Community & Lifestyle

REV. DR. MARCELLUS JULIAN LEONARD Sept. 19, 1939-Aug. 3, 2018He changed the banks of the river It’s a near certainty that at some point in our lives, each of us meets someone whose impact on us is profound. I am not talking about our grandparents. I am talking about someone who arrives as a complete […]

RUDOLPH DAVENPORT June 2, 1928-April 7, 2018“He always had an idea” Rudolph Davenport – everyone called him Rudy – wasn’t a boastful pillar. One of Springfield’s best-known civil rights activists, he was one of three black men, later joined by two additional plaintiffs, who went to court in the 1980s to force a change in […]

JILL CUNNINGHAM BLACK Oct. 25, 1944 – Nov. 2, 2018 State government lost one of its unsung heroes when Jill Black died on Nov. 2. For over 17 years when I ran the Illinois Lottery and the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), Jill was a trusted senior aide and confidant.   She fortunately never […]

WOODROW J. SHADID, SR. June 29, 1922-Oct. 4, 2018A bookseller who outdid expectations Shadid’s Book Mart, Springfield’s legendary downtown bookstore, outdid the expectations of most local observers by surviving for 14 years after the opening of the mall stores that should have put it out of business. I was not surprised therefore that Woody Shadid, […]

TIM LANDIS Nov. 19, 1951-Jan. 2, 2018A gentleman journalist Tim Landis was no joke as a journalist. Consider the lede in the first story he wrote for the State Journal-Register back in 1995: “Junk mail isn’t junk anymore.” Just five words and seven syllables. The story about escalating paper prices had everything a just-the-facts reporter, […]

CHARLEE WALTON March 10, 2011 – Jan. 19, 2018 KARLY PEARCE June 25, 2011 – Jan. 23, 2018Two little girls Sparkling blue eyes. Fabulous smiles. Mischievous little sisters. Though they never met in person, Karly Pearce and Charlee Walton had many similarities. Heartbreakingly, the 6-year-olds are linked for one more reason: their young lives were […]

ANN FORD July 26, 1941-Sept. 23, 2018 First Lady of Independent Living If you ever wanted to find Ann Ford, chances are you could find her scooting around the Capitol. Ford, who had contracted polio at the age of 5, used a scooter to get around, but that never stopped her from advocating for the […]

JOHANNA MARY LEIKVOLD Jun. 19, 1985 – Aug. 5, 2018 I lost my firstborn daughter, Johanna Mary Leikvold. She was born Jun. 19, 1985, and passed away Aug. 5, 2018.  She had 31 wonderful years of life and those years were also the best for me. As a little girl, Johanna enjoyed being outside and […]

REV. DR. R. PAUL SIMS Sept. 10, 1926-June 3, 2018A spiritual giant Paul Sims held the highly respected titles of Reverend, Doctor, United Methodist District Superintendent and Assistant to the Bishop. But, other titles reveal more about the life of this remarkable man. Mentor. Loving husband and father. Friend. Teacher. Pastor to many pastors. Spiritual […]

KEN BRADBURY Nov. 7, 1949 – Nov. 18, 2018He put central Illinois on stage In the late 80s I directed a play at Fulton County Playhouse near Bryant. I was away after the play opened and received a call from an actor: “Ken Bradbury came to the show this weekend!” Ken Bradbury’s fame in central […]

THOMAS EARL BRINKER July 18, 1962 – July 20, 2018The gold standard dad Thomas Earl Brinker was a fundamentally happy guy who saw the best in everyone around him. He had the kind of magnetism that immediately put people at ease and lifted everybody’s spirits when he walked into a room. Thomas was born in […]

MARK SKUBE Apr. 21, 1951 – Oct. 14, 2018 Memory is mysterious; a repository of images that reflect us as much as they do what is remembered.  In our memory, those we’ve loved and lost are as they were at particular moments in our lives. For me, the Mark my mind keeps returning to in […]