Henry Taplin and Lauren Brown were visiting Chicago from Detroit this weekend when their CTA bus driver happened to mention that a fun new street festival was kicking off in the Loop.
The pair visited the blocked-off portion of State Street on Sunday and saw a performance by students from the Joffrey Ballet Academy and Community Engagement Extension before stopping by a food truck for their first bites of Harold’s Chicken.
For the first time since the pandemic hit Chicago, residents and visitors enjoyed traffic-free pavement on State between Madison and Lake streets. The free outdoor festival featured booths from vendors representing local restaurants and bars, small businesses and performers from throughout the city from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
People line up at a Harold’s Chicken food truck during Sundays on State.Brian Rich/Sun-Times
The Chicago Loop Alliance’s new Sundays on State series aims to give local businesses the chance to connect with the community. For many it was the first opportunity to engage with customers in a relaxed, in-person environment since the pre-pandemic era.
Some attendees and most vendors wore masks, exemplifying the uncertainty that remains at this stage of the pandemic. As the vaccine rollout continues and variants spread, attendees took to the streets in whatever way they needed to feel safe while enjoying the music and social interaction, despite some light rain.
Activities during the first Sunday lineup included a show by the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, which included free dance lessons for children in the audience, and free barre workouts and yoga classes were available at different locations throughout the day.
A small crowd watches students from the Joffrey Ballet Academy and Community Engagement Extension perform at Sundays on State.Brian Rich/Sun-Times
Retailers took to State Street to show off their products and, in many cases, offer steep discounts, raffles and free goodies to those who stopped by.
Jamie Ramirez, an employee of It’s Oksana, a West Loop textile shop focused on natural and sustainable linens and home goods, said it was an exciting experience to get out into the public as the city continues to reopen.
The staff at It’s Oksana has been seeking opportunities to further interact with Chicagoans in pop-up settings. The timing of the Sundays on State event was helpful as other pop-up events remain somewhat limited, Ramirez said.
Chicago Loop Alliance spokeswoman Jessica Cabe said one priority for the group was bringing the artistic feel the ACTIVATE pop-up celebrations launched by the Alliance in 2014, with the added twist of more distinctive and interactive experiences.
The alliance began planning for Sundays on State in the fall of 2020, and the plans were tentative early on as it was unclear how quickly the city’s vaccination rates would allow for reopening for large gatherings.
The entertainment also included laidback fun with hula hoop and hacky sack demonstrations, as well as a Freelance Wrestling performance and a show from the Chicago Chorus Girl Project.
Future Sundays on State events are planned for July 18 and 25; Aug. 8, 22 and 29, and Sept. 5 and 12. Those who register for the events at loopchicago.com/events can enter to win a $1,000 Loop Staycation packagel.
DENVER — Brennen Davis sat in the stands behind home plate at Wrigley Field on a September 2019 evening and watched his dream unfold before his eyes.
There was Anthony Rizzo, homering early in an important game against the division-rival Cardinals. There were Kris Bryant and Javy Baez, each scoring during a ninth-inning rally that sent the game to extra innings. There were those inimitable World Series winners — Cubs icons — whipping those famous fans into a frenzy while shining under the bright lights of the Show.
“That was electric,” Davis said Sunday at Coors Field, where he played — and homered twice as the National League won 8-3 — in the 22nd MLB All-Star Futures Game. “Those games are always unbelievable.”
Davis, a 6-4, 210-pound outfielder and right-handed hitter, was honored that night at Wrigley as the Cubs’ minor league player of the year. Now 21 and playing at Double-A Tennessee, the 2018 second-round draft pick is the organization’s No. 2-ranked prospect — first among non-pitchers.
His time is coming, and soon. Anyone who doubts that can ask the baseball he smacked over the 415 sign in center off Twins Triple-A righty Josh Winder in the fourth inning. Or the baseball he smacked over the 390 sign in left-center off Orioles Triple-A righty Marcus Diplan in the sixth.
“My dream is to be a big leaguer,” he said. “Whenever I get my chance, I’ll be ready.”
But will a recognizable Cubs lineup be waiting for him upon his arrival? How many of the stars Davis imagined himself eventually playing alongside of and learning from will still be around if he gets a September call-up or surfaces on the North Side in 2022?
