Joe Marek
Seeing a Bigger Picture Family and support are severely needed when a loved one dies. But sometimes, people need something more. That’s where Joe Marek comes in. The bereavement coordinator at Mercyhealth Hospice can provide people with comfort and care for 13 months, sometimes longer, after their loved one dies from a terminal illness. “It…
Mary Ann Smith
For the Next Generation As a child visiting the Coronado Theatre, Mary Ann Smith fell in love with the magic of the stage. But by the 1990s, Rockford’s movie palace was looking like something “between the opulent Taj Mahal and a white elephant,” she says. Smith and her husband, Gordy, could see the deterioration firsthand…
Tiana McCall
Like Mother, Like Daughter Tiana McCall credits her mother, Birdia Cooper, for instilling within her a passion for volunteer work. “My mother was a community advocate,” McCall says. “I remember every time it rained in the summertime, our streets would flood. And so I would hear my mother calling the alderman saying we deserved…
Joyce Gibbons
Following Her Roots For as long as she can remember, Joyce Gibbons has been interested in biology and the environment. “I had an aunt who lived up in Wisconsin. We used to go visit them when I was little,” says Gibbons. “She was very knowledgeable about the native plants and some of the medicinal qualities…
Annie Mohaupt
Walking Her Own Path After studying architecture at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Annie Mohaupt began her career in San Francisco with high hopes. But the Pecatonica, Ill., native quickly moved back home, which didn’t prove to be any easier for her career. “Things can be hard in the construction industry, and I had done well…
Todd Tucker
A Passion That Keeps Growing In 1995, Todd Tucker was just a young intern at Byron Forest Preserve District (BFPD). But, he showed promise. So, after his six-month internship ended, he was hired on as a full-time naturalist. As he continued to climb the ranks, he learned how to educate others about the surrounding natural…
Jay Allen
Making Life More Colorful Belvidere is known as the City of Murals, and Jay Allen, owner and president of ShawCraft Sign Co., Inc., in Machesney Park, Ill., is a big reason why. Born and raised in Belvidere, Allen is an original member of the Walldogs, a passionate group of mural-painting artists. Since their founding in…
Larry Pittsley
Blending Art and Business By the time Larry Pittsley was 16, he had already worked about 16 jobs. “I started doing lighting and sound with my dad when I was just big enough to carry something,” he recalls. Pittsley and his father worked the lights and sound production at almost all of the theaters in…
Nancy Whitlock
Working for Women After working in sales and marketing for years, Nancy Whitlock found herself taking on a different challenge in 1996: the presidency of Rockford Woman’s Club. She describes the step as a “presidency by marriage,” since her husband’s great-great aunt, Jessie I. Spafford, was president of the club for 43 years. Whitlock grew…