Chicago Metro Hall of Fame

Mr. Deleuw was President of the American Society of Municipal Engineers (ASME) in 1933 and 1934. He, along with Louis R. Howson and William F. Galligan, was the impetus behind the creation of the American Public Works Association and the Chicago Chapter in 1933. He was the first President of the Chicago Chapter in  1933-1934. He was awarded the U.S. Army Distinguished Service Cross for his service during World War 1. He was involved in APWA activities until his death. He was an internationally known transportation engineer and Chicago’s first subway engineer.

Mr. Howson was President of the American Society of Municipal Engineers in 1936 and was a Life Member of APWA. He, along with Charles E. Deleuw and William F. Galligan, he was the impetus behind the formation of the American Public Works Association and the Chicago Chapter. He was the second President of the Chicago Chapter in 1935- 1936. He passed away on October 17, 1985, after 73 years of dedication to the advancement of the public works profession. In addition to his outstanding contributions to the Chicago Chapter and APWA, he also distinguished himself as President of the Western Society of Engineers in 1938, President of the American Water Works Association in 1942, and President of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1957.

Mr. Greeley devoted his entire professional life to improving public works practices by actively working in professional organizations. He was an Honorary Member of  APWA (1951). He was well known for his extensive collection of materials on the life of President Abraham Lincoln. Following his death, the entire collection was donated to the restored Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC. After learning that an engineer was summarily discharged shortly before his retirement, he and his firm established and supported the Samuel A. Greeley Local Government Service Award that honors APWA members who have served a single community for over 30 years. This award was eliminated by APWA in 2003, but has continued as the Award of Merit within the Chapter. In addition to his deep involvement in the early days of APWA, he also served as President of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Mr. Wilroth was the long-time Director of Public Works for the Village of Arlington Heights. Throughout his entire career, he had a strong passion for the public works profession and served as principal mentor for countless individuals who became Chicago area Directors in the 1970s and 1980s. Many northwest suburban communities owe today’s professionalism to Gene’s leadership and educational skills. In 1966, in response to a request from the Executive Director of APWA, Robert Bugher, he, along with several others, were the principal motivators in creating the very first Chicago Chapter Branch – the North Suburban Branch. The model that his group and the APWA staff developed became the foundation for the future development of branches throughout APWA. The Branch officially came into existence in 1967. The creation of the first branch exploded the Chapter membership. Gene was the first President of the North Suburban Branch. In the late 1970s, the Branch membership total was nearly 800, fully 70% of the entire Chapter membership. On August 28, 1979, the name of the Branch was officially changed to the Suburban Branch. Today, the Chapter has five branches. Following a long career in Arlington Heights, he and his wife Margie relocated to Santa Clara, California, where Gene continued his public works career. Following his retirement in the early 1990s, they came back to the Chicago area, where he continued to mentor young professionals and became active in his church and various community organizations until his death.

Mr. Whitman’s public works career began in 1958 with the State of Illinois Division of Highways and later in 1960, with the Village of Oak Park as its Village Engineer. In 1966, he and his wife Sandy relocated to Winnetka, where he succeeded the venerable Robert L. Anderson as Director of Public Works/Village Engineer, a position he held until his retirement in 1993. He served as Chapter President in 1973. Max was a highly respected member and chair of APWAs Institute for Administrative Management from 1979 to 1984 and was designated as an Honorary Member of the Institute. He was one of the originators of APWA’s Management Practices project. In 1981, he was selected as one of APWA’s Top Ten Leaders of the Year. He was General Vice-Chair of the 1987 APWA Congress held in Chicago and served as Chapter Delegate from 1975 to 1979. He was elected to the APWA Board of Directors as Region Director in 1987, serving in that capacity until 1993, when he became the fourth Chicago Chapter member and second person from the Village of Winnetka to become APWA President. In 1995, he was granted Honorary Membership in APWA – APWA’s highest honor. Max remained active in the Chapter until his untimely passing on May 26, 2000.

