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222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza
Chicago, IL, 60654

312-380-9883

Chicago's honorary brown street signs, days, and commemorative honors; the who, what, where, when and why.  Honorary Chicago guide book, maps, biographies, history, trivia, tours, and gifts.

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Filtering by Tag: Clergy

Reverend C. B. Taylor

Linda Zabors

Reverend Charles B. Taylor was a Baptist minister and the owner of the Taylor Funeral home, which he started in 1963. In 1982 he bought Oak Hill Cemetery Association in Gary, Indiana. The Reverend was driven by mission and entrepreneurial spirit; he made multiple and varied investments in business and faith on the south and west sides of Chicago.

He also started a wide variety of businesses, including: Thrifty Printing (1975), American Monument Company, Atlas Auctioneers, Taylor Coach, and multiple auto sales and rebuilders. Reverend Taylor was also a pilot.

He has decades of civic involvement and service in the Baptist Church, Schools, Masons, Shriners, and the funeral director business.

Reverend Taylor was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and came to Chicago in 1948. He served for 22 years in the Illinois National Guard, where he achieved the rank of First Sergeant.

Veteran: National Guard

Alum;
Prairie State College
Worsham College of Mortuary Science
Jackson State College, Mississippi


Honorary Reverend C. B. Taylor WAY

East 78th Street, between South Eberhart Avenue and South Rhodes Avenue

 

Approved: April 2023

Ward: 6
Alderman: Sawyer
Neighborhood: Chatham

b. Tuscaloosa, Alabama
d. June 30, 2022. Age 93

near C.B. Taylor Funeral Home
63 E. 79th Street


Source

20231149

https://www.cbtaylorfuneralhome.com/

Elder Roosevelt McCarthy, Jr.

Linda Zabors

Roosevelt McCarthy, Jr., a.k.a. “Rose” served as an Elder in the Church of God in Christ, in Chicago

He and his family established the Home of the Hoagy Restaurant in the West Pullman / Morgan Park neighborhood in the early 1970s.


Honorary Elder Roosevelt McCarthy, Jr. Way

1300 West 111th Street

 

Approved: March 2022

Ward: 34
Alderman: Austin
Neighborhood: West Pullman

Home of the Hoagy Restaurant
1316 W. 111th


Source

2022184

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x880e245428d58463%3A0xb56cc110a9d568e2!3m1!7e131!4s!5sHome%20of%20the%20Hoagy!15sCgIgAQ&hl=en-US&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipP0gxCgzONm0fax-fa0Mx5Jra7Rk1ugCadqvfE2

https://home-of-the-hoagy.business.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral

https://ko-kr.facebook.com/BlackPeopleEats/photos/1637329886651151/

Gicele Wray-Lindley

Linda Zabors

Pastor Gigi has been involved in the church since an early age. Her parents were the founding pastors, Esteban and Isabel Wray. She became choir director at the age of 13 and sang solos in the and led praise and worship at age 9. At the age of 23 she was ordained into Evangelist ministry. She and her husband, Omar, have ministered in several states and overseas in Central and South America, and Africa.

She founded and is CEO of a childcare and early learning center which serves hundreds of children; it is called Shining Star Youth and Community Services.

Alum

University of Illinois at Chicago. BA
Master, Human Services
Master, Non-Profit Management and Organizational Leadership
Doctorate, Education in Ethical Leadership

Born in Panama



Honorary Pastor Gicele Wray-Lindley Way

South Kedzie Avenue between 77th Street and West Columbus Avenue

 

Approved: November 2022

Ward: 18
Alderman: Curtis
Neighborhood: Ashburn


b. Colon, Panama


Source
20223245

Albert D. Tyson, III

Linda Zabors

Reverend Albert D. Tyson, III was the former Pastor of St. Stephens African Methodist Episcopal Church in Chicago and the Presiding Elder of the 4th Episcopal District.

Reverend served on several civic, educational, and health boards in addition to his ecumenical leadership positions. He was a member of the NAACP and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

Alumni:
Garrett Evangelical Seminary, Evanston, Illinois
Monrovia College, Liberia - Honorary Degree
Newark State College, New Jersey


Honorary Presiding Elder Albert D. Tyson, III. Way

North Albany Street at West Washington Boulevard

 

Approved: 2021

Ward: 27
Alderman: Burnett
Neighborhood: East Garfield Park

St. Stephen AME Church
3042 W. Washington Boulevard


b. June 26, 1948
d. June 21, 2019. Age 70.


