Hello Dolly, in Three Takes

After my Mom retired, she moved in 1991 from our Suburban Chicago home to Madison. Mom's former physician colleagues treated her to a "going-away dinner" at the swank restaurant at the top of the Hancock Tower. Mom found the dinner a bit pretentious—she ordered Quail and reported it felt like she was eating a toad. The highlight of the meal, however, was the location of the women's table: they sat behind a group hosting Dolly Parton.

Suburban Chicago, October 1991. Mom is ready to depart.

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Chicago, Illinois, October 1991. Mom didn't get a photo of herself with Dolly Parton, but you can see Ms. Parton sitting behind Mom's group.

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Chicago, Illinois, October 1991. Ms. Parton was most gracious when Mom took her photo. Mom—who is quite tiny—still remarks about how small Dolly Parton was.

Going Up

Chicago, Illinois, April 2007. The Trump Tower is under construction.

Do you remember when people used to "dress up" to go shopping?

Chicago, Illinois, March 1973. Mom stands on Michigan Avenue, near Monroe. She's already been to Marshall Field's; she carries one of the store's boxes. The skyline has changed over the years: compare it here. The Hancock Tower—under construction since 1965 and completed in 1976—stands in the background.