The South Church News
A Publication of The South Church, Mount Prospect, IL
June 2014
Mrs. Irwin is one hundred and two! She was
my language arts teacher at Lincoln Junior
High almost 40 years ago. She was not my
favorite teacher. She was old even then --
Upcoming Events
Sunday, June 8 - Ice Cream Social
Held in Fellowship Hall
Immediately following the church service
4th of July Parade
July 29, 30, 31- Vacation Bible School
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
6 - 8 pm
Garden Weed, Water, and Harvest
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 6 pm.
Memories of a Teacher Who
Made a Difference
For this month’s article I want to share a piece
that was printed in the May 5, 2014 Daily
Herald. It’s a fine article about our very own
Zanobia Irwin, by former student Margaret
Kaden.
small and white-haired. I preferred the young
teachers who danced around and wore the
stylish short dresses of the time, the 1970s.
Mrs. Irwin was not a dancer, nor was she
particularly stylish.
I remember two things most specifically about
Mrs. Irwin's language arts class. She made us
take dictation once a week. It was really boring.
She would dictate a letter or another document
and we had to write it down. The trick was that
we had to use correct form and punctuation,
which we learned through trial and error over
the course of the school year.
I also remember that Mrs. Irwin let us read
what I thought were mature books. They
weren't naughty in any way, but they were not
the little kiddie books to which I had become
accustomed. My favorites were "The Human
Comedy," by William Saroyan, and "On
Borrowed Time," about Mr. Brink, who
represents death and gets caught up in a tree
so that nobody and nothing can die. It was very
philosophical. We also watched the movies of
the books, with Mickey Rooney and Lionel
Barrymore, respectively.
Like I said, Mrs. Irwin was not my favorite
teacher, and her class was not my favorite
class, until, many years later, they were! When
I got to college, and later law school, I realized
I did not struggle with writing like my
classmates. I never worried about where to put
the comma, or if I might be better off with a
semicolon, all because of Mrs. Irwin and her
boring dictation.
Later, when my daughter was in seventh grade
I yearned for a teacher like Mrs. Irwin for her -not a stylish one or a dancer, but one who
would really give her positive and useful
something else.
Mrs. Irwin had just turned 100 the month
before. I quickly dashed off a note to her. She
still lived in the same house she lived in when
she taught preteen me. I thanked her belatedly
for teaching me how to write and how to
appreciate the English language. A few days
later, she wrote back. She said I made her day,
her week, and her year. We made plans to
meet for lunch, along with my husband and my
seventh-grader. Mrs. Irwin drove herself to
lunch in an old Mercedes (probably the same
feedback. I wanted my daughter to be able to
go into this good world with the ability to write
what's on her mind, confidently and
competently.
I wondered what ever became of Mrs. Irwin.
So, sitting in my car, in front of my daughter's
middle school, I Googled Mrs. Irwin. I admit I
expected to find her obituary, but I found
one she had back when she taught me
language arts), and we've been friends ever
since.
So, now Mrs. Irwin is 102. Lucky for me that
she has lived long enough for me to be able to
express my appreciation. I hope every great
teacher lives to be 102, and I hope none of us
misses the chance to express our appreciation.
Save the Date!
The Board of Deacons cordially invites members, friends,
and families of the South Church to our annual
Ice Cream Social
Sunday, June 8
Held in Fellowship Hall, immediately following the church
service.
Deacons will personally guarantee that calories consumed
during the Ice Cream Social will magically NOT appear on your hips!
We’re looking forward to seeing you,
The Board of Deacons
IF YOU COULD…
save the life of an infant, send a young girl to school, and help eradicate
poverty, all without sacrifice on your part. . . would you?
We can't end all things that are bad, but we can help a little bit.
Find out how on Sunday, June 8!
One Billion People do
not have access to clean
water.
www.thewaterproject.org
Tom Huntsha
Goldie Bear
Carolyn Caruth
Rebecca Sajbel
Marie O'Connell
June Youngren
Conlan Mueller
Kyle Johnson
Ethan Mick
Douglas Toben
Toni Bombicino
June 3
June 5
June 9
June 14
June 16
June 17
June 19
June 20
June 27
June 28
June 30
Eloise & Don Berg
Kathy & Bill Ryan
Laura Lukas & Tom Suhar
Christine & Dean Laughland
Paul & Cindy Zimmerman
June 12
June 14
June 18
June 29
June 30
Looking for a little help with your yard
work or light household tasks?
Dorothy Angerer's sons, ages 16 and 13, are
willing to help for just a little pocket money. For
information, please call the Church Office at
(847) 253-0501. Dorothy is our new office
manager.
Check out these local
businesses…
If you are interested in purchasing ad space, please
send your business card or ad information to the South
Church - Attn: Ad Space, along with a check for $25
made out to The South Church. Or you can send a PDF
or jpeg file to: newsletter@thesouthchurch.com and mail
your check along with a note stating the file has been
sent. The price of $25 is per year and your business
information is featured in each monthly newsletter.
The South Church
501 S. Emerson Street
Mount Prospect, IL 60056
Address correction requested
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