BECKY AUSTWICK
Remembering Becky is an everyday thing. When someone made you laugh so much it hurt, you want to bring back that memory as much as possible. I heard of her passing and I had to wrap my brain around it for a very long time to make sure it was true. Becky could not be…
Champion for the masses
Mary Lee Leahy fought for underdogs. Best known for representing state workers in a landmark Supreme Court decision that ended overt patronage in government, the Springfield attorney who succumbed to pancreatic cancer had plenty of uphill battles. Even outside the courtroom, Leahy remembered the little guy. Consider the Kentucky Derby parties she hosted at the…
advice poem #1
advice poem #1 how about let’s end the year witha little bawdiness I just bid goodbyeto a van of cousins passing throughfed them at the holy land thomas’smeal was a plateful of black olivesnothing bawdy there also one kiddidn’t understand the ice creamdispenser it kept on running likethe salt machine at the sea’s bottomin the…
MARGARET E. VANGEISON
I am honoring my grandmother, Margaret E. VanGeison from Pawnee, who was born on Sept. 30, 1913, and passed away on Oct. 17, 2012. Margaret was 99 years young when she left this earth to be with her husband, Chester L. VanGeison. She was a strong woman who was kind, patient, caring, funny and loved…
When the city becomes a stage
For the past 25 years, Springfield’s downtown has become a giant party every New Year’s Eve with First Night Springfield, the first and longest-running event of its kind in Illinois. The party continues again to ring in 2013 and showcase the art of central Illinois. It comes at a decent price, too. Penny Wollan-Kriel, executive…
A generous man who enjoyed the art of the deal
When a powerful tornado clawed its way through Springfield in 2006, Charles Robbins could have made a fortune selling real estate to homeowners and business owners whose buildings were destroyed. Instead, the legendary local real estate developer helped the city recover by offering his properties for free to the displaced. That was just part of…
What’s for dinner?
As we enjoy the traditional holiday season of food-centered celebrations, let’s not only consume, but also reflect on, discuss and consider, what we can do to shape our food future. We’re presented with two starkly different visions of that future: the industrialized, conglomeratized, globalized, monopolized, plasticized and heavily subsidized vision of Agri-business, and the localized,…
The cycle of life
Grover Everett had at least one James Bond moment. It came at a Lincoln air show in 1988, while Everett was still in his skydiving phase. He was second in line, jumping right after someone who was going to display an American flag during the descent while a plane flew nearby in salute. Someone apparently…
She made many friends, and her friends became friends with each other
“Thanks for my walk upon the dust and stone / of this earth, to have fought for air, light and beauty / of my imperfect but so precious world.” Nancy Ganguli’s words and adoration touched many throughout Springfield, the U.S. and India. Even those who knew her briefly realized they were connecting with something special.…
Cruise at home in Reacher
In light of recent events, it’s rather difficult watching the opening of Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher as a sniper picks off five innocent victims from a distance. I wouldn’t say the scene is done in a casual or callous way. At least until our collective sense of denial kicks in or memory fades, the lens…
Letters to the Editor 12/27/12
MENTAL HEALTH PRIORITIES Now is not the time to turn our backs on mental health patients. The entire country has been shocked by the Connecticut school shooting, and while mourning the victims there’s also a sense of urgency to understand how this tragedy could have been prevented. With so many details yet to emerge, it…
YVONNE LOUISE SALAY-TYSON
“When I met Yvonne it wasn’t long after my father (had) passed away and I was very depressed … Yvonne taught me how to love instead of hate. She was so free-spirited … it was just contagious. Within a week of meeting Yvonne, I went from being this really dark, angry person to… just a…
Evening of the arts
Welcome in 2013 with the arts in downtown Springfield at 10 different locations. The Springfield Area Arts Council’s alcohol-free event features live music, dance, art and theatrical performances. Free afternoon activities for kids 12 years and under take place at Springfield High School. Enter from Washington and Parker for free parking, and use the SHS…
Pilgrim’s progress
I hear you’re mad about BrubeckI like your eyes, I like him tooHe’s an artist, a pioneerWe’ve got to have some music on the new frontier– “New Frontier” by Donald Fagen When I was in high school I had a taste for jazz that, like every else about me at that age, consisted of enthusiasm…
JEREDEAN STYERS
What makes my grandmother special to me is the unconditional love she shared with me and our family. By this, she will never be forgotten. My grandmother was a woman you could never get by with disrespecting. She stood for respect and honor to all who entered into her presence. She always expressed love to…
Toast of the town
Looking to spend your New Year’s Eve with some elegant dining and dancing to live music with a champagne toast at midnight? The Springfield Hilton is the New Year’s Eve gala for you. Couples can select a dinner only option with a champagne toast at midnight or a package with overnight accommodations. The full deal…
A second chance ends
Shary Elizabeth Alwardt never gave up. She was born with a hole in her heart, which was bad enough. She also had pulmonary hypertension, a rare condition in which arteries that carry blood to the lungs become narrow. It is progressive, nearly always fatal and almost never present without some underlying trigger such as emphysema.…
JOE EMERSON SYLVESTER
