Born in Springfield, Danville (see below — ed.), Jessie Mae Finley (1906-2006) was a talented musician and founder of the Voices of Love, Joy and Peace. She also worked for the state of Illinois. Finley was named Springfield’s First Citizen in 1976.
In five interviews for the Springfield African-American History Foundation series, she covered her ancestors, husbands, and children; her activities as a music teacher and leader of musical groups; volunteer work and church activities; life during the Depression and two World Wars; and discrimination in education and in the workplace.
Jessie Mae Finley was not born in Springfield, Ill. She was born in Danville, Illinois. I don’t know how this tale was started.
Mrs. Johnson: Thanks for making that clear.
London, United Kingdom
For several decades I have sought information about a dear friend, Alonzo Kenniebrew, with whom I attended high school in Springfield, Illinois in the late 1940s and then went through basic training in the US army in the mid 1950s. We were close friends and thereafter I took much satisfaction in observing the first years of Alonzo’s successful medical career. Eventually, however, we lost touch since he remained in the US and I have lived 50 years here in Europe. Is Al still alive and well?
Mr. Vance: Al Kenniebrew was still alive in 2008, when his father was posthumously named a member of the Sangamon County Medical Society. At the time, he lived in Waukegan. I may have an address and phone number, although I can’t promise they’re up to date. I’ll email you privately. Thanks for reading.
Mike Kienzler
Editor
Hi, I’m sorry to say this but Alonzo Kenniebrew passed away January 9, 2017. I’m his grand-daughter. I was doing some research on my family history and found this article.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sj-r/obituary.aspx?n=alonzo-homer-kenniebrew&pid=183582455&fhid=19019
Ms. Steele: Thanks for the notes. I saw Al Kenniebrew’s obituary in Friday’s State Journal-Register too. He was an outstanding athlete — end on the football team and broad jumper in track — for Springfield High School in the 1940s. Mr. Kenniebrew went on to star in football at Carthage College, where he was named to the school’s athletic hall of fame in 1984.