In-the-Woods Reunion

Thatcher Woods, Cook County Forest Preserve, September 24, 2016. Mr. Irene headed back last weekend to the Chicago area for a high-school reunion. He stopped at Thatcher Woods to revisit some memories, and he was happy to find the place in great shape.

Related by Marriage: Graduation season approaches.

Suburban Chicago, June 1976. Mr. Irene rocked those tinted aviators.

(He wore a different eyeglass style here.)

Frogging—Forty Years Ago—in Three Takes

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Suburban Chicago, June 1974. Mom and I unravel a sweater. We watch television while we work.

Friday Football

Oak Park, Illinois, Autumn 1965. It's halftime at the game.

A spat ...

... develops at Mr. Irene's high school: Illinois Governor "Pat Quinn lashed out Thursday night at his alma mater, Fenwick High School, for firing his brother as boys basketball coach after 28 years."

Players

Oak Park, Illinois, Autumn 1965. The Fenwick High School football team prepares for a game.

Be true to your school?

My alma mater, Trinity High School, is the subject of a short article.

I have few opinions about single-gender education, but I make two observations: (1) In the 1960s and 1970s, the boys who attended our "brother school," Fenwick High School, were much better prepared for university work than we were. Although we had solid training in the humanties, the Fenwick boys were better educated in the hard sciences (example: Mr. Irene); and (2) after four years at a single-gender institution, I found it rough to adapt to a co-ed setting. During my first year at university, I slowly adjusted to men in the classroom. During my second year, our small dormitory went coed.