Streamwood 'Marching Mom' school protest founder was 79

A founding member of one of Streamwood's most politically active groups - its mothers - has died.

Irene Curtis was a young housewife and mother in 1958 when she and her neighbors found the resolve to organize a protest march, which, handed down through Streamwood lore, has become known simply as the "Mothers' March."

Mrs. Curtis passed away on Monday. The 52-year resident of Streamwood was 79.

A picture from their historic protest over inadequate schools is featured on the history wall in the village hall. The demonstrators included young mothers pushing babies in strollers, and with toddlers and dogs in tow.

In a story she wrote last year for the Streamwood Historical Society on the 50th anniversary of the march, Mrs. Curtis described how they had organized to protest one of the early developers, L & H Builders, in Streamwood.

"At the time, Streamwood was in its infancy and there were many city people moving here with a great number of students, and few schools to educate them," Mrs. Curtis wrote. "Families with three and four children were going to three and four different schools. This was not acceptable."

They marched from their neighborhood to the developer's model homes, near Bartlett and Schaumburg roads. When they arrived, the mothers were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. They later were sued by the developer for disparagement of business, for a collective total of $50,000.

The mothers fought the case all the way to the Illinois Appellate Court.

"When it was dropped, we had achieved our goal," Mrs. Curtis wrote, "with the building of one new school and additions to the others."

Dean Curtis of Sycamore, her oldest son, recalls his mother planning the demonstration with other mothers. He remembers that they knew they could be jailed for the protest, but that they reasoned that the village jail was too small to hold them, and that most of the policemen were their neighbors.

"It took every dime they had to buy their homes," Curtis says, "and the homebuilder had promised them there would be great schools for their children."

Streamwood officials acknowledged the historic nature of the march when they had school children re-enact it as part of the village's 50th anniversary celebration of its incorporation in 2007.

"She really did have this activist bent," says Sharon Caddigan, Streamwood's assistant community development director, "and really embodied the spirit of volunteerism and community in our village."

Besides her son, Mrs. Curtis was preceded in death by her husband, Art, who had played Santa in the village for 40 years, as well as another son, Jeff (Carolyn) of Bartlett, a daughter, Cynthia, of Streamwood; four grandchildren and one great grandchild.

A 10 a.m. funeral service will take place today at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, 525 Church Road in Elgin.