- Welcome everybody.

The WTVP Media Board of Directors, and Chairman, Andrew Rand, where's Andrew?

There he is, hi Andrew.

(audience applauding) Yeah.

The staff and the DVI, David Vaughn Investment Support Team and our editor-in-chief for "Peoria Magazine," Mike Bailey and I, are so pleased to welcome you to the Peoria Magazine's Local Legends celebration.

I'm Lesley Matuszak and I have the privilege as the president and CEO to thank you for coming and to say thank you for being here, to honor and celebrate with the 2023 Local Legends.

And it's a really good thing that we're here in the largest television studio south of Chicago because this year's Local Legends has drawn and done it again, the largest crowd ever for Local Legends, yes.

(audience applauding) It's a little packed.

That speaks volumes about this year's class of legends and all of you, because you are Peoria, you are Central Illinois' best, most engaged, and each of you are legendary, whether you're young or seasoned.

And we wanna, yes.

(audience laughing) And we wanna thank you for coming and all you do for the community.

And our sponsors too deserve recognition for their leadership, vision, and inspiration.

Not only for tonight's event, but for what they do and provide each and every day in the community.

(audience applauding) Yes.

Mark Roberts is here from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.

Thank you, Mark.

We work closely with Mark and his team and we're so appreciative of the Community Foundation.

And DVI, David Vaughn Investments, Will Williams and Pat Smarjesse.

Where would we be without you?

Thank you all.

And OSF Healthcare, wow.

Bob Siring, Mike Cruz, Michelle Conger, Tom Hamilton, they're all here.

Thank you, OSF Healthcare and the Foundation.

(audience applauding) And Caterpillar.

I gotta tell you, Henry Vickery sends his regards.

He's recovering from a little surgery and I told him, "Don't worry, Henry, we like you.

We all bleed yellow in this town."

And Doug and Diane are here tonight representing on Henry's behalf, everybody's favorite CEO Doug.

Thank you Doug and Diane for being here, yes.

(audience applauding) And CORE, Tim Erickson and team.

Thank you for always stepping forward.

And when WTVP launched, even before we had COVID, the WTVP Remote channel five, Tim was right there.

Thank you to CORE.

All these folks are moving this region forward, so would you all please stand.

Our sponsors, Community Foundation, DVI, CORE, OSF Healthcare and Caterpillar, please stand so we can recognize you and give you a round of applause.

(audience applauding) Thank you.

And I saw John Bearce and John Morris, my dearest friends standing up and I gotta say thank you, because you guys really do move this region forward.

Thank you both.

And just like Choose Greater Peoria, which is a movement made possible by Doug Oberhelman, the Gilmore Foundation and other local partners like the Peoria Riverfront Museum, "Peoria Magazine," and the Local Legends, plays a huge role in highlighting the positive aspects of Peoria and Central Illinois.

"Peoria Magazine" and this local event, and Choose Greater Peoria, seek to showcase the wonderful aspects of our area, celebrating, cultivating, improving talent retention, and welcoming new folks into the area and applauding the amazing success, and of course, the legendary accomplishments of the folks we pay tribute to today.

And let me too say a special thanks to our mayor, Rita Ali.

Mayor Rita Ali is here tonight.

Rita, I know it's council night and I know council members past and present, thank you for coming.

We appreciate you coming to help celebrate with these Local Legends.

Yes.

(audience applauding) But to kick this celebration off, I take great pleasure in welcoming to the podium "Peoria Magazine" editor-in-chief, Mike Bailey.

Mike.

- Thank you.

Hi there everybody, and welcome.

So wow, another great turnout.

Lesley mentioned that, that we seem to set a new record every year.

You know, it reminds me, there was a really memorable line in the movie "Jaws."

"I think we're going to need a bigger boat."

And, well, I think we're gonna need a bigger studio.

So Lesley, you may wanna set aside some money in the budget for that next year.

So we're really excited about our Local Legends tonight.

You know, it's really a stellar group of stalwarts.

Get your tongue around that.

A very, very deserving bunch.

And so we're going to waste no time in getting right to it.

In alphabetical order, of course.

In reading the story about Seshadri Guha, the CEO of the technology firm TADA here in Peoria, and his wife, Dr. Meenakshy, a year dean at the University of Illinois School of Medicine here, the first thing that jumped out at me was, that is a ton of brain power under one roof.

(audience laughing) And, you know, I just couldn't stop thinking over and over again, their family's Rubik Cube competitions must be really, really intense.

In fact, I've never been able to figure it out.

You thought, you knew I wouldn't leave the props at home, right, so.

The second thing that really struck me is that both of them grew up nearly 9,000 miles away from Peoria in India, and yet they have embraced this community with an optimism and a can-do spirit, that some with roots here from the very beginning never do.

It's a reminder that sometimes the clearest vision of who we are and what we can become here in Central Illinois, belongs to those who've seen the grass elsewhere and found it just as green here, if not more so.

Anyway, it was a great job by our reporter, Linda Smith Brown, on this story.

And it is now my privilege to introduce tonight's first presenter, Will Williams, president, chairman, and CEO of David Vaughn Investments.

(audience applauding) - Well speaking of props, my first prop is the composition book that Guha uses in every meeting.

For someone who's a technology guru, you know, buy a laptop, would you?

(audience laughing) It's the best I've got.

I have the distinct honor of providing introductory remarks and sharing insights from a handful of friends and colleagues on behalf of Meenakshy Aiyer and Seshadri Guha.

Truly one of Central Illinois' true power couples.

I'm sure it's not lost on anyone in this room this evening that, really echoing Mike's comments, only in America, and proudly here in Peoria, can two people from southern India, with no ties to this area whatsoever, be selected and celebrated as Local Legends.

They've embraced Central Illinois as their adopted community and demonstrated a passionate sense of pride, loyalty, and caring concern for the Greater Peoria region, that clearly rivals that of any native born citizen.

Thank you, Guha.

Meenakshy was once quoted as saying, "It's important to do the right thing at the right time for the right reasons."

She and Guha have faithfully and consistently followed that simple roadmap since they arrived in Peoria nearly 35 years ago.

I've known Guha now for more than a decade, working with him professionally, volunteering together on community boards, and enjoying his company as part of the band of brothers.

A ragtag group of misfits that periodically get together, break bread, and listen to John Bearce stories.

