Remembering

While washing dishes, I feel her come up from behind. After Paula nestles my neck, she grabs my hand, turns me around and we begin dancing to the tune in her head. Then she begins to sing, leaving me to wonder if it was a real song or something she was creating. Paula loved to […]

Proshanta Nandi is remembered for the cultural bridges he built between the Indian and larger Springfield community. However, on a personal level as characterized by a good friend of his, “Proshanta Nandi was one of those few people who maintained his integrity forever.” This was clearly consistent with Proshanta’s belief in humanity, equality and justice […]

During our Zoom introduction, I first recall hearing a lovely and calm voice in the background who offered coffee to the Rev. Dr. Wesley G. Robinson McNeese. With his endearing grace and style, he first acknowledged his wife of 46 years, LaVern Ollie-McNeese, for her love and care, while boasting of her excellent skills as […]

We all know the saying, “Life is a journey.” None of us know how and when each journey will end or what joys and challenges are along the way. One little girl, June Dallas, was only given three years on this side of eternity, but what a difference her journey made. And continues to make. […]

Todd Maisch never held elective office, but he was a fixture in Illinois politics for more than 30 years. Tall, handsome, always smiling, his face was one of the best-known in the Statehouse. At a time when folks jump from job to job, Maisch had the same employer for almost 30 years. As president of […]

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 […]

It’s probably fair to say that Eric Welch never got over SOHO. A gregarious and unfailingly humorous presence at local music events for years, Eric founded the SOHO Music Festival, which ran every summer from 2004-2016. The festival was both a showcase for original musical acts from the area and a charity event, raising thousands […]

Mary Ann Lamm’s work ethic and personality were key to her decades of electoral success in Sangamon County, friends and family members said. “She was always a public servant first,” Lamm’s daughter, Melissa Anderson, said of her mother, the former Democratic Sangamon County Recorder who served for 32 years – from 1976 until her retirement […]

Former Illinois Senate President James “Pate” Philip, the last Republican to lead a legislative chamber in Illinois, reflected a bygone era when DuPage County was a conservative bastion and Republicans had power in the General Assembly. In the two decades since Philip lost his role as Senate president, Republican influence in the Statehouse has atrophied […]

It is hard to believe that January will mark the first anniversary of the passing of Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, director of the Illinois State Museum. Cinnamon was a force. Named after a secret agent popularized in the 1960s action TV series “Mission Impossible,” she lived up to all the complexity of her namesake, a super-spy whose […]

One of Laura’s favorite places to be was in the kitchen. Many times she told me that cooking was her therapy. She loved food and to cook. She was always searching for new recipes, which she’d usually tweak. She’d come up with a new dish to try on her own. I was more than happy […]

This holiday season, my husband Joe and I are remembering the life of my mother, Barb Thull, who passed away unexpectedly in late July. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her and miss her. We were the best of friends and enjoyed spending time together. In years past that included vacations […]