• See photos of the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award Reception, held at the Chicago Cultural Center on October 17, 2007

In honor of its 25th anniversary, The Illinois Humanities Council launched The Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award program in 1999 in which mayors are asked to nominate those individuals, primarily volunteers, who have championed the humanities in their communities. The program is now run on a biennial schedule. Since 1999, nearly 400 recipients have been named. The communities that have participated in the program are as far south as Makanda and as far north as Waukegan. Of these recipients, the majority was involved in creating awareness about local and/or regional history in their communities through the establishment of historical societies or museums; others were noted for their outstanding dedication to education, formal and informal; to literacy and library programs; to creating awareness for cultural heritage, music, literature, and the arts. By recognizing their efforts, we also encourage others, notably local government, to pay a bit more attention to the humanities.

A complete list of awardees in 2006 is below. For information on previous honorees, please click on the desired year in the right.