Ms. Dee Pasternak is being honored for her work in the humanities in the community of Naperville. Ms. Pasternak, a Naperville artist, was a founding member of the Naperville Art League 40 years ago and served as its president for several years. Ms. Pasternak was the driving force behind the annual Riverwalk Art Fair, founded in 1990. Since 1995, Ms. Pasternak has served on the board of Naperville''s Century Walk, an outdoor public art project dedicated to showcasing historic moments, people, and places from the 20th century. Today a total of 15 sculptures and murals are nestled along the sidewalks for the enjoyment of strollers in and around downtown Naperville. Since 2001, Ms. Pasternak''s passions have also been directed toward the "Save Our Doughboy" project, an initiative to restore a World War I veteran depicted in a timeworn statue in Burlington Square Park. Recently, Ms. Pasternak was selected to help secure an artist to create a sculpture for the 9-11 Memorial planned for a site near the Naperville Municipal Center. Artifacts from the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania have been collected for the sculpture that will be the centerpiece of the memorial, a tribute to Navy Commander Dan Shanower and all other victims who lost their lives in the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
Select Illinois Humanities Council programs are now available for listening or download at Chicago Public Media (WBEZ) as a part of Chicago Amplified, a web-based audio library of diverse public events recorded throughout the Chicago region.
