2023-04_April-TLP_Finding-Me_Home_2_right

A Whimsical Adventure - Periwinkle Poetry
Becca Bonneville - Feels Like Home
U of I logo from the internet

1971 - 1973

Champaign, Illinois - I moved from my parents’ watchful eye to having the University be my family. For the first year, I lived in women’s housing, Van Doren Hall, located across from the Mens' Residence Halls in Champaign. I was part of the Cellar Dwellers for my first semester, on the main ground floor of that dormitory. For second semester, I switched roommates (Tori) and moved to the second floor.

I met John in February 1972, and we were inseparable. Tori, Cathy and I sub-let an apartment for the summer of 1972, on 4th near Green Street, just a few blocks west of the Union, and John was a frequent visitor. It was great fun, and we never starved. Tori was the donut finisher at a donut shop in Urbana and she would bring home donuts in the morning. I worked at Pizza Hut and was entitled to bring home a pizza after every shift. John worked at King Henry’s Pub, and his contribution was often chicken and fries. Cathy was the hostess at a restaurant in Danville and she would supplement our food stash. We never starved. We celebrated John’s 23rd birthday there with a surprise party for him. We celebrated my 19th birthday in that apartment. But with the good comes the bad, and Tori’s blasted Siamese cats ended up with fleas, so all of us were flea-bitten by the end of the summer. Oh joy...

For my second year, I pretty much moved in with John. He was renting a house at 205 W. Healey. It was close to campus, near enough to ride my bike to and from classes. Fun times, parties, friends over, even though a couple of John’s roommates could be quite scary. Mid-year, John’s sister took some classes at the U of I and she rented a small room in that same house. A family affair.

John wanted to move on with employment, and we knew it was not going to happen in Champaign. We left college life behind us. We formulated a plan that he would find a job in Rockford, near his family, and locate an apartment for us. The summer of 1973 was spent trading off on visiting each other, me in Chicago, him at the family farm in Rockton. He found the apartment and the job. I moved in August. A few days later I also found employment, a 5-minute walk from where our new flat was.

Van Doren - 24 Cellar Dweller
Van Doren - 121
614 S. Fourth Street (corner of Fourth and Green)
205 W. Healey