Friends forever
Seven JT grads have kept in touch for 50 years

By Scott Deininger
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS

Friends are friends forever. That sounds great in greeting cards or in the movies. Well for seven women from Joliet, forever has spanned some 50 years.

This year, June 20-22, the Joliet Township High School class of 1953 celebrates its 50-year high school reunion. Six women from that class, along with one from the class of '52, have kept in close touch over the years. What began as a simple luncheon in the early 1980s has become an annual event over the past 20 years.

The '53 grads include Diane (Klafter) Simpson, Marjo (Seron) Kraft, Nancy (Felman) Vincent, Margie (Turley) Grohne, Beverly (Purnell) von Winckler and Ida (Colonna) Porter. Sally (Davis) Schoch is a class of '52 graduate.

Not only did all the girls attend Joliet Township together, but they also went to Farragut Grade School. Over the years, college took them to different cities nationwide, and then marriages and families followed.

Their careers range from teachers and a real estate agent to an artist and business owners. They all make their homes in the Chicago area, living as far south as Wilmington and as north as Evanston.

Since the early 1980s, the women have met each year at each other's homes for lunch around Christmastime. Last year they took their show on the road back to where it all began: Joliet. The beautifully restored Jacob Henry Mansion played host to their gathering.

Although many years have passed since the days of Farragut, the women are still a lively act. Some of them make frequent travels abroad, while others prefer to enjoy the American scenery.

Here's a look at seven ladies who take friendship to a whole new level.

Sally (Davis) Schoch

Sally Schoch has been an artist for most of her life since graduating from JT. She has done oil paintings as well as some weaving. She has four children and three grandchildren. Her oldest is son Bret, who is an investment banker; Brad is an architect; Kari is an art wholesaler; and Brandon works in the restaurant industry.

Sally's been married to her husband, Richard, a class of '49 JT graduate for 40 years. They make their home in Wilmette. Richard is retired from the Jack Daniel's distillery.

"We never really gave it a second thought," Sally said on keeping in touch with the women. "You just kind of go on living your own life and go your own way after high school. But then we realized we're all in the same area and we should meet for lunch once in a while."

In 1962, Sally graduated with a master's degree in drawing and painting from the Illinois Art Institute. She worked in commercial art soon after for a short time.

Some of Sally's work has been offered up at school auctions. She focused on weaving while she was raising her children since it wasn't as messy as painting. When the children were old enough, she went back to painting. Now the grandchildren visit her house and dabble in some painting of their own.

"It used to be tough to get us all together," she said. "We had so much going on. Now we drop anything in order to make the date."

"We don't talk too much about those we went to school with," she said. "There is so much going on with the seven of us and the changes in our lives over the years. From having kids to our kids having kids, every year is precious."

Nancy (Felman) Vincent

"It's impossible," Nancy Vincent said. "There is no way we graduated from high school 50 years ago. We're all so young. I think we've gotten better with age."

Nancy has been married to her husband, Harry, for four years. They make their home in Hinsdale. She has five children from a previous marriage. Stu is a doctor; Steve is a financial consultant; Amy is a real estate agent in New York City; Sarah is in public relations in New York City; and Meg is a teacher.

The couple has 22 grandchildren between them, 11 each.

Nancy graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts where she studied government. She recently retired from Baird and Warner Real Estate Agency in Hinsdale, the largest independent real estate company in Illinois, after 25 years.

"Meeting with the girls has become part of our holiday tradition," Nancy said. "Sometimes one of us has to miss a year, and we really feel that. But when we're all together, those are cherished times. Occasionally we go down memory lane, but we try to keep it in the here and now for the most part."

Nancy said that the women are really good friends who simply enjoy each other's company.

"There is nothing like your peers," she said. "We're with our children and our grandchildren a lot. There's a certain part of you that yearns to talk to somebody who is your same age and has been though many of the same things. We all pretty much understand one another in a way that no other relationship seems to match."

Diane (Klafter) Simpson

Diane Simpson has been an artist since she was a young girl at Farragut Grade School. She credits one of her teachers, Mrs. Johansen, with some great encouragement early on. At Joliet Township, Mr. Kurtz continued furthering Diane's abilities. She would take the train from Joliet to Chicago for a Saturday class at the Art Institute.

