Champaign

The 1915 Inman Hotel is a former hotel building in Champaign, Illinois, USA. It is located at the southeast corner of University Avenue and Walnut... Street, a major intersection in the downtown area of Champaign. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Inman Hotel was listed on the Register in 1989. The building is six stories tall and of Classical Revival style architecture in glazed yellow brick with beige terra cotta trim. Initially constructed with only five stories, a sixth floor was added only a few years later. Due to the shape of the lot on which it is situated, the east wall of the building is thirty-two feet longer than the west wall, resulting in the northeast and northwest corners not meeting at right angles. The building is eighty feet wide, and the shorter west wall is one hundred feet long.
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University of Illinois Ice Arena, also known as the Big Pond, is an ice arena and recreational sport facility located in Champaign, Illinois and... owned and operated by the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. The arena serves as the home for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's and women's college ice hockey teams that competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. The men's ice hockey team competes at the ACHA Division I level as a member of the Central States Collegiate Hockey League and the women's team competes in the Red Division of the Women's Central Hockey League. The Illinois Fighting Illini men's ACHA Division II team plays as an independent team in the Central Region. The facility is also the home of the U of I synchronized skating team. The arena features a non standard sized ice sheet approximately 195 ft x 115 ft, by comparison NHL regulation is 200 ft x 80 ft and Olympic regulation ice sheets are 200 ft × 98 ft. The arena is used for ice hockey, figure skating and open skating, and local high school hockey.
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George Frederick Will is an American newspaper columnist, journalist, and author. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winner best known for his conservative... commentary on politics. By the mid 1980s the Wall Street Journal reported he was "perhaps the most powerful journalist in America," in a league with Walter Lippmann . Will was born in Champaign, Illinois, the son of Frederick L. Will and Louise Hendrickson Will. His father was a respected professor of philosophy, specializing in epistemology, at the University of Illinois. Will graduated from University Laboratory High School of Urbana, Illinois, and attended Trinity College, in Hartford, Connecticut . He subsequently studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Magdalen College, University of Oxford , and received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in politics from Princeton University. His 1968 Ph.D. dissertation was entitled Beyond the Reach of Majorities: Closed Questions in the Open Society. Will then taught political philosophy at the James Madison College of Michigan State University, and at the University of Toronto. He taught at Harvard University in 1995 and again in 1998.
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Thomas Edward "Tom" Bodett is an American author, voice actor and radio host. He is also the current spokesman for the hotel chain Motel 6, whose... commercials end with the phrase, "I'm Tom Bodett for Motel 6, and we'll leave the light on for ya." In 1986, Bodett was both building houses in Alaska and contributing content to NPR's All Things Considered show. A creative director at the Richards Group ad agency heard him on NPR and hired him to do a commercial for Motel 6. Bodett ad-libbed the famous line "We'll leave the light on for you" and has been the spokesperson for the chain ever since then. The director, David Fowler, hired him because he "sound[ed] like the kind of person who stays there." Bodett hosted the public television program, Travels on America’s Historic Trails, in 1997. In 1999, Bodett started The Loose Leaf Book Company, a radio program that centered around author and book interviews, discussions, and dramatizations. He also published his first children's book, titled Williwaw! In 2005, Motel 6 began using Bodett for their wake-up calls.
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Ethel Clayton was an American actress of the silent film era. Clayton's screen debut came in 1909, in a short called Justified. She jockeyed her... early film appearances with a burgeoning stage career. Her pretty blond looks were reminiscient of the famous Gibson Girl drawings by Charles Dana Gibson. On the stage she appeared mainly in musicals or musical reviews such as The Ziegfeld Follies of 1911. These musical appearances indicate a singing talent Clayton may have possessed but went unused in her many silent screen performances. In 1912 she appeared in "The Country Boy" on stage at the Lyceum Theatre in Rochester New York and made her feature length film debut in For the Love of a Girl. The film was directed by Barry O'Neil. She was cast with Harry Myers, Charles Arthur, and Peter Lang. She was also directed by William Demille, Robert G. Vignola, George Melford, Donald Crisp, Dallas M. Fitzgerald, and Clifford Sanforth. Like many silent film actors Clayton's career was hurt by the coming of sound to motion pictures. She continued her career in small parts in movies until she retired in 1948. Her screen credits number more than 180.
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Adam Schmitt is a singer/songwriter from Champaign, Illinois. He recorded two albums with Reprise Records in the early 1990s before the label... released his contract. Afterwards, he began to record albums in his studio, Mixolydian Studios, working with artists such as Hum and Uncle Tupelo. He released a third album in 2001 after signing with Parasol Records, and continues to record and produce albums for other artists, including Velvet Crush, Three Hour Tour, Robynn Ragland, and Destroy The Heart .
