6. Known as the Singing Mayor, he was integral in founding the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate Children's Hospital at Peoria.
Mayor Jim Maloof, Mayor of Peoria 1985-1997, chairman of the board and founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Midwest Affiliate
[New York City] Mayor Koch is being offered the chance to learn firsthand what plays in Peoria - by singing with the Peoria Symphony.
As of yesterday, Koch had not yet risen to the bait.
The invitation came from Jim Maloof, mayor of the Illinois city of 125,000, after BusinessWeek magazine published its second list of "What's In and What's Out."
Declaring 1988 will be "The Year of the Heartland," the magazine said New York City is "out" and Peoria is "in."
Hours after BusinessWeek hit the streets of Peoria, Maloof sent Koch a telegram:
"While you may be disheartened at your city being displaced by ours as the 'in city,' please accept my invitation... to Peoria," he said.
"Here in the Heartland of America, you can see all that this great area has to offer... I'm not taking anything away from New York - one of the greatest cities in the world. But I want people to notice what's going on in Peoria."
Along with the wire went a bouquet of flowers in a vase inscribed "London... Rome... Paris... Peoria."
As an incentive to visit his city, Maloof, who's a singer himself, offered to arrange for Koch to sing solo with the Peoria Symphony. [...]
The spokesman [for Ed Koch] said Koch was too deeply involved in budget meetings to get in a battle with Maloof, no matter how friendly.
"With budget meetings, it's more important how it plays on Pelham Parkway."
-New York Daily News, Sunday, January 17, 1988
7. In 1899, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, sculpted by this Peorian, was dedicated at Courthouse Square.
Named
Defense of the Flag, Peorian Fritz Triebel sculpted the monument in his Rome, Italy studio. It was dedicated on October 6, 1899 in front of a crowd of 70,000 that included President William McKinley.
8. This Spalding grad managed to bring a Commissioner's Trophy to the Bronx.
Joe Girardi was born to Angela and Jerry Girardi in Peoria on October 14, 1964. He grew up in East Peoria, went to school at Spalding Academy and earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University.
Girardi played in the major leagues from 1989-2003. He won the World Series as a player three times with the Yankees (1996, 1998, & 1999) and once more as their manager in 2009.
9. Born in Pekin, this actress starred as a band member in a fictional television family.
Susan Dey was born in Pekin on December 10, 1952 to Ruth Pyle Dey. She has a net worth estimated at 10 million and lives in LA with her second husband, TV Producer Bernard Sofronski. She has one child.
10. After refurbishing the Scottish Rite, this philanthropist exited stage left.Kim Blickenstaff, a graduate of East Peoria Community High School, launched the KDB Investment Group in 2018 and began using money he made as a biotech entrepreneur to kick-start a sweeping effort to rehab and restore historic landmarks in Peoria.
Now, the KDB Group is selling several of his properties at multimillion-dollar price tags.
- Peoria Journal Star, April 11, 2023