Hall of Fame
Tom Carper, 2012 - Tom Carper grew up in Buda, Illinois, in Bureau County and attended Western Community High School before enrolling at Western Illinois University in 1964. It's no wonder he has dedicated his life to making Macomb a better place to live and Western Illinois as a top-ranking institution.
He attended Western for three years right out of high school and participated in football (1964-65) and track and field (1965). Carper enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967, then returned to Macomb and Western Illinois in 1971. In the mid-1970s, working with the track and field coaches, Carper was recruited to officiate the NCAA Division II National Championship meet.
A private businessman in town for 30 years, Carper was elected Mayor of Macomb in 1991 and served in that capacity for 12 years. For 15 years he organized and sponsored road races in Macomb. Carper also volunteered and served as Chairman for the United Way campaign, volunteer and Co-chair of the Heritage Days Celebration, and Macomb Community Theatre.
He was nominated by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin to serve on the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) Board of Directors - a corporation with 19,000 employees and operates 305 trains nationwide - and was accepted by then President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March of 2008. He currently serves as the Chairman of that Board.
Carper received his Board of Governors degree from Western in 1982. His wife Gayle Tronvig Carper graduated from Western with a bachelor's degree in 1973 and a master's in 1980. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University in 1983.
