PRESIDENT'S DESK

Exciting news...

Richard Katz
Resource Bank President

Dear Friends,

A lot has happened in the world since our last issue. Sometimes it seems every news story these days has a negative undertone. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that the American spirit is indomitable, no matter what we might hear.

We will persevere despite all of the negativity. Now is the time for all of us, no matter what our circumstances, to reaffirm our belief in this great country. America has always overcome its obstacles.

Thanks for making Resource Bank a part of your life.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Katz

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
And remember what peace there may be in silence. • As far as possible
without surrender be on good terms with all persons. • Speak your truth
quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have
their story. • Avoid loud & aggressive persons, they are vexations to the
spirit. • If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. • Enjoy
your achievements as well as your plans. • Keep interested in your own
career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing future of time.
• Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. •
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high
ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection. • Neither be cynical about love; for in
the face of all aridity & disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. • Take
kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
• Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. • But do
not distress yourself with imaginings. • Many fears are born of fatigue &
loneliness. • Beyond wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. • You
are a child of the universe, no less than the trees & the stars; you have a right
to be here. • And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. • Therefore be at peace
with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours &
aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. • With
all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be
cheerful. • Strive to be happy.

UP CLOSE

We'll miss you Mary Lou.

“It wasn’t just fifty-five years, but fifty-five
good years.”

On a cold winter day in Malta,

Mary Lou Heal was doing what she has done for fifty-five years at Resource Bank – warming the hearts of all she touched. But this winter day was different. On this day the bank was overflowing with customers; the parking lot overflowed around the block. On this day the community turned out to wish Mary Lou well in her retirement.

Fifty-five years of service is virtually unheard of these days. However, Mary Lou’s commitment to Resource Bank never wavered. “She was here well before I was. I remember meeting her for the first time. I knew from that moment she was special, but couldn’t in my wildest dreams imagine how special, how important she would be to the bank and to me personally. She is without equal,” said Richard Katz. Her customers certainly felt the same way.

“She knew farmers and farming.” "She knew what was on our minds when we walked into the bank.” “She seemed to know what we had been doing that day.” “That’s how well she knew farming and the cycles we went through.” Those are just small samples of the comments shared by friends and customers at her retirement celebration.

Imagine banking in a day when the bank’s main line was answered on a party line. “That’s how it was then, a party line. Let’s just say it was a great way to get to know your neighbors,” Mary Lou adds with her warm smile. She summed up her time best with the simple line, “It wasn’t just fifty-five years, but fifty-five good years.”

Mary Lou, for all the good years that lie ahead of you, your Resource family of co-workers, friends, and customers wish you the very best.

SPOTLIGHT

What I wanted to be when I grew up...

1977 Colorado Press Cup Champion. Amateur race at Winter Park.

Dr. Dennis Collins

PROFESSIONAL SKIER

High level downhill racing takes incredible precision. Speeds average over forty miles per hour on a run. Top speeds that flirt with ninety miles per hour demand intense focus. That was the world that a teenage Dennis Collins had in mind for his career. To prepare for it, he spent every available winter moment on the slopes. While many of us saw names like Jean-Claude Killy, Billy Kidd, and Franz Klammer as TV sports figures, Collins was viewing them as future competition. “In high school I was working at the Ski Rack in DeKalb, I was managing evening bus trips for NIU students to Wisconsin ski hills, and I was driving with a buddy over Christmas break out to Colorado – all so I could spend time on the snow learning everything I could about going fast and being the best. Every kid has a dream and mine was to ski and compete at the very highest level.”

That’s a pretty spectacular dream for a boy who comes from decidedly deep DeKalb County roots.

The Collins family came to DeKalb 104 years ago literally on an ox cart over the road from Champaign. Dennis’s father, Senator Dennis J. Collins, was a lawyer and served in the Illinois legislature for 43 years, a record that is still without equal. The Collins family farm of nearly 500 acres, although over a century old, is still active today.

“My parents instilled a number of deep Midwestern values in me, not the least of which was hard work and the need to be the very best at what you do. That was a part of me when I aspired to be a skier, and it is still a part of everything I do,” shares Collins. And those parents were there to support him every step of the way. “My mom, Gertrude, was a local High School Home Economics teacher and was the taxi driver for my friends and me every weekend, so we could ski the Wisconsin race series. She was a trooper. In fact, one day she got bored with sitting by and watching us ski so she decided to learn. She ended up breaking her leg in seven places on the tow rope. That didn’t stop her from driving us home and, without complaint, driving us the next weekend. That’s just the kind of woman she was.”

