Someone You Should Know: Lorraine “LA” Samluk
Published: October 1, 2009
On September 8, 2009 crossing guard Lorraine “LA” Samluk received a surprise unveiling of an honorary street sign with her name on it, at the intersection of Diversey & Sawyer Avenues. She received this honor for her forty-five years of dedication to crossing over 135,000 children to and from Avondale & Logandale Schools.
“The children love her, they call her ‘LA’ short for Lorraine. That’s three generations of our family [she has crossed],” said Maria Sanchez, a long time friend and organizer of the signage and event. Maria wanted to acknowledge this unsung hero for her passion and dedication to her work in providing safety to the children while crossing them everyday. “She never misses a day unless there’s a funeral.”
Her supervising Officer Robaszewski of the 14th District Chicago Police Department praised LA, “Citywide, Lorraine is the senior crossing guard. She makes a supervisor’s job easy. She is the definition of the term Public Service.”
A grateful Lorraine shared her happiness with the crowd, “I feel like I have died and gone to heaven. This was a big surprise and I feel overwhelmed. I wish to thank everyone for their support and love.”
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