Donald J. Canney (October 8,1930 – March 20,2011) was an American politician and civil engineer who served as the mayor of Cedar Rapids,Iowa,for twenty-two years from 1969 to 1992. [1] Canney is Cedar Rapids' longest-serving mayor to date. [2]
Canney was born on October 8,1930,to John and Alice Mickle Canney in Iowa City,Iowa. He served as an underwater demolitions expert within the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. He received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Iowa. Canney married Gloria Frau on August 20,1955,and remained together until her death in 2010. [3]
Canney served as the Cedar Rapids streets commissioner for more than six years before becoming Mayor of Cedar Rapids in 1969. [2] Canney is credited with spearheading much of modern Cedar Rapids' infrastructure and civic development. [1] Projects credited to Canney include the U.S. Cellular Center,which opened in 1979 as the Five Seasons Center,the expansion of The Eastern Iowa Airport,the Edgewood Road Bridge and the 5-in-1 dam. [1]
Canney resigned from office in 1992 after more than 22 years as mayor,when he was 61 years old. [4] he took a position with PMX Industries Inc.,a South Korea firm which had opened a facility in Cedar Rapids,where he worked for three years before his retirement. [4] In addition to his career in engineering and politics,Canney also created his own brand of fish fillet knives,called "Canney’s Leech Lake filet knife." [2] The knives were named for a lake in which he fished during the summer. [4]
Don Canney died of heart failure in Cedar Rapids,Iowa,on March 20,2011,at the age of 80. [1] [4] His funeral was held at the St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids. [1] Canney's wife,Gloria (née Oberer) Canney,had died on September 13,2010. [3]
Current Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett announced the creation of a commission to rename a major Cedar Rapids landmark in honor of Canney. [2] Possible choices for the memorial which have been mentioned include an airport terminal at Eastern Iowa Airport,a former federal court which is being re-purposed to become Cedar Rapids' future city hall,or the city library. [1] Corbett explained that,"We’re looking for something significant to have Don Canney’s name associated with. Don was big into public infrastructure,so it only makes sense from the standpoint also." [2]
Cedar Rapids is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa and the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River,20 miles (32 km) north of Iowa City and 128 miles (206 km) northeast of Des Moines,the state's capital. It is a part of the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City region of Eastern Iowa,which includes Linn,Benton,Cedar,Iowa,Jones,Johnson,and Washington counties.
Marion is a city in Linn County,Iowa,United States. The population was 26,294 at the 2000 census and was 41,535 in 2020,an increase of 58%. The city is located next to Cedar Rapids and part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Eastern Iowa Airport is in Cedar Rapids,Iowa,on Wright Brothers Boulevard on the south edge of town,two miles (3.2 km) west of Interstate 380. CID covers 3,288 acres (1,331 ha).
Interstate 380 (I-380) is a 73-mile (117 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in eastern Iowa. The route extends from I-80 near Coralville to Waterloo. I-380 connects the cities of Cedar Rapids and Waterloo,the state's second- and sixth-largest cities,respectively,to the Interstate Highway System. Except for its last 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of U.S. Highway 20 (US 20),I-380 runs concurrently with Iowa Highway 27 (Iowa 27),which represents Iowa's portion of the 560-mile (900 km) Avenue of the Saints highway connecting Saint Louis,Missouri,with Saint Paul,Minnesota.
Veterans Memorial Stadium is a minor league baseball stadium in Cedar Rapids,Iowa. It is the home field of the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League. It is often called New Veterans Memorial Stadium to distinguish it from the original Veterans Memorial Stadium,which existed from 1949 to 2001.
KFXA is a television station licensed to Cedar Rapids,Iowa,United States,serving Eastern Iowa as an affiliate of the digital multicast network Dabl. It is owned by Second Generation of Iowa,Ltd.,which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group,owner of dual CBS/Fox affiliate KGAN,for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios at Broadcast Park on Old Marion Road Northeast in Cedar Rapids;KFXA's transmitter is located in Van Horne,Iowa.
Westdale Mall was an enclosed super-regional shopping mall in Cedar Rapids,Iowa,United States. The two-level mall on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids is one of the city's two enclosed malls,along with Lindale Mall on the city's northeast side. By 2012,Westdale displayed some characteristics of a dead mall as two of its four anchor stores and an estimated 70 percent of inline stores have been vacated as of January 2013. At the beginning of 2013,local investor group A. Shapiro LLC purchased Westdale Mall. In January 2013,Frew Development Group,LLC leased the mall and its property from A. Shapiro,LLC. Frew Development is investing $90 million into the redevelopment of the mall,converting it to an open air destination and re-branding it as Westdale Town Center. In 2020,Frew Development Group,LLC acquired the ground lease from A. Shapiro,LLC and today is the sole owner of Westdale Town Center. The mall's anchor stores are JCPenney,Ross Dress for Less,U-Haul,Burlington,and PetSmart. Since 2018,Frew has developed a Tru by Hilton hotel,a Home2 by Hilton,a Boulder Tap House restaurant,and a US Veteran's Medical Clinic.
Lindale Mall is an enclosed regional shopping mall on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids,Iowa,United States.
Washington High School is a public high school in Cedar Rapids,in the U.S. state of Iowa. Built in 1956,it is named in honor of the oldest high school in Cedar Rapids.
Kathleen Halloran Chapman,known as Kay Chapman or Kay Halloran,is an American politician and attorney who served as Mayor of Cedar Rapids,Iowa from 2006 to 2009.
Daniel Kerr was an American politician who served as a two-term Republican U.S. representative from Iowa's 5th congressional district in the 1880s.
KMRY is a radio station licensed to serve Cedar Rapids,Iowa,owned by Jim Ecker,through licensee Ecker Broadcasting Co.
The Iowa flood of 2008 was a hydrological event involving most of the rivers in eastern Iowa which began June 8 and continued until July 1. Flooding continued on the Upper Mississippi River in the southeastern area of the state for many more days. The phrase "Iowa's Katrina" was often heard.
Ron Corbett is an American politician and former mayor of Cedar Rapids,Iowa.
The Veteran's Memorial Building is located on May's Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids,Iowa,United States. It is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The building served as the Cedar Rapids City Hall until it was damaged in the Flood of 2008. The Building underwent a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark its official re-opening April 15,2014.
Elizabeth Ann Mathis is an American politician,non-profit executive and former broadcast journalist who has served as an Iowa State Senator since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party,she was elected to represent the 18th district in a November 2011 special election and re-elected to the redrawn 34th district in 2012. Mathis was the Democratic nominee for Iowa's 1st congressional district in 2022,losing the general election to incumbent Republican Ashley Hinson.
Tom Riley was an American lawyer from Cedar Rapids,Iowa who served two terms in the Iowa House of Representatives and four in the Iowa Senate.
Monica Vernon is an American politician. She is a former two-term member of the Cedar Rapids City Council and the former Mayor Pro Tempore of Cedar Rapids,Iowa.
CRST The Transportation Solution,Inc. is an American freight company based in Cedar Rapids,Iowa.
Bradley G. Hart is an American attorney and politician who served as the mayor of Cedar Rapids,Iowa from 2018 to 2022. As the role of mayor is a part-time position,Hart continued to work as a business lawyer at Bradley &Riley during his term.