Except for some years spent away for college, I have lived on the East Side of Aurora since my parents moved here when I was 1 year old. I am a proud East Sider, and recently put some of my thoughts into a memoir that I called “East Side Story.”
Also, in this space, I have occasionally written about growing up in the old Copley Hospital neighborhood, playing during endless summers at Lebanon Playground, attending neighborhood schools and churches, and visiting grandparents, aunts and uncles. All were East Side residents, and we could walk or ride bikes to their houses and to many smaller grocery stores.
As I look back, the East Side was a haven for generations of kids. It especially came alive as Baby Boomers were born in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s. The public and Catholic schools were bursting at the seams with kids, and the safety of the neighborhood was taken for granted. Many kids remember playing outside until it was too dark to see very much. The streetlights coming on were a signal to head home.
Especially for many of the boys, sports and school teams became important as they progressed to their middle school years. The East Aurora High School campus and its stadium were centrally located on the East Side, and the field lights and sounds resonated on football game nights.
I visited with my good friends Dick Schindel and Wendell Jeffries, and asked for some memories of their growing up and the beginning of their football careers.
Each has the perspective of attending East Side schools, playing football and returning to teach and coach at the high school. Don Williams also grew up on the East Side, and he too became a teacher and coach at the high school. Each ascended to become East’s head football coach, and spent entire careers as teachers there.
It was amazing to hear the memories of Schindel and Jeffries and to see how closely they matched up.
“My fond childhood memories include walking to school, riding bikes until the streetlights came on and playing every sport in season with friends from the neighborhood,” Schindel said. “Playing football at East High fulfilled a lifelong dream for me as I was following my dad and two brothers who all played for the Tomcats.
“Coaching at the freshman and sophomore levels for several years led to my becoming the head varsity coach,” he said. “I sincerely appreciated the opportunity to teach and coach at East. It was a wonderful childhood growing up, and a wonderful experience to make the East Side my home through my adult years.”
Jeffries moved to the East Side during his elementary school years, and offered many similar memories.
“I grew up in the Southwest housing complex, and it was like having a large family,” Jeffries said. “People I grew up with are still my closest friends to this day.
“I remember going to the high school games and sitting in the junior high section,” he said. “This inspired me to want to play football at East. I was lucky enough to play for Dick Schindel in ninth grade and as a sophomore.
“I returned to the East Side after college, and became an assistant freshman coach under Dick. Little did I know that six years later I would be named head varsity coach — at my high school where I started coming to games in middle school with my friends,” he said.
“I feel proud and blessed to have taught and coached on the East Side my entire career,” Jeffries said. “All the while, I also lived in the district and still live on the East Side to this day.”
Although I was unable to talk with Williams, he gave his thoughts about returning to his roots to teach and coach in a 2014 interview, giving credit to his coach Del Dufrain.
“He had an impact on me as a player, and then as a coach,” Williams said. “It was his composure, the way he spoke to us, and his rarely getting upset. Weather permitting, I would wear a blazer with a tie, which he was famous for. It was my way of honoring Coach Dufrain.”
Except for one year, Schindel, Jeffries and Williams served as head East Aurora High School football coach from 1983 until 1996. Theirs is an unusual story of loyalty and dedication to their school and to their East Side roots. Each then spent a career as East Aurora teachers long after their coaching days.
Perhaps Coach Schindel summarized his “East Side Story” the best.
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“It was meant to be. I am proud of my lifelong experience of living and working in this location,” he said. “There are so many memories, no matter where I walk or drive. My heart is here.”
Tom Strong is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.