Ronald "Topper" Topczewski

Ronald C. “Topper” Topczewski was a former President of the Polish American Police Association (PAPA). He joined the Chicago police force in 1962 and enjoyed a 32 year career. He served in the US Army from 1963 to 1965. In retirement he worked for Taft High School.

Veteran: Army

---

Honorary Ronald “Topper” Topczewski Way

location
4500 North Mulligan avenue from West Eastwood Avenue to WEst Sunnyside Avenue

 

Approved: July 2024

Ward: 38
Alderman: Nicholas Sposato
Neighborhood: Jefferson Park

b. August 18, 1939
d. December 23, 2023. Age 84

---

Source

20248860

https://www.skajafuneralhomes.com/obituary/ronald-topper-topczewski

https://youtu.be/YRaXkSoOJRk?si=hCSeTldhZzYNTOME

William "Bill" J. Kress

Bill Kress grew up in South Chicago and worked on the deep tunnel project and for the City of Chicago Department of Environmental Control, and at the Illinois Department of Transportation. He was also a little league baseball coach.

Alum
Mendel High School
St Pat’s Grammar School

Veteran: Air Force, served in Vietnam

---

Honorary William J. Kress “Bill” Way

South 110th and Mackinaw Avenue

 

Approved: June 2024

Ward: 10
Alderman: Peter Chico
Neighborhood: East Side

b. September 21, 1948
d. December 20, 2023. Age 75.

near
Sports fields where he coached

He is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery

---

Source

20249167

https://elmwoodchapel.com/visit-info/obituary.php?id=5631

Richard Hunt

Richard Hunt was a famous sculptor who spent his life and career in Chicago. He designed soaring sculptures from metal, many of which are monuments to figures and events of the Civil Rights Movement and African-American history. He has installations of more than 160 public sculptures across the United States. Richard Hunt was the first African-American visual artist to be appointed to the National Council on the Arts (1968, Lyndon B. Johnson).

He grew up in the Woodlawn and Englewood neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago. A defining event in his life was at age 19 when he attended the funeral of his neighbor, Emmitt Till, a 14- year old black teenager from Chicago who was lynched and murdered while visiting Mississippi in 1955. Five years later, while serving in the U.S. Army, Richard Hunt was the first African-American to be served at a desegregated lunch counter in Alamo Plaza, Texas.

Richard Hunt has numerous awards and honorary degrees. One of his last sculptures was Book Bird, the first artwork commissioned for the Obama Presidential Center.

Veteran: Army

Alum:
The Art Institute of Chicago
South Side Community Arts Center (SSCAC)

---

A walking tour of select Richard Hunt sculptures in Chicago
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/01/07/richard-hunt-sculpture-guide

---

Honorary Richard Hunt Place

West Lill Avenue from North Sheffield Avenue to North Racine Avenue

 

Approved: April 2024

Ward: 43
Alderman: Knudsen
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park

b. September 12, 1935 in Chicago
d. December 16, 2023. Age 88.

Near:
Richard Hunt Studio
Lincoln Avenue at Lill Avenue

Dedicated: September 12, 2024
on what would have been Richard Hunt’s 89th birthday

---

Source

2024

https://www.richardhuntsculptor.com/obituary

https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/02/29/remembering-richard-hunt-the-legendary-sculptor-who-inspired-artists-in-chicago-and-beyond/

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2023/december/richard-hunt-passing.html

Inside Richard Hunt’s artist studio in Lincoln Park. September 2024. Photo: Honorary Chicago/Linda Zabors

Richard P. Haljean

Rick Haljean was a retired Police Officer with 27 years of service with the Chicago Police Department, and previously served in the suburb of Harwood Heights. He coached kids in Dunham Park, where he had grown up playing hockey and baseball. He was an active supporter of the animal rescue, Garrido’s Stray Rescue Foundation.

Officer Haljean was a pedestrian victim of a hit and run on the Northwest side of Chicago. The driver later surrendered to police.

Veteran: Marines

---

Honorary Officer Richard P. Haljean WAY

7200 Block of North Oriole Avenue

 

Approved: March 2024

Ward: 41
Alderman: Anthony Napolitano
Neighborhood: Edison Park

---

Source

20247336

https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/01/24/retired-police-officer-richard-haljean-killed-in-nw-side-hit-and-run-remembered-for-his-big-smile-and-decades-of-service/

https://abc7chicago.com/richard-haljean-edison-park-hit-and-run-charges-chicago-police-officer-killed/11618094/

https://youtu.be/6KX4xAmOcog?si=ai4iiwIBJuJVQsg0

Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein was most famous for his children’s books; he was also a cartoonist, a poet, a playwright, and a song writer.

