Forty four individuals selected for this honor from communities across Illinois.

CHICAGO – The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC), in conjunction with Illinois mayors, is proud to announce the recipients of the 2009 Studs Terkel Humanities Service Awards. This award, now in its 10th year, recognizes individuals who have made a lasting contribution to the cultural life of their communities.

These 44 local “humanities heroes” were selected by their mayors for their exemplary efforts to champion the humanities in their communities, from Carbondale to Chicago and from Savanna to Springfield.  Many of these recipients were involved in creating awareness about local or regional history in their communities through the establishment of historical societies or museums. Others were noted for their outstanding dedication to education, formal and informal; to literacy and library programs; and to creating awareness for cultural heritage, music, literature, and the arts.

“The IHC could not have identified the more than 40 Studs Terkel medallists without the help of Illinois mayors and village presidents,” said IHC Executive Director Kristina A. Valaitis. “We are so pleased that in the 10th year of this program, we are able to honor these champions of the humanities that make their communities and our whole state more vibrant.”

The awardees of the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award will receive an engraved medal of recognition at ceremonies held in their communities throughout the fall. The medals are struck in solid bronze by the Medallic Art Company—the company that makes both the Pulitzer Prize and the Peabody Award—and engraved with the names of the recipients and their communities. Please contact the Mayor or Village President’s office for local ceremony dates and times.

ABOUT THE STUDS TERKEL HUMANITIES SERVICE AWARD

Named after the prize-winning oral historian and author, Studs Terkel, the awards reflect the spirit of this prominent son of Illinois. Terkel was a modern-day renaissance man: an actor, playwright, jazz columnist, film narrator, and disc jockey. He is perhaps most admired for documenting 20th-century America through the words and voices of ordinary people. 

Recipients were selected for their service in the humanities, which include significant and sustained efforts to further public understanding of, and appreciation for, the humanities at the community level. This program was started in 1999, in honor of the IHC’s 25th anniversary; this year marks the 10th anniversary of this special honor.

For more information about recipients of the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Awards, call 312.422.5580 or visit www.prairie.org/studsterkelaward. For more information about the IHC’s programs and events, please visit our website at www.prairie.org.

The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities.  Organized in 1973 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.

D A R E  T O  K N O W

#  #  #

Name	Community	Mayor or Village President
Mr. Wilbert J. “Bucky” McCoy	Ashley	The Honorable Leonard Piasecki
Ms. Rita Lopienski	Bartlett	The Honorable Michael E. Kelly
Mr. Jay Allen	Belvidere	The Honorable Frederic C. Brereton
Mr. Bill Kemp	Bloomington	The Honorable Steve Stockton
Mr. Kit P. Ketchmark	Brookfield	The Honorable Michael Garvey
Ms. Nellene Jeter	Byron	The Honorable Christopher R. Millard
Ms. Michelle Micetich	Carbon Hill	The Honorable Edward M. Pacchetti
Ms. Ruth Corene McDaniel	Carbondale	The Honorable Brad Cole
Mr. Jim Glasgow and Mr. Bill Culbreth	Centralia	The Honorable Rebecca Ault
Ms. Donna Seaman	Chicago	The Honorable Richard M. Daley
Ms. Joey Woolridge	Clinton	The Honorable Ed Wollet
Mr. Paul Osborne	Decatur	The Honorable Michael T. McElroy
Ms. Ellen Bartolozzi	Elmwood Park	The Honorable Peter N. Silvestri
Ms. LaDonna Gass	Emden	The Honorable Ivan Rademaker
Ms. Chie Curley	Evanston	The Honorable Elizabeth B. Tisdahl
Ms. Suzanne Knapp	Fox River Grove	The Honorable Robert J. Nunamaker
Mr. Dan Anderson	Glen Ellyn	The Honorable Mark Pfefferman
Mr. J. Martin Olsen	Glendale Heights	The Honorable Linda Jackson
Mr. John Shimkus	Granville	The Honorable Doug Gimbal
Mr. Lawrence Block	Highland Park	The Honorable Michael D. Belsky
Ms. Michelle Pilafas	Hoffman Estates	The Honorable William D. McLeod
Mr. Jonathan Elfner	Homewood	The Honorable Richard A. Hofeld
Ms. Mary Ann Kaylor	Illiopolis	The Honorable Robert Winters
Mr. Michael Galati	Lemont	The Honorable Brian K. Reaves
Mr. Damian T. Macey	Marshall	The Honorable Kenneth R. Smith
Mr. Richard (Dick) Sax	Mascoutah	The Honorable Gerald  (Jerry) E. Daugherty
Mr. Don Dalton	Midlothian	The Honorable Terrence M. Stephens
Ms. Stephanie Downs Hughes	Naperville	The Honorable A. George Pradel
Mr. Brian Simpson	Normal	The Honorable Chris Koos
Ms. Susie Field	Northbrook	The Honorable Sandra E. Frum
Colonel John C. Buford	Orangeville	The Honorable Donald L. Hoyle
Ms. Maria DeCaprio-Sunta	Palos Heights	The Honorable Robert S. Straz
Dr. Joseph Matheu	Palos Park	The Honorable John F. Mahoney
The William Diaz Family (Bill, Jane, Joe, and Ben)	Pontiac	The Honorable Robert T. Russell
Mr. Joseph Ballerine and Ms. JoAnn Kosey	Riverside	The Honorable Michael C. Gorman
Ms. Jane Wendling and Mr. David Haney	Rushville	The Honorable Scott A. Thompson
Mr. Gene Wright	Savanna	The Honorable Larry Stebbins
Ms. Beverly Peters	Springfield	The Honorable Timothy J. Davlin
Ms. Shirley Beene	Trout Valley	The Honorable Bob Baker
Ms. Sharon Goodman	Warrenville	The Honorable David L. Brummel
Mr. Harry Louis Wolf	Waterloo	The Honorable Thomas G. Smith
Ms. Fredericka Howard	West Chicago	The Honorable Michael Kwasman
Ms. Martha Ingram	Winfield	The Honorable Deborah Birutis
Mr. Rick Falato	Yorkville	The Honorable Valerie Burd