The 2021 Cubs have gone off a cliff. With the July 30 trade deadline bearing down, that puts the statuses of impending free agents Rizzo, Bryant and Baez on red alert. Any Cub, though — or any prospect, including Davis, who is slashing .278/.381/.481 in 31 games at Double-A — could find himself part of a trade.
As far as the organization’s big-league picture, the view from below has changed.
“There’s a lot going on with the Cubs right now,” Davis said.
“It’s crazy how baseball works. You see these guys and you don’t even think that, like, they could play for another team. Like [Nolan] Arenado going to the Cardinals. You don’t imagine any of that. But, at the end of the day, baseball’s a business and you’ve got to put yourself in position to win. So whatever they have to do.”
Baseball itself is kind of crazy these days, up to its elbows in no-hitters, spin rates, sticky substances, the Trevor Bauer scandal and worries about a work stoppage after the current collective-bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1. But the game is going to be fine because the biggest names on everybody’s lips here this week — Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Shohei Ohtani — belong to superstars in their early and mid-20s, and that’s a sign of robust health.
The Futures Game is a nice annual reminder that the game belongs to the young and ever more talented. Tatis and Guerrero played in one of these spectacles on his way up. So did Miguel Cabrera, Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Jose Altuve and Bryant before them. This year’s game featured Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, Tigers infielder Spencer Torkelson and Mariners outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez — the top four prospects in baseball (not counting current major leaguer Wander Franco).
Also on the field was the Sox’ No. 2-ranked prospect — and their No. 1 among non-pitchers — Yoelqui Cespedes. Once the sport’s No. 1-ranked international prospect, Cespedes, a 5-9, 205-pound outfielder, is already 23. Less than two years after defecting from Cuba, with the pandemic and visa troubles having stalled his early progress, he’s only a few weeks into first minor-league assignment at High-A Winston-Salem.
But Cespedes sees the great thing the Sox have going at the big-league level and wants in ASAP. He’s under the impression that 2022 will be when it happens and won’t pretend he wouldn’t like to be in right field on Opening Day — 10 years after half-brother Yoanis Cespedes made his big-league debut with the A’s on Opening Day.
“I want to play with Eloy [Jimenez] in left field, [Luis] Robert in the middle and me in right field,” he said.
See, the view of the Sox from below has never been clearer or better.
Meanwhile, Davis — who won Futures Game MVP and received the trophy from Ken Griffey Jr. — is rooting for his own advancement while hoping it isn’t doesn’t lead him to a total afterthought of a team.
“It’s definitely in the back of everybody’s heads,” he said. “But you try not to worry about it. You just play your game. We’re all trying to get better. We’re all trying to help the Cubs win at some point.”
And if he can do that someday? Out of the stands and onto the field? Actually living the dream?
“I think playing at Wrigley Field is the epitome of baseball,” he said. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”
LONDON — Italian soccer’s redemption story is complete. England’s painful half-century wait for a major title goes on.
And it just had be via a penalty shootout.
Italy won the European Championship for the second time by beating England 3-2 on penalties on Sunday. The match finished 1-1 after extra time.
Gianluigi Donnarumma dived to his left and saved the decisive spot kick by Bukayo Saka, England’s third straight failure from the penalty spot in the shooutout in front of its own fans at Wembley Stadium.
It was less than four years ago that the Italians plunged to the lowest moment of its soccer history by failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in six decades. Now, they are the best team in Europe and on a national-record 34-match unbeaten run under Roberto Mancini, their suave coach.
England was playing in its first major final in 55 years. It’s the latest heartache in shootouts at major tournaments, after defeats in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012.
England went ahead in the second minute when Luke Shaw scored the fastest goal in a European Championship final. Leonardo Bonucci equalized in the 67th.
Chicago, and Illinois, have been suffering from economic decline for a number of years. There has been a decline in population for 7 years consecutively, causing a brain drain and stagnating productivity, along with a suffering real estate market.
There’s been a 20% decline in property prices in the past decade in Chicago – a strange phenomenon given that almost all of the US has experienced rising prices. Besides the obvious population issues, this can also be put down to a high sales tax, toll fees, and a struggling private sector due to having a high proportion of retirees.
