Page 26 - May 2020

FRONT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
laurels. Even if we had a partial victory, Bill would say, ‘We can go back and get the rest next year.’ Bill never thought he had done enough.”
Nolan was a voice of reason, a voice of humor and a voice of authority. National FOP Treasurer Tom Penoza knew that. So when Nolan decided to end his eight-year run as national trea- surer, Penoza considered running for the office. The first person he called was Nolan, who guided his campaign. Penoza knew the impact Nolan could make.
“When anybody came in the room, everybody knew him and wanted to say, ‘hi,’” Penoza explained. “He always knew what he was talking about. He always had his facts.”
Anybody who knew Nolan would confirm that his Irish tem- per could flare up when necessary. But more often than not, his sense of humor squelched any dissent. It’s a good bet, though, that the thousands who would have come to the memorial ser- vice were among those whom Nolan had touched.
“If you were around him for any length of time, you knew what he did and how many people he really helped,” Angelo confided. “He was able to sit with people in D.C., in Springfield and at City Hall. Did he get along with those people all the time? Absolutely not. Did his calls go unanswered by those people? No, they answered when Bill Nolan called.”
To give police officers a fair shake
To find out what motivated Bill Nolan to such dedication and service, perhaps it is best to hear from Bill. On March 23, Nolan gathered with current Lodge 7 President Kevin Graham, Ange- lo and past presidents John Dineen and Mark Donahue to be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Knights of Columbus Police Council.
This was one of the vintage occasions for Nolan, who could always recount every detail of every event, every person or ev- ery achievement he touched. And it was a night that left the man who never had trouble talking and who never missed an opportunity to tell a story a bit speechless. He did disclose what moved him throughout his lifetime of achievement.
“Loyalty. It’s all loyalty,” he surmised. “Just to give police offi- cers a fair shake. They’re not all perfect, but give them a decent wage. They never know when they go out on the street if it’s their last day, and they should be paid accordingly.”
After Dec. 16, 1959 – when he was sworn in as a Chicago Po- lice Officer – Nolan’s favorite day on the job might have been when he was promoted to detective in the Homicide Division. He loved being a detective and did so until retiring in November 2009, 17 days shy of serving 41 years.
When Bill and Carol moved to Huntley post-retirement, they filled an entire room with the museum-full of awards he received. From the Emerald Society to the Illinois State Crime Commission to the Illinois State Bar Association, every organi- zation seemed to honor him as an officer of the year or man of the year. He became a highly sought-after guest speaker who even lectured about how to negotiate a union contract at Har- vard.
A man of such accomplishments, however, would even put the mayor of Chicago on hold when it came to his greatest achievement.
“It wouldn’t matter who was meeting with. If anyone from his family called, he would take the call,” Fioretto revealed. “Family was much more important to him than the political business.” He was always there
As this memorial tribute crescendos, reaching the point when the pipers would begin to play “Amazing Grace” – though Nolan
26 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2020
i o O n M t
i
u o s W a w
w a T c
a