Former Congressman Derwinski remembered as friend of south suburbs

• Reprints

Former Congressman Edward Derwinski, 85, died Sunday. Derwinski was a Republican from Chicago's South Side who served in Congress from 1959 to 1982. Supplied photo

Updated: February 21, 2012 8:22AM

Edward Derwinski was an extraordinary congressman, according to those who knew him.

He could relate equally to presidents and people he met on the street, and he was quick with a joke.

Derwinski, a Republican who represented the South Side and the south suburbs in Congress from 1959 to 1982, died Sunday of cancer at age 85, his family said. He is to be buried this weekend at Arlington National Cemetery.

“He wasn’t just a garden-variety congressman,” Tinley Park Village Clerk Pat Rea said Tuesday night, when the village board honored Derwinski with a moment of silence before its meeting. “He was extremely close to presidents on both sides of the aisle, and served in the cabinet of two different presidents.

“He was a fine gentleman. Things were different then. You could call your congressman at home and he responded to you. And when he drove through the area, he didn’t come to the village hall for ‘Let’s meet the congressman.’ He stopped by the local restaurants and said, ‘Let’s have a cup of coffee.’ ”

“That was one of the nice things about Ed. He’d walk down the street and there were no airs about him,” Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki said. “He represented something that is not there anymore, and that is respect for the common man.”

If anything, that helped him be an effective congressmen. Those who knew him say he knew his district inside and out and was liked by his fellow Republicans and Democrats alike. And he held his U.S. House seat until losing a primary race in 1982 after the boundaries of his district were redrawn.

Former state Rep. Manny Hoffman, who also was Homewood’s mayor and Cook County Republican Party Chairman during his political career, said the nation could use more politicians like Derwinski.

“He worked with everybody in the community. He was a person who knew everyone. Ed had his finger on the pulse of everything that was going on in the south suburbs, as well as in Washington. He was a mentor off mine who will be missed by many,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said Derwinski always put his constituents first.

“He was always available for people. When he did something for someone, he never wanted something in return. He was that kind of guy,” Hoffman said.

When Hoffman ran for Congress, he was president of the South Suburban Chamber of Commerce and wanted to wow potential voters. He turned to Derwinski.

“I told him, ‘Ed, it would be a great honor to have the president speak in the Southland,’ ” Hoffman said. “Ed pulled all the strings he could, called me and said, ‘Manny, your wish has been granted.’ And the first President Bush came to speak at a chamber dinner. From then on, I said there wasn’t anything Ed couldn’t do.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski said he didn’t know Derwinski but admired his efforts.

“His work on behalf of his constituents and in support of veterans as the first head of the VA, as well as his efforts as a Polish-American to improve ties between America and Eastern Europe, were part of a long and distinguished career,” Lipinski said. “I have great respect for his service on behalf of his district and his country. He will be missed.”

After losing his U.S. House seat, Derwinski spent six years at the State Department, rising to the post of undersecretary for national security affairs, before President George H. W. Bush picked him in 1989 to head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, which had just been elevated to Cabinet status.

His three-year tenure there proved rocky. At one point, the Veterans of Foreign Wars passed a resolution calling for his resignation, with the group’s commander accusing Derwinski of displaying “contempt” for veterans. The issues that triggered their anger included proposals to admit poor non-veterans to two underused VA hospitals and to eliminate smoking at the hospitals.

Derwinski continued to follow politics long after his days in Congress ended, according to state Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont). She did not meet Derwinski until 2000, but they became fast friends.

“We kept in touch. We’d go to dinner. He really loved politics, especially on the South Side,” she said

Derwinski represented Lemont after his district was redrawn, so when Radogno’s district was redrawn to include the village, she turned to him for advice.

“As you know, Lemont has a heavy Polish and Lithuanian population. He was very helping because he knew everyone and made introductions for me,” Radogno said.

The two often talked about politics, she said.

“He loved to call to see what was going on. Politics energized him. Another thing I’d say about him, he was so funny. He was always telling a great joke,” she said.

Derwinski’s daughter, Maureen Quattrocki, said that when her father was in office, he especially enjoyed returning to Chicago to speak at schools or attend public ceremonies that allowed him to mingle with members of his district.

“I really believe he was happiest talking to people and making speeches,” she said. “He had the right joke for the right event. Everyone was laughing. He loved that.”

His success extended into the business world. Derwinski was among the troops who occupied Japan at the end of World War II, but after returning to civilian life, he took over the family’s saving and loan, helping it grow dramatically. He served on the board of an Oak Park bank until his death.

Funeral services will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at Michael Coletta and Sons Funeral Home, 544 W. 31st St. in Chicago’s Bridgeport community. A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Holy Family Church, 1080 W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago.

In addition to his daughter, Derwinski is survived by his wife, Bonnie; a son, Michael; a stepdaughter, Maggie Hickey; a stepson, Kevin Hickey; a sister, Bernadette Ferrara; and seven grandchildren.

Contributing: Steve Metsch, Matthew Bruce, Abdon M. Pallasch and AP