New leadership takes over Mount Prospect Historical Society
As he had announced in April, Frank Corry stepped down from his position as president of the Mount Prospect Historical Society at the end of June.
He will continue serving on the society's executive committee and will remain on the board through the end of the year. Deb Rittle, currently the society's secretary and a founding member of the society's Education and Living History Committee, took over as president on July 1.
Corry joined the board in 2004, serving as the organization's treasurer until becoming president in 2013. He ultimately oversaw and coordinated the society's effort to relocate and restore the 1896 Central School, one of the state's few remaining original one-room schoolhouses, now actively serving the community as a functioning historical education center.
"The dream was not just to save and repair the structure," said Corry, "but to restore this important piece of Mount Prospect's history in a way that encouraged its use for educational programming."
Lindsay Rice, the society's executive director, indicated that in its first year since hosting the February, 2017, centennial re-enactment of the vote to incorporate the Village of Mount Prospect, the restored Central School has already welcomed more than 400 students from four schools to experience what it was like to attend a one-room schoolhouse in the late 19th century.
Deb Rittle, a longtime member of the society's executive board and a third-grade teacher, played a key role in designing the schoolhouse curriculum to meet state of Illinois teaching standards while maintaining a unique focus on community history.
"We're happy to see the enthusiastic response from the teachers and students who already have visited Central School during its first year of operation," said Rittle. "And as news about the program spreads and those teachers and students talk about their experiences, we're optimistic that more and more schools will be visiting."
Both Corry and Rittle are excited about the change, agreeing that this is an opportune time for a leadership handoff.
"The society is undergoing an important transition, with its focus shifting from construction and restoration to educational programming," said Corry.
"The schoolhouse project dominated the society's overall efforts for nearly 15 years, but with the restoration complete, the society can now focus more clearly on its important educational mission. I was honored to serve at a time and in a capacity where I could contribute effectively, and I'm delighted to pass the baton to Deb. Her experience as an educator and her enthusiasm for programming are going to translate to wonderful things."
Moving quickly to take advantage of the momentum the restored schoolhouse has generated, Rittle already is evaluating a number of new programming ideas.
"After pouring so much of our energy into the schoolhouse restoration project, we're thrilled to be benefiting from all of that hard work," said Rittle.
"Frank did an outstanding job as president, helping us get to this point where we're looking enthusiastically at new educational programming and activities. I can't wait to get started!"
The Mount Prospect Historical Society is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that is committed to preserving the history of Mount Prospect, through artifacts, photographs and both oral and written memories of current and former residents and businesspeople.
On its campus in the heart of the village, the society maintains the 1906 Dietrich Friedrichs house museum, the ADA-accessible Dolores Haugh Education Center and the 1896 one-room Central School, which was moved to the museum campus in 2008, renovated and opened to the public in 2017.