Fr. Francis J. Kamp, 91, ‘visionary’ behind Northbrook’s Techny community

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Father Francis Kamp

Updated: November 4, 2011 7:56PM

The 770-acre swath of land known as Techny was one of the biggest, juiciest, most close-in parcels ripe for development in the Chicago area, and speculators were salivating at the prospect of buying it and building on it.

Enter the Rev. Francis J. Kamp, a Catholic priest.

Father Kamp knew that selling the tract owned by his religious order — the Divine Word Missionaries — would only be good for a one-time cash infusion to help fund the order’s 6,000 missionaries in more than 70 countries.

But 100-year leases — now that was a different story.

Kamp has been called the “visionary and executor” of a plan that changed the landscape of Northbrook and guaranteed a steady flow of income to keep the work of his religious order going.

“Father Kamp came up with the idea of not selling the land, because once it was sold, it was gone forever,” said Northbrook Village President Sandra Frum. “But to lease it, there would be a steady income stream.”

“The income generated by the leased land now supports the missions in the United States and around the world,” said Brother Mathew Zemel, president of the Techny Land Corp. “His leadership and vision will benefit generations to come.”

As a result, more than 600 acres of Divine Word Missionaries property between Northbrook, Glenview and Northfield has been leased for commercial and residential use. It’s home to Crate & Barrel’s corporate headquarters; the Willow Festival shopping center at the corner of Willow and Waukegan roads, with a Lowe’s, Whole Foods and REI; the Royal Ridge and Meadow Ridge residential subdivisions; Willow Hill golf course, and the Five Seasons Sports Club. The property also includes dozens of acres of open space and recreation areas that were donated to the Northbrook Park District, Northbrook village attorney Steve Elrod said.

Father Kamp, 91, died Saturday at Glenbrook Hospital.

The land belonging to the Society of the Divine Word stretches roughly from Willow Road to Voltz along Waukegan Road. It was bought by the German-based missionaries in 1900. Revenue from farming the tract paid for their mission work.

The order started St. Joseph Technical School for orphaned boys. The school’s name led to the property being dubbed “Techny,” because that’s what train conductors called out when they came to the stop, said Theresa Carson, a spokeswoman for the missionaries.

Father Kamp was born Francis Kampschroer in La Crosse, Wis. He was ordained in 1947 and later shortened his name. He served as the order’s national publication director, overseeing magazines and brochures that reported on missions around the globe.

When he retired, the number of men entering religious orders was down, and farming at Techny was providing less of a return. The provincial superior asked him to form the Techny Land Committee.

Many developers and at least three towns — Northbrook, Glenview and Northfield — wanted the property. Father Kamp engineered a 1988 deal for Northbrook to annex it, including about 133 acres the missionaries retain for their own use. The annexation opened the way for development, while long-term leases kept the property in the hands of the religious order.

The move was controversial, “and it required many, many hours of public hearings,” Elrod said. “Hundreds and hundreds of people came out, and Father Kamp sat there in the front row with a smile on his face — not too big of a smile so as to be arrogant — but with a smile on his face, accepting every comment and lots and lots of criticism from neighbors who did not want to see the property developed.”

He “nodded his head respectfully, and at the end of his hearing said ‘Thank you very much; I still want to develop the property the way I planned it,’ ’’ Elrod said

Father Kamp weighed concerns about traffic and the mix of commercial and residential development.

“He understood how to be a good neighbor,” Elrod said, “but still deliver for his order.”

“He understood business, which is interesting, for a priest,” Frum said. “He always had a twinkle in his eye. He had the best smile, and a great sense of humor.”

“He encouraged his priests to get involved in different organizations,” Frum said. “We had a member of our Rotary Club who was from the Society” of the Divine Word.

Father Kamp is survived by his brother, John Kampschroer, and many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in the Techny Towers Conference and Retreat Center. A wake service will follow at 7 p.m. A funeral mass will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the chapel. Burial will be at St. Mary Cemetery, Techny.