Success is not due to one individual

Peter Burchard, former Naperville City Manager and 2007 Person of the Year, may deserve thanks from the residents of Naperville for his years of service to our community. Certainly, the city government provides good services to the residents of the community.

However, the writer of the article implied that Mr. Burchard is also responsible for the current economic success of Naperville.

Naperville's growth has largely been due to simple logistics. Start with a river, add a railroad, throw in the East-West (now Reagan) Tollway, add lots of land available for development, and a village of 10,000 grows into a city of 140,000 in 50 years.

Also, while Tellabs, ConAgra, and other corporate offices are welcome here, the real population and economic growth began in the sixties with the location of Argonne National Laboratory nearby. Many employees of Argonne lived in Naperville.

The opening of the tollway brought Bell Labs and Amoco Research to Naperville. These facilities employed thousands here.

Finally, Naperville schools have always been very good and have drawn many to our community.

The construction of the Riverwalk in 1981 was the catalyst for the growth and development (good and bad) of the downtown area.

Certainly, no single person deserves credit for Naperville's growth and economic success. The foundation for this growth was laid before Mr. Burchard came to Naperville.

Bob Owensby

Naperville