St. Charles' Fox Valley Lassies reuniting

At about the same time girls' sports were making their move at the high school level through Title IX legislation designed to give them equal footing, a group of young women in the Fox Valley were already displaying athletic prowess.

It culminated in a national Amateur Softball Association title in 1977 for the Fox Valley Lassies, a slowpitch softball team that played its home games in front of staunch supporters at Langum Park in St. Charles.

The Lassies are getting together to reminisce and catch up on that glorious title 40 years ago with a picnic Saturday at the DeKalb home of Bob and Donna Walker. Donna was second baseman Donna Cermak in those days.

Others expected to be at this reunion include Helen Biddle, Mary Stark, Nancy (Stark) Shirley, Deb Jurca, Val Seldon, Marlys Runestad, Marcia Ford, Annie Pruitt and others that teammates are still trying to track down and confirm, like Laura Huntley. Cindy Roy will be in California and unable to attend.

Sadly, there are some who won't make any more Lassie reunions. Pitcher Deb Keller passed away nearly 15 years ago now, and outfielder Re Matalonis died in late 2014 from cancer. Others who have left us are Sue Hudson, Lisa Larson and avid fan Lisa Kaminskis.

Glen Ford, who managed the team, passed away a few years ago, and Marcia has had some health issues and tough luck recently.

"Marcia just had a house fire about two months ago," Nancy (Stark) Shirley said. "Her house, near Burlington Central High School, burned down, but she was OK because her dog woke her up in the middle of the night and saved her."

But not many things held down this group of Lassies. They made up one of the few women's teams to enter the USSA Hall of Fame, an honor they received in 2003.

In reaching the ultimate bar of excellence, they gave girls throughout the valley the incentive to give softball a try and became heroes in many sports circles.

Media escapades: After the Fox Valley Lassies won their national title in 1977, the local media began covering the team more closely.

Brian Henry of ReMax Realtors was the voice of the Fox Valley at that time with local radio station WFXW 1480-AM.

He went on the road to cover the Lassies a few times, and he won't forget the 1978 tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, in which he and Lassies fan Jon Pelletier realized upon arrival that there was no hookup for the radio equipment at the softball venue.

"I went into a nearby phone booth and connected with the radio station," Henry said. "And Jon parked his van nearby and stood on the top of it, so he could see what was happening on the field.

"It was 110 degrees in that phone booth and not much better on top of that van," Henry said.

Pelletier would tell Henry what was happening in the game, and Henry delivered it to listeners in the Tri-Cities, providing a blow-by-blow as if he could actually see the game.

My travels as a young sports editor with the Lassies also hit a few challenges. It rained all day at a regional tournament in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where both the Lassies and the Geneva Parkettes and their standout, Sue Spencer, were playing. It seemed the opening games were doomed.

But the players spent a good part of the night sweeping water off the field and laying down new infield dirt. And, of course, they got their games in that night.

My fun wasn't complete though, as my car decided to break down and leave me in Fort Wayne an extra couple of days.

That thick gravy: It's called the "Big Nasty," which of course means I had to try it.

This is a roast beef sandwich with all sorts of cheese and gravy on it, and the cashier at McAlister's Deli in Geneva convinced me it was one of the best on the menu.

My first reaction? I'm not going to get gravy this thick in a meal at home anytime soon. That's probably a good thing for my heart, I suppose.

But, oh, was it delicious on this sandwich that is, well, quite big and nasty.

It was almost private: Because I read the book "Silence over Dunkerque" when I was in about sixth grade, ordering it from the school's paperback book club, it meant I was familiar with the story of this dramatic World War II rescue mission.

The book was actually about what happened to a couple of guys left behind after the British and French soldiers were rescued off that beach, and author John R. Tunis spelled the site differently from what seems to be the more common "Dunkirk."

But it all meant I would surely be going to see the current movie version.

I went on a late Wednesday afternoon, figuring it would be a good time to avoid crowds.

I was right. Up until about two minutes before the show started, I was the only one in the theater. Thus, I was prepping myself for that glorious thing one might call a "private showing."

But others filtered in eventually, and we watched this impressive film that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first to last minute.

dheun@sbcglobal.net