Richard Hunt

Richard Hunt was a famous sculptor who spent his life and career in Chicago. He designed soaring sculptures from metal, many of which are monuments to figures and events of the Civil Rights Movement and African-American history. He has installations of more than 160 public sculptures across the United States. Richard Hunt was the first African-American visual artist to be appointed to the National Council on the Arts (1968, Lyndon B. Johnson).

He grew up in the Woodlawn and Englewood neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago. A defining event in his life was at age 19 when he attended the funeral of his neighbor, Emmitt Till, a 14- year old black teenager from Chicago who was lynched and murdered while visiting Mississippi in 1955. Five years later, while serving in the U.S. Army he was the first African-American to be served at a desegregated lunch counter in Alamo Plaza, Texas.

Richard Hunt has numerous awards and honorary degrees. One of his last sculptures was Book Bird, the first artwork commissioned for the Obama Presidential Center.

Veteran: Army

Alum:
The Art Institute of Chicago
South Side Community Arts Center (SSCAC)

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A walking tour of select Richard Hunt sculptures in Chicago
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/01/07/richard-hunt-sculpture-guide

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Honorary Richard Hunt Place

North Lincoln Avenue and West Wrightwood Avenue

 

Approved: April 2024

Ward: 43
Alderman: Knudsen
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park

b. September 12, 1935 in Chicago
d. December 16, 2023. Age 88.

Near:
Richard Hunt Studio
Lincoln Avenue at Lill Avenue

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Source

2024

https://www.richardhuntsculptor.com/obituary

https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/02/29/remembering-richard-hunt-the-legendary-sculptor-who-inspired-artists-in-chicago-and-beyond/

Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein was most famous for his children’s books; he was also a cartoonist, a poet, a playwright, and a song writer.

His books include: The Giving Tree (1964), Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974), A Light in the Attic (1981), Falling Up (1996), Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book, among others.

He also wrote songs performed by: Johnny Cash “A Boy Named Sue,” Emmylou Harris “Queen of the Silver Dollar,” and The Irish Rovers “Unicorn Song.” He collaborated on the David Mamet screenplay Things Change (1988).

Shel Silverstein won two Grammy Awards, and was nominated for Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. He was inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame (2014), and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2002).

WHEN I AM GONE
When I am gone what will you do?
Who will write and draw for you?
Someone smarter—someone new?
Someone better—maybe YOU!

- Shel Silverstein

Veteran: Army. Served in Japan and Korea

Alum:
Theodore Roosevelt High School, Albany Park - Chicago
University of Illinois
Chicago Academy of Fine Arts

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Honorary Shel Silverstein WAY

Northwest Corner of North Kimball Avenue and West Wilson Avenue - to the Southeast Corner of West Wilson Avenue and North St. Louis Avenue

 

Approved: March 2024

Ward: 33
Alderman: Rodriguez-Sanchez
Neighborhood: Albany Park

b. September 25, 1930 in Chicago
d. May 10, 1999. Age 67. Key West, Florida

Near:
Theodore Roosevelt High School
3436 W. Wilson Avenue

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Source

20247233

https://www.shelsilverstein.com/about-shel/

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/shel-silverstein

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/11/books/shel-silverstein-zany-writer-and-cartoonist-dies-at-67.html

Reverend C. B. Taylor

Reverend Charles B. Taylor was a Baptist minister and the owner of the Taylor Funeral home, which he started in 1963. In 1982 he bought Oak Hill Cemetery Association in Gary, Indiana. The Reverend was driven by mission and entrepreneurial spirit; he made multiple and varied investments in business and faith on the south and west sides of Chicago.

He also started a wide variety of businesses, including: Thrifty Printing (1975), American Monument Company, Atlas Auctioneers, Taylor Coach, and multiple auto sales and rebuilders. Reverend Taylor was also a pilot.

He has decades of civic involvement and service in the Baptist Church, Schools, Masons, Shriners, and the funeral director business.

Reverend Taylor was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and came to Chicago in 1948. He served for 22 years in the Illinois National Guard, where he achieved the rank of First Sergeant.