This is the context of Chicago prior to the pandemic, and of course, the issues have only been exacerbated. We have seen over 361 businesses being lost during the pandemic in Chicago, despite the relief package and grants, though this was the same across all of the US.
As we can see from this study which surveyed 5,800 small businesses around the US, 41.3% of businesses claimed they were temporarily closed at the time of being asked, whilst 1.8% permanently closed. This indicates that the relief programs such as the Paycheck Protect Program were useful in preventing folding.
Of these companies, around a quarter had only one month’s worth of expenses (or less) in cash on hand, and around half of the firms had between 1 to 2 months worth of expenses in cash. One big reason behind the resilience of firms staying open was that over half believed that the pandemic-induced crisis would end before July 1 2020 (the survey was in April), whilst almost all of respondents thought the crisis would be over by October 2020.
Of course, they were wrong, but perhaps this optimism fueled a strength to carry on going. What they didn’t know is that over a year on from being surveyed (May 2021), 34% of small businesses in the US would still be closed due to COVID-19.
In fact, the story gets worse for Chicago businesses, as they have more closed businesses than the average US city. Compared to the 34% national figure, Chicago has 38% of small businesses closed compared to January 2020. This is one of the highest figures in the North East area, with only Boston, NYC, and Washington suffering more small business closures.
What’s next for Chicago?
Chicago is currently in Phase 5, meaning most mandatory COVID-19 regulations have been lifted. Masks aren’t mandatory for the most part, besides on public transport, in congregate facilities like homeless shelters, and in health care settings.
Most importantly, restaurants, bars, and other high street stores can operate as normal with no curfews. Whilst not all events can resume, many can, and most small businesses are now operating without restrictions – despite a hangover of the lockdown mentality.
The biggest lifting of restrictions came in early June, which ended a year-long restriction on crowd size and indoor gatherings. This was a time of celebration for Chicago businesses – and the public – as they really felt the change.
Whilst many businesses in Chicago are still struggling to recoup their losses and get back on their feet, the reality is that if they survived up to this point, they stand a good chance of long-term survival as economic demand is quickly rising.
The biggest threat businesses now face is a return to lockdown. Whilst this doesn’t look likely, it could be a possibility in the event of a more deadly and elusive COVID-19 variant. Over half of Chicago is currently fully vaccinated, and as this number continues to grow, so does the confidence of businesses and consumers.
Businesses still require financing
The Payment Protection Program was initially applauded for its big budget (an initial $659 billion in April 2020) that was aimed at small businesses. The program would issue SBA-backed loans to SMEs without a ruthless repayment scheme.
The loans were of an amount around 2.5 times the applicants’ monthly average payroll costs. Of course, we saw that three-quarters of businesses only had up to 2 months or less worth of expenses in cash, so this would appear to help significantly – though it’s still a temporary fix.
Loans wouldn’t need to be fully repaid if businesses could keep employee wages stable and not make redundancies. However, it seems that this deal was more favorable to larger firms that could more aptly retain employee numbers.
Illinois was a great example of how the PPP failed. We can see this because the PPP program was intended for small firms, but over one-third of PPP beneficiaries within Illinois were large companies. These larger firms get larger loans, of course, totaling $1m or more.
Illinois’s share of the PPP funding was $23 billion, though one-third of this amount went to under 2% of participants. Around 4,000 businesses received $1m+ loans in Illinois ($8.67 billion), despite 221,000 loans being approved of loans.
So, whilst the PPP program saved some jobs, it mostly benefited larger companies in Chicago. This meant there was still a need for small companies to take out loans, which put them in a difficult situation when banks didn’t want to know.
Private lending
Small Business Loans in Chicago have somewhat filled the void of Governmental failure. Of course, SMEs needed grants and government-backed loans with friendly repayment terms, but the next best thing was to turn to online lenders.
This flood of demand came at an interesting time because online lenders had been growing in popularity just prior to the pandemic. They were favored over banks for their super fast approvals – taking just a day or two to fund companies after applying – along with more lenient criteria.