"That ride really got me excited about art as a career," Diane said.

Diane has been married to her husband, Ken, for 47 years. They have three children and six grandsons. Their oldest child is Julie, who works in Chicago in the Columbia College art department; David is a documentary filmmaker in Chicago; and Leah is a social worker in the Chicago area.

Diane and Ken live in Wilmette. Ken is a retired doctor of urology who also has worked in the field of medical ethics.

Diane attended the University of Illinois for her first two years and then graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago, receiving a master's degree. Some of Diane's work can be seen in Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Institute and the Thompson Center.

"Art is such a part of my life," Diane said. "My work and my life are bound together. I don't think I could survive if I didn't do artwork. Most artists feel that way. It's a need to be creative."

Over the years, Diane has done paintings, drawings and sculptures. She's also been fascinated with architecture and structure combined with clothing ideas. Her latest project, called "Sources Transformed," ended April 25 at Chicago's Northeastern University in the Fine Arts Center Gallery. "We've gone through all phases of life together," Diane said of the friends. "We've always discussed our families and how they've changed over the years. We've all cried together over the sad things and laughed over the crazy memories. Having known each other's families so close, we have empathy for whatever goes on."

"We sort of go back into our youth again when we all meet up," she said. "There are certain things that people wouldn't know about you unless they were really close. We have that special bond and uniqueness about us."

Margie (Turley) Grohne

Margie Grohne graduated from Joliet Township in 1953 and attended the University of Colorado in Boulder. There she gained her bachelor's degree in education and then taught a year of kindergarten at her grade school alma mater, Farragut.

Little did Margie know that the young man who gave her rides to Nelson's Ice Cream Shop on his Schwinn bicycle would become her husband. That young man, Dave, also went to school at the University of Colorado and later graduated with an MBA from Northwestern University. Dave has owned a structural steel business, Independence Tube Co., since 1976 with locations in Chicago and Marseilles.

Margie and Dave have been married for 45 years and have three children and seven grandchildren. They have lived in Wilmington for 12 years. Her husband has nicknamed their home "the grandchild trap" due to all the outdoor activities that are loved by their grandkids.

Their oldest child, Jeff, works in computer software sales. Patty is a mother of three and also does some work with a steel tubing company in Chicago. Jennifer is a stay-at-home mother with four children.

Margie has traveled through much of Europe and to South Africa. On a guided river tour five years ago in Africa, Margie and Dave were knocked out of their boat. A giant hippopotamus tipped over their boat, consisting of two other couples and the tour guide.

"Being outdoors people, we weren't that scared even though we were the only ones who fell in the water," Margie said. "But we later found out that hippos can bite a human in half and are potentially more dangerous than alligators. Luckily all that happened near the end of our trip."

Like the other women, their meeting in the winter means a lot to Margie.

"No matter whose house we meet at, we always manage to pick up where we left off the year before," Margie said. "Having the luncheons at each other's houses really adds something to the whole event. And every seven years I know it's my turn."

Margie knows that keeping in touch this way is a testament to the people of Joliet.

"People are always amazed that we keep track of one another the way we do," Margie said. "It's really something to have such a tradition. There is really nothing like old friendships."

Beverly (Purnell) von Winckler

"We liked each other in grade school, we liked each other in high school, and we still like each other," Beverly von Winckler said when asked initially about the relationship between the women. "When we meet, we sit around a table and talk ... and talk and talk. There's never a lull in the conversation. It's all pretty interesting, to us anyway."

Beverly was married to husband David for 15 years. They have a 45-year-old son, David, who works in hotel management in San Francisco.

She attended Brenau College for Women, which is now Brenau University, in Gainesville, Ga., where she studied education.

Beverly always had an interest in the business world and began her own business in 1984, Beverly von Winckler and Associates, a corporate communications recruitment company. She has recruited employees for large national banks and companies as large as the McDonald's corporation. Her office was located in downtown Chicago for many years and has since moved to Evanston where she now makes her home.

Beverly remembers how difficult it was trying to start up a business as a woman in the '80s.

"It was really rough. Nobody wanted to have me sign a lease," she said. "I was just lucky enough. When I started my business, I had $50 in my checking account."