Veteran: National Guard

Alum;
Prairie State College
Worsham College of Mortuary Science
Jackson State College, Mississippi

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Honorary Reverend C. B. Taylor WAY

East 78th Street, between South Eberhart Avenue and South Rhodes Avenue

 

Approved: April 2023

Ward: 6
Alderman: Sawyer
Neighborhood: Chatham

b. Tuscaloosa, Alabama
d. June 30, 2022. Age 93

near C.B. Taylor Funeral Home
63 E. 79th Street

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Source

20231149

https://www.cbtaylorfuneralhome.com/

Ernest & Gloria Jenkins

Ernest “Ernie” & Gloria Jenkins were founding members of the Westside Association for Community Action (WACA), a community development corporation since 1973. The group serves the Lawndale neighborhood and provides juvenile justice intervention for at risk youth, and food for families. Ernie was CEO of WACA until 2009

Ernest served in the US Air Force. Ernest and Gloria worked as a consultants in market research and human relations and sensitivity training. Ernest became Executive Director of Programs for West YMCA: Austin and Southside YMCA, and in 1971 joined the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago to organize community self-help groups. He has won numerous awards for his service.

Gloria was a social worker at Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) and led a program for at-risk teenage girls. She was Executive Director of Urban Programs West YMCA and later served various roles at YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. She served in an advisory capacity for multiple organizations promoting African-Americans and women.

Veteran: Ernest - US Air Force

Alum
Ernest: Aurora University (formerly George Williams College)
Gloria: Governors State University

Faith
Chicago Temple United Methodist Church

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Honorary Mrs. Ernest & Gloria Jenkins WAY

West Ogden Avenue, between Central Park and Millard Street

 

Approved: March 2023

Ward: 24
Alderman: Scott
Neighborhood: North Lawndale

b. Ernest: Dec 30 1929. Mississippi
Gloria: in Chicago

d. Gloria: January 3, 2006
Ernest: January 2, 2018

Near: Westside Association for Community Action (WACA)
3600 W. Ogden

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Source

2023986
IL-100-SR1294
IL-94-SR0566

https://wacanetwork.org/

Darius D'Arco Teague

Darius D'Arco Teague served overseas as an Army Automated Logistical Specialist CRS in 2014; he was awarded several medals: National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal. Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service.

Darius grew up in Chicago and played football at Al Raby College Prep. He died as a result of gun violence.

Veteran: Army

Alum
John M. Smith Elementary School
Al Raby College Prep
Harold Washington College

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Honorary Darius D'Arco Teague WAY

South Morgan Street between West 14th Street and West 14th Place

 

Approved: February 2023

Ward: 25
Alderman: Sigcho-Lopez
Neighborhood: West Loop

b. November 4, 1991 in Chicago
d. October 30, 2021. Age 29

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Source

2023893

https://gunmemorial.org/2021/10/18/darius-darco-cool-teague

https://abc7chicago.com/darius-teague-chicago-shooting-digital-billboard-crime/11731278/

https://wgntv.com/news/chicagocrime/6-months-after-fatal-shooting-of-chicago-vet-crime-remains-unsolved/

Felipe "Phil" Ayala

Felipe Ayala was the Director and co-founder of El Centro De La Causa, a social services agency serving the Pilsen neighborhood. El Centro housed and spawned several other community organizations including those for women, education, and athletics. He encouraged kids to stay in school and give back to the community.

Felipe served in Vietnam and trained as an Army Ranger. He also served as a Deputy Sheriff for Cook County, as a Member of the US Commission on Civil Rights, as a Commissioner for the Cook County Hospitals. He was influential in Illinois legislation to change the height requirement for law enforcement so more women and minorities would qualify. He was invited to attend a conference of Latino leaders at the White House by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.

Veteran: Army, Vietnam

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Honorary Felipe “Phil” Ayala WAY

West 17th Street between South Halsted Street and South Union Avenue

 

Approved: February 2023

Ward: 25
Alderman: Byron Sigcho-Lopez
Neighborhood: Pilsen

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Source

2023627

https://outlet.historicimages.com/products/rsb60831

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicagotribune/name/philip-ayala-obituary?id=36273058

Donald L Seals, Sr.

Donald L. Seals, Sr. was the owner operator of the People’s Choice Grocery Store in the Englewood neighborhood for more than 33 years. He was an active community member who supported children in need with coats, food, and large doses of kindness and consideration. Local Aldermen referred to him as an “Angel of Englewood.”

After high school he enlisted in the Air Force and quickly rose to the rank of Captain and then Fire Chief. He went on to train State Fire Marshalls.

Veteran

U.S. Air Force

Alum

Edmund Burke Elementary School
Hyde Park High School

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Honorary Donald L. Seals, Sr Drive

5500 to 5659 South Princeton Avenue

 

Approved: December 2022

Ward: 16 and 20
Alderman: Coleman (16), Taylor (20)
Neighborhood: Englewood

People’s Choice Grocery Store
5647 S. Princeton Avenue

b. January 1, 1927
d. age 95

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Source
20223738

Nicol Walker

Officer Nicol Walker grew up in the Henry Horner Housing Projects of Chicago, and became the kind of police officer that made the neighborhood proud. He would council those he arrested and helped them turn their lives around. As a youth he had been falsely accused and detained by the police for a mugging, instead of having spite for the police, he made up his mind to become the best police officer he could be.

