Anthony Rudis: A Conservationist



Anthony Rudis:  A Conservationist

Anthony Rudis was proud of his heritage, strong in his faith, and committed to protecting the environment. He shared the values he honed through a century of learning and caring.

He was proud to say he had planted a rainforest for Peotone—planting thousands of trees on the land he furiously protected from the state’s plan for a third airport at Peotone.

His multi-decade opposition to the proposed airport was, he said, based on a single, simple fact: “There is no need.”

In 2004, Rudis and his late wife, Mary, donated 90 acres of land at Egyptian Trail and Eagle Lake Road in eastern Will County to Loyola University in Chicago for field study in biology and environmental studies. He gave the land with no conditions, he said.  

He often hosted tours of the farm, telling visitors that the thousands of tree planted as part of his conservation plans purified the air. 

In 2001, the couple was named the Conservation Farm Family of the Year by the Will-South Cook Soil and Water Conservation District.   
                      ~ by Mary Baskerville

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