Are the stylish goggles placed on one of the foxes guarding the Main St. Bridge in St. Charles there to help as Fox River waters rose last weekend? Or they were more likedly placed by a jokester. (Photo by Jack McCarthy / Chronicle Media)

AURORA

Community mourns Henry Cowherd, 93

Aurora and  Kane County community are mourning the death of Henry Cowherd, a man whose name is synonymous with quality education in Aurora.

The legacy of Cowherd, who died this month at the age of 93, ranges from a middle school which bears his name to the Henry Cowherd Scholarship provided to college-bound students each year to his groundbreaking leadership as the first African-American on the East Aurora Board of Education.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said Cowherd’s legacy is intertwined in the countless lives he impacted during his long life.

“He was not only a barrier breaker, he was also a bridge builder,” Irvin said in a statement released last week. “For decades, Mr. Cowherd worked to bring people together and to form lifelong bonds. He loved Aurora and, of course, had a special place for East Aurora in his heart. He was a Tomcat tried and true.”

Cowherd was born on May 19, 1924, in Indianapolis and was raised on the East Side of Aurora. In 1945, he graduated from East Aurora High School, where he was a member of Student Council, Boys Club, Hi-Y Club and was a three-sport athlete.

After graduating from East Aurora High School, he worked at Burgess Norton Manufacturing in Geneva for 34 years and remained active in East Aurora schools during that time. He was a member of the East Aurora Dad’s Club, East Aurora Parent’s Association, East Aurora Sports Boosters, Aurora East Educational Foundation and the East Aurora Old Timers Association.

He has served on the Aurora Human Right Commission, Rush-Copley Board of Directors, Aurora Area CrimeStoppers board of directors, Kiwanis Club, Upstate Eight Conference officials and other community organizations.

Until his death, he was a fixture at East Aurora events, regularly attending ceremonies, meetings and sporting events.

In 1991, the District 131 Board of Education unanimously voted to name the district’s third middle Henry Cowherd Middle School, and the school was dedicated in his honor on Oct. 4, 1992.

Cowherd and his wife, Caroline, were married for 68 years. They have three children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

ELGIN

ECC Foundation welcomes three new board members

The Elgin Community College Foundation recently welcomed the following three members to its board of directors.

“These individuals are from our community, know our community well, and know firsthand the educational value community colleges provide-especially Elgin Community College,” said foundation president Ian Lamp. “They are a wonderful asset to our board and our mission to help students reach their goals at ECC and beyond.”

Founded in 1984, the ECC Foundation raises funds through private donations to remove financial barriers, reward academic excellence, and advance learning for ECC students.

New members include:

William Templin,  partner and the director of production at DLA Architects in Itasca. He oversees all aspects of DLA’s construction documents and specifications and enjoys comparing completed projects to their initial conceptual designs. Under Templin’s guidance, the production staff creates the high quality project documents that make DLA stand out.

Mike Shales,  a certified public accountant and chief financial officer at Shales McNutt in Elgin. He has been involved in construction-related accounting, finance, and administration for 24 years.

Fred Heid, superintendent of Community Unit School District 300 in Algonquin. In his time, as superintendent, 2,834 students have graduated from the district and have earned $31.6 million in scholarships. Heid began his career in Florida and is a two-time nominee for Superintendent of the Year by the Illinois Principals Association, a 2003 University of Florida Outstanding Educator of the Year, named “What’s Right in Education” by Sarasota magazine in 2003, and has three teacher of the year awards.

For more information about giving opportunities, contact the ECC Foundation at 847-214-7377 or visit www.elgin.edu/eccfoundation.

GENEVA

‘Active shooter’ drill July 20 at Heartland

The Geneva Police and Fire departments will be conducting active shooter response training from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday at Heartland Elementary School, 3300 Heartland Drive.

The training will focus on a potential response to an active shooting incident with an emphasis on a unified approach. The exercise will feature emergency vehicles from both departments, and sirens and fire alarms may be activated as part of the training.

The school and surrounding area will be closed to the public during this time to ensure the safety of emergency responders and neighbors. The neighborhood is bordered by South Peck Road, Keslinger Road and Randall Road on the far west side of Geneva.

Signs will be posted around the school property to alert residents of the exercise and training boundaries. The public should avoid the school grounds until the training exercise is complete and all emergency vehicles have left the area.

People interested in having a workplace violence/active shooter preparedness presentation at their school or place of business can call Geneva Police Administrative Sgt. Eli Rivera at 630-232-4736.

AURORA

AstroTurf field for Spartan Park

Aurora University is building a brand new $18 million athletic complex, and the school has chosen AstroTurf to help them realize it.

Construction of Spartan Athletic Park is underway, and as part of the development Aurora has purchased two state-of-the-art artificial playing surfaces from AstroTurf. Installation of the two fields began last month.

Phase I calls for the establishment of a new softball facility as well as a field for soccer, lacrosse, and football.

The outfield and foul territory portions of the softball field will be surfaced with AstroTurf’s RootZone Diamond Blend. This premium artificial turf system is specifically engineered to emulate the look, feel, and playability of natural grass for baseball and softball use.

Spartan Athletic Park is being developed on a 75-acre parcel of land just south of campus that the school recently purchased.

Aurora University anticipates that the multi-sport complex will enable the school to host championships, postseason tournaments, summer youth camps, and community events in the years ahead.

ST. CHARLES

Safe locations offered to conclude Internet sales

The St. Charles Police Department has designated two parking spots outside the police station as Internet Purchase Exchange Locations for residents to safely conduct transactions made online. The spots are indicated with signage. The lobby of the police station will continue to serve as a safe place for conducting these transactions as well.

Both the lobby and parking spots are monitored by security cameras, and their close proximity to Police personnel means residents can meet there with confidence.   

“When using Internet sale and exchange sites, we encourage you to keep safety in mind,” said Police Chief James Keegan. “If you need to set up a meeting to perform an exchange or transaction with someone online, you can choose the police station as a safe and secure location to do so.”

For more information about the safe exchange locations or internet safety, contact Crime Prevention Officer James Burden at (630) 443-3835 or jburden@stcharlesil.gov.

AURORA

Santa Claus will pay an early visit

Banana Split, Inc. ice cream parlor, 820 Church Rd., Aurora, will celebrate with a sixth annual Christmas in July event from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, July 25-27.

The public is invited.

Santa will visit Tuesday and Thursday, July 25 and 27, at 7 p.m. and at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26, at 7:15 p.m.

The soft-serve shop’s event will benefit the Aurora Corps Salvation Army. At the celebration, the Army will open its 2017 Red Kettle drive and accept new, unwrapped toys. Toy donors will receive a gift card for ice cream.

For more information call (630) 896-8680. 

DUPAGE

County unveils bike trail navigation app

DuPage County launched a new web-based application that will provide navigation tools and information about the DuPage County trail system.

The DuPage Trails App showcases all trail routes in DuPage County. The app allows users to pinpoint parking lots, rest areas, restrooms, popular destinations, bike shops or emergency assistance facilities nearby. 

The web app can also link to the County’s Citizen Reporter app, which can be used to highlight damage, problems or issues on the trails. The web app can be accessed directly at www.dupageco.org/trailmap or through the County’s Navigate DuPage app, which is available for iOS and Android devices.

The web app was developed internally through a cooperative effort between the Division of Transportation and the Geographic Information Systems Department.

–Kane County News Briefs–