Char Hughes, a Sun City resident, applied for and secured a job in the sales department at Dell Webb in Huntley in 1999.
Hughes said, “The sales office was located at the Outlet Mall in 1999. I had been living in Rockford for 35 years, and I was considering moving to a retirement community. My sister had moved to Palm Desert, but I had misgivings about moving there. Then a friend told me about an ad for a job in Huntley in the Chicago Tribune.”
The Chicago Tribune announced on December 6, 1998, the opening of model homes for Sun City Huntley, Del Webb’s first retirement community outside the Sun Belt. The article described the 1,850-acre development as planned for 5,100 homes and noted that 300 homes had already been sold from the plans.
Hughes said, “The lodge wasn’t built yet when I started. I was the first point of contact in the office at the Outlet Center, greeting people and answering their questions while arranging tours. We had a van that would take potential buyers to show them a mudhole. When the lodge was still under construction, we moved to the first finished section on the east side. I loved that job. The sales department was the best place to work.”
In a U.S. News and World Report dated June 28, 1999, it stated, “Sun City in Huntley, built some 50 miles northwest of Chicago, has been a surprise seller, attracting retirees who want golf courses, fitness centers, and someone to shovel the snow but who also want to stay near friends and family.”
With the acquisition of Del Webb Corporation by Pulte Homes in 2001, a new chapter began for Sun City. The Del Webb brand became a subsidiary of PulteGroup, which continued building the community in Huntley until its completion around 2012.
“After four years, I found the home I wanted to live in. It was a new model, the York, and I knew it was time to make a move. I moved on Halloween in 2004. Unfortunately, the entire sales department was being replaced by Pulte hires, and it was hard to leave that job.”
Recently, Hughes celebrated her 90th birthday with friends and family.
She remarked, “I have three bonus families. My best friends, Marilyn and Carol from high school, and their children, are my family by choice. Kimberly, Marilyn’s daughter, worked on connecting my California relatives via Zoom who were unable to attend.”
Kimberly Schmid has another connection with Sun City. She is a (DCAL) Dedicated Community Association Leader, Ambassador, with the Illinois Chapter, Community Association Institute. Kimberly works with Sun City Board members as their personal Ambassador. Her partnership has provided exposure to CAI’s educational programs and industry knowledge available to Board/Committee members, Homeowners and Property Managers.
The celebration took place in the intimate setting of Jameson’s solarium room, a cozy and well-lit space with large windows that provided a picturesque view of the beautiful Sun City landscape.
Hughes said, “I was last to arrive. The room was beautifully decorated. A slideshow was created showcasing all the stages of my life. They did a darling job picking some of my favorite moments of life.”
Schmid planned and printed the menu for participants to choose their lunch fare. Of course, there were the ‘Char Burger,’ a special burger named after Char Hughes, Cindy’s Hot Chick, a spicy chicken dish named after Cindy, Cathy’s Cluckin’ Club, a chicken club sandwich named after Cathy, and Debbie’s Little Piggy, a pork dish named after Debbie. These dishes were named after the respective individuals to honor their contributions and to make the celebration more personal, among other choices available to guests.
The group shared favorite stories.
Hughes said, “My favorite memory is a road trip my sister and I took through Utah and Wyoming during fall. We stopped at a restaurant that was rumored to be a favorite haunt of Robert Redford’s. We were told that he was on a movie shoot. We left and drove on a lonely road, enjoying the beautiful fall colors, which were spectacular. We came across a man jogging down the road, and as we drove past him, I shouted to my sister to pull over as soon as it was safe to do so. I yelled, it’s Robert Redford. I turned around to look out the window, and there was Robert Redford. He said, ‘Hello girls, what are you doing here?’ We saw many beautiful views, but Robert Redford’s face in our car window was the best.”
As the celebration unfolded, the joy of life was palpable. Happy birthday was sung, a toast was made, cake was served, and pictures were taken.
Hughes closed with a heartfelt reflection, “I feel so blessed for my wonderful family and friends and so happy I was able to be here to celebrate my Life with them. I feel honored to have been part of the beginning of Sun City Huntley’s story and to have created so many wonderful memories. I truly have had the time of my life.”
