Ideography by Eric

A Christmas Jaunt

2011-12-25T19:36:00.002-05:00

Calf Pasture Beach, Norwalk, 3:41, Christmas Day.

The Loneliness

2011-11-06T17:34:00.002-05:00

1st Avenue at 85th Street, Mile 17 of the New York City Marathon.

90 Years Ago

2011-09-10T12:30:00.000-04:00

Red Hook, Brooklyn, 1920s.

Post-Irene

2011-09-04T12:19:00.000-04:00

The sun sets on a post-Irene, slightly damp but no worse for the wear Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island.

It's the Heat

2011-07-25T00:15:00.001-04:00

Feeling it on 3rd Avenue Friday evening.

North Cape May

2011-07-07T07:42:00.001-04:00

North Cape May, New Jersey. July 3, 2011.

Pride 2011

2011-06-26T21:45:00.003-04:00

Pride 2011, this time with Marriage Equality on the books.

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli marches down a crowded Christopher Street.

I think I know where the glasses my great aunt lost have gone.

Springtime in Central Park

2011-05-01T20:59:00.002-04:00

Spring finally arrives in Central Park, Wednesday evening.

Pepe's

2011-02-28T23:59:00.002-05:00

Two kids, a rock pile outside of Pepe's Pizza in Fairfield, Sunday night.

New Orleans

2010-12-06T21:23:00.002-05:00

Young love, in the Bywater.

Audubon Park.

On the riverfront.

Streetscape, the Bywater.

The DiNapoli Campaign in Pictures

2010-11-12T12:14:00.008-05:00

Tom DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller, running for his first full term.

The Comptroller has a laugh while getting ready to serve food at the Masbia Soup Kitchen in Borough Park.

Feeling the heat on a July campaign stop in Coney Island with New York City Council Member Domenic Recchia, left, and Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny.

The Comptroller makes the rounds with the kitchen staff after an event at a senior center in Queens.

In July, the Comptroller received the endorsement of the Civil Service Employees Association, led by President Danny Donohue, left.

The Comptroller meets with voters at Harlem Day festivities on 135th Street in Manhattan.

The Comptroller has a laugh with his fellow Nassau County legislators and elected officials at an endorsement press conference in August (that received zero coverage).

The Comptroller marched in the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn with NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor David Paterson.

The Comptroller does a test run of the stage before his debate with Republican Harry Wilson.

A formal portrait of Tom DiNapoli after he opened his Long Island campaign headquarters in Mineola.

The Comptroller meets the voters at 72nd Street and Broadway with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, right, and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, one of several subway stops he made in the days leading up to November 2nd.

The Comptroller addresses CSEA's 100th anniversary celebration in Albany.

And was interviewed immediately after by Karen Dewitt, a reporter for National Public Radio in Albany.

Sharing a light moment at a get out the vote rally with Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Congresswoman Nita Lowey as Westchester County Democratic Chair Reggie Lafayette looks on.

You're running for the train, he's running for office: The Comptroller meets the voters at 86th and Lexington with former New York City Mayor Ed Koch.

A young DiNapoli supporter outside of Assembly Member Danny O'Donnell's headquarters on the Upper West Side.

The Comptroller receives good karma from the tai-chi class at the Central Harlem Senior Center the day before the election.

On 14th Street, Comptroller DiNapoli rallies the assembled members of District Council 9, who sent thousands of volunteers to get out the vote on election day.

Yours truly helping to make sure that we get coverage at Bruce's Bakery in Great Neck.

The Comptroller rallies with DC37's Lillian Roberts and Assembly Member Keith Wright in Harlem on election day.

With State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs discussing victory on tv, the Comptroller makes an unofficial call of the results in his suite at the Sheraton on election night.

The Comptroller writes an actual back of the envelope victory speech before heading down in the wee hours of Wednesday morning to address his supporters.

How sweet it is!

Elliot and Briar Get Hitched

2010-07-27T19:22:00.003-04:00

A chuppah, with Spruce Mountain Cattle Ranch, Larkspur, Colorado, as background.

The newest Freeman is welcomed by her husband.

A post-nuptial sprint toward their new life together.

And some revelry to finish off the night.

Bow Mar

2010-07-24T11:55:00.002-04:00

8:49 p.m., Friday. Bow Mar Lake, Bow Mar, Colorado.

@nyphil

2010-07-14T23:24:00.002-04:00

Fireworks follow Wednesday night's New York Philharmonic Concert in the Park.

Pride 2010

2010-06-27T18:50:00.007-04:00

New York State Senator Tom Duane walks along 8th Street during the 2010 Gay Pride Parade.

A participant waits for the Pride Parade to step off at its new starting point at 36th Street on 5th Avenue.

Senator Duane speaks with Pride Parade Grand Marshal Lieutenant Dan Choi, an outspoken advocate against the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Choi was discharged from the National Guard under that policy in 2009.

Solstice Day in West Chelsea

2010-06-21T22:28:00.004-04:00

Pigeons: New York's foreground enhancers for lazy photographers who don't want to bother asking people for permission to take their picture.

Roce

2010-05-29T16:16:00.003-04:00

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 12:53 p.m. Bride-to-be Leila Fernandes participates in the Roce, a ceremony in the Catholic Indian faith traditionally held the day or night before a wedding in which the bride and groom are anointed by close friends and relatives with a coconut milk and oil mixture in the sign of the cross.

The Backlash Continues

2010-05-01T17:45:00.003-04:00

Marching to protest the Arizona immigration law, one of several nationwide, on Broadway and 8th Street, 2:24 p.m.

The Low Moon

2010-04-27T22:29:00.000-04:00

7th Street and Cooper Square, 7:01 p.m.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Neff

2010-04-24T22:15:00.003-04:00

Mike Neff, aka Thomas Nefferson, will be riding his trusty Allez from Durham, NC to Salt Lake City, 2,500 miles, with his friend Marty beginning in May. He's raising funds, and selling sporty vintage nouveaux t-shirts and blogging, here.

Gathering for the Flag

2010-04-21T23:26:00.003-04:00

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn addresses a crowd of hundreds gathered outside of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center on Wednesday afternoon. On the morning of April 14, a burned rainbow flag was found outside of the Center; Wednesday's event featured the unveiling of two new 20-foot long flags meant to prove that the LGBT community would not and will not stand idly by in the face of intimidation.

A supporter stands on the outskirts of Wednesday's event.

The rainbow flag is meant to symbolize diversity and the colors are representative: red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), blue (harmony), and purple/violet (spirit).

Illuminator

2010-03-29T00:22:00.001-04:00

Rhinebeck, NY, Sunday afternoon.

Day and Night

2010-03-22T00:07:00.004-04:00

Sunday, 1:44 p.m., The Gutter, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Sunday, 7:01 p.m., Gotham Hall, Manhattan.

Finally

2010-03-16T23:39:00.002-04:00

Former State Senator Hiram Monserrate speaks with the press outside of a senior citizens' center in Corona on Tuesday morning. Monserrate, who was expelled by the State Senate in February because of a misdemeanor assault conviction, lost a special election to Assembly Member Jose Peralta by more than 30 percentage points.

Moments before, Monserrate had walked into the polling station, ignoring election rules that prohibit candidates from campaigning within 100 feet of polling stations, and, as the New York Times reported, "walked in, shook hands with the men, hugged the women and danced salsa with students taking a class until the center’s director persuaded him to leave."

Snow Day

2010-02-10T16:11:00.000-05:00

Washington Square Park North, Wednesday, in the snow.

Lincoln Center

2010-02-04T22:10:00.001-05:00

Pedestrians along West 65th Street as seen from inside of Alice Tulley Hall, Thursday, 2:45 p.m.

This is Florida in the Winter?

2010-02-02T08:41:00.002-05:00

Florina's Unisex, Hollywood, Florida

The Vineyard

2010-01-02T10:55:00.002-05:00

A view of Oak Bluffs from the shores of Martha's Vineyard.

The Texaco station at dusk in Menemsha.

My Doggie

2009-12-15T15:59:00.001-05:00

Wilbur Mookie Mulder Sumberg 1994-2009

Rally for Equality

2009-12-05T10:09:00.005-05:00

On Thursday, one day after a vote in the New York State Senate in which that body voted down a measure to provide marriage equality for all New Yorkers, a fiery Senator Thomas K. Duane addressed a crowd of nearly a thousand people at a rally organized by several LGBT rights groups in Union Square.

"No one in New York State should ever forget the betrayal that happened in Albany on the issue of our right to be married. You heard in my speech, I said they’d get to do a do-over. One do- over. One do-over only," said Senator Duane, who is the lead sponsor of marriage equality legislation in the Senate. "We are going to get married. We’re going to get married. And anyone who has stood in our way or is going to stand in our way, we’re going to knock ‘em down, they’re not going to get in our way. We’re passing marriage in this state."

Beacon

2009-11-15T18:07:00.001-05:00

Since there is no photography allowed at Dia: Beacon, I present a sea gull, in Beacon.

Indian Summer (November)

2009-11-08T21:53:00.001-05:00

Sunset off of Red Hook, Sunday evening.

NYC Marathon at 40

2009-11-01T17:22:00.002-05:00

Runners hit the 25-mile mark in Central Park during the 40th New York City Marathon on Sunday.

The Way we Live Now

2009-10-30T09:01:00.002-04:00

An inflatable union rat on 7th Avenue in Chelsea; a Michael Jackson impersonator warms up in Union Square; anti-incumbent sentiment on 4th Street in the East Village.

Scenes from Eliot Bridge

2009-10-19T00:59:00.003-04:00

A spectator winds her way through the treacherous underpass of the Eliot Bridge during a windy, wet and cold Head of the Charles Sunday in Boston.

A sinking Tufts Medical School umbrella, recently launched from the mittened hands of Anne Schoknecht in an unexpected gust from atop the Eliot Bridge, thankfully fell to the water in between waves of lightweight single scullers.

Deutscher Ruder Verband, the German National Team, power through the final mile of the course. The Germans placed sixth, six seconds back from Brown and 22 seconds behind Championship Eight winners Tideway Scullers.

Brown Men's Crew Head Coach Paul Cooke leads his rowers across Eliot Bridge from the VFW building doubling as Brown's hospitality tent, above, to launch their boats for the Championship Eights. An hour later, Bruno rowers were sprinting back across Eliot to the VFW in a driving snow. Brown boats finished fifth, thirteenth, fourteenth and thirtieth in the event.

Open House NY

2009-10-13T00:04:00.003-04:00

Light shines through an inlay in an second floor window of the Morris-Jumel mansion, the oldest house in Manhattan on Sunday afternoon in Washington Heights.

Among other notable facts about the home, it was used as General George Washington's temporary headquarters after his army lost the Battle of Long Island in 1776. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr and John Quincy Adams all attended dinners at the home at some point.

Yassky Can

2009-09-17T00:32:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday evening, New York City Councilmember David Yassky basked in the applause at an election-night party near Times Square to celebrate his second-place finish behind fellow Councilmember John Liu in the Democratic primary for Comptroller.

With 100 percent of the vote counted, unofficial results showed that Mr. Liu had captured 38 percent of the vote, just short of the 40 percent he needed to win outright. Mr. Yassky took 30 percent, and Councilwoman Melinda R. Katz of Queens finished third, with 20 percent. David I. Weprin, a councilman from Queens, was fourth.

Yassky and Liu will face each other in a run-off to be held September 29th.

Town Hall

2009-09-03T00:04:00.002-04:00

New York State Senator Thomas K. Duane waves goodbye to a constituent following a Town Hall meeting at The Duke on 42nd Street Tuesday evening in Manhattan. Senator Duane addressed a range of issues including the Senate stalemate, the road ahead for the Senate and discussed dozens of topics ranging from federal health care legislation to reform of the juvenile justice system to tenant reform.

