Melba Ripper, First Female Fulton County Board Chair, Dies at 77
Melba Colleen (Brush) Ripper, the first woman Fulton County Board Chair, died on November 4th, 2013, in Canton, Illinois. At a time when "fiscal responsibility" and "government transparency" are bandied about like so many buzz words, Mrs. Ripper was ahead of her time by entering local politics to ensure local government was more responsive and responsible to its constituency. Mrs. Ripper, a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, served the citizens of District 3 in Fulton County, Illinois from 1976 to 1996. She served as the board's chair for 10 years of her tenure, and only the second female in the state to hold such a position.
Mrs. Ripper found her political voice in the early 1970's, when she, her husband and several other concerned Fulton County citizens formed the Fulton County Citizens for Better Health and Environment in 1973. The non-profit organization was formed to provide a voice for the citizens of the county when the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago waste project entered Fulton County. The threat to the current and future health of generations of Fulton County citizens was the impetus for this group's formation; the purpose was to represent the citizens as a voice to the Sanitary District and the local government officials in office at the time.
The Citizens' group's response to this incursion rose to the national stage, and Mrs. Ripper found herself interviewed for a segment on CBS television's "60 Minutes" weekly magazine show. As a concerned citizen spurred by the desire to make the Fulton County Board accountable and responsive to its constituents, she ran for a seat and was elected to the County Board in 1976. Her election caused much discussion, because at that time favoritism played a key role in public policymaking. As an outsider and a woman, she met with daily challenges but persevered by finding others of like mind to bring about change from within the organization.
Applying skills learned at Brown's Business College (now Midstate) in Peoria, and the financial and organizational skills developed while working with her husband, William J. Ripper, to run the family farm outside of Canton, she served on the county's Insurance Committee and represented Fulton County on the Governmental Inter-Insurance Exchange (GIE) in Bloomington, IL. She was appointed Chairman of GIE's Advisory Board, and shared much of the knowledge she gained in that role when managing the county's risk management and financial responsibilities. She was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune about the county's financial challenges and opportunities, where she insisted that the citizens of Fulton County were "fighters" who had a belief that better days would come. The article went on to describe the inter-governmental cooperation that was taking place to attract and develop new business to improve the tax base.
As a member of the United County Council of Illinois, an association of Illinois counties formed to exert political influence on the state level, she served as its Chairman for two years. Other local boards benefited from her leadership, including: the Fulton Mason Crisis Service (Board of Directors, Treasurer), and UPIC (President).
Mrs. Ripper was recognized by the YWCA 1990 one of its "Women of Achievement" for her political and community contributions. She was a volunteer at the Fulton County Health Department. A member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Canton, she served on the church council, and contributed her leadership skills in a number of positions, including Financial Secretary and Congregational President. She was a member of the Fulton County Sewing Guild.
Born Melba Colleen Brush on December 30, 1935, to Carl and Josephine (Dowell) Brush of Dunfermline, Illinois, who predeceased her, she is survived by one sister, Joyce Elston and one brother, Jerry Brush. She is also survived by her loving husband, William J. Ripper, one daughter, Joanne Ripper, and two sons, Jim and Joel Ripper. She is also survived by her four cherished grandchildren, as well as many grandnephews and nieces and a whole community of friends and colleagues.
Visitation will be held on Friday, November 8, 2013, from 5-7 at the Oaks-Hines Funeral Home in Canton with a funeral service on Saturday at 10:30 am at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Canton. Burial will be held at the Greenwood Cemetery in Canton. Memorials may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church.
Adapted from Oaks - Hines Funeral Home obituary
Melba Colleen (Brush) Ripper, the first woman Fulton County Board Chair, died on November 4th, 2013, in Canton, Illinois. At a time when "fiscal responsibility" and "government transparency" are bandied about like so many buzz words, Mrs. Ripper was ahead of her time by entering local politics to ensure local government was more responsive and responsible to its constituency. Mrs. Ripper, a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, served the citizens of District 3 in Fulton County, Illinois from 1976 to 1996. She served as the board's chair for 10 years of her tenure, and only the second female in the state to hold such a position.
Mrs. Ripper found her political voice in the early 1970's, when she, her husband and several other concerned Fulton County citizens formed the Fulton County Citizens for Better Health and Environment in 1973. The non-profit organization was formed to provide a voice for the citizens of the county when the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago waste project entered Fulton County. The threat to the current and future health of generations of Fulton County citizens was the impetus for this group's formation; the purpose was to represent the citizens as a voice to the Sanitary District and the local government officials in office at the time.
