Tracy Katz Muhl

BILL PEKARA (BP): Good afternoon, and welcome to Northbrook Voices, an oral history project sponsored by the Northbrook Public Library and the Northbrook Historical Society.

Today is Thursday, August 15th, 2024. My name is Bill Pecara, and I’m pleased to welcome Tracy Katz Muhl, who has lived in Northbrook since 1979. Welcome, Tracy. 

What has brought you to Northbrook? 

TRACY KATZ MUHL (TKM): Thank you for having me here today. I was brought to Northbrook by my parents. I was three years old when we moved from the city, from a condo in Rogers Park in anticipation of my little sister, Laurie, being born.

BP: What was Northbrook like when you first moved here? 

TKM: So I was pretty young, but I do have some fond childhood memories. Especially from my days at the preschool. It’s now, I think, what would be Northbrook Community Preschool that was on Willow Road in the church. That’s right there across from Plaza del Prado. We lived in [inaudible]. I have lots of happy childhood memories there—of the playground that had this giant oak tree. Willow tree? It’s a willow tree, right? With the giant branches. You could pluck the little bugs off the leaves of the trees. Kind of growing up there and going through all the different classes at the nursery school, and being a kindergartner at Willowbrook School. That hill that’s in the back between the playgrounds—you could ride on it on your bike, maybe with a friend on the banana seat on the back, if you didn’t bump yourself off. Going to the pools when we were little kids here in Northbrook. I have a lot of lovely childhood memories.

BP: Do you have any memories of Northbrook Days that you’d like to share? 

TKM: Sure. I obviously remember going to Northbrook Days even as a little kid. I wasn’t the bravest Northbrook Days participant—I never liked the Gravitron or the Ring of Fire, the ones that would make you go upside down. But I loved the food and the games. I remember the little water rides when we were kids. If you stepped in wrong, your foot would go straight down into the water track, and you’d have one waterlogged gym shoe for the rest of the night at the carnival. There was a slide that you would go down on a brown sack.

BP: This would have been probably always at the location that would be the Village Green. 

TKM: It would have been in the old Village Green Park in those days. Yeah. 

BP: It’s changed a little bit since then for sure. What has motivated you to stay in Northbrook over the years? 

TKM: I loved growing up here. I met my husband, who lived in Northbrook but was maybe six years older than me, when I worked downtown in the city. We both felt like we wanted to come back home—that this would have been a great place to go to school. We loved our teachers and our classmates and wanted to come back here when it was time to start a family. 

BP: Who are some influential figures in your life, and how did they impact your values and your beliefs? 

TKM: My parents, obviously, but also my extended family. I was fortunate to be part of a group of eight cousins who all went to Glenbrook North together. We were eight years apart from the oldest to the youngest. The first four of us stacked one year at a time, and then a little cluster of three, and then the baby at the end. And so we traveled in a pack in many ways, through holidays and activities and vacations and things like that. So I had a big extended family, not just my folks here in Northbrook, but aunts and uncles that were like extra parents if you needed them, and cousins who were like extra siblings and still are close today.

I had wonderful family, friends, and teachers and people in the community. I’m still in touch with a surprising number of people, even teachers that go all the way back to my Willowbrook days. I got a message with an idea just a couple weeks ago from my grade school kindergarten teacher, who, because of social media these days, we can be connected and stay in touch.

And, yeah, still have those relationships.

BP: How would you describe your educational background and its influence on your personal growth? 

TKM: Education here in Northbrook was amazing. Like I mentioned earlier, that was a big motivation in the decision to come back here. I am a very lucky graduate of the District 30 schools. I went to Willowbrook and Maple, then on to Glenbrook North.

I could probably name for you most of the teachers that I had, so that’s kind of going all the way back—from Mrs. Brown in kindergarten to the teachers I had in the Glenbrook Academy in high school. Again, I’m still in touch with a surprising number of them, though others I’ve been to memorial services for and things like that.

Some of the teachers had a really tremendous influence, particularly the academy teachers. I was part of the international interdisciplinary program at the high school. I was in the cohort that learned French and got to spend three weeks in the summer in France with my academy classmates and some of the other advanced French-speaking students. It was a big part of my decision to go on and study foreign service in college, and to learn about world affairs and public policy.

They really opened our eyes to not just what was good here, but what was unique here, and how things were different, with different challenges and viewpoints all over the country and all over the world. I would not have had that without the program that was available at the high school.

BP: How has your approach to leadership and decision making evolved over the years?

TKM: That’s a good question. The more people you meet, the more experience you have, the broader your network becomes, and the more people come to you with different and varied problems. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that sometimes you are best at helping organize people when you’re maybe a step or two back from what the challenge is.