(audience laughing) I might add, this last activity is an acquired taste.

I told you, John.

These band meetings also provide Steve Thompson, Easterseals' former president and 2022 Local Legend honoree, the opportunity to poke fun at Guha.

Steve would say, "Now, you know Guha.

You know when you've really made it big in this world, when people know you simply by one name.

Let me give you a few examples.

Bono, Elvis, Prince, Sting, and now there's Guha.

This is huge."

But kidding aside, Steve has the utmost respect for Meenakshy and Guha and their critical role and leadership of Easterseals, in support of Easterseals and the community as a whole.

Steve recently provided me with the following insights.

"Guha and Meenakshy are clearly the defacto leaders of the Indian community in Central Illinois.

They were quick to embrace the unique brand of American philanthropy and to understand its important role in the fabric of Peoria.

In turn, their leadership encouraged the Indian community to do the same, making them a recognized formidable part of the charitable giving landscape.

Passage to India, born during a dinner conversation with a few friends at their home in 2006, started just with 90 people attending and raising $10,000.

By 2015, 1200 guests were attending and the event raised over a half a million dollars for Easterseals.

Over the past 17 years, Passage has raised 4.5 million for the treatment of children with disabilities."

(audience applauding) Beyond Easterseals, Meenakshy has a long history with the University of Illinois School of Medicine, dating back to 1992.

First as a graduate student, later as a faculty member, and now serving as the regional dean.

In 2023, the school graduated 57 new MDs, with 100% of those students matched into a residency program.

And hopefully the vast majority of those students at some point will be back here in Central Illinois serving our community.

The current enrollment at the school is 260 medical students, which is now a full four-year program.

And in addition, there are nearly 300 MDs participating in fellowships in the graduate medical education program.

The school employs 170 full-time faculty, and this was news to me, over a thousand part-time volunteer faculty.

I reached out to Dr. Sarah Rush, Meenakshy's predecessor as dean, to reflect upon her career at UICOM.

Sarah commented, "Local Legends are recognized because of their sustained impact on the Peoria community.

Dr. Ayier is an exceptional physician, a committed and innovative educator, and an academic leader and an inspiration to a generation of medical students and residents.

Meenakshy is particularly effective at team building, communication and collaboration.

She can draw people together around a common goal, work with them to develop solutions and then implement the project.

She can do this institutionally within the medical community and in the community at large.

We have benefited immensely as a result."

And last but not least is TADA.

The intelligent data platform company founded in 2016 by Guha, and co-founder Harsh Koppula, with headquarters in Peoria, Illinois, and over a hundred employees.

Guha was quoted recently saying, "Ultimately, businesses are what keep the world going."

He said, "I'm a little passionate about business doing well so they can take care of people.

That is my motivation."

Guha recently attempted to describe what TADA does.

He said, "All companies have a distinct DNA.

What if you could isolate it in this kind of reverse engineering process and create a digital twin, from which you would visualize the entire playing field and experiment with potential solutions."

I lost him at hello.

(audience laughing) "And what if you could take a process that once took 24 to 36 months and reduce them down to 12 to 24 weeks?"

That is TADA.

As Steve Thompson often reminds me, "Anyone who spends time around Guha knows that he is not your average bearer when it comes to his thought process."

I reached out to Rli chairman and TADA chairman Jon Michael to gain his insights.

Jon remarked that, "Guha's TADA business has the possibility of creating hundreds, if not thousands of high-paying jobs in our community.

It has that much future potential.

Guha is the dreamer, while Meenakshy is more grounded and focused.

Guha is brilliant, but it's easy to see why Meenakshy is brighter."

(audience laughing) True quote, I'll send you the email.

They say real leaders have followers and their collective enthusiasm and behavior energizes those of us in their circle to be engaged in the community even more.

Jon would say, I'm proud to call them both my dear friends.

And in closing, Gandhi was once quoted as saying, "Service without humility is selfishness and egotism."

Meenakshy and Guha have embraced the art of humility and exemplify the important role of servant leadership in our community.

We are blessed that they chose Greater Peoria.

It is with great honor and pride that I introduce one half of the dynamic duo.

As they say, Guha is in the house.

(audience applauding) - Thank you, Will.

Thanks for the roast.

And it's funny that Meenakshy didn't get the roast.

I just did, right?

That's what friends are for.

I think Meenakshy and I are humbled and honored to be here.

My sincere thanks to WTVP and the "Peoria Magazine" for this honor.

I first want to congratulate the other honorees, you know, Kevin and Lisa that I know very well, and Dr, Mr. Jim Shadhid and many of the others.

Yeah, I always respectfully watch them from a distance, so it makes me very uncomfortable today.

Unfortunately, Meenakshy could not be here today.

Prior commitment.

She had agreed to take her nieces to Europe for their graduation.

And so she's somewhere in Portugal today.

So she doesn't quite trust me, you know, with her to-do list.

And I'm not also very good at staying between the lines.

So she said, "I just want you to read the script I give you."

And so, so here I go.

She says, "I extend my regrets for missing this celebration and I'm honored to be recognized among such an outstanding and influential group.

I'm proud to call Peoria home.

Not only is this community a great place to live and raise a family, but also a great community to serve others, to nurture friendships, and truly sense of belonging and community pride.

It's an honor and a privilege to lead the college of medicine here in Peoria.

We are training future physicians and healthcare leaders.

We have the best and brightest faculty, the dedicated learners who work very hard to realize their dream of becoming the next generation of physicians.

Pivotal to our mission, and to meet the challenges of preparing for those physicians today, are the research and innovation occurring in our labs, focusing on cancer and neuroscience, the dynamic, engaging and training and educational opportunities for our learners.

The outstanding cutting edge patient care by the university faculty.

And the collaboration with the community partners to advance the health of our community.

Indeed, it is exciting to be part of this outstanding organization and great to work side by side with many dedicated partners to do the greater good."

So, I think I did half as good, but thank you.

But I think she's very compact, so I have to struggle now.

But on a personal note, I kind of looked at this and I looked at the word, the definition of the word legend, right?

A legend is defined as a popular story, often unsubstantiated by history and broadly believed to be true.

Now, while the unsubstantiated portion of this definition, right, is not true of many others, all the others here, it definitely made me feel better, right?

So having, you know, but I would say this.

Great legends are built on the shoulders of others' legacies.

And I'd like to focus on three legacies today.

