Village Hall Wall of Fame

Fantasy & Science Fiction Writer Who Explored Other Worlds and Created the Jungle Hero Tarzan

By age 35, Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) considered himself a failure in business and struggled to support his wife and three young children.  But once the Chicago native began writing, his fertile mind created one of the earliest science fiction series, John Carter. Burroughs also would bring to life a mysterious world deep in the jungle featuring the ape man Tarzan, stories that would entertain children and adults for many decades to come. The Tarzan book series led to a multimillion dollar empire with dozens of movies that solidified Burroughs place in American culture. Burroughs wrote his very first stories while living in Chicago's West Side. He lived in Oak Park in 1910-1911, and again from 1914-1919, where he wrote many of his fantastic tales. He completed his first Tarzan story, Tarzan the Ape Man, in May 1912. Burroughs also wrote 22 subsequent books including the John Carter of Mars books while living in Oak Park. He left Oak Park for the warmth of California and Hollywood, which had embraced Tarzan and would immortalize him in film. The full story of this master of pulp fiction is told in Tarzan, Mars and the Fertile Mind of Edgar Rice Burroughs, a permanent exhibit at the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.

Actor & Comedian Who Created the Voices of Homer Simpson and Others in TV's Animated Hit

Dan Castellaneta is an American film, theatre and television actor, comedian, voice artist and television writer. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he also voices many other characters on show, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby and Hans Moleman. Born in Oak Park, Castellaneta attended Oak Park and River Forest High School. Upon graduation, he started attending Northern Illinois University in the fall of 1975, studying art education with intentions to become an art teacher. His vocal talents took root listening to his father's comedy records and doing impressions of the artists. After graduating from college, Castellaneta joined Chicago's Second City in 1983, and performed with the troupe until 1987 when he was cast in The Tracey Ullman Show. The show included a series of animated shorts about a dysfunctional family. Voices were needed for the shorts, so the producers decided to ask Castellaneta to voice Homer. The shorts would eventually be spun off into The Simpsons. Castellaneta has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his work on The Simpsons as well as an Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Field of Animation. He has made guest appearances in a number of television series episodes, including L.A. Law, Arrested Development, Stargate SG-1, ALF, Campus Ladies, Entourage, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Mad About You, Married with Children, Murphy Brown, NYPD Blue, Reba, Reno 911!, That '70s Show, Veronica Mars and Desperate Housewives.

Physican and Inventor of the First Hospital Blood Bank at Cook County Hospital in 1937

Dr. Bernard Fantus (1874-1940) was a Hungarian-born doctor who went to the University of Illinois and worked at Cook County Hospital and Rush Medical College. In 1937 he invented the Blood Bank, revolutionizing healthcare and proving especially vital during WWII. He lived at 155 N. Taylor Ave. from 1921 until his death in 1940.

Actress, Stand-Up Comedian, Reality Star & Red Carpet Media Personality

Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedian, Emmy Award-winning television personality, best-selling author and a LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan. She is now the star of the Bravo reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, for which she has won two Emmy Awards as executive producer. She also has worked as a voice artist and red carpet commentator. In 2008 and 2009, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. Griffin was born in Chicago and raised in Forest Park and Oak Park. She attended St. Bernadine's Elementary School in Forest Park and Oak Park and River Forest High School, where she graduated in 1978. After high school, she attended Triton College in River Grove, Illinois, later dropping out. Griffin began performing in the early 1980s, eventually doing stand-up comedy and becoming part of the burgeoning alternative comedy scene in Los Angeles.

Fiction Writer & Journalist Whose Concise Use of Language Revolutionized American Literature

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was born in Oak Park and lived in the village for nearly the first two decades of his life, completing his last formal education at Oak Park and River Forest High School. After leaving high school, he worked briefly as a reporter, before leaving for the Italian front during World War I, where he was seriously injured and returned home within the year. In 1922, Hemingway married Hadley Richardson, the first of his four wives, and the couple moved to Paris, where he worked as a foreign correspondent. During his time there, he met and was influenced by writers and artists of the 1920s expatriate community known as the Lost Generation. His first novel, The Sun Also Rises, was written in 1924. Shortly after the publication of The Old Man and the Sea in 1952, Hemingway went on safari to Africa, where he was almost killed in a plane crash that left him in pain or ill health for much of the rest of his life. Hemingway had permanent residences in Key West, Florida, and Cuba during the 1930s and 40s, but in 1959, he moved from Cuba to Idaho, where he committed suicide in the summer of 1961. His style of prose – sparse and lacking the Victorian flowery language that he disliked – has been emulated by generations of writers since. He wrote dozens of novels and short stories, became known around the world as a macho sportsman and won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for his writing.

