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homerhorizon.com sound off
the Homer Horizon | February 16, 2017 | 17
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From HomerHorizon.com from Friday, Feb. 10
1. Cheerleading: Porters place in Top 10 at state
championship
2. Candidates state their views ahead of primary
3. Road District highlights enhancements,
expansion of compound
4. Wrestling: Porters steamroll way to regional
title at home
5. Local youth hoops teams duke it out for
championship
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“Kids Crochet Club enjoying their crochet
class!”
Homer Township Public Library from
Feb. 8.
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“Congratulations Celtic Cheer 4th in the
STATE!!! So very proud of you!!!”
@PCHS_Celtics from Feb. 4.
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From the Assistant Editor
The centenarian edition
Erin Redmond
e.redmond@22ndcenturymedia.com
Not too long ago, I
was playing with
my niece. I was asking
her — as you do — how
old she is and how old her
siblings are, all questions
she answered with pinpoint
accuracy.
Then she looked at me
with her big blue eyes,
raised one tiny eyebrow and
asked, “How old are you,
Auntie Erin?”
“How old do you think I
am, Mairead?,” I replied.
“100!” she exclaimed,
beaming with certainty.
OK, I hadn’t slept much
the night before, but I doubt
that added 70-plus years to
Letters to the Editor
My picks for the primary
[For the] Feb. 28 Homer
Township Primary, my
picks [are] Pam Meyers
(supervisor), Linsey Sowa
(clerk), Karen Szynkowski
(assessor), Tom Fijan (trustee),
Edward Kalas (trustee),
George Offord (trustee).
Voting these days is very
important, and my selections
are there for the right
reasons. Vote early Feb. 14-
17 [and] Feb. 21-24.
My Township taxes have
gone down; parks are in
great shape. I’m a 44-anda-half-year
resident and
my age. So at the time, her
answer was not what I was
hoping for, but she’s not
quite 3 yet, so I forgive her.
This week, however, I
realized just how lucky I
would be if I ever met this
milestone.
I had the opportunity to
interview Genie Lenc, a
Homer Glen resident, during
the Feb. 8 Homer Glen
Village Board meeting. Her
story is featured on Page
12. Born in 1917, Lenc will
celebrate her 100th birthday
on Feb. 20, and she’s still as
sharp as a tack. She’s lived
through two World Wars and
17 different presidents. She
survived the Great Depression,
watched the first Space
Shuttle launch and remembers
when the internet was
just a fantasy.
And that’s just the cliff
notes. I can’t even begin to
imagine what else she’s seen.
We also have a story memorializing
the life of Marie
Cook, who passed away
on Jan. 22, just a few days
after her 103rd birthday. Her
friends credit her curiosity
have been involved in Village
and Township business
for only seven or eight
years.
In this time, I went to a lot
of committee meetings but
have never seen or heard a
thing about Trustee [Vicki]
Bozen and our senior citizens.
Why? Nothing on
Township website, and she
never held a meeting with
us seniors for her entire seven
years.
I helped with one community
event and attended
more and never saw Vicki
Bozen helping, just campaigning.
and her hunger to always
know what was going to
happen next as her secret to
a long life.
As I was writing her story,
I couldn’t help but feel a
pang of regret that I didn’t
get to speak with her before
she died. She lived her life to
the fullest.
Cook owned and operated
businesses for 65 years and
didn’t retire until she was 91
years old. That is unfathomable
to me.
She was a committed
woman. Her curiosity to
see things through led to
her serving on the Lockport
Planning and Zoning Commission
for 42 years, where
she helped shape the fabric
of what is modern day
Lockport and Homer Glen.
She lived through two
World Wars during which
her own husband, like many
other men during that era,
was called off to serve.
She stepped up to help her
friends raise their children
and stayed in touch with
them until the very end.
There is a reason they
No time for us; well, will
she have time for our kids,
taxes, seniors, budget, etc.
with a whole slate of candidates
that don’t go to meetings
or have much government
experience to my
knowledge?
Seven or eight years ago,
I didn’t know too much
about government. I did
have two neighbors that
were involved. Today, take
my advice, and vote with
me for all of the above Feb.
28. Thanks.
John Kooi
Homer Glen resident
call this group the Greatest
Generation.
I’ve only been on this
Earth a short time compared
to these two women, but I
am honored to be able to tell
their stories. In doing so, it
makes me think about my
own life and what sort of
legacy I’ll leave behind.
Furthermore, I can’t wait
to see what the future holds.
We’re right in the middle
of history right now. All the
decisions being made at the
top levels of government —
whether I agree with them
or not — will undoubtedly
shape our future. Like Cook,
I’m just curious to see what
impact it will all have.
One hundred years.
It’s hard to fathom. But I
promise if I’m lucky enough
to stick around that long, I
won’t waste a single second
of it. That’s a lesson we can
all learn from these two
remarkable women.
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Office Condo #3, Orland Park,
Illinois, 60467. Fax letters to (708)
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