Dan Fogelberg would have turned 70 earlier this year.
She remembers their youthful romance thanks to a chance encounter at a Peoria quick mart on Christmas Eve.
She was a hand-holding witness as Fogelberg would strum his guitar and muse big dreams along the Illinois River. She can't imagine a septuagenarian Fogelberg.
Luciano asked if Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne" was the worst thing to come out of Peoria.
Fogelberg, who died at the age of 56 in December 2007, had a certain boyish charm. Even as the decades and albums rolled by, many of his followers continued to harbor a mind's-eye view of him as a long-haired, wide-eyed young man looking to strike it big.
Greulich told the Journal Star that he remembers him much younger.
At least slowed in time.
Many fans feel the same way because of his strong sense of privacy. He focused on his music and kept his interviews to a minimum. Record buyers could watch him grow as an artist. He never shared his personal life in public.
He said in a 1985 radio interview that he doesn't find himself fascinating. It's not interesting to tell people who I am. I think I've done that musically. I want to keep my privacy private.
Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne" was released in 1980. The Christmas Eve encounter with his "old lover" was based on a 1975 visit to his native Peoria.
He would keep a low profile when he was in Peoria.
He told this paper in 1995 that the people in Peoria are excited that they're going to play. I don't want everyone to make a big deal of it. Come and listen to what I have to say. That's what it's about.
He was always the same as a public persona, almost stuck in time.
Peoria has connections to 'Same Old Lang Syne'.
The nostalgia underpinning two of his biggest hits, "Same Old Lang Syne" and "Leader of the Band", reinforced that phenomenon. The songs are deeply inspired by Peoria.
Fans wouldn't have any clue as to the characters and settings of those songs. Each December, Peoria savors the connections of "Same Old Lang Syne."
The 1969 Woodruff High School yearbook has a picture of Dan Fogelberg andJill Anderson.
The power of the past is understood by the person. She was courted by a teen Fogelberg already wrote his song lyrics. After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1969 they went their separate ways to college but continued their relationship.
Greulich remembers that they would grab a spot along the Illinois River, just her and Fogelberg, and watch it roll by.
She says they spent a lot of time there. We could talk for hours.
Luciano remembers Dan Fogelberg's song 'Same Old Lang Syne' 40 years later.
He would share snippets of his lyrics and melodies, many of which ended up on his debut album, "Home Free." One song jumped out at them when they visited the road: "The River."
Greulich says that he was proud of it.
The inspiration for Fogelberg's work came from the Peoria area.
They would often jump into a car and leave town.
Greulich says they would go and drive back-country roads and enjoy the new visions they learned.
Sometimes they would stay in. They would bake cookies when he was sick. She says that he would create paintings for her depicting something that had significance.
Dan Fogelberg and his brothers are featured in a family Christmas card from their youth.
Sometimes, the relationship seemed destined to move forward.
She says they joked about having twins in the future and naming them Juliet and Romeo. We would act out scenes from the play. Ah, youth.
He left Illinois to pursue his music in Colorado and the couple split.
She moved to Chicago to work as an elementary teacher after graduating from college. She got married there, and Dan Fogelberg faded into her mind.
Until Christmas Eve 1975.
'Same Old Lang Syne' is the origin of it.
If you have ever heard the story, you know it.
She and her husband came to Peoria to visit her parents. She was asked by her mom to run out for Christmas.
The Fogelberg clan started to make Irish coffees, but needed whipping cream. Dan Fogelberg volunteered to look for the missing ingredient.
The two ended up at the Convenient Foodmart at the top of Abington Hill because almost every other business on the East Bluff was closed. She got there first and Fogelberg noticed her.
Dan Fogelberg is depicted in a photo.
They bought a six-pack of Olympia, a brand that was enjoying a strong national advertising push, and sipped it in her car as they talked. They eventually returned to their families. Fogelberg faded into her memories again.
Five years later.
Greulich turned on the radio as he drove to work. There was a new song playing.
She thought that it sounded like Dan.
Two former lovers have a chance encounter at a store and she listened to the lyrics.
"Oh, my gosh!" she exclaimed. "That really happened!"
The song did not affect her life. She divorced the husband mentioned in the song and married Jim Greulich, a native of the Chicago area. She would teach second grade in the suburb.
The Peoria Civic Center Theater had a packed house in 2003 for Dan Fogelberg's performance.
After the song was released, Fogelberg had a reunion backstage after a concert, but they hadn't spoken in years. Their chat was pleasant and illuminating. He explained a few things about the song. He found it easier to rhyme when the lyrics made her eyes blue.
Dan Fogelberg's holiday hit 'Same Old Lang Syne' is the full story.
They went their separate ways after smiling. Fogelberg fans wondered about the identity of the old lover. Greulich stayed mum because he was respecting Fogelberg's artistry and privacy.
In the wake of his death, she revealed her role in the song to the Journal Star. She said that she would always have a place in her heart for Dan. Even without the song, Dan would be a very special person to me.
The Journal Star has a columnist named Phil Luciano. He can be reached at pluciano@pjstar.com. 3155. He can be followed on Facebook.com/philluciano and on the social networking site, "@LucianoPhil".
The subject of 'Same Old Lang Syne' recalls a romance between Peoria and Dan Fogelberg.
