Tom Strong – Page 7 –

The leadership team of the Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora of, from left, Sister Jane Ann Beckman, coordinator of citizenship; Sister Kathleen Ryan, director; and Alison Brzezinski, coordinator of tutoring; stand near photos of many of their students and tutors.

Column: Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora works to help immigrants feel ‘part of a community which supports one another’

April 16, 2021 at 9:10 a.m.

Along with many of you who have lived in Aurora for an extended period, I had known of the Dominican Literacy Center located on the grounds of St. Therese Church...

Column: Four Aurora educators passed away recently, but their impact will not be forgotten

February 19, 2021 at 9:47 a.m.

Our beloved city of Aurora has been in mourning during recent months as four of our truly great men passed away in all too quick succession. Larry Nonnie, Del Dufrain,...

Column: Aurora University grad shows hard work pays off

January 22, 2021 at 9:33 a.m.

If you were to ask teachers or coaches about the most rewarding part of their job or volunteer efforts with kids, many would say it is observing the positive growth...

Fox Valley United Way CEO Deborah Rudel, right, stands in the organization's downtown Aurora office with the group's Director of Administration Denise Moret.

Column: New Fox Valley United Way leader aims to ‘advance the common good’

December 18, 2020 at 10:02 a.m.

Are you a person who personally or professionally has found the place that you honestly know that you were meant to be? I recently met Deborah Rudel, the new CEO...

Robert Olson's punctured helmet, and some of his many medals and awards, from his service during World War II.

Column: A final salute to an Aurora World War II hero

November 26, 2020 at 12:47 p.m.

Aurora's recent Veterans Day celebration was scaled back to a "virtual only" event, so our local vets missed much of the pageantry and recognition that they so richly deserve. But...

Column: Remembering Harvey Sterkel, who was more than just a great Aurora softball player

October 16, 2020 at 9:40 a.m.

Very few names have become as synonymous with Aurora as has the name of Harvey Sterkel. When he unexpectedly passed away in October of 2019, there were no community tributes...

Pat Entile stands at the front entrance of the old St. Charles Hospital in Aurora, which is now St. Charles Senior Living.

Column: Looking back on an Aurora nurse’s decades of service

September 11, 2020 at 9:50 a.m.

Among the community servants whom I have met over the many years, there have been a select few whose names became almost synonymous with the institution in which they served....

Araceli Perez at the East Aurora School District 131 Early Childhood Center in Aurora.

Column: Aurora woman embraces role as parent educator

August 14, 2020 at 10:21 a.m.

In my previous life as a high school teacher, I met — and actually reported on for The Beacon-News — a young lady who was a busy student, hard worker...

Retired Aurora music teacher Merry Carey practices piano in her home.

Retired Aurora music teacher hit all the right notes

July 31, 2020 at 9:55 a.m.

Almost every post-war neighborhood full of Baby Boomers had a certain kind of kid. He or she was the one who used a make-shift curtain behind which they would stage...

The Rev. Frederick Peterson, left, and David Shemenski, who served for a recent Divine Liturgy, at St. George Romanian Catholic Church in Aurora. The
icon of St. George is between the two men.

From humble beginnings, St. George Church in Aurora now has members from around the area

June 26, 2020 at 9:36 a.m.

As a youngster and as an adult living on the East Side of Aurora, I was sometimes curious regarding at least four churches in various neighborhoods that appeared to be...

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