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Brick Stories N to Z
A Few Things About “1 More Thing”
Carol Kania, Kathy Omelka, and Janet Pimentel all met at a newspaper, but not at the same one, and not at the same time. Janet and Carol met in the early 1990s, Carol and Kathy worked together in the mid-1990s, and Janet and Kathy got to know each other in the early 2000s. When Janet told Carol she wanted to start a book group, she mentioned that she had one other person in mind for the club -- Kathy.
This whole book group phenomenon is kind of amazing. In the 1990s, when all three women were in the news business, few people read for fun. Now, bookstores and libraries have discovered that people like to meet and discuss books, and so guides for leaders and questions and other helpful tools are available. The women of “1 More Thing” rarely use them, however, because we never have a problem finding topics to talk about. And that explains the origin of the club's name.
When we first formed, Kathy was asked if we had any "openings” in the club, like we were some sort of exclusive society. We aren’t, but we do tend to veer off at meetings into subjects like the death of the news business, people we used to work with, Kathy’s husband’s reading tastes, Janet’s family, and Carol’s husband’s homebrewed beer. We also have read some great books, including Middlesex, Eat, Pray, Love, and Ella Minnow Pea. We meet at various locations, including our homes. Janet has a shelf devoted to the books we’ve read, Kathy always makes a feast related to the theme of the book, and Carol sometimes remembers to clean the bathroom before the group comes over.
IN HONOR OF
MARTA SEDATH
OUR OMA
ALEX ANDREW
BOBBY GUNN
The brick in the walkway at Downers Grove Public Library was created in memory of my Oma. It all started when she had a stroke more than half a year ago. She spent about two weeks in intensive care then was moved to a nursing home. While she was in the nursing home she would say she wanted to return to her home in Darien. Finally she was allowed to do so. Everyone thought she was getting better but slowly she was getting worse. Oma was sent back to the nursing home where she died on November 17, 1998.
I will miss my Oma very much and I wish she were the same as she was before the stroke. But history cannot be changed. This brick will last forever just like I wish she did.
Roger S. Tea - Board Member 1954 - 1972
My father loved books. As children my brother, Sherm, my sister, Phyl and I learned to care for our books. Our school books were even opened properly before using. He often read to us and later to his grandchildren.
He was born in Indiana. His father was a doctor. His mother died when he was a small boy. They lived in the back of the office in Lafayette. He worked in a drugstore in battleground before college at DePaw in Greencastle. He worked at Western Electric for over 45 years taking the Burlington each day. When he retired he was a supervisor in the Brass Mill.
He married my mom, Marie Abercrombie from Kansas in 1930. They were both active in First Congregational Church. Mom did community work in nursing and Dad for the library.
He loved to garden and shared the produce with friends and neighbors. When on vacations and visting me in college he always visited the librarians in the area. He had a great sense of humor and often chuckled about things.
Our brick just contains our names. We have no special “brick story” but wanted you to know how special the library has been to the lives of our family since 1965.
Reading was and still is very important to us. Our three daughters (April, Alison and Kristen) attended story times, movies, and reading programs and going to the library was a part of every week.
We remember especially when our oldest daughter was six and we could leave her alone in the children’s room. She managed to break two fingers by knocking over one of the heavy benches on her hand.
Thank you, library, for all the memories and services you’ve provided our family.
Dennis and Charmaine Thorfeldt
VANDER PLOEG
KEN -- LAURA
SUE--MICHELE
“CHAPTER ME”
When our daughters were 5 or 6 years old, they graduated from wanting just short, illustrated little books read to them to longer stories like “Stuart Little,” “The Little Princess.” The bedtime request became “chapter me” —as in, read a chapter or two from a longer storybook tonight.
Ken and Sue VanderPloeg
Brick Stories A to F
Brick Stories G to M
For more information about donating a brick of your own, pick up a brochure in the library or call the Administration Office at (630) 960–1200.
