Dan Anderson
Board Member. Historian. Author. Philanthropist.
Dan moved to Glen Ellyn 58 years ago after marrying Midge Avery, a lifelong Glen Ellyn resident. They raised their two children in Glen Ellyn, IL. Over the years, both were active in volunteering and philanthropic efforts for various organizations such as the Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center, Bridge Communities, The Glen Ellyn Public Library, and the Glen Ellyn Historical Society. Midge passed away in January of 2023.
Dan has been especially active in the Historical Society. In 2009, he received the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award presented by the Illinois Humanities Council for his contributions and involvement in the Glen Ellyn History Park built at North Main Street and Geneva Road. In 2014, Dan and Midge received recognition from the DuPage County Historical Society for their ideas, time, creativity, dedication, and financial support. In a 2009 article in the Chicago Tribune Dan was quoted as saying…
"My wife, Midge, was born and raised in Glen Ellyn and remembers when her family referred to the Five Corners area as Stacy's Corners. My efforts to raise funds on behalf of the History Park led to preparing a talk on Glen Ellyn's early history. The more I learned about the history of the village, the more I came to realize what a wealth of information the historical society has in its archives."
With his publishing background, Dan had a column in the Glen Ellyn SUN, a local newspaper. He compiled some of those articles into his first book, “24 Tales of Murder, Mayhem, Infidelity, Pranks and Other Intriguing Tidbits of Glen Ellyn History,” followed later by “A Romp Through Glen Ellyn History.” Both books can be found in the gift shop at the History Center, The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn, and the Glen Ellyn Public Library.
In 2023, Dan and Midge were recognized for their contribution to the Glen Ellyn Public Library at The Silver Ball for offering matching funds to create the Teen Scene room and a community makerspace. A makerspace is a place where people come together to create with technology.
Dan’s latest project is working with The Glen Ellyn Historical Society and the Village of Glen Ellyn to add historical sidewalk plaques throughout downtown Glen Ellyn. This project is being integrated with Glen Ellyn’s multi-year Streetscape plan. Each plaque is 16×16 engraved granite giving a brief history of a given site. Over 60 plaques have been created and about half have been installed to date.
Nowadays you can find Dan on his daily walks throughout town. If you see him, feel free to greet him; he will likely share a story of Glen Ellyn.