It was that kind of encouragement that led to his experience training and trying to “walk-on” with the University of Colorado ski team his freshman year at college. “The reality hit me pretty fast. I had won many Midwest medals and had always been at or near the top in most every race series I skied. But at Colorado, the very best in the world were there, more Europeans than Americans. But that was the test I wanted…to ski against the very best. While I could hold my own in the Midwest, the lifelong training on the Alps that the Europeans had was more than I could overcome.”

That tough reality led Dennis to a parallel passion he has had since he was a teenager as well. “I was in a car accident as a teenager that led to a lot of intricate dental work. While that work was done over time, I got to know Dr. John Moss. He was a great dentist, happy in his job and life. He had a huge effect on me. And probably deep down inside, I knew I couldn’t be a skier forever and figured dentistry was a great profession.”

Today, one finds Dr. Collins still using the same Midwestern values his parents instilled in him at his new dental office. “As a teenager, I wanted the best for me. Today, I want to bring the very best to DeKalb for our patients. It’s a little different, but it’s those same core values that drive us to be at the very highest level.” And this time, he finds himself absolutely world class.

COMMUNITY

Russell Woods

Peggy Doty (left) and Connie Handel

If you are squeamish, you may not want to shake the hand of the director of Russell Woods when you meet her at her office. She might have a snake up her sleeve. That’s okay when meeting a passionate, well spoken advocate for outdoor education like Peggy Doty. In fact, shouldn’t we want our head outdoor educator for the community chin deep in the denizens of the local forests? One would think. What one might not imagine is the verve with which she approaches outdoor education globally and her job locally. Spending a few hours with Peggy inside her office is in stark contrast to the cold, barren, almost Blair Witch road leading through the woods. She is ready and raring to share her passion for the outdoors and outdoor education.

The first order of business is understanding what outdoor education is and is not. “Outdoor education isn’t just about naming trees and animals and knowing a prairie from a bog. It really is the great connector for most all subjects. We teach history, science, math, P.E., reading, music – environmental education encompasses all that and more. We bring the concepts that kids are taught and tested on in the classroom and ground those ideas; bring them alive for them in the field. Kids receive the concepts in an applicable way after we bring them outdoors.”

It’s not the job many people think. To a casual observer, one might think that Peggy spends her days walking in the woods and telling animal stories. Not hardly. “I’m the director, the teacher, and the janitor, literally. And that’s okay with me. But if folks think it is a gentle walk in the woods, they need to come join us in a torrential downpour in February at 40 degrees. There’s a lot of learning that takes place on a day like that, but that is not how people think of our job. I don’t think I got warm until the ten o’clock news that night!”

Certainly outdoor education uses activities to teach, but activities for Peggy are just learning attached to a game. “What we really do is activate what is an innate knowledge that is in every person.” Somehow she produces a feather for me and scrambles the tiny pieces that come off the central spine. “Now, close your eyes. Fix the feather.” In short order I am holding the feather between my left thumb and index finger and soothing the tendrils into place with my other thumb and index finger. “And that is how thousands of men, women, and children react to that exercise. You just know. No one ever taught you, it is just inside you. We just know so much of the world around us.”

Here’s a concerning fact. The average seven-year-old can identify 700 corporate logos, but few can name the trees in their yard. We all know instantly that is just not the way it should be. Enter Peggy and her two woman team at Russell Woods.

The woods itself is a glorious find if you haven’t been there. It changes character with the seasons. Winter weekends bring silly sledders conquering the legendary hill. However, looking out of the resource center window on a weekday, a near complete symphony of Illinois winter birds can be heard. I haven’t had a tufted titmouse to my feeder in 20 years, but Peggy feeds them daily along with more woodpeckers in one glance than can be seen other places in a weekend of searching. Come spring, the forest blooms and the diverse landscape greens, inviting families and classrooms to discover its well-preserved ecosystem.

But it is the education here that makes Russell Woods a real jewel. Education takes place over 4,800 teachable times a year. That’s a lot of kid moments. Classrooms fill the calendar for the educators. Every classroom teacher is consulted before Peggy and her staff meet with the class. Each class receives a customized day that is integrated with the classroom goals and level. It’s a lot of work but worth it in the end.

