$150.00 - Luxembourg American Heritage Information Center

Jean Pierre Scher, Jr. (married to Janet Dougherty) was born in Evanston in 1934. In the
mid 1950's, Jean Pierre visited the family farm in Schieren while on active duty with the U. S.
Army. He was stationed at the Fulda Gap in West Germany.
On the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary, Jean Pierre took Janet to visit his
Luxembourg family. They were given keys to the church and the bells were rung in celebration
of their anniversary. To show their affection for this Dougherty girl who had the good sense to
marry a Luxembourg boy, the Scher family gave to Janet a 17th century crucifix and monks
rosary that had been in their family for generations.
In 1984, Richard J. Witry, a member of Section 15, went to Luxembourg on business.
Unaware that he had any living Luxembourg relatives, he travelled to Ettelbruck to visit the
Patton Museum and met Jean Pierre's first cousin, Leon Scher. Upon introduction, Leon Scher
announced to Witry that his mother, Anna, was first cousin to Witry's father, Joseph Witry, Sr.
Jean Pierre Scher and Janet reside in Evanston. They have four children, Jenny, Patty,
Pauline and Jean Pierre IV. Jean Pierre is retired from the Monarch Ashphalt Company.
In the 1950's, Section 8 joined the effort to purchase Deckert's Hall for the benefit of the L.B. A.
As did all of the Sections, Section 8 contributed its financial resources to purchase stock in the organization.
In addition, it began holding its Section meetings at the Gardens, commencing in late 1954.
When the Grand Lodge stopped issuing insurance benefits in the mid-60's, membership in
Section 8 began to decline. During this period, President Nick Hoffmann held meetings in his
home on Touhy Avenue in Skokie and served up great helpings of food and beverage to
encourage attendance. Card games after meetings were always welcomed by Section members.
As membership waned, meetings were attended by a few members - Richard Hoffmann,
Bill Hellman, Gene Ross, Joe Murphy, Sr. and beginning in the 1975, Bruce Hoffmann.
However, beginning in 1979, the fortunes of Section 8 took a favorable turn. John Murphy,
Glenn Murphy and their friends joined Section 8.
John R. Murphy (married to Theresa Wojnarwicz) was born on February 8,1950, the eldest
son of Joseph and Patricia Murphy. His mother is the daughter of the late Nick Hoffmann,
former President of Section 8. John is the present President of Section 8, having succeeded his
brother Glenn in 1985.
If ever there were a Section 8 member who was steeped in the traditions of Section 8, it was
John Murphy. As a child, he spent much of his free time on his grandfather's farm in Skokie
delivering vegetables to the Luxembourg Gardens in Morton Grove and helping his Uncle Pete
clean up the grove after the Schobermesse and Kirmes festivals.
On several occasions he would be required to operate the coat check room for the L.B.A.'s
New Year's Eve parties. When it was time for the Section's Annual Turkey Raffle, Nick would
give him an empty crate and send him out back to catch a live goose, turkey or pig for the raffle.
During his summer vacations, John would work his grandpa's farm unloading flowers
delivered by the Schwind, Jans, Clesen and Pinkowski greenhouses. While there, he met other
L.B.A. members who came to visit with his grandfather - men like Steve Heinz, Sr., Joe Witry,
Sr., Harry Trausch, Peter Fuerstch, Fred Pesche, Sr., and Fred Pesche, Jr.
After returning from the military in 1973, John began attending the Section 8 Turkey Raffle.
Attendance at the raffle declined, until in 1978, only fifty people attended. At the December 1978
meeting there was considerable discussion devoted to discontinuing the turkey raffle. At the
urging of Bruce Hoffmann, several young men - Al Lange, Fred Schneider, Joe Provost, Mike
Tinetti and the Murphy brothers joined the Section and became involved in running its events.
The first event sponsored by the newly invigorated Section was a candlelight bowl held in
June 1979, which was an unqualified success. Their next effort was aimed at reviving the Kirmes
picnic which had lain dormant since the mid-fifties.
The Section voted to have its first Kirmes picnic on September 10, 1979 at the St. Paul's
Woods in Morton Grove. The picnic committee consisted of Dan Murphy, Cliff Murphy, Rich
Hoffmann, Bruce Hoffmann, Glenn Murphy and John Murphy. Although it was a gloomy and
102