Contributed by: Kathy and Steve Pattengale
“Best decision ever” is the way Dave Parro describes moving to Tower Lakes with his family in 1989 after eight years next door in LBS. Dave and his wife Marilyn were looking for a house with a yard and a water view. After looking in a 50-mile radius, they realized they were sold on Tower Lakes.
Dave and Marilyn are empty nesters, married 28 years, with two daughters. Katy, 24, is an NIU graduate planning to go back to school full time in the fall to get her masters degree. Christie, 22, is a senior at DePaul.
Dave grew up in Champaign and got his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois. His first job after graduation was developing technology for the oil refining industry at the world leader in the field, UOP. He got to live in every corner of the world in the 70’s and 80’s, commissioning new refineries. Dave considered it a dream job, so he never left. He just celebrated his 40th anniversary at the company.
Like everyone who lives here, the Parros love Tower Lakes and want to do their part to keep it great. Dave and Marilyn were on the TLIA Social Committee shortly after moving here, and Dave has overseen numerous committees and initiatives while serving on the TLIA Board, the TLIA Long Range Planning Committee, the Village Board, and the Village Zoning Board of Appeals.
At 16 years and counting, he’s become the longest serving elected official since the Village was founded. He says, “I keep doing it because I love the fact that in a tiny Village all the improvements we make and all the work we do is immediately impactful and necessary in some way right in the neighborhood. That rewarding feeling is what sustains my interest, and it would not be the case in a larger government. In our Village organization, with no professional village manager like our neighbor towns have, the president’s job is a busy one, requiring 10 to 20 hours a week to do it well. It’s tough for a person working full time to do. From the time Len Kuskowski died to the time Kathleen announced her retirement, I therefore dug in my heels resisting requests to run, citing career and family priorities. But now, I think I can afford to give the time it deserves and hopefully my experience will be an asset.”
Regarding his years of service to the community, Dave says, “The best part of any volunteer job is the reward of seeing your own efforts make life better for someone. When the “someones” are always your neighbors, that’s pretty sweet. The other “best” is the quality of the Village officials I work with in terms of professional skills, selfless dedication to Tower Lakes, and teamwork. I am in awe of, and thankful for, this group. Worst? Spending efforts and resources defending our interests and pocketbooks against Springfield’s moves.”
Dave is also proud of a new interest he developed during his long service to the Village. When working to create the first Village website in 1999, one of Dave’s tasks was to populate a Village History page. In school he was never interested in any kind of history, but the project transformed him, creating a new hobby and passion. He has become obsessed with tracking down old photos, corresponding with families of village pioneers and even co-authoring an article with a university professor. He hopes his role as Historian will outlive his role as Village president.