Join the History Center for this Virtual Program with award winning author Judith Pearson
This is a virtual, Zoom event. Please register in advance and check your emails prior to the event for the latest information on how to join the Zoom!
There was a time when women’s health was severely marginalized. There was a time when breast cancer wasn’t discussed. There was a time when October wasn’t pink.
But three women refused to be silenced, their indomitable spirits igniting a movement for change.
When Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, and Evelyn Lauder were diagnosed with breast cancer, myths, outdated protocols and lack of awareness of their disease were rampant. Worst of all was the paltry amount of research dollars devoted to the epidemic that was killing tens of thousands each year. Meticulously researched, Radical Sisters is a rich narrative that transports readers through three decades of a changing social landscape in America. Taking cues from the women’s health movement and the AIDS movement, these trail‑blazing advocates did for themselves what the mainstream healthcare system refused to do.
With a foreword by Nancy Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen, and timed for the 2025 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month,&nbsp;this book acts as a mirror, allowing readers to see reflections of themselves, and their own experiences and struggles. It is a powerful and emotional take on the evolution of the women’s health movement (and their participation in medicine) and the breast cancer revolution.
Radical Sisters is a groundbreaking exploration into an untold story of resilience and the fight for women’s rights. Because of Shirley, Rose and Evelyn, breast cancer is no longer a saga of struggling alone in the dark against a mysterious and deadly disease. The more than 300,000 diagnosed every year stand on the shoulders of these courageous women, today empowered to strive for their own health and that of future generations.

Local Event: Radical Sisters: Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, Evelyn Lauder and the Dawn of the Breast Cancer

Lake County

Lake Forest-Lake Bluff

Illinois

Radical Sisters: Shirley Temple Black, Rose...

Join the History Center for this Virtual Program with award winning author Judith Pearson
This is a virtual, Zoom event. Please...

Radical Sisters: Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, Evelyn Lauder and the Dawn of the Breast Cancer

A part of our Cornerstones of History lecture series.
Siobhan Moroney is a professor at Lake Forest College. An architectural historian, she is author of Chicagoland Prize Houses: How a Mid-Century Architecture Competition Reimagined the American Home.Family life changed significantly in the latter half of the 20th century. We have new conceptions of marriage, fertility has dropped resulting in smaller household sizes, the emotional and psychological needs of children require significant attention. These changes have had a particular impact on the American home, shaping our need for public and private space. We will explore those demographic changes and review the way the needs of the American family has influenced house design.

Local Event: Transformation of the Late 20th Century, Mid-Century Architecture and the American family

Transformation of the Late 20th Century,...

A part of our Cornerstones of History lecture series.
Siobhan Moroney is a professor at Lake Forest College.  An architectural...

Transformation of the Late 20th Century, Mid-Century Architecture and the American family

For 17 years, Local Legends has been one of the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff’s most anticipated traditions. Each year, the event honors a remarkable individual whose work has left a lasting mark, and part of what makes it special is that you never quite know who it will be. Across nearly two decades, Local Legends has celebrated an ever-surprising range of voices, and the annual reveal has become a moment our community looks forward to together.
More than a celebration, Local Legends sustains the work of the History Center throughout the year, supporting the preservation, programs, and stewardship of our community’s history for generations to come.Seats are filling up quickly, so if you've been meaning to get your tickets, now is the time!
This Year’s Honoree: Rebecca Makkai
We are especially proud to honor an author with deep roots in our own community. Rebecca Makkai grew up in Lake Bluff, and has gone on to become one of the most acclaimed novelists of her generation. Her 2018 novel The Great Believers, set during the AIDS epidemic in 1980s Chicago, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and won the ALA Carnegie Medal, the Stonewall Book Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The New York Times named it one of the ten best books of 2018, and later included it among the best books of the twenty-first century.
Her 2023 novel, I Have Some Questions For You, was a New York Times bestseller. She is also the author of the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House and the story collection Music for Wartime, and is a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow. Now based in the Chicago area, she remains closely tied to the region that shaped her, which makes her a fitting choice to celebrate as this year’s Local Legend.
This year’s event
This year’s celebration takes place Saturday, November 14, 2026, at the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff from 4:00pm to 6:00pm, and will see Rebecca be interviewed by WGN Morning News Anchor, Larry Potash. The setting is an intimate interview that encourages the sharing of little-known stories, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and insights missing from standard biographies.
Patron sponsors of all levels are invited to a special cocktail event the day before, on Friday, November 13, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm to be held at the Armour Estate on the Lake Forest Academy Grounds.
New this year, sponsors at the $2,500 level and above are invited to an intimate author luncheon and book talk with Rebecca Makkai at the History Center on Friday, November 13, at 12:00pm. We’re introducing this gathering for the first time in 2026, and we hope it becomes a lasting part of the Local Legends tradition. Details about both events will be sent to each patron sponsor.