Pioneer of Modern Dance Who Won International Acclaim for Her Work as a Dancer & Choreographer

Oak Park native Doris Humphrey (1865 - 1958) began to study dance as a young girl and opened the Humphrey School of Dance in Oak Park when she was a young woman. In 1917, she went to Los Angeles to study with Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. She soon joined the Denishawn Company and became the principal dancer, teacher and co-choreographer with St. Denis. After a decade with Denishawn, touring America and the Orient, Humphrey and partner, Charles Weidman emerged at the forefront of the newly developing modern dance movement. She and others were exploring the expression of the human body rather than colorful, superficial dances. Humphrey's choreography set a new standard and was an inspiration to the generations of modern dance choreographers who followed. She was one of the founding members of the dance department at the Julliard School of Music in 1951.

Research Chemist Who Pioneered the Synthesis of Medicinal Drug Compounds from Soybeans

Percy L. Julian (1899-1975) possessed a rare intellect and tremendous work ethic, creativity and entrepreneurship that resulted in scientific advances and more than 130 patents. Synthesizing proteins from the common soybean, Julian's work led to the development of many useful compounds for treating arthritis, glaucoma and allergies. His work also saved lives in World War II when his Aero-Foam, an artificial fire extinguishing material, saw action. Julian's research also contributed to the development of the birth control pill. The native of Montgomery, Alabama had persevered against discrimination to graduate from DePauw University, Harvard University and the University of Vienna en route to his scientific achievements. Yet when he moved his family to mostly white Oak Park in 1950, his house was firebombed twice. Although no one was injured, many in the community rallied around him and he became a focal point for civil rights agitation in the Village. Julian eventually would be elected to the National Academy of Sciences and inducted into the prestigious National Inventor's Hall of Fame. In 1985, Oak Park's Hawthorne Middle School was renamed for Julian and in 1993, he appeared on a U.S. postage stamp.

NASA Astronaut & First American Medical Doctor in Space on the Skylab Mission

Joseph Kerwin, M.D. is an American physician and former NASA astronaut. Kerwin was the first medical doctor to be selected for astronaut training, and served as science-pilot for the Skylab 2 mission in 1973. Born in Oak Park, he graduated from Fenwick High School in 1949. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1953, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Northwestern University Medical School in 1957. Kerwin went on to complete an internship at the District of Columbia General Hospital in Washington, D.C., and attended the United States Navy School of Aviation Medicine at Pensacola, Florida. He was designated a naval flight surgeon in December 1958. Kerwin was a captain (now retired) in the Navy Medical Corps, joining in July 1958.  He earned his wings at Beeville, Texas in 1962, and logged 4,500 hours flying time. Kerwin was selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA in June 1965. He was one of the capsule communicators on Apollo 13 in 1970. Kerwin served as science-pilot for the Skylab 2 mission, which launched on May 25 and terminated on June 22, 1973. Kerwin retired from the Navy, left NASA and joined Lockheed in 1987. In 1994–95, he led the Houston liaison group for Lockheed Martin's FGB contract, the procurement of the Russian space tug that became the first element of the International Space Station.

Businessman Who Transformed McDonald's Most Successful Fast-Food Franchise

Ray Kroc (1902-1984) turned a neighborhood hamburger joint into a worldwide fast-food behemoth, changing the way society views mealtime. Kroc, who grew up in south Oak Park and attended Lincoln School and Oak Park River and Forest High School, had wanderlust as a young man, working as a jazz pianist, radio music director and a realtor in Florida. At Lily Tulip Corp. in middle age, he became the nationwide distributor for the Multimixer, a six-prong mixer to blend six milkshakes at once. Once he heard the McDonald brothers in California had eight such machines, he was intrigued and visited their operation in 1954. In two days, he had an arrangement to open more McDonalds in the U.S. and in 1961, he bought out the McDonalds brothers for $2.7 million. Kroc created a new category of fast food restaurant and pledged consistent quality, service, cleanliness and value. A Harvard Business school professor described him as the "Henry Ford of the service industry." Late in life, he owned the San Diego Padres baseball team and was involved in many charitable activities such as seeking cures for diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and chemical dependency.