His books include: The Giving Tree (1964), Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974), A Light in the Attic (1981), Falling Up (1996), Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book, among others.

He also wrote songs performed by: Johnny Cash “A Boy Named Sue,” Emmylou Harris “Queen of the Silver Dollar,” and The Irish Rovers “Unicorn Song.” He collaborated on the David Mamet screenplay Things Change (1988).

Shel Silverstein won two Grammy Awards, and was nominated for Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. He was inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame (2014), and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2002).

WHEN I AM GONE
When I am gone what will you do?
Who will write and draw for you?
Someone smarter—someone new?
Someone better—maybe YOU!

- Shel Silverstein

Veteran: Army. Served in Japan and Korea

Alum:
Theodore Roosevelt High School, Albany Park - Chicago
University of Illinois
Chicago Academy of Fine Arts

---

---

Honorary Shel Silverstein WAY

Northwest Corner of North Kimball Avenue and West Wilson Avenue - to the Southwest Corner of North Kimball Avenue and West Leland Avenue *

 

Approved: March 2024

Ward: 33
Alderman: Rodriguez-Sanchez
Neighborhood: Albany Park

b. September 25, 1930 in Chicago
d. May 10, 1999. Age 67. Key West, Florida

Near:
Theodore Roosevelt High School
3436 W. Wilson Avenue

---

Source

20247233

https://www.shelsilverstein.com/about-shel/

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/shel-silverstein

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/11/books/shel-silverstein-zany-writer-and-cartoonist-dies-at-67.html

* Amended July 2024 - changed location of sign

Clifford E. Turner

Chief Apostle Dr. Clifford E. Turner, PhD. founded Liberty Temple Full Gospel Church in 1982, and Liberty International Network: 8 Liberty Churches, a Christian TV in 2002, and film production - HolyWood Studios. Outreach includes GED support to residents of public housing and citizens returning from incarceration.

Veteran: Army

---

Honorary Chief Apostle Dr. Clifford E. Turner

South Oakley Avenue between West 79th Street and West 79th Place

 

Approved: October 2023

Ward: 18
Alderman: Derrick Curtis
Neighborhood: Auburn Gresham / Beverly View

b. October 13, 1950 in Chicago
d. January 16, 2018. Age 67

near
Liberty Temple Church
2233 W. 79th Street

---

Source

20233907

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4296004533762318

https://libertytemple.org/locations/chicago/

https://libertytemple.org/product-category/cet/

https://www.goldengate-funeralhome.com/obituary/4539971

Charles Green

Sergeant Charles Green retired from the Chicago Police department after 42 years of service. He followed a long-standing family tradition of becoming a Chicago Police Officer and serving in the military.

Veteran 1957

Alum
St. Rita High School

---

Honorary Sgt. Green WAY

South Merrimac Avenue from 5500 to 5600

 

Approved: October 2023

Ward: 13
Alderman: Marty Quinn
Neighborhood: Clearing

b. June 10, 1935
d. March 22, 2022. Age 86

---

Source

20234020

https://www.parksidechapels.com/obituary/Charles-Green

Chrys Carvajal

Private First Class Chrys Carvajal was a member of the National Guard and an aspiring Police Officer. His live was cut short at the age of 19 as a result of gun violence.

Veteran: National Guard

---

Honorary PFC Chrys Carvajal WAY

West Grace Street between North Meade Street and North Melvina Street

 

Approved: September 2023

Ward: 38
Alderman: Nicholas Sposato
Neighborhood: Belmont Cragin

d. July 3, 2021. Age 19

---

Source

20232791

https://news.wttw.com/2022/07/03/family-still-searching-answers-death-19-year-old-national-guardsman

https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/07/07/family-of-slain-portage-park-man-raising-money-to-bury-national-guardsman-chrys-will-be-remembered-as-a-hero/

Leon D. Finney, Jr.

