IN MEMORIAM ARCHER HEIGHTS & WEST ELSDON
In Memoriam: Jan Kopec
Earlier this summer, Archer Heights lost one of its longtime residents in a tragic cycling accident near the corner of South Archer and Kostner Avenues. Jan Kopec, eighty-three, was out on one of his many trips to see relatives in nearby Garfield Ridge when he was struck and killed early in the evening of August 21. Like many in the community, Jan was an immigrant who was born outside the United States. He moved here from Poland in 1979, along with his wife and children, and lived his entire life in Archer Heights, briefly with his in-laws and then in a home of his own across the street from St. Bruno Parish. Jan’s daughter, Barbara Kopec Cislo, remembers him as a kind and generous man who took tremendous pride in St. Bruno and would regularly volunteer to maintain the exterior of the building by sweeping the sidewalk, shoveling the snow, and helping the maintenance workers. He did much the same for a family next door, pitching in to help with home improvement projects and regular maintenance, and developing a close relationship with them despite a significant language barrier ( Jan spoke only Polish, and his neighbors spoke Spanish).
LILY COZZENS
Barbara remembered her father as a thoughtful man and an avid reader, and also as someone who loved working with his hands. She said he worked construction when first moving to the U.S. before starting a decades-long career at the now-closed Hendrickson spring factory. He loved woodworking and shoe repair as well, and later in life, cycling became a way for him to remain active as age began to take its natural toll. “He would say when he ‘greased those joints’ by biking he would feel better,” Barbara said. Jan is survived by his wife, three children, seven grandchildren, and many extended family members. (Dixon Galvez-Searle) Archer Heights, and the southwest side in general, is home to a large number of factories and shipping facilities, and its streets see a great deal of truck traffic. Long stretches of Archer Ave. practically invite vehicles to travel at a high speed, and city and state officials would do well to implement safety measures like bike lanes and well-placed stop signs to protect cyclists. The nonprofit Active Transportation Alliance has organized an Archer Avenue working group currently focusing on the northeastern part of the street, near Bridgeport and Chinatown. To get involved, contact ATA advocacy manager Julia Gerasimenko at julia@activetrans.org.
NOVEMBER 25, 2020 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 83
