Joseph Scully, former board member and longtime champion of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, passed away on Oct. 15. During his time as an executive with St. Paul Federal Savings Bank, “St. Paul was the first financial institution to support our center in the early 1970s, and that’s because of Joe,” said Roberta “Bobbie” Raymond, founder of the Oak Park Housing Center. “He saw the unfair practices within the housing market and understood that we needed to do something dramatic — and fast.
“He jumped right in and helped promote the objectives of our center. He began by educating his own staff. He conducted seminars for Realtors trying to convince them that they could market a diverse community, and he led house and architectural bus tours in Oak Park and the Austin neighborhood. I was so grateful for his support during that time. It meant the world to me.” (Source: Chicago Tribune)
When he became president and CEO of St. Paul, Joe continued his support of the Housing Center and other local organizations focused on equality and equity. He held leadership positions with numerous community organizations, including the Housing Center; the Austin Career Education Center in Chicago, which provides a supportive learning community in a nontraditional high school setting; Link Unlimited, a high school mentoring and scholarship program in Chicago; and CARA, a nonprofit job training and placement provider for homeless and at-risk individuals in the Chicago area.
To honor Joe and his work, we have created the Scully Fund for Inclusion. Please show your support of Joe’s ideals with a contribution to the fund so we can continue working toward a more inclusive and equitable community, and share your thoughts and memories of Joe in the comments here.