Source
https://www.thechristianrecorder.com/transition-of-rev-albert-d-tyson-iii-1948-2019/

Sister Patty Fillenwarth

Linda Zabors

Sister Patricia Fillenwarth was a member of the Humboldt Park community for more than 37 years. She served as Director of Providence Family Services for 24 years and was a bilingual counselor. She started the Providence Family Services Center in 1994. This expanded to include an “After-School Homework Club,” tutoring programs, English as a second language, computer classes, and citizenship classes.

Previously she had been a teacher and then Principal of the Maternity Blessed Virgin Mary elementary school, she taught in Washington DC and in her home town of Indianapolis. In 1971 Sister Patty served as a missionary in Peru for 6 years.

Sister Patty, previously Sister Joseph Monica, joined Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary’s of the Woods in 1958 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Here is her writing Every Day is a Gift and also a poem of gratitude following a 2012 Rummage Sale fundraiser.

Alumna:
Northeastern Illinois University


Honorary Sister Patty Fillenwarth Way

1400 and 1500 North Monticello Avenue

 

Approved: 2021

Ward: 26
Alderman: Maldonado
Neighborhood: Humboldt Park

Providence Family Services
1540 N. Monticello Avenue

b. September 1, 1940
d. January 7, 2020. Age 79.


Source
https://spsmw.org/sister-profile/patricia-fillenwarth/

Our Lady of Victory

Linda Zabors

Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church was founded in 1906 at 4444 North Laramie Avenue and was a fixture in the community for over one hundred years. It became one of the largest parishes on the Northwest side of Chicago. Father Francis Chickozki was the first Pastor. The Our Lady of Victory School was open from 1910-2016. In the original school building, the nuns lived on the third floor, above the classrooms.

Our Lady of Victory Church held its final mass on June 13, 2021 with Reverend Michael Wyrzykowski and merged with the Saint Pascal and Saint Bartholomew Parishes.


Honorary Our Lady of Victory Way

North Laramie Avenue from West Agatite Avenue to West Sunnyside Avenue

 

Approved: 2021

Ward: 38
Alderman: Sposato
Neighborhood: Portage Park/Jefferson Park

Our Lady of Victory
5212 W. Agatite Avenue
4444 N. Laramie


Source

http://www.olvchicago.org
https://nadignewspapers.com/2020/12/19/%EF%BB%BFour-lady-of-victory-church-in-jefferson-park-to-close-by-late-2021-property-could-eventually-be-sold/

Archbishop Lucius Hall

Linda Zabors

Lucius Hall was the founded of the First Church of Love and Faith, in Chicago’s Auburn-Gresham Neighborhood in 1980, one year after becoming a minister. Lucius was the Executive Director of the Head Start program at his church. In 2010 he became an Archbishop by the Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ, inc. For twenty years (1990-2010) he was the Executive Director of Chicago Gospel Fest. During the same timeframe, he served as Chairman of City of Chicago Personnel and Human Resources Board under two Chicago Mayors.

Music was a huge part of Lucius’ life and his ministry. As a teenager he was a radio announcer and later the Channel 26 WCIU producer and host of the “Rock of Ages Gospel Hour.” In 1979 he founded the Broadcast Ministries Alliance, and later hosted the groups Cable TV program.

After serving in the US Army he had a thirty year career with the Veterans Administration. He became a minister in 1979 and founded or co-founded several programs and organizations including: one of the first food pantries in his neighborhood, and an international organization of US and West African churches - The First Spiritual Churches of Truth, Inc.

Veteran: Army, Military Police

Born in Chicago

Alumni:
Burke Grade School
DuSable High School
University of Illinois at Chicago
Gospel Outreach Theological Institute. Houston, TX (Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree)


Honorary Archbishop Lucius Hall

West 79th Street, between South Seeley Avenue and South Hamilton Avenue

 

Approved: February 2021

Ward: 18
Alderman: Curtis
Neighborhood: Auburn-Gresham


d. April 2, 2020. Age 87.

The First Church of Love and Faith
2140 West 79th Street


Reverend Malachi Baker Way

Linda Zabors

Malachi G.Baker, Jr. was the second generation Pastor of the New Hope Christian Missionary Baptist Church. When Malachi became Emeritus-Pastor, his son, Earnest A. Baker, Sr. became the Senior Pastor.


Honorary Rev. Malachi G. Baker, Jr. Way

East. 95th St. Between South Dobson Avenue and South University Avenue

 

Approved: July 2018

Ward: 8
Alderman: Harris
Neighborhood: Calumet Heights

Near
New Hope Christian Missionary Baptist Church
1033 E. 95th Avenue


Source

Facebook

Henrietta W. Robinson Way

Linda Zabors

Henrietta was the pastor of the New Jerusalem Pentecostal Church and a community leader in the Englewood neighborhood for fifty years. She became pastor in 1974. She had been an active member of the church for several years before she was called to the ministry. Henrietta led a range of programs for the community health and wellbeing, and Bible study, and started a Women’s Day in 1968.


