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Streams of transient farm workers fan out northward each year from Texas, Florida and California, mating their way to Illinois in the early summer. The economic hardships experienced by farmers has made it more difficult for migrants to find work; and more important for their children to receive a sound education. Education key to migrants' future By Joe Agnew Herald staff writer As the number of American farms continues to decline, so has the available employment for many of the migrant farm workers who come to Illinois and other states to work in local farms and canneries. Several years ago, nearly 32,000 migrants -- mostly Mexican Americans from Texas -- came to this state during the warm months of April through September, according to Santiago Gonzalez, director of the North­ ern Illinois Migrant Council. He now estimates their numbers have decreased to 28,000. That decline is the result of jobs being taken by local people, canneries moving out of the state, and farms that have adapted to modern mechanization, Gonzalez said. Because of this trend, he said, migrant parents and their children will eventually be forced to seek work in other areas of the economy. Education -- for a long time a low priority for these transient families -- no longer provides only the hope of "a way out" of the migrant lifestyle. It is now being viewed as the essential ingredient for future survival. "The young people are going to see the elimination of this kind of work," said Gonzalez. "The kids will have to prepare themselves for this." Those who have decided to take that step from the migrant lifestyle have the resources of the Illinois Migrant Council at their service. Since 1966, the IMC has been providing support services for migrant and seasonal workers in eight chapters throughout the state. It states as its primary objectives: facilitating the process for those wishing to settle out of the migrant stream; to provide migrants with alternatives to seasonal agricultural labor in the form of employ­ ment, training and supportive services; and improv­ ing the well-being of farm workers and their families who remain in the agricultural labor market. Gonzalez is director of the council's northern chap­ ter, which covers McHenry, Lake, Boone, Winnebago and northwest Cook Counties. Of the 28,000 migrant workers who come to Illinois each summer, he said about 4,000 work in the Northern Illinois Migrant Council coverage area. Aid for migrants was first established in 1966 by the Cook County Catholic Churches Association, by a group of volunteers who wanted to help migrants who they felt were living in sub-standard conditions. In 1969, the Nixon Administration's Office of Econ- onomic Opportunity established grants to provide farm workers with medical and educational services, as well as other support services. In 1973, Nixo% developed the Career Education and Training Act (CETA) which the farm workers pro­ gram became a part of, and a skilled worker program was started in Lake County. The program also ali lowed for English language and GED (high school J" --- -- " " * srCary*;; In 1978, the migrant program received a grant, enabling it to work with migrant youth from ages 14 to 21, in order to better train- them for the academic world. Gonzalez said this program allowed Illinois teachers to work with kids in the summer, then follow them back to Texas in the fall. ,,x Herald photos tv Amv K Brown UPI graphic Programs like these have helped provide some consistency in the education of the migrant children, Gonzalez said. "It's a plus, considering the dropout rate for these kids is 90 percent after ninth grade." Despite these efforts, Gonzalez lamented that there is still a larger percentage of migrant children who don't take advantage of these services. This he attri­ butes to the fact that the immediate added income a 16-year-old can provide his family usually outweighs the future benefits of an education. "With the large family sizes, education is not a priority," he said. "They have to survive, so it affects the dropout rate." He said the dropout rate is affected by other factors too: general apathy about the impor­ tance of education by the Hispanic com­ munity and local residents; and school administrators who refuse to take an active role to get the children into the programs. Gonzalez sees a need for change in this area, especially on the part of administrators. "People have to be educat­ ed," he