Following his military service in Korea in 1959, Mr. McDonough assumed the first of several positions with City of Chicago agencies. He would later become Deputy Commissioner (and eventually Commissioner) of the Department of Streets and Sanitation. He also served as Chairman of both the Chicago Transit Authority and the American Public Transit Association. In 1974, he became President of Murphy Engineering, a firm which now bears his name. Throughout his entire career, he has been a prominent member of APWA, having served two years as Chapter President (1971 and 1972). In 1972, he was selected as one of the APWA Top Ten Leaders of the Year. He served on the APWA Research Foundation Board of Directors between 1981 and 1982. He also served as a member of the APWA Board of Directors. In 1979, he was the third Chicago Chapter member to become APWA President. In March of 1993, he became a Life Member of APWA.

Mr. Miller began his career with the Illinois Department of Transportation before becoming the Director of Public Works for the Village of Palatine. He would later serve the remainder of his distinguished career as the Director of Public Works for the Village of Schaumburg. He was President of the Suburban Branch in 1983. While serving as Branch President, he spearheaded the development of the annual Chapter Snowplowing Competition, which has evolved over the years to become one of the Chapter’s principal events, held in conjunction with the annual Chapter Expo. As Director of Public Works in Schaumburg, he made many presentations at the APWA Congresses and was appointed to the Institute of Administrative Management (lAM), where he served between 1992 and 1994, ultimately becoming Chair of the Institute. In the early 1980s, the Northwest Municipal Conference Public Works Directors made a proposal to the APWA to fund a Research Foundation project to determine the feasibility of implementing an accreditation program for municipalities. Following approval by the Research Foundation, as a member of the IAM, he became the lead sponsor and spokesperson for the program. In 1997, when the program finally became a reality, the village of Schaumburg became the first community ever to become an APWA Accredited Community. While active at the Chapter level, he was recognized on many occasions for his leadership and commitment to APWA and the Chicago Chapter. Some of this recognition included the Harry S. Swearingen Award, the Exceptional Service Award for a snow and ice video, and the Robert Retondo Award. Bob served as General Chair of the 1994 APWA Congress in Chicago. In 1984, he was selected as one of APWA’s Top Ten Leaders of the Year and served as Region 5 Director on the APWA Board of Directors from 1996 to 1998. In 1999, he became the Chicago Chapter’s fifth President of APWA. He capped his career in 2003 when he became an Honorary Member of APWA – the highest APWA award. Bob was also active in civic and community affairs, having served as a Village Trustee in Arlington Heights, among numerous other activities. Bob is a Life Member of APWA.

Mr. Scapin became involved with APWA in 1955, shortly after becoming the Village Engineer for the Village of Wilmette. He became Chicago Chapter President in 1978. He also served on the Management Committee of the 1966 and 1977 APWA Congresses held in Chicago. In 2002, he received the Robert Retondo Award. Perhaps his most significant contribution to the Chapter and APWA was his long service as Chapter Delegate, where he served for 19 years, from 1979 to 1996. While serving as Chicago Chapter Delegate, he passionately campaigned for inclusion of private-sector members to be eligible to serve on the APWA Board of Directors, which eventually became a reality in the early 1990s. John was a Life Member of APWA and passed away on December 16, 2005.

Mr. Renwick never held a Chapter, Branch, or National office. However, his contributions to the success and growth of the Chicago Chapter are immeasurable and far too many to accurately summarize. After serving in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, Herb returned to go to work for the Illinois Division of Highways. In 1960, he became Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Local Roads for District 1. He first became active in APWA in 1977, shortly following the formation of Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc. Herb was widely known for his warm and friendly perpetual smile. He always preferred to work behind the scenes. From nearly the beginning, Herb became a fixture at the Annual Chapter Golf Outings, where he chaired the Refreshments Committee. Every year, he would be the first one to the course to prepare to serve the 400 or so golfers fresh Danish pastries. Over the years, he further demonstrated his dedication by assuming a similar role for golf outings for the various Branches. He served on the Management Committee for the 1994 APWA Congress held in Chicago, where he was the Chair of the Prizes and Mementos Committee. Who could ever forget those peach-colored shirts and the fantastic organization he put together to staff our booth in Phoenix the year before Chicago? He was recognized for his extraordinary efforts by being presented with the Robert Retondo Award on two occasions – in 1994 and again in 1998. He was also presented with the National Private Sector Award in 2001 for his long years of helping to grow and improve the Chicago Chapter. In 1993, he became a Life Member of APWA. Herb passed away on October 15, 2009.

