v26-3 Mark Palermo

By Kathy Gemperle

We learned this summer of the sudden passing of Mark Palermo, a board member of the Edgewater Historical Society for seven years. Mark was involved is many things as a Chicago Public School teacher who worked at Senn High School and served as the guidance person for the homeless students.

He was also involved in his church and was an activist for LGBT equality. His role in EHS was as a negotiator and communicator. The EHS board is grateful for his work and support, including some gift lifetime memberships. When the Board of Directors decided to support the landmarking of 15 buildings at the north end of Edgewater, as named in a survey by the Landmarks Commission staff, Mark stepped up to help in the outreach to the various block clubs who were discussing the proposal. He “took the show on the road” and, in his thoughtful way, presented the reasons why these homes represented a valuable part of Edgewater history that should be preserved. Though Mark retired and moved away, he returned many times and was even at the museum for an event just two weeks before his death.