Heun: Columnist coauthors book about St. Charles Country Club’s centennial
Not long after I had retired from my full-time gig at American Banker, John Collins of St. Charles called during the summer of 2022 to offer a role in the St. Charles Country Club’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2024.
Collins, the grandson of St. Charles philanthropists Lester and Dellora Norris, asked if I would be interested in writing stories for a history book for club members commemorating the centennial.
I couldn’t say no, having known Collins for so long and having written about the club and its golfers, club pros and groundskeepers many times over the years.
But I wanted a co-author in my friend Tim Triplett, he too having recently retired at that time. We started our careers together at Chronicle Newspapers in the late 1970s and have remained close friends since. I figured if either of us faced a sudden health issue or were met with unforeseen obligations, we could cover for each other. Plus, he knew more about book layouts and the book editing process.
Collins and centennial book committee member Bob Berry agreed with the idea of coauthors.
Turned out, we made a pretty good team with the country club’s historian and archivist Barbara England, as well as golf book editor Tim Cronin, whose busy schedule led to Collins reaching out to me. Cronin generally tackles country club centennial books on his own, but he had too many prior commitments conflicting with his ability to tackle the St. Charles project solo.
Ultimately, the team created an eye-catching, 208-page coffee table book titled “No Lovelier Place Possible … St. Charles Country Club at 100.”
As much as a history of the country club, this is also a history of St. Charles in many ways, considering it was Lester and Dellora Norris who founded the St. Charles Country Club in addition to many other facets of community life, from entertainment at the Arcada Theatre to health services at Delnor Hospital.
The country club idea started with Lester Norris meeting with other St. Charles business owners and investors in 1924 — and the concept rolled out for everyone to see a couple of years later with a pristine golf course and clubhouse created out of scenic landscape east of the Fox River, formerly known as the O.S. Pollard Farm.
It's a story of how a community, and even its most prestigious citizens and business owners, had to cope with the Great Depression — and how the country club responded to a growing number of resignations for financial reasons in 1932 by adding a swimming pool and tennis courts to become a family-oriented club.
The club was a focal point for the Victory Gardens initiative during World War II as Lester Norris spearheaded that national drive. But the club was challenged in 1943 when its clubhouse was destroyed by fire.
The records and photos of some club presidents, men’s and women’s champions, greenkeepers, clubhouse managers, golf pros, chefs and staff were lost in that blaze.
The book tells the story of a club celebrating the crowning of St. Charles High School graduate Karen Morrison as Miss USA in 1974 by hosting a party for the young celebrity and her family.
Tony Garnero and Frank Travetto each won the men’s golf championship at the club seven times, but the golfing prowess of Ben Waldie stands out. As an eight-time men’s champion, he reached historic heights at the club, but also inspired awe because he did it over four decades.
On the ladies’ side, no one carried home the club championship more than Mary Jane Johnson, who won it 18 times, also spanning three decades.
The mystery of 10 slot machines disappearing from the club in the summer of 1939 brought on visions of organized crime invading the club — and the rumor mill was grinding hard in trying to determine what happened. The book explains it all.
For some members, skeet shooting was as popular as the golf course. The book tells you who were the finest shooters at the club.
As the book designer, Cronin noted the St. Charles Country Club book has “more news in it” than most of his other books. That’s understandable, considering the club moved from its original site west of Route 25 to one on the east side of that highway through a 1985 land deal with the Arthur Andersen & Co. firm, culminating with the new clubhouse in 1987.
Of all the memories left behind west of Route 25, none got more mention from members than the picturesque and tricky par-3, 18th hole over water. It became a showcase hole, in which members lined up Adirondack chairs near the green to watch players navigate their exacting tee shot.
The book highlights the ups and downs of financial challenges and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic.
In short, as much as we could learn and research in 18 months is included in the book.
While the book is for the country club members, the club’s book committee plans to make one available at the St. Charles History Museum for its research library.
I enjoyed being part of the team that worked on this project, and hope the club members and their families and friends find the book both interesting and entertaining.
On with the snowshoes
We generally don’t let the winter keep us away from our Kane County forest preserve walks — and the forest preserve district is encouraging others to do the same.
To that end, the district is offering “Snowshoe Adventure” programs designed to get participants comfortable with the snowshoeing technique and then heading into the forest with a district naturalist for a winter hike.
Of course, it helps to have snow on the ground. Based on the hike dates, there is some time for the white stuff to head our way.
Sessions, all from 9:30 to 11 a.m., are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 28, at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles; Saturday, Jan. 18, at Camp Tomo Chi-Chi Knolls in Gilberts; and again Sunday, Feb. 2, at LeRoy Oakes.
Cost is $25 per session for those 8 and older. Advanced registration is required at kaneforest.com/register, by email at programs@kaneforest.com or by calling (630) 444-3190.
A Deerpath note
It was great to hear from a reporter who worked for me more than 30 years ago and went on to build himself a nice career in law. Scott Larson is an attorney with the Vank, Larson & Kolb, LLC, law firm in St. Charles.
His wife Jean is owner of the Winding Deerpath, 316 Franklin St. in Geneva, and Scott was encouraging me to stop in at that shop during the Christmas Walk last weekend to say hello.
The grandkids ran out of steam before we could make our way to Winding Deerpath, but we have been in the store in the past. It’s an interesting place, offering gifts and art for those who love the outdoors and nature.
She also sells photos from photographer Dave Soderstrom, who has a keen eye for nature, particularly eagles, in his stunning photography.
Jean celebrated her shop’s fifth year in downtown Geneva with a chamber of commerce ribbon cutting a few weeks ago.
That’s good news when considering we certainly don’t want to lose sight of the nature around us, especially here in the Fox Valley.
Fil-A that first date
The dating game hasn’t changed much over the past several decades, at least in terms of the first date often being a dinner date.
But money these days is a little tighter for young — and older — folks looking to make an impression on a first date.
An outfit called DatingNews decided to find out where men would prefer to dine when making that first impression, while saving cash at the same time.
First, the survey asked 3,000 men nationwide if they would consider a cheaper dining option, as in a fast-food choice. More than half (54%) liked that idea.
This sounds like a “boys will be boys” scenario, but a previous survey showed 66% of women said they’d be fine with fast food on a first date.
As for location, Chick fil-A was the clear winner among Illinois men, garnering 16% of the vote. Chick-fil-A came in first in nearly 40 states, with McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Popeyes, Subway, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC garnering other top choices.
Nothing ugly about noodles
A chamber of commerce ribbon cutting made it official as owner Lauren McLauchlan has opened the doors to her Ugly Noodle gluten-free pasta shop and deli at 303 Franklin St. in Geneva.
Ugly Noodle replaces Hahn’s Bakery at that site, offering another new and interesting business near the Third Street retail district.
As we noted last summer when McLauchlan first revealed she’d be opening a spot in downtown Geneva, she had already been operating Ugly Noodle for a year on Keslinger Road, west of Randall Road.
McLauchlan plans to serve “pasta salad, hot sandwiches, meatballs, hot pasta and more.”
This isn’t an entirely new adventure for some local shoppers. They may have already checked out Ugly Noodle products at the Wheaton or Geneva French markets on weekends during warm-weather months.
dheun@sbcglobal.net