John Schroeder

    John was my college roommate for 1971 at U of I, in Champaign. We hardly knew each other before that, which makes for good roommates. We were in Mr. Meyers math class as seniors in high school, and both found out late in the year the we had been accepted to the University. Everyone else had already paired up with a roommate. So faced with the prospect of rooming with a stranger, or with someone I knew was friendly and really smart, I accepted John as a roommate.
    What a great year is was too. We had very little in common, and we spent very little time in the room during the days. John had an extensive vinyl record collection which he let me share, and I learned so much about his library of music.
    I remember coming back from class one day and John had taped onto the to the walls of the room everything he could find that was black: shirts, pants, belts, etc. It turned out that Jimmy Hendrix had died that day from an overdose.
    We intended to remain roommates the following year, but upon returning for registration, I found that I could not make any of the course changes I decided to make over the summer. All the classes were filled so I chose to leave school, go back home, and start up agin at U of I Cirle Campus. It turned out that John had decided to do the same thing and John drove me to Circle campus for the first quater of our second year of colege.
    We lost touch for the next 12+ years until I bumped into him at the Honda dealer on LaGrange Road in Countryside. I needed to buy a new car as my wife, Joan, was 7 months pregnant and I didn't own a car. We immediately became friendly again, but never followed up after that as I became overwhelmed by fatherhood and my full-time job commuting downtown.
    I regret to this day that we lost touch, but I am forever greatful that I knew and loved John Peters.