Gant Got the Jump on Everyone Else

One lasting memory of former DePaul track star Mark Gant is that the young man could rise up with the best of them.

And that was back in his Blue Demon heyday from 1984 until 1989 in which Gant set school records for the indoor and outdoor high jump, the long jump (indoors and outdoors), and the triple jump (outdoors).

The indoor high jump of 7-feet, one-quarter inch and the outdoor mark of 7-1 have yet to be surpassed.

On Sunday, Jan. 23, this high flyer from the Northwest Side is making the greatest leap of his spectacular career—induction into the DePaul Athletic Hall of Fame.

From the moment Gant arrived on campus, he was looking to make an impression on his coaches and the upperclassmen on the team—so much, that he nearly ran over legendary basketball coach Ray Meyer.

“Once as a freshman, we were practicing in Alumni Hall,” Gant said. “Coach Meyer was coming out of his office and I almost hit him! I had to stop on a dime to avoid a collision.

“Man, I thought I was going to get kicked out of school right then and there.”

Fortunately for Gant and the rest of the university, he was not asked to leave campus. Instead, he compiled an impressive track resume filled with accolades throughout his career.

He was named MOP (Most Outstanding Player) three times (once for indoor track 1986-87; twice for outdoor track 1987-89). He was also named to the All-Central Collegiate Conference in 1987 after finishing second in the high jump at the outdoor conference championship.

Gant credits his former coaches, John Caldow and Karl Schaeflein, for molding his personality and work ethic.

“The biggest lesson I learned from the coaches at DePaul was to have fun,” Gant said. “I think a lot of my time at DePaul with everyone that was on the team—cross-country to male and female track athletes—it was a shared camaraderie.”

Gant considers his time spent at DePaul, in the classroom and on the track, as priceless. Those experiences and life lessons in determination and leadership have carried over into his work career.

“At work, I consider myself a team captain,” Gant said. “I’ve used the same principles from athletics at the work place in making sure we get the job done.”

Gant’s work resume rivals that of his long list of awards and honors garnered at DePaul. From his Northwestern law degree (1994) all the way to his present position as Tax Counsel at Abbott Laboratories, Gant has been successful with every Fortune 500 company he has worked at during his career.

But no matter how busy he gets, Gant still finds time to come back to DePaul for special events such as past Hall of Fame ceremonies.

“I’ve tried to stay involved with DePaul,” Gant said. “I remember coming back for Rod Strickland’s induction. Just seeing everybody and seeing how happy everyone is on that day is great.”

There will be a big smile and a hearty handshake awaiting Gant on his special day from DePaul track & field and cross country coach Dave Dopek.

“I’m very excited for him, and this is long overdue,” said Dopek, the Blue Demons’ singular national champion (200-meter indoors) who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. “For him to jump 7-1 when he did back in the 1980s is really something. I know how the facilities were for me when I got here in 1991, and Mark had to train in the same kinds of facilities.

“In all the years I’ve been here as an athlete and a coach, I can honestly look ahead and predict his high jump marks are going to stand for quite a while longer.”

Gant is married with three children and said his kids are very excited for the upcoming event.

“My two boys are very familiar with the DePaul family,” Gant said. “We are enrolled at the Ray Meyer Fitness Center, so they get a chance to run around and be familiar with things.”

The 1989 Rev. Edward F. Riley Award recipient is beaming with pride on coming full circle to the campus he loves so much.

“I’m looking forward to seeing so many happy and familiar faces,” Gant said. “I’ll be so happy to be amongst friends.”

Chicago’s Smaller Museums: Preserving the Passion

Journals and newspaper collections from the Lansing Historical Society. (Photo by Nathan Ottens)

Audio Slideshow: Small-time Chicago museums

By Jim Crago and Nathan Ottens-Sanders

Giuseppe Gaglione of Stampland on Chicago Avenue has a passion for collecting rare rubber stamps – some used from the early 20th century. He also schedules as much time as possible for making rubber stamps to put on display for all to see.

“We don’t receive any monetary donations,” Gaglione said. “But donations of rubber stamps and stamp pads are always welcome.”

When visiting Stampland, it was obvious that Gaglione took his craft very seriously. When asked about his idea for Stampland, he lit up like a child finding presents under a Christmas tree.

How does Gaglione sustain without the aid of thousands of advertising dollars?

“We go to conventions, mostly on the east coast, and we promote via our website. My wife Darlene also teaches classes for scrapbooking.”

Giuseppe Gaglione of Stampland demonstrates his early 20th century stamp maker. (Photo by Jim Crago)

The John G. Shedd Museum and Field Museum, to name a few, have been mainstays throughout the years and have always sustained through even the toughest economic times. They display life from 20,000 leagues under the sea and pay homage to The Ancient America’s and Chocolate to thousands of patrons each year.

Father Krasic, Director of the Croatian Ethnic Institute and Museum, says that educational services, by way of his exhibit, help spread the legacy of Croatians in Chicago -past and present.

“We want to educate even those who do not speak Croatian on the journey of Croatians to America,” Father Krasic said. “There are many famous Croatians that have come through Chicago like Toni Kukoc of the Bulls and there’s something to say about that.”

Most of the smaller museums rely on loyal volunteer workers and generous monetary donations to sustain their collections. Money from big businesses is almost non-existent.

“We receive very few corporate donations,” said Karin Abercrombie of the Swedish American Museum. “We rely a lot on smaller grants and memberships.”

Abercrombie also says that they rely on artifact donations for display that may have been discovered from an abandoned house or even museum.

