The Prairie Landscape

The Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award - 2006


Identa Austin

Nominated By The Honorable Arthur F. Prochaska


Yorkville


Identa Austin

For her 30 years as an English teacher, Identa Austin helped guide youth in the proper and creative use of the language and is still known for her commitment to teaching, orchestrating, and adhering to the command of her native tongue. Throughout the years, she has made a point to use her ability to articulate, debate, and relate historical and philosophical issues to improve the lives of seniors and the less fortunate. Since her retirement, she has continued to devote countless hours to the needs of children, teachers, the sick and the elderly in her community of Yorkville. She is a 30-year veteran of the Illinois Retired Teachers' Association. Among her many contributions to the humanities and her community, in 2003 Ms. Austin donated a portion of her family's farmland to the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. Profits generated by the land fund the Moler-Austin Scholarship Program for Kendall County high school graduates pursuing a degree in secondary education with a major in English or a foreign language. Ms. Austin is also involved in numerous other organizations—she is a District Director and Training Specialist for the American Association of Retired Persons and a longtime active member of the American Cancer Society, Senior Services Associates, and the Fox Valley Older Adult Services.

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