Matriarch of Elgin female sports passes away
Maxine Turek, the matriarch of girls sports in Elgin and a pioneer for the enforcement of Title IX in Illinois high school sports, passed away Wednesday morning after a short illness. She was 93.
Mrs. Turek devoted her life to Elgin Area School District U-46, teaching, coaching and then administering organized girls sports from its infancy. She spent 39 years in the district, retiring in 1992.
City of Elgin Mayor Ed Schock recalled Mrs. Turek as a strong advocate for girls sports and women in general, and a person who was steadfast in her conviction to equality.
“Often times she was a lonely voice,” said Schock, whose daughters played sports at Elgin High. “But that didn't deter her. People gave her a lot of guff for standing up for what she believed in but my daughters and lot of other girls benefitted from her efforts.”
Schock said Mrs. Turek's passion for women went beyond the gym.
“She taught while I was still in high school and Maxine was one of the first true feminists I ever met,” Schock said. “She was an advocate for women in general. She always told young girls to set their sites high and not be told they couldn't do something.”
Mrs. Turek, a 1936 graduate of Elgin High, was born June 4, 1917 in Chicago, the daughter of William and Hannah Goldstein. She married Phillip Turek on June 16, 1946. He preceded her in death, passing in 1963. Mrs. Turek was educated at Naperville College and at the University of Southern California. She taught physical education and was the head of the girls PE department at Elgin High, where she also coached the poms team and, as girls sports became recognized by the Illinois High School Association, she became athletic director Bill Chesbrough's assistant, starting the Elgin High girls sports program from scratch while also being a strong advocate for Title IX across the state. She won numerous awards and was recognized by myriad organizations over the years for her contributions to women's athletics. She also served in the military as a Staff Seargent Waves in World War II.
Chesbrough passed away recently as well, at the age of 92. In addition to sharing an office for many years with Chesbrough, Mrs. Turek and Chesbrough were on the same floor at Provena St. Joseph Hospital during their recent illnesses.
In 2008, Mrs. Turek was recognized by the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame with the Vic Masi Award for significant and long-standing contributions to Elgin schools. She spent a good portion of her retirement sitting in the front row of Chesbrough Field House cheering on her granddaughters, Karisa and Jenna, as they played basketball for their father, Lee.
“She's like a second mother to me,” said Mark Sharf, president of the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame and a lifelong close friend of Lee Turek. “Maxine was one of a kind. Lee and I grew up together and our mothers were best friends. She was a headstrong person who believed in what was right and wrong. She was a determined person and she kept working at what she believed in and wouldn't be deterred. She wanted an even playing field for girls sports and she fought for that at every turn.”
Visitation will be at 10 a.m. with services to follow at 11 a.m. on Friday at Congregation Keneseth Israel, 330 Division Street in Elgin.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to Congregation Keneseth Israel or to the Maxine Turek Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will be established through the Kane County Teachers Credit Union.