11/17/2023 | Angela Whitlock, CSRA

 

~*FEATURED VENDORS: Ronald E. Schmitt, Greg Pasley, and Roger Digges*~

 

During the month of November, the Museum Store wanted to acknowledge and give THANKS to the local artists and authors that allow us to support them.

 

Since we have so many great local artists and authors in our Museum Store, we are featuring three local authors during our third week!

 

Ronald E. Schmitt is a former architect in Chicago with the firms of Harry Weese & Associates, Loebl Schlossman Bennett & Dart, and Environmental Planning and Research. Ronald is currently still an architect, but now resides in Urbana, Illinois. He is also a Professor Emeritus with the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Since 2010, Ronald has published thirteen books, including Images of Midwestern Architecture: Downstate Illinois and Rustic Architecture in Rugged Parks, both of which we sell in the Museum Store.

 

The latter of these two books is a recent addition to our Museum Store. Published in 2022, it emphasizes the use of natural building materials within natural settings. It serves as a comprehensive overview that showcases important examples of Rustic Architecture throughout national, state, and local parks and emphasizes our timeless connection to nature.

 

Greg Pasley is a retired technology teacher who currently resides in his hometown of Mahomet, returning there in 2006. He has been researching and documenting the history of the village of Middletown (currently Mahomet) for years, a project that originally began by doing family genealogy. Searching for information about his ancestors kept leading him to information on Mahomet. Greg has published four volumes of his series Diggin' Up Bones, all of which are sold at the Museum Store. A fifth volume is expected soon, and there are plans of a sixth volume that will conclude the series.

 

The series is an accumulation of historical articles, village tales, and anecdotes. The latest volume, published in 2019, contains more factual, detailed accounts and less storytelling.

 

Roger Digges is a Urbana Park Commissioner and member of the Audubon Society. Originally from Harvey, Illinois, he has lived in Urbana for the past thirty years. Roger's new book, Meadowbrook: A History is currently available at the Museum Store.

 

It tells the story of how the Urbana Park District transformed 130 acres of farmland into an iconic park that provides a unique blend of nature, art, recreation, and learning, highlighting how the District's inspired and creative leaders used district funds, found grants, donations, and volunteers. The book also encapsulates the experiences that Roger and his wife, Cathy Digges, have had at Meadowbrook Park over the past couple of decades, including observing its wildlife, admiring its floral displays, walking its trails, and counting its migrating and nesting birds. In addition, the book includes some ideas of what you can do at Meadowbrook Park during different seasons.

 

THANK YOU to Ronald E. Schmitt, Greg Pasley, and Roger Digges for your tireless contributions in furthering the history of Champaign County in such a way that offers unique, local perspectives and opens readers up to stories, places, and images that may not have otherwise been widely known.

 

Make sure to stop in at the Museum Store to pick up copies of these books. They all make great holiday gifts!