Tom Strong

Tom Strong is a freelance writer for the Aurora Beacon-News.

Column: Upcoming move of two nuns to retirement center marks end of an era in Aurora

July 28, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

Sister Joan Korte and Sister Rita Mary Phalen plan to move in August from Our Lady of Good Counsel Convent in Aurora to a retirement center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Dan Thorpe stands outside his college guidance counseling office at Marmion Academy in Aurora. Thorpe was the head football coach at the school for 19 years, retiring from that role at the end of the last football season. (Tom Strong / For The Beacon-News)

Column: Dan Thorpe a true winner in his career as football coach at Marmion in Aurora

June 21, 2024 at 10:50 a.m.

In a low-key announcement at the end of the 2023 football season, Thorpe announced his retirement as the Marmion Academy head coach after 19 seasons and 103 victories.

Paul Kluber, a retired Aurora pharmacist, receives his 40-year service award from Osco in 2021. (Osco)

Column: Becoming a pharmacist was the right prescription for longtime ‘go to guy’ at Aurora drug store

May 16, 2024 at 9:20 p.m.

Paul Kluber, who is known to many in the community as the longtime pharmacist and pharmacy manager at the Osco store on Aurora's West Side, retired from those positions two...

A panoramic view of historic Aurora from Wilder Park shows the Leland Tower on the far right and the old St. Charles Hospital on the far left. (Tom Strong / For The Beacon-News)

Column: View from Wilder Park in Aurora brings thoughts about the past and future

April 11, 2024 at 9:03 p.m.

If you are an Aurora history buff, there is a wonderful panoramic view of the City of Lights from Wilder Park which you might enjoy very much.

Paramount Theatre volunteer ushers who were on duty for a recent performance of "Billy Elliot" at the venue in downtown Aurora take time for a photo. (Tom Strong / For The Beacon-News)

Column: Volunteer ushers at Paramount in Aurora deserve to take a bow

February 15, 2024 at 7:57 p.m.

The theater has 312 ushers in its database, with the active group consistently between 70 and 80 people.

Recent East Aurora Sports Hall of Fame honorees include, from left, Wendell Jeffries, Patti Doud Paul, Chuck Solberg and Bob Burnell, who recently sustained a shoulder injury. A fifth honoree, Phil Neal, lives in North Carolina and was not able to travel back to Aurora to receive his honor.

Column: For new members of East Aurora High School Sports Hall of Fame, ‘once a Tomcat, always a Tomcat’

January 19, 2024 at 3:13 p.m.

Our recent Arctic cold weather experience has affected our lives and schedules more than just a little. We will survive as we always seem to do, and will escape with...

Esmerelda Chavez-Hernandez, left, administrative specialist for Adult Education at Waubonsee Community College, shares a moment with Chhomnath Long, an adult education student at Waubonsee.

Column: Fox Valley woman makes it her mission to help those in need in Aurora area: ‘She puts everyone else before herself’

December 15, 2023 at 3:12 p.m.

My friend Esmerelda Chavez-Hernandez, who is the administrative specialist for Adult Education at the Waubonsee Community College downtown Aurora campus, messaged me recently with her thought about doing a good...

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