DuPage County Board members honor McBride's memory
The memory of DuPage County Board member Jerry "JR" McBride will live on inside the building where he developed his reputation as a consensus builder and a leader among his peers.
Board members this week voted to dedicate their caucus room at the county's administration building in honor of McBride, who died last fall at his Glen Ellyn home after a long battle with cancer.
The private gathering spot used by county board members before and after meetings is now called the JR McBride Caucus Room.
"We think it's very fitting that the caucus room will be named the JR McBride Caucus Room because that's where the conversation took place," board Chairman Dan Cronin said. "That's where the collaborative efforts were underway."
Cronin said McBride made "a profound impact" on the board during his tenure representing county board District 4 from 2006 through October 2014.
"His most powerful tool was his sense of humor and his desire to talk and collaborate and find common ground," Cronin said.
McBride's wife, Becky, said she hopes board members - now and in the future - remember that when they use the caucus room, which has a plaque with McBride's picture at the entrance.
"I hope that it makes your conversations a little bit easier to do," Becky McBride said to the board.
Becky McBride said she appreciates the decision to name the caucus room in her late husband's honor.
"I feel Jerry's presence among his kids daily," Becky McBride said. "But I've never felt such a presence of him until I walked back into this building because he loved coming here."
Long before becoming a county board member, McBride worked to raise money for nonprofit organizations such as Misericordia Heart of Mercy in Chicago. He also was a founding member of the Jubilee Board, the fundraising arm for Outreach Community Ministries in Wheaton.
Even after becoming a county board member, McBride continued to help raise money for nonprofits.
This week's resolution summarizes how McBride's friends at the county are remembering him.
"JR McBride shall be remembered as the heart of soul of the county board whose thoughtfulness, humor, strength and leadership greatly impacted the DuPage County Board, staff and residents alike," the resolution reads.