The Village of Peoria Heights will hold a press availability at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 17 at the corner of Prospect and Glen avenues, where a street dedication ceremony will take place to honor the memory of longtime Peoria Heights Schools Superintendent Roger Bergia.

Glen Avenue remains Glen Avenue, but now it will also carry a sign reading “Honorary Roger Bergia Way,” which will be installed at that Tuesday event.

Bergia spent his entire career in District 325 schools, a remarkable 52 years in all. Even after he “retired,” he continued to work in the district as its part-time treasurer. He also mentored countless students over the decades, which he did all the way up to his death in late March of this year.

There were few stauncher advocates for the Village of Peoria Heights and its regional independence than Bergia, who also became the community’s unofficial historian.

“Few citizens in the history of Peoria Heights have left a more indelible local mark,” said Peoria Heights Mayor Michael Phelan. “That is why we are honoring him in this way.”