Community Corner
Darien Fetes Citizen of the Year Robert Klein
Hundreds gathered at Alpine Banquets to honor the 2011 Citizen of the Year, Robert Klein.
Generous. Loyal. Kind. Thoughtful. These were just some of the words used to describe Darien's 2011 Citizen of the Year, . Almost 200 people gathered at Saturday in his honor. The award is based on diversity of involvement, length of service and impact on the community.
Master of Ceremonies Pat Gillespie added, “[the award] is an effort to identify individuals who went out of their way to help the community.”
Along with being named Citizen of the Year, Klein was also recognized as a life member of the VFW National Home for Children. Klein serves on the Board of the Bolingbrook Crime Stoppers, the DuPage Fire District Association and Joliet Junior College. He has also been a member of the Dairen Rotary Club since 1974, just two years after becoming a resident. These are only a handful of ways Klein is and has been involved in the community.
Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Mayor Kathleen Weaver was present, introducing the present aldermen and women, as well as former Citizens of the Year.
Weaver read a letter sent from Judy Baar Topinka, who wrote, “there could not have been a better choice.”
Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Citizen of the Year Committee Chairwoman Kathy Lyons hadn't met Klein before choosing him for the award. She said it was better to not know the winner: That meant the honor was truly based on a person's actions. Alderman John Galan praised the committee for always doing such a wonderful job choosing the Citizen of the Year.
As Klein stepped up to the podium to deliver his speech, the crowd greeted him with a standing ovation. Gesturing for them to sit down, he was the model of modesty. With his first words, he had the crowd laughing as he cracked jokes throughout the speech, assuring the crowd that he was censoring himself for the cameras.
Klein called Darien a great town that is well-served and still developing.
“Thank God we have them,” said Klein of the police and fire departments, and thanked them for keeping Darien a safe town.
He also thanked his family and all that were present. After Klein's speech, most of the crowd flooded out, but some, including Klein, stayed behind to show off their moves on the dance floor.
