'Pioneer' helped build 'community' in Elk Grove

Robert Thomas Dunn and his wife, Ethel were among the first 300 families to settle in Elk Grove Village, purchasing a home in the north end of the community in the first subdivision developed by Centex Corp.

But they came to do more than raise a family. They came to build a community, friends say.

"I think he wanted to be kind of a pioneer," says their daughter, Kathleen Dunn of Milwaukee, a radio host on Wisconsin Public Radio. "At the time, there were nothing but cornfields here, and he wanted the American dream -- he wanted to be a part of something."

Now, family members are reflecting on his long, active life. Mr. Dunn, who would have lived in Elk Grove Village 50 years next month, passed away Sunday. He was 93.

Within a year of arriving, Mr. Dunn worked to form one of the first service organizations in the village, the Lions Club of Elk Grove Village, serving as its president.

"Bob knew that service organizations were the backbone of the community," says Nanci Vanderweel, Elk Grove Township supervisor, "and that they could help a community grow."

While they committed to working for the blind and vision impaired, Lions Club members also searched for a community project. They settled on building a park and pool for families to gather during the hot summer months.

Mr. Dunn and his fellow Lions were able to convince Centex Corp. officials to donate the land, while the Lions Club members themselves raised the money to build it. Family members remember Lions Pool opening in 1959 and later being deeded to the new Elk Grove Park District.

The pool has been renovated since its original construction and now is known as Rainbow Falls Water Theme Park, one of the village's most popular recreation venues.

Another recreational outlet that Mr. Dunn helped to start in Elk Grove was the Senior Golf League, which still meets regularly at Fox Run Golf Links.

While Mr. Dunn tended to his village involvement, his wife recorded much of the community activities in her role as a local columnist for the Daily Herald. Mrs. Dunn wrote a weekly column, called "Dialing Elk Grove."

In business, Mr. Dunn made his career as a sugar broker, working in the industry until he retired in 1980. In retirement, he continued to enjoy golf, as well as following favorite sports teams, especially the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame.

Family members say that along with his involvement in developing Elk Grove, Mr. Dunn took great pride in his Navy service during World War II, and serving on board ships that guarded destroyers in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Panama Canal region.

Besides his daughter, Mr. Dunn is survived by his son, Robert Kilpatrick Dunn, of Utrecht, Holland; three grandchildren and two stepgrandsons.

A memorial service will be held for Mr. Dunn at 10 a.m. today at Queen of the Rosary Parish, 680 W. Elk Grove Blvd. in Elk Grove.