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| Glen Ellyn couple helped make Prairie Path what it is today | |
| Jul 25, 2007 | |
| Melissa Jenco, Staff Writer mjenco@dailyherald.com | |
| Daily Herald | |
| Pertains to Illinois Prairie Path, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Winfield, Warrenville, Lombard, Villa Park, Elmhurst, West Chicago, Wayne | |
| During his 21-year tenure as president of the Illinois Prairie Path Corp., F. Paul Mooring's wife and kids used to refer to themselves as the trail's "First Family." That was a joke, of course. Paul and his wife, Jean, are quick to tell you they were only charter members of the group, not founders. Jean and Paul Mooring walk the section of the Illinois Prairie Path between Hill Avenue and the east branch of the DuPage River, the same section they've been tending for nearly four decades. (Scott Sanders/Daily Herald) But whatever title they're given, there's simply no denying the Glen Ellyn couple played a crucial role over the past 40 years in transforming the "Roarin' Elgin" abandoned railroad right-of-way into the Prairie Path - a 62-mile trail that stretches from Cook to DuPage and Kane counties. Thanks in large part to their commitment, the path has become a landmark in DuPage County and beyond. Brook McDonald, president and CEO of The Conservation Foundation, says the couple's work has turned them into living legends. "They come as a pair. You can't separate them," he said. "And they work well together because Jean is on the hyper side, always bringing (ideas) up and sharing concerns, and Paul is on the quiet, reasonable side." That fire and ice approach made the Moorings a force to be reckoned with and earned them a place among the most influential environmentalists in DuPage County history. Rails to trails Although both Jean and Paul always were interested in nature, their activism blossomed in the early 1960s when author and teacher May Theilgaard Watts spoke to Jean's garden club about an idea for the recently abandoned Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad. "She thought this abandoned railroad right-of-way, with all the flowers growing beside it, would be a wonderful place to have a trail," Jean said. Watts' numerous talks with community groups and famous 1963 letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune sparked the interest of environmentally-minded citizens, including the Moorings. The Illinois Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation formed in 1965, with Paul and Jean among its first members. Within the next two years, the group had leased the railroad right-of-way from DuPage County and started developing the trail. It was not an easy or particularly pleasant task. "It was a dump from one end to the other," Jean said. "It was amazing how fast it started to fill up with trash after the abandonment." The couple joined the corporation's board of directors in 1967 and Paul became its president in 1971, a position he held for 21 years. "We would make jokes about how dad was the president of the Prairie Path for so many years and we were the First Family of the Prairie Path," said their youngest daughter, Margaret Calderon, of Madison, Wis. "I was so proud of them." Nostalgia still brings Margaret back to town each year for an annual cleanup event along the path. But it's not nearly the same simple trail she knew as a teenager. Years of planting, cleaning, building bridges and installing signs and fountains have transformed the right-of-way into 62 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. The path was deemed a National Recreation Trail in 1971 and has held that status ever since. "It's a way of taking some space and making it into something that allowed people to get out and enjoy the outdoors in a different sense than going to a forest preserve or city park," said Bob Fisher of the DuPage Birding Club. "The other part of it is just conceptually having a linear preserve ”¦ and making it accessible to so many people." Roots in nature Jean, originally from Madison, Wis., says her passion for nature comes from her father, who loved to do just about anything outdoors. Growing up, her family's backyard contained the remnants of an old growth forest and she tended to its wildflowers, rare plants and a huge old white oak that was more than 200 years old. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Wellesley College. Paul, originally from Rocky Mount, N.C., says his interest in the environment also goes back as far as he can remember. "I grew up in an area where I had lots of opportunities to go into the outdoors and I just liked it," he said. He even considered studying forestry in college before choosing physics. Paul graduated from Duke University with a degree in physics and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was in graduate school when he met Jean, who was a graduate student in a lab he was teaching. She was one of only two females in the class, so she says it wasn't hard for her to catch his attention. Paul casually mentioned in lab that he liked to square dance on Fridays. "The following Friday, I went to the square dance and who showed up?" he said. "So we danced." The two married in 1948 and Jean jokes that she got her "Mrs. degree" from the University of Wisconsin. They now have three daughters, five grandchildren and a great-granddaughter on the way. Paul has spent his career at Argonne National Laboratory, where he performed neutron physics research from 1951-1983. When he attempted to retire, colleagues asked him to stay on part time as the associate editor of the "Applied Physics Letters" weekly journal, a position he still holds. The quest The Moorings' daughters say their parents were always conscious of nature and the environment. Oldest daughter Cecily Hamm of Waukesha, Wis., still remembers a trip to the Grand Canyon. The family saw other children tossing trash out of garbage cans. While the children's parents didn't seem to care, Jean did. "My mom had a few words for them," Hamm recalled laughing. As Hamm and her sisters got older and left for college, the Prairie Path gave their parents a new outlet for their energy. Now when Hamm and her own children return to Glen Ellyn for a visit, they already know what's on the agenda. "Whenever we come (to visit) we have to pay homage to the Prairie Path," Hamm said. "They carry us all in their van." The Moorings have been volunteer caretakers of the same piece of the path - the area between Hill Avenue and the east branch of the DuPage River, since the early days of the trail. "I think we're the only people who have continuously maintained a section all those years," Jean said. In most areas of the path, government agencies such as the county, forest preserve or park district take care of larger maintenance projects while volunteers handle amenities such as signs, sculptures, drinking fountains and benches. For years, Paul has been making signs for the path in his backyard, and he and Jean have helped build several bridges, including Volunteer Bridge in Wheaton, which dozens of volunteers funded and constructed themselves. The work was never easy for the Prairie Path group. Over the years it went through battles over land ownership, insurance coverage and vandalism. But members never waned in their desire to make it a success. In 2003, the Moorings installed a bench on their section of the path with an inscription that reads, "Happiness is a winding trail." The two walk different parts of the path together almost every week and visit their own section a couple times a month to pick up trash and enjoy the views. Although they can name just about every plant and bird they come across, there are still surprises each time. "You never know what you're going to see," Jean said. "There's something new around every bend." The Illinois Prairie Path hasn't been the couple's only cause. The two also serve on the DuPage Environmental Commission and The Conservation Foundation board. Paul is a member of the National Audubon Society and is the former president of the Illinois Audubon Society. He volunteered for years with the DuPage Birding Club organizing bird counts. "They've been active in the birding community for many years, and really spoke out for bird conservation issues to the county and forest preserve district when it was perhaps not as much on the radar as it is today," Fisher said. The two have garnered dozens of awards over the years, including recognition from the Rotary Club, YMCA, Illinois Audubon Society and DuPage Birding Club. In 1988, they took part in a ceremony at the White House to accept the Take Pride in America Award on behalf of Prairie Path volunteers. Like proud parents, they've nurtured the Prairie Path and watched it grow for 40 years, and their work is never done. "It makes us feel good to see people enjoying it," Paul said, "most of whom think it's always been there." |
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