My legacy from India, my legacy from the community, and the legacy from my colleagues in all the companies I've worked with.

First and foremost, my legacy from India.

Clearly my deep roots and rich culture from India will always stay with me and Meenakshy.

A small story.

In 1986, when I was leaving for my graduate program in Iowa, from India, I had a lot of caring advice from a lot of friends and relatives, right?

And in typical Indian fashion, you know, watch out about, you know, you're drinking alcohol, right?

I didn't drink in India.

At least that's what they thought.

(audience laughing) You know, don't start smoking, right?

There was a lot of discussion about everything from drugs and dating, right?

You know, which is a particularly confusing topic when you grow up in India at my time, because you don't date until you get married, right?

That's the way we operate, so.

So the day before I left, I went to see my grandfather.

He was a wizened man of 86 at that time.

He was the patriarch of the family.

So I sat next, you know, he said, "Come and sit next to me."

And I still distinctly remember he used to have this, you know, big swing that went up to the ceiling.

He was like a king in his.

He said, you know, "I know what everybody is telling you, but I'm sure you'll do fine.

However, in Rome, do as the Romans do."

(audience laughing) So this led to a rather in-depth discussion in which, right, I was, ended up being part of it.

But two things came out at the surface.

One, the essential advice was I should always be proud of my past and the rich culture I come from, but I should never be too arrogant to adopt and learn from where I go to be home.

Right?

That was, that was a basic summary for him, right?

The second thing that I remember, right.

This was more for my dad who did his work in Champaign and, you know, went back to India.

He said, "You are going to go to the heart of America, the heart of the American culture, the Midwest.

This is where the people are truly caring, genuine, and deeply innovative.

There's much to learn from them."

Right?

And that was what my legacy from India was.

And I just, you know, I was thinking about it today.

I'm just gonna talk about my second legacy.

My legacy from Peoria.

My first boss from Caterpillar, Jim Weber, he is the one who actually brought me, he's here today.

And, you know, he was responsible for bringing me here.

I worked with him for several years and he was able to encourage and challenge me all at the same time, right?

It was like getting pushed and pulled.

And, you know, I give him a lot of credit for this insane idea that if you can do the right things for the right reasons, you can almost always solve a great problem, right?

That was right where I started.

And this community taught me a lot.

But many in Peoria have been part of my extraordinary journey, boosting our confidence, helping us assimilate into this community and the heart of this culture.

Some great mentors of mine, obviously Steve Thompson, Anne Fox, right, teaching us how to be part of the giving community here.

Of course, you know, Doug and Diane, you know, had, I remember Diane in, you know, shaming me into saying, you know, I would go to the shoot every year, but I would never pick up a gun.

And she said, "Guha, you can do this."

Right?

So next year I actually went to try to shoot.

So every little thing is a big change for people like, you know, when you come from far away, you never think about it.

But even Jim and Katie Owens and Doug always kind of inspired to say, "You can do things."

Right.

As a business person.

John and, John Bearce and Jon Michael, and, you know, this whole band of brothers, extraordinary, you know, mentors and friends.

And on the other side, people like Sarah and Tom Rush, right?

They, you know, Sarah always treats us, and Tom always treats Meenakshy and me like, you know, we were kids.

Their kids, right?

So I think we wouldn't be here where we are without them.

But I think what I wanted to leave behind was what my dad said about the Midwest, right, came to be true.

That was the second legacy I wanted to talk about.

My third legacy, last, but not the least, is from my colleagues that I worked with.

You know, thousands of people have worked with me since my first company that I started in '92, the second one in '95, right?

And now with TADA and, you know, several companies.

And they constantly helped me turn these crazy ideas into reality, right?

So that's the real legacy that, right, I had gained from them.

It is from them that I learned the most.

It was as, you know, it is through TADA that now we are trying to create a world-class organization of technology out of here in Peoria.

And, you know, that's now, this is indeed what legends are made of, these legacies.

The true legend in this community though is the Greater Peoria.

That is substantiated and very real.

This is the community that builds up people.

It's the community that creates these legends, right?

And the legacies that build the future.

So it was interesting today, I'm gonna go way out on the edge today, but, so, it so happened that I had a meeting in Kalamazoo this morning and I had to be there eight o'clock and still make it back, I couldn't fly.

So I actually drove.

Now while I was driving I said I was thinking about this and literally, so I just wrote a small poem for myself.

I don't do this very often, but I did.

I'll finish with.

So, "Victims of fear, we shall not be.

It is the future that we like to see.

Let time stall and the world stop.

Let our minds still and the clouds part.

So we can make the future that we see the greater part of Peoria we will be.

Victims of fear, we shall not be.

It is the future that we always see."

I want to thank many of you here and all of you for what great work you do.

Thank you.

(audience applauding) - So we have a gift for Seshadri and Meenakshy and I gotta hold it up for the cameras.

Anyway.

- Thank you.

- Thank you so much.

- Appreciate it.

(audience applauding) - A lot of funny people up here.

And our story on the Reverend Deveraux Hubbard, pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church in Peoria.

He noted right up front that, and I quote, "The last thing I wanted to be was a minister."

It reminded me of a guy who once upon a time was a reluctant magazine editor.

But sometimes you end up right where you're meant to be, even if you can't see it at first.

Today, 25 years later, I think few would disagree that the reluctant Reverend Hubbard is right where he's supposed to be, doing exactly what he was destined to do, making the differences he was supposed to make.

He's grown his congregation by tenfold in the last quarter century.

Great job telling his story by the inimitable Phil Luciano.

So please welcome our next presenter.

A man who needs little introduction.

A local legend in his own right.

The Minister of Motor Vehicles.

(audience laughing) Eh.

John Bearce.

(audience applauding) - Thank you brother, how are you?

Hey, I gotta tell you.

Again, deep congratulations to all the sponsors and Lesley and her great staff.

And, you know, I had the opportunity, when this thing first started, to be able to introduce a young up and coming attorney at that time, Abraham Lincoln.

(audience laughing) Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

I'm extremely humbled and deeply, deeply honored to be able to introduce Peoria's next legend, Reverend Deveraux Hubbard.

I believe divine providence led Pastor Hubbard to us.

As you read in your article, he did not want, as you said, to be a pastor, but he has become a pastor's pastor.

He has decades of spiritual leadership and service to this community.