Because of the automaticity behind the application process, only an average-to-good credit rating is required, and a lot of the other analysis is performed by scanning bank statements and other financial data. With over 90% approvals and fast funding, this became a reliable go-to for SMEs in Chicago, and all around the US.
The likelihood of approval for online loans were a lot tougher than pre-pandemic, however, showing that credit has been interrupted everywhere. Whilst they became a reliable plan B for some, and still are, many view the higher interest rates and rising difficulty for approval as a serious obstacle.
Silver linings
From here, it seems that small businesses in Chicago will have used up most of the possible, available government support and are now fighting for survival. Fortunately, the consensus is that lockdown restrictions will remain lax for the foreseeable future. However, this doesn’t un-do the financial stagnation of over year-long closures and paying wages.
We shouldn’t only focus on the suffering, though. Over 190,000 Illinois startups were created during lockdown – a staggering number that seems to defy the economic situation. On top of this, many completely revolutionized their own businesses – adapting operations to create alternative revenue streams that could thrive in a lockdown environment. Whilst the pandemic has been tough on businesses, it has shone a light on the optimism and strength of the Chicago public.
Eraina Davis is a writer and entrepreneur. She has written for “Healthy Living” magazine as well as several academic publications. She opened one of the first pop-up shops in downtown New Haven, Connecticut called The Good Life, where she gave advice to entrepreneurs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, an M.Ed in Education and an MAR in Religion from Yale.
Some people believe that eating healthy is expensive. Yes, healthy food can cost more; however, you can eat healthy on a budget. It takes planning to save money purchasing food. The following are a few tips you can incorporate.
Before you go grocery shopping create a list. This will assist in preventing impulsive purchases. Also, shopping when you are hungry can lead to unnecessary purchases. Review the store’s sales paper and list the healthy foods on sale. There are always fruits and vegetables on sale. Make sure you will be able to eat the perishable items you purchase before they spoil. Throwing food out is a waste of money. Consider purchasing frozen vegetables. There is a debate whether frozen vegetables are healthy. Most dietitians believe they are healthy. If you purchase frozen vegetables read the label and make sure there are not any added ingredients like sodium or sugar. Plan your meals for the week. Not only will this help save money it will also help save time. Most grocery chains have rewards programs where you can sign up and receive deals.
Depending on where you live you can try gardening and grow your own fruits and vegetables. There are areas that have neighborhood/community gardens. You can search the internet for a garden near your location. Some people find gardening therapeutic which is an added benefit.
I realize there are people who struggle with food insecurity and just having food is their number one priority. If you or someone you know need help, there are local food banks where you can find assistance. You can go on the Feeding America website and find a food bank near you. U.S. Hunger Relief Organization | Feeding America You can also donate on the website. Google started a “Find Food Support” feature that will provide locations for food banks, food pantries, and school lunch programs in your area.
I have been interested in preventive medicine since my childhood. In the 70s, my aunt would take me with her to meet with a doctor who emphasized preventive medicine. A lot of the things that doctor discussed then has become standard today.
BALTIMORE — Tony La Russa hit the All-Star break feeling fine. Energized, in fact, said the 76-year-old White Sox manager.
Before the Sox defeated the Orioles 7-5 on Adam Engel’s three-run homer in the 10th inning Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep and a 6-3 road trip to post one their best pre-break records in franchise history, La Russa was asked how he was feeling. When you’re old enough to have managed against Earl Weaver, it’s a fair question.
“All the questions that were asked were fair,” La Russa said, noting the noise and pushback that surrounded his hiring in October for a second go-around with the Sox after being away from managing since 2011.
There were moments that set off alarms, and deservedly so, La Russa said, but none lately. A self described “fan” of baseball, La Russa will watch the All-Star Game on TV but most importantly, self evaluate and analyze a 54-35 team that has overcome myriad injuries to build an eight-game lead in the AL Central.
“If there is one message we have to abide by as a staff and team is that we need to play better,” he said. “We need to improve from here to the end.”
Before scattering home, or to short vacation destinations or the All-Star Game, the Sox (54-35) pinned a tough loss on the lowly Orioles (28-61) behind two homers by rookie left fielder Andrew Vaughn, a 447-foot sole shot to left and a three-run opposite field poke to right, and Engel’s blast after pinch hitter Trey Mancini forced extra innings with a two-out homer in the ninth against Liam Hendriks.
