Village Seal Committee
January 28, 2025 Meeting Minutes
In attendance: Maria Monastero Bueno, Jasmine Gurneau, Trustee Khem Khoeun, Sheila Crumrine,
Thom DaMario, Emily England, Joe Hibdon, Dick Witry, Patrick Deignan, Alex Franz, Amanda Sabri
Review Minutes from January 24, 2025 meeting
• Minutes approved
Design discussion
• Trustee Khoeun summarized the reasoning for the Committee’s recent decisions, including
removing 1888, selecting the Minion font, and using the flame design with the wider base
• Emily volunteered to follow up with Marne Smiley and artist Sharon Hoogstraten regarding the
Village’s potential use of the oak leaf Native applique pattern in the seal border design. The
Committee agreed that it was paramount to ensure that the Village went through the
appropriate channels to determine if is ethical and legal for the Village to use the pattern in the
design, should the committee elect to do so.
• The group discussed options for words/text to include within the seal, including if and how to
include “Wabskoki,” “Community,” “Diversity,” and “Vision” within the design
• Jasmine shared her reflections on what each seal element meant to her, including the origins
and layers of meaning of Wabskoki, and the stained glass/mosaic style as representing Skokie’s
diversity
• The group decided to remove the word “diversity” from the design, agreeing that Skokie’s
diversity would be better represented through the mosaic/stained glass flame
• Dick and Emily discussed whether the flame – as an eternal flame – adequately represented the
Village’s future, or if additional symbolism or wording was needed within the design
• Dick suggested including “A Community of Vision,” instead of “Community” and “Vision.” This
would also serve as an update to “Village of Vision,” which appears on the current seal.
• After much discussion regarding potential ways to include various text options within the
design, the committee requested seeing three versions:
Option 1: Use the current design but include "Wabskoki" in the bottom border.
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Option 2: Place "A Community of Vision" within the border at the bottom, and integrate
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"Wabskoki" into the design.
Option 3: Place "Wabskoki" within the border at the bottom, "Community" within the
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border on the left, and "Vision" within the border on the right.
• Patrick agreed to share these recommendations with Mary and share updated designs at the
committee’s next meeting on February 6
Meeting Adjourned
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