Grayslake advisory panel member retires after 54 years
Fred Schaefer received a final honor from Grayslake after retiring from a 54-year stint of volunteer service on the advisory plan commission/zoning board of appeals.
Schaefer, 96, stood near a podium at this week's village board meeting as Mayor Rhett Taylor presented a plaque recognizing the man who was believed to be Grayslake's longest-serving appointed official.
"It's an incredible testament to his commitment to our town, the length of time he spent serving," Taylor said. "When he started, the village was 3,800 people. Today, we're about 21,500."
Schaefer was part of the six-member panel that reviews development plans and zoning requests, then issues recommendations to the village board for a final vote.
He worked for Sellstrom Manufacturing Co. in Palatine when he was appointed in January 1962.
Similar to other suburbs that have grown up, Grayslake has a village manager who runs day-to-day operations and is augmented by various professionals. Stepping up to the podium after kind words from Taylor and plan commission/zoning board of appeals Chairman Karl Molek, Schaefer remembered how the village didn't have such a formal way of doing business 54 years ago.
Grayslake at times needed outside assistance when development proposals came before Schaefer's panel.
"In those days, we had to have a man who knew what to do here in Grayslake because we didn't have anyone like we do today," Schaefer said.
Molek thanked Schaefer for helping to show him the ropes when he joined the plan commission/zoning board of appeals in the early 1990s. He said Schaefer's knowledge will be missed by the group.
"He was never hesitant to state his opinion, from the very moment we first met and all the way to the end, which is something to be absolutely proud of, Fred, in my opinion," Molek said as Schaefer stood beside him.
Grayslake honored Schaefer for 50 years of service in 2012. He was recognized for 35 years of service at a Grayslake village board meeting in 1997.
Schaefer wound up in Grayslake because he wanted to live closer to his job at Great Lakes Naval Station. He found a home for $12,500 in Grayslake, so he moved there from Chicago's South Side with his wife and two daughters.