When she was looking for a space in Chicago to open her business, Beverly said a Joliet connection helped make things happen.

"I was in an elevator and ran into Henry Frank from Joliet," Beverly said. "He asked what I was doing here, and I told him I was looking for some space."

"Well, why don't you move into this building?" Frank asked.

"Well, nobody wants to rent to me," Beverly said.

"We'll rent to you," Frank said. "I own the building."

Although Frank's space didn't work out for Beverly's vision, she gained a new attitude. "I thought if Henry would rent to me, someone else would rent to me."

She found a space four blocks down from Frank's building and opened her business there.

Beverly feels that two important factors have made her business the success it is today.

"Keeping my business small and giving the best service in the city were the keys for me," said Beverly, who's featured in the book "Who's Who of American Women."

Beverly hopes to retire this year and travel. She also wants to get on the public-speaking circuit and possibly work with some search firms in Switzerland.

"The recruiting and hiring practices are different in Europe than they are in the United States," Beverly said. "Besides, Europe is beautiful and full of rich history. I've been working my tail off for 25 years. I want to have fun. But I better get there before I'm too old to walk the streets."

"The girls are a bunch of characters," Beverly said. "I don't like to hang around dull people. We all keep busy and maintain exciting lives. Actually, I'm already looking forward to our 75th reunion."

Ida (Colonna) Porter

"When you've been friends for over 50 years, there's so much to share," Ida Porter said. "Every year we seem to pick up right where we left off from the year before."

Ida has been married to her husband, Bob, a retired teacher, for 49 years. They reside in Morton Grove. The couple has three children and seven grandchildren. Their oldest daughter, Julie, is a teacher in Texas; Robert is a vice president of Brandt Trucking Line in downstate Bloomington; and William is a captain on the Morton Grove Fire Department.

Ida and Bob have been retired for 13 years and travel often to see their children and also to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

"We love the good old U.S.A.," Ida said. "There's so much beauty to see in our own country, and with Julie living in Texas, we get to visit that part of the country."

Ida attended Joliet Junior College after high school. She worked at a book publishing company for a number of years before retiring in 1990.

"I really look forward to hearing about each other's families and how all the kids and grandkids are doing," Ida said. "It's just wonderful to get together and visit with great, longtime friends."

Marjo (Seron) Kraft

Millions of people all over the world watch the Olympics on television. Marjo Kraft has been fortunate enough to see them live — in four different cities.

Marjo has been married to her husband, Ken, for 40 years. Ken covered wrestling for ABC's "Wide World of Sports" for 16 years that included the Olympics in Mexico, Munich, Montreal and Los Angeles.

"We began traveling with his job when we were first married," Marjo said. "It was a great opportunity to see the world, especially as a young couple."

Ken and Marjo have two daughters, Jill and Sherry. Jill is a television producer in Chicago, and Sherry has worked in advertising journalism and massage therapy.

Marjo says that the group of ladies functions as, among other things, a support system.

"The fact that these girls know you very well is really important," Marjo said. "We get to reconnect every year. It's a wonderful feeling to have each other. We know how lucky we are."

Marjo graduated from Joliet Junior College and then from Cornell College in Iowa where she studied education. She taught dance for two years in Park Forest and then received her master's degree in education from Northwestern University. While at Northwestern, Marjo met Ken, who was the school's wrestling coach for 22 years. He is now Northwestern's associate athletic director and, including his years as a student, has been at Northwestern for 50 years.

Having danced for most of her life and living in Evanston, Marjo became head of the dance department at Niles West High School in Skokie. She now works with Northwestern's Alumni Group, representing the school on business trips with Ken.

Marjo plays tennis at least twice a week, sometimes with Nancy Vincent, and said that keeping in shape is essential.

"You're in charge. You can look any way you want to look," Marjo said. "You're really only as old as you feel, and we all try to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle."

This year, the women will have lunch at Marjo's home in Evanston.

"When you go to a friend's house, you get to see their personality," Marjo said. "It's great to visit each other's homes. You see how they live and what they collect, their hobbies and family pictures. It brings us even closer."

Scott Deininger is a standup comedian from Shorewood. More of his work can be found via his Web site, www.ShaveYourHead.com

04/27/03