Posted here with permission of Press Publications.
(Photograph selections may be different than in print version.)
Many thanks to Classmates Jane McGrew for providing 'clipping' and Mike McLane for providing computer scans from our '54 yearbook.

The peppy prankster

This is the seventh of a 12 part series focusing on York High School graduates of 1954 who are preparing to celebrate their 45th reunion. Some have gone on to fame and fortune while others have stayed in Elmhurst trying to make a difference in their hometown.     This month's student is Donna McFarland, known to her classmates as Donna Van Ewyk, the homecoming queen, cheerleader and occasional prankster. She married her childhood sweetheart, Dean, and has lived in various parts of the United States and Europe as an officer's wife. In 1975, she had a serious accident, which left her a quadriplegic. The accident did not stop her from living life to the fullest. Today, she resides in Dunedin, Fla., working for Nielsen Media Research of Northbrook, Ill.

Donna McFarland lives her life in sunny Dunedin, Fla., as a interviewer for the Northbrook, Ill.-based Nielsen Media Research. McFarland was known as Donna Van Ewyk when she attended York High School.

By Marie Lazzara
Press Publications

Former homecoming queen, '54 grad retains zest for life

In her high school days, Donna McFarland made a career of participating in York's many organizations and athletic activities.
    Unlike some students who dread setting a foot in school day after day, McFarland relished every moment of it.
    "I was crazy about York because for me high school was a ball." Donna said. "I didn't get home until 5 or 5:30 at night."
    Describing herself as a "social butterfly," she would flutter about with her friends learning the news of the day and sometimes plot a mischievous prank or two on an unsuspecting teacher.
    The former Villa Park resident could be found cheering for the home team at athletic games, overseeing business as class secretary or holding court as the homecoming queen.
    McFarland was known then as Donna "Little Van" Van Ewyk.
    Her nickname was appropriate as it described her 5 foot-1 petite stature.

Good times
At York, Donna struggled through subjects such as Latin and even chorus. She remembers having her choral career cut short in junior year after her director C. Eldon Harris did not like the sound of her pitch.
    "He said, 'How did you manage to get into chorus? You can't sing a note,'" she said. "I told him 'I must have slipped through the cracks.' To this day, I can't even hum a tune and if I try, I'm told to keep my day job."
    Her strong suit was learning about cooking, sewing and homemaking skills in home economics, which was taught by Burdette Winemiller. Donna was also fond of her cheerleading coach, Jan Powell, and physical education instructor, Luella Hofstetter.
    When it came to friends, her crowd was "a clean-cut group" who socialized with the " '54 boys," male students of her class who were also into athletics and who in the future would marry classmates.
    Hen parties where girls talked about the latest gossip, ate snacks and smoked cigarettes were popular.
    Places such as the Elmhurst fast-food landmark Hamburger Heaven and the drive-in movie hit the spot after digesting reading, writing and arithmetic every week.
    She and her friends watched flicks featuring popular actors of the day such as Lana Turner, Rock Hudson, Jimmy Stewart, Van Johnson and Clark Gable.
    When Donna was not with her friends, she dated several boys and became steady with Dean McFarland in her sophomore year.
    "Thirteen of us piled into Grant MacLaren's car," Donna said. "At the time, he had a California driver's license. He was speeding down St. Charles Road and was pulled over by a Villa Park patrolman who sent us to the police. We gave our names to the officer in charge. Suddenly, the officer said 'Oh, my God, you're the niece of Gordon Van Ewyk our chief of police, and Phyllis Horn is the daughter of the justice of the peace.' Needless to say, we all got of scot-free.
    "We were full of the dickens," she said.
    They weren't always so lucky. There was the time that she and her friends "white washed" the car engine of her gym teacher Jan Powell with limburger cheese. They were "busted," so to speak.
    "We thought this was hilarious, but we got called on the carpet for that one," Donna said. "We went before the whole school board. Somebody told on us. It was a pretty rough week. We did get expelled, but it was only for a day or so. We didn't damage the car. It was just a prank.
    School was not the only place to find something to do. Donna and her younger brother, Jim, worked at Pfund & Clint Florists doing small jobs. Today, Jim is a part owner of the store.
    In the summertime, she would make a splash at the Elmhurst swimming pool or spend some time at Lake Geneva with her family. A special moment in her life took place in 1953. McFarland held court as the class home coming queen.


Attired in a long white dress, she was accompanied by the king, 6-foot-2 Jack Falter. To this day, Donna still talks to the former York football and basketball player, an Elmhurst resident.
    After making a half-time appearance on the football field acknowledging their subjects, the king, queen and their court made their way to the Homecoming Dance swaying to songs such as "Blue Moon" and the "Tennessee Waltz."
    "[Going to school] was the best part of our life," Donna said "We were and we still are a unique and wonderful group of people and we enjoyed being teenagers in the 1950s. It was a great time to grow up."

LEFT Donna McFarland relaxes on board the '54 yearbook's "ship." She and Jack Falter were the homecoming queen and king for the senior class back in 1953.

