Former Prospect Heights alderman helped lead community

A former Prospect Heights alderman and a leading proponent of the city's advance from its rural roots into a thriving suburb has died.

Robert 'Bob' Donovan served as Third Ward alderman for six years during some of the city council's most contentious years. He passed away on Saturday after a long illness. He was 81.

Mr. Donovan was appointed to the council to serve out a term and then he was elected in his own right. He represented residents from Rand Road east to Wolf Road, including homeowners in Rob Roy Country Club Village and Fairway Estates.

"He was part of the council wars when meetings were very volatile," says James Cagney, a former Prospect Heights alderman who served after Mr. Donovan. "He was pretty outspoken, as I recall."

Mr. Donovan was a supporter of Mayor Edward P. Rotchford, and he backed him in selling the city's old village hall in order to build a new one and in the process raise money for city services.

"I loved working with him," says Rotchford, now retired and living in Antioch. "As a banker, he realized what it took to run the city."

Mr. Donovan also lobbied for more street repairs, home rule and Lake Michigan water, while opposing the building of a major superstore in the city, near Rob Roy Country Club.

"He felt the day had passed when Prospect Heights needed to preserve its rural past," says his wife, Virginia. "They needed money to run the city."

Still, while city council meetings often erupted into bitter arguments, Virginia Donovan remembers her husband's involvement fondly.

"It was a fun time," she says.

In 2000, after Mr. Donovan had stepped down from the council because of declining health, Prospect Heights officials named him their "Citizen of the Year."

The recognition included his role in the Marines, where he was a member of the Love Company that befriended an 11-year old boy in China they named "Charlie Two Shoes."

Company members gave him food and clothing, taught him English and paid for his schooling. The Communists took over China in 1949, and 35 years later, Charlie made it to the United States, where his Marine benefactors again helped him, this time earning his citizenship.

In an interview with the Daily Herald in 2000, Mr. Donovan said he wrote letters for 10 years on Charlie's behalf, "to senators, the vice president, anyone who would listen."

The story was documented in a book, "Charlie Two Shoes and the Marines of Love Company," in which Mr. Donovan was pictured.

Besides his wife, Mr. Donovan is survived by his daughter, Kerry (Rick) Cummings, village president of Glenview; his son, Mark (Jeannette) Donovan of Carol Stream; and nine grandchildren.

Visitation is from 3-6 p.m. today at Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. David's Episcopal Church, 2410 Glenview Road in Glenview.