The Timberman

2009-09-02T23:56:00.003-04:00

Controlled chaos, kneed heads and other slippage reign in the wetsuit stripping area a the Timberman Half-Ironman Triathlon, Lake Winnipesaukee, NH, August 23rd.

Some random guy who happened to land in the focus of my panning preparation for Karen. Unfortunately, his shot was much better.

Dominating around the turn of her first six plus mile loop, my sister Karen.

And that's what it feels like to finish that race in heat and humidity. An hour and two IV bags later, everyone was back to normal.

Bleecker Street, August 14th, 5:30 p.m.

2009-08-17T00:29:00.001-04:00

Who is that well-dressed man?

Gay Pride Commemorates Stonewall@40

2009-06-28T23:36:00.008-04:00

Scenes and sights from the warm and sunny annual Gay Pride Parade at which the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion was celebrated. Senator Thomas K. Duane, New York's only openly gay Senator, waved and walked his way down Fifth Avenue and into the Village for his, approximately, 34th or 35th time.

The Newlyweds

2009-06-22T00:35:00.001-04:00

From embracing each other to welcoming the world, the newest Kangs, Kris and Catherine. Brooklyn Bridge, February 7th, and Willseyville, New York, June 13th.

Scenes from a Wedding

2009-06-22T00:26:00.004-04:00

Soon to be married, Catherine descends the stairs toward her wedding ceremony in Wilseywille, New York, outside of Ithaca, on June 13th.

Kris, and his father, watch, or try to, as Catherine is escorted by her father to the altar.

The newlyweds wait to greet their friends and family for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Kang.

The groom, his brother and his new wife squeeze in a plate of brisket between conversations.

Marriage Equality

2009-05-17T23:05:00.004-04:00

Cast members of the Broadway show "Hair" rallied a crowd of thousands with a rendition of "Aquarius" on Sunday on the Avenue of the Americas from West 44th Street and points north in support of marriage equality in New York State.

Signage at the event was a mixture of the political and personal. In the month since Governor David Paterson introduced the marriage equality program bill the Assembly passed the bill by a margin of 89-52, a larger margin than when it passed two years ago.

New York State Senator Thomas K. Duane, the sponsor of the marriage equality program bill in the Senate, was the first politician to address the rally. With just 18 days left in this year's legislative session, Duane urged supporters to reach out to relatives and friends and encourage them to contact their Senators to let them know that they are in favor of marriage equality in New York. "It's not if, it's when," Duane chanted with the crowd.

Governor David Paterson and Senator Duane embrace after Paterson addressed the Broadway Impact rally. “We’re in a race right now in New York,” the governor told the crowd. “The time for justice, the time for equality, the time for equal rights can never be any more urgent than right now.”

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was introduced by members of Broadway Impact organizers at Sunday's rally. “We’ve got to put the pressure on them and not take any double talk for an answer,” he said. “We won’t stop until we put a bill on the governor’s desk.”

No Need for a Doggie Bag

2009-04-24T19:12:00.002-04:00

Winston the dog joins his owners for a little framboise at Il Bagatto on East 2nd Street on the first balmy night of spring in New York City.

Sunday in Williamsburg

2009-04-06T00:08:00.006-04:00

Thousands of members of the Jewish community came on foot and by car to receive free bags of Kosher for Passover potatoes, onions and soda water provided by the Satmar Hasidic movement on Kent Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon.

Passover, aka the Feast without Yeast, celebrates God sparing the Israelites when he killed the first born of Egypt followed by the Jewish peoples' Biblical exodus from slavery. The holiday begins on Wednesday evening and ends on April 15th

Postcard Night

2009-04-02T23:36:00.002-04:00

Doree Shafrir, left, and Jessica Grose, authors of Love, Mom: Poignant, Goofy, Brilliant Messages from Home welcomed guests at their book launch party Tuesday night at the Slipper Room in the Lower East Side with promises of mom-tini's and cupcakes. The book, which is conveniently on sale in time for Mother's Day, is a collection of contributions from their website Postcards from Yo Momma.

A sample submission:

That’s great about your new job, I’m so proud of you babygirl! So you know what I was thinking?…you live in the Bronx and work in Manhattan and Derek Jeter lives in Manhattan and works in the Bronx. You should give him a call & get together.

Sundays for Murphy

2009-03-29T22:44:00.004-04:00

A Sunday spent canvassing near Troy, New York, on roads such as Auclair Way, top, ended at the Country View Diner where the Democratic candidate for New York's 20th Congressional District, Scott Murphy, bottom left, joined forces on the campaign trail with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for the seat that she vacated in January. The special election, which pits Murphy against Republican Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, will be held Tuesday, March 31st.

The race has taken the district from relative obscurity to national prominence as politicians and pundits on both sides of the aisle have treated the contest as a referendum on President Barack Obama's policies to date, including his handling of the nation's economic recovery. Murphy has battled back from 12 points behind in the polls to take a lead of 4 percentage points in a poll released on Friday by Siena College. Each candidate has raised more than $1 million to supplement the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent by national political action committees and party campaign committees on the race.

Fire on Avenue B

2009-03-19T18:11:00.002-04:00

Fire Department of New York Battallion Chief Clifford calls in instructions as firefighters battle a blaze on Avenue B between East 2nd and 3rd Streets Thursday afternoon.

A firefighter breaks the window of the apartment in which the blaze originated.

The blaze at 28 Avenue B started a little before 2 p.m. on Thursday and was under control within minutes of fire personnel arriving on the scene.

St. Patrick's Parade on a Fine Day

2009-03-17T15:29:00.003-04:00

A member of the Amityville, New York, American Legion Pipe Band laughs in the staging area on 45th Street before the start of the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Tuesday.

A little drumming practice before heading up Fifth Avenue.

With the size of the parade, one would assume that any and all law enforcement are Irish or simply enjoy marching in parades.

Patch Adams makes a brief stop at 49th and Fifth.

A quick check-in to tithe at St. Patrick's Cathedral on 51st and Fifth.

He was wondering where all his buddies were to take his picture with the drunken Marymount College girls.

Where do these guys come from? I saw more handlebar mustaches today than I've seen in 9 months in New York.

My Interpretation of A Freshman at NYU's East Village-Inspired Portfolio

2009-03-11T16:05:00.003-04:00

A man, whose name I did not get, gazes down 23rd Street. Moody, jarring.

"Inspiration is everywhere," I thought as I spotted a garbage can outside of Stromboli Pizza on St. Marks and 1st Avenue. "You just need to know where to find it."

This color combination reminds us all of the movie "The Sixth Sense." Foreboding, patterned.

The doorway to Dolphin Gym on 2nd Street and Avenue B is a veritable menagerie of messages. New York, the home of thousands of unpaid guerilla graphic artists.

Reminds me of the grittiness of early James Nachtwey...if Nachtwey covered 1st graders from PS 364, Sixth Street and Avenue B.

February 14th, One Year Later

2009-02-16T22:08:00.004-05:00

One year ago, I covered the shootings at Northern Illinois University, an event that was a defining moment in my journalism career. Certain truths emerged from that day: I learned that I could do my job under pressure, I learned that the closer a journalist was to death the more notoriety their work would receive and I learned that I had seen all that I could ever want to see of human tragedy on this scale.

This past weekend, I decided to come back to DeKalb to see friends and former co-workers and to attend some of the ceremonies in remembrance of the five students who lost their lives. These pictures are by me as an observer, someone who wished only to be there. But, I found myself unable to not 'cover' the event, perhaps because it still allows me to have that distance of the lens. It is something with which I continue to grapple.

Flowers in the door of Cole Hall, the site of the shooting.

Similar to the makeshift crosses that sprang up near Cole Hall last year, five crosses were mounted for people to leave flowers and notes near the site of the shooting.

The media attention, though far from what it was last year, remained substantial.

Members of the family of Daniel Parmenter, one of five students who lost his life on February 14th, laid a wreath at a ceremony at the site of a planned Memorial Garden.

Northern Illinois University President John Peters walked among the five memorials after the wreath laying ceremony.

Hundreds filed silently past the memorial after the ceremony on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday to Thursday; NYC

2009-02-08T20:43:00.003-05:00

So f-ing hip it hurts. Bowery and Houston, Sunday.

Ah, the joy of being married in taffeta. Under the Brooklyn Bridge, Saturday.

Lady Liberty, from afar.

Winter Jam NYC. East River Park, Thursday.

Asymmetrical Demonstrating

2009-01-11T20:41:00.002-05:00

A pair of demonstrators advocating for peace, top, between Palestinians and Israelis stood alone on Third Avenue in New York City on Sunday morning before a rally in support of Israel. A demonstrator at a We Stand With Israel rally on 42nd Street fastened an Israeli flag to a metal barrier during the event.

Similar rallies were held around the country in connection to the Week of Solidarity across North America. Nearly 10,000 activists came together to show solidarity with the people of Israel, sympathy for all people who are hurt and in harm's way, and hope for a solid cease-fire, which will end the rocket attacks on the people of southern Israel and ultimately pave the way for peace in the future.

Picture Brands

2008-06-03T16:29:00.000-04:00

Is this my brand?

On Valentine's Day, a former student opened fire in a Northern Illinois University classroom, killing five students, injuring sixteen and eventually taking his own life. I was on campus when it happened. This was my lightning strike, my Eddie Adams moment, albeit on a much smaller stage. My paper, the Daily Chronicle in DeKalb, Ill., was inundated with entreaties from media outlets wanting to feed off of our coverage. I kept on working for the next few days posting pictures and contemplating how my coverage of one tragic event would be more well known than the combined popularity of a thousand county fairs. It appeared that my brand was tending toward the tragic (I'd almost been crushed by a monster truck in August).

Photographers at newspapers this size are generalists--meant to cover anything and everything and do it quickly and well. But as a photographer and a writer in today's multimedia-crazed newspaper business, being good at everything sometimes means that you're good for nothing. As the furor died down from the NIU shootings, I confronted the fact that perhaps my brush with exposure had not furthered my journalism brand as much as I had imagined.

For all intents and purposes, a photographer's portfolio Web site is their brand. These sites run the gamut (In a relative sense as most photographers are not programmers as well) from accomplished shooters who worked their way to the world's hotspots largely without help from a major newspaper such as Chris Hondros to my former colleague Adam Gerik's proto-confessional photo blog. But if our brand is our Web site only, then it would seem to follow that the top 10 results for "war photographer" or "freelance photographer LA" could essentially corner the market. Metadata trumps hard work and killer documentary skills.

But that would be a fallacy. For all the change that the Internet has brought to photography, it has not changed certain universal truths. Scott Strazzante is a staff photographer at the Chicago Tribune. A past winner of the Newspaper Photographer of the Year in 2000, Strazzante has worked his way up the ladder by being a hard worker and a good marketer. Though he has been shooting since 1987, he does not yet have a portfolio Web site of his own. Despite this, his recently-published series on the encroachment of sprawl into rural Illinois took off via a convergence of buzz on listserves such as APAD and webzines such as PDN with the physical pages of the Trib and National Geographic.

"The one thing that the Web has done is devalued photographers. Now magazines go into Flickr and steal photos. Even though there are more outlets, it has really handicapped photographers because there's much more supply than demand," Strazzante said. "The top one percent will be fine. The kind of middle-tier photographers who haven't quite found their voice yet, they're the ones who are really going to suffer. It's almost become like society in general where it's going to be a greater divide between the rich and the poor. It's going to either be the super-talented or the people who are willing to give away their work for free."

Strazzante cites Vincent Laforet as an example of a photographer who has branded himself successfully. "He started out basically a sports photographer," Strazzante said. "Now, if anyone at a huge publication in America wants an aerial style, Vincent is it. He's made his name with creative aerial photography. He's now created a niche where he is the guy to go to for aerial photography. He's done that by being a great businessman in addition to being a great shooter."