After Jose Ruiz gave up a run in the 10th, Matt Foster got the last two outs for his first career save, the game ending on DJ Stewart’s warning track fly to Engel in center.
“Tony is very much about winning,” Engel said. “The way he talks, manages, everything he does has just that feel of I want to win tonight and I want to win at all costs. That’s a huge part of our team. We started building that culture, and now that he’s part of it his personality suits us incredibly well.”
Dylan Cease (8-4, 4.11 ERA) threw five innings of two-run ball, striking out six and not allowing a hit after Austin Hays’ two-run homer in the first. He was at 85 pitches with the 3-4-5 hitters coming up, and La Russa went to Michael Kopech, who struck out the side in the sixth.
“I didn’t think it was a smart time to push him,” La Russa said. “I felt the sixth would be a tough inning. You trust your gut, that’s the way you manage.”
Cease had kept it close and Vaughn injected a couple of jolts as the Sox completed a 7-0 sweep of the Orioles, the first time a Sox team swept a season series of at least seven games. On the day before the break against a last-place team, the Sox didn’t let up.
“I’ve never thought we’ve had a flat day which is an amazing compliment to our team,” La Russa said.
The Sox have their most first-half wins since 2008 and best winning percentage since they were 57-31 in 2006 at the break.
“You have to execute and be productive,” La Russa said. “I’m not saying we’ve played perfect but more often than not we’ve executed and been productive. But we need to improve. We had the hiccups in New York and Houston [getting swept]. Other than that…”
For the most part, all good, especially considering the injuries. Eloy Jimenez will be back fairly soon, and Luis Robert might follow. That will keep a manager’s juices flowing. Not that La Russa needs reasons.
“If you can be this close to the action, you don’t get tired,” he said. “I’m fired up. Chance to win. It’s the most fun you can have.
“Every manager dreams of walking into a club that’s ready to win. Rarely does it happen. These guys inspire me.”
WIMBLEDON, England — Novak Djokovic tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal by claiming his 20th Grand Slam title Sunday, coming back to beat Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the Wimbledon final.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic earned a third consecutive championship at the All England Club and sixth overall.
He adds that to nine titles at the Australian Open, three at the U.S. Open and two at the French Open to equal his two rivals for the most majors won by a man in tennis history.
The 34-year-old from Serbia is now the only man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the first three major tournaments in a season. He can aim for a calendar-year Grand Slam — something last accomplished by a man when Laver did it 52 years ago — at the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 30.
This was Djokovic’s 30th major final — among men, only Federer has played more, 31 — and the first for Berrettini, a 25-year-old from Italy who was seeded No. 7.
With Marija Cicak officiating, the first female chair umpire for a men’s final at a tournament that began in 1877, play began at Centre Court as the sun made a rare appearance during the fortnight, the sky visible in between the clouds.
The opening game featured signs of edginess from both, but especially Djokovic, whose pair of double-faults contributed to the half-dozen combined unforced errors, compared with zero winners for either. He faced a break point but steadied himself and held there and, as was the case with every set, it was Djokovic who took the lead by getting through on Berrettini’s speedy serve.
Berrettini came in with a tournament-high 101 aces and that’s where his game is built: free points off the serve and quick-strike forehands that earned him the nickname “Hammer.”
Those powerful strokes sent line judges contorting to get their head out of harm’s way. Djokovic occasionally took cover himself, crouching and raising his racket as if it were a shield to block back serves aimed at his body.
Not many opponents return serves at 137 mph and end up winning the point, but Djokovic did that at least twice. And the big groundstrokes that the 6-foot-5, barrel-chested Berrettini can drive past most other players kept coming back off Djokovic’s racket.
That’s what Djokovic does: He just forces foes to work so hard to win every point, let alone a game, a set, a match.
Indeed, this one could have been over much sooner: Djokovic took leads of 4-1 in the first set, 4-0 in the second and 3-1 in the third. But in the first, especially, he faltered in ways he rarely does, wasting a set point and getting broken when he served for it at 5-3.
