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222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza
Chicago, IL, 60654
312-380-9883
Chicago's honorary brown street signs, days, and commemorative honors; the who, what, where, when and why. Honorary Chicago guide book, maps, biographies, history, trivia, tours, and gifts.
Filtering by Category: street
Fred Saufnauer started the Better Roofing and Siding Company in 1937 and grew it into the largest roofing company in Chicago by 1940. He operated the company for 60 years.
Alumni
St. Philamena’s
Kelvin Park High School
Ward: 36
Alderman: Villegas
Neighborhood: Hermosa
d. 2016. Age 99.
Near
2210 N. Cicero Avenue
Location of Better Roofing and Siding Company
Source
Joseph Muntaner was a construction contractor and super volunteer to the 1st Ward and his church, St. Bonaventure. He was very dedicated and loyal and took his work very seriously, whether it was shoveling snow or removing graffiti.
Alumni:
Mather High School
Born in Chicago
Ward: 1
Alderman: Moreno
Neighborhood: Logan Square
b. August 19, 1958. Chicago
d. May 14, 2017. Chicago
Eugene Lang founded Lang Exteriors in 1953; he built and installed windows and doors. His son Darb Lang succeeded him in the business. While serving in WWII Eugene invented the T-Wrench for setting the depth and speed of a torpedo.
Veteran: WWII
Ward: 16
Alderman: Foulkes
Neighborhood: Marquette Park
d: age 78.
Source
Father Martin O’Donovan grew up in the St. Cristiana parish and he served as Pastor there for 15 years. He was ordained at Mundelein in 1978 and currently serves the Saints, Faith, Hope, & Charity Catholic Church in Winnetka. Previously he led the Our Lady of Good Counsel in Bridgeport. Father Marty, as he is known, has touched the lives of several parishes in the Chicago area. He has guided his parishioners through times of scandal in the Church
Alumni
Quigley Prep
Niles Seminary
Approved:
Ward:
Alderman:
Neighborhood: Mt. Greenwood
Near
St Christiana’s Church
11005 S. Homan Avenue
Michelle L. Van Allen was the Principal of the Marcus Garvey Elementary School; she had been a student and then a teacher at the school. She was a proponent of social-emotional learning.
Ward: 34
Alderman: Austin
Source
Video Credit: YouTube, channel: Committee for Children, “What Keeps Michelle Motivated?”
The Honorable Milton Irving Shadur was a U.S. Federal Court judge for the Northern District of Illinois for thirty-seven years. When he retired he had been one of the longest serving Federal judges. He wrote more than 11,000 opinions while on the bench; he was appointed in 1980 by President Carter. Judge Shadur was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Chicago Bar Association. Judge Shadur served on the Village Board for Glencoe and was a life trustee of the Ravinia Festival.
Photo: US Government, Public Domain
Alumni:
University of Chicago
University of Chicago Law School
Veteran: Navy, Lieutenant. WWII
Founding member of Congregation Am Shalom
Ward: 42
Alderman: Reilly
Neighborhood: Loop/Federal Plaza
b. June 25, 1924, St Paul, Minnesota
d. January 15, 2018. Age 93. Glenview, Illinois
YouTube playlist: Milton Shadur. Honorary Chicago
Patrolman Joseph Ferguson was shot while making an arrest in the last days of 1968.
Ward: 12
Alderman: Cardenas
Neighborhood: McKinley Park
d. December 27, 1968. Age 26. Chicago
The Erie Neighborhood House, originally the “little Dutch Church,” was founded in 1870 in West Town. It is Chicago’s longest operating settlement house; it originally served immigrants and low-income residents. It now has several locations and offers education and workforce development services and advocacy under its mission to be inclusive and just.
YouTube playlist: Erie Neighborhood House. Honorary Chicago
Ward: 1
Alderman: La Spata
Neighborhood: West Town
Erie House sites and programs can also be found in the Humboldt Park neighborhood and in Little Village.
Carmen Delaurentis, known as “Carmie Shoes” was a lifelong resident of Chicago’s Little Italy, Taylor Street neighborhood and the Our Lady of Pompeii congregation. He was a member of the Chicago Truck Drivers Union (CTDU) and Teamsters Union. In 1997 the Gazette awarded him the Donald C. Piemonte Man of the Year Award for Community Service.
Veteran: Army, WWII
Ward: 25
Alderman: Solis
Neighborhood: Little Italy
b. August 1, 1924
d. September 19, 2016, age 92.
Antonio Pasin was the inventor of the American classic little red wagon childrens toy known as the Radio Flyer. Antonio had emigrated from Italy in 1914 and by 1917 had setup his own design shop in Chicago. His first wagons were made from wood; by 1933 he was building his wagons from steel and promoted and sold them at the 1933-34 World Fair in Chicago. He named his wagon after the two popular inventions of the day - radios and airplanes; hence, Radio Flyer.
YouTube playlist: Antonio Pasin. Honorary Chicago
Ward: 29
Alderman: Taliaferro
Neighborhood: Montclare
b. 1897. Bessano, Italy
d. 1990 Age 93. River Forest, IL
Near
Radio Steel and Manufacturing Co. Headquarters
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-07-08-9002250622-story.html
John Novi founded Cosmat Insurance in 1964 after arriving in Chicago from Italy in 1958. Cosmat offers small business and healthcare insurance. He was an active and enthusiastic member of the community.
Alumni
State Teachers College, Salerno, Italy.
Ward: 30
Alderman: Reboyas
Neighborhood: Old Irving Park
d. June 6, 2018. Age 83
Glenview, IL
Near
Office of Cosmat Insurance Agency, Inc.
