The dictionary defines the word “notable” as “worthy of attention or notice; remarkable.”
Last month a dear friend passed away; many of you knew her as the principal of your child’s elementary school. Susan Stuckey was notable in every sense of that word. She was a leader, an educator, a collaborator and a passionate advocate for the children, staff and parents who walked through the door of her school.
In speaking at her funeral, Kitty Ryan, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education, referred to The Dash, a poem by Linda Ellis.
When a person dies, we see the year of their birth and the year of their death, separated by a dash. It is the dash that is most important, because it represents a person’s life and all they accomplished in their time.
In Susan’s case, while her life was cut short by cancer, her dash was substantial.
Last year, NCTV17 launched a new occasional series entitled, Naperville Notables. This show was created to give viewers an opportunity to get to know more about some very remarkable Napervillians; people who, just like Susan, are making an impact with their own ‘dash.’ Unfortunately, while we did not get the chance to have Susan tell us her story on Notables, the blessing of this city is that there are so many notable people who live here. While we could never tell stories of them all; we will talk to as many people as we can.
People like Dottie Krejci, who founded Little Friends. Or Hal Wilde, who led North Central College for 22 years. Or Peggy Frank, who built Naper Settlement into one of the premier outdoor museums in the country. Next month, Liz Spencer, NCTV17 Executive Director and host of Naperville Notables will sit down and chat with Tim and Tom Belgio, who are making their own impact on our community with their business.
As we look ahead in 2014, I encourage each of us to take a minute and reflect on what people will say about our ‘dash.’
