Michael pre- Chicago White Sox playoff game Oct. 5, 2026 (D. Hoekstra photo.)
Last week, my friend Michael Hollman sat in his wheelchair at a nursing residence in Naperville. He is the husband of my high school journalism teacher, Dr. Marilyn Hollman. We have kept in touch over the 50 years since I graduated from Naperville Central High School.
Michael was in hospice care.
He was dying, but his eyes were full of wonder. His bed was scattered with sections of the Wall Street Journal. The nursing home delivered daily newsletters, similar to the briefings you get on cruise ships. A book of Mary Oliver poems sat [...]
Mark Ibach, a good guy.
A friend to his dog is a friend to all.
My friend Mark Ibach was all that and more. Since 1981, he rescued five basset hounds. There may even have been more that we don’t know about. Mark’s Christmas cards featured a photo of him with his hounds. He brought them to the annual Chicago White Sox Dog Day. He faithfully took them to the annual mid-September Basset Bash & Waddle parade in Dwight, IL. That’s the biggest gathering of basset hounds anywhere.
Mark was the most passionate music fan I knew. He attended nearly 1,000 concerts in his lifetime and often bought two [...]
