If he wasn’t working on his twists, turns and tumbles at Kenney Gym, friends knew they’d likely find Kurt Hettinger a couple blocks away.
“Some teammates and I lived in an apartment complex that still stands (503 E. Stoughton) and then in an old house (508 E. Springfield) that was torn down to make room for an apartment complex,” says the Tuscola native and former Illini gymnast (BA ’99, history), now an assistant coach at Auburn.
“Campus and the surrounding area was filled with so many cool, old houses, and we saw the last days of that two-story 508 location. It had the original wood trim throughout the house, some great wooden French doors, and a massive, old-time gravity furnace in the basement that burned so hot, I remember opening the windows of my 85-degree bedroom during a sub-zero winter night.
“Growing up, living in a house like the one on Springfield was my impression of college life. Tons of great memories come back to me whenever I get the chance to drive past that block.”
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