The Gieser family, according to family history, are the descendants of the Duke de Guise in France. The family immigrated to Highland Park from Germany in the late 18th century. Adolph August Gieser ran a grocery store business in Highland Park and served as chief of the volunteer fire department. Adolph was married to Annie Christensen, originally from Denmark, and they one surviving child, William [Windsor] Gieser. William married Elise Weisenberger in 1932.
The Weisenberger family in the U.S. was headed by Albert Weisenberger, born in Germany. After emigrating at 20 years old, Albert worked as the gardener at the Ed V. Price estate, Bonita Vista, in Ravinia. Albert was married to Elise (nee Widmer) and they had two daughters, Elise Weisenberger Gieser and Marion W. Parker. The girls were raised on the estate and attended Ravinia School and Deerfield Shields High School.
Charlotte (Lottie) Pinkerton Blazer (1879-1966) was born to missionaries in South Africa and spent her earliest years in Wisconsin. As a young woman at the beginning of the 20th century, Pinkerton attended the Art Institute of Chicago and worked as a lantern slide colorist. She worked in California and founded the Santa Cruz Art League after her 1914 marriage to lawyer James Blazer. Pinkerton’s work can also be found at the Autry Museum of the American West, Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, and in other collections.
Grunewald taught at Elm Place School for 36 years, retiring in 1946.
"North Shore Democrat" Grace Mary Stern began her political career in 1966 after her successful election campaign to become assistant township supervisor in Deerfield Township (Illinois), a position on the Lake County Board. In 1970 she was elected as Lake County (Illinois) Clerk. Stern ran for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Adlai Stevenson III in 1982. (They lost.) Stern was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1984 where she served until her 1992 election as Illinois State Senator. Stern served as State Senator until her death from cancer in 1998. Stern received numerous civic awards, including the Highland Park Humanitarian Award and the Grace Mary Stern Scholarship Foundation for Women's Studies at Roosevelt University. Stern was married to H.L. "Hub" Stern. They had 10 children.
Frederick Charles Hocking was born in Cornwall, England on March 2, 1906. Hocking was a member of the Men's Garden Club of Highland Park (and its subsequent organizations) and he served as a member of the Board and as an officer. He worked as a gardener for a private family in Highland Park. Hocking volunteered at local schools and taught children how to make plant cuttings, earning a nomination at "Volunteer of the Year" in 1972.