In 2009 he received the Crime Reduction Award and in 2015 a Unit Meritorious Performance Award at the Chicago Police Department. In 2016 he intervened to save the life of a school bus driver who had been hit by a stray bullet.

Alum:
Degree in Criminal Justice

Veteran: Navy, Gulf War

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Honorary Officer Nicol Walker Way

Jackson Boulevard, between Kildare Avenue and Kostner Avenue

 

Approved: May 2022

Ward: 28
Alderman: Ervin
Neighborhood: West Garfield Park

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Source
https://cpdp.co/officer/29819/nicol-walker/

20221600

Louis Albert Fitzgerald, Jr.

Louis Fitzgerald was a life-long civic servant in Chicago. Regional Director of the Midwest Division for the US Department of Labor. He also served on the Chatham Avalon Community Council. Louis was a talk show host of “Conversation Peace” on Channel 26. He also hosted talk radio shows on WIND and WVON.

Veteran: Army

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Honorary Louis Albert Fitzgerald, Jr. Way

Honore Street, from South 84th Street to South 86th Street

 

Approved: April 2022

Ward: 21
Alderman: Brookins
Neighborhood: Auburn Gresham

b. January 26, 1929 in Chicago
d.

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Source

2022912

Dwain P Williams

Dwain Williams was a 26 year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department. In 1992 he served as an Emergency Medical Technician to Engine 122 and later as a Fire Academy instructor in hazardous incidents and terrorist response. In 2018 he retired having achieved the rank of Lieutenant. He also worked in the Office of Emergency Management and Communication as a Watch Officer.

Prior to his time in the Chicago Fire Department, he served in the Army in international locations and in the Reserves as a Wire Systems Installer and Operator and at the 501st Signal Battalion and the 101st Airborne Assault Division. He was a decorated soldier and was an expert sharpshooter and hand grenade expert.

Dwain was intellectually curious and deeply knowledgeable. He earned four degrees and more than 80 certifications in professional and independent studies. He also had a passion for basketball, music and chess. He was a guitarist and went by the stage name “D-Sharp” with RAM Band and Mixed Nutz.

He taught computers and physical education at St. Phillip Neri School

Mentored at risk youth and athletics at the Chicago Park District

Listed in Who’s Who of Outstanding Young Americans

Veteran: Army. Active Duty 1976, Army Reserves
American Legion - George Giles Post #87

Alumnus:
Additional degrees and certifications
Harper High School
Altgeld Elementary School

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Honorary Lt. Dwain P. Williams Way

South Peoria Street, between 95th Street and 98th Street

 

Approved: February 2022

Ward: 34 and 21
Alderman: Austin and Brookins
Neighborhood: Longwood Manor

b. April 19, 1955
d. December 3, 2020. Age 65

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Source

2022255,181

Lerone Bennett, Jr.

Lerone Bennett, Jr. was an author and social historian with a specialty in race relations and civil rights. He served for many years as the Executive Editor of Ebony Magazine; he began his career with Johnson Publishing as the City Editor of JET Magazine. His career in journalism began at the age of twelve at the black-owned newspaper The Mississippi Enterprise. After college he worked for the Atlanta Daily World.

His first book was Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America 1619-1962. In 1978 he received the American Academy Arts and Letters, Literature Award. In 1954 he published an article about the children of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings; which was verified decades later using DNA evidence.

He was a visiting professor at Northwestern University. Lerone graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1949, where he was classmates with Martin Luther King, Jr. Bennett interviewed King about the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, and in 1964 wrote What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King.

Veteran: Army. Korean War

Alumnus:
Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia
Lanier High School

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Honorary Lerone Bennett, Jr. Parkway

South Chicago Beach Drive from East 48th Street to East 49th Street

 

Approved: February 2022

Ward: 4
Alderman: King
Neighborhood: Kenwood

b. October 17, 1928. Mississippi
d. February 14, 2018. age 89. Chicago

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Source

https://aaregistry.org/story/lerone-bennett-jr-a-classical-author/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lerone_Bennett_Jr.