stressed. "If we don't do it now, they will fall into the wrong hands later op. We can put a stop to it if we work with the young people." MIGRANTS--Page 3B • TRENDS Thursday, August 15,1985 Section B PEOPLE TALK Staying in character What does actor John Houseman think of himself and his distinguished career? "I keep playing those parts of an essentially bad-tempered, eccentric old poop but that's all right. That's whatl am," Houseman . said in San Diego, where he is di- * recting "Richard III." "Anybody I my age naturally becomes eccen- * trie. It's inevitable." Houseman, 83, * wants to concentrate on theater in I Europe -- not New York -- and is - another of those who say Broadway * is dying, if not already dead. "Of : every 10 great plays on Broadway, four or five come from Europe, usu- * ally London," he says. "The Broad- ; way situation has degenerated for > 25 years. It has indeed reached a \ horror climax." In .addition to di- ; recting, Houseman has plans for a «few more "Paper Chase" specials John Houseman I and some appearances on the television sit-com "Silver Spoons" and - isn't bothered by the busy schedule. "No, I don't get tired," he says. ' "What else would I do -- sit and dream? That doesn't appeal to me at ;all." ; Rivers run deep She may be snide on stage but when it comes to her daughter, Joan • Rivers is a real softy. Rivers has scheduled several shows in Atlantic - City, N.J., and on the East Coast during the next few weeks to be close to her daughter, Melissa Rosenberg, 17, who begins an orientation session at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia this week. Melissa, the only child of Rivers and producer Edgar Rosenberg, joined her mother on a shopping spree in Atlantic City earlier this month to stock up on college dorm essentials. Speaking of her daughter leaving v home, Rivers said, "It's a very emotional time, no matter who you are." Karras down on macho Alex Karras, the former NFL all-pro lineman who now stars on "Webster," isn't impressed by television's macho characters such as * Stacy Keach's Mike Hammer and Mr. T's character on "The A-Team" » because they are too violent and insensitive. And Ted Danson's Sam on "Cheers" is too much of a skirt-chaser, he says. "What's his life all about? Trying to put the make on every woman who walks into his bar? Macho, macho. One-dimensional." Karras told TV Guide. "A real man accepts women as equals -- talk witn tnem, not at them, exchange ideas. A real man isn't afraid to admit he's afraid." Karras likes male television characters who are more true to life -- Bob Newhart's innkeeper Dick Loudon ("He listens to other people's problems") and BUI Cosby's Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable ("a believer in principle, in morality, in equal rights"). Beauty and the barbarian Maria Shriver, niece of President John Kennedy, told her parents during the weekend that she and muscleman-actor Arnold Schwarzeneg­ ger will be getting married next April in Hyannisport, Mass. Shriver, 29, is the daughter of 1972 vice presidential candidate Sargent Shriver and his wife Eunice Kennedy, the president's sister, and is the West Coast feature reporter for "The CBS Morning News." Schwarzenegger is a Republican and enjoys an occasional political joust with his uncle-in- law-to-be Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. "It's very stimulating when you have opposite opinions," he said. "My biggest challenge is turning Teddy around." Glimpses Dire Straits* guitarist Mark Knopfler has done session work for the Everiy Brothers and now Phil ana Don's next album will include the song "Why Worry" from Dire Straits' latest album, "Brothers in Arms." "They'll proba­ bly do a better job of it than we did," Knopfler said ... Wrestler Hulk Hogan made a surprise appearance at Timber Lake Camp in upstate New York to start the camp's "color war," which has the campers competing in games ranging from egg toss­ ing to dancing. "Kids are the only ones who really tell you the truth. Especially in my busi­ ness, where there is so much swerving and curving," Hogan said. "I've seen more kids at the matches as wrestling has become more of a family thing," Hogan said. "It's not just guys drinking beer" ... PHD (left) and Don Everiy INDEX/SECTION B Crime of the Week rwii^Mi. Dear Abby Paws 8Btol3B 7B . <. * v v., - ^ Wmm* v '• +«.