Division Street Revisited

• Blanche Gates: Anywhere My Children Are

  Some families, no matter how much they struggle, manage to stick together. Blanche Gates, a widowed Kentucky mother of 15, led one such family. In the 1960s, when coal jobs in Kentucky got scarce, Blanche and some of her sons joined a growing diaspora of Appalachians headed to Chicago. There, in a neighborhood nicknamed Hillbilly Heaven, Blanche made sure her children knew her deepest values: Work and family. One of Blanche’s children later returned to Kentucky, where we met some family members who remained in coal mining. Others spread far and wide, still holding on to the values Blanche had held so dear.Executive Producers: Melissa Harris and Mary SchmichWriter/Host: Mary SchmichProducer: Bill HealyEditors: Cate Cahan and Mark JacobSound Designer/Audio Engineer: Libby LussenhopAssociate Producer/Dialogue Editor: Chijioke WilliamsMusic Director/Composer: Chris WalzFor more information, visit divisionstreetrevisited.com.

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• Leon Beverly: Mr. Beverly, Can You Help?

  Leon Beverly came to Chicago as a child, in the first wave of the Great Migration of Black Americans moving up from the South. He established himself in the hog kill department at the Chicago Stockyards and quickly became a leader in the union. Leon was known for fixing problems – for co-workers, neighbors and friends, though he struggled to fix his own. He was also a piano player who believed in the power of music to create hope. Leon’s legacy is strong within his children, including a daughter who serves as a board member of the Chicago Teachers Union.Executive Producers: Melissa Harris and Mary SchmichWriter/Host: Mary SchmichProducer: Bill HealyEditors: Cate Cahan and Mark JacobSound Designer/Audio Engineer: Libby LussenhopAssociate Producer/Dialogue Editor: Chijioke WilliamsMusic Director/Composer: Chris WalzFor more information, visit divisionstreetrevisited.com.

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• Mary Ward Wolkonsky: The Best of Everything

  At a time when women’s opportunities were severely limited, Mary Ward Wolkonsky used her wealth and intelligence to make Chicago more cosmopolitan. But the times and the rules of her husbands' corporate jobs limited Mary’s work to volunteer boards, not the boardroom. Those who knew Mary point to her vision and forceful character, and  also to her drive to improve the lives of women everywhere.Executive Producers: Melissa Harris and Mary SchmichWriter/Host: Mary SchmichProducer: Bill HealyEditors: Cate Cahan and Mark JacobSound Designer/Audio Engineer: Libby LussenhopAssociate Producer/Dialogue Editor: Chijioke WilliamsMusic Director/Composer: Chris WalzFor more information, visit divisionstreetrevisited.com.

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• Ben Bearskin: Learning the Ropes

  Ben Bearskin was born on the Winnebago reservation in Nebraska, but he didn’t stay there. Instead, he moved to the big, loud, bustling city of Chicago, where he became a leader in his Native American community. Ben worked hard to live deeply in the world of his ancestors and in the modern, fast-paced city. He helped establish the American Indian Center in Chicago, and made sure it was a place that treasured Native culture. Near the end of his life, Ben moved back to the reservation, and eventually all five of his children found their way there too.Executive Producers: Melissa Harris and Mary SchmichWriter/Host: Mary SchmichProducer: Bill HealyEditors: Cate Cahan and Mark JacobSound Designer/Audio Engineer: Libby LussenhopAssociate Producer/Dialogue Editor: Chijioke WilliamsMusic Director/Composer: Chris WalzFor more information, visit divisionstreetrevisited.com.

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• Della Reuther: The Homemaker Who Couldn't Stay Home

  When she was just 12 years old, Della Reuther traveled alone to Chicago in winter with 65 cents in her pocket. This is the story of a woman who never let go of that grit and audacity. As a young woman, she fought to organize a union for women working in the slaughterhouses. She protested against nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War. Della ran a neighborhood tavern for decades, until the warmth of the west drew her to Phoenix. Della’s granddaughter Holly admires her strength. Della’s son Mike looks back on her activism and determination, and admits Della was right all along.Executive Producers: Melissa Harris and Mary SchmichWriter/Host: Mary SchmichProducer: Bill HealyEditors: Cate Cahan and Mark JacobSound Designer/Audio Engineer: Libby LussenhopAssociate Producer/Dialogue Editor: Chijioke WilliamsMusic Director/Composer: Chris WalzFor more information, visit divisionstreetrevisited.com.

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