Sokol Takes Audience Back Through Time

David Sokol is proud to be an Oak Park resident.

While he explicitly told that to the crowded audience at his presentation for his new book on Thursday, it also becomes apparent when one learns this isn’t his first foray into this topic. Previously, Sokol published Oak Park, Illinois: Continuity and Change, a book filled with images of Oak Park’s past.

This time, the longtime resident researched and wrote an extensive history of Oak Park for his book, Oak Park: The Evolution of a Village. Sokol, a member of the Oak Park Public Library Board, gave an overview of that history dating back more than 100 years.

Sokol, a professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Art History at the University of Illinois at Chicago, explained the book includes “things people may know already, but perhaps some people who have moved in don’t know,” such as the annexation history of the village, the beginnings of the downtown area, the Continental Divide and economic and racial diversity changes over the years.

People in the audience murmured and chuckled along with inside jokes about Oak Park and the Chicago area, including a mention of early government corruption.

Some early Oak Park officials were “paying their friends and relatives exorbitant salaries — which we know never happened again in the history of Illinois,” Sokol said. “Good thing they got that under control in the 1800s.”

Oak Park has been historically resistant to change, Sokol explained, often taking a “not in my backyard” mentality.

There were “movements against these people, the hospital, those people, two flats" and liquor licensing, he said.

The author also talked about the burgeoning culture in the area, which was aided by the development of a local farmer’s market by Marge Gockel and Carla Lind. Now in its 36th year, the Oak Park Farmer’s Market has proven to be “a place of gathering."

Once the presentation wrapped up, Rick Ashton was one of the first in line to get his copy of Sokol’s book signed. In fact, Ashton is actually Sokol’s neighbor.

“I’ve been watching this book take shape for the last year or so,” he said. “He packed a lot into the book without making it seem like a catalog. It’s very impressive.”

Sokol served as an Oak Park Village Board trustee from 1977-91, according to a press release. He’s also a chair of the Oak Park Public Art Advisory Commission.

“I’m a relative newcomer; I moved here about four years ago,” Ashton said. “[The book’s] very helpful”

While there are struggles, Oak Park is always evolving, Sokol said.

“I’m glad to be called an Oak Parker.”