In today's newspaper market, it sometimes feels as if the chances are better that you'll be laid off than receive a decent-sized raise. David Zentz is a 29-year-old photojournalist at the Peoria Journal Star with an impressive track record of high-profile internships and clip-contest wins under his belt. In a good to fair market, he would likely be at a major metropolitan daily at this stage of his career. But as it is, he has been bought out by the new owners of his newspaper, GateHouse Media, who have been slashing expenses through voluntary buyouts across its properties since purchasing nine Copley properties last year.

Don't cry for Zentz, he has a plan. Los Angeles beckons and a career in freelance commercial and editorial photography awaits. The only problem? How to create the DZ brand.

"No one should ever market themselves as a generalist because it devalues your voice," Zentz said. "I can shoot everything, but I want clients to know what my interests are so I promote myself and market as more of a specialist in documentary and hard news. I'm trying to figure out how to create multiple brands."

"You can look at photo magazines you see Paolo Pellgrin, Alex Webb. You can see their stuff and recognize it right away or at least say it looks like something he would have shot. People do work over years to consolidate their style and concentrate their portfolio to a specific thing and that will bring them more work."

Style then, is brand. Chris Bartlett knows that first hand. Bartlett has been shooting still life in the fashion and beauty world for 20 years, primarily editorial and some commercial work.

"There was a much wider middle ground in which to swim and there was a greater array of photographers who were not particularly hugely distinguishable from each other who were all capable professional photographers," Bartlett said. "To take a nice picture took more skill than it does now. What has happened is that the bottom has risen up because it's easier to come up with a competent photograph. The middle area, where people branded themselves but not really distinctly, that marketplace is sort of eroding and people with a combination of very clear style and brand plus a good business sense are carving out a little niche for themselves."

The practical applications of this hits right where it hurts. Bartlett recently did an estimate for a job he is shooting next week based on previous work he had done for the client 10 years ago. They came back and said they wanted his price to be about 60 percent less than his bid. His competition? The in-house digital studio.

"The rub here is that the art director wants me to do it because he likes the way I treat the subject matter but the money people are saying this is what we're going to be," he said. "It's up to me to compromise my rate to get the job or stand my ground and say 'I won't do it for less than that.' It won't be done to the level it would be done with my original estimate because I have to cover more ground in less amount of time to make money. That is a pretty familiar scenario."

The irony is that there is a lot more potential for money because of the wider audience, but everyone is expecting that work to be done for free. In order to compete for the jobs that pay good money, strong work is key. When you mention a photographer's name, Annie Lebowitz or Robert Capa to use two examples, an image has to pop into your head. People need to know that if they're spending the money, they're getting a certain treatment.

So, then, is my one picture that made it around the world my brand? I tend to believe that it's not. For one, few if any photojournalists have been hired based on one picture. Iconic images can catapult careers, but being good in today's newspaper, and commercial, markets doesn't always mean that you'll get the job. Thus the paradox of being a more attractive job candidate when you're cheaper and younger than when you're better and more seasoned. Bottom line concerns aren't making brands less relevant, but they are making most photographers' stake less valuable.

Eric Sumberg recently left the Daily Chronicle to pursue other interests in New York City. Content originally posted on www.noahbrier.com

Memorial Day in Northern Illinois

2008-05-28T00:32:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG DeKalb American Legion Post 66 Commander John Lahuta spoke to a gathered crowd of hundreds on the lawn of the Ellwood House in DeKalb after Saturday's Memorial Day Parade.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Members of the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice marched in DeKalb's Memorial Day parade for the third year carrying photographs of the 166 Illinois service men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. "It's an effort to memorialize all the sacrifice of human life," said co-coordinator Dan Kenney, second from right.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore native and active-duty U.S. Army solder Chris Isabel, left, and Sycamore Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5768 Gerry Drake carry the colors at the start of Sycamore's Memorial Day Parade along California Street on Monday morning.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Kaleb White, 3, of Sycamore, kicks up some water with his shoes before the start of Sycamore's Memorial Day Parade Monday morning on California Street.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Kaitlyn Proulx, 6, left, and Maggie Nanfria, 6, of Daisy Troop 463 of St. Mary's School in Sycamore pose for a photograph before marching in Sycamore's Memorial Day Parade Monday morning in Sycamore.

It's Here

2008-05-28T00:22:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Andrew Moore, 26, fills up his Volkswagen Jetta Sunday at Sebby’s University Shell on West Lincoln Highway in DeKalb. For Moore, a trip to the pump lately has meant taking a hard look at the financial feasibility of his lifestyle. “I did decide to sell my car because I can’t afford to pay for gas and insurance,” he said.

Four Dollar Gas

Story and Photograph by Eric Sumberg

With each monetary milestone, we shake our heads. Two dollars for a gallon of gas? Now three? Gas costs four dollars?

It seems like every day brings a new report of the high cost of a barrel of light, sweet crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In mid-February, the cost per barrel broke $100. The price one year ago was roughly half of what it is now, $132.19 per barrel. Where it will end - determined by demand, supply concerns, a weak dollar and numerous other factors - is a matter of intense speculation on Wall Street and in dining rooms and board rooms across the country.

“People think we're making a lot of money, but they have to realize we're getting charged a lot also,” said Josh Scalia, an employee at Sebby's University Shell on West Lincoln Highway in DeKalb. “People aren't buying gas anymore. They can't afford it. Not to mention that half of DeKalb goes home every summer.”

An informal survey of regular unleaded gas prices in the DeKalb area Sunday revealed a range from $3.98, at the Clark gas station on DeKalb Avenue, to $4.05, at Sebby's and the Marathon station one block west at Pearl Street.

Linda Bobowski of Des Plaines pulled into Sebby's on Sunday in a Chevy Suburban, her husband's car. She only needed to put a few dollars' worth of gas in the vehicle to make it to the Pacific Pride station on Peace Road, but even with the $2.98 per gallon E85 blend there - 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline - she expected to spend $75 to fill up.

“I try to combine trips so I'm not making so many,” Bobowski said. “Most of the time I drive my car that's a little more fuel efficient.”

Andrew Moore is an undergraduate at Northern Illinois University who paid $50.28 for 12.3 gallons of regular unleaded gasoline Sunday afternoon at Sebby's. Moore works part-time in Elburn at a greenhouse, a job he has held for a number of years.

“I end up spending half of my paycheck to get to work and back,” Moore said, estimating he spends $75 each week on fuel. “With gas and everything it ends up being less than minimum wage.”

His solution? Sell the Volkswagen Jetta he purchased new in 2004 for a car with lower insurance payments and better fuel efficiency. His current car gets about 26-30 miles per gallon, which he estimates costs him about $4 to drive 30 miles. Though filling up is costly, Moore doesn't expect prices to go down soon.

“With urban sprawl and everything, I don't think it's going anywhere,” he said.

Knockout

2008-05-23T12:33:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore's Krista Koeplin (left) absorbs an elbow to the face from Hononegah's Taylor Scott in the second half of the Spartans' 2-0 loss to the Indians in the IHSA Class 2A Freeport Sectional Final Thursday evening in Freeport.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore goalie Sarah Fischer, left, readies for a shot on goal as Spartan defeners Tory Tilton (14) and Emily Hamden (9) tie up Hononegah's Katie Fluegel (8) in the second half of the Spartans' 0-2 loss to the Indians in the IHSA Class 2A Freeport Sectional final Thursday evening in Freeport.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG There were smiles but also tears on the faces of Spartan players, from left, Nici Newquist, Tori Tilton, and Lauren Hawkins at the end of Thursday evening's match. Sycamore ends the season 16-5-3 and loses five seniors from this year's team after advancing the furthest it ever has in the playoffs under Lichamer.

Eyes Wide Open

2008-05-23T12:27:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG On Thursday, 18-year-old Mathew Outlaw of Genoa (left) and 19-year-old Lisa Shockey of Cortland walked among the 144 boots arranged outside of DeKalb High School. Each pair represents a member of the military from Illinois who died in the war in Iraq or the conflict in Afghanistan.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Jill Doub, 24, of Eyes Wide Open, ties laces on the boots that represent one of the 144 members of the military from Illinois who have died in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The traveling exhibition, Eyes Wide Open, began in 2004 and represented the total number of U.S. military personnel who were killed. The exhibition has since been divided by state, according to Jill Doub of Eyes Wide Open. “We’re looking to raise awareness of the human cost of war,” Doub said.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Daisies adorn the boots representing Illinois National Guard 1st Lt. Brian D. Slavenas at the Eyes Wide Open traveling exhibition at DeKalb High School on Thursday afternoon. Slavenas, of Genoa, died in November 2003 in Iraq.

Time Starts Again

2008-05-23T12:19:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Floyd Stamper (left) and Bob Heald install on Thursday a replica clock face made of polycarbonate on the Soldier and Sailors Memorial Clock, which is near the intersection of Lincoln Highway and First Street in DeKalb. The face and hands are replicas of those on the original 1921 E. Howard and Co. clock, and a new computerized system that accounts for power outages and daylight saving time has been installed.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Bob Heald, clock manager of the Rock Island-based The Fancy Street Clock & Light Co., adjusts the magnetic motor behind one of the four faces of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Clock in downtown DeKalb on Thursday morning.

The one-of-a-kind clock was dedicated Feb. 13, 1921, in honor of all soldiers and sailors. Some of the clock's inner components began to fail because of deterioration and moisture, DeKalb Public Works Director Rick Monas said Thursday. The clock faces had faded and the original wooden hands had to be replaced.

The city is saving the original components of the clock, Monas said. The Landmark Commission of the City of DeKalb would like to eventually restore all the original parts, he added.

But that will take time, he said, and the city has been anxious to have the clock working again since it stopped working about a year ago. “We went through Veterans Day without the clock,” he said. “In due respect to all those veterans who appreciate the purpose behind the clock, it's time to have it working.”

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG The glass faces (left) of the original Soldier and Sailors Memorial Clock in downtown DeKalb will be stored by the city while the bezels will be reinstalled on the clock being restored by The Fancy Street Clock & Light Co. of Rock Island.

The Beginning of the End

2008-05-23T12:16:00.000-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Genoa-Kingston High School graduate Melani Giannoni, 18, smiles at well-wishers in the crowd before the start of the high school's 137th commencement exercise Wednesday night in Genoa.

What A Game!

2008-05-23T11:28:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore forward Nici Newquist, left, battles for the ball with Rockford Boylan's Monica Barrera in the first half of the Spartans' IHSA Class 2A Freeport Sectional semi-final game Tuesday evening in Freeport.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore goalie Sarah Fischer had thirteen saves on the night for the Spartans as she shut down the top-seeded Titans of Rockford Boylan.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore forward Tory Tilton (14) is mobbed by teammates, from left, Mackenzie Mueller (1), Krista Koeplin (5) and Nici Newquist (2) after scoring the go-ahead goal against top-seeded Rockford Boylan with five minutes remaining to put the Spartans up 2-1 over the Titans.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore's Katie Bolander, left, and Rockford Boylan's Taylor Reed compete for a header in the second half.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Players on the Sycamore Spartans bench leap onto the field after the Spartans' 2-1 victory in the IHSA Class 2A Freeport Sectional semi-final game Tuesday evening in Freeport.

Foulk's Facts

2008-05-20T23:51:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Anthony Foulk is the backstop of a Sycamore Spartan baseball team that heads into the playoffs Wednesday in Dixon. “He's Division I talent with Division III size,” head coach Jason Cavanaugh said. “There's no doubt in my mind that he can play catcher, second base or third base at the Division I level but he's going to continually get overlooked because of his size, which is unfair, but that's the way it works.”

