The Pro-Life Victory PAC held a pig roast at the Bull Valley Country Club last Sunday.

Having attended the Marengo Settlers Days Parade, which went from two to just before three, I was late.

I arrived before the food was boxed for employees to take home during the speech of President Stephanie Hanlon.

She was telling of how she was looking for small billboard sites one day on which to post Pro-Life messages.

The next day she received a call telling her that the person’s property would be perfect for a Pro-Life sign.

Then, Hanlon doubled down.

She asked those in attendance if any of them had properties on high traffic roads where such signs could be posted.

I didn’t get a photos of candidates and elected officals in attendance, but I was given this list:

• Robb Tadelman
• Jeff Thorsen 
• Matt Kunkle
• Tom Weber 
• Terri Greeno
• Eric Hendricks
• John Reinert
• Martin  McLaughlin
• Jeff Schwartz
• Jeff Thorsen

State Representatives Joe Sosnowski, Marty McLaughlin and Steve Reick made contributions, as did District 1 County Board candidate Matt Kunkle, U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Salvi, McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio and McHenry County Regional Office of Education Superintendent Diane Hartman.

As I was leaving, so was long-time Pro-Life leader Irene Napier, now 97 and still sharp as a tack.

She was the majodomo for many, many years and started the Pig Roast at her family farm on Valley Hill Road at the eastern edge of the Crystal Lake zip code.

We discussed what we older folks want to be called.

It wasn’t “senior citizen,” that’s for sure.

I suggested “Elder,” which is what my in-laws agreed to at their 70th wedding anniversay dinner at Outback Steakhouse.

I also took the opportunity to thank Irene for her kind phone call after my mother was killed in a Route 14 Woodstock automobile accident in 1987.

Needless to say, it brought back sad memories.

That was after I was out of office the first time around and before Penny Pullen had answered my last reservation about switching from being Pro-Choice to Pro-Life.

It was a big part of my concluding that Pro-Lifers were just nicer than Pro-Choicers.