Category Archives: Prominent figures

Radio beginnings in Springfield

Posted on October 30, 2015 by editor

Two boyhood friends turned radio pioneers brought Springfield its first permanent radio station in 1926. That station, whose original call letters were WCBS, broadcast its first program, a test featuring Alfred Blankschen, organist at Springfield’s Lyric Theater, on Dec. 10, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Media, Prominent figures | 5 Comments

Illinois State Informer (newspaper)

Posted on October 19, 2015 by editor

The Illinois State Informer was a weekly newspaper founded by Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew, a nationally prominent black physician, in the mid-1930s in Springfield. Kenniebrew (1875-1943), a graduate of Tuskegee Institute and close friend of Tuskegee founder Booker T. Washington, had moved to … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Arts and letters, Ethnic groups, Journalism, Media, Prominent figures | 3 Comments

Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew (physician)

Posted on October 14, 2015 by editor

Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew lived and died in Springfield, and his wife later became one of the most honored Springfieldians of her generation. His most notable achievements as a pioneering African-American physician, however, were accomplished elsewhere. Kenniebrew (1875-1943) founded the world’s … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, First Citizens, Medicine, Prominent figures, Women | 2 Comments

North Side State Bank collapse, 1927

Posted on September 22, 2015 by editor

The North Side State Bank operated from 1920 to 1927, when state auditors ordered it closed in the wake of a complicated financial scandal involving two banks, three insurance companies, and a former Springfield resident who may have absconded with … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Buildings, Business, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Springfield Muni Opera

Posted on September 8, 2015 by editor

The Springfield Muni Opera’s earliest ancestor was a play named “Good News,” performed by the Springfield Municipal Choir at Lanphier Park on July 28, 1938. But today’s outdoor community musical theater more accurately dates from a presentation of “Bye Bye … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Arts and letters, Local government, Prominent figures, Social life, Theaters | 8 Comments

Hay-Edwards School (1914-2000)

Posted on August 27, 2015 by editor

The former Hay-Edwards School, for which redevelopment plans were announced in August 2015, got its name from a former mayor and school board chairman and a prominent Springfield family. Charles Hay (1841-1916), a brother of President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary (and later … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Local government, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts | 4 Comments

Maternal Health Center/Planned Parenthood

Posted on August 9, 2015 by editor

The Maternal Health Center, Springfield’s first avowed birth control clinic, was created in 1938 by about a dozen socially prominent women. Its early leaders included Elizabeth “Libby” Lanphier (1908-97), Calista Herndon (1902-83) and Mary “Dougie” Funk (1900-80). The center faced several obstacles … Continue reading →

Posted in Prominent figures, Public health, Women | Leave a comment

Louis Lehmann (band director)

Posted on July 27, 2015 by editor

Professor Louis Lehmann (1851-1923) led the Illinois Watch Factory Band for 42 years, until he collapsed and died at a band rehearsal. William Dodd Chenery described the scene in 1933: For forty-two years, almost to a day, he carried on, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Amusements, Local government, Prominent figures, Social life | Leave a comment

Paul Powell shoebox scandal

Posted on July 15, 2015 by editor

The discovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars stuffed in suitcases, an attache case, loose envelopes and, of course, a shoebox within days after the October 1970 death of Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell remains clouded by confusion and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Illinois capital, Politics, Prominent figures, State government | 1 Comment

John E. Hickey (pioneer aviator)

Posted on June 19, 2015 by editor

John E. Hickey (1890-1970), a founder of aviation’s Silver Wings Fraternity, had been a pilot for longer than anyone else in Illinois when he died in 1970. Hickey’s first flight took place in a hot-air balloon in 1908. He told … Continue reading →

Posted in Air travel, Airport, Prominent figures | 6 Comments