Funeral services will be held Saturday for John Duffy, a longtime Elgin Community College Board trustee and School District U-46 educator who died Christmas Eve at age 91.
Duffy served on the ECC Board continuously for 48 years until he retired in 2023. He was the longest-serving community college trustee in Illinois history.
Elgin Community College President Peggy Heinrich said in a statement that Duffy played a key role in the hiring of six of the college’s eight presidents, helped establish the ECC Foundation and served in a number of leadership roles. After his board retirement, he was a member of the ECC Foundation Board until his death.
Duffy also served on the board of directors for the Association of Community College Trustees and the American Association of Community Colleges and was ECC’s representative to the Illinois Community College Trustee Association.
“His impact extended beyond our campus through years of service at the state and national level and through his leadership during multiple successful referenda that allowed the college to grow and invest in new facilities — even during challenging economic times,” Heinrich said in her statement.
To honor Duffy’s life and service, ECC flags are being flown at half-staff this week.
Before his death, Duffy was honored in 2008 when the road connecting College Green Drive to Spartan Drive on the college campus was named Duffy Drive. The city of Elgin recognized him with a proclamation declaring April 10, 2024, as John Duffy Day.
Born and raised in Whittemore, Iowa, he graduated from Loras College in 1956 with degrees in Latin, philosophy and English, his obituary said. He began his teaching career at Presentation Academy in Whittemore.
In 1958, Duffy married Anne O’Brien and moved to Clear Lake, Iowa, where he taught Latin.
He received a master’s degree in Latin education from Creighton University in Omaha and started a doctoral degree at the University of Iowa in 1961 after receiving a National Defense Education Act Scholarship. His failing vision led him to leave the program, according to the obituary.
Duffy moved with his family to Elgin, where he took a job at the newly opened Larkin High School. During his tenure at the school, which ended with his retirement in 1996, he taught Latin and English and served as chairman of the English and Foreign Language departments.
Duffy is survived by his wife of 67 years, four children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at Laird Funeral Home, 310 S. State St., Elgin. A funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at St. Laurence Catholic Church, 225 Jewett St., Elgin.
The funeral will be live-streamed on the church’s Facebook page and on its YouTube channel.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
