Foster-Stirling Family

For more than a century the Foster family has been known for innovation and leadership in Lake Forest, a founder of the Onwentsia Club and “the father of Sheridan Road” among them. The Foster name has also become synonymous with fashion. When Margaret Baxter Foster opened the Sports Shop in 1922, her collections of sportswear set the tone for a whole new mode of dressing. Now under the leadership of her granddaughter Ellen Foster Stirling, the Lake Forest Shop is Market Square’s oldest tenant – and continues its trend-setting tradition.

Through their support of local institutions such as Lake Forest Open Lands, Lake Forest Bank & Trust, the Church of the Holy Spirit, Lake Forest Country Day School, and the Elawa Farm Foundation, the Foster family has also helped to fashion Lake Forest into a more beautiful place and flourishing community.

The Stirling family’s early efforts are evident as you look around you today. When Stirling Hall was built in 1927, Alice May Stirling Dickinson, founder of Ridge Farm, named the building to honor her parents William and Alice Ives Stirling.

Nomination submitted by Leslie Foster Stirling Basedow

Click the thumbnail images below for a slide presentation about the Foster-Stirling family from the 2015 Centennial Family Awards.