Honorary Pastor Henrietta W. Robinson Way

6200 block of South May Street

 

Approved: October 2018

Ward: 16
Alderman: Foulkes
Neighborhood: Englewood

d. March 6, 2001

Near
6201 S. May Street
New Jerusalem Pentecostal Church


Source

Rita Simo Way

Linda Zabors

Rita Simo was the founder of the People’s School of Music in Chicago, an organization offering free music lessons to people who would not otherwise be able to afford them. Rita was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to attend the Julliard School of Music. She took her vows as a Catholic nun and taught music at Rosary College. She left the order to fulfill her dream of opening her own music school. In 1976 she started the People’s Music School in a former beauty salon, staffed by volunteers and the donation of a baby grand piano. The school expanded to Bronzeville, Back of the Yards and Albany Park neighbohoods. Rita retired in 2001. She remained a board member of the Jane Addams Senior Caucus and a Life Trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

YouTube playlist: Rita Simo. Honorary Chicago

Alumni
Julliard School of Music
Boston University, D.M.A. Music Performance


Honorary Rita Simo Way

Eastwood Avenue at Sheridan Road

 

Approved: 2001

Ward:
Alderman:
Neighborhood: Uptown
Ceremony: 2002

b. 1934. Dominican Republic
d. September 22, 2020. Age 86. Chicago

Near
People’s School of Music


Reverend Homer Gardner Way

Linda Zabors

Reverend Homer Gardner was the pastor of the Sun Rise Missionary Baptist Church. After serving in the Army, he moved to Chicago in 1957 and was an active member of the Church including Sunday School teacher, choir, treasurer, and Deacon. Until his retirement in 2000, he had a career as a metallurgist in the metals and steel industry. Homer was called to the ministry in 1977. He served as Pastor of Sun Rise Baptist Church from 1978 until his retirement in 2016.

Alumni
Army Academy
Illinois Institute of Technology, Metalurgy
LaSalle Extension University, Law
Carolina University of Theology, Masters

Veteran: Army


Honorary Reverend Homer Gardner Way

South Kilbourn Avenue between West Gladys Avenue and West Van Buren Street

 

Approved: September 2020

Ward: 28
Alderman: Ervin
Neighborhood: West Garfield Park

b. July 29, 1937 in Mississippi, Tallahatchie County
d. March 23, 2019

Near
Sun Rise Baptist Church
351 S. Kilbourn Avenue


Source

Father Martin E. O'Donovan Way

Linda Zabors

Father Martin O’Donovan grew up in the St. Cristiana parish and he served as Pastor there for 15 years. He was ordained at Mundelein in 1978 and currently serves the Saints, Faith, Hope, & Charity Catholic Church in Winnetka. Previously he led the Our Lady of Good Counsel in Bridgeport. Father Marty, as he is known, has touched the lives of several parishes in the Chicago area. He has guided his parishioners through times of scandal in the Church

Alumni
Quigley Prep
Niles Seminary


Honorary Father Martin E. O’Donovan Way

111th and Homan Avenue

 

Approved:


Ward:
Alderman:
Neighborhood: Mt. Greenwood

Near
St Christiana’s Church
11005 S. Homan Avenue


Reverend Dr. David D. Clay Way

Linda Zabors

David Daniel Clay was the pastor at the Maryland Avenue Baptist Church, which he moved and renamed from the Central Avenue Baptist Church. He was born in Louisiana and spent high school in Texas before moving to Chicago and attending the Moody Bible Institute. Reverend Doctor received many invitations to preach, including one from a large Baptist congregation in Hong Kong.

His motto was: “Every saved soul is saved to help saved souls!”

Alumni:
Southern University (Baton Rouge)
Northern Baptist Theological Seminary
Moody Bible Institute


Honorary Rev. Dr. David D. Clay Way

Northwest corner of 81st St. & Maryland Ave. and Norhteast comer of 81st St. & Cottage Grove Ave

 

Approved: January 2020

Ward: 8
Alderman: Harris
Neighborhood: Chatham

b. 1913. Lousiana
d. April 2, 1972.

Maryland Avenue Baptist Church
8058 S. Maryland


Source

Clarence L . Shaffer, Sr. Drive

Linda Zabors

Clarence Shaffer was a Navy WWII veteran and former professional baseball player in the Southern Negro League. He was Deacon of The Way of The Cross Holiness Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago for 37 years, where his wife was the Pastor, W.E. Shaffer.

Veteran: Navy, WWII

Born: Mississippi


Honorary Clarence L. Shaffer, Sr. Drive

 

South Halsted between 81st to 83rd*

Approved: January 2020

Ward: 21
Alderman: Howard Brookins, Jr.
Neighborhood: South Side, Auburn Gresham

b: Mississippi July 22, 1925
d: Chicago April 16, 2012. Age 87.