Along with his wife Christie, and being nudged along by our Lord, he brought countless numbers to become faithful.

He's provided guidance, comfort, and hope through his inspiring sermons and pastoral care.

Pastor Hubbard truly embodies what it means to be a spiritual shepherd with wisdom, compassion, and faith.

And while it always hasn't been an easy road, many obstacles in his way, he persevered and overcome those challenges with his faith.

His commitment to serving others and spreading the word of our Lord has made an immeasurable impact on his church and our community.

A side note, some of the churches trade sermons around and pastors go to different places.

Word has reached me, Pastor Hubbard gets more amens than anybody.

(audience laughing) In his own words, Pastor Hubbard wants to lead the next generation to the Lord and to raise them up to create a better future for both the church and for Peoria.

The impressions he has made are vast and far reaching on this community.

And we are all better for his presence, his hard work, and his commitment.

Please welcome to the podium our next Legend, Pastor Reverend Deveraux Hubbard.

(audience applauding) - Mr. John Bearce is an act to follow, a hard act to follow.

So thank you so much.

What a delight to be able to sit with you, to hear your heart for our Lord and our Savior.

To this organization and "Peoria Magazine" let me say thank you so much for this honor and this privilege.

My mentor says all the time that people don't have to be kind to you.

And when they are, you should really appreciate it.

So to this Peoria community, let me say on behalf of myself, on behalf of my biological family, on behalf of our church family, thank you so much for being kind to a young man who did not want to come to Peoria.

35 years ago I begged my mother to allow me to go to Atlanta, Georgia.

And she said, "You're going to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois."

I came reluctantly, I came not knowing what my future would be, but I am so thankful to God that he always knows what's best for us.

I recognize on a day like today that, as I receive an honor like this, that I'm really standing on the shoulders of so many others who have often worked in obscurity.

People don't know their names or may not remember their names, but it's because of their labor, it's because of their work, that I'm able to do what I do as a minister, as a pastor in Peoria, Illinois.

So I stand on the shoulders of Pastor Amos L. Abbott, my predecessor, who made it possible for me to be able to serve in the place that I currently serve.

I stand on the shoulders of Pastor Calvin Hightower, a leader among leaders in the community who served faithfully.

Pastor Jeffrey Ivory, Pastor Willie Williams Senior.

Pastor Alfonso Lyons, and my own legend, Bishop Leroy Smith.

So many who have labored in this community, and when I started out at 26-years-old, who poured into me, who encouraged me, who motivated me, who pushed me.

And I say thanks to God and I say thanks to them and I say thanks to this community.

Christie has always been my rock and always been a source of strength.

And I am forever grateful for the partnership that we have in ministry together.

I am thankful to God that I've been able to serve him and this generation, and that's my commitment to this city.

I don't know that I'm old enough to consider myself a legend, but my commitment to you is, it will be my desire, my resolve to continue to serve, to carry out my assignment in this community.

Because we live in a great community.

Peoria is an amazing place with so much opportunity and so much potential.

And I'm excited to see our young people understand the privilege that they have to grow up in this community where there are so many opportunities before them.

And then to help them to maximize those opportunities so that Peoria can continue to be a great place.

So again, I say thank you on behalf of my family.

Thank you on behalf of my parents who poured into me.

Thank you on behalf of the great city of East St. Louis, where this young boy was able to come from.

Thank you so much for this privilege.

(audience applauding) - Here we go again.

For you and Christie, thanks so much.

Congratulations.

- Thank you.

(audience applauding) - So two quick things about our next honoree.

First, our story on famed Illinois Central College basketball and softball coach Lorene Ramsey, which is another fine job by our reporter, Nick Vlahos.

That story was posted on Facebook recently where I got lots of comments, including one from a fan who wrote, "When I think of ICC, I think of Lorene Ramsey."

I think that was you, Gale Thetford.

ICC is a fantastic institution on multiple fronts and a great asset to Central Illinois.

But let there be little doubt that Lorene Ramsey helped put the place on the map.

Second, to me what really distinguished Coach Ramsey is that she dared to believe that she could compete nationally, indeed, win national titles from a Central Illinois base with local athletes for whom she opened no end of doors.

Just imagine what a powerhouse the Peoria area could be if that attitude was more widespread.

And coach, one other thing, I've got the stage and I'm going to make the most of it.

(audience applauding) There we go.

Coach, I still got it.

And if you need a six man, right here.

It is my pleasure to introduce our next presenter, the president of Illinois Central College, Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey.

(audience applauding) - Thank you.

You know, I was gonna do that basketball trick, but since Mike did it so well, I just thought, you know, there's no reason to brag now that it's already been done.

But I am honored to be here tonight to honor Coach.

Seven national championships, international gold and silver medals.

More than 1700 career wins with an over 80% win rate.

And 15 Hall of Fame inductions.

(audience applauding) There's so much to be said about Coach Lorene Ramsey, and yet, if I talked all day, I could not properly cover the immense impact she has had on Illinois Central College and on women's sports in this country.

Her numbers speak for themselves and telling the story of an ambitious and innovative woman forging her own path.

She is now one of the most successful college coaches of all times in this country.

(audience applauding) Lorene started her remarkable career, like many influential people, not ever understanding the full weight of the effect she was to have on so many others.

You know, it's not in my remarks, but does everyone know that Lorene was the famous pitcher for the Pekin Lettes, right, before she turned a successful coach?

(audience applauding) But when she came to ICC, what she knew is that she wanted to be the best coach she could be, and to see her athletes succeed in every aspect of their lives.

She was a true pioneer.

She advocated for women's sports years before Title IX legislation ever existed.

Her efforts continue to be transformative for female athletes and for women's sports across the nation.

In fact, she has been honored by induction into 15 Halls of Fame, including being the first female inductee to the Greater Peoria Area Sports Hall of Fame.

With Lorene's guidance, Illinois Central College developed a successful intercollegiate women's athletic program.

In 1969 Lorene established and coached women's basketball, which brought home five national championships and over 887 game wins.

In 1970, you know, because she wasn't doing anything that first year with basketball, the next year then she launched the softball program, and that program, while she coached, won 840 games, including two national championships.

Then she was a little tired so she took three years off.

And then in 1974, added women's volleyball to ICC.

So in addition to the NJCAA, Lorene served as an assistant coach for the United States Women's Softball team in the Pan-Am Games, assisting late coach Ralph Raymond to win a gold medal in 1979 and a silver medal in 1981.

