Lincoln Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Melamerson Athletic Field
About Dorothy Melamerson...
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., April 9, 2016
1. Melamerson Athletic Field Marker (Side A)
Dorothy Melamerson lived most of her life in Lincoln Park. A Fitness enthusiast, she was a gym teacher at Stone Elementary School and other public schools for 36 years. When she retired in 1977, she began an education of her own: how to make her savings grow. The effort was not for herself, however. Her happiness came from simpler pleasures, such as being outside to bicycle or walk the park. The real beneficiary was to be the physical well-being of children, a cause to which she had devoted her life. Her modest lifestyle and wise investing led to a most generous gift when she died in 1994 at age 74, $900,000 to be used to upgrade facilities and begin youth sports programs in Chicago Park District properties in the 43rd Ward where she had lived. Close to $600,000 of the estate went into the 1996-[9]7 renovation of Oz Park athletic field and playlot. Thanks to Dorothy Melamerson's generous spirit, her enthusiasm for youth fitness lives on in this park, where hundreds of youth are reaping the benefits of the real Wizard of Oz.
Erected by Chicago Park District.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Entertainment • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1977.
Location. 41° 55.278′ N, 87°
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Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Oz Park (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Kaufmann Store and Flats (approx. 0.2 miles away); Original Site of The Children's Memorial Hospital (approx. Ό mile away); Lawrence S. Adler (approx. Ό mile away); Centennial Building (approx. Ό mile away); a different marker also named Centennial Building (approx. Ό mile away); a different marker also named Centennial Building (approx. 0.3 miles away); Lazerus Averbuch (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
Also see . . .
1. Teacher wills Chicago nearly $1 million. UPI Archives July 16, 1994 (Submitted on July 3, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Oz Park, Chicago IL. Chicago Park District website entry (Submitted on May 3, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., April 9, 2016
2. Melamerson Athletic Field Marker (Side B)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., April 9, 2016
3. Melamerson Athletic Field Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 722 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 3, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