\'£ •' '<•> «B .V I mm I&l IHVWI t " ; : < This week Crime Stoppers is seek­ ing information on an arson related fire that is more than a disturbing coincidence. On Friday, July 19, at 2:37 a.m., Marengo police and fire units responded, to a car fire at 116 East Prairie Street in Marengo. When they arrived, they found a 1982 Toyota completely destroyed by a fire that had been deliberately set. Just six weeks earlier, on June 6, an arsonist had set a fire in the same apartment building, com­ pletely destroying apartment #3. • Crime Stoppers featured the June fire as a Crime of the Week, but the suspect has not been identified. The same person is the victim of both of these fires, and police believe they are dealing with one suspect. Crime Stoppers pays cash re­ wards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and filing of criminal charges against offenders. Any one with information about these arson related fires, or infor­ mation on any other crimes, call Crime Stoppers at l-8(K)-762-STOP. Residents fined, sentenced after appearing in court Recent cases -heard in 19th Judi­ cial Circuit Court include: B e f o r e J u d g e T h o m a s Schermerhorn: Probable cause was found in a preliminary hearing on charges of home invasion against Henry C. Mi­ chael Jr., who was bound over to a felony court hearing Aug. 19. Patrick M. Fitzgerald, 11402 Bur­ lington Road, Richmond, was fined 1300 and costs on a reckless driving charge, amended from driving un­ der the influence on a motion of the Village of Richmond. Richard A. Smith, Park Motel, Loves Park, was sentenced to 30 days in county jail, with credit for time already served, on a charge of obstructing a peace officer. Victor Mennella, 1615 W. May, McHenry, was fined $100 and costs on a charge of driving on a suspend­ ed license. Robert E. Crock, 26181 Spring Grove Road, Antioch, was fined $400 and costs on a charge of DU1. He was placed under court supervision and ordered to complete the DUI project. Jonathon D. Gannon, 4411 Ponca Drive, McHenry, was fined $150 and costs on a charge of unlawful pos­ session of cannabis. Before Judge Susan Hutchinson: Anthony T. Gurske, 814 Southside Avenue, McHenry, and Darin W. Klatt, 1305 N. Fairview Lane, Mc­ Henry, were both fined $100 and costs on charges of reckless: conduct. *: Patrick M. Crowley, 86 Pomeroy St., Crystal Lake, was fined $100 and costs on a charge of unlawful possession of cannabis and $50 and costs for purchase or acceptance. Joseph W. Bernhardt, East Side Road, Genoa City, Wis., was fined $500 and costs for DUI and $25 and costs, for driving in wrong lane. Richard W. Hoffman, 9105 Oriole Trail, Wonder Lake, was placed on supervision and fined $300 and costs on a charge of DUI. Mark Jensen, 2124 Westview Drive, Des Plaines, was fined $500 and costs on a DUI charge. Lawrence W. Delke, 315 Hillside Drive, Island Lake, was fined $600 and costs on a DUI charge. Steven J. Brick, 2016 Lost Dalphin Road, DePere, Wis., was fined $350 and costs and placed on court super­ vision on a charge of DUI. Clinic set for high risk infants A high risk follow-up satellite clin­ ic will be held Tuesday, August 20 at Memorial Hospital for McHenry County, Woodstock. Families with eligible children may phone (815) 962-8824 to schedule an appoint­ ment, between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. The free clinic, co-sponsored by United Cerebral Palsy of Black- hawk Region and Rockford Memori­ al Hospital, is for children between the ages of birth and three years, who has been in a neonatal inten­ sive care unit. Eligible families must reside in the ll-county Rock- ford Perinatal Region. The follow-up program consists of approximately four clinic visits, at adjusted ages. The child is weighed and measured; a developmental and speech evaluation are adminis­ tered; the parent meets with a nu­ tritionist and a social worker; and a physician performs a brief, but thorough examination. Medicare presentation scheduled Tom Gockel, of the Lake C9unty Council for Seniors, will be at the Harvard Center, 12 Ayer Street, Harvard, pn Wednesday, August 21, at 12:30 p.m. to give a Medicare "B" alert presentation. Gockel asked that people who plan to attend bring any recent copy of a doctor's statement and Medi­ care's response titled "Explanation of Medicare Benefits". An explana­ tion will be given by Gockel as to why Medicare's payments are less than the doctor's fees. Guests are invited to stay for lunch. The menu will be BBQ chick­ en, whipped potatoes, spinach, fruit salad, bread, butter, birthday cake and milk. To make a reservation, call John Turner at (815 ) 943-6844.