AAUW TIMES
Elgin Area Branch
Established in 1920
February – March 2026 Vol. 30, No. 4
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Saturday, February 21, 1:00 p.m.
PRE-CIVIL WAR FREEDOM QUILTS
St. Hugh of Lincoln Episcopal Church
36W957 Highland Ave., Elgin
Connie Martin will use family history to tell stories of how secret codes in the patterns of pre-Civil War quilts were used to help guide escaping slaves on their Underground Railroad journey to freedom in Canada.
OTHER FEBRUARY EVENTS
4: Current Movie Discussion Group, 4:30 p.m.
The Grumpy Goat, Elgin
Song Sung Blue and Is This Thing On?
9: Great Books, 7:00 p.m.
Gail Borden Library, Elgin & Zoom
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
12: Morning Book Group, 9:30 a.m.
Gail Borden Library, Elgin
Symphony of Secrets, Brenda Slocumb
16: Needlework Group, 1:00 p.m.
Hostess: Patty Harkin
16: Political Engagement, 2:00 p.m.
Location TBA
19: Women & Culture, 1:00 p.m.
Location TBA
Mary Shesgreen of Fox Valley Citizens. . .
25: Evening Book Group, 7:00 p.m.
Hostess: Barbara Evans
The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak
Save the Date
April 24-25: AAUW-IL Convention
Hilton Garden Inn, Rockford
Sunday, March 8, 1:00 p.m.
CELEBRATING JANE AUSTEN
on International Women’s Day
Elgin History Museum, 360 Park Street
Drawing from Austen’s letters, juvenilia and novels, professional actress Debra Ann Miller assumes Austen’s persona and details her personal life that helped inform her perception of the world.
OTHER MARCH EVENTS
4: Current Movie Discussion Group, 4:30 p.m.
The Grumpy Goat, Elgin
Movie TBA
9: Branch Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
Hostess: Judi Tepe
9: Great Books, 7:00 p.m.
Gail Borden Library, Elgin & Zoom
Antony and Cleopatra, Wm. Shakespeare
12: Morning Book Group, 9:30 a.m.
Gail Borden Library, Elgin
By Any Other Name, Jodi Picoult
12: World War II Women Spies, 6:30 p.m.
Gail Borden Library, Elgin
Presenter: Author Kit Sergeant
16: Needlework Group, 1:00 p.m.
Hostess: Patty Harkin
16: Political Engagement, 2:00 p.m.
Location TBA
25: Evening Book Group, 7:00 p.m.
Hostess: Sharon LeCount
A Fever in the Heartland, Timothy Egan
CO-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
from Jennifer Ford
If you missed the program with Dr. Peggy Heinrich and Dr. Suzanne Johnson, please try to catch them at some other venue. They were informative, inspirational and entertaining. As members of the ECC and U-46 com-
munities, we can be reassured that our students are in good hands. Of course we also appreciated the soup, salad and dessert lunch that ECC treated us to for this gathering.
Attending the annual Martin Luther King breakfast were our members Vivienne Bailey, Rachel Campbell, Gail Cohn, Sandy Kaptain, Sue Schulz and Rita Shaw.
That we can completely fill the apartment baskets to help immigrants shows that once again, you have all risen to the occasion to help our community, (The products will be collected at our February quilts’ program.)
We are eagerly anticipating the February program on pre-Civil War quilts, and we thank the St. Hugh of Lincoln Anti-Racism Team and the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago’s Antiracism Committee for generously cosponsoring it with us.
In addition to our regular March monthly meeting, in honor of Women’s History Month we are joining Gail Borden Library to co-sponsor the March 12th program about two heroines who helped hundreds of French
Resistance agents escape the Nazis during WWII.
There was a discussion at our recent Board meeting about what the nature of our programs should be. All agreed that we should support the mission of AAUW by continuing to offer programs about education, women and leadership. That at times we do this in an entertaining way is considered a positive.
Here’s to a happy, healthy, fulfilling, prosperous, joyous new year!
