Ethel Kolerus left imprint on township, Alexian Brothers
Ethel Kolerus holds a unique spot in Cook County government: She was the first woman to hold the office of township supervisor, having led Wheeling Township for three successive terms, from 1969 to 1981.
She didn't stop there. From township government she turned to helping the Alexian Brothers and eventually served as board chairman of their first hospital in the area, Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village.
Kolerus died Jan. 8 in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she lived the last 10 years. She was 91.
Her legacy in township government lies in the three-story Wheeling Township building at 1616 N. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights, which was completed during her third term.
Before its opening in 1977, the Wheeling Township's office was located in a small storefront in Arlington Heights, where staff members referred residents out to social service agencies.
"Ethel wanted this building to be one-stop-shop for residents in need," says Jo Stellato, Wheeling Township's director of finance and administration. "She dedicated the third floor of space to social services."
Kolerus offered free counseling space to Northwest Mental Health Center, the Salvation Army, Shelter Inc. and OMNI Youth Services. She also established an office for general assistance and a small food pantry, and offered space to the Arlington Heights Nurses Club for a lending closet.
"Already, we can see the benefits," Kolerus said in a Daily Herald interview, when the building opened. "We are providing unduplicated services.
"And there is no stigma to coming into this building," she added. "Residents may be registering to vote, solving their tax problems, getting financial assistance, receiving mental health counseling - the whole gamut of public services."
Her vision served as a prototype for nearby Schaumburg Township, which eventually combined all of its services into one building.
"Ironically, my mother married at 19 and had no formal education," says her daughter, Nancy Bertoglio of Batavia. "But she realized there was a shortfall in providing social services to the community, and she made that her passion."
Before being elected to township government, Kolerus worked on the staff of U.S. Sen. Charles Percy from 1967-69. She set up his case department, designed to handle problems that residents brought to the senator.
Kolerus also served nine years as executive director of the Northwest Suburban Unit of the American Cancer Society in Mount Prospect, where she saw firsthand the needs of local residents trying to access social services.
Upon leaving township government, Kolerus began serving at Alexian Brothers Medical Center, first on its board of councilors and later trustees. She was board president from 1986 to 1992, working closely with its former president and CEO, Br. Philip Kennedy.
The hospital added a regional cancer care center in 1989 and a cardiac surgical center, dedicated in 1990. Kolerus and Kennedy also began a $40 million expansion project in 1990 to expand the emergency room, MRI services, physician offices and the obstetrics department, as well as a parking garage.
Kolerus was preceded in death by her husband, Frank. Besides her daughter, she is survived by her son Keith (Shary), as well as five grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 200 S. Wille St. in Mount Prospect.