Harry J. Fishman

Harris (Harry) Fishman was owner of the largest fabric store in the country in 1958. It was established as a tailoring supply store by his father, Gerson Fishman on Union Street in 1903 after he emigrated from Russia. Harry took over the business in 1926, added fabrics and made it a successful retailer. His son, Jerry, started in the business in 1956.

As of 1991 it is now a fourth-generation family owned store.

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Honorary Harry J. Fishman WAY

Desplaines Street between Taylor Street and Roosevelt Road

 

Approved: April 2024

Ward: 28
Alderman: Jason Ervin
Neighborhood: South Loop

near
Fishman’s Fabrics
1101 S. Desplaines

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Source

2024

https://fishmansfabrics.com/about/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpEWXKvHeZY

https://youtu.be/PnyUL0NtmtE?si=M-KqrRllALdZrjPU

https://youtu.be/ZLjZzcVcbK4?si=hGWrZMLKp7WXJg5e

Yolanda Travis Mack

Yolanda Travis Mack was a McDonald’s franchise owner on the South Side of Chicago. In 2007 she acquired the first black owned and operated McDonald’s, originally opened by Herman Petty in 1968. She commissioned a mural on site to honor the original owner.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, she turned her locations in COVID service sites, she also donated masks to a local hospital.

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Honorary Yolanda Travis Mack WAY

South Lake Park Avenue, between East 52nd Street and East 53rd Street

 

Approved: January 2024

Ward: 04
Alderman: Lamont Robinson
Neighborhood: Kenwood

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Source

20236364

https://news.yahoo.com/meet-yolanda-travis-owner-operator-145305341.html

https://afrotech.com/first-black-owned-mcdonalds-restaurant

https://youtu.be/FB61h7fc4lw?si=Ny8xumaaf4ORTzqZ

https://patch.com/illinois/chicagoheights/local-business-owner-engineers-mask-donation-franciscan-health

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=yolanda+travis+mack

Reverend C. B. Taylor

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

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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

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Source

20231149

https://www.cbtaylorfuneralhome.com/

William K. Flood

William K. Flood and his brothers founded of one of the few family owned waste hauling companies in Chicago, Flood Brothers Disposal Company in 1970. The original company was O.Z. Miller Disposal of 1963. It grew from one to over 200 trucks. The orange and green trucks Flood Brothers trucks can be seen all over Chicago.

William’s charitable interests included his church, his service on the board member of Daughter of St. Paul, and his involvement in feeding more than 4000 families through annual Christmas food packing.

For his 76th birthday he threw out the first pitch at a Cubs Baseball Game.

Alum:
St. Ignatius High School

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Honorary William Flood

West 48th Place between South Kedzie Avenue and South Whipple Street

 

Approved: July 2022

Ward: 14
Alderman: Burke
Neighborhood: Archer Heights

d. June 4, 2022. Age 82.

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Source

https://floodbrothersdisposalchicago.tumblr.com/post/142805246082/grandfather-william-flood-with-grandson-brody-at

20221800

Dan O'Donnell

Dan O’Donnell was the owner of Armitage Hardware and a long time supporter of Irish students. Dan became an owner of Armitage Hardware in 1967. The original store from 1896 had been for general merchandise before it became a hardware store in 1922 under previous owners. Dan and his wife, Kathleen, lived above the store and bought and restored historic properties in the area. The O’Donnell’s quite literally helped rebuild Lincoln Park from a gang ridden, run down neighborhood residential and commercial area, to the beautifully restored and prosperous neighborhood it is today.

He started to employ Irish students who were on work visas and staying at a nearby youth hostel. This became a decades long collaboration; through the years he helped thousands of Irish exchange students with summer employment and housing.

Dan was an invaluable support to the neighborhood residents and businesses. He was the go-to guy and would be found giving words of support or a hand shoveling snow. He would also organize support for the local food pantries, for hurricane relief all over the country, and for medical support for young travelers. Dan offered whatever support he could for anyone in need.

50-Year member of the Kiwanis Club of Lakeview

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Honorary Dan O’Donnell Way

900 West Armitage Avenue

 

Approved: 2021

Ward: 43
Alderman: Smith
Neighborhood: Old Town

Armitage Hardware
925 W. Armitage Avenue

d. January 19, 2021. Age 80.

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Source

DePaul

https://coordinateproperties.com/blog/2021/4/29/april-2021-newsletter