Library News

2022 marks the 90th anniversary of our Thomas Ford Memorial Library building! We are excited to celebrate this important milestone all year long with you, and we can’t wait to create even more memories together.

Jacqueline Walker’s love of linguistics steered her to Thomas Ford’s Spanish and French Language Conversation Groups, which she would eventually lead and expand.

Annie Tandy is the owner and creator of Kidlist, a resource for kid-friendly activities, events, and classes in Chicago’s western suburbs.

Eddie Sugarman is the Executive Artistic Director of the Theatre of Western Springs. He leads TWS in fulfilling its mission “to entertain, to educate, and to inspire across the generations through the art of live theatre.”

Meet Hugh Ingrasci: professor, writer, volunteer, coach, family man, and library enthusiast.

Alice Gallagher served the Village of Western Springs as a Trustee from 2013-2017. In 2017, she began a 4-year term as Village President.

The Western Springs Writers’ Society held its inaugural meeting in 2014 after founders Marie Gerken and Jim Swinehart ran into each other at the Printers Row Lit Fest. Their successful first meeting drew a crowd of 30 like-minded local writers, and the WSWS has been meeting regularly at the Thomas Ford Library ever since.

Reverend Erik Khoobyarian began his ministry at the Presbyterian Church of Western Springs on August 1, 2018 after a two-year transition and nationwide search process.

Suzy Glowiak was elected to the State Senate last year. She’s lived in Western Springs for over 25 years, including two terms as a Village Trustee.

Thank you to our amazing community for making the Library Block Party a huge success! Despite the rain, 620 of you came out on Saturday, June 15 for fun, food, music, and dancing. It was the biggest event the Library has ever had, and we owe it all to your unwavering enthusiasm and support!

When Mary Greska was the Library Board Treasurer, she gave us a snapshot of her life and thoughts about the Library in the Fall 2015 edition of The Ford Connection.

Reverend Marc W. Reszel became pastor of St. John of the Cross Catholic Church on July 1, 2018. SJC has a vibrant presence in Western Springs; there are 4200 registered families and 630 children in its school.

Cathy Blanford wrote the book Something Happened to help families explain a sudden infant loss to their other children. She has a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Development from the Erikson Institute in Chicago and over 30 years experience working with grieving families.