So throughout her 33 plus incredibly successful years coaching at ICC, I agree, she put ICC on the map, right, for athletic excellence, inspired hundreds of female athletes, many of who went on to earn scholarships at four year universities.

But more importantly, all that went on to be successful because of the values and persistence they learned under the tutelage of Coach Ramsey.

It is clear that she was far more than a coach.

She was truly a mentor and created pathways for the women she supported.

So Lorene remains a valuable member of the ICC family and we are eternally grateful for the positive impression she's made for our institution and for women's athletics across this country.

For those of you who don't know Lorene, she is a spitfire.

If you ever wanna be impressed, we have a Hall of Fame with all of the pictures outside the gym, named after her appropriately, of all of those national winning teams.

And she can tell you where they were, what the score was of the game, how they won that game, who may have disappointed her in that game, and how they moved forward together as a team.

She is absolutely amazing.

So I'd like you to help me welcome to the podium and wish a happy birthday to her, 'cause she turned 87 yesterday, our own dear Lorene Ramsey.

(audience applauding) - Thank you.

It is very meaningful to me to be recognized locally with the talented people in this group.

Girls and women's sports has come a long, long way because when I first started out as a graduate of Illinois State University, we had GAA, and I convinced my principal to go to the principal's meeting to vote competition for girls in.

And we had a girl sports day committee made up of most of the women PE teachers that liked athletics.

So we went to the meeting and it was an education for both of us.

There were 17 principals there, and we had sent an announcement out about what we wanted.

It was a fold out.

Should have taken him about 10 minutes to read it.

And Mr. Bob Kane was our principal.

He had an athletic daughter who was in junior high and he wanted her to have a chance to play and he prepared a great talk.

So the 17 principals then were gonna vote on whether we should have athletics for girls in Illinois or not.

And this was in the mid '60s, I think.

When we walked out of the door, and he said to the principals, "I brought our GAA advisor.

If you have any questions, please ask her."

They asked four questions.

They were all covered in the foldout.

(audience laughing) So we walked out of the door and I said, "Mr. Kane, do you think we won?"

And he said, excuse the language, "Hell no!"

And he said it louder and harder.

I think they probably heard it inside.

The vote was 15 no for girl's sports, two for yes.

And our own regional principal voted no.

So that's kind of where we started in Illinois.

And when I came to ICC I was teaching at Pekin High School and in charge of the GAA, we built a pretty good GAA, but it was nothing like competition.

And when I came to ICC, I was hired to teach physical education and to build a good intermural program.

We had no gym, we had no buildings.

(audience laughing) We had a few Quonset huts out there.

And Jimmy Miller, who taught economics for us, said that when he lectured and they tore the toilet paper in the restroom, he could hear it, so.

It wasn't quite the best start.

But we did, we rented the bowling alley, we did golf, we did archery, we had plenty of land, we did archery, we did some exercise classes.

And the second year we decided to, if we could get into the Peoria YWCA, we would start basketball for girls and for men.

We had four nights and we were gonna use two for the men and two for the girls.

And this is how we started our program.

We put all these things you sign up on around campus.

We had 200 and some men sign up and eight women, because they had had nothing that was remotely competitive.

So I asked the girls what they wanted to do.

Oh, they wanted to play.

So Max Mayes was the other person that I taught with and he tried to help me.

He said, "What do you think about the girls playing the boys' teams in the tournament?"

And I said, oh no, we'd lose 100 to 20.

They don't even know what they're doing.

So I went to Rich Bales, who was our department chairman at the time, and I said, "I've only got eight girls.

I don't think we should have basketball for women.

We can't run any kind of intramural program like that."

He said, "We're gonna have basketball for women."

And I said, "And what would you do with eight girls?"

He said, "I don't know, I'm a social science major.

That's why we hired you."

(audience laughing) So the only other option was to play other schools.

And that's how we started with those eight girls.

And the men could not play athletically in that gym because I measured it, it was 68, the court was 68 feet long by 42 feet wide.

They'd have killed each other if they got out there.

But that's how we started.

And Rich Bales paid all, everything out of his budget.

And we lost our first game to Bradley and then we beat them 15 times in a row, folks.

(audience applauding) And we, that was 66 to 33.

Then we went to Spoon River College and they beat us for the first time ever and the last time, and that was by 25 points.

So I called Lori Mabry, the Illinois State coach at the time, and she said, "Yeah, we do have a sports day, but it's all state universities and you're kind of late."

I said, "Yeah, I am kinda late.

We just started and we're terrible, but I want a game."

So she said, "Well, I'll work something out."

We go down there.

In those days the big schools sometimes had two or three teams.

One was the best, three was the worst.

And so I get the schedule and we're playing ISU's fifth team.

They don't even have a fifth team.

And we go down there and I went in and I talked to Mr. Bales about the transportation because the school had no buses at the time, had no vans, so we had to rent everything.

And he said, I told him we're going to Illinois State.

And he said, "Well, who's gonna be there?"

I said, "All the state universities and us."

And he said, "And you want a van to go down there?

How do they get there?"

I said, "Oh, they'll all be in school buses or buses that they rent."

And he said, "Well, we're not gonna be second class.

We're going in a bus."

And he rented the biggest bus that you could get from Peoria Charter coach.

So we go down there, we play ISU's fifth team and we got edged 44 to 12.

And so we had Illinois' third team next, now I had one player on the team that was good.

Bev Barnes.

And she was very good with her teammates when they're out there stumbling around and traveling.

And so now we're gonna play Illinois' third team, and Clara Carroll was one of our faculty members and she kept the book for me.

So we're watching them warm up and they don't look too good.

And Clara doesn't understand much basketball, but she said, "They don't look very good."

I said, "I don't think they are.

We might have a chance."

And we beat them by the gigantic score of 33 to 22.

And Bev Barnes scored 22 points.

(audience laughing) So that was, that was my start.

And the next year we had a full team and we won a small college state tournament and from there on things really moved.

And it was good to be at Illinois Central College because they were serious about the program.

They wanted a good team.

They were willing to buy nice uniforms and more than one.

Some of those schools were passing basketball to volleyball, to softball.

We had uniforms for everybody.

So that's what we did there.

