The Navy Pier Heritage Project is composed of several initiatives created to sustain and extend the historical legacy of Chicago’s Navy Pier, which once served as a two-year University of Illinois campus.

Two recent events sparked interest in this intriguing period of the University’s history. More information can be found at:

40th Anniversary:
60th Anniversary/City Partner:

Message from the Navy Pier Heritage Committee
We invite you to permanently link your name to the Navy Pier Heritage Project. Reconnect and participate in Navy Pier Heritage initiatives by volunteering on the committee. Help pass along the proud legacy of traditions, values and experiences to future generations of UIC students by donating to the Navy Pier Scholarship Fund. Support efforts to preserve and share this important historical heritage with the UIC community by donating to the Navy Pier Heritage Fund.

Committee Members: Marilyn Ruiz, Chair; Kathy Barnes; William Hawes; Chuck Van Hecke; Claireen Herting; Bob Holzer; Pauline Lussenhop; Martin Moltz; Arlene Norsym; and Susan Stevens

Heritage Project initiatives
1. Pier Room, Written Memory and Historical Memorabilia collections
2. Navy Pier Hall of Fame (34 members to date)
3. Scholarship Fund
4. Heritage Fund
5. Wall of Honor
6. Reconnection Receptions

Pier Room, Written Memory and Historical Memorabilia collections
Thanks to the efforts of UIC alumni and Navy Pier attendees, the southwest corner of the Pier Room (second floor of Student Center East on the UIC campus) features a display that chronicles and highlights UIC’s campus origins at Navy Pier. Students, staff and visitors can view photographs of student life at Navy Pier and examine memorabilia such as a dance program, baseball jersey and the “Quad Council” constitution. The collection also includes the written memories of Navy Pier attendees. It is a living link to the past, and you are invited to share your memory. SUBMIT MEMORY

Memorabilia for display in the Pier Room may be sent to Jennifer Lewis at:
University of Illinois Alumni Association
Student Center East (MC 021)
750 S. Halsted St., Suite 520
Chicago, IL 60607

Navy Pier Hall of Fame
The University of Illinois Alumni Association’s Navy Pier Hall of Fame Award is for an alumnus or alumna who attended Navy Pier at any time between1945-1965 and has attained success and distinction in his or her field of endeavor. A degree from the University of Illinois is not required for election into the Hall of Fame; many past Hall of Fame inductees completed their degrees elsewhere. Past Hall of Fame inductees

Navy Pier Scholarship Fund, Heritage Fund and Wall of Honor

Navy Pier Scholarship Fund
This is an endowment fund that will provide annual scholarships to deserving UIC students. These scholarships symbolize the desire of Navy Pier alumni, faculty and friends to pass along the traditions, education, life experiences, values and benefits they acquired at Navy Pier to future generations of UIC students.

Navy Pier Heritage Fund
This fund allows for the continual collecting, cataloging, displaying and maintaining of written memories and historical memorabilia in the Pier Room. If funds allow, a UIC student will be awarded a special internship in the UI Alumni Association office.

Navy Pier Heritage Wall of Honor
The Wall of Honor is a special place in the Pier Room that will permanently display the names of prominent volunteers and benefactors who made the Navy Pier Heritage Project successful. All donors who contribute more than $100 to either fund will have their names permanently displayed on our special Navy Pier Heritage Wall of Honor in the UIC Pier Room.

Please contact Chuck Van Hecke at 312/413-1297 to make a donation.

Navy Pier Reconnection Receptions
Do you remember what it was like to sit in classrooms during a storm at Navy Pier? The Lake Michigan waves would crash upon the north side of the Pier, splashing the windows and making us wonder if the windows might actually break!

We invite you to reconnect and participate. Begin by attending a Navy Pier Reconnection Reception in your community. These small, informal group receptions will occur in various Chicago communities and suburbs over the next few months. While visiting with fellow attendees, you can share experiences and learn about new developments in the Navy Pier Heritage Project, as well as other exciting initiatives designed to help us pass along our proud legacy of traditions, values and experiences.

f you are interested in participating and have not yet received an invitation, please contact Jennifer Lewis at 312/355-3996 or jlewis2@uic.edu