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In 1957, Dr. W.C. Petty, long-time Lake County Superintendent of Schools,
invited a number of retired teachers to meet as his guests at the Karcher Hotel in Waukegan
to discuss the formation of a Lake County Retired Teachers Association.
Twenty-eight retirees attended this first meeting, and Roy Hurd was elected president. He served in this office for
ten years.
From the beginning, Lake
County has held monthly
luncheon meetings, one of only three units in the state to do so. Most
meetings were held at the Karcher Hotel, primarily
because most of the members during these early years were retirees from the Waukegan schools. In
the mid 1970s, the meetings were moved to the Northern Chalet in Libertyville. The owners there adopted the group as one
of their charitable projects and served us a complete plated lunch for $5.00 per!
We continued to meet there until the place was sold and demolished.
Until 1988, Dr. Petty, and his successor William Thompson, invited all
retirees, members and non-members alike, to luncheon at the Swedish Glee Club
in Waukegan
for the May and October meetings. Often 350 to 400 people attended, and the
cost was paid from annual certificate registration fees. In addition, the
Superintendent’s office provided stationery and postage for membership
mailings during these years. Early on, the purpose of the Association was
essentially social. Health insurance and pension funding issues were not yet
on the front burners, although they were beginning to appear as issues on the
horizon.
In the early 1980s, under the leadership of Ruth Pester, LCRTA was revitalized
and refocused. Membership, legislation, and health insurance became important
functioning committees. Local members attended the state convention, and many
were appointed to statewide committees. Roman Miller was elected president of
IRTA in 1994, the first person from the northern part of the state elected to
statewide office since the first president in 1955, Marjorie Cook.
Membership records were kept in a card file and ledger for many years by
treasurer Milt Davis. In 1982, the Waukegan Public Schools volunteered the
use of their computer, and also agreed to program a data file, and prepare
membership and mailing materials for the Association. By 1987, LCRTA was able
to purchase its own computer and provide a volunteer to run it. During the 1970s
and 1980s, membership steadied at about 500. Now in 2005 paid membership in
the county unit approaches 1800.
As the membership increased through the years, it became apparent that two of
our major functions in such a large organization had to be the dissemination
of information and the reaching out to members to encourage their
involvement. We have published a newsletter in May and October for many
years, and are now distributing additional information sheets almost monthly.
In 1995, under the leadership of Wil Hemeyer, the county was divided into four sections so
that smaller groups could get together in a more intimate setting three or
four times a year for discussions and socializing. A fifth such group was
added in 2004. In the last several years we have developed a website, and are
currently working to improve it. We take pride in the fact that we have a
luncheon meeting every month with outstanding educational and entertaining
programs each time.
The Lake County Retired Teachers Association is a dynamic group dedicated
exclusively to the interests and concerns of retired educators in the County of Lake
and the State of Illinois.
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