I got started coming up to Peoria to pitch for the Caterpillar Dieselettes, and I must have impressed them so much that they dropped the team the next year.

(audience laughing) And finally we moved to Pekin and we still hold the record.

We had 120,000 people there one summer for our season.

And that was.

(audience applauding) That was before there was a lot of recognition of girls sports.

So that was a good thing.

My parents, when I was growing up, were very encouraging to me.

And there were no softball teams in the area.

So my dad had been a good baseball and softball player and he got me a tryout in St. Louis, 50 miles away.

And the first team I played with was in St. Louis, a hundred mile round trip.

And they did, they came to every game because my mom couldn't drive and I was too young there to drive.

And that's how I got started.

This, when I took the job at ICC, I decided I had to go local because I didn't have any scholarships.

So that's what we did.

We used local kids and we did it even after we got scholarships, because the high school coaches in the area are very good.

And the fundamentals on those kids were pretty good when I was getting them.

I don't think I'd have won a national championship if I had been at any of the other community colleges in the state.

So I can thank them for that.

I also wanna thank ICC because my first team was '69, that was before Title IX, and they didn't have, Title IX was 1972.

They didn't have to help us that way.

They wanted us to be good.

So that's, that was a big thing.

I'd like to conclude with something.

Every time they introduce me, they talk about the seven time national championships.

That wasn't the most important thing I did.

The most important thing I did was get scholarships for girls all over the country.

What is all over the country?

I'll give you an idea.

Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan State, Nebraska.

Northwestern, Texas, Texas Christian, UCLA, USC, Virginia Tech, and double figure scholarships, meaning we had more than 10 scholarships at the time we were playing, at Illinois State, Bradley and Southern Illinois.

If you come out to our Cougarplex you'll see about 150 schools around the top of the hallway there.

And that's where our kids have gone and they graduate because we have a very good school.

So I think I've been very lucky in my career.

And the best thing about being a coach and teaching, I loved it.

A lot of people get up in the morning, they hate it when they have to go to work.

I loved it almost every day.

Just not the days we lost.

(audience applauding) - I think Lorene might have a second career in standup, I could be wrong.

But anyway, on behalf of WTVP and "Peoria Magazine," we'd like to give her this gift and just sing very briefly.

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ Happy birthday dear Lorene ♪ Happy birthday to you (audience applauding) - Well, that was great.

I don't even know why I'm here.

You know, I think it's safe to say that OSF Healthcare would not be the regional medical and economic force it is today without people at the helm in those early stages with the ability to anticipate the future, to recognize talent, to coordinate resources, to line up the like-minded, to take calculated risks, et cetera.

And no single person can accomplish all of that without a lot of help and support at work and at home.

It is one thing to have a vision.

It is quite another to implement it and bring it all home, as reporter Laurie Pillman shared so well in her story.

Tonight we honor Kevin and Lisa Schoeplein and all of their uncommon generosity in helping to make that so here in Central Illinois.

Please welcome our next presenter, Dr. Gerald McShane.

(audience applauding) - Good.

It's the old back gave out, so it's really good to be here.

And I have to admit, I'm really thrilled with what I've heard tonight.

It's just absolutely amazing.

And I wanna also tell you about the "Peoria Magazine."

You know, I read it.

I really love it, it's really fantastic.

You've done a great job.

(audience applauding) I wanna let you know, I'm a lifelong Peorian.

I just love that thing, so.

It's my honor to introduce Kevin and Lisa Schoeplein as the recipient of the Peoria Legends Award.

Kevin and Lisa arrived in Peoria in 1978, just out of grad school in Xavier, where he received his MBA in finance and a master's in healthcare administration in the city of Cincinnati, where he met Lisa, who was graduating with a degree in medical technology, which is laboratory medicine.

Peoria began the job career and the place to raise her five wonderful children.

Kevin began his career at St. Francis Medical Center and advanced quickly to become a president of another third order hospital in Rockford, Illinois, St. Anthony, at the age of 27.

And it was like Monday morning, Kevin go up to Rockford.

So he went up there and family stayed behind for a while.

Soon there were four or five blonde Schoepleins, you might have seen them here tonight.

The Schoeplein children adapted to the fast pace of the Schoeplein work and family and all that.

They just, it was a fast pace.

Kevin was actually a soccer coach for three of his daughters, two of them are here tonight.

They were very competitive.

The games were played early in the evening, as they do around here in Peoria.

And Kevin would work in Rockford during the day and record, enormously fast times were set between Rockford and Peoria.

Those recorded times can be found at the Illinois State Patrol Headquarters in Springfield.

Now, he did not miss a game.

This, you know how that legend unsubstantiated.

This is substantiated.

But it's a different twist.

He avoided more tickets than he got.

When the family moved back to Peoria he began to build what today is OSF Healthcare.

His vision of healthcare was instrumental in the design of a modern healthcare system.

As CEO, Kevin knew a hospital's importance to a community.

He also knew the importance of great physicians aligning those physicians with the care given that was critical to delivering healthcare for us, the patients.

That complexity of healthcare changed, called for new structures and responsibilities with sisters, the third order, Kevin and his team, as Mike said, "It takes a team to do this."

That direction was set to meet the healthcare challenges of today and tomorrow.

That included investing in the very best technologies, creating a culture of innovation, doing things radically different, and anticipating that that was a lifelong endeavor for any good organization.

Imagining a different downtown Peoria was an original vision of the ministry headquarters back then.

In addition, creating the culture of philanthropy where philanthropy is just not fundraising, but it's fundraising with a purpose, a purpose to make things better, to improve care.

And that was one of Kevin's big legacies.

Every key business, and healthcare is a business, needs a visionary, and Kevin was it.

Along the way was his wonderful wife and his best friend, Lisa, who marches now with him in total support as a couple wedded at the hip.

Kevin and Lisa will long remember and be remembered by the strong friendships they developed in Peoria.

St. Thomas Church and school, Notre Dame High School, healthcare, public life, other community activities provided the foundation for enduring relationships.

Community volunteerism is a part of their DNA.

Kevin continues today serving on the Bradley University board of trustees.

Kevin and Lisa have been blessed with five children and their spouses along with 13 grandchildren.

Many are quite young, infants and toddlers.

They bring much enjoyment to Kevin and Lisa.

Kevin's family, including 80, it could be a hundred, uncles, aunts, cousins, annually make the trek to Hilton Head Island for their summer vacation.