Reverend Dr. Leon D. Finney, Jr. was the publisher of the Woodlawn Observer, a real estate developer, a community organizer, a professor, and Pastor of the Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church. He worked on local and national political campaigns and provided deep support of the Woodlawn community. In 1969 he was the President of the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation. He served as Vice-Chairman of the Chicago Public Housing Authority, and was a board member of Chicago Planning Commission.

He moved to Chicago from Mississippi as a child. His father, Leon, Sr., was the namesake owner of the Chicago-famous Leon’s Bar-B-Q restaurant.

Veteran: Marines

Alum
Goddard College
McCormick Theological Seminary
Nova University
University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana
Hyde Park Academy High School

---

Honorary Reverend Dr. Leon D. Finney, Jr. WAY

East 63rd Street between South Stony Island Avenue and South Blackstone Avenue

 

Approved: June 2023

Ward: 05
Alderman: Desmon Yancy
Neighborhood: Woodlawn

b. July 7, 1938 in Mississippi
d, September 4, 2020. Age 82

---

Source

20231659
2020

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Finney_Jr.

https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/reverend-dr-leon-d-finney-jr

https://abc7chicago.com/leon-finney-rev-dr-death/6580115/

Terry Miller

Terry Miller grew up in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago and trained at Great Lakes Naval Reserve. He worked for the Department of Aviation and the Illinois Department of Transportation, driving trucks and maintaining roads.

Veteran: Marines and Reserves

Alum
St. Rita’s High School
St. George’s Grammar School
St. Agnes’ Grammar School

---

Honorary Terry Miller WAY

South Meade Avenue between 5600 and 5700

 

Approved: June 2023

Ward: 13
Alderman: Marty Quinn
Neighborhood: Clearing

d. September 2022 from Cancer

---

Source

20232049,1663

Anthony Canadeo

Anthony Canadeo played football for the Green Bay Packers, where he was outstanding at rushing the ball down the field, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974. He grew up on the Northwest side of Chicago and played college football for the Gonzaga University Bulldogs in Colorado where he was known as the “Gray Ghost of Gonzaga” due to his prematurely gray hair. After retiring from the Packers after the 1952 season he became a sportscaster for games on WBAY-TV in Green Bay. in 1971 he received at kidney transplant from his son. Anthony lived until the age of 84 in 2003.

Veteran: Army WWII

Alum
Gonzaga University, Colorado
Steinmetz High School, Chicago
Foreman High School, Chicago

---

Honorary Anthony Canadeo WAY

West Diversey Avenue between North Oak Park Avenue to North Rutherford Avenue

 

Approved: April 2023

Ward: 36
Alderman: Gilbert Villegas
Neighborhood: Elmwood Park

b. 1919
d. 2003. Age 84

---

Source

20231314

https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/canadeo-anthony-robert-tony

Reverend C. B. Taylor

Reverend Charles B. Taylor was a Baptist minister and the owner of the Taylor Funeral home, which he started in 1963. In 1982 he bought Oak Hill Cemetery Association in Gary, Indiana. The Reverend was driven by mission and entrepreneurial spirit; he made multiple and varied investments in business and faith on the south and west sides of Chicago.

He also started a wide variety of businesses, including: Thrifty Printing (1975), American Monument Company, Atlas Auctioneers, Taylor Coach, and multiple auto sales and rebuilders. Reverend Taylor was also a pilot.

He has decades of civic involvement and service in the Baptist Church, Schools, Masons, Shriners, and the funeral director business.

Reverend Taylor was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and came to Chicago in 1948. He served for 22 years in the Illinois National Guard, where he achieved the rank of First Sergeant.

Veteran: National Guard

Alum;
Prairie State College
Worsham College of Mortuary Science
Jackson State College, Mississippi

---

Honorary Reverend C. B. Taylor WAY

East 78th Street, between South Eberhart Avenue and South Rhodes Avenue

 

Approved: April 2023

Ward: 6
Alderman: Sawyer
Neighborhood: Chatham

b. Tuscaloosa, Alabama
d. June 30, 2022. Age 93

near C.B. Taylor Funeral Home
63 E. 79th Street

---

Source

20231149

https://www.cbtaylorfuneralhome.com/

Ernest & Gloria Jenkins

Ernest “Ernie” & Gloria Jenkins were founding members of the Westside Association for Community Action (WACA), a community development corporation since 1973. The group serves the Lawndale neighborhood and provides juvenile justice intervention for at risk youth, and food for families. Ernie was CEO of WACA until 2009

Ernest served in the US Air Force. Ernest and Gloria worked as a consultants in market research and human relations and sensitivity training. Ernest became Executive Director of Programs for West YMCA: Austin and Southside YMCA, and in 1971 joined the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago to organize community self-help groups. He has won numerous awards for his service.

