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4 | October 11, 2018 | The orland park prairie news<br />
opprairie.com<br />
Spelling Bee has enjoyed rich history as it turns 40<br />
JEFF VORVA, Contributing Editor<br />
Last year, a blind contestant<br />
entered.<br />
In the past, there have<br />
been deaf contestants, mute<br />
contestants and contestants<br />
in wheelchairs.<br />
There have been young<br />
contestants who had not<br />
turned 10 yet. There have<br />
been old contestants who<br />
were close to their 90s.<br />
There was even a tag-team<br />
of an older woman who<br />
moved slowly with a cane<br />
and her great grandson competing<br />
one year.<br />
In another year, first, second<br />
and third place was won<br />
by people born in Ireland,<br />
Hong Kong and Mexico.<br />
Yes, in 39 years, the Orland<br />
Park Open Spelling<br />
Bee has seemingly seen it<br />
all. And former educator<br />
Bill Smith has overseen all<br />
of the bees and said he is<br />
more excited about the event<br />
celebrating its 40th year on<br />
Sunday, Oct. 14, at Orland<br />
Park Civic Center than he<br />
is about celebrating his own<br />
90th birthday in November.<br />
“I can’t believe this goofy<br />
idea I had has lasted this<br />
long,” Smith said. “But people<br />
love it.”<br />
He is quick to point out<br />
that even though his first bee<br />
was in 1979 in Orland Park,<br />
the first time he got into the<br />
spelling bee game was 1976,<br />
which was America’s bicentennial<br />
while the 40th running<br />
of the Orland event is<br />
Illinois’ bicentennial.<br />
Even the judges look forward<br />
to coming back each<br />
year.<br />
“It is a great event that<br />
really gives Orland Park a<br />
small-town feel,” Orland<br />
Park Trustee Kathy Fenton<br />
said. “I’ve been a judge for<br />
visit us online at<br />
www.opprairie.com<br />
Brian Sullivan, of Orland Park, won five Orland Open Spelling Bee titles. 22ND CENTURY MEDIA FILE PHOTO<br />
MULTI-STINGERS<br />
Contestants who have<br />
won multiple Orland<br />
Park Open Spelling Bees<br />
• Kathleen Foley, 8<br />
• Brian Sullivan, 5<br />
• Peter Alex, 2<br />
• Marilyn Bell, 2<br />
• Dan McNicholas, 2<br />
• Melanie Mobley, 2<br />
many years, and I enjoy seeing<br />
the different age groups<br />
that participate and admire<br />
all of the spellers. The worst<br />
part is when we have to say,<br />
‘I’m sorry. That’s incorrect.’<br />
My heart melts, especially<br />
for the little ones.”<br />
“I enjoy the spelling bee,<br />
because it’s so basic and<br />
unites young and old alike,”<br />
Trustee Pat Gira said. “As<br />
Dr. Smith says, this is an<br />
old-time event that brings<br />
everyone together. I remember<br />
winning similar competitions<br />
at St. Justin Martyr<br />
School as a young girl. and<br />
the prize was a holy card.”<br />
This year’s bee opens at<br />
2 p.m. for those ages 8-10,<br />
followed by ages 11 through<br />
high school at 2:45 p.m. At<br />
3:30 p.m. The adults go at it.<br />
The bee was won 16 times<br />
by men and 13 by women.<br />
The King Bee, so to speak,<br />
is Orland Park’s Brian Sullivan,<br />
who won five times<br />
in three different decades<br />
(1991, 1995, 2002, 2013 and<br />
2015).<br />
“He brought his son to<br />
compete and thought it was<br />
a kids’ contest,” Smith said.<br />
“He’s the editor of [the American<br />
Bar Association Journal]<br />
and when he found out adults<br />
competed, he signed up and<br />
won five times.”<br />
The Queen Bee is late Oak<br />
Lawn teacher Kathleen Foley,<br />
who won eight titles from<br />
1992-2005.<br />
“Some of her best competition<br />
came from her daughter,<br />
Eileen,” Smith said. “Eileen<br />
never won it but came<br />
in second twice and twice<br />
she beat her mother in the<br />
later rounds.”<br />
Bill Devlin was the first<br />
winner in 1979.<br />
Smith’s favorite memory<br />
of the event, which is<br />
sponsored by the Village of<br />
Orland Park and the Presbyterian<br />
Church in Orland<br />
Park, was in 1982. It was the<br />
fourth year of the event, and<br />
Michael Sheehan from St.<br />
Michael School shocked the<br />
field.<br />
“The seventh-grader winning<br />
was my best memory,”<br />
Smith said. “We only had 44<br />
people but he was going up<br />
against adults. That was a<br />
surprise.”<br />
Award presentations are<br />
scheduled to take place at<br />
4:30 p.m., unless there is a<br />
repeat of last year’s contest,<br />
which lasted more than two<br />
hours, featured 400 words<br />
and 78 contestants before<br />
Orland Park’s Steve Lange<br />
ended the marathon with the<br />
victory. The longest bee was<br />
in 2006, lasting four hours<br />
“I enjoy the spelling bee, because<br />
it’s so basic and unites young<br />
and old alike. ... This is an oldtime<br />
event that brings everyone<br />
together.”<br />
Trustee Pat Gira — on the Orland Park Open<br />
Spelling Bee<br />
and featuring more than 800<br />
words.<br />
Organizers are still seeking<br />
spellers for the event.<br />
For more information, contact<br />
Smith at (708) 645-2061<br />
or the Presbyterian Church<br />
at (708) 448-8142.
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