Vice Adm. Nils Ronald Thunman was born in 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Swedish immigrants who moved to Springfield in 1939. His father, who dearly loved his adopted country, became an engineer, helping to build several of Springfield’s most important public works. To say that the admiral led a consequential life would be […]
Mark DePue
Mark DePue is the director of oral history at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
Posted inSpecial Issues
RICHARD MILLS July 19, 1929-July 16, 2023
Springfield lost a legal community stalwart on July 16 when Judge Richard “Dick” Mills of Springfield passed away. A child of the Great Depression, Richard grew up in the river town of Beardstown, weaned on small-town values he learned at home, in church and in a one-room schoolhouse. Mills had many dimensions to his life, […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
VINCENT SPERANZA March 23, 1925-Aug. 2, 2023
When it comes to memorable people in my life, Vince Speranza ranks in the top tier. He was born into a large Italian American family in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan and grew up on Staten Island. During World War II Vince was eager to do his part and enlisted in 1943. After completing […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Local legends of the “greatest generation”
Veterans Day has always held a special meaning for me, having served 25 years in the U.S. Army, and another 16 years interviewing scores of veterans while working as the oral historian for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. This Veterans Day is especially poignant, however, for in the past few months three members […]
Posted inArts & Culture
ROZANNE ‘POSY’ ROBERTSON
ROZANNE ‘POSY’ ROBERTSONMar. 20, 1931 – July 1, 2018 Springfield lost one of its most gentle and compassionate souls on July 1, 2018, when Rozanne ‘Posy’ Robertson passed away. Born in 1931, Posy was a child of the Great Depression, with an inquisitive mind and engaging personality. She knew no strangers and was genuinely interested […]
Posted inOpinion
The most dangerous place in the world
The most dangerous place in the world on Aug. 15, 1950, was the Pusan Perimeter. On that day, Second Lieutenant Bob Evans arrived in-country, part of the under-strength, poorly equipped and ill-prepared 2nd Infantry Division, shipped directly from Ft. Lewis, Washington. North Koreans had launched a massive surprise attack on June 25, and quickly overwhelmed […]
Posted inOpinion
A story of bravery
Kenneth “Tuck” Belton of Springfield didn’t give much thought to tulips while he was growing up in rural Tallula. They were just a sure sign that summer would soon arrive in central Illinois. But his perspective changed in the bitter winter of 1945. He was a downed B-17 pilot hiding out with the Dutch Underground, […]
Posted inOpinion
Freedom is not free
“Freedom is not free” writes William W. (Bill) Smith of Quincy whenever he signs his book, A Moment in Time. Bill speaks with considerable authority on the subject of freedom, having spent two and a half years in a North Korean prisoner of war camp. He survived the ordeal, but nearly half of those who […]
