Celebrations live longer than children they honor

If there ever has been a more prolonged tragedy than that of Jeanine Nicarico, I can't recall it.

I remember well a story we did many years ago, noting how 10-year-old Jeanine had been dead longer than she had lived. Now, it's been 28 years since she was abducted from her Naperville home, raped and beaten to death.

It took decades for the case to be played out in court. Men were wrongfully accused, and only last year did Jeanine's long-imprisoned and long-suspected killer confess to her killing. And after more arduous legal proceedings, he was sentenced to death, signaling perhaps finality to the case and some measure of closure for the Nicarico family.

But not for long.

Even though many argued Brian Dugan was a poster child for executions, he and all other death row inmates were spared that fate when Illinois abolished the death penalty in March.

The Nicaricos called that decision “more than disappointing; it feels like our almost 28-year odyssey seeking justice for Jeanine's murder has been overturned.”

There's some talk of creating legislation to revive the death penalty in certain instances of horrific crimes. And Jeanine's murder, no doubt, will surface again in that context.

No end.

And yet, there is what could be called a joyous event occurring this weekend, marking another 10th birthday.

It's the 10th annual Jeanine Nicarico Run for Reading at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at River Woods School in Naperville. It started as a modest event, but now draws hundreds of runners (600 were signed up as of Thursday) and organizers are hoping to crack the 1,000 mark this year.

Jeanine, by all accounts, was a bubbly, lighthearted girl with a love of horses. But she struggled a bit with reading until she received some special help from her teachers. So, the Nicarcios give back to school systems in Naperville and Aurora. Their event has raised more than $150,000 to help students achieve literacy goals.

But it's much more than that. It's a chance for people to celebrate Jeanine's life.

“There's so many people that didn't know Jeanine but heard enough to know she was a very energetic, bright-eyed child, and they want to bring something positive to that,” Jeanine's sister, Kathy, told staff writer Josh Stockinger earlier this week. “They celebrate her life with us instead of dwelling on the tragic side that everybody hears about.”

If you want to know more about the 3.1-mile run, call (630) 527-1100 or visit nicaricoliteracyfund.org.

And, as Stockinger also chronicled in our Neighbor edition on Tuesday, another charity run occurs this weekend, one also borne of tragedy to the man who worked the Jeanine Nicarico case for years.

Jim Ryan became DuPage County state's attorney not long after Jeanine's death. He prosecuted some of the men later exonerated in her killing. Ryan went on to become Illinois attorney general, and twice ran for governor. But he also had his own personal tragedy. His 12-year-old daughter Annie died of a brain tumor in 1997.

This tragedy, too, spawned an event that may save lives. The Annie Ryan Run now has been held for as long as she lived. Celebrating its 12th year, also on Sunday, the run raises money to fight childhood brain tumors. The 5K run, with a 1-mile dash for kids, benefits the Midwest Children's Brain Tumor Center at Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital in Park Ridge. It has generated more than $500,000.

For details, call (847) 723-5183 or visit annierun.com.

jdavis@dailyherald.com