Intellectually fierce, gracious nun was early leader in women’s rights

SHARE Intellectually fierce, gracious nun was early leader in women’s rights
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Sister Ida Gannon and Mayor Richard J. Daley. | Screen image, Gannon Center for Women and Leadership at Loyola University

I celebrated my 95th birthday on the weekend that Sister Ann Ida Gannon died. I had known her all my adult life. I was 17 when I first met the pretty young Catholic grammar school teacher. I watched her being groomed for roles in her religious order and academic career. I saw her serve as the president of Mundelein College in the turbulent ’60s when my daughter was a Mundelein student. I saw Sister Ann Ida function as an early leader in women’s rights and serve on many boards that had not hitherto known women.

For me she was the epitome of gracious womanhood, intellectually fierce, responsive to the advances of her times and gentle in operation, always acting with grace and dignity. I am so grateful for having known her as a friend.

Margery Rowbottom Frisbie,

Mundelein College Class of 1944

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Stop unruly behavior by young people

Having spent most of my adult life working with young people as a school principal, I am fully aware of young people doing stupid things and using poor judgment. This behavior has been on full display in the incidents in downtown Chicago and on the lakefront.

My involvement with young people on an individual basis was and always is one of respect and civility. Working with large groups of young people was another matter. When young people are in large groups, they tend to behave and do silly things that they would not do as an individual. Call it mob mentality.

In the school setting, when large groups assembled like at football games, extra security and vigilance was always employed. The smallest unruliness was pounced on to prevent a major flare-up. This same tactic has to be employed downtown to prevent unruly behavior from disrupting the peaceful pursuits of the citizens of Chicago.

Mobs of young people should in no way be allowed to interfere with citizens who want to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. Any unruly behavior that results in the disruption of traffic, commerce and the movement of people should warrant the offenders being taken into custody and held until a parent comes to get them. Of course, if the behavior is more serious and criminal in nature, those offenders should be arrested. There is no perfect solution to this problem, however the above tactics should in the long run be a deterrent.

Ned L. McCray, Tinley Park

Horrific situation

Why is there this horrific situation of the children being taken away from their parents due to the idiocy of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Trump administration’s policies? I fail to understand how their separating children, causing terror and psychological damage to these children and their parents serves any purpose. I wonder if these families were from, perhaps, European countries and were white, would they suffer the same fate of having their children removed upon their trying to enter the United States.

For the UN to have issued a statement condemning the U.S. for this policy of separation should tell us all how faulty and cruel this administration’s policies are. As a nation we should be embarrassed before the world for this lunacy and should immediately retract these policies.

The galling sight of Jeff Sessions’ smirking when he enforces these horrific policies sickens me.

I am stunned that any woman who is a mother could continue to remain working in this administration. The denial of this Republican Congress to address this situation shows their lack of compassion and honor and their cowardice in the face of the lies and bad policies perpetrated by this administration.

Barb Minarik, Logan Square

Bigger crisis

Donald Trump is forever haranguing NFL players for taking a knee during the national anthem.

In his mind their actions are nothing short of total disrespect for the flag and the republic that it represents.

But football players on bended knees are hardly the biggest problem in this country today.

What is a much bigger crisis is a leader who uses phony patriotism to further his own cause while spreading hatred and division among the people.

Bob Ory, Elgin

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