KWANZAA CELEBRATION
Thanks to Rosemary Dyson (L) and Brenda Rodgers (R), Women and Culture members learned about the origins and principles of this non-religious celebration of African American culture that takes place from December 26
through January 1. Also included were some of the foods traditionally served at its Karamu feast.
OUR 2025 HOLIDAY LUNCHEON
As has become our tradition, we dined at the beautiful Elgin Country Club for our holiday gathering.Peggy Gomez and Earl Rigsvy, both of whom work
for Elgin Senior Services, invited us to join them in celebrating the season with song.
CURRENT MOVE DISCUSSION GROUP from Peggie Coughlin
Song Sung Blue, one of the movies chosen for our February meeting, is based on a true story about two down-on-their-luck musicians (Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman) who form a Neil Diamond tribute band, “proving it’s never too late to find love and follow your dreams.”
Is This Thing On?, our other February movie, has an 86% rating from Rotten Tomatoes. It stars Laura Dern and Will Arnett as a middle-age couple whose impending divorce finds each seeking new purposes in life.
All are welcome to join us at the Grumpy Goat on February 4th. Please bring suggestions for movies for March.
General Primary Election Day is March 17.
Early voting starts February. 5.
Now you can vote early at the new Kane County Clerk’s
office at 2170 Point Blvd, Suite 600, Elgin, Il., near
Jimmy’s Charhouse. (Only from March 2 – 6 can you vote
early at sites such as Gail Borden Library and Elgin
Township.)
Be aware that if you intend to vote by mail, now the
postmark will not be stamped until it goes through the
regional post office. Thus you would be advised to send
your ballet in ASAP. You can, however, go to the post
office during regular postal hours and have it postmarked
there.
IMO, voting early or in person is best! Make your vote
count! —Sandy Kaptain
GRADUATE NURSING STUDENT LOANS
TO BE SEVERELY REDUCED
reprinted from Ms., Winter 2026 issue
The U.S. Department of Education—under the direction of Republican members of Congress—has issued guidance to remove all graduate nursing degrees from the “professional student” category of federal student loans.
This means that beginning July 1, graduate nursing students will be limited to borrowing $20,500 per year, with a lifetime maximum of $100,000. Among these students will be nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists and nurse anesthetists—all advanced practice roles that keep rural, poor and underserved communities alive.
By contrast, graduate students in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary programs and law—fields still dominated by men—would retain access to $50,000 in loans per year and $200,000 total.
Ended will also be the Grad PLUS program, which currently allows students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance, including housing and child care. Thus gone will be the financial backbone that makes graduate nursing possible for first-generation students, working mothers and women of color.
Note: Nursing is 88% women overall and up to 90% women in its advanced ranks, according to the most recent available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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NEWSLETTER
AAUW-Elgin Area publishes the following issues of The
AAUW Times, the submission deadlines for which follow.
Aug. 20 for the September issue
Sept. 20 for October-November
Nov. 20 for December-January
Jan. 20 for February-March
Mar. 20 for April-May
May 20 for June-July-August
Of course early submissions are always welcome. Please
submit items as Word documents to Barbara at
evanselgin@yahoo.com.
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY
If a member should be recognized for an achievement/honor,
urged to get well, or consoled, please notify Beth at
bsmall499@gmail.com so that she may send a card.
USPS POST OFFICE BOX
AAUW Elgin Branch
Box 6721
Elgin IL 60121-6721
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The Elgin Area branch of AAUW was organized in 1920
with 40 charter members.
In principle and practice, AAUW values and seeks a
diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full
participation in this organization on the basis of gender,
race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin,
disability or class.
AAUW is open to all graduates who hold an associate
or baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or
university. An undergraduate student enrolled in a regionally
accredited educational institution shall be
eligible for student affiliation.
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AAUW’s Value Promise
By joining AAUW, we belong to a community that breaks
through educational and economic barriers so that all women
have a fair chance.
AAUW’s Educational Foundation
AAUW provides funds to advance education, research
and self-development for women and to foster equity
and positive social change.
AAUW’s Legal Advocacy Fund
AAUW invests in activities that prevent and combat sex
discrimination and promote gender equity through support
of litigation and educational programs.
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