Former Bartlett mayor, Hanover Twp. supervisor recognized with plaque
Bill "Tik" Tiknis has one more grand scheme.
At 86 and nearly a decade removed from his last political office, the former Bartlett mayor and Hanover Township supervisor will be honored Saturday with a ceremony in Bartlett Park. This follows the township renaming its Bartlett campus - the one he helped develop - after Tiknis, who suffered a stroke driving in the village on Easter Sunday.
His friends, his family, his former colleagues reflect on the legacy. Tiknis looks to the future.
"He was always thinking ahead for the community. He would come up with these ideas, and he would convince whoever he needed to convince to go forward with it," friend Gus Kelley said. "But the important thing is he stayed with those things until they were done. It showed leadership. That is the tribute of Bill to Bartlett."
Tiknis is using all the recognition as a platform for his latest idea: a stand-alone museum centered on the village's history. There is one in town, but it's confined to the first floor of village hall.
"I learned a long time ago, especially in politics, the secret to success is to take something good and make it better," Tiknis said. "And that's what I was trying to do. That's what I try to do now."
Tiknis began leaving his mark on Bartlett in the late 1950s.
When his insurance job relocated from Indiana to Chicago, Tiknis moved to the small town of about 800 people with his wife and sons in 1956 and "fell in love."
The father of three became a volunteer fireman despite a fear of heights and began thinking about public office.
"I wanted to be part of it, and frankly, egotistically, I always thought I had good ideas," Tiknis said.
In 1963, he became village trustee, and a decade later, Bartlett's mayor until 1977. He founded the Bartlett chamber of commerce and was a founding member of the rotary club.
Ask about his career, and Tiknis has few regrets and one source of pride: the Bartlett Hills Golf Club. He stood firmly against developers who wanted to build homes on the 18-hole course. Voters eventually supported a tax increase that allowed the village to buy Bartlett Hills.
During his tenure, Tiknis was easygoing and known for sending notes of encouragement in the mail, longtime residents say.
Bob Bucaro, also a volunteer fireman, received one when he rose to vice president of a Barlett company in the 1980s. Tiknis had come across Bucaro's promotion in the newspaper.
"He cut out the picture and wrote a handwritten note saying it's good to see local people make something of themselves," Bucaro said. "And I still have that."
On Saturday, Bartlett Mayor Kevin Wallace and Hanover Township Supervisor Brian McGuire will help unveil a plaque saluting the "Bartlett Living Legend" at 10 a.m. at the park, 102 N. Eastern Ave., just north of downtown. A reception with free hors d'oeuvres from Pasta Mia will follow at the Fire Barn, 218 S. Main St.
The idea for the plaque started with a group of his close buddies who raised private donations to pay for the roughly $3,500 cost.
Tiknis' voice trails off and his eyes fill with tears when he thinks of his great-grandchildren seeing his lengthy resume etched into the plaque.
"I am just overwhelmed by the efforts that these people are putting on and the recognition," Tiknis said. "I tried to do the best I could."
But he doesn't like to dwell on the attention or his health. Instead, he circles back to a new history museum. Tiknis wants to see a permanent home for village artifacts and exhibitions.
"That would be a good send-off for me, personally," he says.