Glen Ellyn bridge named for JR McBride

Those who knew Jerome “JR” McBride say he was “a bridge builder” who brought people together during his years as a DuPage County Board member.

So they say it's fitting that the bridge carrying Roosevelt Road over Route 53 in Glen Ellyn is now named in honor of McBride, who died in office last October after battling a brain tumor.

“In a society where we look for heroes and we look for people to emulate, we look no further than JR McBride,” county board Chairman Dan Cronin said Wednesday.

Cronin joined more than 100 of McBride's friends and family members at the bridge to dedicate the “Jerome F. 'JR' McBride, Jr. Memorial Bridge.”

“Every time we pass this way and we see his name, we can think about a really good guy that cared about his friends, that cared about his neighbors, that cared about his community,” said Cronin, adding that McBride worked “to bring people together and build bridges.”

Jeff Redick, who serves as a forest preserve commissioner, said people who knew JR have stories about him that make them smile.

“Hopefully every day when we go by this and we see this bridge, it will bring a smile to everybody's face,” Redick said.

State Sen. Michael Connelly said McBride made an impact during his time representing county board District 4 from 2006 through October 2014. Connelly said he sponsored a resolution to name the bridge after McBride because he wants future generations to know about his friend.

“For those of us who knew him and loved him and were inspired by him, it's nice to see his name,” Connelly said.

But decades from now, Connelly said, there will be young people who will see McBride's name and then look up the news articles about him on the Internet.

“They'll read the stories about what an inspirational man he was,” he said.

McBride, a Glen Ellyn resident, was an advocate for common-sense government reforms and considering the needs of residents and taxpayers first when taking a vote or position on an issue.

Long before becoming a county board member, he worked to raise money for nonprofit organizations such as Misericordia Heart of Mercy in Chicago. He was a founding member of the Jubilee Board, the fundraising arm for Outreach Community Ministries in Wheaton.

“If you take anything from the way he chose to live his life, don't miss an opportunity to impact someone's life that you care about,” said Bill McBride, JR's brother.

“We can carry each other,” he added. “We're a community. We're in this together. We need to stay together.”