Those Were the Days...

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Those Were the Days...

Whenever former and current Northern Board members gather or interviews are held for the upcoming CYC History book, some wonderful reminiscences come to light. Here are some samples from all the “remembering when” going on:

Hooks and Ladders...

The earliest [fundraising event] I remember, we were on the front page of the Tribune. It was at the Fire Academy. There were fire ladders, fire trucks, the fire commissioner. At the press party, we had a hook and ladder on Elm Street. The truck pulled up with Tiny Tim, who sang Tiptoe through the Tulips, and all these models—and some of us modeled as well. I still have the fire truck that we used as centerpieces. Louise Holland

Tomorrow, Tomorrow...

I was the head of the board the year we got those dancers. Annie was playing in town, and a board friend's daughter was playing an orphan, so I got the orphans from the show to come sing "Tomorrow, Tomorrow." Gwen Wharton

In the Black . . .

[Co-founder] Elliott Donnelley was a big guy and very shy. Russ Hogrefe [early board member] told me that whenever there was a deficit at CYC, Russ would go to Elliott’s office.

Getting a Head Start . . .

CYC had a lot of flux. When a program needed to be started, they’d start it. Head Start began with the YMCA and CYC. There was a street worker, Ernie Jenkins, and he was terrific.

High Times and Hot Pants . . .

The year McCormick Place was finished—well, almost—we had our gala there, and it was a great public relations success. We got a couple of movie stars to come: John Gavin and Dick Hansen.

Early Days . . .

We all met on the North Side Boys' Club Women's Board. I had little babies and would have joined anything to get out of the house. We were asked to come to meetings, so we met at the racquet Club and had lunch.

Cabrini Green . . .

We served on the boards of the centers, also, and we had a lot of chores that took us to those neighborhoods. I remember going down to Cabrini Green, and people saying, "You're crazy."

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