Dave Novak, Forest Park resident and longtime employee of the Park District of Forest Park, died Tuesday at age 73. Novak was on a Cayman Islands cruise, snorkeling over a shipwreck, when he had a fatal accident, according to his son, Dan Novak.
Novak is survived by his wife, Carol, sons Dan and Nicholas Novak, and six grandchildren. He was a beloved member of the Forest Park community.
Novak grew up in Riverside and attended Riverside-Brookfield High School. He graduated from Southern Illinois University with a degree in recreation administration. A year after graduating, he became the softball league supervisor at Forest Park’s park district.
From 1975 to 1983, Novak was the park district’s superintendent of recreation. He then became director. While working at the park district, Novak met his wife, who taught dance, also at the park district.
During his time as director, Novak supervised projects like the construction of the $3.1 million Forest Park Aquatic Center in 1995, plus softball and soccer field renovations. But perhaps one of his most well-known legacies is his work on No Gloves Nationals, the annual 16-inch softball invitational tournament in Forest Park.
Softball started in Chicago in 1887. The first game was played at the Farragut Boat Club with “softballs” made out of boxing gloves. Though those later became the 16-inch softballs used today, players continued to not wear gloves, unless they opted to play with a smaller softball.
Jim Sarno, the park district’s director before Novak, started No Glove Nationals in 1968, and it remains the only national tournament played without gloves. Though Sarno launched the invitational, Novak started running it when he became superintendent of recreation.
“Dave was the guy who pretty much ran it all the time,” said Larry Piekarz, who was the park district’s director after Novak.
“My dad took it over and blew it up to make it iconic,” said Dan Novak, who was a Forest Park village commissioner and is now the director of athletics and facilities at the Wheaton Park District. His brother, Nic, also works for the Wheaton Park District, following in their father’s footsteps in public recreation.
At 16, the Novak brothers started working as grounds crew staff for No Glove Nationals and playing 16-inch softball. Dan Novak has countless fond memories of experiencing the tournament with his father.
“Family, every single friend, we all went,” Dan Novak said.
In 1997, Dave Novak was inducted into the Chicago 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame, the year after it was founded. The 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame Museum opened in the Park in Forest Park in 2014.
Piekarz’s favorite memory about Dave from the No Glove Nationals tournament was “how many people knew Dave,” Piekarz said. “It would just amaze me, the respect and the admiration people had for him.”
When Novak stepped down as park district director in Jan. 2007, he had worked in the position for 23 years, and was with the park district for around 33.
Piekarz took over as director before retiring in 2018. Before he became director, Piekarz started as the park district’s superintendent of recreation then, just like Novak, moved up to assistant director.
“Everything about the park district, you could ask Dave, and he knew. He was a true mentor to me,” Piekarz said, adding that Novak continued to give him advice, even after he retired. “He made doing the job a lot of fun.”
In addition to his contribution to the park district, Novak served on the board for both the Chamber of Commerce and the Main Street Redevelopment Association. He was also on the District 91 school board.
“Having kids in the school district, he really saw the needs and the wants,” Piekarz said.
Novak was also a part of the Forest Park Community Education Council, which is no longer in existence. The council included the village, the school district and the park district, which collaborated toward community goals.
“To me, that’s one of the nicest things about Forest Park. There’s no competition or anything,” Piekarz said. “Everybody wants to work together to make a great community, and Dave was a big part of that.”
“He cared about everyone. That’s why he got involved,” Dan Novak said.
After Novak retired from the park district, he and Carol, who still lives in Forest Park, spent over 20 years leisurely traveling.
“He enjoyed life to the fullest,” Dan Novak said. “Every [St. Patrick’s Day] parade, every party, he was the life of it.”
One of the things that Piekarz will remember most about Novak is his sense of humor.
“He was a great guy to work for, and he was a great teacher to me,” Piekarz said. “He became not just my boss, but a friend. And to me, that was just everything.” He added, “He really was a pillar in that community. And I know a lot of people say that, but he was.
“He touched so many generations,” Dan Novak said. “Forest Park will never be the same.”