Seeing the world
After York she attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale for two years and studied home economics.
    She found time to join the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and to kick up her heels.
    "One of my biggest claims to fame was being in a chorus line of 10 gals," she said. "We were dressed in black shorts, a white blouse with a black bow tie, black high heels and a black top hat. We performed at local clubs for no charge and danced in (places such as) New Orleans."
    Donna left the university because she wanted to seek employment and to be closer to her sweetheart Dean who was attending Northwestern. While living at home in Villa Park, she was a secretary at an Elmhurst law firm. She married Dean in 1958.
    When he enlisted in the U.S. Army, she stayed in her hometown and saw old classmates such as Gene Kragel and his wife. When Dean was stationed in Europe in 1960, she joined him and worked in the U. S. Department of the Armed Civilians
    On weekend, the McFarlands saw the sights, sounds and tastes of Paris, dining on escargot and sipping wine while staying at a hotel on Rue Washington. They took advantage of their time by also visiting Spain, Austria and Holland, the birthplace of Donna's grandfather.
    An upgrade of Dean's rank from private to second lieutenant signaled a move to Sweidiecken, Germany. He focused his work on computer systems. In 1962, Donna gave birth to their first child, Deanna. In 1963, the family returned briefly to Villa Park and then moved to Maryland where Dean had a position with computer giant IBM. That same year, they welcomed their second child, Dale.
    In November, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy touched the hearts of Americans with sadness and grief. Being close by Washington, D.C., the McFarlands paid their respects to the fallen leader. Donna said that she heard about the tragedy in a local beauty parlor that Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the president's sister, frequented.
    "We went in the Rotunda and circled the casket," she said. "It was three o'clock in the morning. We stood out there all night long. The only reason we left when we did was because I still had a young baby at home. While we were standing in line, we saw Mrs. Kennedy along with two nuns come in the early hours of the morning going up to the casket.
    "The whole weekend from Friday through Monday at the time of the burial, you could hear a pin drop and most people were glued to their television sets. I felt terrible. I was in shock"
    Because of Dean's job, the family relocated to Texas and New Jersey in the mid and late 1960s. Their third child, David, was born in 1967. In 1974, the McFarlands moved back to Maryland.
    In 1975, an accident would change Donna's life forever.

Donna McFarland describes herself as a "social butterfly" joining many organizations such as the Pep Club and the Girls Athletic Association.

York's Pep Club cheerleaders boosts the high school's team spirit. Among them were Donna McFarland (center right).

One step at a time
In July 1975, while sitting on the ledge of her second story bedroom window, Donna lost her balance and fell 26 feet to the ground. Her son Dale found her.
    "I couldn't move and almost lost my voice because I was paralyzed from mid-chest down," she said.
    Donna spent two months at Silver Springs Maryland Hospital and then transferred to Craig Spinal Cord Injury Hospital in Colorado. She said Craig was known for being "the finest spinal cord hospital in the world."
    While friends and family members paid bedside visits, several York 1954 classmates such as Carole Hansen O'Connell, Al Fritz and Bob Stemple, all Denver residents, also came to see Donna.
    "They provided me with a home away from home on weekends," she said.
    Sad news came as doctors told her the damage was permanent. Dashing any hopes of being able to walk again, she returned to Mary land in 1976 to cope with being a quadriplegic.
    "I think the entire time my family was in shock not knowing what the future would hold for any of us," Donna said "I was learning how to care and live for myself.
    "I kept asking 'How am I going to take care of my three children?' who at that time were 8, 12 and 13. I no longer could make them grilled cheese sandwiches, coach cheerleading, do house cleaning or anything that I needed to do for them. I kept thinking 'How am I going to live?'"
    Patience, time and loving support proved beneficial.
    "You just take one day at a time," she said. "I have to rely on somebody to come in the morning to get me up and somebody at night to put me to bed. It's not easy. I can't say that I totally accept it. Nothing is forever."
    In 1979, the McFarlands moved to Dunedin, Fla., to be near Donna's parents and Dean's father.
    Joining local organizations such as the Dunedin Youth Guild gave Donna an opportunity to become involved in a group again. The organization provides youngsters with civic and cultural programs. She quickly became involved in the guild's cook book project, "Suncoast Seasons," which collected recipes from different area restaurants and famous icons such as Nancy Reagan and the late Princess Diana It was finally published in 1984 and can be found in fine department stores and at Pfund & Clint. Proceeds went to the guild's scholarships.
    During that same year, Donna found ways to extend her mobility by having special equipment. For example, a lift was installed in her mini-van so she could drive around town. As she was making positive steps toward regaining her life, Dean died in 1984.
    Since 1992, Donna has been living by herself in a condo. Home-health-care aides assist her in the morning and evening. Special customized features such as a raised double drain porcelain board and a raised countertop stove help her do simple tasks. Since she has limited mobility in her hands, she uses a universal handcuff fitted for her right hand. The handcuff helps her do tasks such as punching a keyboard, holding her eating utensils, putting on her makeup and washing her hair. Today she is an interviewer for Nielsen Media Resources based in Northbrook, Ill. Two of her children live near her while her youngest son is in the Marines.
    Donna has not only corresponded with her friends but has attended several class reunions. Her appearance at the 40th surprised many.
    "I hadn't seen a lot of those classmates because I was moving a lot," she said. "I think a lot of classmates were afraid to talk to me, at first. I really had one true friend and that was Al Fritz. He was my oldest and dearest friend. He was the best man at our wedding and helped me so much in Denver."
    Donna is looking forward to seeing her friends again this September at the 45th reunion.
    "I feel that I've lived an interesting life," she said. "You can make some choices. You can stay in the corner or you can make the best out of what you have. For the most part, I have."

Visit the York54 web site at www.grantmaclaren.com/york54