Odd Wo(man) In

From Live From Skokie

Make new friends, but keep the old
One is silver and the other gold

That song from my childhood comes to mind when I see this picture. I'm pretty sure it was not ever meant as a comment on hair color, but I think I'm the silver one in this picture.

Last month a few of us from the class of 1980 from Niles North congregated in Devonshire Park thanks to the efforts of Fran Horvath (nee Ruskin) and Mark Holtzman. We shared stories, passed around a yearbook and got acquainted and reacquainted...and made some pictures.

I'm in touch with many of the friends I had in high school. None of them were there. That's okay. My new friend Fran Horvath, who my husband only recently introduced me to, and her other friends were there. Fran and I were not friends in high school. This was not by deliberate decision, just the nature of things. We hung out in different circles. I was at least aware of her; she admits to having no awareness of me. I was aware of Toby Fisher too, as she was a Vikette, NN's poms squad, but we were not friends either. Linda, I didn't remember knowing, but evidently she was taking beauty school classes and was off campus a lot.

Are we friends now? We'll see. Crystal ball sees a visit to Linda's to discussed the silver in the near future.

Note to Niles North Class of '80: Maybe we'll have a 30th reunion, maybe not. There's no clear organizer(s) this year. Word is that at least Fran and Mark, who'd been involved in planning the 10th and 20th, can't do it this year. So, hope to see y'all next year, or maybe in '11, but surely in cyberspace.

Skokie's 4th of July Parade

One needed to know Skokie and its 4th of July parade to understand something was different this year. The weather was cooler than most years, so there was less concern about band members passing out, but any Chicagoan would have noticed that. Where were the temple teams? Where was Beth Israel? July 4, 2009 landed on a Saturday. Word was that many temples opted out of the parade in honor of the sabbath. July 4, 2010 is on a Sunday next year. It's a good bet they'll be back.

Pioneer Press' Mike Isaacs wrote about the pre-parade preparations.
SkokieNet's Eh re ca wrote about teen volunteers' work at the parade.
State Rep. Lou Lang's web page offers a bit about Lou's and Jan Schakowsky's infirmities.

Here's some simple snaps I made of the parade. I didn't catch everyone's name, but aim to fill them in as I learn them, so bring on the information. Love mob sourcing.

~ Karen Kring

George and Susan Van Dusen with friend.
George is Skokie's mayor.


U.S. House Rep Jan Schakowsky didn't walk the parade
as she usually does due to her bum foot.


This Jan of fan knows how to enjoy being in a parade.


Abbey Fishman Romanek is running for judge from
Cook Country's 9th subcircuit. Election is in February 2010.


Jesse Greenberg and other advocates for Abbey.




Having fun isn't hard when you've got...


a library card.


Roy Swenson.

Kiyo Shirataki.


Nola Penn.


Young Eldridge Shannon with Urban Beat Dance.


Two Rubinos.





Angeles "Jelly" Carandang






Illinois State Rep. Elizabeth Coulsen meets the Rubinos.


The parade is not over until the Refuse Collection
Division's trucks go by.

Niles North Class of 1980 Get Together

All alumni from Niles North Class of '80 are invited to picnic with former classmates at Devonshire Park, by the tennis courts, tomorrow, Saturday, July 18 from 4-8 p.m.

It is BYOF: Bring your own food, family, and fun.

Organized by Fran Ruskin Horvath and Mark Holtzman, there's a Facebook page for the event.

My big little sister: Niles North alum Nancy Kring Corbige

My younger sister, Nancy Kring Corbige, and her family were featured in an article that ran in the Sun-Times last month about learning to bob and weave in these economic times.

I look forward to more stories that help us understand how some people are handling their change in these circumstances. I think it's great that they were willing to talk about their finances on the record. So brave. In our society it's a bigger taboo to talk about finances than sex, but in these times, we need more ways to talk about finances, as is appropriate and useful.

I appreciated Francine Knowles' and Rich Hein's work on the piece.

I sure didn't appreciate the rude, off-topic comments that judged them on their physique, previous spending and then some. I'm a journalist. I know how it works, but still, yikes. It definitely brings home the point that it takes all kinds.

I'd hoped my sister wouldn't notice the comments, but she did...and she called me LAUGHING. Phew. She knows how it works too. I know I can spin a situation for the better, but she's very good at it, and was better at it than me in this case.

You can see her incredibly generous, open-minded replies to the snark and snot at the end of the article. Her online name at suntimes.com is "corbige".

No degrees of separation: Go Vikings

Maybe Nancy's husband, Curtis Corbige, seems familiar to you. Maybe you went to Niles North in the late '70s and early '80s. He did. Curtis is Class of '81, Nancy, '84. Back then Curtis was very involved in golf and still is. Besides working as a probation officer, he freelances for FoodStuffs, owned by Jay Lieberman, NN Class of '82.

Nancy has a Mary Kay open house and ribbon cutting on July 19 from 4-8 p.m. at her place in Rolling Meadows. You can contact her about it or ordering products at ncorbige@ameritech.net or through her website. Personally I like the basic skin care and the "targeted-action line reducer". No botox for me.

Photo: Nancy with Ken Kring, Class of '82, in our backyard on Sayre in Morton Grove. Photo surely by Gladys, our mom. More about Ken another time.
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