'We didn't want this to disappear': New book compiles Mount Prospect's pandemic memories
Future generations of Mount Prospect residents who weren't around to experience the COVID-19 pandemic will have a valuable historical document to show them how their hometown lived through it.
The Mount Prospect Historical Society is taking orders for its new book, “2020-21 Pandemic Moments: Living in Mount Prospect, IL During the Pandemic of 2020-21,” through Dec. 31 at www.mtphist.org
Copies also will be made available at the Mount Prospect Public Library and other entities.
Jean Murphy, the historical society's vice president, former library Executive Director Marilyn Genther, and historical society webmaster Neal Bradley spearheaded the book project.
It is a testament to how local restaurateurs, nurses, ministers, funeral directors, politicians and teachers worked through the crisis, and how schoolchildren coped.
The historical society began documenting the local pandemic experience shortly after the outbreak began.
“About the flu (pandemic of 1918), you could find almost nothing. It was like they tried to pretend it didn't ever happen,” Murphy said. “So, we didn't want this pandemic to kind of slip into the mist.”
The historical society board gathered information from local residents, businesses and various public entities, and posted pictures and experiences on its website.
One of the most powerful images is of a “Pandemic Baby,” 20-month-old Adeline “Addie” Moskop, accompanied by the words of her mother, Katie Shea-Moskop.
“When you were 8 months old, learning to crawl, ready to break free from the stroller and explore the world, the world stopped,” she wrote. “There were no museums, indoor play places, Exploratoriums, zoos, tots gym class, play groups, libraries, story times, mommy and me music class, or laps around Target to kill time.”
The society became concerned that this treasure trove of digital experiences would be lost to future generations because of the ephemeral nature of technology. Now the material is being preserved in a 180-page book.
“We just started having nightmares, so to speak, about what if technology changes or whether there is a problem with our server,” Murphy said. “We didn't want this to disappear.”