Dr. Stanley Zydlo remembered in Palatine as 'a public treasure'
On yet another day his contributions to society continued to save lives, Dr. Stanley Zydlo - considered the "father" of paramedic service in the Northwest suburbs - was laid to rest Thursday at the age of 81.
Parked outside his funeral Mass at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Palatine were vehicles from many area fire departments, including Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Hoffman Estates, Lake Zurich, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Palatine Rural, Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg - a testament to how highly he was regarded by firefighters.
"Stan was not just a private citizen, he was a public treasure," the Rev. Brian Simpson said during the eulogy. "Imagine if he had not been here. How many of our friends and family wouldn't be here still?"
Kate Zydlo described her dad as an often irreverent jokester who nonetheless was passionately dedicated to teaching and helping others.
Simpson agreed with Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson's characterization of Zydlo as "a saint" in a Daily Herald article on his death last week, but said that was the last way Zydlo would have thought about himself.
Rather, Zydlo saw himself as the simple carrier of a truth that needed to be spoken, Simpson said. He believed firefighters could be trained to provide emergency medical service, and spent 40 years improving the capabilities and professionalism of paramedic services in Illinois.
Though small of stature, Zydlo's influence in the community was huge, Simpson said.
"It wasn't his glory he was after, it was the well-being of every citizen of this part of the world," he added. "Saints are not those who do it for the glory, but those who do what needs to be done. So I think we can call Stan a saint."
Zydlo was an Inverness resident and U.S. Air Force veteran whose casket arrived and departed from the church draped in the American flag.
After leaving the Air Force in 1963, Zydlo first went to Wabash, Indiana, where he had a small doctor's office.
Having developed an interest in emergency medicine, he moved to Chicago in 1969 and joined the emergency room staff at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
It was in 1972 that Zydlo organized a meeting of Northwest suburban fire departments to propose the idea of training and certifying firefighters in emergency medicine. This meeting led to the development of the first paramedic program in the nation.
The idea initially was met with resistance from many of Zydlo's medical colleagues, who didn't believe firefighters could be trained to provide complicated medical care.
However, Zydlo taught many of the paramedic classes himself and ultimately oversaw all medical services by member agencies and municipalities.
He went on to become medical director of Northwest Community's EMS system and emergency department, roles he held for nearly 25 years.