Memories from Audrey Nordlof Ohlson Smith, an early teacher, 1953-1954. March 18, 2008
Four other beginning teachers and I lived at #1 Hemlock during the school year of 1953-1954. Since there were no apartments in Park Forest then, the school board rented two townhouses which they then rented to new teachers. We called our apartment, "The Teacherage." The five of us taught at Dogwood School. The principal there, as I recall, was a Mr. Lautenschlager. I had applied to teach in Park Forest because of John Moon, a member of the school board. I had worked for him during a summer job at R. R. Donnelley & Sons, Co. in Chicago the summer of 1952.
Of the five of us, two had gone to Northwestern University--my roommate, Rena Hirsten (now Brooks), and I. the other three had gone to Monmouth College.
At that time, the only place you could buy a newspaper was in the liquor store, and the only restaurant was at the local bar--Sexton's. Fortunately, our apartment was very close to what then constituted "town".
The movie theater changed movies two or three times a week, and I saw many of them.
Rena and I were both married the summer of 1954, and we did not return to Park Forest. She taught in Michigan for some years, and I taught in California before joining the staff of the California Teachers Association.
Audrey Nordlof Ohlson Smith.
