In a surprise move, the Senior Citizens Center of Oak Park & River
Forest's executive director for nearly a decade has been displaced in a
restructuring of the local organization.

Doris Gruskin would have headed the center for 10 years this February
but she was dismissed effectively immediately on Nov. 11 by Shirley
Lundin, president of the board that sets policy for the center, which is
based in but not affiliated with the Oak Park Arms Retirement Community,
414 S. Oak Park Ave.

The center's board in a letter of termination said, without being
specific, that Gruskin had not met performance standards for the job.
Gruskin called that characterization "a ludicrous thing."

"It was entirely a personality conflict. The operation of the center has
been flourishing," Gruskin said.

Barbara Heine, like Gruskin and Lundin an Oak Park resident, since Nov.
12 has been interim director of the Senior Center, which has since lost
at least three other employees to resignations in protest of Gruskin's
dismissal. Private opposition also has been expressed by some supporters
and organizations that work with the Senior Center.

"People are absolutely in a state of shock," said Gruskin.

Heine, who retired earlier this year as membership director of the Oak
Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce, referred all comment to Lundin.

"There was a definite difference of opinion on the future direction of
the center," said Lundin, who said she did not want to be specific about
the center's personnel decisions.

Lundin said generally that center board members wanted specifics such as
record keeping done better and that Gruskin's surprise at the dismissal
was "probably one of the main issues" led to the action.

Gruskin said the firing was uncalled for and was carried out with
circumstances that cause suspicion about the motives for it. The former
director's termination came only days after the center's annual Holiday
Fair, in which the center sells arts and crafts of its members' making
to raise money for center operations. "The fair did very well," said
Gruskin, who maintained that center leaders intentionally let her go
after the event had been held on Nov. 6 this year.

Also, the center board's letter of termination to Gruskin had requested
that she resign the director's post so the board could hold an open
house to honor Gruskin for her years of service to the organization.
Gruskin said she saw the firing and the open house as contradictory, and
rather than resign and accept the charges surrounding her dismissal,
Gruskin took the firing and proposed that she receive a severance
payment of one week of pay for each of her 10 years at the Senior
Center. The center's board declined that package and Gruskin said she
applied for and has received unemployment benefits.

Subsequent to Gruskin's firing, bookkeeper Barbara Platt, weaving
instructor Ulla Bhue Berggren and all-around staff member Carol Novak
also resigned in protest of the center board's firing. Several
volunteers also have stopped working for the center, Gruskin said.

Lundin said the resignations of protest came about largely because
Gruskin contacted staff members close to her and used "loyalty" to prod
the resignations. "It's not across the board," Lundin said of
resignations from the Senior Center.

Gruskin and some of the others involved declined to speak further about
the employment situations, expressing fear that more publicity about the
disagreement could hurt the center, a not-for-profit organization that
serves and provides activities for area senior citizens.

The center's board now will undertake a search to find a permanent new
executive director. Also to be done soon will a "restructuring of
staffing," said Lundin, who added that the center "is not in a very
sound financial position at the moment." She declined to be specific
about whether any financial difficulties factored into Gruskin's
departure.

Clarmarie Keenan, president of the Nineteenth Center Woman's Club, 178
N. Forest Ave., was one of several local agency representatives involved
with the Senior Center who declined to comment publicly on Gruskin's
firing. Keenan said the Nineteenth Century Woman's Club donates money to
the center and so could not become involved in the dispute without
engaging in an inappropriate conflict of interest.

Moses Williams, general manager of the Oak Park Arms, said he and the
Arms have had "a good working relationship" with Gruskin and the entire
Senior Center. "I hate that she's no longer with the Senior Center,
other than that there's nothing I can add," Williams said of Gruskin and
her employment situation.  The Arms provides meeting and activity space
to the Senior Center in part as a marketing tool to attract residents of
the retirement community but is not directly involved in the center's
operations. Williams, however, does have a seat on the Senior Center's
board.

"The board is devoted to the future of the Senior Center," Lundin said.

Shortly after this story was first published I received
calls for the next couple of days making it quite clear
from all the gals mentioned in the article, that they
left of their own free will.  Several of the callers had
mentioned that they never, not once saw a Board member
during any of the activities that they had instructed.
Ulla Beerggren had not seen a Board member in the
nine years that she had worked there.  All of the
women were paid for their work and quit when Doris
Gruskin was fired.  It is not easy to find a job at the
age that these ladies are, and leaving is something
they chose to do.  These are all strong moves to show
support for Mrs. Gruskin.  It should also be noted that
not all of the Board members were contacted and not
all of them voted.  There are also many new board
members on the board now and we hope they do a
better job of working with their people.  It should also
be noted that when Doris Gruskin was fired she was
also denied benefits for having worked ten years for
the organization.  The Illinois Department of Employment
Security found in favor of Doris Gruskin during
several interviews with all parties and instructed the
Senior Citizens Center of Oak Park & River
Forest to honor their commitment and pay her
unemployment benefits as prescribed by Illinois Law.
Working with people is something of an art and this
painting should not be framed.  We hope a clean
brush and new day may get this organization back
on track.

Edward Vincent