Your One Day to See the Barn

2008-05-20T23:48:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Preservationist Roger Keys (right), speaks with Sharon and Rex Lea Trea of Sycamore on Sunday afternoon outside the barn at the Joseph F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center in DeKalb. The barn, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and abuts a Burger King parking lot, is a true survivor, according to Keys. “We’re pretty much preserving the building until we can raise the funds for restoration,” he said.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG A discarded art project with a barbed-wire theme lies in the back of the Glidden Homestead barn as visitors gather near the entrance to the 19th-century structure Sunday. The barn, which is under renovation, is believed to be the site where Joseph Glidden first manufactured “The Winner” barbed wire in the early 1870s.

DeKalb County: The Music World's Hub

2008-05-20T23:43:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Operations manager Bobby Joe Rinaldo directs traffic as employees of Nocturne Productions in DeKalb load a semitrailer with cases for the rock band Metallica on Thursday morning at the business’ warehouse. DeKalb-based Nocturne Productions specializes in high-definition video screens and projection, and Upstaging Inc. in Sycamore builds lighting equipment and stage pieces and operates a fleet of trucks to transport the gear all over the country.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG The Nocturne Productions warehouse, located on Harvestore Road in DeKalb since 2005, is 35,000 square feet of cases, wires and video equipment staffed by 20 employees locally and 150 who tour with bands across America. Nocturne built and ran the video for Paul McCartney's Super Bowl halftime performance in February 2005.

NIU Graduates 3,000

2008-05-20T23:30:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Graduates in the Northern Illinois University College of Visual and Performing Arts gathered at Victor E. Court before heading to the arena of the Convocation Center for commencement exercises Saturday evening.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG The shoes were off for doctoral candidate in audiology student Lindsay Scorpio, left, 26, of Austin, Texas, as she waited with her fellow graduates before the start of Saturday evening's commencement exercises in the Convocation Center. 2008 marked the first year NIU graduated students with doctorates in audiology, which is the study hearing, balance, and related problems.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Yung-Chin Chang, center, waves to friends in the audience as she waits to sit before the third of three commencement exercises at the Convocation Center Saturday evening in DeKalb. Chang, 23, was born in Taiwan and received a master's degree in music on Saturday and said that her parents were watching the ceremony simulcast on the internet.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Northern Illinois University President John Peters, left, bows his head during a moment of silence to remember those killed during the Feb. 14 shootings on the NIU campus at the start of the last of three commencement exercises on Saturday.
“We could not control the circumstances that gave us this gift of perspective,” Peters said in his speech to the graduates. “But each of us can determine how to use it. My wish for you: May your gift be one that guides you toward good decisions, compels you to embrace a life of purpose and reminds you to demonstrate compassion in all you do.”

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG More than 3,000 Northern Illinois University students graduated in three separate commencement ceremonies on Saturday.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG An excited graduate student from Northern Illinois University's College of Education holds her degree for friends and family to see at Saturday evening's commencement ceremony at the school's Convocation Center.

Cogs Triple It Up

2008-05-20T23:15:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Genoa-Kingston baserunner Sarah Bergstrom collides with Stillman Valley third baseman Tara Beach in the fourth inning of the Cogs' 1-0 victory over the Cardinals Saturday morning in Genoa. Bergstrom scored after the ball escaped Beach's grasp on this play.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Genoa-Kingston's Sarah Bergstrom, center, leaps into the arms of her teammates after scoring the lone run of the game for the Cogs in the fourth inning of their 1-0 victory over Stillman Valley to capture the IHSA Class AA Genoa-Kingston Regional Final Saturday morning in Genoa.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG The Cogs of Genoa-Kingston High School rush the field after defeating the Stillman Valley Cardinals 1-0 behind a one-hitter from pitcher Lindsay Decker to capture the Class AA Regional Final Saturday morning in Genoa.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG For the third year in a row, the Cogs of Genoa-Kingston won the IHSA Class AA Genoa-Kingston Regional Final.

Marian Beguin

2008-05-20T23:08:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Wright Elementary School second-grader Hank Barnes, 7, is delighted as a monarch butterfly alights on his hand Friday afternoon during a ceremony in memory of kindergarten teacher Marian Beguin at the Malta school. Staff, students and parents came together at the school to remember Beguin, who was killed in an automobile accident in August, and to dedicate a bench, decorated with butterflies, in her memory.

In Her Honor

Chronicle story and photographs by Eric Sumberg

On a day that seemed like a gift from the heavens, the community of Wright Elementary School gave a gift to one of their own.

Wright Elementary School students, staff and parents gathered on Friday in front of their low-slung Malta building with a mix of anticipation and sadness for a ceremony in honor of Marian Beguin, a kindergarten teacher who was killed in an automobile accident in August.

“She would be proud of each and every one of you,” said David Beguin, her husband, as he thanked attendees and those who contributed money toward a memorial bench that was unveiled at the ceremony, as well as those who contributed to the scrapbook of notes that he was given at the event.

Principal Gina Greenwald began Friday's gathering by recounting stories of how much joy Beguin brought to her students in the two years she taught at Wright.

“It's her laugh. She was so enthusiastic about learning. She was right there, engulfed in it as much as the children,” Greenwald said. “She truly had a love for making kids happy as they were learning.”

The bench, which sits near the school's entrance, was created by a North Carolina artist who makes memorial benches. It has a painted concrete bottom and mosaic top made with small bits of china arranged in the shape of butterflies.

Butterflies factored heavily into Friday's ceremony, a tribute to Beguin's love of teaching about the life cycle of that insect. Beguin's daughter, 16-year-old Catherine, released monarch butterflies to the delight of all as they fluttered about in the wind and landed on the occasional student.

“Our entire family appreciates the support of the kids, the parents and the staff at Wright. They are family,” David Beguin said. “She loved the kids, she loved to teach. Part of the love she left here we leave with the kids of Wright. She was a special lady, and we thank God every day for her.”

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Members of the DeKalb-area and Wright Elementary School communities donated money for this bench to be built in honor of Marian Beguin, a kindergarten teacher at the Malta school who was killed in an automobile accident in August. “She truly had a love for making kids happy as they were learning,” Principal Gina Greenwald said.

Slide Royals

2008-05-17T23:47:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Hinckley-Big Rock's Jake Paver slides in safely past the tag of Somonauk catcher Steve Weismiller during the third inning of Thursday's IHSA Class A Somonauk Regional semifinal won 4-3 by the Royals.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Despite photographic evidence to the contrary, Hinckley-Big Rock baserunner Jake Paver was called out after Somonauk first baseman Sal Peritore dove to tag first base to end the fourth inning of Thursday's IHSA Class A Somonauk Regional semifinal won 4-3 by the Royals.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Somonauk second baseman Tyler Buell checks the ground for a sliding Nolan Craig of Hinckley-Big Rock after unsuccessfully corraling a throw to catch Craig stealing in the top of the fifth inning of the Royals' 4-3 victory in the IHSA Class A Somonauk Regional semifinal Thursday at Somonauk High School.

A Different Beat

2008-05-17T23:43:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Jody Cook, owner of A Different Drummer Music in Somonauk, assembles a drum in his store Thursday afternoon. Cook likes the freedom that owning a business gives him, even if it means he does a lot of the grunt work around the store. “Since it’s my place, I can make sure things are getting done,” Cook said.

Of Drums and Men

Editor's note: This is the 12th in an occasional series chronicling an hour in the life of DeKalb County residents. Jody Cook owns A Different Drummer Music in Somonauk. Daily Chronicle photographer Eric Sumberg spent time with him from 2:45-3:45 p.m. Thursday.

The windows on the front of the building at South Depot and West DeKalb streets in Somonauk are notable for their height and breadth.

As one stands on the street, the panes are an impressive 9 feet wide and stretch from waist height to about 12 feet tall. The light washes through them on even an overcast day.

This is the site of A Different Drummer Music, owned by Jody Cook, a sturdily built 40-year-old man with a beard and with tattoos running up both of his arms.

“We're new here, opened up the first week in January,” Cook said as he assembled the floor tom - a double-headed tom-tom drum - of a set of Mapex QR Series drums for a customer Thursday afternoon. “It's been going good.”

Cook operates the store with the help of his wife, Gayla, and his sister, Amy Kember. Also helping are a grandson, 3-year-old Alex Parker, and a rotating cast of three music professionals, including himself, who give guitar and drum lessons.

From 2001 until last year, he owned a store in Ottawa named A Different Drummer. He sold it to a couple of his former employees.

“This is closer to my home, and the best way to say it is I wanted to do things a little bit differently than I did in Ottawa,” Cook said. “That was my first attempt at a business.”

Cook is a native of Sheridan and attended high school in Serena. After working at a body shop for two years, he began a 10-year stint at the Sheridan Correctional Center, a job he held until 1998.

His love for music has endured.

“I started playing drums in grade school, started taking drum set lessons from Santucci's Music,” said Cook, referring to a now-defunct Ottawa music store. “I guess I always wanted to do something with music.”

Now that he operates, by his own estimation, the only area music shop apart from stores in DeKalb and Naperville, he considers himself a wiser businessman.

“I think I learned some more efficient ways to do business, how to handle employees, that sort of thing,” Cook said of his previous store. The lesson was to trust yourself to do what you need done and no one else, he said.

While his original plan was to open a store in Yorkville - a competitor, now closed, had already opened a business there - he said he is happy with how things have turned out.

“I like the building, the rent was reasonable,” he said. “We're a little smaller than we were in Ottawa.”

The money in the music store business is in the small stuff, drumheads and other items of musical life. Cook attempts to stay in the black financially by owning everything he sells in his shop.

“It's not a huge moneymaker, but it is potentially a big moneymaker. It doesn't have to be a million-dollar business off the bat to make it something you do and afford you a comfortable living,” he said.

On any given day, he can have five people trickle into his shop or more than 50. It doesn't really matter to Cook.

“The most enjoyable part is when you take a student that is young when they're really enjoying drums or guitar. They're looking at equipment the way I used to look at equipment. You can be a part of something they're interested in.”

Prom, DeKalb, Style

2008-05-17T23:36:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Anthony Chatman (rear) checks the fit of the white prom suit his son, Kenneth Wiggins, tries on at Ducky’s Formal Wear on Thursday afternoon in DeKalb. Wiggins, a junior at DeKalb High School, was planning to wear an orange tie and pocket square to match his girlfriend’s dress.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Kris Wrenn, a manager at Kar-Fre Flowers, prepares a boutonniere after crafting a corsage (bottom) out of roses, baby’s breath and rhinestones at the Sycamore store Thursday afternoon in preparation for DeKalb High School’s prom, which was Saturday.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Ducky’s Formal Wear employee Kaitlyn Alexander, 19, hurries as she carries three dresses for a customer to try on Thursday afternoon at the DeKalb store. “It’s fun being with the prom kids,” said Alexander, a student at Northern Illinois University. “It’s fun, but busy.”

Barbs Triumph 4-nil

2008-05-17T23:29:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG A Marengo player hits the turf in the first half of the IHSA Class 2A DeKalb Regional semifinal game Wednesday.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG DeKalb High School's Karen Lehan, left, walks off the field as her teammates Taylor Hallgren (9) and Kay Smith (13) chest bump at midfield after the Barbs dismantled the Marengo Indians 4-0 in their Class 4A IHSA DeKalb Regional game. Hallgren scored a hat trick on the day and Erin Finucane added the fourth goal in Wednesday's game at DeKalb High School.

The Newquists

2008-05-17T23:23:00.000-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore High School junior and soccer team co-captain Nici Newquist (left) was taught the game by her mother Tammy Newquist, who is now a first-year assistant for the Indian Creek girls soccer team. Though her schedule now prohibits her from watching Nici's matches, Tammy Newquist is confident she is having a good time on the pitch. “We're happy that she's doing this with us there and without us there,” Tammy Newquist said.

