Tom Strong – Page 8 –

Greg Probst at the Aurora office of the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.

Volunteering comes naturally to Aurora man who ‘enjoys helping’

May 22, 2020 at 10:17 a.m.

Some research studies have shown that volunteerism and community service have declined among younger adults. But Aurora and the Fox Valley have been fortunate to have benefited from the service...

Aurora woman who worked to help homeless remembered as a ‘saint’

April 10, 2020 at 9:48 a.m.

While Mi Loran and Pete Sluka were manning the midnight shift on the very first night of Aurora's experiment in housing the homeless in 1981, only one guest showed up...

Sam Contreras, left, and Lou Hernandez have been best friends since the age of 7, and hope that Aurora's East Side kids can learn from their success stories.

After more than 40 years of friendship, East Aurora grads consider themselves ‘brothers’

February 21, 2020 at 10:15 a.m.

Many of us can probably remember having a best friend during our childhood years, and some of those friendships may have transformed into lifelong relationships. During my previous life as...

Friends, former players remember legendary Aurora baseball coach Phil Campbell

January 16, 2020 at 1:12 p.m.

The word legend is overused at times, but hundreds of Aurora area men, both young and old, are mourning the recent passing of their legendary coach, Phil Campbell. It is...

Jimmie Delgado, a member of the Waubonsee Community College Board of Trustees, spends some time in the library at Waubonsee's downtown Aurora campus.

Jimmie Delgado working to ‘make our community a family’

December 12, 2019 at 11:53 a.m.

It would be difficult to find a young man more engaged in serving our community than Jimmie Delgado. Coming from Puerto Rico, his parents moved to the mainland United States,...

Jerry Cisneros of Aurora holds a display including a photo of himself as a young soldier and the medals he was awarded for his service in World War II.

Aurora World War II veteran a true hero

November 22, 2019 at 9:51 a.m.

If you would like to meet and rub shoulders with true American heroes, make sure to attend the yearly Veterans Day ceremonies sponsored by the city of Aurora. Heroic women...

Richard Ebeling displays his antique microscope, balance, laboratory burners and a Chief Blackhawk award at his home.

For Richard Ebeling, teaching ‘great kids’ best part of his 40 years at West Aurora High School

October 25, 2019 at 10:21 a.m.

There are only a few teachers whose dedication and longevity have led to their name becoming almost synonymous with the name of their school. But West Aurora High School students...

Olaf Gjovik sits aboard his Can-Am Spyder at his car dealership in Sandwich.

From humble beginnings, Olaf Gjovik has lived the American Dream

September 20, 2019 at 9:30 a.m.

The American Dream is alive and well and living on the eastern edge of Sandwich. For Olaf Gjovik, it began 97 years ago when he was born in a small...

Mary Ann Sestak spends a moment near the parish memorial to all deceased children at Holy Cross Church in Batavia.

Fox Valley widow finds purpose in helping grieving families

August 23, 2019 at 10:25 a.m.

Mary Ann Sestak was the founder of the compassionate care ministry at Holy Cross Parish in Batavia in 2004, and she continued as its facilitator until 2017. Amazingly, during those...

St. Nicholas School reunion in Aurora a ‘wish come true’ for grad

July 18, 2019 at 6:40 p.m.

Eric Hix, a native Auroran who now lives in Georgia, attended St. Nicholas School in Aurora, graduating in 1969. Last year, he began to think about having a reunion of...

All Stories