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TOI receives centennial honor

The Township Officials of Illinois has been named a centennial organization by the Illinois State Historical Society.
Twenty-three Illinois businesses and not-for-profit organizations were honored at the 23rd annual Centennial Awards reception Oct. 6 at the Executive Mansion in Springfield.

TOI Executive Director Bryan Smith and Associate Director Jerry Crabtree attended the program to receive a plaque honoring the 100-year-old Township Officials of Illinois. Rich Bradley, founding news director at Springfield’s public radio station WUIS, presented the awards. Remarks were made by Michael Ayers, executive vice-president and chief operating officer, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, a partner with the State Historical Society on the centennial program.
TOI is also among centennial award winners featured in the September-October issue of Illinois Heritage magazine, a publication of The Illinois State Historical Society:

It all began on November 13, 1907 in Watseka, Illinois. A small group of highway commissioners and clerks, led by W. Rufus Kendall, organized the first meeting of the Illinois State Association of Highway Commissioners and Town Clerks. Their goal? To protect the township form of government from the state legislature and other elected leaders, who threatened to erode its authority. In 1932, supervisors and assessors joined the association, then trustees, and in 1945, the organization was reborn as the Township Officials of Illinois. Today the Township Officials of Illinois lends a hand to Illinois’ 1,433 townships, providing training, legal advice, education and legislative support to community officials in all 102 counties. With home offices in Springfield, Township Officials of Illinois works hard to promote highly qualified local government officials and to make them responsive in their home communities.

Since 1984, more than 1,200 businesses and organizations have been presented the honor. Winners receive a complimentary membership in the Illinois State Historical Society, and exclusive use of the Centennial logo while they are members.