“It’s the ‘I get it’ moments that really make our job worthwhile. Often we see it on their faces. Sometimes it’s a letter we get weeks later. But we live for those moments.”

Many parents are aware of the No Child Left Behind initiative. It’s a program with both proponents and detractors. What is on the horizon for outdoor educators like Peggy is a new program, No Child Left Inside. Peggy believes strongly that it will help “knit science into those children” with a curriculum that is less linear and more in tune with a child’s natural learning method – less test focused and more learning focused. “There are not the boxes in outdoor education that others may have. We can bring the test based learning and make it come alive at a deeper level for the children.”

Peggy expects a substantial increase in visitors as schools cut back on field trips farther away and take advantage of her program close to home. She also expects a dramatic increase in picnickers and hikers this summer. “And that’s a good thing. Perhaps if people don’t have the disposable income to travel this summer, they’ll enjoy the quiet time that our woods provide. And we’ll be here to make sure they understand it a little better before they leave.”

FEATURE

Der Holtzmacher

Mike and his wife Barbara Holtz

Unpretentious. Comfortable. Creative. Professional. Focused. Brilliant. Did we mention creative?

Even on the first visit to Der Holtzmacher, these impressions and more come quietly through the Holtz family as they share the passion for their family business of thirty years. This is one of those area businesses you may have heard of, but don’t necessarily know a lot about.

Thirty years ago you could have found Mike and his wife Barbara at many Midwest art fairs. Mike is a third generation woodworker and Barbara has a background in art history. As a young couple, they took great joy working the shows on weekends. “It was so much fun, we had so many friends, it was a very romantic time for both us and our young business,” smiles Barbara. One of those friends ended up being the connection that was the springboard to change everything for their business. “We were introduced and eventually got the job to do an entire overhaul of the Byer Museum of Arts in Evanston. It was a huge job. It required the best of our talents and put us on the map because it gave us a large nationally known stage for our work. We did the furniture, mill work, and cabinets. So those simple days of working the art shows were the foundation for what you see today.”

There is a lot to see at Der Holtzmacher’s state of the art facility in Sycamore. It backs up to a bike path, and that piece of nature seems to frame the creativity that goes on inside their 12,000 plus square foot facility. Inside, Mike, Barbara and their adult children Nick and Jackie can be found working with their ten employees on truly custom cabinets, liturgical furnishings, and custom furniture that demonstrate both unbridled creativity and unique variety that shows real understanding for each client. “You’ll find everyone here excited by the diversity of projects that we do. Everyone here is a true craftsman. We hire and retain people that are fueled by the creative process; by the challenge each new job brings,” states Mike. Every detail of their facility was made with that process in mind. It is important for craftsmen to have natural light in the process. That’s why you’ll find windows that penetrate every workspace. This certainly isn’t your father’s workshop! “We’ve brought in machines and technology that make the process easier for our craftsmen. A new sander can take some of the burden off our people and let them focus on creative perfection. New software helps us design and see solutions in an efficient manner. Just as the right blade makes hand carving go right, so do our large machines. And like every business, we do things with an eye toward efficiency.”

Their work can be found in custom homes throughout Chicagoland and the surrounding area, as well as in churches throughout the country. They work with architects and church representatives, as well as with homeowners and congregations directly. They also do work close to home. “We’ve worked and are working on a number of projects locally. Resource Bank on Bethany Road was one well known structure we worked on. I love the prairie style of that building. Today we’re excited to work on the windows of Holy Name Cathedral as well as the Scottish Rite Church in Chicago. When you are working on a building that was established four years after the Chicago fire, you really have to have a lot of sensitivity and respect for the work that came before you, the people who are using it now, and the generations that will follow. It can be quite humbling.”

The wood itself is paramount to their work. While oak is a staple of any woodworker, you’ll find varieties of birch, cherry, carpithian elm, mahogany, and many exotics in their creative arsenal. Son, Nick, has brought an uncommon process to the woodwork produced here. “We really have an expertise in finishes.” Nick spent some time learning to apply metals such as bronze and brass directly to wood. The powdered metal is actually mixed into an epoxy base and applied. “We’re one of the very few places in the entire country that is doing that kind of work.” It’s that kind of dedication to advancing their skills and offerings, as well as being able to produce work in the most ancient of manners, that makes this family business distinct. On any given day, you may find Nick working with a brand new finish process, Jackie producing high level CAD drawings, and Mike doing what he stills loves most – hand carving intricate details in a way that can only be done by experienced hands. All the while, an active production area hums away with skilled long-term employees. Thirty years is a long tenure for a family run business. Like any business, they’ve seen their share of ups and downs, but a lot more ups and a passion for their work and family have taken this business to a good place. Perhaps the truest test of all is to ask the next generation their take on the next thirty years. “Without a doubt, we’ll be here in another thirty years, building on the foundation that my parents have built over the last thirty years,” concludes Nick. Their past and present give good reason for his assurance.

