By William Furry

Their smiles belie any illness; their baskets bear flowers of hope. Dressed comfortably in sleeping gowns and slippers the Ward 4 carolers at the Rockford Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium could pass for midnight revelers at a sorority slumber party, save for the antiseptic look of their quarters and the contagious pulmonary disease that made them sisters in sickness.

Florence W. Behrens (front row, right) was the youngest child and only daughter of German immigrants. Raised in Walworth, Wisconsin, she contracted tuberculosis from an infected grade school teacher, who hovered too closely over her students. Florence, who stood 4'x 10" and never weighed more than 90 pounds, was in her late twenties when her TB became active; she was admitted to the Rockford Sanitarium in 1944 and stayed two and a half years.

While at the "san" Florence kept a photo album, a gallery of friendly faces and scenes that more than a half century later opens a window on another time. There are snapshots of doctors and administrators, nurses and lab attendants, even the grounds-crew and kitchen help who daily saw Florence and her fellow inmates through their common ordeal. There are pictures of the patients—dozens—some smiling benignly from their sickbeds, some in wheelchairs, others posing elegantly in their nightgowns—all coping gracefully—at least for the camera—through various stages of their illness.

Finally, there are the photographs of Florence herself, which she simply labeled "Me," as if the two characters could contain her spirit. Her reserve only piques our curiosity. In "Me—Christmas, 1944," for example, Florence stands alone behind a table on which are propped a stuffed toy dog, a vase of flowers, and the photograph of an unidentified soldier. Is he a brother or a boyfriend? She doesn't give us a clue. In another eerily underexposed snapshot, "Me—Howard," a radiant Florence sits upright in bed and a well-dressed but faceless man is at her bedside. Beyond the caption Florence provides no explanation or identification, leaving that to her niece, Dr. Susan F, Behrens, who donated the scrapbook to the Illinois State Historical Society last October.

"My aunt was engaged to Howard, a pharmacist," wrote Dr. Behrens, who lives in Beloit, Wisconsin. "His first wife had been killed in a car accident, and Howard passed away before he and my aunt were married."

According to Dr. Behrens, Florence was released from the Rockford Sanitarium in 1946 and became a telephone switchboard operator. She married James Doherty in the early 1950s; they had no children. Her TB became active again in the mid-1960s and Florence was admitted to a sanitarium in Chicago. She again recovered but was plagued with respiratory ailments for the rest of her life, dying of "respiratory insufficiency" on October 1, 1978, at the age of sixty-eight.

Florence Behrens Doherty's 'photo album and its memories of life at the Rockford Sanitarium will be turned over to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's Emmett Pearson Medical History Museum in Springfield later this month, where it will be exhibited and made available to researchers.

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History opportunities

The John Whitmer Historical Association (JWHA) is calling for papers for its 30th annual meeting, to be held September 26-29, 2002, at Nauvoo.

The JWHA is an independent association of various or non-denominational scholars who share an interest in the Mormon movement. According to symposium coordinator Billie Young, this year's 2002 conference promises to be an exceptional one. Robert Bruce Flanders, author of Nauvoo: Kingdom on the Mississippi, will be the keynote speaker, and D. Michael Quinn, former professor of history at Brigham Young University and author of Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, will be a participant. The reconstructed temple will also give visitors a glimpse of Mormon heritage at Nauvoo. Those interested in presenting papers at "Nauvoo 2002" are encouraged to contact Young at 651-224-7778, or by e-mail: BGYW@aol.com.

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency seeks proposals for its fourth annual Conference on Illinois History, to be held October 3-4, 2002, in Springfield. Proposals for individual papers or panels on any aspect of Illinois' history, culture, politics, geography, literature, and archaeology are sought. The conference welcomes submissions from professionals and amateur historians, graduate students, and those engaged in the study of Illinois history at libraries, historic sites, museums, and historical societies.