1953 Heisman Tropy Winner, who Played for the University of Notre Dame & the Pittsburgh Steelers

John Joseph "Johnny" Lattner won college football’s highest honor, the Heisman Trophy, as a halfback at Notre Dame in 1953. The Irish went 9–0–1 that year, finishing second to Maryland in the final Associated Press poll. Lattner rushed for 651 yards – averaging 4.9 yards per carry – and scored nine touchdowns, caught 14 passes for 204 yards, had four interceptions and scored two touchdowns on only 10 kickoff returns. Chicago’s only born-and-bred Heisman winner, Lattner also was a star athlete at Oak Park’s Fenwick High School. Lattner was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers In 1954, but played with them for only one season before entering the United States Air Force for two years, where he suffered a severe knee injury that prevented him from ever playing professional football again. During his single season with the Steelers, he tallied more than 1,000 all-purpose yards on offense and special teams and was named to the 1954 NFL Pro Bowl as a kick and punt returner. Lattner was elected to the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1979.

Renowned Stage Actor at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Who Won National Following on TV's Frasier

John Mahoney (born June 20, 1940) is a British American actor, best known for playing Martin "Marty" Crane, the retired police officer father of Kelsey Grammer's Dr. Frasier Crane in the TV series Frasier (NBC, 1993–2004). Mahoney, the seventh of eight children, grew up in the Withington area of Manchester, England, and discovered acting at the Stretford Youth Theatre. Mahoney moved to the United States as a young man when his older sister, Vera, a war bride living in rural Illinois, agreed to sponsor him. He studied at Quincy University, Illinois, before joining the United States Army to speed up the citizenship process and to become a U.S. citizen. He received citizenship in 1959. Mahoney lived in Macomb, Illinois and taught English at Western Illinois University in the early 1970s, before settling in Oak Park. After a stage production in 1977, John Malkovich encouraged Mahoney to join Steppenwolf Theatre. He did so, and went on to win the Clarence Derwent Award as Most Promising Male Newcomer. He made his film debut in 1980, and has played supporting roles in many films since. Mahoney appeared in Frasier from its inception in 1993 until the final episode in 2004, and received numerous Emmy and Golden Globe award nominations for this role. In 2003, he returned to his home in Oak Park to work with the Chicago Steppenwolf Theatre again. Mahoney is the uncle of Illinois State Senator John Sullivan.

An Agent of Social Change & Founder of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center

Roberta (Bobbie) Raymond was born and raised in Oak Park, attending Irving and Whittier grade schools and graduating from Oak Park and River Forest High School.  She earned a Master's Degree with highest honors from Roosevelt University where she wrote her sociology thesis on Oak Park and the challenge to achieving long-term racial diversity. As part of her thesis, she was the first person to research and document early black residents of Oak Park. Her work was published in a three-part series in Pioneer Press in 1971, inspiring future researchers on the topic. Already active in fair housing with the OPRF Citizens Committee for Human Rights, Raymond was asked to start the Oak Park Housing Center. As the Housing Center's executive director for 26 years, she created many innovative programs that received national and international recognition. She also was the originator of Oak Park's first paper recycling program, and wrote gardening columns for the local Wednesday Journal newspaper. Raymond continued to serve on many boards in Oak Park throughout her life and received recognition as an artist. Her many awards include the Ulssean, the Athena, the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and Studs Turkel Award.

Diversity Pioneer & Oak Park's First African-American Director of Community Relations

As Director of Community Relations for the Village of Oak Park from 1977 to 1999, Sherlynn Reid was instrumental in documenting the richness and diversity of the community. When she, her husband and three young daughters moved to Oak Park from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1968, they were the first African American family to buy a home here through a local realtor. She later would become the first African American president of the League of Women Voters of Oak Park and River Forest. A graduate of Fisk University, Sherlynn moved to Oak Park after her husband, Henry, earned a master's degree in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh and came to Chicago to pursue a career in social work. The Reid's chose Oak Park for a pleasant home, good schools and a nice neighborhood, not knowing that they would be in the forefront of the diversity movement that has since come to define the character of Oak Park. Since making the Village her home, Sherlynn has contributed greatly to developing Oak Park’s strengths as a racially diverse community, in both official capacities and as a volunteer. She received numerous honors and awards from local and statewide organizations and remained active in the community until her death in 2021.

