Joan Giangrasse Kates

Whether it was educating families about asthma or helping a child grieving the loss of a parent, Janet Terra always knew the right thing to say during her more than...

Clarice L. Stetter became active in Wilmette politics in the mid-1960s, working on campaigns and rising to leadership positions with the League of Women Voters. As she grew more versed...

Marilyn Lehman was president of the Oak Park District 97 school board in the mid-1970s when she spearheaded the establishment of a middle school system that promoted racial diversity and...

Jack "Toddy" Geffinger stood only 5 feet 7 inches tall, but he was a giant in the world of roller derby. Although he skated for just two years, the scrappy...

After becoming a registered nurse in the early 1940s, Elvera M. Fischer was providing care for the poor and indigent in public housing in Chicago when she was recruited by...

When a producer for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" contacted New Trier High School in 1997 looking for a science teacher to discuss household sanitation issues, the school's choice, Philip McCrea,...

A talented sign maker, Archie Benfield began taking acting classes at his local community theater to become a better public speaker and help boost his business, but instead was bitten...

For thousands of servicemen and servicewomen passing through Midway Airport — some newly minted, others grizzled veterans — the smiling face of a spunky, white-haired, 4-foot-8 volunteer with the United...

Joan Mullins co-owned Mullins Food Products with her husband for more than 50 years, working behind the scenes as the west suburban company grew from selling barbecue sauce in local...

As an oncology nurse at Resurrection Medical Center during the 1980s, Carol Flanagan started the Butterfly Educational Support Group to help ease the anxiety of children whose parents were being...