In the days following the death of former Lincolnwood mayor Gerald “Jerry” Turry, several of his friends, family members and associates offered their recollections of him.
“What guided him was ‘let’s do the right thing whether people like it or not,’” current mayor Jesal Patel said about Turry. “It wasn’t about making people happy, it was about doing what’s right.”
Turry died Aug. 14 of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 81.
He previously served three terms as Lincolnwood mayor following a long run as the Niles West High School athletic director, according to his son.
Turry was born in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago and raised in Skokie. A member of the Niles West High School Class of 1962. He got his bachelor’s degree from Loyola University where he was a biology major. He later earned his master’s degree in education from Indiana University.
In the late 1960s, he returned to Niles West where he was hired as a biology teacher.
“I think he wanted to work where he grew up,” Ben Turry said.
At Niles West, Jerry Turry was also dean of students and director of math and science. In the 1970s, he was named the high school’s athletic director. In his 17-year run as athletic director, Turry oversaw a massive renovation of the school’s facilities. He also successfully advocated for official acceptance of girls soccer and boys basketball from the Illinois High School Association, according to the Illinois Athletic Directors Association.
Turry also presided over the athletic department when Bart Conner, who would later become a two-time Olympic gold medalist, competed for the Niles West gymnastics team.
Then in 1979, the girls basketball team won the state championship in a game played at the University of Illinois.
“He loved sports, the students and the parents, and he loved being part of the community,” Ben Turry said, explaining why his father enjoyed being athletic director.
Turry was inducted into the Illinois Athletic Directors Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Niles West Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024.
His career took on a new dynamic when he decided to run for public office and was elected a Lincolnwood village trustee in 1995. He served on the Village Board for 10 years leading up to his election as village president – also called mayor – in 2005.
He was re-elected in 2009 and 2013.
Patel was a village trustee when Turry was mayor.
“He was very good at recognizing people’s strengths, and focus and putting them in the right position to succeed,” Patel said in remembrance.
Patel credited Turry with a series of achievements during his 12 years as mayor, including the creation of two recreational biking and walking paths and the construction of the Touhy Avenue pedestrian overpass.
Turry also dealt with the future of the long-fabled Purple Hotel at the northwest corner of Touhy and Lincoln avenues.
After years of mismanagement, the hotel stood vacant and was demolished in 2013. Patel said Turry was active in the discussions that eventually led to the creation of a tax increment financing district that included the property.
“Jerry just wanted to see redevelopment of the property,” Patel said.
The area is now known as District 1860 and features a mix of apartments, restaurants and retail with a hotel set to open soon.
While in office, Turry was president of the Northwest Municipal Conference, an intergovernmental organization that represents north and northwest suburbs, where he collaborated with elected leaders from other towns.
Former Skokie mayor George Van Dusen said Turry was a staunch advocate for parks and recreational facilities.
“Being an athletic director, that came naturally to him,” Van Dusen said.
Van Dusen said Turry sought diversity in Lincolnwood.
“Jerry was very good at inviting and genuinely bringing in people of all religions and cultures to participate,” he said. “He felt it was very important that Lincolnwood – like Skokie – be open to the immigrant experience. I learned a lot from Skokie that way and I think he learned a little bit from Skokie as well.”
Turry unsuccessfully sought a fourth term in 2017 when he was defeated by Barry Bass in a contentious election. Bass received 57% of the vote to Turry’s 43%. Bass served only one term.
In 2023, the village named its council chambers after Turry.
Away from politics, one of Turry’s passions was assisting at Chicago’s Misericordia Home where his daughter was a resident and his wife, Nancy, was an employee.
Julie O’Sullivan, Misericordia’s director of events and public relations, recalled that Turry often worked with the Jewish residents participating in Sabbath services. At Christmastime, he baked sweets at the home’s Hearts and Flowers Bakery.
“He made countless pounds of toffee throughout the month to fill the orders,” O’Sullivan said.
Turry was also an avid bicyclist who for many years joined with friends in the RAGBRAI event, a weeklong bicycle ride across the state of Iowa held every year in July.
His son said Turry was also a big sports fan and was very interested in local politics.
Turry is survived by his wife of 59 years, Nancy; and sons Adam and Ben. His daughter, Jennifer, predeceased him in death.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelancer.