Book reading at Cheney Mansion
Cheney Mansion in Oak Park recently hosted a reading by three local authors, Maria Giuseppa, J. Shep and Geralyn Hesslau Magrady, who shared excerpts from their latest work in the solarium.
Shep, a River Forest resident, read from his award-winning novel “After Me,” published in 2024, set in River Forest and Normandy, France. He also wrote “The December Issue.”
Magrady, of Oak Park, who wrote the award-winning “Lines,” published in 2015, shared an excerpt from her new novella set in Chicago Little Italy, “When the Walls Talk,” which came out in 2024.
Selections from the award-winning novella “R&R: A Feast of Words,” published in 2024, were read by Giuseppa, an Italian native who now lives in River Forest.
The free event finished with photo opportunities and a book singing for guests, as well as refreshments. Their books are available at www.ChristopherWhisperings.com, B&N, Bookshop.org and Amazon.
Area students win National Merit Scholarships
The National Merit Scholarship Corp. has named the winners of scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities, and local students earned the honor as well as awards between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.
Area students include Raveen Doshi, of Hinsdale, Hinsdale Central H.S., University of Southern California; Abigail Mertz, of Elmhurst, York Community H.S. Purdue University; Abhiram Batchu, St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in Chicago, Vanderbilt University; Toral Cheng Bhatt, of Oak Brook, Hinsdale Central H.S., Washington and Lee University; Hunter Frommelt, of Western Springs, Lyons Township H.S., Purdue University; Ryan McKenzie, of Western Springs, Timothy Christian H.S. in Elmhurst, University of Alabama; and Dilan Patel, of Willowbrook, Hinsdale South H.S., University of Alabama.
Elmhurst lawyer elected third VP for trial association
Margaret Battersby Black, a managing partner at Levin & Perconti, has been installed as third vice president of Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, which means she will become its president in 2028.
The Elmhurst resident is the fourth female president in the organization’s history. Battersby Black, who has been involved with the association for many years, was a founding member and inaugural chairman of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Women’s Caucus.
She was presented with the Carole K. Bellows Women of Influence award in 2023, which honors people “who are advocates for action addressing women’s issues and promote involvement by women in the legal community at all levels,” per a news release. She also is active in the American Constitution Society, American Association for Justice, Illinois State Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.
She has a degree from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, worked as a financial analyst at JP Morgan Chase in Chicago, and earned a law degree from Chicago-Kent Law School. She was named a partner at Levin & Perconti in 2014, having joined the firm in 2006.
“I am honored to have an important leadership role with the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association,” she shared in the release. “We are committed to giving a voice to those who need it most, those injured or even killed because of the wrongdoing of others.”
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LaGrange Park summer concerts set for Wednesdays
The Community Park District of LaGrange Park presents Music Under the Stars from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays this summer at Memorial Park,
Remaining performances are as follows: The Holly Ringwalds, a 1980’s cover band, on July 9; The El Rando Band, a cover band, on July 16; Tropixplosian, which plays Caribbean music, on July 23; and The Wild Daisies, a country music band, July 30.
Details are found at communityparkdistrict.org.
Bands perform this summer in Franklin Park
The Four C Notes will perform at 7 p.m. July 8 at the North Park baseball fields, 10040 Addison Ave., Franklin Park.
The group performs the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – the Midwest’s only tribute band to the iconic group.
Other free concerts, all at the same time and place, include the 17-piece horn band Chicago Tribute Anthology on July 15, a high-energy performance of the band Chicago; and You Know Who on July 22, performing decades of rock and pop favorites from the 1970s through the 2000s.
Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Information is available at 847-455-2852.
Horticulturalist showcases native plants in Darien
An expert on native plants will speak at the Darien Garden Club meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. July 7 at St. John Lutheran Church, 7214 S. Cass Ave., Darien.
Heather Prince, a trained horticulturalist, will offer a “curated list” of native plants for the garden, including varieties that won’t expand too far in small spaces. Attendees will learn how to add native plants to draw birds and pollinators, as well as providing color.
The meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m. with socializing, followed by the program at 7 p.m. and general meeting at 8 p.m. The session will be in hybrid format, and the organizer will email the Zoom link to those attending online.
Guests may attend two meetings for free and need not be from Darien. The club, founded in 2001, has more than 100 active members. More information is at dariengardenclub.com.
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