Hoffman Estates seeks update of history book for 60th anniversary

Hoffman Estates officials are beginning preparations to celebrate the village's 60th anniversary in 2019, with a top priority being an update of the village-commissioned history book that now ends with the arrival of Sears' corporate headquarters in the early '90s.

Mayor Bill McLeod said Cheryl Lemus' "The Village of Hoffman Estates - An Atypical Suburb" is a solid piece of work that benefitted from having been researched and written with the objectivity of a true historian.

But the village's commission of the book for its 50th anniversary didn't give Lemus the time she needed to go beyond 1991 before it was due to go to press.

McLeod said he isn't sure if the update he seeks would take the form of a second edition of the current book or a sequel, or whether Lemus would be available for the project.

"That would be my preference, obviously, but I don't know that that's going to happen," he said.

The village board this week voted to create a 60th Anniversary Commission to work out most of the details of how the event will be observed next year.

McLeod hopes to nominate members at the April 16 village board meeting, though he intends to suggest Trustee Karen Mills serve as chairwoman.

"She's the longest-serving village trustee in the history of Hoffman Estates," McLeod said.

While several nearby suburbs have recently demonstrated a variety of ways to mark a 60th anniversary, McLeod and Mills agreed Hoffman Estates' celebration wouldn't be as elaborate as its 50th.

Mills said the present focus is on securing the services of the best potential volunteers for the commission. But even afterward, she wants to find ways for as many people who want to be involved to do so.