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The longest-serving athlete : Pioneering Special Olympian dies

The longest-serving athlete : Pioneering Special Olympian dies
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Marquette parkUnited statesSoldier fieldMcguane parkWest pullman parkJustice anne burkeMichael moose cusackMickey mooseKevin obrienEsther cusackCarole cusackPat mchughPat molloyConnie mcintoshJohn cusackColette cusack

Why do we have Christmas trees? The surprising history behind this holiday tradition

Why do we have Christmas trees? The surprising history behind this holiday tradition. Amy McKeever © Photograph by Hulton Archive, Getty Images In December 1848, an illustration showed Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children admiring a Christmas tree. Many variations of the image began to circulate, popularizing the festive trend. Christmas trees are a strange tradition, if you think about it: Every December, people in regions around the world head to the nearest forest, chop down a tree, drag it into their homes, adorn it with lights, baubles, and tinsel then unceremoniously drag it to the curb in January. But evergreen boughs have been essential seasonal decor since ancient times as part of pagan winter solstice celebrations. “Evergreens at midwinter festivals were traditional since the ancient world, signifying the victory of life and light over death and darkness,” writes Carole Cusack, professor of religious studies at the University of Sydn

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Michael Cusack, one of the first Special Olympians who made every moment count

Provided When Michael Cusack jumped into the pool, he was all business confident, unflappable and certainly not troubled by a pair of swim trunks that wouldn’t stay on. So when he started to fall behind in a race in California in 1971, he didn’t hesitate. “He just kicked them off and finished the race naked and won,” said Connie Cusack McIntosh, one of his four sisters. Mr. Cusack amassed hundreds of medals many of them gold during a Special Olympics career that spanned almost four decades and began during the first ever event at Soldier Field in 1968. He was just 12 at the time, his sister said.

United statesGarden homesSoldier fieldWest pullman parkColette cusackMichael cusackMaureen mccormackRichardj daleyCarole cusackConnie cusack mcintoshSpecial olympicsIllinois supreme court justice anne burkeGood shepherd manorSouth sideSupreme court justice anne burkeMayor richard