If you’ve even been to the basement of Forest Park Village Hall, then you’ve seen the glass case that holds a timeline of local events and village artifacts, plus the surrounding wall, decorated with photos of Forest Park residents who have contributed to the village’s success.
The Historical Society of Forest Park created the Wall of Renown in 1984 for the village’s centenary, and it hasn’t been updated since 1998 – when nearly three dozen residents had their photos on display. The wall also includes short biographies, recognizing locals for their leadership, public service, volunteering and overall cultural impact.
But this month, 13 Forest Parkers, past and present, are being added to the Wall of Renown. The public works department has helped the Historical Society to install the updated Wall of Renown, which will include the following new inductees:
Isaac Beal
Isaac Beal is a former CTA director and veteran of the Army Air Corps but is perhaps most widely recognized in Forest Park for spending 30 years as a Neighborhood Watch Ambassador. Beal was one of the first eight members of the watch and was recognized for his service to the community at a council meeting in 2022. He also has an honorary street designation at Marengo and Lexington.
Joe and Sandy Byrnes
Husband-and-wife Joe and Sandy Byrnes have spent decades living and leading in Forest Park. After serving in the Air Force, Joe Byrnes joined the Forest Park Police Department, where he worked his way to deputy chief. He served as an elected commissioner for both the village and the Park District of Forest Park, leading efforts to improve infrastructure and recreational spaces. Last year, the village created an honorary street designation for him on the corner of Harvard and Thomas.
For about a decade, Sandy Byrnes has headed Forest Park’s Senior Citizens Club, where those over age 55 meet weekly for games and socializing. She’s also an avid volunteer at the park district, where she’s taught cooking, art and sewing classes.
Anthony Calderone
Anthony Calderone, mayor of Forest Park from 1999 to 2019, holds the record as the village’s longest-serving mayor. While in office, Calderone led multiple infrastructure projects, grew community events and public safety initiatives. Before becoming mayor, Calderone was an auxiliary police officer and village council commissioner.
Robert Dowd
Working as a tile salesman by day, Robert Dowd deeply impacted Forest Park through his role as village commissioner, commissioner at the Park District of Forest Park and recreation supervisor at the park district. Dowd helped launch the village’s Little League, became its manager, and even has one of the baseball fields named after him. He and his wife raised their five children in town, and Dowd also coached grade school basketball for a quarter-century.
Karen Dylewski
As director of the Howard Mohr Community Center since 2008, Karen Dylewski has led countless youth and senior programs and serves a vital role in helping residents navigate social service programs and connecting them with local resources. Dylewski is a lifelong Forest Parker who has a hand in Meals on Wheels and the Community Center’s food pantry, plus helps organize the annual Groovin’ in the Grove, French markets, toy drives, health fairs and car shows.
Edith Heilemann
Edith Heilemann was the Forest Park Review’s first associate editor and reporter, working for the newspaper from 1917 to 1941. One of her best-known weekly sections was “Chirpings of the Canary,” an overview of everything Forest Park.
Geung Goo (Michael) Lee
Geung Goo (Michael) Lee was a longtime business owner in Forest Park, operating Lee’s Auto Service at Madison and Des Plaines for over 30 years. Lee was known to work alongside his mechanics and fix flat tires free of charge. His dedication to Forest Park led the village to name the intersection where Lee’s Auto Service sat as Geung Goo Michael Lee Way last year. Lee and his wife raised four daughters in Forest Park, one of whom is Linda Lee, who runs Kalina Pain Institute on Circle Avenue with her husband, Jared Kalina.
Pat Malone
After McGaffer’s Saloon closed last October, its owner, Pat Malone, was honored with a street naming at Troost and Roosevelt for decades of running a welcoming neighborhood gathering place. Malone served as proprietor of McGaffer’s since he bought the building in 1976, awarding him the title of the longest active liquor license in town.
James A. Nadeau
Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, founded by James Nadeau, is the largest full-time ice sculpture business in the Midwest. Nadeau’s sculptures often accompany local and national events since he founded the business in 1980. In 1988, he moved it to 7623 Roosevelt Road, where it remains today on Honorary Jim Nadeau Way. Nadeau retired from his business a few years back and moved out of town, but his namesake ice sculptures remain popular across the area.
Dr. Phyllis M. Orland
While Dr. Phyllis Orland’s husband, Frank Orland, already had a photo on the Wall of Renown, Phyllis now has her own spot recognizing her as a pioneering pediatrician in Forest Park. While Frank Orland worked as a dentist, Phyllis Orland practiced medicine out of their Jackson Boulevard home for decades. She was considered a public health advocate, as she helped administer an oral polio vaccine in the 1960s, the decade it was invented. Phyllis Orland was also part of the Historical Society.
