In a collaboration that aims to enhance local history education, Flossmoor Veterans’ Memorial, Inc. (FVM) has partnered with Flossmoor School District 161 to introduce a curriculum for Parker Junior High students focused on the contributions of local veterans.
The “Flossmoor Veterans Time Machine” started its journey for Parker students on Oct. 17. Former mayor of Flossmoor Paul Braun, author and educator Kris Condon, and Marine veteran John Beele had a successful day of inspiring students.
“The Flossmoor Veterans’ Time Machine” curriculum was unveiled during District 161’s fall teacher institute and is inspired by “Fragments of Flossmoor: A Series of Essays on the Interesting, Curious, and Unique in Our Village,” a 2024 book authored by Condon, who is also FVM’s secretary and treasurer.
(Provided photo)
The book highlights key historical moments and the sacrifices made by Flossmoor residents who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. This educational effort ties into the broader mission of FVM, which aims to commemorate nearly 1,000 veterans through recognition programs, including the Flossmoor Veterans’ Wall of Honor.
Condon is a retired community college legal studies and civics educator who spent 38 years in the classroom. She was very familiar with the learning standards that District 161 social studies faculty need to implement in their classrooms and how they need to collect evidence, so she created a unique program for the school.
The FVM didn’t want this to be just a handout or worksheet they gave the students. Condon said, “We wanted it to have substance and meaning and pay proper tribute to our veterans. So, we gave the faculty an entire package of materials.”
Condon said the FVM created the Flossmoor Veterans Time Machine to give the teachers at Parker a set of tools to help them improve their students’ civic engagement and historical literacy. The package included supplementals, PowerPoint presentations, and ADA-compliant videos that the FVM created. Condon’s book, “Fragments of Flossmoor,” is also in the classrooms and will accompany the learning experience.
“There is really no local historical society in our area that is doing something targeted for the classroom like this,” Condon said. “This is a group of teachers that is completely leading by example.”
Condon credits the time machine concept to an award-winning project called the Frankfort Time Machine. She said the program started in 1979 for the Village of Frankfort Centennial. That curriculum was designed for elementary and middle school students to increase awareness of Frankfort’s history.
Other historical societies in the area, including Homewood, tried similar initiatives at the time. Condon said that using the name Flossmoor Time Machine gives credit to the Frankfort program that set the standard for high-quality, local historical education nearly 50 years ago.
Over the course of about seven class periods, the students will learn about the US military and local veterans.
“We wanted to underscore the wide variety of opportunities that military service would perhaps offer students and teach them about the opportunities it had offered Flossmoor residents,” Condon said. “We go back to the eight men from Flossmoor who had given their lives for the country and the prisoners of war or soldiers missing in action that we know of and give the students their biographical backstories. From there, the students have the opportunity to fill in the history gaps.”
One of the FVM’s goals is to collect the names of all Flossmoor residents who have served or are currently serving in the military so that their sacrifices can be recognized. Condon said this has been challenging. They hope Parker students can help them achieve their goals.
“I was surprised to see so many students raise their hand when we asked how many had family members who served,” Beele said. “They were so into it. They asked really good, solid questions.”
Condon said that the students can choose from different projects, such as interviewing a veteran from their family, conducting more research focused on area veterans or creating a poster based on some of the things they have learned in the program.
The student’s efforts will be evaluated using the standards-based grading rubric that District 161 has implemented this school year. There is a plan to display some of the projects at the Flossmoor Library. The community will also be able to engage with the projects on social media and reward the student’s achievements.
Braun said that the students were enthusiastic about the projects. “They had questions about the soldiers’ diversity,” he said. “They wanted to know why there weren’t more Black or women veterans from Flossmoor.” He explained to the students that up until about 20 years ago, Flossmoor and the military were not as diverse as they are now and that the students have the opportunity to help make the list of local veterans more complete.
Condon said that one of the students told her she thought it was important to remember the people who served because they might not have anyone to remember them anymore. “That’s the kind of student we are dealing with,” she said. “This is all about the power of community.”
“Today was great!” Parker social studies teacher Linda O’Dwyer wrote in an email to the FVM crew. “Thank you so much for the time you invested in our scholars. I know they are very excited to be a part of this history!”
Condon said that her dad was at a 1945 dedication ceremony to a World War II Honor Roll that the American Legion Post sponsored when he was in eighth grade. It is believed the original wooden memorial that included the names of 155 local service members eventually was lost, removed or just disintegrated. Condon’s grandfather was the commander of the American Legion Post, and some photos of the event survived. Beele said the names on the Honor Roll were spelled out with letters from dry alphabet soup.
Braun, the nonprofit organization’s president, created the FVM along with Condon’s father, Richard Condon. A Korean War veteran, Condon moved to Flossmoor with his family in 1932. Condon was always bothered by the idea that Flossmoor had no permanent tribute to veterans, so he contacted the former mayor. The conversation motivated the group to start the FVM to build the Veteran’s Wall of Honor.
The Flossmoor Veterans’ Wall of Honor, designed by local architect Michael Matthys, is under construction near the Metra/CN tracks. The memorial site will serve as a permanent tribute to Flossmoor residents who have served in the military. Ground preparation for the Wall of Honor is expected to start this year, and construction is expected to be completed by the summer of next year.
The FVM is actively fundraising to support the completion of the Wall of Honor. Contributions from major donors, grants, and community fundraising efforts have significantly advanced the project.