The Citizens' group's response to this incursion rose to the national stage, and Mrs. Ripper found herself interviewed for a segment on CBS television's "60 Minutes" weekly magazine show. As a concerned citizen spurred by the desire to make the Fulton County Board accountable and responsive to its constituents, she ran for a seat and was elected to the County Board in 1976. Her election caused much discussion, because at that time favoritism played a key role in public policymaking. As an outsider and a woman, she met with daily challenges but persevered by finding others of like mind to bring about change from within the organization.
Applying skills learned at Brown's Business College (now Midstate) in Peoria, and the financial and organizational skills developed while working with her husband, William J. Ripper, to run the family farm outside of Canton, she served on the county's Insurance Committee and represented Fulton County on the Governmental Inter-Insurance Exchange (GIE) in Bloomington, IL. She was appointed Chairman of GIE's Advisory Board, and shared much of the knowledge she gained in that role when managing the county's risk management and financial responsibilities. She was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune about the county's financial challenges and opportunities, where she insisted that the citizens of Fulton County were "fighters" who had a belief that better days would come. The article went on to describe the inter-governmental cooperation that was taking place to attract and develop new business to improve the tax base.
As a member of the United County Council of Illinois, an association of Illinois counties formed to exert political influence on the state level, she served as its Chairman for two years. Other local boards benefited from her leadership, including: the Fulton Mason Crisis Service (Board of Directors, Treasurer), and UPIC (President).
Mrs. Ripper was recognized by the YWCA 1990 one of its "Women of Achievement" for her political and community contributions. She was a volunteer at the Fulton County Health Department. A member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Canton, she served on the church council, and contributed her leadership skills in a number of positions, including Financial Secretary and Congregational President. She was a member of the Fulton County Sewing Guild.
Born Melba Colleen Brush on December 30, 1935, to Carl and Josephine (Dowell) Brush of Dunfermline, Illinois, who predeceased her, she is survived by one sister, Joyce Elston and one brother, Jerry Brush. She is also survived by her loving husband, William J. Ripper, one daughter, Joanne Ripper, and two sons, Jim and Joel Ripper. She is also survived by her four cherished grandchildren, as well as many grandnephews and nieces and a whole community of friends and colleagues.
Visitation will be held on Friday, November 8, 2013, from 5-7 at the Oaks-Hines Funeral Home in Canton with a funeral service on Saturday at 10:30 am at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Canton. Burial will be held at the Greenwood Cemetery in Canton. Memorials may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church.
Adapted from Oaks - Hines Funeral Home obituary
Melba Ripper, First Female Fulton County Board Chair, Dies at 77
Melba Colleen (Brush) Ripper, the first woman Fulton County Board Chair, died on November 4th, 2013, in Canton, Illinois. At a time when "fiscal responsibility" and "government transparency" are bandied about like so many buzz words, Mrs. Ripper was ahead of her time by entering local politics to ensure local government was more responsive and responsible to its constituency. Mrs. Ripper, a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, served the citizens of District 3 in Fulton County, Illinois from 1976 to 1996. She served as the board's chair for 10 years of her tenure, and only the second female in the state to hold such a position.
Mrs. Ripper found her political voice in the early 1970's, when she, her husband and several other concerned Fulton County citizens formed the Fulton County Citizens for Better Health and Environment in 1973. The non-profit organization was formed to provide a voice for the citizens of the county when the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago waste project entered Fulton County. The threat to the current and future health of generations of Fulton County citizens was the impetus for this group's formation; the purpose was to represent the citizens as a voice to the Sanitary District and the local government officials in office at the time.
The Citizens' group's response to this incursion rose to the national stage, and Mrs. Ripper found herself interviewed for a segment on CBS television's "60 Minutes" weekly magazine show. As a concerned citizen spurred by the desire to make the Fulton County Board accountable and responsive to its constituents, she ran for a seat and was elected to the County Board in 1976. Her election caused much discussion, because at that time favoritism played a key role in public policymaking. As an outsider and a woman, she met with daily challenges but persevered by finding others of like mind to bring about change from within the organization.
Applying skills learned at Brown's Business College (now Midstate) in Peoria, and the financial and organizational skills developed while working with her husband, William J. Ripper, to run the family farm outside of Canton, she served on the county's Insurance Committee and represented Fulton County on the Governmental Inter-Insurance Exchange (GIE) in Bloomington, IL. She was appointed Chairman of GIE's Advisory Board, and shared much of the knowledge she gained in that role when managing the county's risk management and financial responsibilities. She was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune about the county's financial challenges and opportunities, where she insisted that the citizens of Fulton County were "fighters" who had a belief that better days would come. The article went on to describe the inter-governmental cooperation that was taking place to attract and develop new business to improve the tax base.
As a member of the United County Council of Illinois, an association of Illinois counties formed to exert political influence on the state level, she served as its Chairman for two years. Other local boards benefited from her leadership, including: the Fulton Mason Crisis Service (Board of Directors, Treasurer), and UPIC (President).