“Welcome home!” This was the last text I received from my dad the day before he suddenly died of a heart attack. He sent it as my boyfriend and I were returning from a weeklong, much-overdue vacation. Not only did he let us borrow his brand-new Prius so we could save money on fuel during…
An actor/director and maker of magic and mirth
The Legacy Theatre’s summer production of Legally Blonde was in full swing with just a few shows to go, when suddenly an integral part of the team was gone. The production had lost its musical director, Jason Goodreau. In shock at the sudden death of their colleague and happy-go-lucky friend, the cast and theater community…
A tireless advocate of education as the key to success
I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). And through his faith in Christ, Gordon Smith did much. He lived a long, full life. His achievements were many, as were the lives he touched and shaped. Gordon’s faith provided the foundation to his life, which he honored through service to…
Downstate being used for Chicago’s gambling goals
Once again we are playing a game concocted by two suburban legislators acting as agents for Chicago’s mayor and out-of-state gambling bosses. They are determined to make citizens of Illinois patsies for the gambling industry. The game includes dangling a couple casinos in Rockford, Waukegan and Danville in order to bring necessary downstate support to…
CAROL ANN WITHERBEE CRAY
My mama, Carol Ann Witherbee Cray, was a beautiful, strong and caring soul. The smile on her face could light up the darkest of rooms. Her life had many obstacles along the way; she however never let any one of them stand in her way. She found a positive in every obstacle that was thrown…
China Ryder
If what the world needs now is another Grateful Dead-style band doing a terrific take on the jam band genre, China Ryder is it. With former and current members of Perfunctory This Band, Brad Beneky (bass, vocals), Jeff “Smegma” Williams (keyboards) and Al Hibbert (rhythm guitar, vocals) in cahoots with Casey Cantrall (lead guitar, vocals)…
CATHERINE BIERBAUM-CALWELL
Aunt Catherine was born on Nov. 6, 1919. She was not a famous poet, actress, singer, dancer or celebrity. She was our Aunt. She married Thomas Calwell in 1949. He preceded her in death in 2007. They had twin sons that died shortly after birth. Never again were Tommy and Catherine blessed with children. Instead,…
End of a newspaper era
David Copley was last. He presided over Copley Press, one of the last large family-owned newspaper chains in America, and had no heirs. The company got its start in Illinois in 1905, when Ira Copley, his grandfather, acquired the Aurora Beacon-News. Copley Press also owned the State Journal-Register until 2007, when the Springfield paper and…
CILLA SLUGA
Cilla Sluga was a radical, a rebel, a rabble rouser, a revolutionary. She was also a daughter, mother, friend and lover. She died suddenly Nov. 8. She died much too young. There are still people with disabilities locked up in institutions. There are still prisoners jailed by an unjust system. Thousands of people around the…
MICHAEL J. SCHRAMM
Mike was truly a wonderful and selfless man. No matter what challenges he was facing at any given time, he always had a warm smile, hearty laugh and a story to share with anyone who was near him. He was extremely devoted to his wife and very proud of his children and grandchildren. Mike’s generosity…
HERBERT A. ERICKSEN
“What a wonderful life” is hopefully what my dad is saying up in heaven. He sure did his best to give his four children a wonderful life growing up and for that we are thankful this holiday season. A child growing up in Chicago during the Depression, my dad was determined to provide his high…
EDNA MAY GARNER
I lost my grandmother, Edna May Garner, on Aug. 7, 2012. She was born on Feb. 22, 1918, and was 94 years old when she passed. My grandmother practically raised me, and was the lifeline of my Dad’s side of the family. Shug, as she was affectionately known, was everything to me. Her white, three-story…
DONNA R. DARLING
Most of the people who knew Donna probably only knew one or two aspects of her multifaceted personality, or only met her in one of her several vocations. As a massage therapist (she was voted Springfield’s best by Illinois Times readers back around 2002), she brought comfort and pain relief to hundreds of clients, some of whom…
A quiet voice that rang with the power of justice
Few people go out of their way to fight someone else’s fight. Even fewer people devote their entire lives to that pursuit. Ethel Gingold of Springfield was one of those people. She died July 28, 2012, at the age of 93, leaving a legacy of fearless perseverance in the quest for social justice. “She needed…
ESTRELLA NINA CELORIO LONG
My mother was born in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, and came to the United States in her early teens. She immediately fell in love with America, and was determined to make a better life for herself here. She met my father, married and was on her way to raising three children. The family moved often,…
Remembering the lives they lived
Each year when we put together our end-of-year obituary issue, I find myself wishing I had known these people, or known them better. I’d see Dr. Gordon Smith at community meetings, but never knew he was a stalwart of Union Baptist Church and conducted a prison ministry. Becky Austwick used to work at Illinois Times,…
Open door outing
What better way to say hello to the New Year than a hike and time spent in the great outdoors with friends who share a love of nature. Join the Sangamon Valley Group of the Sierra Club on a New Year’s Day hike and feast of soup. Remember the children’s book Stone Soup? Well, there’s…
New Year’s news
As I titled this end-of-the-year column I had no idea that the last two years I had come up with the same catchy words to name my final “Now Playing” of the year. I guess I started a tradition, and I’m sticking with it from here on out. The 2012 music scene in Springfield grew…