Award-Winning Children's Author Who Fought for Civil Rights and Brings History to Life for Her Readers

Harriette Gillem Robinet was born and raised in Washington, D. C., graduated from the College of New Rochelle, New York, and finished graduate degrees from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in microbiology. She spent her childhood summers in Arlington, Virginia where her mother's father had been a slave under General Robert E. Lee until he was 13. Her father's people had been slaves in Maryland. She moved with her family from Chicago to Oak Park in 1965, at a time when the community was struggling to embrace the concept of open housing. The Robinets were greeted fairly well by many of the neighbors, but still faced discrimination and ignorance. Her writing helped open the eyes of many readers and gained recognition for her cause of African American civil rights. She and her husband helped to fight discrimination by marching in civil rights parades and attending public meetings where they championed non-violence as a way to open decent housing to African Americans. Today, Robinet writes stories that portray African American characters living at a time of a real American event. Her stories have been about the battle of New Orleans, the burning of Washington, D.C. and slavery. She spent many years encouraging young children to read and write and to enjoy learning. She also patented her own workshops that teach elementary aged children how to write and to be creative. She passed away in 2024.

Physician, Chemical Engineer, NASA Astronaut & the First Orthopedic Surgeon to Go into Space

Robert Lee "Bobby" Satcher, Jr., was the first orthopedic surgeon in space. While not a native of Oak Park, he made the Village his home because he thought it would be a good place to raise their family. He also liked being close to Chicago without actually living in the city. Born in Hampton, Virginia, Satcher is a physician and chemical engineer, in addition to being a NASA astronaut. On his first mission into outer space aboard the Space Shuttle (November 16-29, 2009) to the International Space Station, he participated in two spacewalks. During his time in outer space, he traveled 4.5 million miles in 171 orbits of the earth. Prior to being accepted into the astronaut program by NASA, Satcher was an assistant professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Satcher also held appointments as an attending physician in orthopedic surgery at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, specializing in musculoskeletal oncology, and an adjunct appointment in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Northwestern University School of Engineering. He also was also a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Advanced Medicine at Northwestern University.

Businessman & Founder of Sears Roebuck & Co., Renowned and Largest 20th Century Retailer

Richard W. Sears was born in Stewartville, Minnesota. It was in 1886 at age 23, his career path changed forever when a shipment of gold-filled pocket watches from a Chicago manufacturer was refused by a Minnesota retailer. Sears stepped in and made an agreement with the wholesaler to sell the watches. At the time, time zones were new and farmers needed to keep time accurately, so Sears had no trouble selling the watches. Within six months, Sears moved to Minneapolis and founded the R. W. Sears Watch Company. He began placing advertisements in farm publications and mailing flyers to potential clients. From the beginning, it was clear that Sears had a talent for writing promotional copy. He took the personal approach in his ads, speaking directly to rural and small-town communities, persuading them to purchase by mail order. In 1887, Sears moved his company to Chicago, and moved his residence to Oak Park. The first Sears catalog was published in 1893 and offered only watches. By 1897, items such as men’s and ladies' clothing, plows, silverware, bicycles and athletic equipment had been added to the offering. The 500-page catalog was sent to some 300,000 homes. Sears catered to the rural customer because having been raised on a farm he knew what the rural customer needed. He also had experience working with the railroad and knew how to ship merchandise to remote areas. In 1908, Sears began to sell mail order homes through the catalogs. That same year, he retired and moved from Oak Park to Lake Bluff, suffering from failing health. He died in 1914 at age 51.

Architect, Interior Designer, Writer and Educator – Resident of Oak Park 1890 – 1909

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) lived in Oak Park for two decades until 1910, launching a new type of American architecture, raising a large family with wife Catherine, and developing his flamboyant personal style. Wright believed that architecture should not be slavishly based on historic styles, but instead should be an organic art form that owes much to nature. His studio in Oak Park was a creative, fertile breeding ground of architects like William Drummond, Charles White, Jr., John Van Bergen, Marion Mahoney Griffin and many others who also collectively made a mark on architecture. Tens of thousands journey from around the world each year to visit his home and dtudio on Chicago Avenue and numerous other buildings he designed, including Unity Temple on Lake Street, considered by many as the beginning of modern architecture.