Cover Story

Martha Logemann: Service specialist, Northwestern Illinois Area Agency on Aging

By None

ROCKFORD WOMAN

Aug 26, 2008 @ 08:02 PM

The first thing people ask me is “Where are you working?” It is a valid question, since I change jobs so often. At least I used to. At my age, I don’t have the opportunities anymore. I was out of work for several months before I received the opportunity to work for the Northwestern Illinois Area Agency on Aging. My husband commented at the time that I was fortunate to find a job from a place that surely wouldn’t discriminate on the basis of age. He’s right, and I plan to stay here a long time. I have had many very unique job experiences.

My first job I remember as being rewarding in a selfish sort of way. I worked at a dairyette called the Dairy Delicious on South Main Street in Rockford. It is no longer there. There is a gas station there now. We made the best soft-serve ice cream, barbecue and hot dogs with steamed buns. I have never been able to get anything as good since. Mr. Burkholder would take us all out for dinner after the “season.”

The first time, he gave us all $1. “Don’t spend that, some day it will be valuable because it is a silver certificate and they don’t make them anymore.” I still have that dollar. It is a reminder of a happier time when I was without the worries of adulthood.

The rest of my life has been filled with job opportunities that simply fell my way and “seemed like a good idea” at the time. I came back to Rockford after college in time to work on my first presidential campaign, George McGovern, and then went on to help get Bob McGaw elected as the first of many Democratic mayors. My interest in politics would influence the rest of my life. In my situation, politics did not pay well and I needed to earn a living. I started working for the Rockford School District in the bilingual program as a parent/teacher aide; from there, it is a logical move to be the first Spanish interpreter for the Winnebago Court System. (And the first time, I appeared in the Rockford Register Star). During the summers, my father and I would pick up the kids from the bilingual program and take them to the YWCA for enrichment programs every Saturday morning. A good way to practice English. This led to a job as the youth program director for the next four years. The relationship with the YWCA has lasted throughout the rest of my life. I am again on the board of directors. I am on the committee working on the first imperative of the YW: The elimination of racism.

I have worked for the Ramada Inn, Singer Zone Center, Secretary Of State Driver license office, Rosecrance, Jane Addams Mental Health Center in Freeport, Northern Illinois University Upward Bound, City of Rockford Public Works. I took complaints for Public Works. I remember one lady calling me to find out when the city was going to fix her water problem. Turns out she bought a house in a flood plain with flooding every year. She was not happy when I told her it was not in the budget. Another person called to complain about the major street being built in his backyard. Perryville had been on the planning plats for some time. It pays to go to the City’s Public Works office and look at the plat maps before buying a piece of land.

I took a job after the city that I would love to have again. I worked for Congressman John Cox for the two years that he was in office. We were voted out of office. I took care of constituent problems. I remember one constituent coming in with a problem with the IRS. Seems his ex-wife had not filed tax returns while they were married, and he owed so much money that he could not see an end to paying it back. I found a loophole in the system and he was able to negotiate a deal with the IRS. I think I might have saved that man’s life. It is amazing what you can do through a congressman’s office. There is power to get things done and help people. While I worked for Congress, my family and I had the very best medical insurance anyone would ever want. That may be the reason Congress is not in any hurry to make any changes.

Stepping Stones was next. I did fundraising and other duties as assigned by the executive director. While working at Stepping Stones, I also did some political commentaries with Chris Bowman, who had a 30-minute television show on Channel 23. I was returning to the office one Friday afternoon from Channel 23 when a man with a gun stopped me in the parking lot of Stepping Stones on North Main Street. He had me by the arm and wanted me to return to my car. I gave him the keys and let him know that I would not be getting into the car with him. I gave him my purse, but he still wanted me to get in the car. It seemed a long time but was only five minutes. I finally told him that if he was going to hurt me, it would have to be here because I was not going anywhere with him. That is when he put the gun to my head and pulled the trigger. I survived because he shot me in the thickest part of the head and at the right angle. I ended up as the lead story on all the television stations and newspaper. There was another person shot that day, but no one heard about that. I thought about a lot of things during the time I thought I was going to die. I did not think I really believe in God or heaven or any of that. But I was at peace with my life and felt OK about dying. I only regretted not seeing my children again.

My family was not surprised when I started working as the assistant manager of Lazer Quest. I needed a fun job without pressure. I sold cars for Saturn of Rockford, worked for a short time for Northern Public Radio. I then worked for the Northern Illinois Women’s Center.

Now I am here, Northwestern Illinois Area Agency on Aging. I am a service specialist. I help seniors and the disabled with all kinds of problems and questions. I was at work one day when a woman came in with questions about Medicare and State of Illinois programs. It was Mrs. Burkholder, my very first boss at the Dairy Delicious. She is still holding that secret recipe for the barbecue.