SUCCESS

OC Imageworks

Imagination Made Visible

During what he calls the “ten-cent tour” of OC Imageworks’ 8,500 square foot DeKalb facility, company President, David Barrow, pauses beside a life-sized cutout of a little girl and her dog. “I’m really proud of this particular job,” says Barrow, “because it enlisted so many of our skills.” The little girl, a two-year-old in a pink sweater, appears to be guzzling water from a full water-cooler jug that she is hoisting above her head. Her puppy, a golden retriever, looks on. A caption bubble reads, “It’s that good!”

“We did this for Ecowater,” continues Barrow, “which distributes Nicolet bottled water locally. The photos were taken here in our studio, and we had to get the little girl to reach for a small water bottle at just the right angle. Our digital artist then subbed in the five gallon jug and placed the puppy, which was shot separately, so that he appeared to be watching her. We not only produced the cutout, but also a vinyl wrap for the back of the Ecowater truck.” Barrow notes that Nicolet liked the image so much that they made it available nationally to their distributors.

Moving past their huge “print on anything” flatbed printer and into the cutting room that contains their equally huge computer-operated cutting table, Barrow and OC Imageworks CFO, Steve Parker, do a tag team running commentary on the capabilities of their staff and machines. “We love to give tours,” says Parker. “It’s about the only way somebody can get an idea of all the things we do, and potential clients are almost always inspired to think of things they’d like us to create for them.”

As the tour moves from the cutting room into the vinyl room, with its matched printer and plotter, a whole new set of products and services becomes the focus of discussion. Barrow gets asked the inevitable question: how do you explain to clients all of the things you can do here? His short answer is that OC is a place where “imagination is made visible.” Of course, he admits, that’s not very helpful to a client looking for a product or a service. “The problem is that nothing I say in response to that question can represent all of the products and services OC Imageworks provides. We’re more than a sign company, more than a large format printer, more than a digital photographer, and more than a digital design service. Those are our base professional skills, but we produce an amazing array of products from this
skill base.”

What kinds of products? Well, to name a few, signs, banners, vehicle graphics, printed tiles, point of purchase materials, dimensional letters and logos, prints on wood, trade show displays, life-sized cutouts, window graphics, interior décor, and...you get Barrow’s point about the difficulty of saying exactly what it is the company does. “At first I was worried about the old business axiom that ‘you can’t be all things to all people,’” Barrow says, “but then I realized that the diversity of our products was just a natural outcome of the digital technology that underlies everything we do. The same skills and equipment needed to create a vinyl sign can be applied to the design and execution of a complex vehicle wrap. The same printer and cutter that produce a life-sized cutout can also produce a three-dimensional logo or contour-cut sign.”

Anywhere you go in the DeKalb/Sycamore area, you are likely to see projects that involved the services of OC Imageworks. SW Roofing, Ecosteam, and TBC sport vehicle fleets wrapped by OC. Restaurants like Tapalaluna, Filo Spinato’s, Cabana Charley’s, and the Eggsclusive Café have taken advantage of OC Imageworks’ ability to produce signs, window graphics, and interior décor. OC has produced dimensional lettering and logos for companies like Brian Bemis of Oregon, Hauser Ross Optical, and Midwest Orthopedic Institute. Northern Illinois University, Kishwaukee Community College, Waubonsee Community College, Sycamore High School, and DeKalb High School have all enlisted OC Imageworks’ talented staff for various projects. A comprehensive list of clients would number in the hundreds.

Recently, OC Imageworks was singled out by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce for the Community Pride Award, which recognized their work on the DeKalb School District referendum and their support following the February 14th tragedy at NIU.

"We were honored to receive the award,” says Barrow, “but if anyone ever received something on behalf of others, this was it. We have a truly remarkable community, and these two events revealed the character of that community in markedly different but equally profound ways."

