Historical Fall 2010 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
It seems summer has flown by and been very busy for many of our neighbors. Therefore, we have a bit of catching up to do.
To begin, congratulations go out to St. Roch School Principal Gloria Openlander, who received the Distinguished Alumni Award from HarrisStowe University in May. Mrs. Openlander was recognized for her accomplishments in education and as an educator for 32 years. Eight individuals received the award. Tom Hoerr, Ph.D. and Head of New City School received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Harris Stowe at the same time. Tom and wife Karleen are longtime Skinker DeBaliviere residents from the 6100 block of Kingsbury. Many Skinker DeBaliviere families grew over the summer as well! Mary Carter Klucznik was born on June 8 to proud parents Molly and Brian Klucznik, of Chicago. Molly grew up in Parkview and is the daughter of the late Mary and Charlie Fleener of Parkview. Proud big brother is Henry and a large crowd of McGroarty cousins on the 6100 block of McPherson are also thrilled! Speaking of the McGroarty clan from the 6100 block of McPherson, Peter Edward and Gertrude “Gertie” Catherine McGroarty arrived safe and sound on July 19th. Gertie weighted in at 6lbs 10 ozs and Peter was 7 lbs 6 ozs, both 20 inches long. Sean and Cristina McGroarty report all are doing well and that big brothers Charlie, Brendan, Joe and Patrick and thrilled and helping out when they can with the babies. Peter was named after his grandpa, Edward Peter McGroarty, and Gertie’s namesake is the mother of the late Mary Fleener, the “original” Nana, Gertrude Clearly. Congratulations! Peggy Hermes of the 6100 block of Kingsbury was thrilled to report that daughter Lucy and husband Matt Solomon welcomed a baby girl in Los Angeles on August 5th. And John and Jane Cross, former (and long time residents) of the 6100 block of Kingsbury welcomed their first grandson (up to this point they have only had grand-daughters) this summer. Conor Henry Francis Cross was born on June 28th in Holland to parents Geno and Charlotte Cross. Conor will no doubt be well cared for by big sisters Josephine, Isabelle, and Cessie. John and Jane Cross continued to have reason to celebrate over the summer when they marked their 50th wedding anniversary on the 4th of July.
They were married in New York and moved to St. Louis to attend graduate school at Saint Louis University.
A lovely party was held at daughter Kathleen’s house and was well attended by friends and family who had a wonderful time despite a downpour of rain. Several other longtime residents celebrated some big anniversaries this summer. Happy 49th Anniversary to Marj and Brad Weir of the 6100 block of Westminster. Happy 55th Anniversary to Rick and Joan Bender of the 6100 block of Kingsbury. And happy 21st Anniversary to Margie and Ken Cohen, formerly of the 6100 block of Kingsbury.
We wish them all many more happy years together. Angie Meara surprised husband Sean with a 39th birthday party at Joe’s Cafe on July 17th. Family, friends and neighbors toasted Sean. Angie and Sean live on the 5900 block of Pershing along with their children Olive and Van who also recently celebrated birthdays. Claudio Olalla from Spain spends his summers every year with the Voss family of the 6100 block of McPherson and the Guidiswitz family of the 6100 block of Washington. So many of Claudio’s Skinker DeBaliviere friends were more than happy to celebrate Spain’s World Cup Victory with him!
Some of the soccer enthusiasts were Zachary Voss, Alvaro Gudiswitz, Simon Handmaker, Theo and Emil Banaszak. Katie and Paul Kurtz of the 6100 block of Kingsbury, had a busy spring with son Jim graduating from Regis University (Denver) in May. Jim will spend the upcoming school year coaching middle school soccer, basketball, and baseball at Crossroads College Prep.
He is pursing the next step in getting a degree in communications, especially radio broadcasting. Nick Kurtz graduated from Crossroads in May with an Alumni Association Scholarship (covering freshman book expenses) and will be starting Wittenberg University in Ohio. And son Nate returns to Coe College in Iowa and will play his third year on the Varsity Soccer Team. Not to be left out of the news, Paul has started a new job with EPS Settlements. Congratulations all around to the Kurtz family!
As we share the good news and welcome new additions to our families in this column, we also often have to share the news of the passing of old friends and neighbors.
The 6100 block of Kingsbury was saddened on April 6th by the passing of longtime resident Jim Dyer. Jim was the father of daughters Joy and Kay and the late Kathleen Dyer.
Another longtime Skinker DeBaliviere resident was Ilene McGinn who lived for years on the 6000 block of Pershing and was a longtime parishioner at St. Roch. Ilene passed away on July 7th. And most difficult to report are the deaths of people who seem to be with us for far too short a time.
In this case, Paul Michaelson, of the 5800 block of Pershing. Paul was only 43 years old and lost his battle with cancer on August 6th.
He leaves behind a beautiful young family; wife Angelica, daughter Gabriella, and son, Isaac. Paul taught at Saint Louis University High School and was active in Skinker DeBaliviere, most notably serving until his death as the co-chair of the security committee.
With the departure of Bethany Everett, we welcome as the new (temporary) Administrative Director for the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council David Whiteman. David is a resident of Parkview and has an impressive resume that will help our neighborhood and the community council as we complete some strategic planning and move forward through our transition and into the future. Welcome, David! Welcome to new neighbors Kim and Gene Gladstone on the 6100 block of Westminster.
They are happy to be homeowners in our neighborhood and have already attended the BBQ Concerts and the Party for Neighbors Old and New at the Vatchas last month. Shannon McPherron, eldest son of Tom and Sharon McPherron, was recognized for his significant archeological discovery in the August 18th edition of the St. Louis PostDispatch.
The fascinating story of his find in Ethiopia suggests that early humans used tools far earlier than had previously been believed.
The full text of the story can be found online at http://www.stltoday.com/news/ local/metro/article_0531c8a4-1d8f-59d6- 9189-a86211b685d5.html or by searching for “Shannon McPherron Post-Dispatch” through your search engine. Shannon and his family lived in Rosedale for many years.
His parents still live in the Central West End. (Thanks to Don Walker, who first alerted us to this story.) Finishing out the column, I would like to just comment on how nice it has been in The Loop (at least in my opinion) – to have the drum circle back in the heart of The Loop.
The drum circled had been moved for a while, but is now back on Sundays sharing their rhythm and beat for all of us to enjoy as we stroll, shop, eat, and enjoy The Loop and it’s many offerings. That’s all the news for this issue. Do you have some news to share?
Please send your items to Rachel Boxdorfer at rboxdorfer@ prudentialalliance.com with the subject line “News of Neighbors”.
Original photograph caption
Peter Edward and Gertrude Catherine Mc Groarty. Descriptive caption supplied; photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, Fall 2010.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2010_09.pdf, printed page(s) 3; PDF page(s) 3.
