Illinois law enforcement community honors officers killed in line of duty
By TIM KIRSININKAS
Capitol News Illinois
tkirsininkas@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – After a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, members of Illinois’ law enforcement community gathered in Springfield Thursday to honor officers killed in the line of duty in 2019 and 2020.
In a ceremony at the Illinois State Capitol, the names of 16 Illinois officers killed in the line of duty over the past two years, as well as six historic honorees, were read and added to the Illinois Police Officers Memorial on the Capitol grounds.
Speaking during the ceremony, Gloria Bodnar, member of the Illinois Police Officers Memorial Committee, expressed gratitude to the ongoing struggles police officers face on a day-to-day basis. She said names etched on the memorial walls would be remembered by friends and loved ones forever. Her husband, William Bodnar Jr., was killed in duty in 1974 and his name appears on the wall.
“It’s not how these officers died that made them heroes, it’s how they lived. We are here today to honor their life, their service and their stories,” Bodnar said. “This memorial stands as a symbol that is dedicated to the men and women killed in the line of duty whose names are now etched in stone.”
“We will say their names today. And we will remember their lives, and we will appreciate their service, and honor their sacrifice. Because that’s what we can do,” she added.
State Treasurer Michael Frerichs also spoke at the ceremony, offering his gratitude to the service of Illinois police officers and condolences to the families.
“It’s been a difficult year, but not nearly as difficult as what these families experience every day, knowing their loved ones aren’t coming home again,” Frerichs said.
Frerichs echoed words from President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, saying that the honored officers “shall not have died in vain.”
“Today we are here, as we should be, to mourn those who have died so that we may live in peace,” he said.
Ron Watkins, son of David Watkins, former President of the Illinois Police Officers Memorial Committee who helped organize the construction of the memorial, said the memorial stands as a powerful testament to officers who have lost their lives.
“This is really here for the surviving families. It’s for them, and a memory for those officers,” Watkins said.
Following remarks from speakers, memorial plaques were presented to the families and colleagues of each of the 16 officers added to the memorial wall.
David Johnson, president of the Illinois Police Officers Memorial Committee, closed the ceremony by saying the memorial forever will stand to honor the lives of officers who gave their lives in defense of the public’s safety.
“We come here not to honor how your family member died, but how they lived their life. Because that is their true mark that they left,” Johnson said.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
So long, and see you around
Spread the loveBy Karen Sala Your correspondent in Gage Park (773) 471-1429 • karen.sala@hotmail.com Baby, it’s cold outside. It’s almost the end of January. I am so ready. I can’t wait for spring to get here. The only good thing about winter is when it’s over. However, I do like cooking and baking in the winter.…
It truly is a small world
Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 I have been attending St Rita Church for many years now. In that time, I have come to know many people who are now or have been a part of the parish. Some I knew because…
Jobs opportunities abound
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 “Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go…it ain’t no trick to get rich quick,” as the dwarfs sang in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. If you are looking for employment, there seems to…
Clearing carjacker/kidnapper still at large
Spread the loveSenior citizen forced into her own car, loses $1,200 By Tim Hadac More than three weeks after an elderly woman was carjacked and kidnapped in Clearing, police have not made an arrest in the case. The crime occurred at about 4 p.m. on New Year’s Day. A 75-year-old Clearing woman was clearing snow…
Lyons man is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch While you’re reading this story, Lyons resident Stephan Alheim will be busy climbing the tallest mountain in Africa. Alheim is one of 10 adventurers who this week are climbing to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 19,341 feet tall. They started climbing Jan. 23 and are expected to reach…
Willow Springs expected to hire Lyons official as village administrator
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Ryan Grace, public works director in Lyons for the past four years, is expected to be hired as the Willow Springs village administrator tonight. The village board is expected to approve his hiring during its 7 p.m. meeting. Grace, 38, said he was offered the job by Willow Springs Mayor…
Chicago Ridge librarian knocks off ‘Jeopardy’ champion
