The Illinois State Historical Society Officers
President: Rand Burnette, Jacksonville
President Pro Tem: David Scott, Springfield
Treasurer: Arthur M Martin, Chicago
Directors
Directors, Terms Expire in 2003
Michael C. Batinski, Carbondale
Janet D. Cornelius, Penfield
Mary "Happy" Dean, Peoria
Francis Even, River Forest
Warren D. Winston, Pittsfield
Directors, Terms Expire in 2004
Norman C. Berger, Chicago
Timothy Draper, Sugar Grove
Mark Sorensen, Decatur
Patricia J. Walton, Hanover
Park John Week, Sycamore
Directors, Terms Expire in 2005 Leah J. Axelrod, Chicago Herbert Channick, Rockfond Redd Griffin, Oak Park Russell Lewis, Chicago John Power, Jacksonville
Staff
Tom Teague, Executive Director
William Furry, Assistant Director
Sallie Brittin, Membership Secretary
Advisory Board 2002-2003
Charles E. Burgess, Bethalto
Charles A. Chapin, Chatham
Stephen Gharry, Oglesby
James P. Coble, Springfield
Alberta Conover, Springfield
Larry A. Douglas, Belknap
Marvin W. Ehlers, Deerfield
Stuart R. Fliege, Springfield
Wolf D. Fuhrig, Jacksonville
Gerald Lee Gutek, LaGrange
Jon Howard, Mount Vernon
D. Bradford Hunt, Chicago
Charlotte E. Johnson, Alton
Ellsworth Mills, Highland Park
Micheal Newton-Matza, Oak Park
John K. Notz, Chicago
Richard I. Pate, Danville
Craig Pfannkuche, Wonder Lake
Shirley Portwood, Godfrey
Theodore H. Wachholz, Arlington Heights
Joan B. Willenborg, Effingham
Living Past Presidents
Alexander Summers, San Diego, CA
Robert M. Sutton, Urbana
Gunnar Benson, Sterling
Donald F. Tingley, Savoy
Victor Hicken, Macomb
Katie Fiene Birchler, Chester
Samuel Lilly, Downers Grove
David J. Maurer, Charleston
Wilma Lund, Springfield
Patricia Wallace-Christian, Durham, CT
Mark A. Plummer, Normal
John T. Trutter, Northfield
E. Duane Libert, Lerna
Raymond E. Hauser, St. Charles
Patricia Grimmer, Carbondale
John Power, Jacksonville
Robert J. Klaus, Chicago
Michael J. McNerney, Carbondale
Robert McColley, Urbana
Barbara M. Posadas, DeKalb
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Illinois Herritage
A Publication of The Illinois State Historical Society July-August 2003 Volume 6 Number 4
2 President's message
4 Letters
4 News
Features
6 New home for an old house
7 The birt of the atomic age
10 Rendezvous with history
14 The oldest log building in Illinois
17 Katherine Dunham, controversial pioner
Obituary
15 George May, Historian of Massac County
Departments
16 From the archives
19 Centennial Award winners
20 ISHS bookshelf
22 Book reviews
To our readers:
I write these lines on the last day of Spring, a perfect afternoon for daydreaming in the Prairie State. Locust blossoms dance in the gentle breeze outside my window overlooking Dels Popcorn Shop, from which a steady stream of customers pass, tempting me with their dripping ice-cream cones.
It's a day unlike any other, yet still a reflection of all that has gone before. The smells, the noises, the sunlight, the promise of lime sherbet—all exist in the moment as I record it and in the past, as you now read these words. It is a pleasant coexistence, n'cest pas?
Likewise, the July-August issue of Illinois Heritage is full of cool surprises— places and people and times, crystalized into our collective memory. Charles Balesi's essay into the world of the French Rendezvous, Hannah Newfield-Plunkett's excursion into Illinois' subatomic history, and Hope Rajala's
reflection on the achievement of dancer Katherine Dunham—all delight us with a taste of what it means to be an Illinoisan on the eve of Summer 2003. In addition, this issue of Illinois Heritage includes Places of the Past, a 20-page directory of Illinois archaeological sites and exhibits, the perfect stepping stone to September, which just happens to be National Archaeology Month. Thanks to our sponsors, Dickson Mounds Museum and the Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology, for making it possible for us to include the directory.
So turn the page. Jump into your past, then write and tell us what you think. Share your suggestions on what you'd like to see in Illinois Heritage. Meanwhile, I'm stepping across the street for a bite of butter pecan. Care to join me?
—William Furry editor
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