There have, however, been situations when big brother has helped little brother in times of need. Nicholle Dumbrowski of the DANK Haus German-American Cultural Center says that the Field Museum helped teach a workshop on how to preserve their collections; they have also helped in other situations.

“The Chinese Museum burned down a few years ago,” Dumbrowski said. “The Field Museum jumped in and helped preserve what was left.”

But what about museums that do not have the privilege of national funding or unlimited dollar amounts for advertising? Most of the “smaller” museums rely on public donations from visitors.

“There is no charge to visit the museum,” said Tony DeLaurentis of the Lansing Historical Society. “We do have a donation box for anyone who cares to make a donation.”

While the larger museums witness hundreds, if not thousands of visitors per day, DeLaurentis says that they receive five to 10 visitors per day when they are open.

“We do several fundraisers, some annually and some ‘special projects,’” said DeLaurentis. “Our annual Bakeless Sale usually nets us approximately $1,000.”

Collette Renfro of The Blackberry Harvest Dollhouse Museum says that she started her museum when she was a child.

“I have had a dollhouse since I was eight years old,” Renfro said. “One thing led to another – another house, another house, another house.”

Renfro says that her museum is also a Shoppe and that it is her personal business. While she receives donations on occasion for help, she says that there has been a slight decline in attendance.

“There’s definitely a decline, mostly because of the internet. Mothers are able to outbid someone online [for a dollhouse] instead of coming in.”

Renfro, like many of the other curators, started their museums based on “passion” and have carried it on for years.

“One day my landlady came to the house and mentioned, ‘Oh, this is like a museum,’” Renfro said. “And I replied, ‘One day I’d like to open a museum; I might be just a housewife but I’m going to do it!’”

View Larger Map

• Swedish American Museum
ADDRESS – 5211 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60640
773-728-8111
MAIN MESSAGE – Spread the Swedish immigration message from 1870 to 1920.

• DANK Haus German-American Cultural Center and Museum
ADDRESS – 4740 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60625
773-561-9181
MAIN MESSAGE – Promote German culture in the city.

• Stampland
ADDRESS – 2708 W. Chicago Ave. Chicago, IL 60622
773-366-8934
MAIN MESSAGE – Nostalgia for all things stamps.

• Lansing Historical Museum
ADDRESS – 2750 Indiana Ave. Lansing, IL 60438
708-474-2447
MAIN MESSAGE – Collections of historical items and stories of the towns past.

• Croatian Ethnic Institute and Museum
ADDRESS – 4851 S. Drexel Blvd. Chicago, IL 60615
773-373-4670
MAIN MESSAGE – To educate those interested in Croatian history and language.

• Blackberry Harvest Dollhouse Museum and Shoppe
ADDRESS – 18120 Dixie Highway Homewood, IL 60430
708-957-4332
MAIN MESSAGE – Appreciation for dollhouses for young and old.

SoundCloud Practice Post

Hello! Here’s a practice post we did in class today by using GarageBand and SoundCloud with SoundSlides. Enjoy!

KatrinaLive by JimCrago

Audio Podcast (Practice)

Hello! Here is a sample audio clip via SoundCloud! Check it out below.

Homeowner thanks and rebuild plan by JimCrago

And here’s a sample picture from Photoshop!

Who Will Win the 2010 Major League Baseball World Series?

Please listen to the audio file below, and then vote for who you think will win this year’s World Series!

Lincoln Park Muggings

During the summer of 2009, seven men were mugged in and around the Lincoln Park area in Chicago. As of March 31st, 2010, there have been no arrests in regards to the muggings. Below is a map that details the trending crimes that took place during that period:

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Andrew Huff of GapersBlock.com Speaks at DePaul University

Andrew Huff of GapersBlock.com. (Mike Reilley)

Andrew Huff spoke to a DePaul University class last Wednesday about his website, GapersBlock.com, and the success he has achieved since its inception.

Started in 2003, GapersBlock.com is the oldest blog in and about Chicago. The website covers local politics, sports and displays a calendar for events in and around the city.

The inspiration of the name “Gapers Block” derives from a Chicago term for a slowdown in traffic.

“We want our users to ‘slow down’ and look at our site,” Huff said. “The term is also a nod for ‘those in the know.’”

In fact, all of the site sections are references to traffic terms, including:

• Transmission – Music section covering concerts, local music and has occasional ticket giveaways.
• Mechanics – Political section that started during the 2008 election.
• Tailgate – Sports section that covers all things for the diehard Chicago fanatic.

Before his success and 2009 Crain’s Business “40 Under 40” recognition, Huff received his degree in journalism at Ohio State University, followed by a job in public relations.

Huff then started a monthly e-mail newsletter to his family and friends. “I wanted to keep everyone up to date on what was happening in my life,” Huff said. “It was also a way for me to keep up on my writing.

Eventually Huff started his own open journal website, Me3dia.com, and never felt any of the pressures associated with competition or relevancy. It wasn’t until he met web designer Naz Hamid, that he found his labor of love.

Huff and Hamid met in a coffee shop in 2003 in the Lakeview neighborhood and began discussing what a blog website should look like and how it should cater to the user.

“The modern consumer is savvy,” Huff said. “We are an online magazine and we cover what we know.”

The success of GapersBlock.com is due in part to Huff employing 100 volunteers and eight editors; Huff said he is the only person on the payroll.

Huff also has a knack for word-of-mouth advertising. He is an avid user of Twitter @/Me3dia and @gapersblock and invites his volunteer staff and readers out for a monthly gathering, usually at a bar.

According to Huff, GapersBlock.com receives 18,000 weekday users and 250,000 viewers per month, of which 90,000 per month are unique visitors. Readers are even encouraged to submit their own writings to the submissions page.