Community Corner
Tom Kataras: 'One of Homewood's Great Ambassadors'
Tom Kataras has been a key player in Homewood for decades. A week before his retirement, we're taking a look back on his contributions to the community.
Tom Kataras is as Homewood as they come. Most know him as the cheerful, generous pulse of Tom’s Family Restaurant, but Kataras also has a rich history in the community, full of intense participation and loyal service.
He recollects back to 1974, when he returned from college, as a point in his life when he started ramping up his local activity.
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“I was one of the young guys. We were the generation replacing the older guys and we had all these great ideas,” Kataras said. “It’s really funny that now we’re the old guys.”
Kataras is a past president of the Homewood Area Chamber of Commerce and former chairman of the Homewood plan commission.
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“I started with Rich Hofeld,” Kataras said. “He was my mentor.”
Kataras’ first term as a Homewood trustee began in 1984 and lasted until 1987 when he bought . Since an elected official can’t hold a liquor license, he made a decision to resign from office
“That was the most fun I ever had,” Kataras said. “I used to wear a Hawaiian shirt every day to work. I used to say it’s my Caribbean dream.
“We had the Bulls with Michael Jordan, we had Ditka and the Bears,” he continued. “The place was packed every Friday night.”
All the while, Kataras still worked at Tom’s Family Restaurant, running back and fourth between the two multiple times throughout the day.
After a 15-year break in politics, Kataras sold the bar and got back into the game. He's now serving his second consecutive and third term on the Homewood Village Board of Trustees. He says he plans on serving the reminder of his term, but suggested it might soon be time for yet another change.
“I think this will be my last term,” Kataras said. “If I can’t make the meetings or I don’t think I can make a positive contribution then it’s time to get out.”
That hasn't happened yet, though, as Homewood Trustee Jay Heiferman is happy to point out.
“Tom Kataras is one of Homewood's great ambassadors. You know that you’re in a great town when you experience his uniquely warm and festive greeting as you walk in the door at the 'sweet-shop,'” Heiferman said. “As a fellow Trustee, he serves the village with the gusto and intelligence that the village needs and deserves.”
Trustee Anne Colton agrees.
“He's an incredible asset to our community in so many ways. As a village official, he stands up for what he believes in no matter what. He's probably the most accessible trustee, since all you have to do is wander into his restaurant, and he's always ready to talk to anyone who wants a moment of his time,” Colton said. “He is truly passionate about our community.”
Kataras’ passion for the community stems from a firm belief he maintains about “what makes Homewood, Homewood.”
“It’s not the restaurants, it’s not the developments, it’s not the stuff on Halsted—it’s the people,” Kataras said. “You can see that in our school district, you can see it in our park district and you can see that in the village government also.”
Homewood Village President Richard Hofeld said that as humble as Kataras might be, he's one of the people who have made Homewood what it is.
“I hear about (Tom’s contributions) secondhand because he’s not the type of person who talks about himself. He’s been a donor to (Isaac Walton) in the past—through his restaurant—he has also assisted with senior programs,” Hofeld said. “His father was a very magnanimous individual and helped numerous people in the community. I think Tom has followed in his father’s footsteps in that regard … and he does it quietly without any notoriety.”
A bright outlook
“I think there’s a really good next generation coming in here,” Kataras said. “It’s such a different generation in how they approach things and that’s tremendous. That’s what we need. The community needs to keep constantly changing and it's got to keep constantly growing.”
Even though retirement is only a week away, don’t think Kataras will be taking it easy. He excitedly talks about his wife’s retirement in June and he says he's got a lot left on his agenda.
“I have to live to be 100 because there’s a lot of stuff I want to get done,” Kataras said.
Chief among those things, however, is boating.
“This year we want to cruise lake Michigan—spend at least five or six weeks cruising,” Kataras said. “(The chance to do so) is priceless.
“I want to eventually go out to the islands and eventually get down to Grenada—if my wife will go along with it, I’m not sure,” he smiled as he said.
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