Lester: Lattner's advice to fellow Notre Dame great Zbikowski

John Lattner, the halfback who won the Heisman Trophy while leading Notre Dame's football team to an undefeated season in 1953, had some advice for a suburban teen who was smashing high school records and being recruited by his alma mater.

"You better sign every autograph you're asked to, because you never know who you'll end up working for," Lattner told Tommy Zbikowski, who grew up in Arlington Heights and graduated from Buffalo Grove High School in 2003. Zbikowski ended up wearing Lattner's number, 28, for the Irish.

Change of course

Zbikowski, who went on to play in the NFL, came to understand the poignancy of that advice nearly a decade later when he changed career paths, becoming a Chicago firefighter last year after spending some time in rehab to deal with binge drinking.

Though Zbikowski works with many men who watched him play, he sees himself as one of the guys. "This is their house," he said of the fire station he reports to on the North Side.

Long friendship

Lattner, a Fenwick High School alum, died last week of lung cancer. Until his death, he kept up a friendship with the Zbikowski family, making a habit of meeting with Tommy and dad Ed every few months at Champp's restaurant in Schaumburg to have lunch, a glass of wine and a few laughs.

"On the field he (Lattner) was violent and primitive but away from the white lines he was compassionate to everyone he met." Zbikowski says.

Tommy Zbikowski and his father, Ed, tell me they plan to be at Lattner's visitation Friday afternoon, which is scheduled to be held in Fenwick's gymnasium.

Bridging divides

If you're charmed by tales of the bipartisan friendship between ideologically opposite justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court, there's another example at hand amid Illinois' often-toxic political climate.

Former Illinois GOP Chair Pat Brady, of St. Charles, and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, of Chicago, have been pals since they worked in the Cook County state's attorney's office together. The two share laughs, toe-to-toe debates and somber moments together, with Dart serving as a pallbearer at Brady's wife Julie's 2012 funeral. Brady tells me if Dart ever decides to run for Chicago mayor, he'll run his campaign. For now,

Dart says, he's happy where he is.

Violations

Meanwhile, the Illinois State Board of Elections ruled Wednesday that Cook County state's attorney candidate Kim Foxx violated campaign finance laws by failing to report a poll conducted on her behalf by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Under the election code, she could be fined as much as $62,500 for the offense. Foxx is running in a three-way primary against two-term incumbent Anita Alvarez and Chicago attorney Donna More. Foxx spokesman Robert Foley says the campaign disagrees with the ruling because she wasn't a candidate at the time.

Water work

DuPage Democrats Chair Bob Peickert tells me Flint, Michigan, Democratic congressman Dan Kildee will speak about his efforts to fix the city's water crisis on Saturday at 3 p.m. the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lombard. It precedes a gala that Kildee will headline.

Sweet memories

I was saddened to learn longtime Glenview Dairy Bar owner Chuck Boedicker died last month after a battle with cancer. The journalism student-turned-ice cream man and his wife, Janelle, were longtime owners of the ice cream shack on Harlem Avenue, a spot my mother's family frequented often. One of my fondest childhood memories was sitting down with my grandmother Noreen for a soft-serve cone with sprinkles, waiting for the Metra trains to pass by and hoping the conductors would give us a wave. Services for Boedicker are scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Feb. 27 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Glenview.

Today's snap

Noah's Event Venues, which has locations in Naperville and Lincolnshire, is hosting a photo contest through Feb. 22 on Facebook and Instagram with the couple receiving the most "likes" getting a free wedding event, such as a shower or bachelor party. Here's a snap of former Northwest Community Wellness Center Trainer Laure Cirignani and fiance Patrick Hoffman, who're among the 10 finalists.

In the picture, the two - who met during a training session - are literally tying the knot. Want to know more? Check out www.noahseventvenue.com.

Running and being

This weekend, I'll take part in the second of three outdoor races that constitute the Fox Valley Winter Challenge Trail Series. The first one, a hilly steeplechase, 5K run through the Hickory Knolls Nature Area in St. Charles, left me feeling far more alive than my usual trek on the treadmill. Saturday's 8K is at the Oakhurst Forest Preserve near Aurora.