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Paul Idleman by Alison Davis Wood
Paul Idleman was a man who lived many lives during his short time with us. I first met Paul when he had recently taken the job as director of the Champaign County Historical Museum. Many times over the years he provided props and shooting locations for productions at WILL including “Gold Star Mothers: Pilgrimage of Remembrance” and “10 Sisters: A True Story.” As I got to know Paul, he shared some amazing stories from his years in Colorado. He had published a comedy newspaper and one of his writers was Roseanne Barr. One time he even assigned Roseanne to do an interview with then “almost famous” comedian Jay Leno. Paul was also a big music fan. Every year he would burn CDs for his friends that included his favorite songs. He used his graphic design talents to create hysterical covers for these treasured gifts. Paul’s love of music had led him to a career as a rock and roll photographer. He approached a Colorado radio station about publishing a newspaper for them and suggested he get photos of local concerts to include in the publication. The radio station bit and he had a backstage pass. Over the years he braved the crowds to get shots of The Who, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Ray Vaughn. But over the years he took other jobs and the photos were hidden away in boxes. Thankfully after he moved back to his hometown of Champaign, Carolyn Baxley of the Cinema Gallery in Urbana persuaded Paul to dig through his collection. The result was a showing of his work at the Gallery and an opening reception that drew friends from as far away as Colorado. Luckily, many got the chance to experience the talent of this wonderful man. He will be missed.
Segment duration: 09:12
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Producer: Alison Davis Wood
This segment is filed in these categories: Arts/Culture • Cinema/Theaters/Film • Music • Photography
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