Art drove designer
Back in the late 1940s, Elroy Wilke figured he could never earn a living as an artist, so he went to work for a Palatine-based company, Standard Safety Equipment Co., that manufactured protective clothing and equipment.
Still, his artistic ability helped him advance from the factory lines to the design department, which he eventually managed. He later led the company as vice president.
While in the design department, family members say, Mr. Wilke was instrumental in designing the protective environment for the "boy in the bubble," whose story captivated public interest and was the subject of a 1976 movie starring John Travolta.
Mr. Wilke passed away Saturday. The former resident of Arlington Heights, Palatine and Hoffman Estates, most recently of Gurnee, was 75.
The so-called "boy in the bubble" dates back to 1971, when David Phillip Vetter was born in Shenandoah, Texas, suffering from a rare genetic disease known as severe combined immune deficiency syndrome.
With Standard Safety Equipment's expertise in creating chemical-resistant clothing and encapsulating suits, its designers were tapped to create the sterile environment in which Vetter lived most of his life, until he died in 1984.
"Elroy created the bubble that he lived in from his birth, to his death," says Rita Wilke. "He was pretty proud of the accomplishment, that they could do that."
Officials with Standard Safety Equipment, now based in McHenry, were unavailable for comment on their role in the design.
Mr. Wilke's artistic talent was the driving force in his life, from the time he was a small child, through his adulthood and into his retirement. While growing up in Arlington Heights, his parents supported his talent, enrolling him in private lessons, including studying at the School of the Art Institute.
When Mr. Wilke graduated from Arlington High School, he went on to study commercial art and illustration, at the American Academy Of Art in Chicago, where he studied under famed watercolorist, Irving Shapiro.
While working full time, Mr. Wilke still found time to pursue artwork on the side, and often was commissioned to paint landscapes, portraits and murals. He painted in a variety of media, including in watercolor, pastels, oils and acrylics.
His artistic talent even played a role in his military service. As a 10-year member of the Illinois National Guard, Mr. Wilke's design for the insignia of his Illinois regiment won approval by the Army. It featured a cardinal and bore the Latin inscription, "Animo es Fides."
It was worn on the shoulder pads of companies based in Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Palatine, Melrose Park, Franklin Park, Cicero, Villa Park, Lombard, Naperville, Berwyn and Maywood.
According to a newspaper account at the time, company members wore the insignia for the first time in 1948, during a parade in Chicago when they escorted President Harry Truman to the Chicago Stadium where he delivered a nationwide speech.
When Mr. Wilke retired in 1994 after a 35-year career with Standard Safety, he found more time to pursue both his passions, art and golf. His oil paintings now greet visitors at the Heather Ridge Golf Club in Gurnee, where he played nearly every day.
Besides his wife, Mr. Wilke is survived by his brother, Ray (Virginia) and sister, Lynn (William) Von Boeckmann; stepchildren Lisa (Jim) Wiederin and Wesley (Carrie) Smith, and four grandchildren.
Visitation for Mr. Wilke will take place from 3-7 p.m. today, with a memorial service immediately following, at Marsh Funeral Home, 305 N. Cemetery Road in Gurnee.