Shirley Martignoni Fedeli is honored with the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award for her efforts to keep Rockford''s ethnic heritage alive. A retired junior high school history and social studies teacher, Ms. Fedeli now serves as Board President of Rockford''s Ethnic Heritage Museum, a small but growing museum that celebrates the cultures of many ethnic groups that have settled in Rockford over the past 150 years. Through her leadership, the Ethnic Heritage Museum has secured funds to expand its exhibits of unique cultural artifacts and hosts an International Music Festival every summer. Ms. Fedeli also educates the community about her own Italian heritage through her performances with a local Italian dance troupe.
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.