Almost since the day they opened, OC Imageworks has been doing projects for Resource Bank. “I have MorningStar Media Group, one of our very strong partners, to thank for initiating our close relationship with Resource,” says Barrow. MorningStar brought OC Imageworks in to help with photography on Resource’s award winning Top Ten ad campaign. From that point, the relationship blossomed. Since then, Barrow and Parker have worked hand in glove with Mary Keys and the other members of the Resource marketing staff on a variety of imaginative projects. “When we decided to consolidate our banking services a couple of years ago, Resource was at the top of our list because they got what we were doing.” Barrow notes, “We didn’t have to explain to Resource what it was that set us apart from other companies. They had already been taking advantage of our unique abilities to benefit their business.”

Parker notes that OC Imageworks’ contributions to Resource Bank’s recent “Go Free” campaign are a perfect example of the advantages OC can bring to this kind of project. “Resource needed a variety of graphics materials to support this project,” says Parker, “including a vehicle wrap, stand-ups for the branch lobbies, and vinyl graphics for the drive-thru ATMs. We handled the layout, production, and installation for all of these, ensuring consistency and accountability throughout the project.”

The tour winds up in Barrow’s photography studio, a high-ceilinged space with a white backdrop flowing down from one end of the room. Large photographs, including one of a grand prix horse and rider flying over a jump, pop from the black walls. Pointing to the horse and rider, Barrow says “We don’t always mention to OC Imageworks’ clients that we have a division, OC Photos, that happens to be the premier horse show photography service in this part of the country. It just seems a little overwhelming after explaining all the other things we do.”

Barrow remarks, however, that it is precisely because OC Imageworks grew out of his digital photography background, rather than one of traditional sign making, that it maintains such a unique character among businesses with similar equipment. “By being able to vertically integrate photography and graphic design as part of our services, we bring many clients in at an early stage of concept development, one that can take full advantage of the digital work flow. At the same time, our designers are able to work seamlessly with other designers, ad agencies, and marketing directors. Clients really like the fact that they can access our services through many doors and at any level of development.”

While they see themselves primarily as a business to business company, Barrow and Parker both have retail in their background and in their blood. “We love working with individuals,” says Parker, “and we welcome walk-ins. Some of the most interesting projects we’ve done have been for individuals who want an old family photo enlarged, a life-sized cutout for a special event, a commemorative tile, or a custom sign for a family farm. Odds are, if it has to do with images printed on something, we can do it.”

As the tour ends, Barrow recalls some advice his father gave him. “My Dad always said you should change your skin every few years; do something new to keep from getting bored. I think he would have loved this business, because it brings something new every day.” And what could be more interesting than making imagination visible?

LIFESTYLE

Thirty-seven foster children later...

Thirty-nine years ago, Sheriff Roger and Marcia Scott were a newly married couple without a care in the world. They were young newlyweds with a lifetime ahead of them. And what a life it has been. Eighteen months later, they had their first of three kids, and the usual busy life of family and work was upon them. But the events that followed shortly after they began the empty nest part of life, took them down a less common road.

the Scotts don’t see an end in sight anytime soon.

“I remember being out back putting the dog away, and Marcia called to me from the kitchen window. She asked if we could have one foster child. We had a brief discussion at the window, and before I even got inside, she had it up to two foster kids,” smiles Roger. And they haven’t looked back since. Thirty -seven foster children later, the Scotts don’t see an end in sight anytime soon.

“Blame it on Oprah,” remembers Marcia. “I remember seeing her show on border babies, children that languish in the system, and the need to secure families for these children. It just moved me to take action then and there. Luckily I’m married to a pretty special guy.”

“I’ve gotten used to her methods now,” shares Roger. “It starts out with her saying that they’ll only be here for a few weeks, we have the room, and then I know that she already has her mind made up. I haven’t been able to tell her no much, and I probably am not going to start now.”

Today the Scott home is filled with five adopted children from ages 4 to 18, all of whom started out as foster kids. “Kids come and stay for months, then years. At some point they are just yours. That’s how we came to adopt each of these five.”

Each child who has been touched by the Scotts has their own story. One was adopted by friends of the Scotts, and they still see each other today. Some of them have lost contact with the Scotts. Still others invite the Scotts to celebrate their wedding or the birth of their own children. “Those are some of the calls that make it all worthwhile. Even though we may not have had them for an extended time, they let us know the time with us made a difference. Hearing that from adults we nurtured as kids – that is priceless,” states Marcia.

