Published: August 23, 2008 10:44 pm         

Holycross, Konsis tapped as marshals

WESTVILLE — The 98th annual Westville Labor Day parade sponsored by the Westville Lions Club will be presided over by grand marshal Penny Holycross and honorary marshal Ken Konsis.

Holycross has served as the Georgetown Township Supervisor for the past three years. In her position, she has established a food pantry, organized a community garden and coordinated food mobile giveaways several times a year.

She also organizes the annual senior citizen’s picnic for township residents and is the senior health insurance program coordinator. She helps seniors prepare their income taxes and apply for state programs.

This year her office completed more than 425 economic stimulus rebate forms by having volunteers deliver notes to every township house explaining the stimulus program and how the residents could receive help. Through this effort, she helped residents collect more than $165,000.

Holycross also volunteered to pump gas for senior and disabled citizens two mornings a week during the 2007-08 winters and serves breakfast at the Westville senior citizen building weekly. She also coordinated electronic recycling days this summer in Westville and volunteers at both the Georgetown and Westville libraries.

The grand marshal received the 2008 Woman of Distinction award from the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois and in 2007 she was selected as one of 20 Outstanding Women to Know in East Central Illinois.

She is vice president of Keep Vermilion County Beautiful, a Westville Lions Club member and a Faith in Action executive committee member. She also is on the board of directors of the University of Illinois Extension, is a central committee chairman of the Georgetown Township and is a Democrat precinct committeeman. Holycross has been a Santa’s anonymous group mem-ber for more than 20 years, a board member of the unmet needs of Vermilion County residents and a Georgetown Ladies Community Club member.

Holycross was born and raised in Westville and graduated from Westville High School in 1972. She was a secretary at Judith Giacoma Elementary School from 1987 to 1996, and during her time with the district served on the citizen’s advisory committee, was a cheerleading coach, worked with the parent-teacher organization and the Westville High School booster club.

She has been married to Larry Holycross for 23 years and they have one son, Josh Brown, and two grandchildren. They share a love of antique cars.

Honorary marshal

Ken Konsis has been chosen as the honorary marshal for the 2008 Labor Day parade. Konsis also was born and raised in Westville and continues to live in town with his wife, Lorna.

Konsis attended St. Mary’s Grade School, graduated from Westville High School and attended Danville Junior College and Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Konsis has been with the Vermilion County Conservation District for 36 years and is now the executive director. He also has been the senior of all executive directors in the Illinois Association of Conservation Districts for the past 16 years.

Though his title may sound administrative, he said he is a forester by trade and at any given time may be found covered in mud, hanging from an aerial lift, mowing grass or collecting data from his tree research plots.

Konsis has several projects he is proud of that include his arboretum and tree research area at Forest Glen, the Bunker Hill historic area and canoe access at Kennekuk and the development of Heron County Park. He currently is working on a $4 million environmental education and conference center.

He has headed many research projects from deer repellents and tree hardiness to the internationally known shiitake mushroom project. That project alone appears in numerous publications including the Illinois Natural History Survey, the International Journal of Forestry and has Konsis listed in three volumes of Who’s Who.

Konsis has served in many state and national organizations over the years. He has been president of the Walnut Council International, Illinois Walnut Council and Illinois Association of Conservation Districts. He has been a member of the U of I Natural Resource and Environmental Science external advisory committee and on the SIU College of Agriculture advisory board.

Both he and his wife serve on the state board of the Illinois Native Plant Society and on the steering committee of the Festival of Trees. He also has planted trees at Zamberletti Park and at the Westville Depot. They are both active at St. Mary’s Church and travel to Green Bay to follow their beloved Packers.

Konsis credits his mother, Regina, with teaching him the value of life and how to treat people fairly and to give generously and not just with money. He said his father, Frank, got him interested in the outdoors and was the one who taught him which fall mushrooms were edible.

The parade will take place at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 1, with the theme of “Honoring those who labor, protect and serve.”