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Remembering 'Mr. Batavia,' Bob Popeck

Bob Popeck was "a kind of Mr. Batavia," according to Mayor Jeff Schielke.

Although Popeck wasn't born there - he came from Cicero at age 12 - he quickly came to love the small town on the Fox River. After a stint in the Navy, he returned to settle down in 1958.

And on Aug. 7, 1960, he began a 48-year run as a city employee, first as a firefighter, then as a police officer, rising to chief. After leaving the police department, he worked for 22 years as an assistant to Schielke and city administrators.

Popeck, 80, died Saturday, after falling ill at his home Friday night.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

His career

Popeck was a full-time firefighter for three years, then transferred to the police department in 1963.

Schielke served as an auxiliary police officer under Popeck.

"He was really an advanced thinker on such things as technology and communications," Schielke said Tuesday. Popeck made Batavia one of the first local departments to issue personal portable radios to officers, rather than just having a radio in the squad car.

Schielke said Popeck was also instrumental in setting up the Tri-Com emergency dispatch agency in 1976, which now serves Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and Elburn. He recalled when the agency went live, Popeck stayed at the center for 36 hours straight, just to make sure there were no glitches.

History buff

Beyond his city work, Popeck also became well-known for acquiring and refurbishing Batavia-made windmills. He found them around the country. They were mostly used to pump water, especially in the southwestern United States and Australia, starting in the late 19th century.

"I don't think you can drive around and see any of the windmills without thinking of Bob," former city administrator Bill McGrath said in 2005.

He found beauty in them. "I like mechanical things. These are like sculpture," Popeck once said.

Popeck started the display of windmills at the Batavia Government Center in 1994. There are more, at shopping centers and other locations throughout the city, including his backyard.

Popeck and his wife, Francine McGuire-Popeck, were instrumental in bringing an international windmillers convention twice to Batavia.

"He's been running around for years climbing those windmills until very recently," Schielke said.

He was a past president of the Batavia Historical Society and chairman of the city's 175th anniversary celebration.

And his home was filled with "made in Batavia, Illinois" memorabilia, from windmill tails to glassware to foodstuff tins and bottles. It reflected his love of the town.

"I'd like to end my stay with the city by saying 'I'm from Batavia and I'm proud of it,' " said Popeck, at a ceremony in 2008 when he retired.

Batavia to revel in its windmill history with trade fair this week

  Bob Popeck of Batavia removes some rotten wood on a windmill he and other volunteers repaired and refurbished. Popeck died Saturday. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com, May 2012
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