However, don’t for minute think that foster parenting is easy. There are significant challenges. “Some of the circumstances that the kids come from are awful. Other times they come from parents who just need time, support, education, and love themselves, so they can get their lives together. In those cases, we tell those parents that we are just a state babysitter. You work on what you need to work on, and we’ll care for your child during that time. And there have been great stories of these kids reuniting successfully with their parents,” shares Marcia.

Many of the children in foster care have significant challenges from the effects of pre-natal drug and alcohol abuse. It can be quite a challenge to raise these kids. They often have a constant need to be reminded of tasks. Maturity often comes quite late. Ability to focus is often limited. Then add abuse, neglect, or both and the challenges stack up even higher. “We see that of all the challenges, neglect, can take the greatest toll on children. It really calls for an entirely different way of parenting – a much, much softer, though persistent, approach. They need a lot of comfort, more than you ever thought you had to give. But you find it.”

And in the Scott household, rough, tough Sheriff Roger Scott turns into putty in the face of these kids. “He’s the softy,” says Marcia. “He’s the easy yes, after I’ve said no. He’s the tucker-in-er. Each child gets a back scratch from Dad and time talking just one on one. He’s the one that rolls his eyes at the mess left downstairs and is quick to cover their tracks for them. That of course makes Mom the tough one.”

A soft and open heart for the kids doesn’t mean that one’s heart doesn’t get broken. There are stories of reunions with parents that don’t go well. There is also the constant whirl of additional activity that most traditional parents seldom face. Case workers, court hearings, and therapy sessions are all commonplace for foster parents. An open heart is sometimes a broken heart. But that’s okay with the Scotts. “It’s worth it,” says Roger. “The kids make it worth it. The challenges can be daunting, but we can never seem to ever bring ourselves to give up on these kids. They’ve had enough disruption by the time they come to us. We can’t give them more. But prospective foster parents need to be prepared to have their hearts broken. It is going to happen.”

On other days, they are just kids. They both tell the story of their four-year-old who has done much to keep the local plumber busy. Roger shares, “For the last four months he has done this or that to the plumbing. Pretty wild and creative stuff. The last time the plumber was pretty straight with him and told him he didn’t want to see him again anytime soon. By the look in David’s eye, I think he saw that as more of a challenge than a warning. Besides, after all that, all the mess, the bills, and the nuisance, there is that hug that follows and he says he is really sorry. That’s just great kid stuff and makes a lot of the trouble just fade away.”

Like with anything else, foster parenting is a choice. The Scotts have foregone expensive vacations and travel, and any thought of retirement seems far away. “We’ve spent a lot of time in parks near our home fishing, at baseball games, or throwing a football or Frisbee. Those are our vacations. But I can tell you, I have just as clear memories about doing those things in a neighborhood park, as I could ever have from a big, expensive vacation,” says Roger.

These days they are in discussion about what to do the next time the phone rings. Shortly, two of the kids will be eighteen, which makes the Scott home eligible for more foster kids. “We’ve said no to adopting anymore kids. But fostering? We still have another ten years of foster parenting to give,” suggests Marcia. Looking at Roger’s face in response, one can guess if the phone rings ten years from now they might have the same discussion they had through the window all those years ago. “Just one...?”

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Frank Kulsea

"I was fortunate a few years ago to receive a sabbatical to relearn and retrain at the easel."

For Frank Kulesa, painting is a return to his roots as an artist. “I started painting at a pretty young age. My painting the last few years has been a relearning process,” states Frank. Frank has taught in the Design Division at NIU for 25 years and, in the past few years, has returned to his earlier work at the easel.

“It was a chance to refine my skills and spend time at the easel, as well as among potential subjects.” What better subject matter could he find than NIU’s campus? Over the sabbatical period, Frank created a series of paintings that feature everything from notable buildings to flowering trees. In all, he created 11 pieces that were shown, along with other artists’ pieces, during the premier period of the Barsema Alumni and Visitor Center on campus. “As I looked at the pieces and got reactions from others, it just kind of came together in my mind that it felt right to donate the collection to the alumni center. Others were commenting on how they seemed a natural fit for the building, and I agreed. For me, it was natural that I did this work during a sabbatical period and that it was my way of giving back to the NIU community at large. I discussed it with my wife, and we both felt it was, in effect, giving back a piece of myself.”

