John David Norman - Evanston - The Connections and Catholics pt2
Continued from pt 1
When Dad got into trouble at school it was for debating the Brothers. Which, from what I can remember through the chuckles, was quite a bit. Dad would debate anyone on anything - it was his nature. He didn't do it to promote his intelligence or argument, he sat back and watched how confident you were in yours - anger was a clue, you weren't. His punishments, in his mind, confirmed it - a chess player's form of strategy and that is who he was - although most thought he was the jock type just by his natural extra large, extra tall build. That build was a disguise and behind it all was a man with a highly intelligent mind and could be found at home with a book in his hand, and a smirk on his face.
That was Dad. And St. George High School for Boys was where he fine tuned his skills, his craft and that attitude so sharp with sarcasm you almost didn't feel that blade beheading your argument.
I went everywhere I could with him, when I could - fishing down by the pier or on errands throughout town after seeing his barber on Howard St and stopping by the bars owned by his pals, friends he grew up with and went to school with at St. George. There were bar owners, barber, and cops alongside laborers from Mark Controls (Clayton Mark) where he worked and would become the local UAW president.
Dad knew a lot of people, especially when you throw in that tight knit German community, many of whom were old world Catholics from my grandparents' region of East Prussia. And a lot of those people and their kids went here:
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| St. George High School- Midwest Christian Brothers Photo |
The reports do not pinpoint one specific person at St. George, but considering the scope and time period it is not a stretch of the imagination as they ran a handful of school across the region, one of them being Brother Rice, which has its campus in Chicago. And while the reports didn't pinpoint anyone at St. George, they did something else. The triggered the a reason I started looking into cold cases and it dealt with one that began for me in Wisconsin and during the time I was writing for a paper. I was fascinated, well beyond fascinated, with a couple of cases up that way - unsolved murders from the 80s and one solved case from 91.
That solved case was known back then and because media pinged it as such, the Sex Slave Case. It happened in Lyndon Station, WI. A woman was held hostage for a few days and sadistically raped while being cuffed to furniture. Joseph D Schmidt was convicted. The pair knew each other from Illinois, where they both were originally from, ironically, she actually lived in my old area and attended Maine East High School at least one of her high school year. I found this out through a conversation with her mother who has since passed and while I was researching the murder of Barbara Blackstone, 1987 - Lyndon Station, and Betty Jean Kawczynski (also spelled Bette Jean) 1991, Monroe County, a skip past the border of Juneau County. A retired cop, actually a couple of them, turned me on to the Sex Slave Case. I had heard it discussed in the past but never dove into it before. Since then I learned his family shows up in a 1950 census (Chicago) are residing in the same building of a relative of a future Illinois unsolved murder, Lorraine Bieze. This would have been 7 years before his birth- but places his family next door to another future victim's family. I find that odd.
He went to Brother Rice in the 70s. After that he attended school in Niles and lived in Skokie- right there next to Evanston and Rogers Park. Happenstance, it all very well could be, but it's also a lesson to all of us, pay attention to your surroundings. I say that as someone who has been surrounded since birth by predators and while others knew, they remained silent, even when I was reaching out.
As for the infamous John David Norman, well in the mid to late 40s he was transitioning to Northwestern placing him in my father's world. My grandfather happened to work at Northwestern- in maintenance and landscaping.
As for the 70s when the area was exploding with scandals, he was in the Chicago area, sometimes in jail, other times out wandering about. While in jail he was still active in producing his newsletters and sending them out. How Does THAT Happen?
I feel a need to mention Francis Shelden, of North Fox Island fame, that was also happening during this time period, along with Brother Paul's Children Mission who had a strong Catholic institution/org client base. The perfect get-a-way to explore nature, so they advertised.
Do you see the problem I have in telling this story? There is a spider web of connections from community, family, religious and even, military- it spans decades and a few key areas. One chapter kicks off three more - but somehow you see those connections and it hits different. Did I mention my mom has a very large family in Michigan? Yeah, I am hitting those paths, too.
It's bizarre.
For instance- Schmidt, the victim and I all end up in Juneau County - I, a decade or so after them. All of us from the same area, and all of us landing in another area 3 hours away. It's bizarre when you factor in all the other connections and see John David Norman's path and trail.
Now my next trek may help align these swirls of connectedness to where it may help understand who and what- Evanston in the 1960s and 70s - it was quite the active city no one paid attention to, except the government......
One last thing. I see comments and quotes all day long on social media. I am pretty homebound and in bed a lot as I am most comfortable laying flat. The joys of weird health conditions- and because of this I see a lot of comments about letting go - each day is anew - type of stuff, I get it -believe me I do, but this is beyond. A part of me kinda hopes its all bullshit but then another part of me now understands why it has felt like I've been holding my breath my entire life. It the outcome of trauma and adverse childhood experiences- all of it, everyone touched. The very thing we should all be aware of as we scream about the Epstein files - when you see the scope, it is not going to match up with the script in your head. That, in itself, is what is scary.
I don't know if it is easier having these connections in telling this story or not.
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