In memorium of the April passing of ECCI Civic Hall of Famers Thomas O. Myers Jr. (2006) and Jim Van Ewyk (2004), the ECCI Centennial Celebration NFP, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-designated 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, has selected the month of May to solicit tax-deductible gifts to fund a Civic HOF Public Memorial as part of the City of Elmhurst’s $25 million project to construct a new Metra Train Station in downtown Elmhurst.
The Civic HOF public memorial will featured a TouchPros Touch Wall interactive, touch-screen TV monitor (55 to 70 inches) on which users can view biographies, photographs and video clips of each of the inductees.
Created in honor of ECCI’s 100th Anniversary in 2018, the ECCI Centennial Celebration NFP’s one-of-a-kind $250,000 Capital Campaign has raised $260K for the Ralph P. Pechanio Student Internship Endowment Fund at Elmhurst University versus a goal of $150K, exceeded the Second Century Fund’s $50K goal and collected more than $10K towards the $50K Civic HOF goal since 2016.
Since its creation in 1992 as part of the Opening Ceremonies at Elmfest, the Civic HOF has inducted 28 businesspeople, community volunteers and elected officials, with Myers and Van Ewyk as the 15th and 13th inductees, respectively. Since Elmfest’s end in 2009, inductees have been honored at ECCI’s Annual Awards Gala in all but one of those years.
Tom Myers, former Owner of Thomas O. Myers Jr. Real Estate for more than 50 years, was a three-time Chamber Ambassador of the Year honoree and served as the 1991 President (now Chairman) of the ECCI Board of Directors.
Jim Van Ewyk, former Owner of Pfund & Clint Florists, where he was first employed in 1953, served as the 1989 President (now Chairman) of the ECCI Board of Directors.