Good afternoon, Chicago ✶
And Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all who celebrate (or are still recovering from weekend revelry).
In today’s newsletter, we’re catching up with local trailblazer Peggy Montes who, at age 88, is “still a beautiful lady in motion.”
Plus: Cubs beat reporter Maddie Lee on the team’s time in Tokyo so far, the Field Museum’s world-famous fossil collection and more community news you need to know below. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Peggy Montes helped establish Chicago’s Women’s History Month — and still is a ‘lady in motion’
Reporting by Mariah Rush
Life’s passion: Peggy Montes, 88, carries a passion for empowering women and educating children through the museum she founded.
Her legacy: Montes is chairwoman emerita at DuSable Museum, member of the Black Creativity Program at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and co-founder of the Leadership Advisory Council at the Art Institute of Chicago, to name a few. It’s almost easier for Montes to name the Chicago institutions she does not have a relationship with, whether as a philanthropist, trustee, awardee or founder.
Pivot to politics: Montes was born in Bronzeville, graduated from DuSable High School and attended Chicago State University — formerly Chicago Teachers College. She taught for years before earning her master’s degree and becoming a counselor. Her career pivoted to politics in the early 1980s, as she got involved in Harold Washington’s campaign for mayor.
Women’s History Month: During Washington’s tenure, the Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Women’s Affairs was created by executive order in 1984, with Montes as its executive director. Under her leadership, Women’s History Month was observed for the first time in Chicago’s history in March 1986.
Museum opening: In 1998, Montes took on yet another new frontier in her career — opening her museum dedicated to African American culture and history. Originally located in Evergreen Park, Bronzeville Children’s Museum opened that year and was named for the neighborhood where many African Americans settled during the Great Migration. She eventually moved the museum to 9301 S. Stony Island Ave. in Calumet Heights in 2007.
Key quote: “I’m just blessed to say that I’m still here. … People called me an icon so many times, I had to look up what the word meant,” she said. “I’m going on 89, but I’m still a beautiful lady in motion.”
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Famous fossils: Fossil enthusiasts and speculators have helped to make the Field Museum’s Mazon Creek collection world-famous. Collectors say they’re motivated by money, science and the hunt.
- Tesla turmoil: Tesla car owners have been victims of vandalism, rude behavior and assumptions about their politics since CEO Elon Musk joined the Trump administration and began slashing jobs. Owners say they’re regular people who can’t afford to pay for repairs.
- Egg giveaway: Volunteers from two local churches gave away more than 40,000 eggs Saturday to Chicagoans as egg prices soar.
- St. Pat’s for poets: Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg takes a look at how famous Irish poets Oscar Wilde, Dylan Thoms and W.B. Yeats previously spent St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago.
- Beaver named: The “remarkably rotund” Bubbly Creek beaver finally has a name: Ida Beav Wells — thanks to volunteers who cast their vote. The runner-up names were Plumpton Sinclair and Chewy Garcia.
POSTCARDS FROM TOKYO ⚾
Cubs ready for Opening Day in Tokyo
Opening Day kicks off Tuesday for the Cubs in Japan, where they’ll take the field against the Los Angeles Dodgers at 5:10 a.m. Chicago time. Tuesday marks the start of the two-game Tokyo Series.
The Cubs have had a chance to warm up with a few exhibition games against Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league teams.
Sun-Times Cubs beat reporter Maddie Lee arrived in Japan Thursday and has been covering the team as they prepare for the season opener. She has shared some of her highlights so far for Sun-Times readers.
Passionate fans: “It’s been an amazing experience already,” Maddie tells me. “The enthusiasm from the NPB fans cheering on their teams in the exhibition games has definitely been a highlight.”
A homecoming: “The Tokyo Series is a really special way to open the regular season,” Maddie explains. “Having five Japanese-born players participating only adds to that feeling. The first pitch of the series and the season will likely be from the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga against the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, and it would be hard to script a better first matchup in Japan than that.”
Team bonding: Cubs players arrived at the Kanda Myoujin Shrine on Thursday night sporting traditional happi coats, as Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki hosted a welcome party for the team. The night included a purification ritual as they entered the shrine, the breaking down of a whole tuna and a samurai performance.
Pokémon hunt?: While in Japan, Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon has been on the hunt for Pokémon cards, as he is a devout collector.
Memorable meals: Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Sunday this trip has forced some players to step out of their comfort zone and try new food. “Some of the best meals I’ve eaten in Tokyo so far have come from wandering into a nearby restaurant and hoping for the best,” Maddie says. “Just be ready for surprises along the way — most likely great ones.”
READ THE LATEST CUBS REPORTING
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Dyeing of Chicago River draws St. Patrick’s Day revelers downtown
Reporting by Anna Savchenko | WBEZ
The dyeing of the Chicago River for St. Patrick’s Day drew an eclectic crowd to downtown Chicago on Saturday.
After the Chicago Plumbers Local 130 turned the river green, thousands flocked to Columbus Drive for the annual downtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Regulars of the parade, like the Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band and the Trinity Irish Dancers, marched as spectators donned green hats, necklaces and shirt.
Nadine Freiheit, 52, drove from her home in Mazeppa, Minnesota, for the revelry dressed in a tricolored skirt over leggings, and lots of beads and a green baseball cap,.
“My grandma was a McNulty, and so it runs deep in our bloodline,” said Freiheit, who was there with a friend and her sister.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s your favorite Irish pub in Chicago — and why?
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Written by: Matt Moore
Editor: Satchel Price
Copy editor: Angie Myers