Joliet East alumni share close-knit bond

JOLIET – Joliet East High School has been closed for 33 years but alumni still share a bond and the history of the school will soon be memorialized in a display case.

Jean Olszewski, an East graduate of the Class of 1971, was one of many who came to the 45th class reunion in October to celebrate. Olszewski said there's always a feeling of closeness and camaraderie between East graduates although the school lasted only 19 years before it was closed.

“There’s a tremendous loyalty to East, and we still have that bond,” she said.

East, one of what were originally three high schools within Joliet Township High School District 204, opened in the fall of 1964 and closed in 1983 because of declining enrollment, according to the district. The school's nickname was the Kingsmen and its colors were kelly green, gold and white.

The former high school now houses the Joliet Job Corps, an employment training center for low-income youths.

School district officials have called on the community and East alumni in recent months to create a permanent memorial to preserve East’s history, asking for funds to purchase materials for the project and school memorabilia.

Kristine Schlismann, the district’s spokeswoman, stated in an email that $1,010 has been donated for the project. The display will be at the district’s administrative center at 300 Caterpillar Drive and work on the memorial is underway.

“This has been an amazing project, and Kingsmen pride is truly second to none,” Schlismann said. “East Alumni Sandy Patrick [’73], Pat Maher [’75] and Mike O’Connell [’69] have been instrumental in championing this endeavor and bringing it to fruition.”

She said a number of memorabilia have been received, but the district is seeking more, and it can be dropped off at the administrative center during school business hours.

Olszewski said her biggest memories of East were walking the halls in the morning and getting to know everyone from other classes.

She said East alumni do miss out on their children and grandchildren not being able to attend the same school they did but they have a “close-knit bond that’s just us.”

Some former East teachers wrote their memories of the school as part of the reunion. Teacher Arlene Urquhart wrote in a composition provided by Olszewski that when East opened, it was characterized by other Joliet residents as “East is least and West is best.”

“During all my years at East – from opening to closing – we proved over and over again that the opposite was true, in athletics, attitude and spirit,” Urquhart wrote.

Cele Trizna-Vargo, another former teacher, wrote that East “survived a tornado [and] teacher strike but sadly couldn’t survive the economy.”

“But the love and respect we have for each other these many years later speaks volumes,” she wrote.

O’Connell, an East graduate and Joliet Junior College trustee, said the high school was a pleasant place to be and that everyone got along. Dale O’Connell, his father, was the school’s first physical education teacher and coach when it opened.

“It was a real togetherness,” he said.

Olszewski said when the school closed in 1983, it was a shocking and saddening event, especially since it was open for only 19 years. She said for some, there was resentment. For a while, East alumni were adrift, she said.

“It was kind of like going into your own separate corners to grieve, so to speak, but then through the alumni association and alumni relations office, [we] were really brought back together,” she said.