DECATUR - When William "Bill" Eichenauer was proclaimed Decatur Citizen of the Year in November, then-Mayor Paul Osborne explained: "He's a classic example of the type of individual who is devoted to moving this community forward."

Eichenauer, 78, died Sunday in Decatur Memorial Hospital. The successful businessman in the commercial food equipment service industry was the major Decatur cheerleader before and with Osborne.

Randy Prince, president of the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce, was recruited by Eichenauer to help put together the Culinary Institute at Richland Community College, which begins this fall. He remembers Eichenauer like this:

"Bill was the person who always said 'What needs to be done? How can I help?' He exemplified what people should do in community service. It didn't matter what the issue was, Bill was always for the community. I'm so glad he was recognized as Citizen of the Year."

Eichenauer was a major backer of the $2.7 million project to improve West Main Street. He was adamant about the project and looked forward to more challenges and improvements.

"Architecturally, West Main Street says it all about Decatur," he said in an interview last year. "I want to see West Main Street designated as the Abraham Lincoln Historical Trail. It was Lincoln's trail to get into Decatur. It would hopefully enhance tours of the Millikin Homestead and Oglesby Mansion."

Eichenauer had a penchant for learning. "If I don't learn something each day, I count that day as lost."

With that, he helped put together the Creative Center for Learning, in which volunteers teach subjects ranging from handwriting analysis to traditional jazz to genealogy to languages.

Millikin University benefitted immensely from Eichenauer's "let's do it" passion.

"He was a constant source of energy," Millikin President Doug Zemke said.

Eichenauer graduated from Millikin in 1951. He received the Millikin Loyalty Award in 1966 and was named alumnus of the year in 1996. He was chairman of the centennial committee, and he and his wife, Nancy, were inducted into the Millikin Medallion Society in 2001 for extraordinary service. He also was an emeritus trustee who continued to attend meetings.

"A wonderful man," Zemke said. "A wonderful friend to me."

Eichenauer's interests ranged from restoration of the Lincoln Square Theatre to the creation of a ROMEO Club fight song to the Oakwood Business Association to Decatur Celebration to the Kiss a Pig contest.

At the 1994 Decatur Celebration, he shared a 1,000-pound 65th birthday cake on the Heritage Stage. Appropriately, the cake was covered with 600 pounds of blue and white icing - Millikin colors.

A couple of years later, he survived multiple injuries when his leg was pinned between a taxi and a van in front of a Michigan Avenue hotel in Chicago. His left leg was torn up and his right ankle was broken. It was "hang in there" time, and Eichenauer did just that.

"He kept fighting to promote Decatur," Osborne said.

Richland President Gayle Saunders will miss Eichenauer's laugh and the way his face would light up when he greeted you as if he hadn't seen you for a year.

"When I came to Decatur seven years ago, one of the first people I met was Bill Eichenauer," she said. "He told me he had a dream to make Decatur the site of the finest culinary school and that Richland would be the place. Now we'll be making that dream come true."

Bob Fallstrom can be reached at bfallstrom@herald-review.com or 421-7981.