Near
The Way of The Cross Holiness M.B. Church
8229 S. Halsted

* the location was amended to 81st to 83rd Street in 2021

Reverend J. M. Stone Drive

Linda Zabors

Reverend James Marcellus Stone was the founder of the Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church which was a center of the civil rights movement in Chicago in the 1960s. Under Rev. Stone’s leadership, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached and held rallies at his church. Rev. Stone was born in Georgia, and he knew Martin Luther King, Sr. (the father of Martin Luther King, Jr.} who was a preacher in Atlanta. The church became the “action center” of King’s Chicago Freedom Movement in 1966. When King moved his family to Chicago to support the civil rights movement in the north, Rev. Stone found an apartment for King’s family near the Church. Rev. Stone joined King’s march in Selma.

Reverend Stone’s grandson, Derrick Fitzpatrick, is now the senior pastor of Stone Temple MBC.

The Stone Temple Baptist Church building was designated a Chicago Landmark in 2016.


Honorary Rev. JM Stone Dr

 

Approved:

Ward:24
Alderman:
Neighborhood: North Lawndale

Born in Georgia

Near
Stone Temple Baptist Church
3620 W. Douglas Boulevard


Fr. Larry Duris Way

Linda Zabors

Father Larry Duris dedicated himself to the African-American community and to Catholic life and education. He was ordained by John Cardinal Cody, Archbishop of Chicago. Since 2009, Fr. Duris was pastor at St. Ailbe’s Catholic Church on Chicago’s far south side, and unofficially and spontaneously with parishioners and neighbors at the local grocery store. Before St. Ailbe’s he served in 5 other Chicago area parishes. Fr. Duris had a fascination with African-American history, arts, and music; he was known to be a very good pianist.

In January of 2016 he was presented the Pope John XXIII Award for Outstanding Ministry by the Association of Chicago Priests.

Alumni:
St. Anthony School in Cicero
St. Peter Catholic School in Skokie
Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago
University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein


Honorary Fr. Larry Duris Way

9015 S. Harper Avenue. South Harper Avenue from 90th to 91st Street

 

Approved: April 2019

Ward: 8
Alderman: Michelle Harris
Neighborhood: Calumet Heights

Born in Chicago
d. 2018 age 74

Near St. Ailbe’s Catholic Church
9015 S. Harper Avenue


Pastor Victor Rodriguez Way

Linda Zabors

Victor Rodriguez was pastor of the La Villita Community Church, in the Little Village neighborhood. His church keeps kids off the streets by serving as the center for the Chicago Youth Boxing Club. Under his leadership, his church also hosted chili cook-offs and tattoo removal sessions. Pastor Vic was well known for peace keeping and for establishing positive relations between the North Lawndale and South Lawndale communities.

Everyone wants to save the world.
But nobody wants to do the dishes.
- Pastor Vic

Pastor Vic was a huge White Sox fan. His place in the community is immortalized in a mural on 22nd Street which bears his portrait and his mission. From age 9, he lived his entire life in the Little Village neighborhood; as an adult he dedicated himself to God and to the community.

Love God. Love people. Nothing else matters.
- Pastor Vic

Alumni: Christian Life College, Whitney Grade School, Farragut


Honorary Pastor Victor H. Rodriguez Way

West 23rd Street between South Central Park Avenue and South Lawndale Avenue

Approved: April 2019
Ward: 22
Alderman: Ricardo Munoz
Neighborhood: Little Village, South Lawndale

Born in Mexico 1967
Chicago, age 9
d. 2018. age 52

Near La Villita Community Church
2300 S. Millard Avenue

 

Metropolitan Iakovos Way

Linda Zabors

Born in Greece as Iakovos Garmatis, Metropolitain Iakovos was Chicago’s top official for the Greek Orthodox Church of America for nearly 50 years. His parishes included portions of 6 midwestern states. He was elected Bishop in Chicago in 1979 and then promoted to Metropolitan in 1997. Previously he served the Detroit area and the Boston area. During his tenure he increased service to the homeless and needy, youth programs, and with other faith communities.

Alumni
University of Athens, School of Theology
Boston University


Metropolitan Iakovos Way

Burton at Astor Street

Approved: 2017
Ward: 43
Alderman: Smith
Neighborhood: Gold Coast

b. 1928. Greece
d. June 2, 2017. Age 89. Chicago

 

Facebook: @MetropolisOfChicago
Website: http://chicago.goarch.org/

https://www.goarch.org/-/archdiocese-mourns-the-falling-asleep-in-the-lord-of-metropolitan-iakovos-of-chicago