Ches Mag 2011-12
2/28/12
12:30 PM
Page 4
IN MEMORIAM
We dedicate this issue to two cherished personalities who helped make Chesterfield what it is today Louis Sachs:Community Builder The points of engagement that define Chesterfield as a community are woven in a tapestry of businesses, homes, cultural amenities, restaurants, shops and green space. It is the vision of one man – Louis Sachs, who passed away in 2011. Sachs was the “Father of Modern Chesterfield,” creating a distinctive community in his 1,500-acre Chesterfield Village. Never hurried or rushed, Sachs diligently advanced a creation that today enriches lives on many different levels. “Before people were talking about ‘new urbanism’ or sustainability, he was pioneering a new way of living by building connection points for businesses and residents through civic, cultural, retail and green space,” said Stephen Sachs, copresident of Sachs Properties. “We are committed to advancing that legacy and finishing what dad started.” In 1967, Sachs began acquiring land in then rural Chesterfield to create a master plan for Chesterfield Village – one of oldest on record in St. Louis. It fostered “community” in subtle ways. Sachs named buildings and streets after local historic figures. He insisted on achieving just the right look, paying to bury electrical lines, purchasing and maintaining elaborate landscaping and building interior connector roads and three I64 interchanges to connect to Chesterfield Village
Joan Schmelig: Community Leader Joan “Joanie” Schmelig presided as President of the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce for nearly 30 years. She was motivated, enthusiastic and determined. All of these characteristics are remembered and admired by residents of Chesterfield as well as other community leaders, Chamber staff, friends and family. Since 1983, when Mrs. Schmelig accepted the position of Executive Director of the Chamber, it was her mission to develop this small community organization into the formidable source of business support and economic development that it has become. During the flood of 1993, Joanie was instrumental in keeping the businesses and resi-
Remarkably, Sachs used none of today’s common development tools – no eminent domain, no tax abatement and no tax increment financing. Today, Chesterfield is the business and cultural hub of West St. Louis County. Chesterfield Village alone hosts more than 200 businesses. Sachs’ boundless generosity and enduring dedication to the arts helped the city of Chesterfield earn the “Creative Community Award” in 2011 from the Missouri Arts Council. Indeed, Sachs invigorated his vision with a devotion to philanthropy and the arts. Quietly, he was a prime force in creating Chesterfield Arts in 1993. In 2009, he brought J Seward Johnson’s iconic “The Awakening” to Chesterfield. He donated office and retail space to STAGES St. Louis which opened a performing arts academy that instructs more than 1,000 youngsters, including those with special needs, in music and dance. Other beneficiaries: the St. Louis County Public Library – Samuel C. Sachs Branch, named for his father; the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House; Junior Chamber International; and the Seventh Day Adventist Church, YMCA, JCC and Faust Park. Today, his vision of Chesterfield Village continues with the creation of the 200-plus-acre Downtown Chesterfield – an initiative that will ultimately connect all of Chesterfield.
dents informed as to the status of the flood and thereby avoiding the full impact of the flood by organizing a communications network that in essence is still in effect today. She brought together developers and residents after the fact to work together to prove to naysayers that “Chesterfield’s best days still lie ahead!” In order to raise funds to build four ball diamonds near Highway 40; Joanie held raffles, fish fries and carnivals. Today this is the site of the Chesterfield Athletic Association. Growing the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce was a labor of love. She founded and organized events such as Eggs and Issues Educational Seminars, Business After Hours, First Thursday Coffees, Leadership Chesterfield, Junior
Leadership Chesterfield, Business EXPO and Showcase, Job Fairs, Real Estate Forum and free Concerts in Faust Parkto name a few. When retail was beginning to boom in Chesterfield Valley, she worked tirelessly to bring needed workers to the area by arranging connector busses throughout the municipality. In 1983 and again in 2010, Joanie received the Chesterfield Citizen of the Year Award and in 2009 was awarded the prestigious Excellence in Community Development Award from Progress 64 West. At that time, it was stated that “Joanie was an inspiration to all that had been involved in the evolution of the City of Chesterfield. She was chief cheerleader, facilitator and a mover and shaker; and a great friend and neighbor to all.”