Grand Prairie View
by Jeff McSweeney
August 2014
I grew up in Washington, graduated from Eureka College, then attended graduate school in Savannah, Georgia. I made my way back to Central Illinois in the Summer of 2000, landing in Eureka. Eureka is a distinctive town full of colorful people and quirks similar to that of our wonderful families. I am honored to serve as a...
Read MoreGrand Prarie View
by Jeff McSweeney
The novel, Grand Prairie View, evolves with each Peorian. We have been introduced to commercial real estate developers, a director of a non-profit, Rod Stewart and a host of others. I wish I could be more like them for their commitment to a... READ MORE
Read MoreHe Belongs To The World
by Jeff McSweeney
Born in Zanesville, Ohio he moved to the north side of Peoria area as a young child then to the Heights. He entered the Marine Corps at 17 and served for twenty years attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. While in the Corps his career mostly focused on... READ MORE
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I had decided to cover District 150 for this edition but ran into dead ends of how to wrap it with other subjects. My editor suggested I contact his good friend Dave Walty who has a great... READ MORE
Read Moreby Jeff McSweeney
Created as a vehicle to explore the people, places and events of Central Illinois that will provide the foundation of a novel, Grand Prairie View evolves. The elements featured in this column may or may not make the final novel, this is a vehicle for exploration and discovery. READ MORE
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Photos by Jeff and Quincy McSweeney
He still had that twinkle in his eye.
Ray attended St. Bernards elementary school and was in the Woodruff class of ’49. He attended Catholic Mass daily as a kid and returned to that tradition 20 years ago, “It has kept me alive,” he said. One of the first people Ray admired was ...READ MORE
Read Moreby Jeff McSweeney
A collection of people, places, things and events for a novel about Central Illinois.
Identifying characters is an interesting challenge. Some I know as close friends, others I know through their public presence. The goal of presenting these characters is to create a foundation for the whole story to build. Some of these observations witness the whole person, others present idealized or otherwise distinctive personality traits that will result in the...READ MORERead More
by Jeff McSweeney
Paul is an old-soul storyteller who captivates those around him. Born in 1971 at Resurrection Hospital on the far Northwest side of Chicago he embraces an accent that is classic Southside, a trait he credits to his father who is the epitome of that part of the country. He is a mix of Czech, Danish, German and Polish descent and is especially proud of his... READ MORE
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Being a photographer means understanding light.
Thanks to a wonderful middle school teacher I was introduced to traditional black & white photography. Since that introduction I photographed for the high school yearbook, was campus photographer for Eureka College and... READ MORE
Read Moreby Jeff McSweeney
Quincy – my daughter, a sophomore in high school, an artist, interested in biology and boys. Quincy, my track star.
Quincy found her interest in running in middle school. At the end of her 6th grade year a clip board was being passed around class and she moved it right along, the next person in line handed it back to Quincy and told her to sign up for the first year of cross country. Without really thinking about it she signed up. With summer over she returned to school and began an adventure. READ MORE
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