Ralph P. Pechanio, Treasurer for the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Board of Directors, received an Elmhurst College Founders Medal on October 25 in recognition of his 15 years of financial support for our Chamber’s student intership partnership with the College, including his 2018 endowment of a student internship fund named in his honor.
Pechanio has served the Elmhurst community for nearly 50 years as a civic and business leader, and as a generous supporter first through a non-endowed fund and then with his $100,000 gift and subsequent endowment contributions, reimbursing our Chamber the 40 percent of student intern salaries not covered by an Illinois Board of Higher Education (BHE) program.
His long career of community ionvolvement began soon after Pechanio joined the former Elmhurst Federal Savings Bank in 1970. He immediately became active in our Chamber, serving multiple terms on the Board of Directors, including Board Chair in 1992 and Treasurer appointee since 2015.
After a 23-year banking career at Elmhurst Federal as Controller, Vice President and Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer, Pechanio “retired” in 1993, only to become evenmore active as a volunteer in the Elmhurst community.
A United States Army veteran, Pechanio chaired the 1992 fundraising campaign to build the Elmhurst Veterans Memorial in WIlder Park and he has chaired the Elmhurst Veteran Memorial Commissioned since the Memorial’s dedication in 1993. Since 1997, he has co-chaired Elmhurst’s Memorial Day Parade Committee.
Pechanio has won numerous awards,including his 2015 induction into our Chamber’s Civic Hall of Fame and 2018 recognition by the Sate of Illinois as a Bicentennial HONOR 200 Veteran.