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10 | February 16, 2017 | The highland park landmark news
hplandmark.com
How We Met Contest
Finding ‘amor’ in Spanish class
Courtney Jacquin, Editor
I’m a sucker for a good
love story.
At it appears that you,
lovely readers of The Highland
Park Landmark, are
too.
Last year, our How We
Met contest winner wasn’t
just one of the most popular
stories on HPLandmark.
com, it was the No. 1 mostread
story of the year on our
website. Not too shabby.
Last year’s love story
was great, but I think this
year we had a few that
might just be able to top it.
Of all of our contests we
run around here, this contest
I think is the most difficult.
All of the love stories
submitted this year were incredible,
and any one could
have been the winner.
But alas, Marjie and
Barry’s story stood out to
me. The Highland Park
couple will be celebrating
their 42nd wedding anniversary
this summer, and
that’s something special.
For a little late Valentine’s
Day present, as the winners
of the contest they will be
receiving a Ravinia basket
from Posh Essentials of
Highland Park, as well as
a gift card to Longitud315
restaurant in Highwood.
Without further ado, I
present Marjie and Barry’s
love story:
She wore a brown poncho
and had a great smile.
Those were the first things
he noticed the first time he
saw her as she walked into
class. He was a high school
senior and she was a sophomore
and they didn’t know
that the alphabet would
play a starring role in their
now 47-year love story. In
Señora Hanson’s Spanish
class, seating was strictly
alphabetical. And so Barry
Marjie Sandlow and Barry Rosen of Highland Park, who
have now been married for 42 years, are the winners of
The Landmark’s How We Met contest. Photo submitted
Rosen was seated next to
Marjie Sandlow.
Luckily, Spanish lasted a
whole year because Barry
and Marjie didn’t talk much
during the fall semester.
When Spring arrived, winter
coats came off and Marjie’s
poncho returned (her
great smile had never left).
And just about then, Barry
started forgetting to bring
his book to class. What to
do? Move the desks together
and share with the girl
next to you.
The semester was ending,
and Barry hadn’t gotten
up the nerve to ask
Marjie out for a date. Then,
one day, Barry saw Marjie
walking toward him in an
otherwise empty school
hallway. They stopped and
talked. He asked her if he
could have her phone number.
She said yes, and that
Barry should call her.
He did. He asked her out
that Saturday night. She
said, “no, I’m busy, but try
me another time.” OK, Barry
thought, good things are
worth waiting for. The next
week, he got up the nerve to
call a second time and asked
her out for Friday night.
“No,” she said, “I’m busy,
but try me again.”
Barry didn’t know it, but
Marjie had a boyfriend.
She liked Barry, but didn’t
know what to do. Barry
didn’t know what to do
either. Should he keep calling
or give up? Marjie told
a mutual friend that Barry
should, indeed, try again.
So, he tried. Again and
again. “Marjie’s not home,
but try again,” her Mom
said one time. “Marjie’s
not feeling well,” said her
Dad, “but try again.” What
was going on? After six
tries (and failures), he was
ready to give up. But he
saw her at a summer event
and pointed her out to his
parents. “That’s the girl
I’ve been trying to date,”
he said. “Try again,” said
his parents.
He did. And the rest, 47
years later, is history. A
love story begun because
they tried again and because
“R” comes before
“S” in Spanish as well as in
English.
THE NORTHBROOK TOWER
Sober-living facility moves
forward with neutral
recommendation
Dozens of attendees
wore green ribbons in support
of Providence Farm, a
sober-living facility, during
the Northbrook Plan
Commission meeting on
Feb. 7.
The facility, that if approved
will be located at
1620 Sunset Ridge Road,
would provide a transitional
home for men, ages 18-
30, from Northbrook and
the surrounding areas after
they have completed shortterm
intensive rehabilitation
programs. In order for
the project to go forward
with development, the Village
must approve two text
amendments regarding
zoning codes and a special
permit.
The request modified
definitions of “community
residence” and “transitional
service facilities,”
as well as regulations for
such facilities in single
family and multi-family
residential districts. The
special permit would allow
a group home with up
to 11 residents in the R-2
Single-Family Residential
District.
The commission gave
four votes in support and
three votes against the facility.
“Four-three does not
constitute as a positive
recommendation, because
you need five (which is a
majority),” chairwoman
Marcia Franklin said. “So
it is going up to the trustees
with a four-three vote,
period.”
The review moves forward
to the Village Board,
with the neutral count due
to the absence of two commissioners.
No further
public comment was accepted
about this issue at
the meeting.
Reporting by Sarah Haider,
Assistant Editor. Full story at
NorthbrookTower.com.
THE WINNETKA CURRENT
Winnetka stormwater
improvement project plans
in limbo
Following months at
the drawing board with
Strand Associates and the
Cook County Forest Preserve,
the Winnetka Village
Council explained
that they still do not have
an action plan for the
stormwater management
and improvement project
facing western and southwestern
Winnetka.
Trustee Chris Rintz,
who led the discussion at
the Village’s Feb. 7 meeting,
stressed that although
the team has not reached
a consensus, it eliminated
a handful of drafts that
would not meet the community’s
needs.
“I really think we’re
on a track now to a project
that will be supported
by all of the factions in
the community, at least
I think from an overall
philosophical perspective,”
Rintz said. “Obviously,
there’s money
involved and the design
still has to be vetted, but I
think if we could conceptually
all get to the place
where we don’t have to
adversely impact Crow
Island Woods, we don’t
have to adversely impact
New Trier’s sports fields
to a great extent.”
Strand’s initial plan, presented
in early 2016, targeted
Cook County’s Hibbard
Road Preserve, Duke
Childs Field and Crow
Island Woods Park as potential
water storage locations.
However, the project
was met with strong
opposition by Winnetka
residents and was later
dismissed by the Village.
Still, Strand and the Village
Council are hopeful
they can use Duke Childs
Field for underground water
storage in their next
recommendation.
Reporting by Lauren Kiggins,
Freelance Reporter. Full
story at WinnetkaCurrent.
com.
THE HIGHLAND PARK LANDMARK
‘Ray and Joan’ author
visits library, shares Kroc’s
inspirational story
Ray Kroc built a business
empire based on fast
food, but few are aware his
wife, Joan, became known
as a world-class philanthropist.
It was Joan Kroc’s donation
of $225 million to
NPR that moved veteran
reporter and author Lisa
Napoli to research her
background and write a
book, “Ray and Joan,”
published late in 2016.
Napoli discussed her
book and related many of
the secrets of the McDonald’s
story — from how
Ray’s billions were acquired
to why Joan gave
the money away — at the
Highland Park Library
Feb. 8 at one of its Rise
and Shine sessions presented
by the Highland
Park Senior Center and
sponsored by the Sheridan
at Green Oaks.
Napoli’s insights and
research highlight Joan
Kroc’s concern for others.
“I loved hearing about
Joan Kroc,” Highland Park
resident Fran Bloom said.
“It was absolutely inspirational.
I wish there were
more people like her.”
“She was a entertainer
— an organist and piano
player — working at three
jobs when Ray Kroc met
her at a St. Paul, Minnesota
restaurant,” Napoli said.
“Her then-husband was
a local railroad fireman.
Please see nfyn, 14