Supermom

2008-05-17T23:19:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG DeKalb mom Kristine Nelson relaxes between frames of bowling with her son, Jacob Bidstrup (rear), as her daughter, Penelope Price, 9 months, crawls under the scorer’s table at Mardi Gras Lanes Sunday afternoon in DeKalb. Moms bowled free on Sunday at the bowling alley, and Jacob took turns watching Penelope so Kristine could bowl. “This is kind of our pastime together, to bowl,” Nelson said.

Mom's Moment

Story and Photograph by Eric Sumberg

Debbie Geiger of Sycamore had a Mother's Day that may sound familiar to some others in the DeKalb area.

“In true Mother's Day fashion, we went to McDonald's for lunch and got Happy Meals, and the boys made me breakfast in bed this morning,” Geiger said in between turns at Mardi Gras Lanes on Sunday afternoon.

What did her sons, Michael, 8, and Andrew, 6, serve her?

“Frosted Flakes,” she said. “And they were the best Frosted Flakes!”

Geiger, accompanied by her husband, Damon, was one of the local mothers being treated to something else special on Sunday: free bowling. This was the second year that Mardi Gras Lanes offered the discount for Mother's Day, according to employee Bill Smith, who reported higher than normal attendance for the end of the week.

“Mother's Day is special. Moms always get a break,” he said.

For moms such as Ellen Mays of DeKalb, Sunday's rain allowed her to spend some quality time at the lanes with her son Andy, 5.

“We went to the Y to swim,” Mays said, adding that her husband, Sean, was watching

22-month-old twins Ryan and Kyle at home as part of his gift to her. “He can stay home and work, and I can come out and have fun.”

Andy gave his mom a flower and a heart covered by a handprint and a poem, and Sean gave her a shirt, a purse, and the day off.

“I think we're going to order out so I don't have to cook,” Mays said with a laugh.

Charlie Pelton and LeeAnn Kennedy of DeKalb brought a whole crew of grandparents, sisters and kids to the lanes, including 11-month-old Tristan Pelton and 9-year-old Domanic Kennedy. Another son, Sabian, 16, couldn't make it because he was under the weather, but Sunday was otherwise a very pleasant Mother's Day for LeeAnn. She received flowers and breakfast, and Domanic put towels on the floor for a makeshift red carpet as she exited her bedroom that morning.

“We went to Ruby Tuesday last night, to eliminate the rush,” she said. “It's been a great day.”

Cortland's Jacob Bidstrup, 17, and his mom, Kristine Nelson, of DeKalb were at the lanes as usual on Sunday with Nelson's daughter, Penelope Price, who is 9 months old.

“This is kind of our pastime together,” Nelson said, adding that Penelope enjoys seeing the balls go down the lane. While Jacob bought his mother an Italian beef sandwich at Portillo's on Sunday and gave her money to get her hair done, perhaps the greatest demonstration of how he feels about his mom was on the scoreboard. Instead of Kristine's name, the scorecard read “Supermom.”

Sycamore 150

2008-05-12T23:45:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Discover Sycamore director Jamie Sands wears a handmade dress while distributing historical postcards to those in attendance at Sycamore Park for a picnic to celebrate the city’s 150th year. Sands, who did not grow up in the area, believed that Midwestern hospitality was an exaggeration until she moved to Sycamore. “I thought it could only partially be true, but here, more than any other place, I find that hospitality,”

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG One-year-old Lillian Bruhl of Maple Park enjoys a cupcake with the numbers 150 written on it in icing served by her aunt Christiene Drake of Sycamore at the Sycamore Sesquicentennial Ceremony Friday night on the lawn in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse. Hundreds turned out to listen to historical proclamations and hear high school and elementary school bands and choirs perform American hymns to kick off the year of celebrations.

John Peters

2008-05-12T23:41:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Nearly three months after the shooting at Northern Illinois University that claimed the lives of six people, including the gunman, President John Peters, standing in an Altgeld Hall atrium on Friday, believes the Huskie community will remain strong as it moves forward. "What we're going to accomplish in the years to come is truly going to be amazing," Peters said.

DeKalb Falls, Birds Forage

2008-05-11T01:35:00.005-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG DeKalb High School shortstop Ali Ford, left, steps in front of second baseman Jessica Hetland to grab a ground ball in the top of the second inning of the Barbs' 6-0 loss to Glenbard South Friday afternoon at DeKalb High School.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG A bird alights on top of the first base fence at the DeKalb High School softball field with a grub in its mouth. The roof of the visitor's dugout at the field houses a bird's nest with four young chicks, presumably belonging to this bird and its partner. How sweet.

Celebration and Controversy for Israel@60

2008-05-11T01:26:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Belly dancer Lesly Baker of Gurnee performs Thursday afternoon for a crowd at Northern Illinois University’s MLK Memorial Commons during a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Israel’s founding.

Israel: Three Score

Story and Photographs by Eric Sumberg

Israel reached a milestone Thursday.

On the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Middle Eastern nation, celebrations were held worldwide - including one at Northern Illinois University.

“We're really proud of Israel. I've been there twice,” said Jane Kaykov, 21, a senior at NIU and member of StandWithUs, a nonprofit Israel education organization. “It's an amazing country, and we wanted to bring a little culture to campus.”

StandWithUs sponsored Thursday's event on the DeKalb campus, as did Alpha Epsilon Phi and the NIU Hillel, a Jewish campus organization. More than 60 members of the NIU community came to MLK Memorial Commons for the event. Attendees ate falafel, a chickpea-based fried food that is popular in Israel, listened to the Key Tov Orchestra, a Chicago-based musical group, and watched and participated in belly dancing.

NIU Hillel President Cary Wolovick, 23, said that there are approximately 300 Jewish students at the university and that NIU Hillel, though small in number, is a growing organization.

Thursday's celebration was part of a series of events nationwide that sought to unite supporters of Israel.

“It is a nationwide celebration,” Wolovick said. “If you go on Facebook, you might see anyone Jewish has something about Israel at 60.”

But as with most events that put a spotlight on the Middle East, and Israel in particular, a contrasting viewpoint also worked to make its voice heard Thursday. On the opposite side of the commons, a group of about 15 people stood holding signs with slogans such as “Boycott Israeli Terrorism” and symbols such as Israeli flags drawn in a way to suggest they are more evil than the Nazi swastika.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Abdul Rafay, 24, of Glen Ellyn holds an anti-Israel sign at Northern Illinois University’s MLK Memorial Commons on Thursday afternoon during a protest organized by the NIU Muslim Student Association.

The protest group, which was organized by the NIU Muslim Student Association but was not exclusively composed of members of that organization, was asked to take the poster with the Israeli flag on it down. They did, but those who remained holding signs were unafraid to express their opinion of the Israeli state.

“We're just here to protest the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the formation of Israel,” said Muslim Student Association President Rami Saqa, 22. “We're here to speak out against it.”

Saqa said he felt compelled to speak out because he believes that atrocities are being committed by Israelis against Palestinians.

“What we want to show is the atrocities,” he said, pointing to a poster with pictures that appeared to depict people who had been injured by agents of the Israeli army.

“Just because they are Jewish, how do they deserve that land?”

Watching from the sidelines of the Israeli celebration was Eli Sisou, an Israeli man who came to America in 1980. Sisou came to the NIU campus on Thursday because his wife, Charisse Sisou, was one of three belly dancers performing for the gathered audience.

The Haifa-born Sisou had never celebrated Israel's nationhood before.

“It feels great. You feel fuzzy. It's nice to celebrate, especially for my kids who have never celebrated,” he said.

As he looked across the commons, he squinted as he watched the gathering of students holding anti-Israel posters.

“I feel sad they need to protest this,” he said. “It's such a complex issue to solve, and we need to solve it with love. It's so sad that we still hate each other. Israeli people aren't bad, we aren't evil.”

Blaze Guts Home

2008-05-11T01:18:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG DeKalb Fire Department Captain Eric Hicks uses an ax to cut a hole in the roof of a structure at 511 1/2 S. Fourth St. which caught on fire at about 6:35 p.m. Thursday. The fire caused at least $68,000 in damage, DeKalb Fire Department officials said Friday. It was an accidental fire caused by cooking oil left unattended on the stove, which produced an open flame that spread to the surrounding cabinets and ceiling, according to the news release. No injuries were reported.

Caps 4 Sam Tops Off

2008-05-11T01:12:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Atticus, a 2-year-old pug owned by Tara Noronha of Chicago, wore a visor with the Caps 4 Sam logo near the finish line of Sunday’s five-kilometer timed walk in Hopkins Park in DeKalb. Noronha, not shown, works in the hospital’s fundraising development office and has been at all three Caps 4 Sam events. “We’re really proud to be a recipient of their funds,” she said.

Wear it Proud

Story and Photographs by Eric Sumberg

There was something for everyone. An ice-cream cone, a five-kilometer race, a handwritten note, a beautiful day in the park. They were all there, and for a good cause.

A practically perfect Sunday in Hopkins Park in DeKalb more than 800 people come to support Caps 4 Sam, the third annual event to raise money for Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital. Sam Ihm, who is now 13, had surgery on a brain tumor more than three years ago on Jan. 18, 2005. The caps were one way that Sam connected to those around him in a difficult time.

“He was going to have to wear a cap. Pretty soon, all his friends did the same,” said Mary Overbey, Sam's grandmother. “He even gave one to his doctor.”

On the day of his surgery, the entirety of St. Mary School in DeKalb wore caps. Now, three years later, Caps 4 Sam caps and visors are everywhere. The event has also become a major event in the early spring schedule for the area, with greater participation each year.

“The number of runners has increased by about 100 or 150,” Overbey said. “We had 750 shirts this year, and some people didn't even get one.”

Local businesses and organizations have pitched in with monetary donations and volunteer work. BioLife Plasma Services in DeKalb gave $4,000; Whitman's Catering provided 400 chicken, beef, pork sandwiches and hot dogs; Papa John's donated pizza; and Northern Rehab gave massages. Several sororities from Northern Illinois University staffed various parts of the day's festivities, including by keeping the buffet for participants in the newly renovated Hopkins Park shelter stocked.

Runners were also pleased with the event, and themselves.

“This is how I like to give charity,” said Liz Lemrise, 24, a graduate student in physical education at NIU, after finishing first for women in the five-kilometer run in a time of 21:00.

Men's winner Nathan Eagen, 27, of DeKalb, set a new course record in the five-kilometer with a time of 16:53.

“It's a nice area. I like the setup they have; it's very organized,” he said after his race.

For those who participated in the 3-kilometer walk, above, through the park, such as Jody Brown, 35, an undergraduate in NIU's Nursing School who walked with 10 of her classmates and their families, this year had a personal touch.

“This is the first time we did it, because it's the first time we met Mary,” Brown said, referring to clinical work her classmates had done with Overbey, who is the program director for the DeKalb Adult Day Center. “I'm sure we'll be back.”

As for Sam, now a laid-back teenager who plays on a traveling baseball team and aspires to play for the Chicago Cubs, each year is a reminder of how far he has come.

“It's a whole new experience from what my life was like before,” he said.

Foreclosures on Tour

2008-05-11T01:07:00.000-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Denise Ii (left), Danise Blake (center) and real estate agent Joe Frieders walk through a foreclosed property on Washington Street in Sandwich on Sunday afternoon. The group at the house was the second transported last weekend by a van organized by Avenue Mortgage Corp. in Sandwich so people could see a number of foreclosed properties in the area.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG More than 15 people visited a foreclosed home on Bainbridge Court in Sandwich on Sunday. Organizers of a tour of foreclosed homes said the van, which was followed by a caravan of four to five cars of additional real estate shoppers, is an efficient way to show a lot of homes. “Every house has got a buyer; it just needs to be the right price,” said the van’s driver, Joe Frieders of Swanson Real Estate.

