Hawthorn Woods school gets splash of color in memory of beloved secretary
An enthusiastic group of volunteers worked through cool, damp conditions Saturday to add color outside Spencer Loomis Elementary School in Hawthorn Woods to honor someone who had done the same inside for many years.
A year after the death of building secretary Susan Lindner, parents, students, Girl Scouts and others joined PTO members to follow through on a promise by installing about 200 plants at the school's main entrance. Planters and two green, metal benches also were added to welcome students, staff members and visitors.
"We just wanted to do something to honor her memory," said PTO President Kerry Pollard. "Many ideas came up through the year, but this is the one we liked."
Lindner died May 15, 2014, a month after receiving the Lake Zurich District 95 Distinguished Service Award. She spent about 20 years at District 95, the last 11 as secretary at Spencer Loomis, where her signature greeting, "Hello, friend" and role as the heart of the school has not been forgotten.
"We just wanted to brighten our entrance," Pollard said. "Susan was such a bright force."
Volunteers on Friday evening moved hundreds of lambs ear perennials from the main planting bed to another area along the entry to make way for the new arrivals. Planting began at 8 a.m. with about 75 people working to transform the main area with a variety of colorful perennials, ornamental grasses, evergreens and other plants. By late morning, the group had dwindled markedly as the weather turned but that didn't lessen the enthusiasm.
"Where do you get to play in the mud and not get in trouble?" Wendy Borst, a Scout leader asked the young helpers.
Volunteers marveled at Lindner's memory - she knew everyone's name right off the bat, they said - and always was the happy face greeting arrivals. Some said she held the school together.
PTO Secretary Tina Stoval echoed the sentiments.
"We wanted the garden in the front to be really bright and colorful for the kids and as a tribute to Susan," she said.
"When we moved here, we didn't know anybody. I told her my address and she told me who we bought the house from," she added.
The plantings were selected and laid out with the help of a landscape architect, according to Pollard. The plants, benches and materials were purchased with about $8,700 in donations that had been made in Lindner's memory. The project was organized by Pollard and several other members of the Susan Lindner Memorial Committee.
"Parents who don't even have students in the district came out to help," she added.
The planting was followed at 1 p.m. by a short dedication.