A businessman, a political leader and a priest are this year's History Makers, a hall of fame honoring McLean County citizens who have made notable and longtime contributions to the community.
The McLean County Historical Society announced the selections Wednesday at the McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington.
Robert Fazzini, Sally Rudolph and Father Douglas Hennessy join a long list of community servants honored for their contributions to McLean County since the awards began in 2012.
History Makers are nominated by fellow community members. They must be 70 years old and "have a significant story to tell," according to the historical society's criteria.
The honorees will be celebrated June 18 at the 2025 History Makers Gala at the Brown Ballroom at Illinois State University. Tickets are on sale now at mchistory.org.
Robert Fazzini
Retired bank president Fazzini is originally from Chicago Heights and came to Bloomington to study at Illinois Wesleyan University. He graduated in 1962 with bachelor’s degrees in insurance and economics.
Fazzini relocated for work several times with his wife, then moved back to Bloomington in 1988, where he opened Busey Bank’s first local office in Bloomington.
Fazzini said his proudest accomplishment is helping convert the failing College Hills Mall into the Shoppes at College Hills, “which was a vibrant mall and still is," he said on Wednesday. "It was a $28 million project and we converted it."
Fazzini helped other businesses such as Destihl Restaurant and Brewery, Coffee Hound, Highland Animal Hospital and others with financial backing by Busey Bank. He was president of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce and served on the BroMenn Advisory Council and the McLean County Museum of History board. He also was a member of the Bloomington City Council from 2011-2014.
“It’s sort of surprising to me to be in this position, and I like the fact that I’ve been able to make a contribution here,” he said.
Father Doug Hennessy
Hennessy grew up in Bloomington, where he worked for his father’s business, H.J. Hennessy Stockyards. He has served as a priest in McLean County for five decades.
“I feel greatly honored, but I was quite surprised,” Hennessy said of the award.
Hennessy is known for leading his family’s parish, Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Bloomington.
Growing up, Hennessy attended Holy Trinity Grade School and High School [now Central Catholic High School].
“I was baptized in the Catholic Church seven days after I was born,” Hennessy said. “I always thought about being a priest as a little kid. Almost everyone as a Catholic somewhere around there thinks about being a priest or a sister … I think … if you were taught by priests and sisters.”
Hennessy studied at the University of Notre Dame after graduating from high school in 1956. He then studied at St. Ambrose University and eventually earned his theology degree at Gregorian University in Rome.
“The textbooks were in Latin and the oral exams were in Latin,” said Hennessy, who was ordained in 1963.
He witnessed the Second Vatican Council under the leadership of Pope John XXIII, then returned to school in 1967, attending Fordham University in New York and studying religious education. He is remembered for speaking up for human rights and equality in the 1960s-70s during the Vietnam War, and until the time he retired in 2013.
In regard to modern Christianity, Hennessy said believers need to be more united.
“Clergy are thinning out everywhere in every denomination, including ours. It would be nice if we got together more,” he said.
Hennessy credited Father Joe Kelly, who became the chaplain of Normal’s St. John Paul Newman Center, for having mentored him in becoming a priest.
Sally Rudolph
A retired pharmacist and local political figure, Rudolph was raised in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, where she saw her father participate in township government.
She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied pharmaceuticals. While there, she met her future husband, and moved to McLean County after getting married in 1961.
Rudolph is being recognized for her active participation in local politics and government.
“I think my 50 years of work in the League of Women Voters, which is not only the work in the league itself, but what it led to — it led to me running for and becoming a member of the county board at a time when they needed everything,” Rudolph said when asked about her proudest accomplishment.
Rudolph was elected to the McLean County Board in 1972, representing District 10. She also served on the McLean County Zoning Board for 25 years. She received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2006, and the Illinois League of Women Voters’ Carrie Chapman Catt Award in 2017.
“Hopefully, [this event] inspires others to continue in whatever their passion is … find their passion,” Rudolph said.
“Our 2025 Class of History Makers is a unique one. We look forward to gathering with our community to celebrate their legacies with an evening of camaraderie, storytelling, a delicious dinner and a new twist to the event’s program,” said Norris Porter, the McLean County Museum of History's development director.
“It shows how good a county we are,” said Fazzini. “We’re a special place, and this helps point out to everybody how special we really are. I’m proud to be part of that.”
