BOARD & SENIOR MEMBERS,
JUDGES
ANNOUNCEMENTS PAGE

ATTENTION DuPage FSC MEMBERS:

If you are applying for a competition online, please use the following information for approval:

Club Officer: Mr. Dennis Gade
Email address: zebra51@ameritech.net

The DuPage FSC deeply regrets to announce the passing of
Mr. Donn Gregori.

He is survived by DuPage FSC's distinguished judge and member,
Ms. Ruth Gregori.

A wake is scheduled from 3pm-9pm on Wednesday, 12/12/2007, at
Haben Funeral Home
8057 Niles
Center Road
Skokie, IL 60077
(847) 673-6111

Details will be announced in the Chicago Tribune.
 

Beginning with the 2008 competition season, U.S, Figure Skating now requires all competitors to fully complete a competition music information form as part of the online registration process. This is a mandatory requirement. Please fill out the areas appropriate to your piece of music.

Doris E. Bodmer

May 8, 2007

Doris Bodmer was only 4 when she put on a pair of ice skates and
immediately found her life's passion.

She advanced from Swiss National figure skating champion to coach to judge, and her devotion to the sport never waned.

For hundreds of her students, many of whom went on to national and world competitions, she was their guiding force.

"She gave me the encouragement and the foundation of my skating to take me to the next level," said former student Becky Search, a member of the 2006 U.S. national championship synchronized skating team. "Mrs. B wanted to see you excel not only as a skater but also as an individual. She instilled a strong work ethic and commitment. She helped foster my desire for the sport through her own words and action."

Mrs. Bodmer, 76, died of multiple myeloma Friday, May 4, in her Downers Grove home.

For 40 years, Mrs. Bodmer was a leader in the ice skating community and a founding member of the DuPage Figure Skating Club, one of the largest in the United States. Her influence continued after she retired from coaching 11 years ago. Mrs. Bodmer volunteered as a judge and also would help any struggling coach or student.

"When she retired she started to judge, and she became famous for her critiques," said Jo-Anne Zalewski, a coach at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge.

"She would come in whenever anyone would call her. ... She would come and look at a skater to see if they were ready to pass [a test] or not. ... In her mothering way -- and she was very kind about it -- she would tell the skater and then she would become a coach again because it was in her nature."

Born an only child in Frankfurt, Germany, Mrs. Bodmer fled the Nazis
with her mother and grandmother. Her father, who was divorced from her mother, stayed behind but she reunited with him later, said her son Edward.

She spent her youth in Arleshiem, Switzerland, where she learned to
skate. In 1953, she won the Swiss Ladies National Title and competed in the World Championships.

During the summer, the Swiss skating rinks were closed so she would live in England. There, she met her husband, Arnold Bodmer.

The couple married in 1956 and remained in Manchester, England, where she had four children within six years.

The family moved to Downers Grove in 1963 so her husband, a nuclear physicist, could work at Argonne National Laboratory near Lemont and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

With no rinks nearby, Mrs. Bodmer's skating career was put on hold.

During this time, she attended Roosevelt University and graduated at the top of her class in 1969. She went on to study German literature at the University of Chicago, receiving a master's degree in 1972.

As rinks began to open, she taught her daughters how to skate and
eventually took on more students.

"She didn't tell anyone she was the Swiss champion," her son said.
"Within a year, she had skaters desperately wanting her to take them."

Before she retired, she coached for 20 years with Cindy Perpich, who saw Mrs. Bodmer handle every age group and type of student with the same compassion.

"She saw the child first, then the skating second," Perpich said. "She
was always able to get the kids to reach their personal best and to see their own potential.

"And the most remarkable thing about her was whether you met her once or you knew her your whole life, you received the same gifts from her. You knew her so well and what she wanted to give as a person, coach, mentor, human being the very minute you met her. She made everyone feel important."

Mrs. Bodmer self-published a book, "How to Raise a Competitive Skater," which went through two printings, her son said.

In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by another son,
Richard; two daughters, Sylvia True and Anne Lutz; and 10 grandchildren.

A service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday in the Unitarian Church of
Hinsdale, 17 W. Maple St.
Copyright (c) 2007, Chicago Tribune

MR. JOSEPH L. SERAFINE

1917 - 2006

Chicago Tribune Listing: CLICK HERE
USFS Headline: CLICK HERE

The DuPage FSC deeply regrets to announce the passing of it's president of many years, Mr. Joseph L. Serafine. Mr. Serafine was instrumental in bringing this club to the high prestige it now has. Under his direction, the DuPage FSC put on many USFSA competitions including Jr. Nationals, and Jr. World selections and our own DuPage Opens. We will miss his guidance tremendously and his zealous love for the sport and its skaters. Our sincere sympathy goes out to the Serafine family.

Joseph L. Serafine, 88, of Lake Forest, IL and Wellington, FL, passed away unexpectedly on March 17, 2006. He was born Nov. 19, 1917 in Chicago to Concetta, nee D'Onfro, and Frank Serafine. Real estate developer and investor in the Midwest and South Florida. Mr. Serafine still worked every day of the week up until his passing. Mr. Serafine's dedication and devotion to his family was unparalleled. He is survived by his wife, Eileen, nee Strobel; and two daughters, Karen (Daniel) Considine of Winnetka and Jan (Alan Eisenberg) Serafine of Lake Forest; grandfather of Shaun (John) Fitzgerald of London, Sheila (Michael) Kailus of Chicago, John P. Considine of Chicago, Erik Serafine of Chicago and Andrew Serafine of Chicago; great-grandfather of Margaux Fitzgerald and Kelly Kailus. He is also survived by one brother, Daniel (late Winifred Connolly) of Menlo Park, CA. Mr. Serafine was preceded in death by his sisters and brothers, Anna (Joseph Rosanova), Valentine (Anna Hrzyck), Angela (Attilo Stasio), Josephine (Val Conte) and Genevieve (Arthur Lucangioli). He was also uncle to many nieces and nephews including Charles (Gay Hastings) Marino; and brother- in-law to Norma (the late Robert) Anderson, late Jack (Peggy Elliott) Strobel and the late Lila Lee (Howard) Thoren.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the United States Figure Skating Memorial Fund, 20 First Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 (ww.usfsa.org) or the charity of your choice. Visitation will be Thursday, March 23, 2006 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Wenban Funeral Home, 320 East Vine Ave., Lake Forest, IL 60045. The Funeral Mass will be 10 a.m. Friday, March 24 at St. Patrick's Church (the new church), 991 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Entombment Ascension Cemetery, 1920 Buckley Road, Libertyville, IL 60048. Info, 847-234-0022

A professional figure skating instructor at the Darien Sportsplex and Seven Bridges Ice Arena, died on May 6, 2005 at the age of 46. A native of Calumet, Michigan he had the fortune of being trained by Jack Jost, Cindi Amelon, Janet VanCamp and Sheila Barnett.

...someone who touched all of our hearts.
--Melissa Wittenborn

(Photo and quotes via www.SkokieValleySkatingClub.com)

A separate fund for his extensive medical expenses has been set up. Because he always wore a yellow jacket while he was coaching, his peers selected the following title:
  YELLOW JACKET BENEFIT FUND
  % WEST SUBURBAN BANK
  8001 SOUTH CASS AVE.
  DARIEN, ILL. 60561

Alternatively, skaters may wish to donate to the USFSA Memorial Fund or to the Skaters Fund in his memory.