Joan Kripke
6059 N Menard Ave / Chicago, IL 60646
Spouse: Malachy Gunther
Education: AB U of M 12/73 / MUP U of M 5/78 / JD U of M 5/86
Bio:
At age 29, after earning two degrees at Michigan with time in between working, being unemployed and traveling, I went back to Ann Arbor to attend law school, a profession I ( and many others) decided upon after reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” in junior high. One of my law school classmates was Dana Newhouse. I moved to Chicago after graduating from law school to work in a law firm. I left that job and spent 2 1/2 years as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago prosecuting municipal violations. I met my husband, a Chicago police officer through this job. Ultimately, I worked for the State of Illinois as an appellate prosecutor for over 30 years. I loved the work and my colleagues. As I have said, many times, the job allowed me to do the two things I do best: write and argue. I never became Atticus Finch, but had great satisfaction in representing the People of the State of Illinois, which included the defendants - making sure their rights weren’t being violated. I retired at the end of 2019, just in time for the pandemic. In 1997 I joined a masters swim team, of which I am still a member. In 2009, I was a member of the United States Masters Swim Team at the Maccabiah held in Israel. In a drawer are nine medals attesting to the fact that the 5 rotator cuff operations were worth it. Last winter, my husband and I became citizens of Israel (we are dual citizens) and spent several months in Jerusalem. We hope to continue to do so, ultimately retiring there permanently.
My photos:
2009-with Maccabiah Masters Swimming Medals / 2010 so cold in Key West we had to buy sweatshirts / 2015 Milwaukee / 2015 Milwaukee Art Museum- life imitating art / a photo of me at home of Robin Kloss circa 1968