The Procession of Brett Bouma

2008-05-11T01:01:00.000-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG The funeral procession for DeKalb County Sgt. Brett Bouma drove south on Peace Road from Christ Community Church in DeKalb to North Clinton Township Cemetery near Waterman on Friday. Bouma, 36, died last Sunday at Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb of a pulmonary embolism following a recent surgery.

Deja DeKalb

2008-05-03T21:59:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photos ERIC SUMBERG Two plays, same result. In the bottom of the first inning, DeKalb baserunner Jessica Hetland, top, slipped past Sycamore High School catcher Elora Oprins to score and in the bottom of the second inning Sycamore shortstop Anna Buzzard reached, unsuccessfully, to tag DeKalb baserunner Lisa Oller. DeKalb capitalized on their good baserunning and solid hitting to beat their cross-town rivals 4-0 Thursday evening.

May Day

2008-05-03T21:53:00.000-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Andres Hijar, 29, a PHd graduate student in Latin American history from Juarez, Mexico, spoke to a gathering of around 100 people for a May Day celebration at MLK Memorial Commons on Thursday afternoon. "We've got to see ourselves as equal," Hijar said of the plight of Mexican immigrants who live in America. "There has got to be a change."

Sycamore's Finest

2008-05-03T21:51:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Illinois Army National Guard Sgt. Ben Allen of DeKalb walks across the main room of the Sycamore Armory on Tuesday afternoon. Though the armory was relatively quiet, soldiers are hard at work preparing for a three-week training exercise that will begin Friday, as well as for a combat deployment to Afghanistan later this year.

Battery Charging

Story and Photograph by Eric Sumberg

Tuesday was a regular day at the Sycamore Armory.

Soldiers sat at their desks, quietly shuffling papers. Others walked among the large artillery guns and Humvees as they carried stacks of camouflage clothing. Typically, no more than eight people are in the spacious 1938 Works Progress Administration building on East State Street at a time.

But in three days, formation will be called and up to 80 Illinois Army National Guard members will stand at attention, ready for a three-week training trip to the Marseilles Training Center east of Ottawa. The training exercise is in preparation for the Alpha Battery 2-122 Field Artillery's deployment to Afghanistan later this year.

“There's a whole lot of paperwork,” First Lt. Hugh Perry of New Orleans said. “We've got to make sure our soldiers are getting fed, getting their education.”

Perry joined the Illinois battery because he said he likes the people. He flies up monthly to train in Sycamore and at other facilities.

When he's in New Orleans, he works as a consultant at an energy company. He also is pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Tulane University.

Many members of the battery will be seeing their first combat zone when they deploy to Afghanistan.

“We've been mobilizing for a while,” Perry said. “We're going out to Afghanistan, and we've got to get ready for this deployment.”

The 122nd will be going to Afghanistan without their guns. Their job will be to provide security, not artillery, and the early 1970s howitzer guns on which they have been training will be replaced while they're gone with new 105 mm M-119A2 howitzers produced at the Rock Island Arsenal.

On a daily basis, the business of running the battery is complex.

“It's not like your typical active-duty job. At an active-duty location you have medical facilities and training and soldiers who come every day,” said Sgt. 1st Class Clayton Riley, who has worked at the armory since August 2005. “While we still have the same benefits of an active-duty location, we just have to travel a little to get the same job accomplished.”

There are 13 periods each year in which the entire battery, which has about 100 soldiers, gets together for three to four days. Friday's gathering is the start of an active training period. Those who report will head to the battery's mobilization site at the Marseilles Training Center and be there for three weeks.

Following that, the battery will be home for approximately a month and then will head to Fort Bragg in North Carolina for mobilization training prior to deployment. Making sure that each soldier is where he or she is supposed to be, at the proper pay rate with the right equipment, falls to Riley.

“In this organization, everybody's supposed to come at the same time, but some have families, some go early,” he said. “Some work at different times. We subsidize our lack of manpower with appeasing the soldier.”

As for the life of a camouflage-wearing soldier in an area that does not have a major military presence, Riley acknowledges there may be some people who don't know there is a lot of work going on in the building on East State Street. While the Army has housed the National Guard battery here for almost 12 years, there have been a number of other units that have been at the facility. Now, however, there is the National Guard, and the members are ready to get going.

“Our operational tempo is very high with the mobilization in the near future,” Riley said.

Early Advantage

2008-04-28T23:34:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Former Sycamore High School soccer standout Brad Horton (center) dresses before practice at his new school, Northern Illinois University, where he enrolled this spring to get a head start on his athletic and academic career. “It’s definitely a lot different than anything I’ve done before," Horton said of the last few months, during which time he has lived at home while studying and practicing at NIU.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Despite being selected as an All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 2007, in 2008, Brad Horton is another first-year player on the Northern Illinois University soccer squad. As part of his freshman duties, Horton helped to carry nets on to the field before practice on Wednesday.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Eighteen-year-old Northern Illinois University freshman Brad Horton, shown during soccer practice at Huskie Stadium on Tuesday, is the first early enrollee to be recruited by men's head coach Steve Simmons, right.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Brad Horton, center, enjoys some frozen custard at Ollie's Frozen Custard in Sycamore on Thursday with Sycamore High School friends, clockwise from rear, Ryan Peifer, Andy Maratto, and Elliot Leinhard. "It's almost like I'm two different people," Horton said of having a life at Northern Illinois University and one with his high school friends.

One Hour With: Valvoline Instant Oil Change

2008-04-28T23:06:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Brandon Green, 20, braces himself against the side of a Dodge Caravan to attempt to loosen a stubborn serpentine belt at Valvoline Instant Oil Change Friday afternoon in DeKalb. Despite breaking a flashlight and bloodying his hands in the process, Green installed a new belt without losing his temper. "I like to make things work out the best they can," he said.

Oil Toil

Editor's note: This is the ninth in an occasional series chronicling an hour in the life of DeKalb County residents. Daily Chronicle photographer Eric Sumberg spent time at Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 2615 Sycamore Road in DeKalb from 4-5 p.m. Friday.

A little before 4 p.m. Friday, four men stood in a small circle in the pit area of Valvoline Instant Oil Change in DeKalb.

It was a brief respite for Drew Hurdy, 26, Brandon Green, 20, Joe Ybarra, 21, and Jarret Wheeler, 21, who had serviced a parade of vehicles since the shop opened at 8 a.m.

“It's steady,” shop manager Hurdy said. “But it's starting to slow down. Gas prices are having an impact on it.”

The basic oil change with inspection costs $31.99, up from $29.99 in January. For that, customers get a look at their lights and fluid levels, an oil change and a filter change.

“A lot of people come in and ask how much. We say $31.99 and they say, ‘I'm outta here,'” Green said.

Employees at the oil-change shop see things most motorists rarely come across. Mice are a common sight, often nesting in part of the engine.

At about 4:10 p.m., a Dodge Caravan pulled into the lot.

“Customer on the lot,” Hurdy shouted as the other three employees moved into position. After a quick inspection of the vehicle, Ybarra opened the hood and started seeing to the fluid levels.

“Tail lights, that's good!” Hurdy said.

“Going to raise it up,” Ybarra replied as Wheeler checked tire pressure on the vehicle while it rose. After draining the oil into a pan, Ybarra grabbed a hose hanging from the ceiling - a hose connected to a container filled with nonsynthetic 5w-30 oil. After taking care of the oil, he took the dipstick over to show the customer that the job had been done. Hurdy walked over and did a final check.

“We're ready to roll,” he said as he slammed the hood shut, sending the car off 15 minutes after it had pulled in.

At about 4:30 p.m., a brief storm interrupted work.

“Is it raining?” Green asked no one in particular.

Ybarra said he views his job at the DeKalb shop as a great start to what he wants to do with his life.

“I want to be a technician working on Porsches,” he said. “I want to be known in the industry. This is a great learning opportunity.”

The shop soon filled up with vehicles, mostly minivans and sport utility vehicles. The employees shouted out what they were doing to keep their boss, and the customer, aware of their progress.

“When you're busy, time goes by real fast,” Wheeler, above, said. “We try to make it fun.”

When it was nearly 5 p.m., the rush had abated for a few minutes. Hurdy fielded a phone call by announcing, “Having a great day at Valvoline Instant Oil Change, how can I help you?”

Behind him, Ybarra announced a new car on the lot.

Sycamore 1-0 DeKalb

2008-04-28T22:51:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore junior forward Nici Newquist was the outstanding player of Thursday's soccer game against DeKalb.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG DeKalb goalkeeper Kay Smith, left, tries to haul in a corner kick as Sycamore's Tory Tipton, center, and DeKalb's Kristin Jorgenson, right, battle for position in the second half of Thursday's game.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore forward Nici Newquist (center) celebrates with her teammates after she scored the game-winning goal at 75:03 into Thursday's match against DeKalb.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore's Tory Tilton, top, crashes down on top of DeKalb's Kristin Jorgenson in the second half of their game on Thursday.

Huml's Day

2008-04-28T22:31:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore High School catcher Elora Oprins applies the tag moments too late as Kaneland's Mallory Huml slides past her to score in the top of the second inning of the Knights' 4-0 victory over the Spartans on Tuesday in Sycamore.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Sycamore could manage only 9 hits off of Kaneland's Huml and scored no runs to drop their record to 8-5.

Earthly Treasures

2008-04-20T12:47:00.005-04:00

Environmentalism has come into the mainstream.

The environmental movement has evolved from Henry David Thoreau writing about Walden Pond to the creation in the early 1900s of the National Park Service to such legislation as the Clean Air Act in the 1960s to former Vice President Al Gore's climate-change movie, “An Inconvenient Truth.”

It wasn't always that way.

“People tend to hear the word environmentalists and they get all bent out of shape,” said Peggy Doty, a natural resources educator with the University of Illinois Extension. “The real true environmentalists of the world are trying to balance the perspectives.”

There are many people locally who share Doty's understanding about environmentalists. In celebration of Earth Day, which is Tuesday, several shared why they love the Earth - and how they're helping to preserve and improve it.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Terry Hannan, 55, is superintendent of the DeKalb County Forest Preserve District, a position he has held for 33 years. Hannan is standing on the shores of the Little Rock Creek in the Afton Forest Preserve south of DeKalb, a tract of prairie, marsh and forest that he helped to develop in 1975. “It’s just nice to see what a wonderful place this has become here,” Hannan said.

Terry Hannan

When Terry Hannan came to DeKalb to work as the superintendent of the DeKalb County Forest Preserve District in 1975, there were three preserves - Chief Shabbona, Sannauk and Russell Woods. Today, there are 14 properties and two more pending.

“That was all done on a shoestring budget,” Hannan said with a smile.

The key to maintaining all of the properties can be found in the philosophy behind the preserves, he said.

“It's plants that naturally grow here. With the prairie, you're not watering or fertilizing or mowing,” he said. “It's one-tenth the cost of a typical residential or corporate landscape, plus it has a sense of history. It changes every month, and it provides beauty and habitat.”

At one time, preserves had non-native species growing that weren't part of the natural landscape of the county's prairies and wetlands.

A movement started in the mid-1980s to restore landscapes to look like native northern Illinois habitats. The Afton Forest Preserve is a prime example: Purchased in 1984, it has grown from 5 acres to 240 acres of wetland, forest preserve and prairie. At least 157 bird species have been recorded by bird-watchers in the preserve.

“All the forest preserves have their special place or their niche,” Hannan said. “You'll get a whole different look at wildlife.”

A referendum approved in 2005 has provided funding for land acquisitions, which means area residents can be assured that the lands they love will continue to be well cared for and that new lands will likely be added.