His gift came with one small request. “My gift was modest in comparison to the gifts people like Sally Stevens put forth. I was so taken with her generosity; I wanted my gift to compliment hers. So I asked that at least some of the work be featured in the Stevens conference area, and it is there today.”

His work is a hybrid of realism and impressionism. He works with light and mood through the artist’s eye to capture the scene with literal shapes and colors filtered through the artist’s creative mind. In the process he may change the colors, values, and contrast in a scene. “I just can’t help but paint. I’m always working on painting in my mind. My current and next projects are always present in my thoughts. I can be golfing, talking, or driving and a part of me is always painting.”

Frank likens his work to that of an athlete. “A painter needs an athletic set of skills: stamina, concentration, and adept motor skills to manipulate the brush in the hand as the mind sees it.” That set of athletic skills and a constant focus on his work leads to successful pieces.

“Art is successful when I am satisfied – when the picture in my mind exists on the canvas. And by and large that happens. Sometimes it’s with positive surprises along the way, additions that weren’t in my mind originally but come together through the process. Also, I use my wife as a sounding board; she has a sensitive eye and has given me good advice over the years.” To view Frank’s NIU collection, stop in the alumni center during regular hours and view our familiar campus in an entirely new and beautiful way.

SEASON'S FEATURE

Meet the Buzzin' Dozen

A life shared is a life well lived.

It’s not just a sentiment hand-stitched into a pillow, but rather a way of living for a group of women who have met almost weekly for four decades. While the reason for getting together each week is reported to be sewing, what actually happens around the stitches is life itself.

The group began more than 40 years ago when Geri Faivre and Ellie Keefe started meeting with a few other mothers to work on stitchery or knitting while their kids played. The group of moms were women from a largely different era. Most didn’t work outside the home, and the concept of professional day care was foreign to this group. Fruits and vegetables were often still canned by hand, and there were no microwaves with which to turn over a meal in minutes. Cable TV was the wire that ran from the roof top antennae to the back of the set, bringing Walter Cronkite into the living room on most nights.

The women were very intent on keeping the group together and growing. “When Ellie moved away, I put an ad in the Midweek stating that anyone interested in knitting, crocheting, or sewing should call me about joining a group with like interests. The only person who answered was Nancy Ondera. Then, somehow, we met other people and asked them to join, including relatives. At times we’ve had as many as 17 women meet,” recalls Geri.

Today, they describe themselves as a pretty down-to-earth crowd. The meeting still moves from house to house, and the hostess is responsible for treats. (As a connoisseur of pastries, I can verify that the treats are first class, with the made-from-scratch recipes that are lost on those who think homemade cinnamon rolls come from a round can with a spiral seam with frosting from a plastic cup!) One senses that this group is well past trying to impress and top each other with elaborate snacks, but wouldn’t think of disappointing the members just the same. People come and go with job transfers and other life changes, but these women are dedicated to each other, family, and their community. They see it as a nice gathering, a part of what makes life worthwhile and a place to mourn and celebrate the events of life. One member suggests, “It’s a group to fall back on through loss. A life saver against loneliness.” There is no loneliness inside this group, as the love and affection that they share with each other is apparent with every story told.

This is the kind of group that is lost on their daughters, though. The members share, “They just live in a different time. Most of our daughters have jobs, and they really need to get home to their families. I think they do their sharing at work and at kids’ activities and such. The lives of our daughters are on the go; the minivan is always moving. They don’t have time or really need a group like this. That’s all fine and good. But we’re all thankful for our time together.”

These women not only work with fabric at each session, but have been, and are, the very fabric of their homes and the community. Gone are the kids running through fence – free yards while Moms mended clothes for family and neighbors. The women no longer have an annual picnic for their families, complete with airplane rides from a pilot husband! Even the nature of much of the sewing has changed from mending, to elaborate and creative craft and artwork. With the kids gone, mending isn’t needed as much, and a more leisurely time of life leads to more creative pursuits. And are they creative!

Trame needlepoint, elaborate quilts, and knitting of the kind that only comes from experienced and loving hands were all underway at a recent gathering. Some projects take weeks, while others take months or even years to complete. And that’s OK with this group. They plan on being together for a long, long time.

There is no loneliness inside this group, as the love and affection that they share with each other is apparent with every story told.