For 57 years, the Glen Ellyn Community Awards has been honoring the best of what and who makes Glen Ellyn such a wonderful Village to live, work and play. Over 1,500 nominations were submitted for this year's Glen Ellyn Community Awards. Among the 16 categories awarded, the Village of Glen Ellyn is pleased to announce that the following Village employees and volunteers were recognized for their substantial contributions to the community:
Firefighter of the Year was awarded to Lieutenant John Mammoser. Lt. Mammoser has been instrumental in allowing the Fire Company members to communicate, safely train and maintain general operations since the pandemic began. He quickly researched and implemented solutions that enabled the Fire Company to conduct "business as usual" in innovative new ways including a virtual Fire Prevention Week open house. Lt. Mammoser has served the Village as a volunteer firefighter for nine years.
Police Officer of the Year was awarded to Deputy Chief Kurt Vavra. In order to be able to provide emergency and routine police services during the pandemic, the Glen Ellyn Police Department’s entire way of doing business had to be reengineered. Add to that, unrest and protests across the country in 2020 made for an unprecedented year for law enforcement. Whether it was planning for demonstrations, orchestrating an internal overhaul of how to conduct day-to-day operations in a COVID-safe manner, or assisting local businesses, Deputy Chief Vavra was at the forefront. While an argument could be made for virtually any member of the Glen Ellyn Police Department to receive this recognition this year, Deputy Chief Vavra’s calm leadership and steadfast approach to his ever-changing responsibilities at the Police Department, make him the clear choice for the 2020 award.
Village Employee of the Year was awarded to Bill Keel. Bill has worked for the Village since 2002 as a part-time Property Maintenance Inspector. His position was created at a time when the number of teardowns were a community concern and Bill’s main responsibility was to inspect each construction site daily to make sure the properties were being maintained in compliance with Village regulations. Bill always strove to be helpful and assist others, so over the years his responsibilities expanded to include fence and sign inspections, code enforcement, temporary signage regulation, new business registrations and providing general assistance wherever he could. Bill retired from the Village in December 2020 and his kind heart and friendly spirit will be missed.
This year’s ceremony will be in a virtual, pre-recorded video format. Stay tuned for the release date to be announced in March. For more on the Glen Ellyn Community Awards, please visit the Chamber of Commerce website.