Return to the Index for 1982

On this page, I'll put the pictures from 1982 that weren't associated with a major event or trip. There may also be some pictures I want to put in my album even if I did not take them.

January 2: A Cold Day in Chicago (or anywhere, for that matter)

It was particularly cold on this Saturday afternoon. The high temperature was only -6 degrees, and not many people were venturing out. On this terribly cold day, one of the main transformers for Commonwealth Edison, located about 12 blocks south of my building, just blew up and caught fire. Luckily, I read later that no one was hurt, but it certainly generated a lot of steam and smoke. I grabbed my camera and took these pictures:

This picture looks south from my living room. That's LaSalle Street at the left, and Sandburg Village just east (left) of it. You can see the Sears Tower in the distance.

This view pans a bit to the west, and that's Wells Street running south towards downtown. You can see where the explosion was; a bit east of Cabrini Green and the Montgomery Ward building.

April 24: At a Skydiving Event with Tom Kilbourne

Late last month, I happened to meet a really nice guy at Sidetracks, one of the bars I like going to on weekends. We began talking and seemed to hit it off. Tom lived up in that area, worked for a small design company and rode a motorcycle. I hadn't ridden on one in many years, but I did ride a few times with him. Tom was a member of a skydiving/parachuting club out west, and this Saturday I have ridden out there with him to watch some of his friends jumping.

Tom is a really nice guy. He is a few inches shorter than me, but in a lot better shape. His interests are very different from mine, and it is good for me to get out of my comfort zone.

At right is a view of the open area that the skydiving club uses as its takeoff and landing area. You can see some of the small planes that take jumpers up; these planes are much like the ones that Tony has taken me up in on my visits to him in Boston.

I don't recall exactly where the area was; Tom was driving his motorcycle and staying off the expressways that I am familiar with. I do recall his telling me that it was out west of Chicago towards Naperville.

You might think that having been in the Army that I might have parachuted before; but in actuality very many soldiers (particularly those in support disciplines) get that experience.

At right is another picture of Tom at the skydiving club site. He took quite a few pictures and I should have thought to ask him for copies of them.

At left is a picture of one of the skydiver/parachutists as he was coming down from his jump.

I took two more pictures of the skydivers, and I'll include them here even though they don't add much to the one above:

Coming in for a Landing

Drifting Down

May 8: At a Softball Game in Lincoln Park

One of Tom's many interests was in the gay softball league. Teams are sponsored by some of the bars and other gay groups, and Tom plays for one of those teams.

I have noticed, as I have done my jogging so often through Lincoln Park, that there are a great many athletic fields- football, soccer, baseball, and the like- sprinkled through the park from Fullerton Avenue north.

South of Fullerton, there aren't so many; that's where the Lincoln Park Conservatory and a number of other park facilities are. Today, the game is taking place at a field just south of Belmont Harbor. When Tom told me he would be playing there, I decided to drive up to the game field to watch his team at play.

I got there in time to watch Tom arrive on his motorcycle; the same one I rode on out to Naperville to watch the skydivers.

I stayed through the game, and afterwards met Tom at the bar sponsoring his team, getting the chance to meet some of his teammates. Here are some of the pictures I took during the game:

The following bit of narrative was written in 1983:

"Looking back on these pictures from almost a year later, I am struck by the transient nature of some friendships, particularly some gay ones. Although I didn't know it at the time, this ball game was the next to last time I saw Tom. There was no dramatic falling out, nor did he or I move away. It seemed that we stopped seeing each other simply by mutual consent. I understand that some time later he did move to Minneapolis, but that was certainly not the reason. I guess that, although we might have been physically attracted to each other, there were not enough common interests to keep a friendship alive and growing, like my friendships with Tony (who is not gay) and Greg (who is)."

 

September 12: The Chicago Marathon

Having returned from Hawaii, I had a few days at home, and the Sunday after I got home was the day of the Chicago Marathon. The route of the Marathon took it up and down both Clark Street and Wells Street, so I got to see the runners from my apartment a couple of times. I also went down to street level to take some pictures.

Looking down from my balcony, this is the intersection of Clark Street and North Avenue. North Avenue runs east west, and Clark intersects it one block east of LaSalle Street, the street on which my building, The Parkview, is located. The Marathon has actually begun, but the first runners have not yet reached this intersection as they come north from downtown.

The Chicago Marathon is 26.2 miles long, of course. While the course has changed over the years, it currently starts in Grant Park on the lakefront downtown and winds through part of downtown before heading north on Clark Street. It passes a block east of the Parkview going north, and goes all the way north to Addison Boulevard.

It eventually comes back south to downtown, following a route west of here, and then it comes north on Wells Street again, which is one block west of LaSalle, before heading back south over by the lakefront to the finish line- also in Grant Park. So the Parkview is right in the center of the action, and I get to see the runners twice- when they come north on Clark and Wells.

In the picture above left you can see the lead truck clearing the path across North Avenue and up Clark Street. On the far corner of North and Clark is the Latin School (an upscale private school), and on the far side of Clark Street you can see the white-columned Historical Society. On the near side of Clark Street, spanning the block between Clark and LaSalle, is the famous Moody Church- the red brick building with the circular roof.

1 / 8 2 / 8 3 / 8 4 / 8 5 / 8 6 / 8 7 / 8 8 / 8 < >

You may not be interested in a bunch of pictures of the Marathon; but if you are, just have a look at the slide show at the left. To go from one slide to the next, just click on the backward and forward arrows; you can track your progress with the numbers in the upper left corner of each slide. Enjoy!

(Incidentally, in slide 8, you are looking down the side of my building to the runners on Wells Street. Across Wells Street is the Americana Towers, and I have a few friends that live there. On this side of the street, you can see the roof of the Treasure Island grocery store where I do most of my shopping. The parking garage for The Parkview can also be seen down below.

September 28: Dennis and I in St. Louis

During the last week of September, I did a class at MDC in St. Louis, and since Dennis had some time off, he joined me for a couple of days. I have become very familiar with this area of St. Louis since MDC purchased IST; the people at the office are very nice, and training facilities are excellent, and the students have a desire to learn. One afternoon after class, I decided to take some pictures of Dennis and he of me- all at the La Quinta where we were staying. Dennis has taken off his beard for a while, so he looks different than in earlier pictures. No captions are really needed for these candid shots:

I took some other pictures during our stay, but these are not germane to other events in this photo album; they are like one of the private notes sprinkled throughout this album. As usual, they are password protected, but if you'd like to see them, just email me at "website" at "rondougherty" dot "com" and I can send you one. If you are all set, then just click on this link: Dennis and I in St. Louis.

You can use the link below to return to the Index Page for 1982.

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