Former Vernon Hills Trustee Donald L. Hook dies

Plenty of Northwestern University alumni say they bleed purple and white.

Then there was Donald L. Hook.

A 1974 graduate, Hook hadn't missed a home football game in Evanston in 41 years - a streak that stretched back to his student days.

Hook, a former Vernon Hills village trustee, died July 3, at the age of 62. He was such a Wildcats fan, his family asked mourners to wear purple to the funeral at St. Mary of Vernon Church on Monday.

Hook served on his town's village board from 1989 to 1997. He worked on the Gregg's Landing residential development and the acquisition of the Nike site where Vernon Hills High School now stands, among other projects, Mayor Roger Byrne recalled.

"Don was a real proponent for all of those issues," Byrne said. "He was a real sharp guy, a detail guy - and (he was) always well prepared."

Hook was appointed to the village's police pension board in 2002 and remained on that panel until his death.

Hook also had served on the Cook Memorial Public Library District board, which serves Vernon Hills, Libertyville and other communities.

Hook was a founding member of the St. Mary of Vernon congregation. He pitched for the parish baseball team for more than 25 years.

Hook volunteered with the Vernon Hills Lions Club, too.

"He was a consummate community activist," said Ed Abderholden, a former Cook Memorial Public board member who knew Hook through the Lions Club. "(He) was always ready to jump in and help make his town a better place."

Hook's survivors include his wife, Kathleen, two children and three grandchildren.

Donations can be sent to the Lions of IL Foundation or to the Northwestern Wildcat Fund.

• Daily Herald staff writer Mick Zawislak contributed to this report.