Strong Women Shape Local History

• CLARIFICATION: Lana Graser's role as a Mokena Park District trustee and continued education in the special education and parks and recreation fields were added to this story. An earlier version of this story gave the impression that Graser had no experience in those areas before taking on her role as director of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association.  

Met any good, strong women lately? Persistent. Dedicated. Service-oriented. Occasionally ornery. Sometimes stubborn. Always admirable. 

My "gram" was that type of woman, a working woman through the Great Depression, who didn't marry until her 30s, wasn't a mother until close to 40.  She was a librarian whose passion was books, and macular degeneration took her eyesight slowly, but her storytelling skills were in demand well into her retirement years.  Mrs. Hedvig VanDyke’s finger puppets were legendary in the Homewood schools where she visited classrooms until she was 85.  

As part of this year's National Women’s History Month's theme, Our History Is Our Strength, Frankfort Patch celebrates a few good, strong women from our community. These women haven’t made the history textbooks yet with their contributions, but they have changed local lives. The imprints they’ve left on the hearts and minds of Frankfort-area residents speak to the power of an individual to make a difference in many lives.

We also know that there are other women out there in Frankfort just like them, women who lead (or led) by example. We hope, after reading about these women, you’ll tell us about the ones you know in the comments sections. In fact, we'll post your suggestions in a future story.

These are the women from the Frankfort community we spoke with about leadership and mentors:

• Leanne Bender, officer and crime prevention specialist with the Frankfort Police Department
• Lana Graser, director of the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association
• Cindy Heath, Village Board trustee
• Judy Herder, president of the
• Brenda Jensen, principal of

Mentors Provide Motivation

For Judy Herder and Cindy Heath, former village trustee and longtime Frankfort librarian Marian Glunz provided the encouragement they needed to take on leadership roles in the community.

Herder got to know Glunz when the librarian overheard Herder talking about a planned trip to Paris and invited herself along.

“We ran into each other doing similar things, and that’s how we became friends. You make sure you get to know those kind of people,” Herder said, smiling and remembering her friend and mentor, who died in 2004.

“She was strong-willed. I like outspoken, say-it-as-it-is people, and there was nothing phony about her,” Herder added.

Glunz also was the person who nudged Heath into local government service. Heath had been volunteering with the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce since she and her husband moved to the village in 1981. Over those years of community service, she got to know Glunz, who encouraged her repeatedly to run for office.

"I was working full time then and had a family," Heath said. "There was no way I could do that, but she planted the seed about being on the board."

So when Heath found herself retiring early as an executive from Inland Steel in February 1999, she took Glunz’s advice to heart and quickly campaigned, getting elected as a village trustee in April 1999.

“I think leadership is an internal quality that people have or don’t have,” Heath said. “Sometimes you don’t even realize you have it, but hopefully at an early age, you will have a mentor who will encourage you to lead and lead in the right ways.”

Sometimes, it's colleagues and peers that end up in the mentoring roles. That was the case for Jensen and Graser when it came to role models who pushed them to take on leadership challenges and succeed.

“My No. 1 mentor would be Dr. Monica Schmitt (currently principal of ). I’m 20 years her elder, but she’s much wiser,” Jensen said, chuckling.

Schmitt, as well as Sharon Michalak, were the first women administrators for Lincoln-Way High School District 210, Jensen said.

“They had just received their doctorates from Loyola (when I met them), and I saw in them work ethic, drive and inspiration," added Jensen, who retires this year. "They have both been really helpful for me in my role as principal."

Graser, too, benefitted from bosses who encouraged her to try new things as a teacher when she worked at in Frankfort, building her self-confidence.

"Cheri Podobnik and Dagmar Zvonek gave me incentive not to be afraid to try new things," said Graser, who enetered leadership as a Mokena Park District trustee and continued her education in her current field. "Looking at my resume, I'm the last person you'd think would take this job (as director of Lincolnway Special Recreation) because, at the time, I had no special education or parks and recreation educational background, but I did. And I think I've been successful at helping this agency grow."

Bridging the Gender Gap

It’s not just women who can encourage and inspire other women to take on leadership roles. The female community leaders we spoke with emphasized the importance of gender-blind professional relationships. 

Heath cited the male executives at Inland Steel who helped hone her leadership skills.

“The mentorship there was about giving you the opportunity to show what you could do," she said. "It was about asking questions, challenging you and building on success, which builds self-confidence."

While Bender talked about the instant bond that forms between female law enforcement officers because there are so few of them in the field, she said that it’s equally important to rely on male officers for support and guidance.

“We both bring different things to the table,” Bender said. “We have different attributes that help us do our job, and we all need that.”

Bender said she was appreciative of Chief John Burica and his predecessor, Rob Pisica, for encouraging her to pursue her professional passions and take on new roles within the department. Bender has been trained as a domestic violence advocate and also works with elder care issues and internet crimes against children cases.

“I feel very fortunate that the chiefs have said, ‘These are areas of interest you have; run with it!’ ” Bender said.

Sometimes, however, that male support doesn't come from professional ties. It was the unwavering support of Jensen's husband, Kip, that allowed her to pursue leadership roles.

“Without him, I never could have completed my doctorate," she said. "He was the one who was there when the kids got home. He was the chauffeur. He kept things running. I give him a lot of credit."

Leading by Example

Good community leaders know that leadership isn't just being in charge; it's being the one who leads the charge and inspires. Leading by example also means doing what needs to be done--big or small--to get the job done and done well.

“I had a nun in high school--Sister Margaret Rose--who was the one who taught me how to be a good leader,” Heath said. “She told me that I had a God-given gift of strong intellect, and I had a responsibility to give back to people using that gift."

Which is why, in addition to her work as trustee and volunteering with the chamber of commerce, she continues to work with the music programs at , even though her children have long since graduated.

“I especially like working with the girls," she said. "I want them to see that they can do anything. They can be a mom. They can work. They can be a mom who works. The choices are out there."

Added Herder: “When you’re part of a community, you need to devote part of your time to helping out. But you can’t say yes to everything. You have to have your priorities.”

Fortunately for Frankfort, Herder has a long list of priorities. In addition to serving as Frankfort Area Historical Society president, she is the vice president for the Frankfort Preservation Foundation; a board member for Operation Playground, which built Fort Frankfort and supported the creation of Frankfort Bark Park, among other projects; a member of both the Concerts on the Green Committee and the Friends of the Library group; as well as an active chamber volunteer. Plus, Herder pitches in whenever she can. That's leading by example.

Being a Good, Strong Leader ...

Finally, we asked these leaders what advice they had for future leaders in training. Here's a summary of their answers.

Brenda Jensen: Being a good, strong leader means looking behind you to make sure you’ve got people following. If you don’t, then you’re not leading responsibly, looking out for those you serve.

Cindy Heath: Being a good, strong leader means that you are willing to push yourself to succeed because you see what you’re doing as beneficial for the community and a good use of your gifts and talents.

Judy Herder: Being a good, strong leader means that you aren’t limited by gender. You can be whatever you want to be if you devote yourself to it.

Lana Graser: Being a good, strong leader means believing in yourself and not worrying about the money if it’s career-related. Just plunge in and do it.

Leanne Bender: Being a good, strong leader means exploring your interests, pursuing your passions and never giving up.