In the ensuing tiebreaker, they were tied at 3-all, but Berrettini won three of the next four points with forehands, and closed it out with a 138 mph ace.
He strutted to the changeover and many in the full house of nearly 15,000 rose to celebrate along with him.
But Djokovic is nothing if not a fighter — he turned things around from two sets down in the French Open final last month — and he worked his way back into this one, which ended with Djokovic on his back on the court, basking in the crowd’s cheers.
An 18-year-old woman was pronounced dead after her body was pulled from the Chicago River Sunday morning near Goose Island on the North Side.
Emergency crews were called to the scene of a person in the water about 10:15 a.m. near the 1100 block of North Cherry Avenue, according to Chicago police and fire officials.
The incident was then determined to be a body recovery, handled by Chicago police, fire officials said.
A CPD Marine Unit pulled an unresponsive 18-year-old woman from the river, police said.
She was pronounced dead at 11:22 a.m., according to police. Area Five and Area Three detectives are investigating the incident.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
On those long ago Sundays in Iowa, Edith Renfrow Smith’s mother Eva Pearl made Jell-O with black walnuts in it. Her older sister Helen would play the piano at their house on 1st Avenue, and the young men from Grinnell College would gather around. This was in the 1920s.
“They would come, sing songs — not all of them, the ones that liked to sing,” said Smith, 106. “There were 10 of them.”
Those details — the walnuts, that some guests sang, some didn’t, and exactly how many came nearly 100 years ago — are typical of the sharp, specific memories of Smith, who turns 107 on July 14.
She recalls how these visitors were not just any Grinnell undergraduates, but the 10 Black students given scholarships by Julius Rosenwald, the Chicago Sears executive who donated millions of dollars to promote Black education.
They frequented the Renfrow house on Sundays because it was one of the few Black homes in town, and their example inspired Smith to later attend Grinnell herself — Class of ’37, the first African American woman to graduate there.
That might sound impressive. But if one quality stands out when visiting Smith at her tidy apartment at the Bethany Retirement Community on North Ashland Avenue, it is that she is never overly impressed with herself or anybody else.
A picture in a family scrapbook shows Edith Renfrow Smith’s grandfather, George Craig (seated at left center), with her grandmother (his wife), Eliza Jane Craig, and their family. The Craigs were born into slavery.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
“When my nephew heard that I had met Amelia Earhart, he had a fit,” she recalled. “I said, ‘She’s just like everybody else.’ She came to Grinnell. Everybody who was famous came to Grinnell.”
Shaking Renfrow’s hand, it is impossible not to reflect that you are shaking hands with a woman whose grandparents were born in slavery. She remembers them, too.
“My grandfather came from Virginia. His father was a white owner. My grandmother was born in South Carolina. Her father was a Frenchman, and her mother was a slave, but she wasn’t all slave. They wouldn’t put a dark slave in the house. Both of them were part white, so consequently, you know they already mixed with whites. It made no difference. You could look white; you were slaves.”
Edith Renfrow was born in 1914 in Grinnell, where her father Lee was a chef at the Monroe Hotel. Her earliest memories involve the end of World War I.
“The only thing I remember is the song, ‘Over There,'” she said. That, and a neighbor who lost both legs in the war. And the parades she wouldn’t watch.
“The cemetery was past our house; they buried a number of the soldiers in the cemetery,” she said. “I always hid in the closet because I was afraid of the trombone.”
A picture of Edith Renfrow Smith’s childhood home in Grinnell, Iowa, in a family photo album.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Around that time, she pulled a prank on her grandfather.
“My grandpa was in his 80s,” she said. “My grandfather was George or Joseph.” Not that she is uncertain; he went by both names.
“And my grandmother was Eliza Jane,” she continued, giving a musical lilt to the name of a woman who had come to Iowa in a covered wagon. “She was named after her mother” — an enslaved woman made mistress to that Frenchman, a planter in South Carolina. A woman who saw her writ of freedom burned before her eyes after her owner’s death. But not before she managed to send their three young children to live in freedom with Quakers in Ohio. She never saw them again.
The prank was at Halloween and involved her younger brother Paul — Smith is the fifth of six children — rattling a wooden spool on a piece of string against her grandparents’ bedroom window.
