3 'Iconic' Aurora Residents To Be Honored With Street Dedications

AURORA, IL — Three Aurora residents, described by city officials as "iconic," will be honored Saturday with street dedications.

In honor of their 60th wedding anniversary, James and Dena Deligiannis will now see their names etched into a street sign marking the 0-100 block of South Root Street on Aurora's east side. Further east, Aurora native Avis Patterson Miller will have her name recognized in the 0-100 block of Kendall Street — where she was born, raised and still resides.

As newlyweds, the Deligiannises first moved to Aurora from Greece in 1962. Once here, they started working with a small, tight-knit group of Greek Orthodox friends to found the Saint Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church. They have been cornerstones of Aurora’s Greek community ever since, officials said.

The couple moved to their current home on Root Street in 1972 — it's there they raised their children. A celebration honoring James and Dena will take place at 11 a.m. at 78 S. Root St.

Later in the afternoon, at 1 p.m., city officials will celebrate Miller's street dedication at 35 N. Kendall St. A longtime community advocate, Miller founded the Taking Back Our Block neighborhood group. In the '90s, she was on the frontlines of Aurora's fight against gangs and drugs, according to Clayton Muhammad, the city's chief communications officer.

Miller holds many hats. After completing her bachelor's degree in elementary education, she began her teaching career up until her retirement two years ago. Her work hasn't stopped, though. Avis now serves on the East Aurora School District Board of Education.