Local Event: Local Legends 2026 Honoring Rebecca Makkai

Local Legends 2026 Honoring Rebecca Makkai

For 17 years, Local Legends has been one of the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff’s most anticipated traditions. Each...

History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff

<h5>The final event in our Cornerstones of History lecture series.</h5>
&nbsp;This finale will be a panel discussion of experts across a variety of fields who will look at where we are today and where the next half a century will take us. How will American life change? What is the next big thing coming our way? And how does our past provide insight into how we can shape the direction we are going?
<hr>
<h3>Thank You To Our Sponsors!</h3>
Visionary Sponsor - Maude Glore&nbsp;
Patron Sponsor - Jim Phelps
Friend of America 250 - Tom and Sally Coyle
Friend of America 250 - Fred Jackson

Local Event: Shaping The Next Fifty Years: A Community Conversation

Shaping The Next Fifty Years: A Community...

The final event in our Cornerstones of History lecture series.
 This finale will be a panel discussion of experts across a...

Shaping The Next Fifty Years: A Community Conversation

History Center Lake Forest-Lake Bluff

Rachel Barnes

Chicago Metropolitan Area

Vernon Hills

Highland Park

Eric DeGrechie

Deerfield

Amie Schaenzer

Libertyville

Buffalo Grove

Cook County

Northbrook

Grayslake

Winnetka-Glencoe

Lake Zurich

Glenview

Church of the Holy Spirit

<a href="https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=xP5FVNPGjEmlp_9eHKtOiGyx6QITzZdBjEb4aAMbiWJURVNUTExTTTBFR01FTE5EWTIyNlFSUzNGUy4u&amp;route=shorturl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Let us know you're coming HERE.</a>&nbsp;(it's free and open to the public!)
Grief and Loss Thursday, October 22, 7–8:30 PM The Church of the Holy Spirit 400 E. Westminster, Lake Forest, IL Parenting Adult Children both in-person and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheChurchoftheHolySpirit" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">virtual</a> Friday, October 23, 10–11:30 AM The Church of the Holy Spirit 400 E. Westminster, Lake Forest, IL
Jill Woolworth has spent more than two decades as a licensed marriage and family therapist. She co-founded Women of Vision Fairfield County and published <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Waterwheel-Practical-Wisdom-Common-Concerns-ebook/dp/B0H2KBQJJK" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">The Waterwheel: Practical Wisdom for 64 Common Concerns</a>, a book of simple advice and playful illustrations designed to be read a page at a time.

Local Event: Faith@Work with Jill Woolworth

Faith@Work with Jill Woolworth

Let us know you're coming HERE. (it's free and open to the public!)
Grief and Loss Thursday, October 22, 7–8:30 PM The Church...

Gorton Center

The International Students Association (ISA) invites the Lake Forest College community and friends to join us for One World, a celebration of Lake Forest College’s cultural diversity through music, art, and dance.<a href="https://advancement.lakeforest.edu/register/oneworld2026" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE TODAY!</a>
Held on Tuesday, November 10, the evening begins with a reception for community members at the Gorton Center in Lake Forest at 5:30 p.m., followed by the event inside Gorton’s John and Nancy Hughes Theater beginning at 6:30 p.m.
One World features an amazing display of talented performances representing cultures from around the globe while also serving as a fundraiser supporting our international students who may be experiencing financial challenges.

Local Event: Lake Forest College Community Engagement Event: One World 2026 - A Cultural Journey

Lake Forest College Community Engagement Event:...

The International Students Association (ISA) invites the Lake Forest College community and friends to join us for One World, a...

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

History Center Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, Local Nonprofit

Posting Activity

Radical Sisters: Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, Evelyn Lauder and the Dawn of the Breast Cancer

OCT

22

7:00 PM

Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, IL

Transformation of the Late 20th Century, Mid-Century Architecture and the American family

NOV

5

7:00 PM

509 E Deerpath Rd, Lake Forest, IL

Local Legends 2026 Honoring Rebecca Makkai

NOV

14

4:00 PM

509 E Deerpath Rd, Lake Forest, IL

Shaping The Next Fifty Years: A Community Conversation

DEC

3

7:00 PM

History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, 509 E Deerpath Rd, Lake Forest, IL

Faith@Work with Jill Woolworth

Lake Forest College Community Engagement Event: One World 2026 - A Cultural Journey