Ron Norkus at the Acapulco Mother Hubbard’s (Courtesy of the Norkus family.)
The wheels of life are driven by beautiful mysteries.
On the surface, Ron Norkus had a colorful and wild run on this earth. On the inside, he was driven by a generous heart and a wonderful sense of humor. Mr. Norkus was labeled as an esteemed “1970s Rush Street Hall of Famer” by his pals Jimmy Rittenberg and Johnny Blandino, one of the original general managers of the Palm Restaurant in Chicago.
Mr. Norkus died on Oct. 19 from complications of Parkinson’s Disease at his home in Dallas, Tx. He was 81 years old. He [...]
From left (Quigley, Parker, DeShields, Vandersloot.) Image via Sky in the Chi.
I’ve followed the Chicago Sky since they were founded in 2005.
I remember congenial NBA Hall of Famer Dave Cowens as the WNBA team’s first coach and I entered the franchise “Name the Team” contest. I suggested Skyliners. One of the Sky’s original minority investors was Matthew Knowles, father of then-Destiny Child lead vocalist Beyonce Knowles.
My respect for women’s basketball dates back to my first newspaper job at the Aurora Beacon-News, outside of Chicago. In 1972 I wrote a feature on Title IX, which created an equal [...]