2022385

Dr. Lester Fisher

Dr. Lester Fisher was the first veterinarian and director of the Lincoln Park Zoo from 1962 to 1992. He led the zoo to become a leading institution in Chicago and among zoos around the world. Under his leadership the zoo developed habitats, not just cages, for animals. He also led conservation efforts and plans for species survival - he specialized in primates.

Dr Fisher appeared regularly on televisions shows including: Zoo Parade, Bozo’s Circus, and the Ray Rayner Show “Ark in the Park” segment.

Lester Fisher was born in Chicago and served in WWII as a veterinarian; among his duties were treating General Patton’s bull terrier, Willie.

Veteran: WWII. Army

Alumni:
University of Iowa

Autobiography: Dr. Fisher’s Life on the Ark

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Honorary Dr. Lester Fisher Way

Stockton Drive at the Ridge Connecting Drive bridge. Outside the Lincoln Park Zoo

 

Approved:

Ward:
Alderman:
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park

b. February 24, 1921
d. December 22, 2021. Age 100

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Source

Ed Negron

Ed Negron was a former writer and photographer for the Windy City Times, activist, and addiction counselor in the LGBTQ community in Chicago. He had also worked in housing at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago to reduce homelessness among low-income and recovering populations.

He was an outspoken advocate who mentored for his communities facing drug addiction and trafficking, former gang membership, bisexual, Puerto Rican, and veteran causes; he was a member of all these groups and it was his mission to battle the challenges inherent in these causes.

Ed was the cofounder of Queer Alliance Chicago and he served as a volunteer for many local organizations including: Latin American Men in Action (ALMA), Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse, Equality Illinois, and International Mr. Leather (IML).

Chicago LGTB Hall of Fame inductee, 2006, at age 35

Veteran: US Army

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Honorary Ed Negron Way

North Clark Street from West Devon Avenue to West Schreiber Avenue

 

Approved: December 2021

Ward: 40
Alderman: Vasquez
Neighborhood: Edgewater/Rogers Park

d. July 23, 2021. Age 50.

International Mr. Leather
6410 North Clark Street

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Source

GoPride

Windy City Times

https://www.youtube.com/user/ednpride/videos

Kurt A. Krueger

Corporal Kurt A. Kruger was a Marine 1980-1984 who served in Grenada and Lebanon conflicts; after his years of service he returned to Chicago delivered mail with the U.S. Post Office for thirty years.

Kurt grew up in the Chrysler Village neighborhood of Chicago and later raised his own family nearby.

Alumnus:
St. Laurence High School
St. Symporosa Elementary School

Veteran: Marines - Grenada, Lebanon

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Honorary CPL Kurt A. Krueger Way

West 63rd Place at South Latrobe Avenue

 

Approved: 2021

Ward: 13
Alderman: Quinn
Neighborhood: West Lawn

b. July 2, 1962
d. December 22, 2019. Age 57

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Source

Bruno Roti

Bruno Roti was the owner of Bruno’s Lounge in Rogers Park which he started in 1956. It is a long time half-bar, half-liquor store in the vicinity Loyola University, and well known by students and local residents. Bruno moved to the neighborhood when he was 10, and stayed and raised his own family and ran the bar 7-days a week from early morning to late night. Everyone in the neighborhood knew Bruno. They visited him after they moved away. He was always there to help. When he retired his son took over the bar, and he still spent his time there.

Education:
Loyola Academy
St. Ignatius

Veteran: Army

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Honorary Bruno Roti Way

Sheridan between Albion and Loyola

 

Approved: 2021

Ward: 49
Alderman: Hadden
Neighborhood: Rogers Park

d. Age 87

Bruno & Tim’s Lounge
6562 N. Sheridan Road

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https://chibarproject.com/reviews/brunotims/

Timuel Black

Timuel Black was a black historian, professor, Civil Rights activist who lived on the South Side of Chicago and lived to be 102 years old.

His family moved to Chicago from Birmingham, Alabama when he was a year old; they were fleeing racial segregation and seeking better education for their children.

Timuel Black helped organize more than 2,500 Chicagoans to attend the Martin Luther King March on Washington. He also worked on the campaign that elected Chicago’s first black Mayor, Harold Washington.

As a soldier in WWII, he was moved by the atrocities he saw in Europe as a result of the Nazi regime; he dedicated his life to civil rights.