Gloria was a social worker at Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) and led a program for at-risk teenage girls. She was Executive Director of Urban Programs West YMCA and later served various roles at YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. She served in an advisory capacity for multiple organizations promoting African-Americans and women.

Veteran: Ernest - US Air Force

Alum
Ernest: Aurora University (formerly George Williams College)
Gloria: Governors State University

Faith
Chicago Temple United Methodist Church

---

Honorary Mrs. Ernest & Gloria Jenkins WAY

West Ogden Avenue, between Central Park and Millard Street

 

Approved: March 2023

Ward: 24
Alderman: Scott
Neighborhood: North Lawndale

b. Ernest: Dec 30 1929. Mississippi
Gloria: in Chicago

d. Gloria: January 3, 2006
Ernest: January 2, 2018

Near: Westside Association for Community Action (WACA)
3600 W. Ogden

---

Source

2023986
IL-100-SR1294
IL-94-SR0566

https://wacanetwork.org/

Darius D'Arco Teague

Darius D'Arco Teague served overseas as an Army Automated Logistical Specialist CRS in 2014; he was awarded several medals: National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal. Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service.

Darius grew up in Chicago and played football at Al Raby College Prep. He died as a result of gun violence.

Veteran: Army

Alum
John M. Smith Elementary School
Al Raby College Prep
Harold Washington College

---

Honorary Darius D'Arco Teague WAY

South Morgan Street between West 14th Street and West 14th Place

 

Approved: February 2023

Ward: 25
Alderman: Sigcho-Lopez
Neighborhood: West Loop

b. November 4, 1991 in Chicago
d. October 30, 2021. Age 29

---

Source

2023893

https://gunmemorial.org/2021/10/18/darius-darco-cool-teague

https://abc7chicago.com/darius-teague-chicago-shooting-digital-billboard-crime/11731278/

https://wgntv.com/news/chicagocrime/6-months-after-fatal-shooting-of-chicago-vet-crime-remains-unsolved/

Felipe "Phil" Ayala

Felipe Ayala was the Director and co-founder of El Centro De La Causa, a social services agency serving the Pilsen neighborhood. El Centro housed and spawned several other community organizations including those for women, education, and athletics. He encouraged kids to stay in school and give back to the community.

Felipe served in Vietnam and trained as an Army Ranger. He also served as a Deputy Sheriff for Cook County, as a Member of the US Commission on Civil Rights, as a Commissioner for the Cook County Hospitals. He was influential in Illinois legislation to change the height requirement for law enforcement so more women and minorities would qualify. He was invited to attend a conference of Latino leaders at the White House by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.

Veteran: Army, Vietnam

---

Honorary Felipe “Phil” Ayala WAY

West 17th Street between South Halsted Street and South Union Avenue

 

Approved: February 2023

Ward: 25
Alderman: Byron Sigcho-Lopez
Neighborhood: Pilsen

---

Source

2023627

https://outlet.historicimages.com/products/rsb60831

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicagotribune/name/philip-ayala-obituary?id=36273058

Donald L Seals, Sr.

Donald L. Seals, Sr. was the owner operator of the People’s Choice Grocery Store in the Englewood neighborhood for more than 33 years. He was an active community member who supported children in need with coats, food, and large doses of kindness and consideration. Local Aldermen referred to him as an “Angel of Englewood.”

After high school he enlisted in the Air Force and quickly rose to the rank of Captain and then Fire Chief. He went on to train State Fire Marshalls.

Veteran

U.S. Air Force

Alum

Edmund Burke Elementary School
Hyde Park High School

---

Honorary Donald L. Seals, Sr Drive

5500 to 5659 South Princeton Avenue

 

Approved: December 2022

Ward: 16 and 20
Alderman: Coleman (16), Taylor (20)
Neighborhood: Englewood

People’s Choice Grocery Store
5647 S. Princeton Avenue

b. January 1, 1927
d. age 95

---

Source
20223738

Nicol Walker

Officer Nicol Walker grew up in the Henry Horner Housing Projects of Chicago, and became the kind of police officer that made the neighborhood proud. He would council those he arrested and helped them turn their lives around. As a youth he had been falsely accused and detained by the police for a mugging, instead of having spite for the police, he made up his mind to become the best police officer he could be.

