Visitors to the Quarry Mall will now see a new name at the entrance: Claude Sexton Way.
The honorary street sign recognizes longtime Hodgkins public servant Claude Sexton, whose decades of leadership helped shape the village — including the development of the Quarry Shopping Center.
At their April 14 meeting, the Hodgkins Village Board unanimously approved the dedication. Mayor Ernest Millsap and Village Attorney John O’Connell both credited Sexton as instrumental in the shopping center’s development.
“Claude has been a personal friend of mine for many years,” Millsap said. “He served our Village very well for over 30 years as a planning commissioner, trustee, and village clerk. Honoring Claude… was an easy decision.”
Sexton, who attended the meeting on his 80th birthday, was celebrated with cupcakes and refreshments after the vote.
Sexton first ran for trustee in 1983. He lost that race, but former Mayor Noel Cummings soon invited him to lunch — and to join the Hodgkins Planning Commission. Sexton accepted and later won a trustee seat in 1987.
Three years into that term, Sexton was appointed village clerk following the retirement of Dolores Hardesty in 1990. He continued to win re-election and serve in the role until his retirement in 2015, capping 28 years on the board.
Sexton has also served on the Pleasantview Fire Protection District board for the past 35 years.
The new sign bearing his name marks the entrance to the Quarry Shopping Center — a project he helped make reality alongside Cummings and O’Connell in the 1980s.