Rolling Meadows 'pioneering' resident celebrates 100th birthday

Rolling Meadows honored the 100th birthday of Alice Fitzgerald, one of its "founding" residents, at the city council's Jan. 25 meeting with a proclamation that recognized her impressive record of community service and volunteerism.

The proclamation established Saturday, Jan. 29, as "Alice Fitzgerald Day."

"Alice is an essential part of Rolling Meadows," said former Public Works Department director Fred Vogt, who retired in 2019.

"For years, she has proudly claimed she would see her 100th birthday. Those who know her best - family, friends, colleagues, and fellow volunteers - knew better than to bet against her."

Fitzgerald has provided an estimated 2,000 hours of volunteer service to multiple community organizations. She spent several years at the Public Works Department, where she answered phones, prepared mailings, coordinated service requests and maintained file records.

Department co-workers and colleagues agree that Alice had a knack for answering residents' questions about Public Works services because of her background and experience.

Outside of Public Works, Alice spent over a decade of service as a member/volunteer of the Rolling Meadows Historical Society, including a term as society president. She also: volunteered at the Rolling Meadows Senior Center; helped organize and host Rolling Meadows Library book sales; drove senior citizens to medical appointments; and graduated from Rolling Meadows' Fire, Police, and Public Works Department Citizen Academies.

Fitzgerald has been a part of Rolling Meadows' fabric since the city's 1955 incorporation. She moved to Rolling Meadows with her husband, Ted, after making a $10 down payment on their new home. She still lives in that same house 66 years later.

"We had seen an ad in the Chicago Tribune about a new community called Rolling Meadows," she recalled. "We looked at model homes on Campbell Street and Wilke Road and knew immediately that it was the place for us."

After settling in Rolling Meadows, the Fitzgeralds went about the business of raising a family in their new community. Alice worked at the Transo Envelope Company in Chicago, where she rose over time from machine operator to factory production manager.

Ted set up a home-based watch repair business, which allowed him to tend to their house and also keep an eye on their son, Frank.

Frank Fitzgerald now has children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of his own - making Alice a proud great-great-grandmother.