“We put a spool on a piece of cord, like you tied up packages in. My grandfather was older. He was in his bedroom, and my brother and I sneaked up, and pulled the spool right down the window. It made a racket.”
Smith went to college, majoring in psychology. All six Renfrow children went to college. It was expected.
“I had to quit school and go to work,” her mother told the NAACP magazine The Crisis in 1937. “My children are getting what I longed for and missed: a thorough education.”
Smith was the only Black student at Grinnell of either gender during the four years she attended. After graduation, she went to Chicago looking for work.
“They sent 12 students from Grinnell to see about getting a job,” she said. “In ’37, there were no jobs. Every one of us got a job, I got a job at the YWCA, which was at 4559 South Park; $75 a month. It was a good place, I took dictation from Professor Thurmond.”
She later worked for the University of Chicago and as a secretary to Oscar DePriest. If you expect reverence for DePriest, Chicago’s first Black alderman and first African American to serve in Congress from a district north of the Mason-Dixon line, guess again.
“He was an old man,” she said, pressed for details. “He was old. His wife was an alcoholic. They were both old. We thought they were Methuselah.”
Age was not a concern with her husband, Henry Smith.
“I was a year older than he,” she said, laughing. “I robbed the cradle. He was a milkman for the Borden Milk Company.”
Edith Renfrow Smith recounts her family’s history at her retirement home in Ravenswood. She was a Chicago Public School teacher for 22 years.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
They married in 1940 and had two daughters, Virginia and Alice.
The family settled in Hyde Park and became friends with the Hancocks. Wayman Hancock was a meat inspector, and his sons played with her daughter Virginia.
“Those kids were in and out of our house,” she recalled. “She used to live at Mrs. Hancock’s house because Mrs. Hancock had plums, and she loved plums. Herb and my oldest daughter were babies together. They were just big enough to look out the window. He became a musician when he went to Hyde Park High School.”
“Mrs. Smith lived across the street from us,” remembered Herbie Hancock, the jazz great. “She and my mother were the best of friends. Mrs. Smith deeply respected etiquette and manners, whenever I visited the Smith family, I knew I had to be on my best behavior. Our whole family had a deep respect and love for the Smith family and of course including their two daughters Virginia and Alice, who were dear friends of mine.”
Alice Frances Smith remembers Hancock teaching her to play “Chopsticks” on the piano. And her mother had an impact on the musician’s life.
“He went to Grinnell because I went to Grinnell,” Edith Renfrow Smith said.
“She was the first person to suggest Grinnell College to me,” Hancock agreed.
Not that Smith puts on airs over the association — she mentioned Hancock two hours into our conversation. She also met Duke Ellington.
“They’re just people,” said Smith. While she did once venture to Mister Kelly’s on Rush Street to hear Hancock play, that didn’t mean she let her daughters hang around nightclubs.
“I was one of those kids kept in the house,” said Alice Smith. “We lived on 45th Street. All my friends went down to see the reviews. I never went to any of these things, never went to Motown reviews. My mother made sure I was never roaming the streets.”
She wasn’t allowed to go to the Bud Billiken Parade either; I thought I detected a trace of resentment.
“I don’t care,” said Alice Smith. “It was good. It kept me out of trouble.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Not that there was much money for shows.
“Back then all of us were as poor as Job’s turkey,” said Edith Renfrow Smith, using a phrase popular 150 years ago.
Her sister Helen became a civil rights advocate, but Smith was never involved in the struggle. It just wasn’t her business. Not that she didn’t notice how her light-skinned husband could rent a motel room that would suddenly become unavailable when the clerk saw her, far darker, waiting in the car. Or how the salesgirls at Marshall Field’s refused to wait on her. It simply did not matter.
“I don’t want to go there anyway,” she said, defiantly. “They don’t have anything I want. One of the things my mother taught me, ‘There is no one better than you.’ I don’t care if it’s the president of the United States. I don’t care if they have more clothes. I don’t care if they’re prettier. She told us every day: ‘Nobody’s better than you.'”
“If somebody gave her a slight, she didn’t notice,” Alice Smith elaborated. “It just didn’t bother her.”
