Mike Todnem

Meet Mr. Todnem

"Western Spring families want to do well. The young people strive and want to do even better. This is a good place to grow up."

Listen to the Conversation Here

Biography

Mr. Todnem, a Sub Squad teacher at McClure, is better known to McClure students as "Mr. T." Before becoming a permanent substitute teacher at McClure three years ago, Mr. T specialized in logistics and supply chain management for companies like Gatorade and PepsiCo. Mr. T earned an MBA in finance and marketing from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. The first house Mr. T and his wife lived in after they got married was in Western Springs, right next to Laidlaw Elementary School. They lived there for about two years before moving to another home in the area because they like to work on houses and tend to move every 8 or 9 years. Mr. T currently lives in LaGrange.

Conversation Topics

The different jobs and businesses he worked for before he came to McClure.
How much he enjoys working at McClure and what makes Western Springs a great place for families.
The "perfect quarter mile" in Western Springs and what happened when a tree fell on a car during a bad storm.
Stores that used to be in Western Springs and the new places that replaced them.
"Tennis tags" you had to wear on your shoes to when playing tennis at Spring Rock.

Some Things Change, Some Stay the Same

The stores in Western Springs are special to Mr. Todnem because of all the history that has been through them. Mr. T told us about a couple of special food markets. One of these markets, Casey's, is still around today. The other, Tischler Finer Foods, only lives on in a movie called Contagion and in the fond memories of Mr. T and others.

Go Speed Racer!

An activity that made Western Springs unique when Mr. T first lived here was drag racing. The reason there was drag racing here was because teens called the road from Ogden Ave & Wolf Road to the northbound ramp of the Tri-State Tollway the “perfect quarter mile." Because drag racing was (and is) illegal, the teen drivers had lots of areas for spotters to look out for police. Mr. T and his wife would hear the races and then hear the police sirens!

NOTE: This is just an image from the internet of drag racing. It is NOT a picture from Western Springs!

Tasty Times

The Spaghetti Bowl was a very popular place that was well-known where you could go to get pizza and spaghetti. The Spaghetti Bowl was where State Farm Insurance is now on Burlington Avenue, and many Western Springs residents remember and wish they could go back for another meal.

Western Springs Story

Mr. Mike Todnem, a former employee of Gatorade and PepsiCo, currently works at McClure Junior High School as a permanent building sub, sometimes known as a "Sub Squad" member. We talked about stories like drag racing on Ogden and a dry cleaner called Odegaard's where Elite Fitness is now. During our conversation, Mr. Todnem told us that he thinks what makes this town so unique is how the community and families are all connected. He also talked to us about all the changes in Western Springs he has noticed over the years, including other businesses that are now gone like the 7-11, Spaghetti Bowl, and Snackers Cafe. Mr. T (that's what we call Mr. Todnem) is a very helpful and nice teacher in McClure.

What Makes Western Springs Special

The easy commute to downtown Chicago.
The people who live here work hard, always want to do better, and take care of each other.
You had to have a special tag on the laces of your shoes to use the tennis courts. There were municipal employees that would drive by and check, for the tags, when you were playing tennis at Spring Rock.

Changes Seen in Western Springs

A lot of businesses have come and gone over the years. For example, Mr. T remembers when...

- The Elite Fitness building used to be Odegaard's Dry Cleaner.
- There used to be a 7-11 in town and lots of kids would hang out there.
- The Spaghetti Bowl stood were State Farm is now.
- A favorite of his, Snackers Cafe, was a restaurant were Hash Stacks was.
- There used to be 8 gas stations in Western Springs, and many were located at busy intersections. Now there is only 1 gas station in town.
- There used to be a grocery store at Wolf Road & Hillgrove. The original store was a Jewel store from about 1959 until 1979. In 1981, Tischler Finer Foods opened, but then it closed in 2003. This is where the Foxford Station Condominiums are today.
- In 1907, the building where Casey's Market is today was home to Henrikson's Market. In 1954, it was sold and became Brinker's. For more than 35 years now, the store has been Casey's.

Describe Western Springs in 3 Words

Hard-working
Striving
Connected