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Village of Orland Park Rededicates Village Hall in Honor of Late Former Mayor Fredrick T. Owens
In a heartfelt ceremony held Sunday, October 26, the Village of Orland Park formally rededicated its Village Hall in honor of the late former Mayor Frederick T. Owens, restoring the building’s original name: Frederick T. Owens Village Hall. The event drew more than 100 family members, friends, and residents who gathered to celebrate Owens’s enduring impact on the community.
“This administration has set out to do the right thing for our Village,” said Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge. “Fred had a lasting impact on Orland Park and on the quality of life for our residents. He deserves this proper recognition for his dedication to the community he loved.”
The ceremony featured a welcome from Mayor Dodge, a performance by the Village of Orland Park Children’s Choir and reflections shared by Marjorie Owens-Klotz, daughter of the late former mayor.
“It is an honor to see my father’s name returned to Village Hall,” said Owens-Klotz. “Our family is deeply touched to know that his commitment to public service and his love for Orland Park continue to be remembered and celebrated.”
Frederick T. Owens moved to Orland Park in 1972 and quickly became an active voice in the community. He helped found the Silver Lake West Homeowners’ Organization and the United Homeowners’ Council before being elected Village Trustee in 1979 and again in 1982. In 1985, Owens succeeded longtime Mayor Melvin Doogan as the 10th Mayor of Orland Park and was re-elected in 1989.
During his tenure, Owens guided Orland Park through a period of extraordinary growth and progress. He led the effort to bring Lake Michigan water to the Village, a transformative milestone that fueled the community’s expansion and improved quality of life for residents. He also initiated one of the first local bans on “happy hour” drink promotions to combat drunk driving, an ordinance that later became a model for other municipalities across Illinois.
Owens worked to professionalize village government, strengthen regional collaboration, and enhance Orland Park’s reputation as a forward-looking community. As founder and president of the Argonne Regional Consortium, he helped lead the effort that earned the Argonne region its designation as a “High-Tech Corridor of Opportunity.”
A lifelong educator and historian, Owens taught geography and history and often led tours for the Orland Historical Society, sharing his passion for the area’s heritage. His dedication to preservation was perhaps most memorably demonstrated in 1987 when he intervened to save the historic Twin Tower Sanctuary of the Methodist Church in Old Orland from demolition. Working with the Village’s planning department, Owens established the Old Orland Heritage Foundation to restore and preserve the landmark. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, three years before his passing.
Owens passed away in 1992 at the age of 54 following a battle with kidney cancer. Later that year, the Village Board unanimously voted to dedicate the Village Hall in his honor. The Twin Tower Sanctuary he helped preserve was coincidentally rededicated on May 3, 2002, the tenth anniversary of his death.
Today, the Owens family’s multigenerational roots remain strong in Orland Park. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren continue to take pride in his legacy and in the community he helped shape.
“Mayor Owens’s vision and leadership left an indelible mark on Orland Park,” said Mayor Dodge. “From modernizing local government to championing responsible growth and historic preservation, his impact is still felt today. It is only fitting that Village Hall bears his name.”
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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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