The city of Pontiac, Ill., will give the Diaz family a commemorative medallion on Jan. 19 for their winning the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award in October, according to a news release from the city’s tourism division.
From the news release:
Of their many contributions to the community, they are being honored specifically for devoting their collective energies to public art projects such as “Art on Mainstreet” and the Pontiac Wall Dogs Festival that help to promote the creation and appreciation of art, history, and our cultural inheritance. […]
The Studs Terkel award is a program of the Illinois Humanities Council and annual honors those individuals who do volunteer work and have “demonstrated a sustained and significant contribution to furthering public understanding of the humanities in their community. These unsung “humanities heroes” contribute to cultural life through projects related to historic preservation, heritage, adult and childhood education, and the study of arts or music.”
The award honors Jane and Bill Diaz, along with their sons, Joe and Ben.
The Wall Dogs Festival brings in artists from a wide region to create new art mural on buildings in Pontiac’s historic downtown area. The city’s Route 66 heritage has been a theme to several of the murals. The murals of Pontiac can be seen here.
The ceremony will begin shortly after the city council meeting starts. A public reception to honor the Diazes will begin at 6 p.m. that day in the council chambers at City Hall.
Studs Terkel, who died on Oct. 31, 2008, was a controversial and beloved Pulitzer-winning writer and radio personality, based in Chicago.