Jerry Shnay

2 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Jerry Shnay

Park Forest has always been conscious of its history. Not many communities have had books written about the way it shaped city planning, such as “America’s G. I. Town” by Greg Randall, a best-seller about the creation of a new kind of corporate society. Or “The Organization Man” by William Whyte, or a display in the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History on how the village helped change post- war commuting habits.

1 month ago | chicagotribune.com | Jerry Shnay

The Park Forest Aqua Center, the last remaining iconic structure in the village will not open this year. Over the years, the slow drip of time has eroded the life expectancy of the four-pool complex. Massive water leaks affect all the pools, including the daily loss of 20,000 gallons from only one of the pools. Last week, Recreation and Parks Director Kevin Adam presented two options to village trustees.

1 month ago | chicagotribune.com | Jerry Shnay

Time is the great shape shifter in our lives. Our first view of the community we still call home, Park Forest, was Sunday, March 9,1961. It was the end of a 1,000 mile-plus journey from Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a cramped car which included two children, a dog and the needed rubbish of a family on the move. We rented for a year before moving into our present home on Shabbona Drive. It was during those first 12 months that shaped our feeling for the place.

1 month ago | chicagotribune.com | Jerry Shnay

Ericka Patterson, the associate superintendent of Park Forest-Chicago Heights Elementary District 163, was selected Monday to replace acting Superintendent Joyce Carmine. A longtime employee of the district, Patterson will replace Carmine on May 1, for a three-year term at an annual salary of $213,870, officials said. Patterson is a graduate of Lindblom High School in Chicago and the University of Illinois.

1 month ago | chicagotribune.com | Jerry Shnay

When Sharon McCarthy of Park Forest heard St. Mary Catholic Church would close its doors in July, she was in a state of shock. “I was devastated,” she said. “We joined 45 years ago, and our daughter was baptized there. I am disappointed and heartbroken by the news. Even though it was small in numbers these days, it is such a friendly accepting church.