Kevin and Lisa remain close to her family.

Two sisters, two blondes, and parents, extremely healthy 90-year-olds, I know it's absolutely very healthy, who live in Northern Kentucky.

Yes, this couple has made a big difference in the lives of us all through healthcare we receive today and for their long-lasting friendships made in the Peoria community.

I know Kevin is extremely proud, in his humble way, of all that I've said.

Although he is most proud of Lisa and the children for being there along the way.

Lisa, being the supportive and dependable confidant, allowed Kevin to make the difference in many lives and in many ways.

Tonight we celebrate them both.

Kevin is not able to be with us tonight as he is undergoing treatment for a medical problem and looks forward to a complete recovery of those problems.

I welcome Lisa and her two daughters, Stacy and Molly, to receive this award tonight.

Let's give them a warm welcome.

(audience applauding) - Well, everybody knows that I'm not usually the one that's at the podium, it's usually my husband, and he is so sorry he could not be here tonight.

We wanna both thank you all so much for this, for the kind words from Dr. McShane.

And we are very grateful and humbled to have received this award.

Kevin just really wishes he could be here.

I really feel bad he's not.

Kevin and I have always believed in the importance of giving back to our community, but in doing so, it's given us much more than we could have imagined.

It has allowed us to befriend so many wonderful people here in Peoria.

And they've always been so supportive of us over the years.

Especially lately.

I really can't thank everyone enough.

Sorry, I wish Kevin was here, for all the support.

(audience applauding) Peoria has given so much to our family and we hope that we've made some contribution that we'll continue to make it an even better place for those who come after us.

We're proud to say we're from Peoria.

Thank you very much.

(audience applauding) Sorry.

- I have to wear my reading glasses, I'm sorry.

- That's okay.

I couldn't even help you.

- So Kevin and Lisa.

- Oh, thank you.

- Who else have we got here?

- All good?

- We're good.

- Oh good.

- I think we're good.

- Thank you.

(audience applauding) - You know, I do hope the grandkids know that Grandpa Kevin is Mario Andretti.

Like I said, you always learn something, which brings us to our final honoree tonight.

So just when you think you know somebody, it can be surprising what you learn in some of these stories.

This one, again, courtesy of Phil Luciano and his storytelling gifts.

For example, going back decades, I, all of us I think, have known Jim Shadid as a man of accomplishment, as an attorney, then a state judge in this circuit.

Now a federal judge nominated by a U.S. president and confirmed in Congress.

But did you know that Jim Shadid was also a collegiate and professional baseball player who, to this day, still owns Bradley University's single season and career stolen base records.

(audience applauding) In fact, the speedy outfielder was known as Mr.

Excitement.

(audience laughing) So let's see how fast Mr.

Excitement can make it up to the podium today.

Please welcome our next presenter, President Emeritus of PNC Bank, Doug Stewart.

(audience applauding) - There are many of you here tonight who have known Jim Shadid much longer than me.

Jim and I met as trustees at Bradley University and it didn't take long for me to join the lengthy list of people who admire him.

Jim will tell you that his values and beliefs were formulated early on when he and his brother George grew up on Ellis Street here in Peoria.

Jim grew up the son of a Peoria police officer and he describes his youth in this way.

"I am sure we didn't have any excesses, but we thought we had everything.

What more could a kid want than a stable home, plenty of friends, a Stingray bicycle to get me places, and bats, balls and gloves for when I got there?"

He will also tell you that there were three rules in the Shadid household, and he and George knew them well.

Number one, treat people right.

Number two, your word matters.

Number three, don't shame the family name.

So whether it is as chairman of the Bradley board, defending individuals as an assistant public defender, presiding over trials as circuit judge, or leading the federal judiciary as the chief judge, he has remained true to his roots and core beliefs.

And in many respects, he reinforces those beliefs when he presides over immigration ceremonies.

Those ceremonies are vitally important to Jim.

They reflect his belief, and I quote, "None of us makes it alone in life."

And that, "Just as someone has opened a door for us, we should do the same for others."

Over the years he has been introduced or referred to as Jim, Jimmy, James, Mr. Chairman, my attorney, Judge, your honor.

But the two titles that Jim cherishes the most are dad to Maggie, Joe, and Jim.

And the other title is Jane's husband.

In particular, I want to take a moment to recognize Jane.

Jane has been at Jim's side for 39 years.

Her upbeat attitude, energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and together they contribute so much to our community.

Recently I talked to a few individuals who know Jim in his capacity as a judge.

And I asked them for a few words that describe Jim.

I won't use all of them, but here's the good ones.

They said that he has solid judgment.

He is comfortable in his own skin.

He appears to be unflappable.

He possesses great judicial temperament.

But the one word that they used most was, he is fair.

So as I close, I ask you to think about the word judge.

Doesn't matter, lower case, upper case.

But think about the word judge as I relate the story that Jim shared with me at one time.

So one day Jim was in his chambers working, whatever judges do when they're not on the bench presiding over a trial.

And a call came from the security guard.

He said, "There's a young woman here who has no appointment but wants to see you."

And the security guard went on to say, "She doesn't appear to pose any threat.

And while she's nice, she's absolutely adamant that she wants to see you."

Jim didn't recognize her name but said he'd be down to see her.

And so when he got there, she introduced herself and said that the last time that they had seen each other was in a courtroom where she pleaded guilty to drug possession and drug use.

And as Jim has told me, the judges do have some latitude in their sentencing in this kind of a situation.

And the prosecution absolutely wanted jail time.

So the girl asked Jane, Jim, I should say, for a second chance in order to get her life back together.

Jim contemplated this, thought about it, and he sentenced her to probation saying, "If I see you again in this courtroom, I made a mistake and you will go to jail."

And so back to the meeting at the courthouse, the young woman then told Jim that the reason that she had come to see him today, because she wanted him to know that the next day she would be graduating from college as a nurse.

And she said, "I have a good job.

I can support my family.

And none of that would've happened if you hadn't believed in me."

Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable James Shadid.

(audience applauding) - Wow.

Okay, well first of all, I used to get so mad at Dad when he would go off script and I'm gonna start off script.

(audience laughing) But that phrase last but not least does not apply tonight.

This is last but least.

These are unbelievable stories of accomplishment from all of you.

And I just love listening to them.

And I'm overwhelmed, humbled, and actually nervous to be among you.

