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HISTORY OF CURLING AT NORTH SHORE CURLING CLUB: The North Shore Country Club began curling in January 1951 on two sheets of outdoor ice surrounded by canvas walls and lighted with floodlights. These facilities were built along Glenview Road opposite the caddie house and were financed by donations from 78 members of our club. The moving spirits behind this new activity were: Charles F. Barlow, Raymond C. Benningsen, Alvin A. Borg, E. W. Bruce, Richard D. Cagney, Cecil R. Campbell, Quintin J. Crawford, William D. Davidson, John Krohn, David Lyons, Jr., Francis J. Oelerich, Charles B. O'Malley, Walter E. Selck, William R. Stuart, Andrew L. Valentine and Arthur F. Zitzewitz. Credit must be given to Hal Klee, an enthusiastic curler from Skokie Country Club, for inviting Oelerich, Swanson and Tribble to Skokie's opening curling dinner in the fall of 1950, where they were "bitten by the curling bug." They induced Cec Campbell, who was North Shore's only curler and a member of the Chicago Curling Club, to form a committee. This committee induced 110 North Shore members to attend a winter brunch in our club grille on Saturday noon, December 16, 1950. Darwin Curtis of Indian Hill Country Club and Chicago Curling Club gave his "chalk talk" on the game. This was the same Dar Curtis who later donated money for Wilmette's curling facilities as his contribution to the perpetuation of the game. Other curling stalwarts from the Chicago, Glenview, Exmoor and Skokie Curling Clubs attended the meeting and helped sell the game. Within a few days we had individual $100.00 donations from 78 members. Our Board of Directors gave the green light. Dick Cagney went to work with his bulldozer's, stone crushers, electricians, etc., and the job was completed for the all-day Winter Sports Carnival held on January 20,1951. The committees in charge were: Cecil R. Campbell, Chairman of Winter Sports; William R. Stuart, Carnival Chairman; Walter E. Selck, Entertainment Chairman; Francis Oelerich, Publicity; Raymond W. Jacob, Tobogganing; John W. Kerr, Skating; and Talmadge B. Tribble. On the Women's Curling Committee were Mmes. Jacobs (Chairman), Benningsen, Campbell, Kelley and Stuart. Our first curling stones were loaned to us by Joseph Jardine of the Chicago Curling Club, who also supervised the mechanical and construction phases of our new facilities. Our first club play ran from February 3 through February 18, 1951, and the notice from the Rating & Rinks Committee says: "Skips and Vice-Skips were selected by secret ballot by committee members and others. Thus it was the 'luck of the draw' which resulted in the selection of rinks .... Next year our rinks will be selected with more accuracy and rating technique, but we believe that the luck of the draw produced well balanced rinks - probably better than we could have done had we used other methods - at least the committee hopes you are all happy." The first full season for North Shore Curlers was in 1951- 1952. The club became a member of the Midwest Curling Association and our curlers participated in the Midwest Bonspiel. Money was appropriated for new curling stones and prizes. We had 80 men and 60 women curlers, and the Board declared that "curling was a success at North Shore and is here to stay." A year or so later the entire facilities were moved about 100 yards west of our present facilities, primarily because the angle of the original sheets parallel to Glenview Road permitted the sun to melt too much of our ice. In 1954 the need for artificial ice was promoted. A special committee composed of Quintin J. Crawford, Floyd H. Egan, Earl W. Jordan, John Krohn, David Lyons, Jr., Max Ruppert, William R. Stuart, Andrew L. Valentine and Arthur Zitzewitz did the necessary groundwork and most importantly induced 41 of our curling enthusiasts to donate another $100.00 each and to sign individual notes for $880.00 each. On the collateral of these together with the personal guarantee of Charles W. O'Malley and Walter Selck, a friendly bank loaned us some $40,000 to cover the cost of a new building, artificial ice and the necessary ice-making equipment. The formal opening of these facilities with two sheets of ice operating and a "Gala Brunch" was held on October 30, 1955. The event was written up in the North American Curling News with seven pictures and a long article entitled "NORTH SHORE GIVES COUNTRY CLUB CURLING A BOOST." This article stated that North Shore "now makes history in