Longtime President Evo Facchine Dies
September 30, 2016 at 8:29 PM
Evo G. Facchine, 84, the DuBois Area Historical Society’s longest serving president and the man who proposed the formation of the Society, died on September 26.
Facchine’s initial connections to the Society came during his time as president of the DuBois Area Chamber of Commerce. On Feb. 2, 1982, the execuitve committee of the Chamber passed a resolution to form a historical society in DuBois. Four nights later, Feb. 6, Facchine announced three new projects, one of those being a historical society at the Chamber’s annual dinner.
Two days later, Feb. 8, the Chamber passed a motion to form a DuBois Area Historical Society. An inaugural banquet for the new DuBois Area Historical Society was held on Sept. 16, 1982, with Facchine as the initial speaker for the evening. Facchine joined the Society’s first executive board, serving as treasurer.
After completing his term, Facchine moved on to other duties and other projects, while keeping an eye on the organization and participating in some activities of the Society.
The fire to participate in the organization burned again in 2003 when he was elected president of the Society. He was reelected to the post several times, completing his last term in 2011.
During his time as president, Facchine constructed the veterans room and the gallery area in the museum; oversaw the revision of the Society’s constitution; encouraged the forming of committees; oversaw the completion of several books; reinstated the Society’s newsletter; initiated the “Looking Back” column that still appears in The Courier-Express; suggested the publication of a calendar as a fund raiser, a project now in its 10th year. The Society’s Spring Walk, now a eight-year tradition, and the Spirit of DuBois Lantern Walk, now in its 9th year also started during Facchine’s multiple terms.
For his efforts, the Society honored Facchine with its “Man of the Year” award in 2007.
Facchine is survived by his wife Ann (the 2007 DuBois Area Historical Society Woman of the Year), a son, Robert, a daughter, Jennifer, and four grandchildren.