Bridgeport Academy teacher Eva Balas dies at 52

By Michael Comstock

Eva N. Balas, longtime teacher at Bridgeport Catholic Academy, died May 26 after a nearly year-long battle with cancer. She was born July 6, 1954, and lived in Berwyn, IL.

Balas taught for nearly 21 years at Bridgeport Catholic Academy’s campus on 3700 S. Lowe Ave. She had taught grades five through eight in math as well as eighth grade science, religion, and homeroom.

Before Balas taught at BCS, she taught at Blessed Agnes and at St. David’s, which had become part of BCS in 1985 along with seven other Catholic parishes.

“She was very, very passionate about teaching and definitely one of the most dedicated teachers I’ve ever seen,” said BCS principal Lillian Buckley, who worked with Balas for five years. “Her children, her students, were definitely her family and they came first.”

Balas also prepared students for their confirmations. “That was always a special time for her, because she thought highly of the Catholic religion,” said Buckley. “She wanted to have her students more fully participate in the Catholic religion. Confirmation is a sign of initiation, and she thought that was very important.”

Balas also took her students on trips to Washington, DC. “She could very easily do tours of Washington on her own because she just knew Washington inside and out,” said Buckley.

Balas’s teaching career came at an abrupt end last June when she was diagnosed with cancer.  Buckley said Balas was optimistic she would come back, but even after rounds of chemotherapy the cancer did not give way.

Balas also was an active member of the American Sokol Organization and for 30 years belonged to the Moravian Cultural Society, with which she performed traditional folk dances of her ancestral homeland. “She was a good dancer and good performer,” said Jean Mesnik, the society’s president. “We had many outings in which she’d participate. We had danced all around the country.”

While performing, Balas and the other dancers wore traditional costumes of the Czech Republic. “I believe she had her own costumes,” said Mesnik. “I know she was dedicated to her teaching career, but she was also dedicated to her Czech background.

“She was a very valued member in our organization,” Mesnik continued. “She tried to do her best in whatever she was involved with, whether it was Sokol or the Moravian Cultural Society. I never saw her without a smile on her face. So we will all miss her, all the different organizations that she belonged to.”

She is survived by her mother, Eva A. Balas, her sister Irene Heddermen, and her niece and nephews Danielle, Jimmy, and Franky. Services were held at Dalcamo Funeral Home and a funeral Mass was said at Nativity of Our Lord Church. She was cremated.

 

Julie Thoma Wright, interior designer and auctioneer, dies at 49

Julie Thoma Wright, who with her husband Richard founded Wright, an auction house at 1440 W. Hubbard St. that specialized in modern art and design, died June 11 at age 49 after a three-year battle with cancer.

            Under Mrs. Wright's direction, Wright auction house became an international leader in the world of modern art and design auction houses.

            Born in Le Mars, IA, Julie Thoma was one of eight children. After receiving a bachelor's degree in interior design from Iowa State University, she moved to Chicago in 1981 and got a job as a designer for Arlene Semel & Associates. Four years later, she started her own design firm, Julie Thoma Inc., where she earned an American Institute of Architects award.

            In 1989, she joined Interior Space Design in Chicago, where she rose to vice president. In 1995 she married Richard Wright, and the duo founded Wright auction house.

            She is survived by her husband; three sons, Nicholas, Emerson, and Adler; her mother; six sisters; and one brother.