SOUTH BEND – Somewhere, Joan Kroc giggled over her great-grandson’s boyish innocence.
What began with a tour of the Kroc Center in Chicago ended in South Bend on Friday afternoon with Joan Kroc’s great-grandchildren standing in the community center bearing their great-grandmother’s name handling media questions like pros.
“The one thing I’m taking away,” said 11-year-old Scotty Latimer, “is the satisfaction of the people in Chicago, in knowing that their lives are going to be changed by this ... also in South Bend.”
“I said, ‘Chicago,’ ” the youngster backtracked to the delight of his twin sisters, Isabel and Serena, both 14, and the adults who were also touring the South Bend Kroc Center, including the siblings’ parents, Amanda and Troy Latimer.
Amanda Latimer is the granddaughter of Joan Kroc, wife of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc and founder of the concept to build state-of-the-art recreational and arts facilities in low-income communities.
Joan Kroc died in 2003. Her vision was entrusted to The Salvation Army with the largest gift ever given to a private charity for the express purpose of building and endowing Kroc centers throughout the nation.
With 20 centers operating and “six more on the chalkboard,” according to Scotty Latimer, the Salvation Army’s $60 million Kroc Center in South Bend has been open for six months.
On Friday, Joan Kroc’s San Diego-based family began the day in Chicago before driving to South Bend to tour the facility.
“Oohs” and “ahhs” filled the nursery when Amanda Latimer picked up a small girl while husband Troy lifted a toddler boy to his shoulders.
The parents, however, handed the public speaking duties over to their kids, a chore the twin teenagers and their younger brother settled into comfortably in front of two television cameras and one tape recorder.
“I love the entrance,” Isabel Latimer said of the Kroc Center’s front lobby. “The staircase is really cool.”
“This is somewhere where kids can go and get off the streets and ... where they can come after school and have a snack and do homework,” Scotty Latimer said.
“Hang out,” Isabel Latimer added.
“It’s magnifi-kent,” Scotty said, as his sisters and the adults in the room cracked up over the mispronunciation.
“Magnificent,” he corrected through a giggle. “It’s beautiful.
“Mag ... nif ... eee ... cent.”
