It was really quite poignant at times.

The farewell to the Huntley School District 158 school board members who were retiring.

Jim Greve, a former school board member thanked the board.

So did Tina Hill. She said that State Rep. Mike Tyron and State Senator Pam Althoff wanted “to thank those retiring board members,” that they “wanted to personally send their thanks for your public service.”

Both Tryon and Althoff endorsed Mike Skala for for reelection. Skala trailed Jim Carlin by 13 votes.

Two leaders of the Huntley teachers union also thanked the retiring board members.

Carol Skala addressed the board and had her husband laughing hilariously.

How hard was he laughing?

The best pose was fuzzy. So is the one I am posting, but, trust me the other one looks as if Skala is made of Jello and someone is shaking him. I don’t know whether that was because I moved the camera or that he was convulsed with laughter.

Tax hike professional Cheryl Meyer, played second fiddle to the “First Lady.”

The board president got the red cap you can see in the photograph. Meyer handed him a booklet of words not to use in public. She brought up peanut butter and toast to represent the many times Skala returned home late and ate that for dinner.

I didn’t get a photo of a red and white beach ball that had something to do with the controversy about the high school’s nickname—the Redskins.

I also missed the little plastic baggy containing 55 cents, representing the 55-cent tax rate hike supported by the board’s ruling establishment.

What his wife said must have deeply touched Skala, however, as you can see from the photography where Skala seems to be almost in the second phase of “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the church and see all the people.”

After they finished, Sakla said he has prayed a lot about the election and mused,

“Maybe this is His (God’s) way of saying our marriage is more important than the school board.

“I love this district. I love everything there is about it.”

“Frank, Rosemary and myself decided, actually, it was Frank’s idea (to get new name plates for the board members),” Skala explained

That is a relief to this cameraman.

The members hardly ever had chins in my pictures because the lower parts of the board members’ faces disappeared behind the tall plastic nameplates.

I got some photographs of the hugs and I’ve posted some of them here.

Frank Coleman made a point to thank the tax hike political action committee B.E.S.T. in his summary of his almost ten years on the board.

Rosemary Herringer also made brief comments.