Arthur Lloyd Janura was the general superintendent of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. He received his B.S. in Forestry from the University of Minnesota. Immediately upon graduation, he entered military service. During World War II he served as an Army Intelligence Officer, Fourth Armored Division, in the European Theatre of Operations. He was awarded the Bronze Star with 2-Oak Leaf Clusters, The Presidential Citation, the European Theatre Ribbon with 5-Battle Stars, the Purple Heart, and the Croix de Guerre with Silver Star from the French Government.
Janura started employment with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County as a Senior Forester in 1945, promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Maintenance & Operations, promoted to Superintendent of Maintenance & Operations, Assistant to the General Superintendent, then appointed General Superintendent upon recommendation o the Citizens' Advisory Committee to the Board of Forest Preserve District Commissioners.
He has always been interested and active in local and national park organizations. Is a Past President of the Midwest Institute of Park Executives. (Affiliate of the American Institute of Park Executives with 240 Members in the Chicago Metropolitan area).
Served as Director of the American Institute of Park Executives. (A former national organization of Park Professionals with over 10,000 Members throughout the United States and Canada).
Served as Director of the National Recreation and Park Association. (A national organization with over 35,000 Professional Members throughout the United States and Canada). The National Recreation and Park Association was formed by the merger of the five major park and recreation organizations, i.e., American Recreation Society, National Conference on State Parks, National Recreation Association, Industrial Recreation Association, and the American Institute of Park Executives. As a representative of the American Institute of Park Executives, was the prime mover in the merger of these organizations.
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The following appeared in the Academy Bulletin, 1995:
Arthur Janura, Former General Superintendent of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC), Illinois, retired in 1991 after 46 years with the district, 27 years as General Superintendent. Twenty thousand of the 67,000 acres were acquired during his tenure. He kicked off the bike trail system in 1968, it now includes 200 miles of trails. The highly prized Forest Preserve National Golf Course is one of the 25 best public courses in the nation.
He has always been interested and active in local and national park organizations. He was a past president of the Midwest Institute of Park Executives, an affiliate of the American Institute of Park Executives.
Art is a Charter Member of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and member of AIPE "Deans" group. As a member of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Park Executives he was involved in the merger of AIPE, ARS, NRA, and NCSP into the NRPA in 1969.
Art graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1942 with a degree in forestry. After a distinguished tour of duty with the U.S. Army Intelligence in World War II, he joined the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.
During his 4 ½ decades with the FPDCC, Art received numerous awards and recognitions. Among them were: Cook County’s Superior Public Service Award as the "Outstanding Professional Employee"; the annual "Conservationist of the Year Award" from Snikar Safari International; the prestigious "Hutchinson Medal of Honor" from the Chicago Horticultural Society; a citation from the National Association of State Outdoor Recreation Liaison officers (NASORLO); and the "Civic Award" from Loyola University.
During his tenure he guided the District to the acquisition of over 20,000 additional acres of some of the District’s most desirable and worthy acquisitions. The 550 acre multipurpose reservoir at Ned Brown was built during his administration. Ths $26 million recreation and flood retention structure controls over 50% of the Salt Creek Watershed and involved the cooperative efforts of eight governmental entities.
A major accomplishment was the District’s claim to 2.1 million cubic yards of stone from the Metropolitan Sanitary District’s Deep Tunnel Project and the Forest Preserve District realizing $1,520,000 of revenue per year for seven years, helping to alleviate the real estate tax burden.
Art continues to be involved as he serves as a member of the Advisory Board to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on which he has served continuously for 27 years being reappointed by six governors.