Biography: John Vespa
The son of a Caterpillar welder, Mario Vespa, who was born in Toluca, and June Aleene Vespa, John worked as a Peoria County Sheriff’s Deputy where he received the Distinguished Service Award and three Letters of Commendation and was a member of the Honor Guard. While working full-time at the Sheriff’s Department, Vespa obtained a B.A. degree in Social Justice from the University of Illinois at Springfield (formerly Sangamon State University) and was on the Dean’s List. Vespa graduated from Southern Illinois University Law School and received several academic honors, including the Book Award, which is the highest honor given for trial advocacy, and was a finalist (highest honor given) in the Moot Court competition. He was also a member of the Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity.
Vespa was born and raised in Peoria and is an active community volunteer. He has served on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) executive board, the Peoria High School Alumni Association and the Peoria County Bar Association Board of Directors. He has volunteered for Special Olympics, the Center for Prevention of Abuse and the American Legion. Vespa also served as Director of the Legal Assistance to Military People (LAMP) program from its inception after its founding by the Peoria County Bar Association.
Vespa was a starting member of the 1974-75 Peoria High School football team that won the Mid-State Nine conference championship and participated in the last Turkey Day game and the first ever Illinois High School football tournament.
He is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Downtown Peoria Kiwanis. John has also coached and sponsored numerous youth athletic teams for the Peoria Park District.
Vespa resides in Peoria with his wife, Diane, who is a Realtor in the Peoria area. They have two children, Jim (8) and Jennifer (6).
Read an interview with John in the Sept. 4 issue of The Pekin Times