Schuyler County ILGenWeb
Lavina Walton
Photo Credit: Carol Longwell Miller, March
1999
The Rushville
Times Wednesday, September
15, 1999
The Illinois Humanities Council, along with
Rushville Mayor Lynn D. Smith are pleased to announce
that Lavina Walton is the recipient of the first Studs
Terkel Humanities Service Award. This local
"humanities hero" has been recognized by the mayor and
the City of Rushville for her outstanding efforts on
behalf of the humanities in the
community.
Lavina Walton is honored for her efforts in raising
awareness of local history. She was one of three
volunteers who saved the historic 1856 county jail;
and she has continued to dedicate her efforts to
fulfilling her dream of creating the Schuyler County
Jail Museum and Genealogical Center as one of the
largest and best of its kind in the state. Through her
efforts and those of volunteers she recruited, two
heritage rooms were added to the original building and
provide full genealogical services to any who want to
research the people who made Schuyler
County.
At the age of 86, Mrs. Walton continues to research
and record Schuyler County history so that others may
learn of the very rich and interesting past that is so
special to our county.
This award will be presented to Mrs. Walton on
Sept. 24 at 2 p. m. in the Central Park Gazebo during
the Smiles Day activities.
The Illinois Humanities Council is an educational
organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which
humanities are a vital part of the lives of
individuals and communities. Through its programs and
services, the IHC promotes greater understanding of,
appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by
the citizens of Illinois, regardless of their economic
resources, cultural background, or geographic
location.
Organized as a state affiliate of the National
Endowment for the Humanities in 1974, the IHC is now a
private nonprofit organization that is funded by
contributions from individuals, corporations, and
foundations; by the Illinois General Assembly and by
the NEH.
Copyright 1999-2007 Schuyler County Historical Jail
Museum; all rights reserved. For personal use only.
Commercial use of the information contained in these
pages is strictly prohibited without prior permission.
If copied, this copyright must appear with the
information.
Obituary of Lavina Vearl Waters
Walton The Rushville Times, Wednesday, July 26,
2006 page 48 Eagle Publications, July
26, 2006 Canton Daily Ledger, Friday, July 28, 2006
The Rushville Times, Wednesday, August 2, 2006,
correction Fulton County Democrat, Wednesday,
August 2, 2006
picture: Lavina Walton
Lavina V. Walton, 93, of Browning, died Monday, July
24, 2006, at Culbertson Memorial Hospital in
Rushville. She was born Jan. 6, 1913, in
Browning, the daughter of Warren and Lucy (Fish)
Waters. She married Francis F. Walton Dec.
17, 1930, in Rushville. He died Oct. 20,
1997. She also was preceded in death by a
brother, Charles Waters. Survivors include a
daughter, Dianne (husband Robert) Hutton of Naples;
one granddaughter, Mrs. Nita (husband John) Corson of
Macomb; two {three} grandsons, Darrell (Vicki) Ruth,
Mt. Carmel, Gareld (wife Lori) Ruth of Rushville and
Roger (Bob Giganti) Ruth of Springfield; 11
great-grandchildren, 5 great-great-grandchildren; and
a nephew {Paul Waters, Aurora}. She was a
homemaker. She was a member of the Browning
Methodist Church. She was active in the Schuyler
Brown Historical Society. She was one of the
persons responsible for the restoration of the
Schuyler Jail into the museum it is today. She
was a wealth of knowledge when it come to genealogy
and helped many people trace their ancestry
roots. She was always enthusiastic in sharing
Schuyler County history with school children when they
came to the museum and to others in the
community. In 1999, she was awarded the
first Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award for her
part in creating awareness of local history in
Rushville. She was the grand marshall of the
Rushville Smiles Day Parade. While active in
many endeavors, she found time to be a member of many
organizations, including the Business and Professional
Women's Club, the Schuyler County Women's Club,
Schuyler Historical Society, the DAR, and the Schuyler
Home Bureau. She was the Browning Township
Assessor for many years and was active in
politics.. Services will be at 11 a.m.
Thursday, July 27, 2006, at Shawgo Memorial Home in
Astoria with David Haney officiating. Interment
will be at Bader Cemetery near Browning.
Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 26,
at Shawgo Memorial Home in Astoria.
Memorials may be made to the Schuyler Jail Museum or
the Browning Rescue
Squad.
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