When I was on the school board, one of the neatest things I got to work on was the effort to bring full-day kindergarten to District 28. By the time I was on the board and being asked to tackle a big decision like that, my youngest was already through kindergarten. So, you were a step removed—didn’t have skin in the game directly, per se, but had the ability to step back, see the pros and cons, the different viewpoints, and try to assemble the best questions to really lead to a good result.

And that, to me, is sort of a consistent throughline—that you want somebody who can try to evaluate the situation independently and then go from there to build an advocacy plan.

BP: So what has inspired or led you to pursue your current career or field of interest? 

TKM: So right now, I am the state representative for Northbrook in the Illinois General Assembly. And it really, once again, starts with my mom back in my District 30 days. She was originally the president of the Willowbrook PTA. I have fond memories of my dad answering the phone, “First husband,” because he got such a kick out of my mom stepping up into this big volunteer role. Then she went on to serve four years on the District 30 school board. She was a board member there when I was graduating from eighth grade, and she got to give me my diploma at the Sheely Center. That really stuck with me. I was really proud of her and what she did and all the different ways that she helped with the schools. And again, in ways that didn’t necessarily serve her at all—Lori and I were already past the point of both of these decisions having a real impact on us—but she was giving back and being appreciative of what the schools had done for our family.

So I very much wanted to follow in her footsteps. The one and only thing I ever thought I would run for was school board, and I did that when my daughter was in first grade. I served two full terms on the District 28 school board. My kids went to Meadowbrook and Northbrook Junior High School before going on to GBN.

While I was there, I worked on issues like full-day kindergarten, inclusion programs, expanding preschool, and expanding services for students with disabilities and special needs. You could see how much interplay there was between what we were doing at the school district level and at the state level. You could do wonderful things for the students here, but what would it mean to ripple beyond that and be able to help students throughout the region, throughout the county, and throughout the state? That was really what motivated me to look at policy more broadly and eventually to run for state representative.

BP: Can you recall any mentors or role models who significantly influence your life path in that role, as state rep?

TKM: A few people in particular come to mind. State Senator Laura Fine is the one who, to me, always sort of feels like the fairy godmother. I met her when she was a township clerk, and we were both serving on the board of directors of an organization called Lynx at that time—then Angels, and now it’s a project of Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook.

We focused on things like mental health and reproductive health, and I was a volunteer for a pride program there for high school students. When I was serving on that board, I got to stuff envelopes during her first campaign to be a state representative. A few years later, when I was serving on the school board, I ran into some big state policy questions, so I gave her a ring and asked if she’d meet me for a coffee at Panera to talk through the issues.

She gave me wonderful advice and answers. At the end of that conversation, she asked if I would consider becoming more actively involved in politics and let her sponsor me for a fellowship to learn about how to be a woman in government.

BP: That’s great. Were there obstacles or challenges in your career and how did you navigate through them if there were? 

TKM: There always are. The biggest obstacle really is juggling all of your different commitments—especially, I think, for mothers, though not exclusively, and for parents more generally in some cases. I remember reading an article years ago that talked about the difference between happiness and satisfaction, and that tension, I think, can permeate for a lot of people working in public service.

It can mean long hours, it can mean non-business hours, it can mean all the hours, all the time. Some days, I can have 8 or 10 things on my schedule, and they can be incredibly satisfying but also hard to balance with being a parent or working. At that time, I was still practicing more fully as an attorney, while juggling parents who are doing well but aging.

So those are the biggest challenges, I think, for people who want to do these service kinds of roles. They have nontraditional hours, and you want to be able to jump at a moment’s notice if there’s a crisis—whether it’s an individual one or a community one—where you could step in and help.

BP: How did you choose the specific neighborhood in Northbrook to move to? 

TKM: We did a lot of house hunting when we were heading up here. At that point, I had finished graduate school. We wanted something that was nearby because both my parents and my in-laws were local. We visited a number of different neighborhoods. We ended up in Williamsburg Square, which is in the northeastern corner of Northbrook near Northbrook Court. So off of Lake Cook Road. It was actually very near – there’s two senior condo buildings where my paternal grandparents had lived. So there are some fond memories of that corner of Northbrook as well. And the house was just the right fit.

BP: That’s great. How would you describe Northbrook to someone considering moving here?

TKM: It’s a really welcoming community here in Northbrook. The schools, to me, are a big draw. If somebody is looking at moving here, that’s always one of the first things that I’m going to talk about. But also the nice community resources we have available, the park district here and the library, both are very, very strong.

