He was who they're looking for
Joliet East alumni surprise fellow classmate Lionel Richie on 'Hello' tour
June 11 was a special night for nine Joliet area residents.
It was the 52nd anniversary of their graduation from Joliet East High School.
And they spent part of it with their former classmate Lionel Richie.
One of the nine worked with Richie in the school library. Another served on student council with him.
"We were in a class, economics class, together," Paula Goodwin of Minooka said. "He sat right next to me, and we worked on a group project. He vaguely remembered that."
Four others in the group were other Joliet East alumni or friends and family of alumni.
For years, Goodwin, pictured above, and some of her classmates had discussed flying to La Vegas to see a Lionel Richie concert. Finally they decided to celebrate their 70th birthday year with the concert.
They were delighted to learn Richie's "Hello" tour would include a stop at Highland Park’s Ravinia, that they would not have to fly across the country to contact him, after all, Goodwin said.
So they purchased lawn tickets so they could sit together. They created shirts commemorative in their school colors of gold and forest green and then added black phones with a cord and the words, "Hello? Is it us you're looking for?"
Meanwhile, Goodwin reached out to Richie's management company to request a meet and greet with their former classmate and balladeer. Goodwin said she and her contact emailed back and forth, with Goodwin sending yearbook and other information to verify the group was who they said they were.
"I sent her a picture of the shirt and a big card that we all signed," Goodwin said. "The day before the concert I got an email that said, 'I've passed all the information to the team and we have not heard anything back yet. If I hear anything, I will let you know.'"
Goodwin said she scheduled a limousine to transport the 13 concert-goers.
Once at Ravinia, Goodwin said she and her friends saw Richie as he arrived and that Richie noticed them, too.
Goodwin said she gave the signed group card to a man working security and asked if he could make sure Richie received it.
"He said, 'Is this the famous Joliet group?' Walk with me,'" Goodwin said.
About 20 minutes later, a woman ushered the group to a back room where the JEHS group, along with Richie's international fan club, spent a few memorable minutes with Richie.
"We told him about graduation and showed him the yearbook, and he said, 'Oh my God, put that away...I can't believe it's been that long,'" Goodwin said. "I think he was just so excited and blown away to see us. He was overwhelmed. He really was."
Although Richie did play the saxophone in high school, he was known more for his tennis skills than his musical ones, Goodwin said.
"He did not use any of his musical talents in high school," Goodwin said. "But he was a very good tennis player."
Goodwin said Richie gave the Joliet group several mentions during the concert and one more during the Wednesday night concert, which they learned from others who attended it.
During the event, Goodwin said she and her friends met a few other people from Joliet, although they had not attended school with Richie. But they were extremely interested in the JEHS alumni, their connection to Richie and the amazing opportunity they had to reconnect with him that night.
Some of those people even took their pictures, Goodwin said.
They treated us like celebrities," she said.