Gerald Everett Myers was born on June 30, 1914, in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, on the family farm located on the Lincoln Highway. As a fourth-generation Napervillian, Gerald’s great-grandfather Elias had emigrated to Illinois from Lancaster, PA, in 1844, settling the land at what is now the Southeast corner of 95th Street and Route 59.
Early Life and Education
Gerald was the son of Bernard Elias Myers and Mabel Anna Quantock. He attended a one-room school house and then graduated from East Aurora High School in Aurora, Illinois, in 1930 at the age of 16. The school teacher lived with them on the farm and it is supposed that he helped Gerald graduate at such a young age.
In 1934, Gerald received a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Protection Engineering from the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago. He later received his juris doctorate from John Marshall Law School.
Community Involvement and Career
Gerald was a partner with John F. Prescott in the Prescott Myers Insurance Agency of Naperville, which they founded in 1957 and lasted for 20 years. He was also co-founder and former chairman of Myers Briggs and Co. of Chicago and the founder and chairman of the board of Pediatrics Insurance Consultants.
Gerald was a member of the Chicago, Illinois, and American bar associations; the Society of Fire Protection Engineers; and the Society of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters, having been president of its National Society in 1958. He was a Chartered Life Underwriter and a former trustee of the Harry J. Loman Foundation.
In addition, Gerald was a former member of the Naperville YMCA board; a past member of the Naperville Plan Commission from 1974 to 1975; a Naperville City Council member from 1977 to 1981; the former chairman of the Naper Settlement and Museum board; a former board member of the Central Area Naperville Development Organization (CANDO); a member of Naperville Congregational Church; a 52-year member of Euclid Lodge No. 65, A.F. & A.M.; and a member of Medinah Shrine, Chicago.
Gerald was raised a Master Mason on November 7, 1950, and was an early supporter of the Naperville Riverwalk. He passed away on November 14, 2002, at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois, and was buried in the Naperville Cemetery.
Original reporting: Positively Naperville (Aurora area) — read the source article.