He was on the faculty at City Colleges of Chicago

Timuel Black is the author of several books, including: Bridges of Memory (two volumes) and Sacred Ground

Education:

University of Chicago

Roosevelt University

DuSable High School

Wendell Phillips High School

Englewood High School

Burke Elementary

Veteran: WWII, Army. Europe - Invasion of Normandy and Battle of the Bulge

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Photo Credit: CC0 Timuel Black

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Honorary Timuel Black Way

4800 to 5000 South State Street

 

Approved: November 2012

Ward: 3
Alderman: Dowell
Neighborhood: Bronzeville

b. December 7, 1918. Birmingham, Alabama
d. October 13, 2021. Age 102. Chicago

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Source

TheHistoryMakers.org: Biography - Timuel Black

Archbishop Lucius Hall

Lucius Hall was the founded of the First Church of Love and Faith, in Chicago’s Auburn-Gresham Neighborhood in 1980, one year after becoming a minister. Lucius was the Executive Director of the Head Start program at his church. In 2010 he became an Archbishop by the Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ, inc. For twenty years (1990-2010) he was the Executive Director of Chicago Gospel Fest. During the same timeframe, he served as Chairman of City of Chicago Personnel and Human Resources Board under two Chicago Mayors.

Music was a huge part of Lucius’ life and his ministry. As a teenager he was a radio announcer and later the Channel 26 WCIU producer and host of the “Rock of Ages Gospel Hour.” In 1979 he founded the Broadcast Ministries Alliance, and later hosted the groups Cable TV program.

After serving in the US Army he had a thirty year career with the Veterans Administration. He became a minister in 1979 and founded or co-founded several programs and organizations including: one of the first food pantries in his neighborhood, and an international organization of US and West African churches - The First Spiritual Churches of Truth, Inc.

Veteran: Army, Military Police

Born in Chicago

Alumni:
Burke Grade School
DuSable High School
University of Illinois at Chicago
Gospel Outreach Theological Institute. Houston, TX (Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree)

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Honorary Archbishop Lucius Hall

West 79th Street, between South Seeley Avenue and South Hamilton Avenue

 

Approved: February 2021

Ward: 18
Alderman: Curtis
Neighborhood: Auburn-Gresham

d. April 2, 2020. Age 87.

The First Church of Love and Faith
2140 West 79th Street

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Source
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Crusader

Bruce J. Graham Way

Bruce Graham was a famous Chicago architect who designed buildings all over the world. He grew up in Puerto Rico to Canadian and Peruvian parents. He came to Chicago and apprenticed for Holabird and Root architects; most of his career was at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) where he and structural engineer, Falzur Khan were an outstanding team. In Chicago they built the Sears Tower (Willis Tower) and the John Hancock Building (875 N. Michigan Avenue). He was one of the contributors to the Chicago 21 plan of 1973.

Alumni
University of Pennsylvania, Architecture

Veteran: U.S. Navy

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Honorary Bruce J. Graham Way

Chestnut Street between Mies van der Rohe Way and Michigan Avenue

 

Approved: 2010

Ward: 42
Alderman: Reilly
Neighborhood: Magnificent Mile/Gold Coast

b. December 1, 1925. Columbia, South America
d. March 10, 2010. Age 84. Florida
burial: Graceland Cemetery, Chicago

Near
John Hancock Building
875 North Michigan Avenue

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Source

New York Times

Harold A. Bezazian Way

Harold Arsene Bezazian was born and raised in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood to Armenian immigrant parents. He was a journalist for the Chicago Times and publicity manager for the Chicago Auto Club. Following the attach on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the military to fight in WWII. He died, while leading a rescue mission in the Philippines.

The Harold Bezazian Branch of the Chicago Public Library was dedicated in 1957 as a memorial from his father.

Alumni
Senn High School
Oberlin College
Columbia University, Journalism

Veteran: Army, WWII, europe, Philippines. Purple Heart, Bronze Star

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Honorary Lt. Harold A. Bezazian Way

1226 West Ainslie

 

Approved: 2018

Ward: 46
Alderman: Cappleman
Neighborhood: Uptown

b. Chicago
d: March 11, 1945. Age 33. WWII Philippines

Near
Harold Bezazian Branch, Chicago Public Library
1226 West Ainsley

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Source

Columbia

Uptown Update

Patch

Major Gary Hughes

Gary G. Hughes was a Chicago Police Officer for 19 years, and a Major in the U.S. Army active duty and reserves since the age of 20.

Veteran: U..S Army, Major. Panama, Operation Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan

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Honorary Gary Hughes Way

South Natchez Avenue, from West 61st Street to West 63rd Street

 

Approved: May 2018

Ward: 13
Alderman: Quinn
Neighborhood: Clearing

b. November 30, 1967
d. February 28, 2018. Age 50. Cancer

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Source

Honor A Hero Project