Hannan credits volunteers, his staff, DeKalb County residents and the DeKalb County Board's ecological vision for making his life's cause so successful.

“It's been a great journey,” Hannan said. “I've learned a lot, I've met a lot of wonderful people, and it's been a good ride here.”

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Photographed on a bridge crossing the Kishwaukee River, Peggy Doty, 43, is the natural resources educator for the DeKalb County office of the University of Illinois Extension. She works at a satellite office at the natural resource center in the Russell Woods Forest Preserve in Genoa. Doty wants to ensure that the next generation is prepared for its ecological responsibility. “When these kids grow up and they’re a part of a governmental system, they can make sound decisions,” Doty said.

Peggy Doty

As an educator, Peggy Doty wants her students to be emotionally connected to the Earth.

“Everybody needs to be allowed to find that connection,” Doty said. “Without dirt we don't eat, yet who cares about soil?”

Doty, 43, has been working as a natural resources educator for nine years with the University of Illinois Extension. Nearly 6,000 schoolchildren have attended her programs, which are held at the natural resource center in Genoa and at other forest preserves in DeKalb County. What excites Doty is the variety that she has, not only in her small patch, but also in the DeKalb County Forest Preserve District as a whole. The city of Genoa recently approved a wildlife habitat improvement project that Doty believes will further enrich the learning environment for students.

“My kids don't have a prairie to study right here in Genoa, but this would give them a prairie,” she said. “It's a community gift.”

Managing how DeKalb County grows in tandem with its preservation is at the heart of what Doty sees as her mission as an educator.

“Growth isn't bad,” she said. “But growth without green space, we aren't OK.”

True environmentalism, Doty said, is trying to balance perspectives so that the policymakers of today have a sound basis for making decisions that affect the planet.

“Everything is connected,” Doty said. “You can't stop it, fighting it is ridiculous, so how do you work with it?”

As the University of Illinois Extension system faces a potential loss of matching funds from the state for the 2008 fiscal year, Doty worries a generational gap may emerge if students don't learn that the natural habitat is worth saving.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Craig Gilbertson, 58, shown at the Wilkinson/Renwick Marsh near Glidden Road north of DeKalb, is the chairman of the executive committee of the Kishwaukee Solduc Group of the Sierra Club. “When people actually see what there is, they care about saving it,” Gilbertson said of preserving DeKalb County’s natural habitats.

Craig Gilbertson

When Craig Gilbertson was a child, his father shared a few lessons with him.

“He taught me an appreciation of nature,” said Gilbertson, now 58. “He was what you would have called a conservationist. Don't waste, don't destroy things, preserve stuff for the future.”

When he was a sixth-grader attending a summer school for children of students at Northern Illinois University, Gilbertson went on a class trip to what is now called the Wilkinson/Renwick Marsh, a patch of woods and wetlands on Glidden Road north of DeKalb.

“We took water samples and looked at them under the microscope,” he recalled. “It was really neat; it was the first time I'd ever seen anything like that.”

Four decades later, the DeKalb resident is still coming to the spot, now a part of the DeKalb County Forest Preserve District. But now he's the one passing along the lessons to his grandchildren.

“It's a little area of peace, and sometimes you need to get away from buildings and people,” he said. “A natural area is one of the best areas you can find for people who are stressed out.”

Gilbertson is the chairman of the executive committee of the Kishwaukee Solduc Group of the Sierra Club. The group numbers more than 350, and its geographic range extends through DeKalb, Grundy and LaSalle counties. Preserving land through education and advocacy is this group's niche in the region's spectrum of environmental advocacy.

“There's more than one environmental organization, and they each do certain things very well,” he said. “There's a lot of overlap, but it's more complementary rather than competitive.”

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Monroe Center resident Rick Hoffman, 54, stands on the more than 300 acres of reclaimed floodplain that he and four neighbors have planted with thousands of trees native to Illinois as part of a plan to create a filter strip along the Kishwaukee River. “It’s a very satisfying feeling,” Hoffman says of the land, which has been growing without the need for management since 2000.

Rick Hoffman

Rick Hoffman asked himself a question.

“What else can we do to manage this land?”

In the upper northwest corner of DeKalb County, Hoffman, a former farmer and now a real estate broker, had built his home along the Kishwaukee River. The farmland that surrounded it flooded sometimes. His solution was trees - thousands of trees - 12 different species on a patch of 300 acres, 182 of which were his, that would create one of the first planned riverbank forest buffers in DeKalb County.

“It improves the quality of the stream and it provides an area for the floodplain to go,” Hoffman said.

The trees and native grasses that now stand taller than the people around them were planned by George Poe, an Illinois district forester with the state's Department of Natural Resources. They were planted in groups of 400 per acre, roughly 10 feet apart from each other. At the 12 year mark, they will be trimmed down to approximately 200 per acre. The trees will be harvested periodically but never clear-cut. Conservation easements provide that the land will always be in a natural state.

As a farmer and a broker, Hoffman has ties to both sides of the land.

“I've always believed in conservation and protection of the land,” he said. “I believe (this land) should not be farmed, to protect the quality of the river.”

Not every landowner can do what Hoffman and his neighbors have done. He acknowledges that if he had high-quality soil for farming, he likely wouldn't have made the land into a buffer.

“There's a place for everything,” Hoffman said. “I'm protecting land that needs protecting.”

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Eric Mogren, 47, is a professor of environmental history at Northern Illinois University and is an avid archer. Mogren stands on the grounds of the Kishwaukee Archers, a 20-acre tract of land north of Sycamore. “I don’t have the mountains out my back door,” Mogren said, “But I have this place.”

Eric Mogren

After a certain point, Eric Mogren realized he needed to call DeKalb County his home.

“I can't constantly be thinking this place is strange and alien,” the 47-year-old Mogren said. “The time has come to really appreciate this place.”

Raised the son of a forest ecologist in the mountains of Colorado, Mogren was used to seeing beauty around every corner. When he came to DeKalb in 1995 to teach history at Northern Illinois University, he saw a different land. By 2005, he had learned to appreciate the land so much that he had published a history of the DeKalb County Farm Bureau, “Native Soil.”

“This is a very managed environment. There's very little that isn't closely managed,” he said. “These fields are all very well tended and manicured, and they've been that way for 150 years.”

Mogren is an avid archer, having taken the sport up again after a hiatus a few years ago. Walking through the patch of land on which the Kishwaukee Archers club has its targets, he has found that he can speak of his craft and his land interchangeably.

“You have to be patient. That kind of beauty takes some kind of investment,” he said. “It's wonderful. Stand outside in a beautiful woods and a beautiful bow that is a part of me.”

Mogren knows that it's often the process that yields the true beauty that he seeks in his life.

“You have to be the whole thing, a part of it all,” he said. “I'm striving for that quality. I come out here and life is no longer complicated.”

Two Buds

2008-04-20T12:42:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Reese, a four-month-old golden retriever, right, hit the ground, running, as he tried to keep up with his friend Harley, 3, in the Afton Forest Preserve on Thursday evening south of DeKalb. Reese, who is owned by Lance Reinbolz and Allison Karns, and Harley, who is owned by Jared Burke, all of DeKalb, were out playing together for the first time. "She's usually good for 30-45 minutes before I'm tired and want to go home," Burke said.

A Big Day at The Cell

2008-04-19T16:31:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Chicago's Dale Peters, 68, a 1963 graduate of Northern Illinois University, holds his hat over his heart during a moment of silence to remember those killed both on the campus of Virginia Tech University one year ago and the five students who were killed on the DeKalb campus on Feb. 14. Peters, who came to the university to offer his support as a grief counselor for students the week following the attack, was among the 4,600 paid attendees at Wednesday evening's NIU baseball game against Notre Dame Univeristy at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. All proceeds from the game were donated by the Chicago White Sox to the February 14 Student Scholarship Fund.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Members of the Northern Illinois University baseball team watch as a highlight reel of their squad in action is played over the Jumbotron before the start of their game against Notre Dame at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Northern Illinois University's Pat Minogue slides in safely to steal second base past Notre Dame second baseman Jeremy Barnes in the second inning of Wednesday night's game at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

NIU Takes Two

2008-04-19T16:27:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG The Northern Illinois University bench empties to welcome Jeff Thomas after he scored on a single by Danny Reed in a six-run sixth inning for the Huskies in their 14-11 victory in the first game of a doubleheader against Akron on Sunday afternoon. NIU won their second game by a score of 14-10.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Northern Illinois University third baseman Jordin Hood blocks an incoming throw as Akron's Drew Turocy slides in to the base in the seventh inning of the Huskies 14-11 victory over the Zips in the top half of their doubleheader on Sunday afternoon in DeKalb.

One Hour With: Steve Franklin

2008-04-19T16:24:00.002-04:00

ERIC SUMBERG | esumberg@daily-chronicle.com Steve Franklin, 23, is a pizza delivery man for World Famous Pizza in their Sycamore and DeKalb locations. "There is something gratifying about delivering a service to people," Franklin said as he drove the streets of Sycamore on Sunday evening delivering pies.

Editor's Note: This is the seventh in an occasional series chronicling an hour in the life of DeKalb County residents. Steve Franklin, 23, is a pizza delivery man for World Famous Pizza in Sycamore and DeKalb. Daily Chronicle Photographer Eric Sumberg spent time with him from 6-7 p.m. Sunday.

Slice of Life

A smattering of twenty-somethings work behind the counter on Sunday nights at World Famous Pizza, 124 E. State St. in Sycamore.

Pizza delivery man Steve Franklin, 23, meanders into the back of the shop a little after 6 p.m. He wears a five-o'clock shadow to go along with his Chicago Bears sweat shirt, a knit hat from a brewery in Colorado and an NIU memorial button on his vest.

“I'm a big Chicago sports fan in general,” said Franklin, who attends Kishwaukee Community College part time.

According to Franklin, being a pizza delivery man and a supporter of Chicago's professional teams go hand in hand. If you're delivering pies, you can catch the games on the radio. If you're working out of the DeKalb location of World Famous Pizza, which shares space in Lord Stanley's Annex, you can watch a game at the bar in the downtime between deliveries.

“It's partly one of the more enjoyable things about delivering pies,” Franklin said.

The DeKalb resident has been working for World Famous Pizza for more than three years. He started delivering because it fit well with his schedule at school and because he wanted some spending money. Most nights, he works in DeKalb, though he spends Sunday evenings in Sycamore.

“I enjoy working out in Sycamore. The tips always seem like they're a little bit better,” he said.

On a good night, he can deliver to 15 houses and pull in $60 to $70 in tips over a five-hour shift. But the ethos of Steve Franklin is less about quantity and more about quality. Quality of life, that is.

“I enjoy doing a service to society, but at the same time, I enjoy not working too hard,” he said as he waited for a second pizza to emerge from the oven at about 6:30 Sunday evening. “It can be a mentally stimulating job. You gotta be on top of everything.”

Like many delivery people before him, Franklin has a beef with people who don't tip.

“A lot of people, I don't know if they don't understand the concept of tips,” he said. “If you can afford to get a pizza delivered, why not throw the delivery guy a couple of bones?”

Like many other vehicle-based businessmen, Franklin and the rest of the World Famous Pizza fleet are grappling with the effects of the rising cost of fuel.

“The war in Iraq as it affects the pizza driver,” chimed Tyler McKellar, the store's weekend manager, as he came back to check on pizzas.

By 6:40 p.m., with two pies in his heat-retaining carrying case, Franklin was ready to hit the roads of Sycamore.

The odometer on his 1996 red Ford Escort wagon, piled high with old copies of the Chicago Sun Times and the Northern Star, a bottle of Scope, and some Pepto-Bismol, reads over 200,000.

