Woodstock Independent 9-1-11

English Channed - Dover

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Channeling his effort

The Woodstock Independent, by Jay Schulz | September 1, 2011

Within the next month, Barrington resident Doug McConnell will attempt to accomplish something that only 47 people older than 50 have accomplished – swimming the English Channel.

McConnell will swim in memory of his father, who passed away from ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. McConnell’s goal is to raise $50,000 for the Les Turner ALS Research Laboratory at Northwestern University. Medtronic, his primary sponsor, will match funds up to $50,000.

McConnell’s family came to Woodstock in the 1860s, and McConnell Road is named after his great-grandfather, who owned the original farm on the road. His parents, David and Bonnie, grew up in Woodstock, met in first grade, graduated from Woodstock High School in 1948 and married in 1952. McConnell was born in 1957. Read more about Doug and his family online at the Woodstock Independent.

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Ellen McConnell Blakeman succumbs to ALS

Ellen McConnell Blakeman, who broke important gender barriers and co-founded the nonprofit A Long Swim, succumbs to ALS. Ellen McConnell Blakeman of Burr Ridge, Illinois, passed away peacefully on February 11, 2018, after a twelve-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,

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