October 17 Illinois History Minute

It’s October 17th, and actress Marsha Hunt was born in Chicago on this day in 1917. Hunt’s career in movies, TV and on Broadway spanned nearly 80 years, disrupted by her being blacklisted in 1950. In 1947, Hunt was heard on a radio broadcast, sponsored by the Committee for the First Amendment, a group of Hollywood actors, directors and screenwriters who defended colleagues accused of having communist ties.

Friends Plaza was dedicated on this day in 1999, at the corner of Goodwin and Main in Urbana, next to the U of I’s Campbell Hall, the home of WILL. The brick-lined plaza is dedicated to WILL’s donors and volunteers.