Letter:

Thank you for your excellent "150 Years of Publication" insert. As a recent transplant from Virginia, I appreciated and learned from it all, especially the key moments in "A trip through time." But after reading all the mini bios of people from the suburbs, I went through the list again and again yet couldn't find one of my favorite authors and educators - perhaps because the editors chose to focus more on celebrities and recent history.

Mabel O'Donnell was born in 1890 and grew up in Aurora when it was transitioning from a small village to a large manufacturing and transportation hub, and she used that experience to retell Northern Illinois' story to thousands of American children. She began her "Alice and Jerry" reading series in 1936 and with more than 20 books, helped to guide children from illiteracy to understanding complex information and ideas.

In particular, the books "Singing Wheels" and "Engine Whistles" introduced history and concepts of politics and science, but did it through entertaining story telling. And the books also are unmistakably grounded in the Fox River Valley, with references to Chief Waubonsee, the 1910 Wright Flyer exhibition at the Aurora Driving Park and an automobile race that by its description probably occurred in Algonquin.

I missed seeing Ms. O'Donnell in your list, but thank you for including Reinhold Weege and bringing back memories of "Night Court." I hope your insert encourages readers to add more stories of people and events that have shaped this area.

Gilbert High

Huntley