Mrs. Ripper was recognized by the YWCA 1990 one of its "Women of Achievement" for her political and community contributions. She was a volunteer at the Fulton County Health Department. A member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Canton, she served on the church council, and contributed her leadership skills in a number of positions, including Financial Secretary and Congregational President. She was a member of the Fulton County Sewing Guild.
Born Melba Colleen Brush on December 30, 1935, to Carl and Josephine (Dowell) Brush of Dunfermline, Illinois, who predeceased her, she is survived by one sister, Joyce Elston and one brother, Jerry Brush. She is also survived by her loving husband, William J. Ripper, one daughter, Joanne Ripper, and two sons, Jim and Joel Ripper. She is also survived by her four cherished grandchildren, as well as many grandnephews and nieces and a whole community of friends and colleagues.
Visitation will be held on Friday, November 8, 2013, from 5-7 at the Oaks-Hines Funeral Home in Canton with a funeral service on Saturday at 10:30 am at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Canton. Burial will be held at the Greenwood Cemetery in Canton. Memorials may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church.
Adapted from Oaks - Hines Funeral Home obituary
Melba Colleen (Brush) Ripper, the first woman Fulton County Board Chair, died on November 4th, 2013, in Canton, Illinois. At a time when "fiscal responsibility" and "government transparency" are bandied about like so many buzz words, Mrs. Ripper was ahead of her time by entering local politics to ensure local government was more responsive and responsible to its constituency. Mrs. Ripper, a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, served the citizens of District 3 in Fulton County, Illinois from 1976 to 1996. She served as the board's chair for 10 years of her tenure, and only the second female in the state to hold such a position.
Mrs. Ripper found her political voice in the early 1970's, when she, her husband and several other concerned Fulton County citizens formed the Fulton County Citizens for Better Health and Environment in 1973. The non-profit organization was formed to provide a voice for the citizens of the county when the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago waste project entered Fulton County. The threat to the current and future health of generations of Fulton County citizens was the impetus for this group's formation; the purpose was to represent the citizens as a voice to the Sanitary District and the local government officials in office at the time.
The Citizens' group's response to this incursion rose to the national stage, and Mrs. Ripper found herself interviewed for a segment on CBS television's "60 Minutes" weekly magazine show. As a concerned citizen spurred by the desire to make the Fulton County Board accountable and responsive to its constituents, she ran for a seat and was elected to the County Board in 1976. Her election caused much discussion, because at that time favoritism played a key role in public policymaking. As an outsider and a woman, she met with daily challenges but persevered by finding others of like mind to bring about change from within the organization.
Applying skills learned at Brown's Business College (now Midstate) in Peoria, and the financial and organizational skills developed while working with her husband, William J. Ripper, to run the family farm outside of Canton, she served on the county's Insurance Committee and represented Fulton County on the Governmental Inter-Insurance Exchange (GIE) in Bloomington, IL. She was appointed Chairman of GIE's Advisory Board, and shared much of the knowledge she gained in that role when managing the county's risk management and financial responsibilities. She was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune about the county's financial challenges and opportunities, where she insisted that the citizens of Fulton County were "fighters" who had a belief that better days would come. The article went on to describe the inter-governmental cooperation that was taking place to attract and develop new business to improve the tax base.
As a member of the United County Council of Illinois, an association of Illinois counties formed to exert political influence on the state level, she served as its Chairman for two years. Other local boards benefited from her leadership, including: the Fulton Mason Crisis Service (Board of Directors, Treasurer), and UPIC (President).
Mrs. Ripper was recognized by the YWCA 1990 one of its "Women of Achievement" for her political and community contributions. She was a volunteer at the Fulton County Health Department. A member of Trinity Lutheran Church of Canton, she served on the church council, and contributed her leadership skills in a number of positions, including Financial Secretary and Congregational President. She was a member of the Fulton County Sewing Guild.
Born Melba Colleen Brush on December 30, 1935, to Carl and Josephine (Dowell) Brush of Dunfermline, Illinois, who predeceased her, she is survived by one sister, Joyce Elston and one brother, Jerry Brush. She is also survived by her loving husband, William J. Ripper, one daughter, Joanne Ripper, and two sons, Jim and Joel Ripper. She is also survived by her four cherished grandchildren, as well as many grandnephews and nieces and a whole community of friends and colleagues.
Visitation will be held on Friday, November 8, 2013, from 5-7 at the Oaks-Hines Funeral Home in Canton with a funeral service on Saturday at 10:30 am at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Canton. Burial will be held at the Greenwood Cemetery in Canton. Memorials may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church.
Adapted from Oaks - Hines Funeral Home obituary
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