Rockford has lost one of its biggest advocates and the man solely responsible for Portillo's opening a restaurant in Rockford. Doug Cohen passed away this week.

Doug will be known for his many attempts at bringing Portillo's to town. He even sat down with the restaurant's owner, Dick Portillo, and pleaded his case for why Rockford would be a good location. Doug is featured on Portillo's website. But, Doug's love for Rockford goes even further. He loved Rockford's history.

Doug Cohen was a true Rockford historian, learning and sharing the history of many Rockford buildings, businesses, and more. He shared what could be Rockford's version of Wikipedia, the Facebook page RockfordReminisce. Benjamin Smith shared this touching tribute to Doug.

Such a shame to lose one of the most knowledgeable local historians in Rockford. Doug had been an incredibly useful resource of information to the local community and to me personally. We had numerous conversations regarding identifying the historic uses of buildings i have been involved with as well as a shared passion for local advertising. (via Facebook)

To no surprise, Doug's personal Facebook is flooded with tributes and memories.

Rest easy, Portillo Man.


JB Love is ½ of  Q98.5's Lil Zim & JB In The Morning, weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on TwitterInstagram.

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