When Bob met Sue: How the Tri-Cities benefited from volunteers' decades of service

Maybe it was the psychedelic lights flashing on the walls during a teen dance in 1967 at Mount St. Mary High School in St. Charles that helped a young Bob McDowell, a senior at Geneva High School, experience love at first sight.

Maybe it was that Susan Copley, a junior at St. Charles High School, had always heard that the boys from Geneva were "really cool," so Bob naturally caught her eye.

Regardless of the circumstances, the chemistry was just right when Bob McDowell first met Susan Copley at this dance - and no one could know at the time that the Tri-Cities would benefit greatly from this couple's legacy of love and commitment through their successful remodeling company and a litany of volunteer and charitable efforts.

After that chance meeting at the teen dance with a local band playing and kids from throughout the area enjoying themselves, McDowell and Copley became Bob and Sue McDowell a few years later and were off and running with a company called McDowell Aluminum in 1971 - and it was just the beginning of their important efforts and contributions to St. Charles and beyond and the successful creation of McDowell Remodeling.

Because of the McDowells' decades of volunteer work, TriCity Family Services honored the McDowells on Wednesday with its 38th annual William D. Barth Award, given to citizens who stand out as volunteers and supporters of area charities and organizations that add to quality of life.

"We are so honored to be included in this group of Barth Award winners," Sue said. "There are so many people on that list who we have always looked up to."

From Frank Burgess, the first winner in 1985, to the nursing staff at Delnor Hospital in 2021, honored as a signal of their commitment during COVID, the Barth Award reads like a who's who in the Tri-Cities.

In fact, Sue cites 1992 Barth Award winner Joanne Hansen of Batavia as a key person in steering her toward the various organizations that were in need of help in the region.

"I was in retail at the Merra-Lee shops in the 1970s and I got to know Joanne because she was buying clothes there," Sue said. "She pointed me to groups that needed help and I got involved in the Delnor Hospital auxiliary and helped TriCity Family Services back then as well."

It was just the start of the McDowells leaving their mark with efforts that resulted in Sue earning the top-citizen Charlemagne Award in St. Charles in 2009, and the McDowells being the parade marshals this year during the city's St. Patrick's Day parade.

While Sue is most commonly aligned with arts in the area, having been one of the original founders of the St. Charles Arts Council and an organizer of the annual Fine Art Show, Bob has been known for his help in construction work needed at the Lazarus House homeless shelter and the TriCity Health Partnership buildings in St. Charles, as well as for the Hands of Hope organization.

"I was doing some work on the kitchen of Mike Roberts, who was head of the Lazarus House board at the time," said Bob, who was a key part of the initial Neighborhood Improvement Association in the mid 1990s. "He was saying the board had money to purchase a property and he asked if I could help with remodeling.

"I was happy to help them and we turned around the project pretty quickly," Bob added. "But he mentioned that the board could use someone with construction knowledge, so I joined. So, I've been on that board for more than 15 years and am currently the president."

Sue is currently president of St. Charles Singers board of directors, has been part of the St. Charles Heritage Center board, and various committees for the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce, Downtown St. Charles Partnership, the board of Harris Bank, and chair of the Fine Art Show for the past 20 years.

"When our Tri-Cities have called for a need, the McDowells have responded," said Melinda Hinners-Waldie, who nominated the McDowells for the Barth Award. "Their support cannot be measured, but in thanks. I believe the McDowells are the epitome of the Barth Award, as together they have blessed us with an enhanced and beautiful quality of life."

None of it is lost on the McDowells, who quickly point to the executive directors and staffs of the various organizations as the "real heroes" in the area.

"Sue and I do our little part," Bob said. "But the staff at the agencies make it easy for us to do our part because they are the ones who do all of the hard work, day in and day out, helping people."

Teachers: Don't forget our agriculture

It's easy to travel up and down Randall Road or through the downtowns of the Tri-Cities and forget that Kane County is still heavily engaged in agriculture, with the average size of its farms being about 281 acres.

Estimates in the past few years indicate the county is still about 55% farmland, with a total average value of $299,633 of agricultural products sold per farm.

The Kane County Farm Bureau figures area teachers may want to incorporate a lesson plan that brings agriculture to the classroom. The bureau calls it "Lesson-in-a-Bucket" in which monthly ag-themed lessons come in a 5-gallon chore bucket.

The bucket has books, activities, magazines and other items about dairy, pollinators, apples and other topics. Specifically, there are numerous pumpkin-related lessons at this time.

Instructors interested in the lesson plan can contact Kelcee at (630) 584-8660 for more information.

Currito hits the spot

After so much feedback as to how good the food and smoothies are at this new restaurant, I finally stopped at Currito in Geneva.

Its 1873 S. Randall Road location is within walking distance of my house, so it was just a matter of time before we tried it.

I had the menu item called The Harvest and ordered it as a bowl, rather than a wrap. I added grilled chicken to the other ingredients - farro, sweet potato, almond, arugula, pumpkin seed, golden raisin and the house vinaigrette. It was quite tasty and, based on its ingredients, it had to be good for me.

For those still not sure about Currito, I would describe it as a Chipotle type setup without the emphasis on Mexican fare. Currito goes with the grains and greens, as well as smoothies and shakes. It also has kids' snacks like chips and guacamole, small wraps and quesadillas.

It was just the right amount of food as well, so you don't walk out feeling like you ate way too much.

For Al and those meatballs

If the Tri-Cities Exchange Club can convince Ron Onesti to host the club's annual meatballs and pasta dinner fundraiser in the future at the Club Arcada, both of those "clubs" will benefit.

The Exchange Club held its popular meatball and pasta dinner at Club Arcada in downtown St. Charles last week. Previously, the event was held at the St. Charles Moose Lodge until COVID knocked it off the rails.

Onesti agreed to let the club use Club Arcada and, with crooner Johnny Maggio singing during the event, it was a big win for everyone. Of course, the mostaccioli and meatballs were tremendous. Those who go to the Club Arcada for Onesti's pasta and meatball dinners know what I am talking about.

In addition, it was a good time to see club member Al Centafonte and his wife, Jo. Al is a 97-year-old World War II veteran, and Jo is 98. They both looked good and had plenty of smiles when Maggio came directly to their table to sing some of their favorite tunes from past decades.

Onesti has often talked about his friendship with Centafonte, who has mostly steered clear of events the past two years because of COVID, making it even more special that he and his wife could attend.

As a side note, club president Brian Henry pointed out during his introductions that the initial spaghetti dinner events more than 30 years ago were the brainchild of Centafonte, who for years was the chef back in the kitchen making the spaghetti and meatballs at the Moose Lodge events.

dheun@sbcglobal.net