Learn how eco-activist 'The Fox' got his start 50 years ago at Feb. 10 program
The Friends of the Fox River will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of "The Fox" with a program at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10.
It will be held at the Schweitzer Environmental Center, 16N900 Sleepy Hollow Road in West Dundee.
Executive Director Gary Mechanic will bring Jim Phillips story to life again with "The Legend of The Fox" including a video documentary produced by Friends of the Fox River's digital media director Jennifer Howard.
"The Fox" first appeared in 1969 as an anonymous environmental activist who fought polluters and protected the Fox River and other local waterways before the passage of the Clean Water Act, a federal law passed in 1972 governing water pollution.
After his death at age 70 in 2001, it came out that "The Fox" was Phillips. In the 1960s and '70s, he worked as a middle school science teacher in Oak Lawn and Hillside. He later became a field inspector for Kane County and he helped create Kendall County's forest preserve system.
It's a story of courage born of love, magic, and danger. It is a story about The Lone Ranger, Robin Hood and Henry David Thoreau rolled into one, small town, teacher/activist. It's a story about protecting the environment, and changing the culture of the world.
Space is limited.For reservations or information, visit friendsofthefoxriver.org/event/the-legend-of-the-fox/.
Each year, the Friends of the Fox River has organized spring and fall Fox Rescue cleanup events each year removing tons of trash from the Fox River and its tributaries.
They have enhanced river habitat by planting nearly 7,000 water willow plants in the Fox River, and have issued State of the Fox River Reports annually.