In 2009 he received the Crime Reduction Award and in 2015 a Unit Meritorious Performance Award at the Chicago Police Department. In 2016 he intervened to save the life of a school bus driver who had been hit by a stray bullet.

Alum:
Degree in Criminal Justice

Veteran: Navy, Gulf War

---

Honorary Officer Nicol Walker Way

Jackson Boulevard, between Kildare Avenue and Kostner Avenue

 

Approved: May 2022

Ward: 28
Alderman: Ervin
Neighborhood: West Garfield Park

---

Source
https://cpdp.co/officer/29819/nicol-walker/

20221600

Louis Albert Fitzgerald, Jr.

Louis Fitzgerald was a life-long civic servant in Chicago. Regional Director of the Midwest Division for the US Department of Labor. He also served on the Chatham Avalon Community Council. Louis was a talk show host of “Conversation Peace” on Channel 26. He also hosted talk radio shows on WIND and WVON.

Veteran: Army

---

Honorary Louis Albert Fitzgerald, Jr. Way

Honore Street, from South 84th Street to South 86th Street

 

Approved: April 2022

Ward: 21
Alderman: Brookins
Neighborhood: Auburn Gresham

b. January 26, 1929 in Chicago
d.

---

Source

2022912

Dwain P Williams

Dwain Williams was a 26 year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department. In 1992 he served as an Emergency Medical Technician to Engine 122 and later as a Fire Academy instructor in hazardous incidents and terrorist response. In 2018 he retired having achieved the rank of Lieutenant. He also worked in the Office of Emergency Management and Communication as a Watch Officer.

Prior to his time in the Chicago Fire Department, he served in the Army in international locations and in the Reserves as a Wire Systems Installer and Operator and at the 501st Signal Battalion and the 101st Airborne Assault Division. He was a decorated soldier and was an expert sharpshooter and hand grenade expert.

Dwain was intellectually curious and deeply knowledgeable. He earned four degrees and more than 80 certifications in professional and independent studies. He also had a passion for basketball, music and chess. He was a guitarist and went by the stage name “D-Sharp” with RAM Band and Mixed Nutz.

He taught computers and physical education at St. Phillip Neri School

Mentored at risk youth and athletics at the Chicago Park District

Listed in Who’s Who of Outstanding Young Americans

Veteran: Army. Active Duty 1976, Army Reserves
American Legion - George Giles Post #87

Alumnus:
Additional degrees and certifications
Harper High School
Altgeld Elementary School

---

Honorary Lt. Dwain P. Williams Way

South Peoria Street, between 95th Street and 98th Street

 

Approved: February 2022

Ward: 34 and 21
Alderman: Austin and Brookins
Neighborhood: Longwood Manor

b. April 19, 1955
d. December 3, 2020. Age 65

---

Source

2022255,181

Lerone Bennett, Jr.

Lerone Bennett, Jr. was an author and social historian with a specialty in race relations and civil rights. He served for many years as the Executive Editor of Ebony Magazine; he began his career with Johnson Publishing as the City Editor of JET Magazine. His career in journalism began at the age of twelve at the black-owned newspaper The Mississippi Enterprise. After college he worked for the Atlanta Daily World.

His first book was Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America 1619-1962. In 1978 he received the American Academy Arts and Letters, Literature Award. In 1954 he published an article about the children of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings; which was verified decades later using DNA evidence.

He was a visiting professor at Northwestern University. Lerone graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1949, where he was classmates with Martin Luther King, Jr. Bennett interviewed King about the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, and in 1964 wrote What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King.

Veteran: Army. Korean War

Alumnus:
Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia
Lanier High School

---

Honorary Lerone Bennett, Jr. Parkway

South Chicago Beach Drive from East 48th Street to East 49th Street

 

Approved: February 2022

Ward: 4
Alderman: King
Neighborhood: Kenwood

b. October 17, 1928. Mississippi
d. February 14, 2018. age 89. Chicago

---

Source

https://aaregistry.org/story/lerone-bennett-jr-a-classical-author/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lerone_Bennett_Jr.

2022385