The Canton Daily Ledger honored attorney James J. Elson recently as Community Hero of the month in recognition of his many civic contributions and leadership roles.

As a result of Elson's generosity, stained glass windows from an old city building were restored and installed in the Parlin-Ingersoll Library. A trustee of the library since 1981, he was president from 2001 to 2005.

A past president of the Canton Chamber of Commerce, Elson was named its Citizen of the Year in 1981. He was city attorney from 1993 to 2001 and again in 2005-06.

Currently chair of the ISBA Mutual Insurance Co. board, on which he has served since its founding in 1988, Elson served on the ISBA Assembly for 14 years, including eight years on the Board of Governors.

He was a director of the Illinois Bar Foundation for four years and a trustee of the Lawyers Political Action Committee for five years, including one year as chair.

A director of the Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund since 1968, Elson was president from 1976 to 1980 and board chair for the following two years. He serves on the ISBA Task Force on the Unauthorized Practice of Law.

Elson was inducted in 2002 as a Laureate of the ISBA Academy of Illinois Lawyers.