Proposal topics should include a summary (including major and primary sources used in the research) and a one-page resume of the participant. Proposals should be formal footnoted papers. Deadline: March 10, 2002. For more information, write Thomas F. Schwartz, Illinois State Historian, IHPA, 1 Old State Capitol, Springfield, Illinois, 62701-1507. tom schwart7,@ihpa.state.il

Timeless treasures

"Boy with Bird," ceramic tile design by Tanya Shur (Champaign)

The Illinois landscape has long been an inspiration to artists, whether ancient Woodland basket weavers or modern Prairie potters. That tradition is well illustrated in Made in Illinois: An Artisan Gallery, which catalogs the work of dozens of contemporary Illinois craftsmen and women. The 112-page book, published by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the Illinois Arts Council, the Illinois State Museum and the Department of Natural Resources, profiles Illinois artists by their regions—northern, central, and southern Illinois— and includes a useful directory for contacting each. The beautifully illustrated catalog, which includes an introduction by First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan, is available free from DCCA. For more information call the Illinois Artisans Program at 312-814-4945.

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Illinois Heritage Mission Statement Illinois Heritage is published bimonthly by The Illinois State Historical Society and distributed free to the Society's 2,400 members. Conceived as a vehicle to bring to the public excellent narrative and analytical history about Illinois in its local and broader contexts of region and nation, the magazine explores the lives and work of architects, artists, entrepreneurs, homemakers, laborers, naturalists, performers, politicians, reformers, soldiers, and writers. It traces the impact of Illinois on the nation and the world through events that took place here and through well-known figures such as Jane Addams, Jack Benny, Black Hawk, Gwendolyn Brooks, William Jennings Bryan, Al Capone, Richard J. Daley, John Deere, Everett Dirksen, Stephen Douglas, Ulysses Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Robert Ingersoll, John A. Logan, Elijah Lovejoy, Cyrus McCormick, Fibber McGee & Molly, George Pullman, Carl Sandburg, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Harold Washington. Illinois Heritage examines the influence on the state of non-Illinoisans such as George Rogers Clark, Eugene V. Debs, Enrico Fermi, Mary Garden, Louis Jolliet, Charles Lindbergh, A. Philip Randolph, and Joseph Smith. Just as important, it features ordinary Illinois men and women, bringing to light obscure lives and work. In this vein, the editorial staff seeks nonfiction articles that are solidly researched, attractively written, and amenable to illustration. Scholars, journalists, and freelance writers are encouraged to contribute to the magazine. Illinois Heritage is published by The Illinois State Historical Society and is printed by William Street Press, Decatur. The Society is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Illinois. Articles and reviews appearing in Illinois Heritage are abstracted and indexed in Historical Abstracts and in America: History and Life. Illinois Heritage (ISSN 1094-0596) is published by The Illinois State Historical Society, 210-1/2 South Sixth Street, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62701-1503. It is distributed without charge to members of The Illinois State Historical Society. Membership dues are: student $15 (with current, full-time i.d.); public and school library $30; teacher $30; individual $30; Association of Illinois Museums and Historical Societies $30; household $40; organizational partner $50; sustaining $50; contributing $100; business $100; and life $750. Single issues, when available, are $5.00 each postpaid. A limited number of back issues are available. Postmaster: Send address changes to Illinois Heritage, The Illinois State Historical Society, 210-1/2 South Sixth Street, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62701-1503. Copyright ©2002 The Illinois State Historical Society.

Making history

The Illinois State Historical Society has commissioned a new illustrated history of Illinois. Historic Illinois, a large-format, beautifully illustrated "collector edition" book will be written by Janice Petterchak, former director of the Illinois State Historical Library, with additional copy by Edward J. Russo, Springfield City Historian, and historian/librarian Curtis Mann. The coffee-table style book will be published by the Historical Publish Network of San Antonio, Texas, and include a special section of business and corporation profiles that will help tell the state's economic history. The format will feature hundreds of illustrations, maps, and photographs, many that have never been published. The publication is planned for the fall of 2003. Illinois corporations are invited to participate in the project. For more information on how to become a part of Historic Illinois, call 217-525-2781.

Buy a book, build your Society

Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 3111 South Veterans Parkway in Springfield, will host a "Bookfair" for the Illinois State Historical Society on Presidents' Day, February 18, 2002.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., friends of Illinois history can purchase a book and have 10 percent of the book's purchase price donated to the Society. The more books the larger the donation. The only requirements are that purchases must be made using a special bookfair voucher and that items be purchased at the designated ISHS register. All proceeds from the bookfair will be used for Society programs, including development of an Illinois History speakers bureau.

Vouchers will be available at the store on the date of the bookfair or you can download one from our website: www.historyillinois.org. If you don't have access to a computer, just call us (217-525-2781) and we'll put a voucher in the mail to you today.

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