THE  PHIL0SOPHER’S   DAUGHTER

                                              NORMAN  V.  KELLY        

 

I was born in Peoria on Thanksgiving Day, 1885 to Eugene and Frances Gove Baldwin. Some of you living there today may have actually read something I wrote during my long writing career.  The same is true for my father, Eugene, because he founded the STAR, a newspaper that he started in Peoria. I went to the same schools that many of you did, including Bradley Polytechnic, class of ‘05.

 

Early on in life I traveled the world, and finally got my other degree from Smith College in Northampton.  I had several homes, including Sanibel Island in Mexico, Florida, New York and Maine, but in my heart Peoria, Illinois was my home.  I lived in Boothbay, Maine for many years, until I saw my last sunrise in 1978. I lived 92 years loving the sight of the morning sun, and marveling at the beautiful setting sun all around the world.  Yet, the feeling I always had for Peoria, Illinois stayed with me all those years.

 

I lived a wonderful life, I never married or had the pleasure of a child of my own but I was a contented, vibrant person, with a love for news and writing. I was a journalist, newspaper owner, radio broadcaster, theater critic, columnist, correspondent and world traveler.  I attended political conventions and reported back to Peoria, Illinois and other newspapers in America. I bet if you contacted Bradley University you could read a lot of my stories and other works.  Smith College also gathered up some of my work and I hope it is still available there. I was a busy woman all my life, and I loved being in the thick of things, writing what I saw, and how those things changed our lives.

 

Actually, my father, Eugene Baldwin, was the famous man in our family, he was strong willed and opinionated and a lot of people claimed I inherited many of his traits.  My father was known as the ‘Philosopher’ and I was often compared to him.  Reporters that interviewed me over the years spent most of their time asking me questions about my father. I often hoped that he was as proud of me as I was of him.

 

When I returned to Peoria to start my career as a hard-nosed, fact-finding reporter I ended up being the secretary to my father.  Now that was far from the glamorous, exciting life I had planned for myself.  He would dictate his many articles and editorials directly to me while I pounded on the typewriter wishing that it were I doing the dictating. Still, I got my chance and one day I submitted my first article to the press boss, telling him I wanted it to appear in the Sunday paper. It did, and I wrote countless articles over the years with no interference, advice or guidance from my father.  My father was indeed a philosopher, so very well read, and truly a remarkable man.

 

When I returned to Peoria in 1889, I expected to live rather well, but the truth was that my father was broke.  We lived on Cedar Avenue, but as time went on, our life style changed dramatically. I went to Lincoln School and every day I would leave school and walk to my father’s office located in the beautiful Peoria Opera House that my father was responsible for instigating. It was truly a remarkable place and I cried when it burned to the ground in 1909. I was involved in Peoria’s theaters, dancing schools and writing children’s books.  After my father’s death in 1914 I was credited with taking over the operation of THE STAR. I owned 51% of it but I certainly did not run it.

 

My last chance to visit Peoria came in 1965 when Bradley University awarded me its Centurion Award.  Illness prevented me from coming, and I regretted that for the rest of my life. You folks are lucky to live in Peoria, Illinois, cherish your time there and God bless the heart of Illinois.                                         SIDNEY BALDWIN  

Editor’s Note:   Norm is a Peoria historian and life-long Peorian.                                     norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net