Job
Posting
The 7 Wonders
History
Resources
People
Businesses
Churches
Houses
Organizations
Schools
Structural
Memorials
Lost and Found
Tours
of
Mount Prospect
Essays
on
Mount Prospect
Other Sources
MPHS
MPPL
Municipal
Regional
On People
On
Buildings
On
Businesses
The Central School
Activities
Mount Prospect: La Historia De
Tu Comunidad
Award
Feedback
Location 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
400 S. I-Oka – C. O. Schlaver House
This house at 400 S. I-Oka in a classic Ranch style house built during the 1950s. Houses of this nature were popular during this period as they were easy to construct and could meet the needs of the growing suburban population of the time.
The most famous resident of
this house was Clarence (C. O.) Schlaver, mayor of Mount Prospect from 1961 to
1965. Born in September 19, 1905 in Sparta, Wisconsin, Schlaver grew up on a farm, but
aspired to be a journalist and get involved in law. He attended the University
of Wisconsin School of Journalism and moved to Kewanee, Illinois after graduation. He
held a position at the Kewanee Star-Courier and later the Chicago Daily news
(1944), moving to Mount
Prospect in 1948. He and his wife, Elizabeth (Betty) first occupied a farmhouse
at 302 N. Elmhurst Avenue (now Northwest Covenant Church) before moving to the residence at 400 S. I-Oka.
It did not take long for C. O. to become involved in the daily goings-on of Mount Prospect and he began to serve as a Village Trustee in 1954, holding that position until l961. In 1961, under the “Good Neighbor Party” he helped to form, Schlaver was elected president of the Mount Prospect village board, or mayor. During his four-year term, he made great strides in the development of Mount Prospect as a proponent of the development of Randhurst shopping center. He also helped the town expand South of Golf Road and was Village President while the population grew from 18,000 to 36,000.
After serving as mayor, Schlaver continued to be active in the town, serving as Executive Director of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce from 1973 until 1979. He was also a founding member of the Mount Prospect Historical Society and served as its president from 1973 to 1974. C.O. Schlaver in February of 1980.
While C. O. was the political leader of the town, Betty Schlaver, his wife, also served an important role in the community. While caring for her children, Betty also managed a career as a bookkeeper and cashier at the First National Bank of Mount Prospect, which she continued to work at until she was 81. She was involved in many community organizations, including serving as president of the Mount Prospect Business and Professional Women’s Club. Betty Schlaver died in June of 2002.