The DePaulia
Rebecca Meluch, Opinions Editor|February 28, 2021
Lincoln Square resident Dan O’Conor was hungover on a Saturday morning when he decided to jump into Lake Michigan. He often rode his bike to the lake and jumped into the water to capture “a few moments of zen for the day.”
Now, 261 days later, he is still jumping into the Great Lake, even in one degree weather.
Known on Twitter and social media as the Great Lake Jumper, O’Conor has posted videos of himself breaking up ice, walking through snow and diving into the water in order to raise money for the Chicago Independent Venue League (CIVL), an advocate group supporting Chicago’s local independent performance venues.