Mark Rogovin
Late husband of Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin, Mark Rogovin was a prominent artist and activist in town. He painted several murals throughout Chicago and has had his work shown in the Museum of Contemporary Art. Rogovin also taught young people how to paint murals and helped found the Peace Museum in Chicago. In Forest Park, Rogovin frequented the Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument, where he gave tours and helped fund restoration efforts.
Jackie Schulz
Jackie Schulz made her mark on Forest Park as a former columnist at the Forest Park Review. She wrote “Talk of the Town” for the newspaper, which ran in nearly 2,500 issues from 1970 to 2017, sharing locals’ submitted wedding photos, recipes and area happenings. Schulz was born in 1931 on Chicago’s South Side and spent 43 years teaching in Chicago Public Schools. She also played piano and cello with the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest.
Past Wall of Renown Inductees
Before the Historical Society updated the Wall of Renown for the first time in 27 years, only a handful of Forest Parkers graced it. They include:
- Leon Bourassa (1798-1863) was the first landowner in Forest Park
- Ferdinand Haase (1826 – 1872) was an early settler
- Wilbert Haase (1892 – 1959) owned L.G. Haase Co., which made concrete products for cemeteries, and had a patent for Wilbert Vault
- Lorentz Kaercher (1915 – 1991) was park commissioner and a member of the Health Board
- Robert Mohr Haeger (1922 – 1992) was a police and fire commissioner and publisher of the Forest Park Review
- Henry Mohr (1869 – 1957) served as president of Harlem (now Forest Park), president of Forest Park, and mayor for a total of 13 years
- Howard Mohr (1921 – 1977) co-founded Mohr Oil, plus served as Forest Park mayor and State Senator
- Roy Mohr (1896 – 1974) co-founded Mohr Oil and served as township assessor
- Frederick Rall Jr. (1928 – ) served as the U.S. Air Force’s chief engineer
- Fred Marunde (1935 – 2025) was village commissioner and mayor
- Dr. Frank Orland (1917 – 2000) was a dentist who founded the Historical Society of Forest Park
- Mae Baldridge (1919 – 2012) worked as a nurse for St. John, St. Bernardine and Forest Park Public Schools, was a Board of Health member and active PTA officer
- Ray Block (1921 – 1994) was a member of American Legion’s Forest Park post, village planning commission and zoning board of appeals
- Lorraine Popelka (1932 – 2007) was the first woman mayor and taught swimming at the pool for decades
- Helen Imber (1898 – 1983) taught at Forest Park schools for 41 years and was a large donor to the Forest Park Public Library
- Emery Parichy (1899 – 1992) built an athletic stadium in Forest Park, organized the Forest Park Bloomer Girls Softball Team, was a library board member, and served as trustee on Forest Park and Proviso school boards
- Dr. Marcus Wagner (1870 – 1960)
- Rev. Alvin Wagner (1907 – ) was a pastor of St. John V. Lutheran Church for 41 years
- Carl Behnke (1905 – 1979) opened the Forest Park School of Music and was a music and choir director at local schools and churches
- Dr. Jacob Bieger (1869 – 1911) was a local doctor who served on the Board of Education
- Bertha Koepel (1897 – 1983) taught in Forest Park schools for 43 years
- Viola Gitzel (1903 – 1971) was a member of the Forest Park Library board, plus president of the Forest Park Women’s Club and the Forest Park Centennial Committee.
- Henry Maiwurm (1855 – 1926) was the first postmaster of Forest Park after the village was renamed from Harlem and was allowed a post office
- Mathilde Petersohn (1892 – 1973) was a library board member and the first woman president of the Board of Education
- Albert Roos (1854 – 1944) founded A. Roos and Sons Bank, which became Forest Park State Bank
- Albert C. Roos (1882 – 1965) was president of his father’s bank, treasurer of School Township 39 for 50 years, and helped organize the Kiwanis Club of Forest Park
- Fred Roos (1883 – 1943) was vice president of his father’s bank, village attorney, and the first man from Forest Park in the state legislature
- Bess Roos (1884 – 1977) was the wife of Albert C., active in welfare work, and served on the Library Board
- Otto Reich (1889 – 1939) served as village commissioner and village treasurer
- Ernest Reich (1886 – 1963) assessed local real estate and was township assessor
- Vernon Reich (1910 – 1966) was mayor, commissioner and a State Representative
- Marlene Oney Quandt worked for the village for 40 years, most recently as village clerk
- Cynthia Lu (Quitsch) Lyons (1947 – 1998) was director of the Howard Mohr Community Center for 14 years
Forest Parkers voted on who they thought should be the new Wall of Renown inductees earlier this year. The Historical Society of Forest Park’s executive board then voted on those nominees.
There will be a public reception to honor the 2025 Wall of Renown inductees on July 28 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the lower level of Forest Park Village Hall, 517 Des Plaines Ave.