Mr. Lux has had a long and illustrious career. He is a widely known and respected public works professional, author, trainer and educator. His career began in 1964 as a field inspector for a small municipal consulting firm. After a short stint with a highway contractor, he began his involvement in the public works profession in the Engineering Department of the Village Oak Lawn, Illinois where he spent nearly 15 years before becoming the Director of Public Works for the Village of Barrington, where is served until 1987, when he expanded his career and went on to hold executive level positions with several well respected consulting engineering firms. He has had a lifelong interest in advancing the public works knowledge and skills in handling the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters. In January of 2001, following his heart, he started his own firm, Lux Advisors, Ltd., to provide specialized consulting services in the field of Emergency and Disaster Management.

He joined APWA in 1966, and almost immediately became involved in the activities of the Suburban Branch, becoming Branch President in 1990. He was Chicago Chapter President in 1995 and Chapter Delegate from 1996-2000. He currently serves as Chapter Historian. Over the years, he has also been a leader of APWA at the National level. Some of his most notable national level activities have been as; Chair of the Public Works Institute Task Force, Chair of the Leadership and Management Committee, Chair of the Emergency Management Committee and Chair of a Task force that revised the APWA Snow Conference criteria and was also a member of the Management Practices Committee for 4 years. In 2010, he was selected to serve as Co-Chair of an APWA Think Tank on Emergency Management. He has served on the Management Committee for three APWA Congresses, including Co-Chair of the 2013 Congress to be held in Chicago. He served on the APWA Board of Directors from 2000-2004 and is currently serving on the Board of Trustees of the Public Works Historical Society. In 2005, he was selected as one of APWA’s Top Ten Leaders of the Year. Larry is a Life Member of APWA and the Institute of Transportation Engineers and in 2011 was designated as one of the inaugural Donald C. Stone Center “Public Works Leadership Fellows”. In 2005, he visited Australia to study emergency management techniques and wrote several articles for the Reporter sharing the information he learned. He is a prolific writer and author and has written or co-written 4 books. He has also served the profession beyond his involvement in APWA. Since 2003, he has been a member of the State of Illinois Terrorism Task Force, representing public works. He is also a Co-Founder of the Illinois Public Service Institute and a Founding Member of the Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network. He was also one of the original members of the “National Homeland Security Consortium”.

In addition to the honor of inaugural member of the Hall of Fame, Larry was recognized in September, 2011 with the Presidential Award, bestowed by National President George Crombie.

John began his public works career in the City of Geneva, Illinois as the Assistant Director of Public Services after graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He attended his first Fox Valley Branch meeting in December of 1983, and became an official member of APWA upon the recommendation of Tom Talsma, his first boss, mentor and good friend in February, 1984. John departed Geneva in November of 1985 to take the position of Village Engineer, DPW and Building and Zoning Commissioner in the Village of Lindenhurst, Illinois. John became an active member of the Lake Branch when Steve Magnusen (Libertyville) and Ed Laudenslager (Vernon Hills) approached him to serve on several committees. He served on the Education Committee and the Scholarship Committee before being selected to be the Branch Treasurer in 1986, he became Branch President in 1990.  The Branch Presidency followed his move from Lindenhurst to the Village of Barrington as DPW in 1989. John was selected as the Chicago Metro Chapter Treasurer in 1991 and due to the re-location of one of the other officers, this placed Johnin line to be the Chapter President at age 33 in 1994, the year that Chicago Metro hosted the APWA National Congress. In 1993 as the Chapter First Vice-President, John organized and hosted the first Chapter Leadership Retreat at Lake Lawn Lodge in Delevan, Wisconsin. The desire was to have all the Chapter and Branch officers and leaders assemble in one place to discuss challenges, issues, provide training for all officers on their duties, have an opportunity for fellowship and the ability for all Chapter leaders to get to know each other better. This retreat has been held every year since 1993 and has been one of the cornerstones for the strength of the Chicago Metro Chapter. Hosting the 1994 National Congress was significant because the National APWA organization was in a financial crisis, after moving their headquarters to Kansas City from Chicago just a few years earlier. The Chicago Metro Chapter once again showed what an incredible organization it was and continues to be as the success of the 1994 Congress pulled the National organization out of financial trouble and virtually all attendees indicated it was one of the best Congress’s ever. The Chicago Metro Chapter played a significant role in the financial success of the 1994 Congress. John continued to serve the Chapter after being Chapter President by chairing the Education Committee, Co-Chairing the Awards committee, serving on the Chapter and Branch Golf Committees, served as Chapter Historian for 3 years, served on the Chapter 75th anniversary Committee, and has been a Presidential Appointee for many of the Chapter Presidents since 1994. John was the Alternate Chapter Delegate from 2002 to 2007 and Chapter Delegate from 2007 to 2014 for a total of 12 years. He has been on the Illinois Public Service Institute (IPSI) Management Committee (MC) since 2002, serving two, two year stints as Chairman. He has served on the MC of the Midwest Advanced Public Service Institute (MAPSI) since 2015.

