of watching a football game from a fan's perspective. In the late 1970s, I covered many football games for the Journal, snapping pictures and writing stories. That's different from just watching a game for pure enjoyment and greeting friends and occasionally spotting a former classmate.
Friday night, the home field bleacher side was packed with Warrior loyalists clad in the school colors of blue, gold and white. Across the field, only a few people sat in the Niles North opposing team's stands.
Much of what I noticed as I walked down the cinder track toward the Maine West team bench area looked the same as it did nearly four decades ago. The kids, they too sounded and looked the same. An enterprising student in the stands was making as much noise as he could by pounding away on a drum.
There were a few signs of change such as the presence of a new equipment building to the south of the home field bleachers and a few tents that had been erected north of the stands. There, Athletic Booster parents sold an array of t-shirts, sweatshirts, blankets and other items to raise funds for school programs.
While I didn't see any long ago classmates, I saw from a distance a teacher who was a part of the Maine West scene in the late 1960s. The school song: "Hail To Thee The Blue, Gold and White", played by the Warrior band, didn't miss a beat.
The next day, Carolyn and I drove the 225 miles to Iowa City where our oldest daughter, Erin, is a senior at the University of Iowa. The Hawkeye campus is a beautiful layout with buildings and dormitories on either side of the Iowa River. The terrain is hilly and the campus compact. Leaves had begun to fall covering with a thin layer sidewalks and grass.
In the center of campus stands the 75,000-seat Kinnick Stadium where the football team plays. It's named after Nile Kinnick, Iowa's first Heismann Trophy winner. Surrounding the famous arena are university hospital buildings, old single family homes and nearby, the basketball stadium.
This weekend, it's back on the road to Illinois State University in Normal for homecoming activities that include attending the Redbird football game. All the while, our youngest daughter, Katie, will be showing us around. She's a History major and her dream is to become a high school teacher in that field. Erin, who majors in political science, wants to become an attorney.
From school setting back to local topics, we had a nice conversation with new Des Plaines Fire Chief Randy Jaeger last week following publication of our recent story about his illness.
Jaeger said he hopes to be back on the job in three to four weeks as his recovery from a brain aneurysm continues.
"Fortunately, there was no paralysis," he said explaining that surgery was performed on Sept. 26.
"I'm sure there will be several months of recuperation," Randy added. "It could have been alot worse." He said the timing of his illness couldn't have been worse having just taken over for John Heavey who retired.