Lolo Tales

It was August, 1981 when I met Laura Totleben. We were both enrolled in an accounting class at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, IL, where I now teach. 😂

I had an automatic pencil and the end broke off making it impossible to write.

I turned to the quiet girl next to me and said, “My lead just broke.” If I remember correctly, Laura pulled out a plastic pencil box and handed me one of the many pencils from inside of the box.

That day will live in infamy as a more than four decades friendship was forged.

I was Laura’s first Orland Park friend as Totlebens had recently moved to the Chicago area from Bettendorf, IA. Laura’s dad was a manager for Sears.

In accounting, Laura and I always sat next to each other and both enjoyed seeing our very attractive male instructor who looked like he had just arrived from the shower. 😎

I ended up dropping the class because of an aversion to numbers and Laura continued on. When we weren’t in class, we hung out on “the bridge” at Moraine Valley where we hung out with friends including Lisa Strassenberg and others, making ours a sizable group.

We also rode to school together, oftentimes in the aqua colored former Sears van that Laura drove.  

The Bridge was a large area with seating, vending machines, pool tables and other attractions from Student Services.

We’d meet on The Bridge between classes or when we should be in class.

Our stories from Moraine include being on campus in the evening with our friend Tom Hawks who would come running up behind us, throw us into the wall and shout, “Campus Police!”

One semester, I had Child Psychology followed by American National Government. Laura was in the government class too – with Professor Marjorie Zamora – as was Lisa Strassenberg.

We were studying childbirth in child psych and I had to demonstrate the Leboyer Method of Childbirth. Being the over achiever that I was, I brought my sister’s Baby Tender Love doll to demonstrate what happens during a Leboyer delivery. I was discreet with my visual aid, keeping the doll clothed and in a bag, ready to go to my next class.

Baby Tender Love was safe for the entire American Government class – until I went to the front of the room to chat with Professor Zamora after class.

I heard giggling from the back of the room and turned to find my belongings gone – except for naked Baby Tender Love lying alone on my desk.

Laura and Lisa had taken off – leaving me with a naked baby doll to carry through the halls of our community college. 😳

More stories to come … 🥰