And Lisa, Kevin couldn't have done it any better.

And we're all thinking of you.

(audience applauding) And let me add that while I am proud of my accomplishments at Bradley in athletics, no one's athletic achievements should ever be mentioned in a room when Lorene Ramsey is in the house.

(audience applauding) Wow!

There's a common theme here tonight, and it starts with Lesley and Mike and all that they do.

The wonderful evening that celebrates and honors this community and all of the people here that make Central Illinois their home.

This common theme of community and relationships, and you do this every year, and it just gets bigger and better.

And thanks to you guys and your staff and all that you do.

And thank you Doug Stewart for those kind words.

You and Vicki, both Legends just a year ago.

We are all inspired by the commitment the two of you make to the life that we all share.

Jane and I are very appreciative of your friendship.

I do believe in life, and I guess I gotta do a qualifier here.

I thought that no one, not one of us succeeds alone.

That somewhere along the way, somebody opens a door or somebody provides an opportunity.

But in Lorene Ramsey's case, she's the one that provided all the opportunity.

But sometimes, some point somewhere in our lives, someone does open a door for us.

Someone does provide an opportunity for us.

Someone does put in a good word for us.

Someone mentors us, counsels us, or guides us.

Sometimes as people we don't even know.

And as a result, we all have a story to tell.

And I believe that these stories that are personal to each of us should be told, and we should tell them, because when we tell our stories, when you tell your stories, you strengthen the fabric of this community.

You make for relationships among us.

Relationships that create trust and confidence and goodwill.

For me, my story began as you know, with my grandparents, when they came here to this country and then became citizens.

And they had a lot of children and a lot of grandchildren and they couldn't possibly know what their children or grandchildren would become, but they would know that we would do our part to serve our communities.

And my parents, George and Lorraine, and from them, I am what I am.

I'm all that I am because of them.

And I was raised to do my part.

And as Doug reminded you to never, and I mean never, shame the family name.

My own family that Doug introduced, and thank you for introducing them.

Jean and I are proud of our children.

We're proud of the way they conduct themselves.

We're proud of how they've involved themselves in their communities and the spirit of their communities.

And with our daughter Maggie tonight is Grant Bosnick.

And if everything goes according to schedule, Maggie and Grant will be married next May.

(audience applauding) And to all of you, you have, in some regard, each and every one of you, been a part of my life.

You have opened doors for me.

You have provided me with opportunities.

You have put in a good word for me.

You have mentored me.

You've simply been a role model for me.

And in doing so, you have reinforced how I was raised, that so many people contribute to the lives that we live.

At Bradley, my baseball coach Chuck Bicher is here.

Coach, raise your hand.

(audience applauding) Coach Bicher constantly reminded us that the name on our jersey was Bradley.

It wasn't anything about an individual, it was about something larger than being an individual.

It was about the university that we represented.

And to always conduct ourselves with that in mind.

And God forbid, don't get picked off of first base.

(audience laughing) Finally, the robe that I wear when I go to court each day is a daily reminder of being part of something larger than me.

I believe my life has been that.

It's always about somebody else.

It's about something larger than you.

This daily reminder, a simple black robe, is a reminder of a common responsibility and a common purpose representing an institution, the federal judiciary, that is entrusted by all of you and by the words in our constitution, and designed to administer the rule of law on a level playing field, free from public influence and partisan politics.

And each day I walk into that courtroom, I remind myself of that.

And I'm reminded of that, that these are about level playing fields, applying law to the facts and facts to the law.

And remembering that these cases are not about me, but they're about the individual people or the businesses that appear before me.

And so with that in mind, I would say that we are so lucky here in Peoria, Illinois, because I believe that all of you think the same way, that all of you do that in your professions, in your businesses, in your occupations, and then we come here together like this.

And while we have issues to resolve here, they will be resolved, because all of you work so tirelessly in this community to resolve them.

And events like these go so far and go a long way in doing so, in promoting community, in promoting civility, in creating relationships.

That is what makes it such an honor for me to be among all of you tonight.

Thank you.

(audience applauding) - Again for the cameras.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Congrats.

- Thank you.

(audience applauding) - I forgot one, I guess.

I thought that was for me.

I'm just really bummed now, so.

Anyway- - I hate to say this, but with what's going on in the Supreme Court, I thought they'd be concerned about financial.

(audience laughing) - Yeah, "Peoria Magazine" will be looking into that.

Anyway, obviously there is a lot of talent in Central Illinois, tonight, again, proves it.

So please be proud.

Show that pride.

Please continue to model that pride for others.

Watch WTVP.

Please read "Peoria Magazine."

And as Bugs Bunny would say, "That, that's all folks."

But, but, Lesley has the last word, which is as it should be.

(audience applauding) - Thank you, Mike.

So I just wanna echo what Mike said.

The talent in this room and in this community and this Choose Greater Peoria.

When we look out there, the initiative that Doug is working on, we are just a small part of that, but we're pleased to be a part of that.

And there's people out in this room that have much more talent than I certainly would ever have.

But I just wanna say a special thanks to some of those people that really made it possible for "Peoria Magazine."

You know, we're going into our second year, and that would be Ray LaHood, Sid and Flo Banwart, Sid Ruckriegel, Andrew Rand, so many of you.

And Dr. John Vozenilek from the Jump Center.

The talent here, the faith that we all have in everybody tonight is amazing.

So this list of Local Legends, it just keeps on growing.

So I want you to check the monitors and you can take a look and you can see all these past legends, and you are the positive examples of our community.

So as we enjoy and Choose Greater Peoria, please don't forget, 40 under 40 leadership nominations are due.

This year you can scan the QR code or you can go on the website and nominate your leader under 40.

This year we're pleased to tell you that the event will be held at the Renaissance Coliseum at Bradley University's campus.

Steven Standiford will be there.

He is our host for the evening.

Mike Bailey's gonna stick around to tell you more about "Peoria Magazine."

Sid and Andrew are going to stick around to tell you more about WTVP.

And Doug and Diane are here and they're sticking around to tell you more about Choose Greater Peoria.

And we're all here at a party and to celebrate with the 2023 Local Legends.

So on behalf of "Peoria Magazine," thank you to our sponsors, to our Local Legends.

So grab a glass, enjoy the food, cheers, and may God bless you.

Thanks everybody.

(audience applauding) (gentle music)