In 2008 the Chicago Metro Chapter was successfully selected to host the 2013 National Congress and Exposition. John and Dave Lawry were Co-Chairs that assembled the team that convinced the National site-selection committee to choose Chicago. John then went on to be the Co-Chair of the Chapter Management team for the 2013 Congress with Larry Lux. Their Congress Management team once again planned and executed one of the most memorable Congress that members talk about on numerous occasions. John continues to serve the Lake County Branch as a Branch Director and the Holiday Event Chairman and has taken on the Chapter Golf Committee Co-Chair with Frank Tripicchio. The Chapter golf outing raises money for Chapter scholarships that are provided, in excess of $15,000 annually. John has served on the National Awards Committee for 2 years and on the Congress Site Selection Committee 4 times, serving as Chairman 3 of those 4 stints. John was selected as the National Harry Swearengin Award winner in 1996 for service to the Chapter, and was provided with one of the highest honors of his career as one of the Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year in 2004.

John completed his public works career as the DPW in Libertyville, Illinois and at the time of his induction to the Hall of Fame was working for Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. as a Senior Construction Manager.

In 2014 John became a Life Member of APWA.

In 2019 John received the APWA National Presidential Leadership Award in Seattle at PWX from National President David Lawry.

After graduating from Valparaiso University, Doug Paulus began his 40-year plus Engineering/Public Works career with Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick Inc. followed by employment with Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.  Doug joined APWA in 1992, and his initial participation in APWA was with the Fox Valley Branch (FVB) on the scholarship and golf committees. In 1998 he was elected to the Fox Valley Branch executive committee as Treasurer and became the Branch President in 2001.

Doug’s service to the Chapter began in 2004 when he was elected Treasurer and continued with the executive committee becoming Chapter President in 2008.  Doug was a 2-term president as he filled that position in 2008 and 2009. This was one of only 3 times a Chapter President served 2 years/terms since 1970 when the Chapter went to 1-year terms for all Officers. Under his leadership the Chapter Hall of Fame was created, and the Chapter celebrated its 75th Anniversary with numerous activities, including many celebrations and the publication of A History of Public Works in Metropolitan Chicago. The book highlighted the numerous public works projects in the Chicago area and the Chicago Metro Chapter’s history.

Doug has served on the Chapter Bylaws committee (Chair) and a Presidential Appointee for numerous years.  Doug also served as the co-chair for the consultant committee for the 2013 Congress held in Chicago and as co-chair for the liaison committee for the 2024 PWX.   Doug served as Alternate Delegate for the Council of Chapters (formerly House of Delegates) and has served as the Chapter’s Delegate to the Council of Chapters since 2009. Doug has served on the Management Committee for the Illinois Public Service Institute (IPSI) for numerous years and was the Chairman of the Committee in 2017 and 2018.  In 2010 he received the Chapter’s Bob Retondo Award for service to the Chapter.

As part of Doug’s role on the IPSI Management Committee, he was responsible for organizing and selecting the Chapter and Branch Scholarships to IPSI since 2011.  He also served as chair of the Midwest Advanced Public Service Institute (MAPSI) committee in 2018.

At the National level, Doug has served on several National committees including, Transportation, Audit (Chair), Bylaws (Chair), North American Snow Conference Site Selection Committee (Chair) and was involved with the revisions to the Certified Public Infrastructure Inspector manual.

Doug has truly dedicated his professional life to APWA in a broad spectrum of capacities.