He began working at the local coal mine at just 13 years old. His formal education ended after only a few years of schooling, but his commitment to learning never stopped. He later worked in the office of the Lehigh Cement Company and dedicated decades of service to public life. He served on the Oglesby Board of Education for 57 years – 54 of those as secretary. He was elected LaSalle County Clerk for five consecutive terms, serving 20 years. George Hunter was honored as the oldest living charter member of the LaSalle Branch of the American Federation of Labor, marking over 50 years of membership.
But the titles don’t tell the whole story.
Jane remembers sitting with her grandfather in his backyard, sunlight filtering through the trees, as he asked her to “tell me the story of your life.” She was only a kindergarten graduate at the time. She wasn’t sure she had a story worth telling. Yet he leaned in and listened – truly listened — showing her that every life holds meaning.
Years later, when her sixth-grade Christmas poem was chosen for publication, he proudly had copies printed. When she looks back, she sees that what mattered most was not the achievement -it was the affirmation. He believed stories mattered. He believed people mattered.
And he believed education mattered.
That belief now lives on through the George A. Hunter Memorial Fund, established with the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation.
The fund provides an annual grant to the library of Washington Junior High School in Oglesby -supporting young readers, writers, and dreamers year after year. Each spring, ahead of graduation ceremonies where his memory is acknowledged, the school library receives support in his honor. It is a simple but powerful gesture: books in the hands of students, opportunity placed quietly on shelves, possibility waiting to be discovered.
Jane shared that her grandfather often encouraged civic responsibility. In one speech, he concluded with these words: “Go to church Sunday – and next Tuesday go and vote. I don’t care for whom.”
It was never about politics.
It was about participation.
It was about showing up.
It was about caring.
Through this fund, his family continues his legacy of service and learning. And through SRCCF, that legacy is structured, stewarded, and sustained for generations.
This is exactly what community philanthropy is meant to do.
That’s the power of a community foundation – we take memory and turn it into momentum. We take gratitude and turn it into growth.
We connect people who care with causes that matter.
Because somewhere in Oglesby, a student will check out a book funded by this memorial gift.
Somewhere, a child will discover a love of reading.
Somewhere, a young writer will begin telling their own story.
And George A. Hunter’s quiet influence will continue — one page at a time.
