Why Go to Joliet?

“You live in Colorado, but you make frequent trips to Joliet? What is it that calls you back to Illinois?”

My friends in Illinois would occasionally query why a seemingly normal guy who left Wilmington in 1986 would bother to return so regularly. Colorado has the Rocky Mountains, the sun that shines nearly every day, and a temperate climate. Snow primarily stays in the mountains and hot summer days drop 30 degrees by the evening. Few crawly creatures rumble and fly about because of low humidity. 

While all of these factors could be reasons to question my intellectual soundness, there is one overriding dynamic that draws me back. Friends and the Midwest culture. Yes, I was born and raised in Braidwood, helped raise our five kids in Wilmington, and played sports in Joliet and Lockport. The area is where my roots are.

While being fully employed at Regis University in Denver, it made sense to latch onto part time consulting jobs at Olivet University and Lewis. Travel had always part of my nature partly because of my gypsy relationship with Route 66 that bisected my hometown, and partly because of my journeys to St. Rose, Joliet Catholic, and Lewis College. Wandering would continue to be dominant themes through my jobs at the College of St. Francis and Regis University culminating in work-related assignments to all states and eleven countries.

In between my various jobs in Illinois, I would invariably allow for some free time to “make the rounds” by scheduling meetings and visits with the familiar. You know, places and people where one can still see remnants of old buildings and continue conversations that were left dangling 10 years ago. Same, but for altered landscapes and etched faces.

The ideal journey included visits with family, neighborhood walks, and homage to:

• Thayer Brothers’ Deli:  Visits with Anne provided Joliet updates and conversation about whatever. Hang around as dinner guests arrived. I know a few and we small talk a bit. Those I don’t know, Anne introduces me. Might see octogenarian friends, like Betty, Molly, and June, who once a week played cards in the afternoon over drinks and then come here for dinner. And who invite me to join their table. *(See my poem about the “Three Queens” at the end.)

• McDonald’s on Jefferson Street: This is an iconic place, the first McDonald’s in Joliet. I love the diversity, a place where I would sometimes converse with complete strangers or eavesdrop on their chatter. 

• Joliet and Wilmington Libraries: Two wonderful libraries, totally different in size and scope. Helpful staff assist in my research of Will County History and genealogy as minutes become hours examining names, pictures, and dates. 

• Braidwood Area Historical Society: Always a treat to view pictures and visit with Dee, George, and the other volunteers. Pictures abound with time-stamped memories. Right: BAHS Board meeting.

• Faletti’s Meat Market: Coffee in the back room with Barney, Mike, and Joe. I have known the Faletti family since I was 6 years old. We played sandlot baseball together and remained friends through the years. Barney and Joe are now gone but still live in me.

• Have a meal with great friends: We reconstruct hidden nuggets from past adventures, athletic aggrandizement, and gallant glitches. Of course, our conversations are peppered with Gillespie quotes and memories. Left: Pat Sullivan, Ken Nelson, Jim Gassensmith, Paul Ruddy, Tom Kennedy

• Sacred Heart church; St. Joseph church: Love the diverse group that goes to the 10:00 a.m. mass at Sacred Heart. Music and homilies are meaningful. St. Joe’s for old traditions and see Dolores’ family.

• Lewis and St. Francis sporting events: Always feel welcome and entertained at universities where I worked for many years. 

• Merichka’s: Poor boy sandwiches and salad dressing are the best. Maybe not the best for you, but taste is great. Below: Tom Kennedy, Bob Thayer, John Valaitis, Pat Callahan, Gordie and Joan Gillespie.

Returning to Denver, I kept a log with names, locations, and events. Ancient times that had been stowed and frozen were briefly thawed, then refrozen until the next trip. 

*The following poem was written after having lunch with Betty, Molly, and June. I listened closely and asked many questions about their lives and loves as they revealed intimate stories. One of them even told about a future husband being prompted to propose after he was coached by a friend during a bathroom break.

The Queens at Thayer’s

Refrain

At Annie’s you’ll always be welcome,
For meals and friendship and cheer;
Eating at home is no option,
When the soup and the people are here.
I. 
At a table today are three ladies fair,
It’s hard to sit anyplace else;
The three are the queens dealt from the same deck,
Not shuffled, or creased, but so svelte.
II.
It’s Betty and June, with Molly plus room,
For a knave to join in their group;
He plants himself down beside the three crowns,
And orders a beer and Anne’s soup.
III.
The queens are of clubs, a diamond, and heart,
The knave can think of none better;
We drink, laugh, and grin at things once called sin,
And what is in life that must matter.
IV.
The queens enjoy life, though not absent its strife,
Their joy is always contagious;
Stories they tell of beaus and their belles,
And a bathroom proposal for ages.

Refrain 
 
At Annie’s you’ll always be welcome,
For meals and friendship and cheer;
Eating at home is no option,
For the soup and the people are here.