Crystal Lake’s Bob Blazier gets honorary street sign

The foot race fundraiser for the arts is already named in Bob Blazier’s honor. Why not the street, too?

On May 1 at the Bob Blazier Run for the Arts, Blazier was presented with a street sign that makes Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake “Bob Blazier Drive.”

Blazier celebrated his 95th birthday last September and at that time was called “the spirit of Crystal Lake” by Mayor Haig Haleblian.

Haleblian, who ran in the event on Sunday, presented the sign to Blazier.

“He’s just been such a positive influence on Crystal Lake,” Haleblian said. “If anyone deserves an honorary street sign, it’s Bob Blazier.”

The sign was a gift from the committee that puts together the annual run, said Richard Kuranda, the Raue Center for the Arts’ executive director and founding artistic director.

“He’s a great guy,” Kuranda said. “The work he’s done is just amazing. Bob has been an integral part of the arts and education community in Crystal Lake.”

Blazier said he was overwhelmed by the gift and the community support.

“I wasn’t expecting anything like that,” Blazier said. “It was a great honor. My wife, Rosemary, was very pleased too. She’s my best champion and she said I deserved it.”

The Blaziers moved to the Crystal Lake area in 1962, when it had fewer than 10,000 people. Blazier was superintendent of Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 from 1973 to 1985. Later, he was president of the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce, serving from 1990 to 2007.

Haleblian cited Blazier as his inspiration when it came to running for mayor. His father-in-law went to college with Blazier.

“My wife, Hawley, would sometimes go over to Bob and Rosemary’s house and they would give her black licorice candy,” Haleblian said. “It’s one of those things she’ll always remember.”

Both Haleblian and Kuranda siad what set Blazier apart, even at his advanced age, was his constant smile and positive attitude.

Kuranda also said Blazier was on the committee that originally hired him 17 years ago.

The annual Bob Blazier Run For the Arts, going on its 25th year, was started by Blazier and other Raue Center founders as a way to bring in money for the new theater, Blazier said.

The Blazier Run For the Arts committee included Luanne Flavin, James Knight, Stacey McInerney, Michael Splitt and Michelle Stien.

Kuranda also cited Jarrod Bainter, Meredith Schaeger, Kyle Schneider and Billy Seger as assisting in this year’s event.

Blazier said a broken hip has kept him from running in the past two events.

Instead, Blazier and his wife were shuttled under a blanketed motorized bike around the running course, Splitt said.

The Raue Center is expanding its School for the Arts into St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and expects to begin classes there in June, Kuranda said.

“The staff of Raue does a fantastic job,” Blazier said, who lamented he and his wife don’t get a chance to see as many performances there as they used to, although Blazier said they were able to catch “Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.”

This is the second honorary street sign named after a founding board member for the Raue Center, Kuranda said. The first sign went up in 2009 for the late Bill Dwyer at the corner of Dole Avenue and Lake Shore Drive.