blossoming forth as the first country club in the Chicago area to have a permanent curling building, refrigerated ice and all necessary appurtenances to the game" - and after detailing most of the above and much more, ended with this tribute and prediction: "Unless the Curling News is in error, the admirable action taken by the Board of Directors of the North Shore Club marks the first time (at least in the midwest) that a country club 'has seen the light' and recognized Curling as a major activity. That other country clubs will investigate North Shore's new curling plant and follow its good examples should be a foregone conclusion." History has proved this prediction to be true. Curling had become so popular by 1959 that it was necessary to install two additional sheets of ice plus a heated viewing section behind thermopane windows. This was done and the curling facilities took on roughly the appearance we see today - only in much more primitive form. Through the years improvements have been made that add to the quality of our actual curling facilities and increase comfort both on and off the ice. In recent years we have completely modified the foundation of our ice surface and have installed entirely new icemaking facilities. New pipes in the floor, new machinery for making ice, even a modern dehumidifier system to control the atmosphere in the curling lodge. All of this has contributed greatly to providing North Shore curlers with a superb curling plant. The costs of these major improvements were covered by a loan secured by $500.00 notes signed by many members of the club. In 1980 it was time again to improve our curling facilities. The Board of Directors of the country club approved a budget for an addition to and refurbishing of the social and viewing area of the club. This budget, together with an assessment of $225.00 to each curling family, funded the improvement program that was begun in the summer of 1981 and finished in time for the 1981 Early Bird Bonspiel. The quality as well as the spirit of curling have always thrived at North Shore. But not until relatively recent years did our curlers begin to win tough state and national competition. In 1980 a North Shore men's rink, with Bruce Krumholz, Steve Elisius, Greg Gallagher and Mark Moore, won the Illinois Men's Championship - this for the first time in the history of the club. In 1989 Bruce Kruniholz and teammates Greg Gallagher, Denny Stidham and Bob Rustman again won the Illinois Men's State; in 1990 yet another men's team of Greg Gallagher, John Neff, E. J. Stern and Dave Rustman, once more took the Men's State; and then in 1993, a North Shore rink of Bruce Krumholz, Denny Stidham, Dick Crotty and Dave Rustman, captured the title again. In 2004,E. J. Stern, Jim Wilson, Richard Crotty and Ray Finlay (Wilmette) won the USSMCA Senior Men's Championship. Our Lassies have also been competitors. June Krumholz, with teammates Helen Anderson, Priscilla Bolling and Dor Ziska, took North Shore to its first USWCA National Championship back in 1971. In 1985 June took Jan Bruce, Betty Wende and Priscilla Bolling to gold in the USWCA Senior Bonspiel. Then, in 1989, Joyce Mutz and teammates Roz Pulford, Doris Lange and Nancy O'Connor won the Illinois Ladies' Championship - our first Lassie team to earn the right to participate in the USCA Nationals. In 1990 June Krumholz was once again a winner of the USWCA Senior Bonspiel, this time with Pat Pfiffner, Jan Bruce and Betty Wende. Also in 1990, thanks to Ann Neff, Star Pfiffner, Roz Pulford and Kiki Wilson, North Shore also won the 1990 USWCA National Bonspiel. Star Pfiffner, Kim Rustman, Ilse Guldbeck and Liz Leutwiler won the USWCA Nationals in 1995 for North Shore. In 2004, and again in 2005, Debbie Lange, Star Pfiffner, Deb Murray and Kathy Bodine won the Illinois Women's Championship. Six times North Shore mixed teams have won the Illinois Mixed Championship. The first was in 1985 with Bob Rustman, Geri Schwann, Dave Hall and Beth Frank, and then in 1987 with Greg and Heidi Gallagher and E. J. and Pam Stern. In 1992, 1993 and 1994, Greg Gallagher, Pam Justen and Jay and Kiki Wilson won back-to-back championships for North Shore, accomplishing a record-breaking three-peat performance. In 2004, E. J. Stern, Beth Shaw (Exmoor), Ev Wilson and Julie Stern won the Illinois Mixed Championship. Warren Lowe, a North Shore curler since 1972, was President of the USCA, curlings highest office, in 1995. |
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