Remembering

Hugh Moore When Hugh Moore passed away after an extended battle with cancer on March 10 at age 67, the Springfield area arts scene lost an indelible presence. Moore was a prolific poet and painter, and in his role as president of Springfield Poets and Writers, as well as on the board that puts together […]

At 2 p.m. on Jan. 11 the faithful gathered to celebrate the life and passing of a V.I.P. to the Springfield gay and lesbian community. After all these years, the memorial was held in the last location of “Smokey’s Den,” which closed in 2003. The gathering was in a bar now called “The Elixir,” on […]

JAMES C. CRAVEN Even as he tilted at windmills, James C. Craven, who died on Monday at 89, made a difference. As a state appellate court judge and proud liberal, he wrote a lot of dissents during his years on the bench that began in 1964. As a lawyer in private practice, he transformed Springfield, […]

ADOLPH GEORGE COLIN Adolph George Colin was born Oct. 12, 1929, in Hollywood, California, to parents of French ancestry. The family made its way to Springfield when he was seven years old, and he graduated from Lanphier High School. His father was a coal miner. After working for the local Pillsbury plant in Springfield for […]

KEITH RICHARD RODERICK Keith Roderick was no ordinary preacher. On the one hand, he served as a priest in Episcopalian parishes throughout central and southern Illinois, low-key enough that his name rarely appeared in local media outside announcements of weddings and funerals he oversaw. He had six children, ranging from a son on the cusp […]

JOHN BERT WALLENSTEIN John Wallenstein is one of those people you meet who was private. But as you became acquainted with John, you discovered he was friendly, highly professional and took joy in exceeding the expectations of his job. His last position was as director of community affairs and marketing at WUIS Public Radio. At […]

Preston Levon McCrary Sr. I knew Mr. Preston at the earliest of ages; he was my dad’s (James Thomas Woodson) best friend and neighbor, and in childhood, his daughter, Cheryl, was my best friend as well. Needless to say, I loved him and, more importantly, liked him, too. Though I am unable to do his […]

DAVID TEMPLETON KENNEY A first impression of David Kenney revealed a fraction of the man. He was mild-mannered, openly friendly, never cursed, and his manners were almost Victorian. To those who discovered his career as a university professor, he came across as a kind of southern Illinois version of Mr. Chips, the character from British […]

Evelyn Lee White Alexander Evelyn Lee Alexander, 78, of Neoga, Illinois, passed away peacefully at her home on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014, after a long battle against pancreatic cancer. She was born Aug. 1, 1936, in Ash Grove Township, Shelby County, in rural Neoga. Evelyn graduated valedictorian of Neoga High School Class of 1954. Upon […]

JUHLANN DAVIS GIBBS Juhlann Davis Gibbs was a woman steeped in family history: her family had been residents of central Illinois for nearly 200 years. Yet as much as she appreciated where she came from, ultimately Juhlann’s greatest joy came in the legacy she left for the future: her three granddaughters. Juhlann’s great-great grandfather, David […]

MARGE ROTH The local theater community lost one of its finest treasures this past February when our beloved friend, Marge Roth, passed away suddenly. Marge was a talented costumer for local theater groups, but she was so much more than that. She was a friend, health care professional, parent, grandparent, volunteer, leader, confidant, counselor and […]

ALAN JOHN DIXON To the Illinois political world he was “Al the Pal.” During his 42 years as an elected public official he had the broadest grin around. He signed his letters “Your friend,” whether they were friends or not. By his own account he may have consumed more beer than the Anheuser and Busch […]