If you meet someone as extraordinary as Edith Renfrow Smith, you simply do not edit for space. So I hope readers will forgive me if I carry her story over to Wednesday. And rest assured, I have not gotten to the surprising part yet, and I don’t mean the part where Muhammad Ali shows up.
As incredible as Smith’s life was in the 20th century, the 21st held something truly unexpected, particularly for a woman in her second century. Having been educated by Grinnell College in the 1930s, she returned the favor and began to teach her alma mater a thing or two.
“She became relevant, visible to the campus,” said Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, the Louise R. Noun Chair in Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies at Grinnell. “Her name was in the air.”
The MLB Draft kicks off 6 PM CST on MLB Network and ESPN. Only 29 picks of the 1st round (plus 7 comp picks) will be conducted on the broadcast. The remaining 19 rounds will be Monday (rounds 2-10 at 12 pm CST on MLB.Com) and Tuesday (rounds 11-20 11 am CST on MLB.Com).
The Cubs will select 21st tonight. According to previews and mock drafts I’ve seen this is right around the point in the draft where the predictability drops off. I’ve heard the Cubs have heavily scouted several prep prospects, including speedy two-sport star OF Will Taylor (a Clemson WR commit), Huntingburg, Indiana IF Colson Montgomery (a LHB with developing power who is also heavily linked to White Sox at 22). Taylor and Montgomery have late helium which may push them out of the Cubs reach.
The top name more likely to be available is Anthony Solometo. He is the top prep lefty in the draft. I’m also a fan of RHP Andrew Painter, but I haven’t seen him linked to the Cubs, and he is probably gone before they choose anyway.
As usual the Cubs are linked to catchers as well. Harry Ford is the top name, a tremendous athlete and plus runner who some teams want to move to center field, but like Taylor and Montgomery, he is more likely to go in the teens at this point. Mack is unpolished behind the plate but has the size, quickness and arm strength to stick, along with a track record of performing offensively on the showcase circuit.
College prospects I’ve seen linked to the Cubs include Eastern Illinois IF Trey Sweeney (who I really like), College World Series hero RHP Will Bednar of Mississippi State, and UC Santa Barbara RHP Michael McGreevy. Sweeney hasn’t faced top competition but he did what you want him to do against lesser competition: he annihilated them. His setup has a lot of movement, but his swing is quick and he’s developing some power. Bednar surprised a lot of folks as a starter this year, after being a reliever previously. He works at 92-95 with a good slider and solid changeup. I don’t see a ton of projection remaining, but I’ve been fooled before. McGreevy currently profiles a lot like previous Cubs pitching selections as a 4 pitch guy with good control who repeats his delivery and holds his stuff deep into games. What McGreevy has going for him that some previous Cubs choices didn’t is he is young for his class (20), and has a 6’4″ frame he hasn’t completely filled out, so there may be more velo to come (91-93, T95).
Jordan Nwogu (.169/.285/.305) is beginning to sort things out at the plate. Since his season bottomed out at a .125 average on June 19th, he has gone 12-for-54 (.222) with 3 HRs and a respectable 6 BB/13 K. It obviously isn’t a huge breakout, but his timing has improved, and when Nwogu does get a hold of one… watch out. There may not be another hitter in the system with more raw power, and the ball jumps off his bat, even he doesn’t get lift on it. I’m reminded a bit of the issues David Bote had when he was in the low Minors. The Cubs have also been playing him in CF more and more, which boosts his stock.
Luis A. Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (S, 1, 0.00)
Ezequiel Pagan: 2-3, 2B, 2 R, SB (2) (.438)
Cam Balego: 2-3, 2B, R, RBI (.750)
Rafael Morel: 1-3, 3B, R, RBI (.120)
Yovanny Cuevas: 1-2, 2B, R (.286)
Levi Jordan: 1-3, RBI (.200)
Injuries, Updates, and Trends
Ezequiel Pagan has a hit in each of his last 10 starts (he came in as a defensive replacement one game and did not get a plate appearance so it isn’t an official hitting streak. He does have a streak of 6 consecutive 2-hit games in which he’s raised his average from .308 to .438.
In three rehab games 3B/C Cam Balego is 6-for-8 with 4 doubles and a walk.
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Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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