By Joe Ragusa
NORMAL – The McLean County Museum of History honored four people Thursday night for their contributions to the history of McLean County.
Civil rights leader Merlin Kennedy came to Bloomington in 1959 and was eventually voted the president of the local NAACP chapter in the mid-1960’s. Kennedy said a little progress has been made in race relations since then.
“It’s a little, very little, but those people have been practicing (racism) all their lives and it’s hard to break the habits they’ve been forming all their lives,” Kennedy said. “And they’re getting away with it.”
Kennedy is perhaps most famous for his portrayal of a black Santa Claus during the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas parade in 1966, despite the objection of city leaders at the time.
Peg Kirk worked for Unit 5 for parts of four decades, becoming president of the Unit 5 Education Association in the late 1970’s. She fought for teachers to have a seat at the bargaining table.
“I think the Unit 5 school board over the years has recognized that the back and forth discussions that they have with the teacher representatives works out really well,” Peg Kirk said.
When John Kirk started at Illinois State University in 1966, the theater program was just part of the College of Speech/Communication, but he helped it grow into a full department. He said he’s proud of the department’s growth.
“It’s amazing. It’s the only really significant theater department that’s in a cornfield,” John Kirk said.
Sonja Reece served on the Normal town council for 24 years, deciding not to run for another term this past election. She said the revitalization of Uptown Normal is one of her biggest accomplishments.
“The success that that’s had, the support from all the businesses and the great response we’ve had from the citizens who enjoy coming there makes it all very satisfying,” Reece said.
Reece was also honored for being the first female chair of the United Way of McLean County. Reece says she remains active with the United Way and is leading the fundraising effort this year in McLean County with Normal town councilman Scott Preston.
Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].
