Politics & Government

City Council Names Day in Honor of Chesterfield Historian

Author and volunteer Dan Rothwell was honored at Monday's council meeting.

When Jane Durrell met Dan Rothwell about 15 years ago, she knew he would be an asset to Chesterfield's Historical Commission

"He established himself very early on as a good researcher and an articulate person who was willing to study and do his research and homework," Durrell said. Rothwell has contributed in numerous ways to the research of the historical commission, including writing a book at notable structures in Chesterfield, A Guide to Chesterfield's Architectural Treasures.

Rothwell was honored by the Chesterfield City Council with a proclamation declaring May 2, 2011 "Dan Rothwell Day." At the council meeting Monday, Durrell talked about the origins of Rothwell's book.

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The city was planning a celebration for its 10-year anniversary in 1998 when Durrell asked Rothwell to write a one-page flier about Chesterfield's history to be distributed at the event.

"The next time I talked to him, shortly after that, it was up to four pages," she said. "Not very long after, it was 60 pages. A few months later, I can remember thinking, 'This is 168 pages; we’re not going to hand this out!' "

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Rothwell's wife Rena Rothwell said her daughter Debra Kapehart would come over in the evenings to help him type up the book.

"He would miss a meal, he enjoyed it so much," Rena Rothwell said after the city council meeting. Dan Rothwell has since written two other books, one about the history of St. Charles and another about his ranch in the Ozarks.

Dan Rothwell was instrumental in creating the city's century homes program, which helps owners of 100-year-old homes research historic guidelines and apply for grants. He also documented the construction of City Hall through photos. He has been a member of the Heritage Foundation of Chesterfield, which aims to preserve historical homes. In 2005, he was Chesterfield's Citizen of the Year.

Mayor Bruce Geiger presented the proclamation to Rena Rothwell. Geiger said he had known Dan Rothwell for about 10 years, but had only just begun to learn about his contributions to the city. Geiger said he recently spent about an hour chatting with Dan Rothwell before a historical commission meeting about the many contributions he had made to the city.

"I was sorry that it took that long to really get to know Dan and what he's done for the city," Geiger said. 

Rena Rothwell accepted the proclamation on behalf of her husband, who has terminal cancer. She said she was headed to his nursing home right after the meeting to surprise him with the news of this honor. He'd be watching the St. Louis Cardinals game, she said, but this news was worth interrupting the game. "He's going to be so excited," she said.


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