There’s always been a big tradition of volunteerism and board service for both of those organizations. I am very much a product of the park district as well. Yeah, very proud to have been a big part of their theater programs growing up here. 

BP: Did you, throughout growing up, do the theater programs? 

TKM: Starting in junior high. I was involved in school productions at Willowbrook. First grade Cinderella. Fifth grade musical. Things like that. I probably did more than a dozen theater productions, musicals through the Northbrook theater program. [Inaudible] the production director that so many of us grew up with and knew and loved. But a lot of the other staff and professionals from that program are still around.

I ran into the assistant director, the choreographer. And obviously many of my fellow cast mates. I was actually just in New York a couple weeks ago to see an Off-Broadway premiere that’s from one of my Northbrook Theater and Glenbrook North alumni friends. 

BP: What are some significant memories from your childhood that have stayed with you?

TKM: There’s so many. It’s really hard to narrow down which things to focus on. One of the plays in particular, we did Our Miss Brooks, which was a musical version of the old classic television show about the school teacher, and it was one I did with my little sister. I was Miss Brooks, and she was Miss Finch, who was one of the other teachers in the building, and we got to sing a duet together. Probably my favorite moment on stage. 

BP: Could you share any memorable experiences or achievements from your personal life that you cherish? 

TKM: Obviously getting to be in these service roles. I ran in and served twice on the school board. If that had been the only thing that I had done in service, it would have been more than enough.

I will never know the total number of how many students we were able to help by bringing free Full-day kindergarten to the district by bringing inclusive and expanded preschool programs. Anybody who volunteers or serves in education has that kind of ripple effect, and just incredibly proud to have done that. Grateful. 

BP: What are your interests and hobbies that bring you joy and relaxation?

TKM: I love a good book. And I am fond of texting Kate, the library director, for a good recommendation or a suggestion here and there. She’s a terrific reading guide. That’s always been the case. My family encouraged reading. My father would read a book together with me. A novel when I was a kid. We’ve expanded that tradition. We now read as a family, so there’s often a book that I’m reading at the same time as my father and my daughter and my sister, who now lives out in Colorado. But we can all, you know, share that experience together. I’ve never been the best athlete, but I am a fan of pickleball. It is super popular right now and accessible even to people like me who aren’t the greatest athletes, but are willing to hustle. 

BP: Have you taken advantage of any of the downtown area pickleball courts they’ve put in? 

TKM: Not so much there. I play at the Techny Prairie indoors and then outside sometimes at Stonegate. 

BP: Yeah. Because they’ve got that outdoor one by the train station. 

TKM: They do, they have a pop up pickleball there. There’s also some pop up sometimes over at Meadowhill. But we’re so lucky to have Techny Prairie and they offer some great indoor times to play. And you get a great mix of different people to play with. 

BP: What are you looking forward to in the future?

TKM: Well, on the family side, my youngest is a junior, so getting to launch her off to college. 

BP: That’s big.

TKM: We’ll get to move to the empty nester phase. And on the professional side, just an endless, kind of, wish list of opportunities where we can make policy on behalf of people who live locally here in Northbrook. The greatest blessing of this past year in the legislature was really the opportunity to take ideas that came from regular Northbrook neighbors, especially young people—some high school students and college students—and nonprofits that work in and around the district, and turn them into law and policy that can help everybody in the state, and that will always continue.

The most amazing thing about the opportunity to serve in the legislature is that you can decide exactly how much you want to put in and get out of it. And for somebody like me, who’s got a kind of relentless streak for doing this kind of work, it’s just such an amazing opportunity to help people turn ideas and visions into reality that can help not just themselves, but everyone.

BP: That’s great. Is there anything that I’ve missed that you’d like to add? 

TKM: This is a pretty good, like, comprehensive kind of mix of questions about your experience here. Nothing is obviously jumping to mind for me. I love that Northbrook is working on building new traditions too. Not just old ones. Northbrook Days is celebrating the 100th year, which we talked about. But I also love that we’re on the third year of the Grand Prix bike race, and that we’ve started things like the wine and beer in the park kinds of events and the Illuminate Northbrook Cocoa Walk at the end of the year.

I think there’s always a tension between keeping traditions and building new ones, and I like the way that Northbrook has tried to embrace both. Yeah, and that’s both reassuring to people who love and want to be part of the traditions, but also helps people build new things that meet this younger generation where they want to be.

BP: Thank you so much for participating in Northbrook Voices. Your memories of life in Northbrook are going to add a very unique personal perspective about the history of our town. Thank you.

TKM: I think that’s been great. Yeah. Thank you.