“It's a pretty crappy car. Gas efficiency on it is what's key,” Franklin said. “I would deliver on a bike if I had a way of keeping the pies warm.”

The first stop on his route, a home on South Maple Street, went smoothly, a $2 tip included. The second pie, to a home on Maness Court, was undeliverable. More concerned than annoyed, he shifts his car into first gear, does a U-turn and calls the office to double-check the address. After Franklin makes a brief stop back at the restaurant, the customer calls to say she was at another location nearby.

“We deliver to these people a lot,” he said as he returned to his car. “It could be worse."

Triptych

2008-04-14T01:14:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photos ERIC SUMBERG Juan Avila, 21, locks on to, bobbles and celebrates a touchdown pass from Alex Hunter during a pick-up football game at Sycamore Middle School on a wet and cold Saturday afternoon.

Above and Beyond

2008-04-14T01:08:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Emily Halbesma, 25 (left), and Becky Brockschmidt, 20, stare at each other in mock seriousness as they race along the track at the Convocation Center underneath the letters of “Hope” during the seventh annual NIU Relay for Life on Friday evening. Organizers hoped that the walk, which went from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, would raise around $75,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Relay for Life

Story and Photograph by Eric Sumberg

The participation rate has gone through the roof.

When Northern Illinois University held its first Relay for Life event in 2002, 13 teams took part. During this year's event, which was held Friday night and Saturday morning at the Convocation Center, 92 teams participated.

“I think the energy in this event is above and beyond,” Erin Koertgen, 30, a staff partner with the American Cancer Society, said Friday night at the Convo Center.

This year's NIU relay, which benefits the American Cancer Society, brought in about 1,000 participants who walked, ran, skipped and laughed their way around the oval track at the facility from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday.

Hundreds of relays are held throughout the country annually, and each follow the same format: It's an overnight event in which participants designate at least one team member at a time to walk or run on a track throughout the night.

The theme of this year's event at NIU was “Follow the Cancer Free Road,” a reference to the movie “The Wizard of Oz,” and several groups that set up a tent or blanket on the floor of the Convo Center took that to heart. Under one tent, for instance, was a pair of legs, recreating one of the movie's scenes involving the Wicked Witch of the West.

“I think it's the team creativity,” Koertgen said of what makes this event special. “They really get into it every year.”

Around 7:30 p.m. Friday, some groups of students were walking in packs, some arm in arm. NIU junior Becky Brockschmidt, 20, was walking with a group from the Public Relations Students Society of America. Both of her parents are cancer survivors, and she has done other benefits walks in the past, she said. Friday night was her first cancer walk at NIU.

“This is different for me because this is a longer-lasting thing,” she said. “You get to see who is involved and the energy coming off of them.”

Event organizers Blake Horras, a sophomore, and Theresa Hartman, a senior, expected the event would bring in about $75,000. During the last seven years, the NIU relay has raised more than $225,000.

Horras said this year's event had a special meaning in the wake of the Feb. 14 shootings on campus.

“I do think it is more special this year. It's showing the community that we can come together as a full community,” he said.

On the Convo Center floor, members of the NIU Athletic Trainers Student Association were fundraising by offering massages for $1 a minute, foot tapings for $3 and general evaluations for $5.

“We've had a few massages, no one for taping,” 23-year-old NIU junior Angela Silney said. “That's why we're taping ourselves.”

For a participant like Silney, as with most in the Convocation Center, the night was about having fun as well as battling a serious foe.

“It does make it more personal when you know somebody,” she said, adding her grandmother has cancer.

The night was broken up with events such as a luminaria ceremony for cancer survivors, as well as a small ceremony for those involved in the events of Feb. 14.

A fight back ceremony was scheduled for 3 a.m., where participants were asked to take a flag and make a pledge to fight back against one particular element of fighting cancer.

“The thought behind it is that cancer never sleeps, so for one night, neither do all of us,” Koertgen said.

Who Doesn't Like a Good Rain Photo?

2008-04-12T01:37:00.001-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Candice Hendrikson of Sycamore runs along Main Street toward the Sycamore Public Library to return movies in a downpour on Thursday afternoon. DeKalb County should see more precipitation this weekend, as snow is forecast for both Friday and Saturday.

0-0

2008-04-12T01:35:00.004-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG DeKalb's Jassmine Marquez, left, battles for the ball with Plainfield North's Kate Lumb in the first half of their 0-0 tie on Monday afternoon at Dekalb High School.

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG DeKalb's Lissy Rogers, front, heads the ball away from Plainfield North's Kat Lipka in the second half of their 0-0 tie Monday afternoon in DeKalb.

Close Knit

2008-04-12T01:25:00.002-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Kristin Roach, 25, knits in the storefront of The Yarn Exchange on East Lincoln Highway in DeKalb on Monday afternoon. Monday was the first day in a month of performance art in which Roach will sit near the store window and knit items such as an afghan and backgammon board to literally and figuratively tie up loose strings before she graduates from Northern Illinois University in May. “It invites viewers to come into the yarn shop,” she said. “We’ll show people how to knit.”

See and Be Seen

Story and Photograph by Eric Sumberg

As she has many times before, 25-year-old Northern Illinois University senior Kristin Roach sat quietly knitting.

But this time she was on display.

Monday marked the first day of nearly one month of Roach's planned live-performance art piece. She will tie up the loose strings of her time in DeKalb by knitting and crocheting in the storefront window of The Yarn Exchange at 134 E. Lincoln Highway.

“I decided I wanted to do an installation at The Yarn Exchange because I wanted it to be site-specific,” said Roach, who will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. “Plus, our front window display has always been a little lacking.”

Roach hails from Moline and moved to DeKalb in the summer of 2005 to pursue painting. She began knitting in the fall of that year and soon was coming to the Yarn Geeks, a gathering of local yarn enthusiasts who meet on Fridays at The Yarn Exchange.

“They taught me a lot about knitting,” Roach said. “From that I started writing my own patterns and really took to it. It was kind of uncanny.”

In January 2006, after an unsuccessful day of job hunting, Roach visited the store to buy yarn to help relieve her stress. Shop owner Sandi Gavin offered her a job on the spot, and she has been at work at the yarn shop and neighboring Encore Clothing ever since.

As a knitter who is an artist, Roach has taken a shine to creating patterns. She will likely have a pattern published in a craft magazine this fall and is a guest designer in an upcoming pattern book.

“I wanted to pay tribute to crafts and women,” Roach said of why she decided to create performance art out of her hobby and job. “I wanted to pay tribute to craft within an art context.”

At about 1 p.m. Monday, she set up shop in the store, which was closed. Using a frame in the store window, she first hung up her unfinished projects, which included an afghan, two sweaters, a tank top, a lace scarf, a backgammon board game and bag, a head wrap and a shawl.

Underneath each project was a pile of yarn, some of it expensive and some bought from a thrift store years ago, waiting to be used.

“It's kind of like a symbolic tying up of loose ends before I leave DeKalb,” Roach said as she knit a yellow scarf decorated with the Greek letters of her boyfriend's fraternity. “In theory I'll try to work through most of them. In theory.”

Roach plans on sitting in the shop window from 1-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday until May 1. The plan already has hit a couple of snags: Roach has been asked to teach spinning yarn for a lesson on medieval times at the DeKalb School District's Brooks Elementary School on Wednesday and has to fill in at Encore Clothing for a few hours on Thursday.

But the artist remains optimistic about her performances.

“I'm thinking during shop hours I'll invite people to come up and knit,” she said.

“It'll do what it's going to do,” she added. “Art is kind of a strange beast like that.”

One Hour With: G-K Track

2008-04-07T23:00:00.003-04:00

Chronicle photo ERIC SUMBERG Genoa-Kingston High School shot-putters Jacob Dander, 14 (left) and Nick Farace, 17, work on their scales, where they use one side of their body to launch the shot up while the other side moves downward, at spring break track and field practice on Friday in Genoa. “It all has to snap at once to get the proper rotation,” Farace said.

Editor's note: This is the sixth in an occasional series chronicling an hour in the life of DeKalb County residents. The Genoa-Kingston High School boys track and field team practices over their spring break at the high school. Daily Chronicle photographer Eric Sumberg spent time with them from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Friday.

On Track

“You have to look up at the rainbow. Stay back. Much better! Take it back and let it rip!”

The voice of 10-year Genoa-Kingston High School track and field coach Philip Jerbi could be heard Friday over the din of discuses hitting the floor, shot puts landing on wood and pole vaults sliding along the ground.

G-K students are on spring break this week and while the majority of the more experienced runners, jumpers and throwers have gone en masse on a trip to Florida, a contingent of about 25 students remain for practice.

“Your block arm's got to drive through violently!” Jerbi emphatically explained to senior discus thrower Brad Hoepfner, 18, as he tossed his discus into a hanging divider in the school's gym. After a few more throws from his knees, Jerbi is pleased enough with the technique improvement to move on to the next thrower.

The 68-member Cog squad has been growing in recent years thanks to a 22-member senior class and a program that has been gaining momentum for a few years.

“Ten years ago I took over this team and we had 11 kids,” Jerbi said. “We had to build fun into track. I didn't make many kids throw up.”

Three years into his tenure Jerbi had about 30 students. Six or seven years in, he had more than 40. Now, with numbers well above 50, Jerbi is able to work his charges hard and to exploit the advantages of having a deep team.

“Now that our numbers have grown, we can get to that point,” Jerbi said. “Alumni come back and help out. You see them come back and it means we're doing something right. It speaks volumes of where we were and where we're going.”

One alumni helping out Friday was 19-year-old Miles Tischhauser, a student at Kishwaukee College. Tischhauser was a four-year pole vaulter under Jerbi and on Friday worked with a group of six vaulters on technique.

The build up to an actual jump is a series of technical maneuvers, Tischhauser said. Well before a person actually jumps with no safety net, they've done the motions hundreds of times.

“A lot of the vault techniques, there's a million different things that will mess up your vault,” Tischhauser said.

On Friday, he was working on a rope vault - essentially a rope swing on which vaulters practice their dismounting form. Some seemed to have the general idea, hanging without much tension in their arms as their legs swung through and they let go of the rope at its apex, falling gracefully onto the mat. Others hadn't learned how to let their body take over from their mind.

“Don's having a little bit of trouble with it. First thing is a pike, then a swing back and then turn like you're going over the pole,” he said as he watched one of the six freshmen vaulters the Cogs have in training.

Senior Jonathon Brust, 17, above, helped Friday with the technique work alongside Tischhauser, a former teammate whom he considers a mentor. Despite the fact that most of his senior-class teammates were on vacation, Brust said he was happy to be practicing.

“I guess that doing track is more important for me,” he said. “I'm just doing this for fun.”

Brust hopes to clear 12 feet this year, a height that Tischhauser jumped while at Genoa-Kingston. It's within reach, his coach thinks, if he continues to work on his technique and training.

“The more education you have, the more technique you can build,” Tischhauser said.

The field athletes left the gym around 10:40 a.m. to lift weights, weaving their way through a hallway filled with sweaty distance runners who had just finished their weight-lifting session with assistant coach Amy Freeman, a special-education teacher at the school. The runners had been outdoors all week, but Thursday's snowfall kept them off the track.

“The weather has not been cooperating,” Freeman said.

Distance runners in track events are not carbon copies of their pack-mentality cross-country running counterparts. Success is slightly more individual, as not every runner competes in every race. Despite a slightly different tack, they train together and push each other.

“When we have timed events, we use each other as competition,” Nathan Scott, 17, a senior, said as he stretched. “We want to do our best.”

The Cogs are an itchy group, ready for the winter to finally break so they can practice and compete as they want. The season opener, Tuesday at Harvard, is just days away.

“I can't wait for the meet. We've been working hard and hopefully that'll show,” Scott said.