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Rhone Talsma grew up watching “Jeopardy!” – the classic game show with a twist where the answers are given first, and the contestants supply the questions. On Wednesday, Talsma knocked off 40-day champion Amy Schneider and won almost $30,000 in the process of becoming the new champion. Locally, the show…
Seven Mt. Carmel wrestlers win titles, help Caravan to Chicago Catholic League crown; Brother Rice takes 3rd
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent Ryan Boersma did not get the opportunity to become a four-time Catholic League champion because the COVID-19 pandemic caused to the cancellation of the conference tournament. But winning three Catholic League championships at two schools, and wrapping it up by winning a Lawless Award for the league’s best senior…
Davion Lawrence’s double-double leads Oak Lawn over Richards
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent When they were growing up, Johnny McGowan had the upper hand when squaring off on the court against Davion Lawrence. “Me and him go way back,” said McGowan, a senior guard at Oak Lawn. “He used to sleep over at my house when we were younger. We went to…
Funds flow to Back of the Yards
Spread the loveFour groups get grants; millions more available By Tim Hadac Four organizations in Back of the Yards—three businesses and a non-profit—are among 31 awarded more than $14.4 million in small business grants being allocated through the Chicago Recovery Plan. They are: Diaz Group Office Space, 5100 S. Damen, $250,000. El Nuevo Guadalajara, 4350…
Neighbors
EPCHS adds Emmy-winning actor Gary Sievers to Hall of Fame
Spread the loveEvergreen Park Community High School has added a name to its list of Hall of Famers. Gary Sievers, a 1968 EPCHS graduate who became well-known for his acting, public speaking, work in radio and television, community service, civic leadership and teaching, was posthumously inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame during the Honors…
Worth vehicle sticker applications ‘lost’ in the mail
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Worth Village Clerk Bonnie Price said that even though application forms for village vehicle stickers were sent out to the post office last month residents were still waiting to receive those applications. “We have been doing this for 15 years,” Price said during the Worth Village Board meeting May 7. “This…
Hunt killer in ‘drifting’ slaying
Spread the love. Police seek witnesses, video of 59/Western . By Tim Hadac Police are appealing to the public to help find those responsible for the slaying of a 20-year-old West Englewood man during a takeover of the intersection at 59th and Western at 3:21 a.m. Sunday, May 5. The victim–identified as Guillermo “Memito” Caballero…
Mom gets 20 years in babies’ murder
Spread the love. Stuffed her newborn twin boys in an alley garbage cart . By Tim Hadac The books closed this month on a double murder that shocked and sickened many in the Garfield Ridge area more than 20 years ago. Antoinette Briley, 44, pled guilty on May 7 to murdering her twin baby boys…
Ladies lead the way to stylish Kentucky Derby fun
Spread the love As a tip of the cap–so to speak–to the Kentucky Derby, acclaimed chef Gloria Hafer (second from right) visited the Garfield Ridge Satellite Senior Center last week to cook a burgoo (a thick stew traditionally popular in the South). For an added bit of fun, the center had a derby contest. Among…
Seek donations for charity at Two Holy Martyrs
Spread the love. By Tim Hadac The Society of St. Vincent de Paul chapter at Two Holy Martyrs Parish will host a bundle weekend on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19. Volunteers will staff two trailers at the St. Rene Goupil Church parking lot, 64th and New England, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday…
Palos Park finance director heading to Westmont
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Palos Park was in good hands with Altic. Finance director/treasurer Allen Altic is leaving the village later this month to take a similar position in Westmont, just a few miles from his home in Downers Grove. Altic was an assistant finance director in Bloomingdale from 2012 to 2020, when he…
Orland Township hosting free senior health fair
Spread the loveOrland Township and Supervisor Paul O’Grady are hosting a senior health fair to provide free health services and information to senior citizens on Tuesday, May 21, from 9 a.m. until noon at Orland Township, located at 14807 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park. The Senior Health Fair is an excellent opportunity for seniors to…
District 128 teacher joins Golden Apple Accelerator Program
Spread the loveBy Kelly White A Palos Heights School District 128 educator was selected to be a part of the Golden Apple Accelerator Program. Also, a District 128 alum, Moira Touhy, a paraprofessional at Independence Junior High School, 6610 W. Highland Dr., Palos Heights, will be participating in the 15-month online program specifically geared toward…