3601 W. Belmont
Double Bubble is a local tavern which has been a good neighbor for decades. “The Bubble',“ as it is known, has hosted many fundraisers through the years for residents, schools, and local causes. The owner, Larry Swoboda has offered cheap beer and priceless company for all.
Larry Swoboda March 22, 1950 - May 27, 2020. Age 70.
Ward: 48
Alderman: Osterman
Neighborhood: Edgewater
Near Double Bubble Bar
6036 N. Broadway
Deputy U.S. Marshall Roy Frakes was one of two law officers killed in the line of duty in the attempted escape of a prisoner from the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse building in the Loop. He posthumously received the Marshals Service’s highest honor, and an air operations hanger in Oklahoma City was named in his honor at the Will Rogers Airport.
Ward: 42
Alderman: Reilly
Neighborhood: Loop
d. July 20, 1992. Age 30.
David Daniel Clay was the pastor at the Maryland Avenue Baptist Church, which he moved and renamed from the Central Avenue Baptist Church. He was born in Louisiana and spent high school in Texas before moving to Chicago and attending the Moody Bible Institute. Reverend Doctor received many invitations to preach, including one from a large Baptist congregation in Hong Kong.
His motto was: “Every saved soul is saved to help saved souls!”
Alumni:
Southern University (Baton Rouge)
Northern Baptist Theological Seminary
Moody Bible Institute
Ward: 8
Alderman: Harris
Neighborhood: Chatham
b. 1913. Lousiana
d. April 2, 1972.
Source
Neftali “Buzzo” Reyes was 19 years old, he graduated with honors from Roberto Clemente High School in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. He was a star athlete and an outstanding sportsman for the Wildcats. It was his dream to be a Major League Baseball Pitcher. Neftali was on a full scholarship at Claflin University in South Carolina. He was at home in Chicago for the holidays and recovering from a sports injury when a stranded friend called in need of a ride late one night. Neftali became the innocent victim of a shooting.
Alumni:
Roberto Clemente Community Academy High School
Ward: 26
Alderman: Maldonado
Neighborhood: Humboldt Park
b. May 3, 1998. Chicago
d. December 29, 2017. Age 19.
Lewis Thorpe was the basketball coach at North Lawndale College Prep, who led the team to the 2008 state Championship. He was demanding and firm, and highly respected as a coach.
Ward: 26
Alderman: Scott
Neighborhood: Lawndale
d. Age 56
Army Specialist Henry “Mitch” Mayfield, Jr., from south suburban Hazel Crest, was killed in the line of duty during an al-Shabab militant group attack on Manda Bay Airfield, a U.S. base in Kenya, which killed two others and damaged six aircraft. He served as part of field operations for Operation Octave Shield, which carried out intelligence gathering and air strikes on Somalia.
Mayfield was a dynamic soldier who inspired those he served with to excel both on and off duty. The 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group will miss his leadership and camaraderie.
- Col. William Garber
Alumni:
Hillcrest High School
Northern Illinois University
Veteran: Army SPC, died serving in Kenya in 2020. Operation Octave Shield
Ward: 16
Alderman: Coleman
Neighborhood: Englewood
b. October 14, 1996
d. January 5, 2020
Age 23.
John Prine was a Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter. His style was humorous social commentary country folk music. He had worked as a letter carrier and in the 1970s performed weekly in local Chicago club, the Fifth Peg, when Roger Ebert wrote a glowing review in the Chicago Sun-Times which launched John’s folk music career. Since then many famous singers such as: Johnny Cash, Bette Middler, and Bonnie Raitt, and George Strait have recorded his songs. Since 1981 his son, Jody Whelan, has run John’s independent record and publishing company, Oh Boy Records. John Prine was posthumously named an honorary poet laureate of the State of Illinois in 2020. He died in Nashville at age 73 from complications of the COVID-19 virus.
Veteran: U.S. Army in Germany
Ward: 43
Alderman: Smith
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
b. October 10, 1946. Maywood, IL
d. April 7, 2020. Nashville, TN
Age 73
* Amended location 2021
Suellen Long was a long time resident and advocate for the Uptown neighborhood and founder of her own public relations firm. She became the president of the Bridgeview Bank which had long been the center of development and social service agencies for the Uptown neighborhood, in particular, many groups of asian immigrants settled in the area. Her first involvement with the historic bank building was as part of the team which rehabilitated it, in the 1960s, after a long period of decline, The building was sold again in 2019 and will become residences. Suellen was also very involved with local charities and the Peterson-McCormick Boys & Girls Club. In 2004 she was featured in the business section of the Chicago Tribune.
Alumni:
Plymouth High School (Indiana)
St, Mary’s of the Woods
Ward: 46 and 48
Alderman: Cappleman and Osterman
Neighborhood: Uptown
b. January 17, 1942. Plymouth, Indiana
d. March 24, 2020. Age 78
Walt Disney, and his brother Roy, were born in Chicago in a house built by their parents. Their father, Elias, was a carpenter. He built the family house, he also worked on the 1893 World Fair in Chicago and he told his children stories about the Fair.
Disney is best known for his animated films and theme parks. As an individual Walt won 22 Oscars and was nominated for an Academy award 59 times. He also won 2 Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy.
Born in Chicago: Walt, 1901; Roy, 1893
Alumni
McKinley High School. Chicago
predecessor to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
WWI Red Cross Ambulance Driver
Ward: 35
Alderman: Ramirez-Rosa
Neighborhood: Hermosa
Walt Disney’s Birthplace
2156 N. Tripp Avenue
Walter Elias Disney
b. December 5, 1901. Chicago
d. December 15, 1966. Age 65. Los Angeles, California
Photo credits: Kari Carbone karicarbone.com
Walt Disney Birthplace and Facebook page and Wikipedia and IMDB
A Cinderella story for Walt Disney's childhood home - Chicago Tribune