Owe a lot to those who came before

Thank you for publishing Viola Straub's memories of growing up in rural Schaumburg.

So many of her memories remind me of the memories that my mother had of growing up on a farm on the North Dakota prairie. As my mother was born in late 1910, she and Viola were contemporaries.

Stories such as this serve to give all those of us who take today's modern lifestyle for granted a deeper respect for those whose lives have gone into providing us with what we now have.

I do have one tiny comment that will surely serve to date me. The caption beneath the photo of the family gathered around the 1917 Studebaker says it shows "little Viola sitting on the fender".

It would appear that perhaps she is sitting on what was known as the running board. Cars no longer have them, but when I try to climb into our daughter's SUV, I very much wish that they did!

Betty Grenda

Mount Prospect