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Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is... the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Ludacris has won a Screen Actors Guild, Critic's Choice, MTV, and several Grammy Awards during his career. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia at age nine, where he began rapping. After a brief stint as a disc jockey, he released his debut album Back for the First Time in 2000, which contained the singles "Southern Hospitality" and "What's Your Fantasy". In 2001, he released Word of Mouf, followed by Chicken-n-Beer in 2003. He took a more serious approach with his next three albums, The Red Light District , Release Therapy , and Theater of the Mind . His latest record, Battle of the Sexes, was released in 2010. Ludacris was born Christopher Brian Bridges in Champaign, Illinois, the only child of Roberta Shields and Wayne Brian Bridges. He is of African American and Native American descent.
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William "Bill" Geist is an American author, columnist, and television journalist. Geist was born in Champaign, Illinois, and graduated from... Champaign Central High School. He served in the United States Army as a combat photographer with the First Infantry Division in Vietnam. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating with a BA Communications , and the University of Missouri, graduating with an MA in Communications . He later returned to the University of Illinois, giving the speech at the 2005 commencement. Geist began his career in 1972 when he joined the Chicago Tribune's Suburban Trib subsidiary, where he worked as a reporter and columnist until 1980. From 1980 until 1987, he was a New York Times columnist; his "About New York" column appeared twice a week during this time. In August 1987, he joined CBS as a correspondent, where he contributes to CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes II and, occasionally, CBS Sports. He appears regularly on CBS Sunday Morning hosted by Charles Osgood, where he offers the Everyman's perspective on American pop culture and current events.
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Trenesha Biggers is a model and professional wrestler who worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Rhaka Khan. She was in the... final top 25 in the 2005 WWE Diva Search. Before entering wrestling, Biggers played college basketball at the College of Southern Idaho. She also played Division I volleyball at Florida State University. She later began working as a model and entered the WWE Diva Search, but was eliminated during the top 25. World Wrestling Entertainment later expressed interest in Biggers and signed her to a developmental contract. She was assigned to Deep South Wrestling. Biggers trained with Marty Jannetty for two months prior to reporting to Deep South Wrestling. Biggers debuted in World Wrestling Entertainment's Deep South Wrestling as the valet of The Regulators. Later, she and Angel Williams began a feud with Kristal Marshall, Tracy Taylor, and Michelle McCool. On February 9, 2006, Biggers participated in a bikini contest; however, there was no winner due to an interruption by Palmer Canon.
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Ethel Clayton was an American actress of the silent film era. Clayton's screen debut came in 1909, in a short called Justified. She jockeyed her... early film appearances with a burgeoning stage career. Her pretty blond looks were reminiscient of the famous Gibson Girl drawings by Charles Dana Gibson. On the stage she appeared mainly in musicals or musical reviews such as The Ziegfeld Follies of 1911. These musical appearances indicate a singing talent Clayton may have possessed but went unused in her many silent screen performances. In 1912 she appeared in "The Country Boy" on stage at the Lyceum Theatre in Rochester New York and made her feature length film debut in For the Love of a Girl. The film was directed by Barry O'Neil. She was cast with Harry Myers, Charles Arthur, and Peter Lang. She was also directed by William Demille, Robert G. Vignola, George Melford, Donald Crisp, Dallas M. Fitzgerald, and Clifford Sanforth. Like many silent film actors Clayton's career was hurt by the coming of sound to motion pictures. She continued her career in small parts in movies until she retired in 1948. Her screen credits number more than 180.
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"Brother" Jack McDuff was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era of the... 1960s, often performing with an organ trio. Born Eugene McDuffy in Champaign, Illinois, McDuff began playing bass, appearing in Joe Farrell's group. Encouraged by Willis Jackson in whose band he also played bass in the late 50s, McDuff moved to the organ and began to attract the attention of Prestige Records while still with Jackson's group. McDuff soon became a bandleader, leading groups featuring a young George Benson, Red Holloway on saxophone and Joe Dukes on drums. McDuff recorded many classic albums on Prestige including his debut solo Brother Jack in 1960, The Honeydripper , with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest and guitarist Grant Green, and Brother Jack Meets The Boss , featuring Gene Ammons, and Screamin’ . After his tenure at Prestige, McDuff joined the Atlantic Records label for a brief period and then in the 70s recorded for Blue Note.
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Annisteen Allen, born Ernestine Letitia Allen was an American blues singer. Allen's first recordings were made in 1945, and included "Miss Annie's... Blues" and "Love for Sale". She sang with Big John Greer, Wynonie Harris, and Lucky Millinder, and in 1951, Federal Records signed her to sing with Millinder's orchestra. She scored other hits with Millinder such as "I'll Never Be Free", "Let It Roll", "Moanin' the Blues", and "More, More, More". Federal's parent company, King Records, acquired her in 1953, but after releasing "Baby I'm Doing It", Apollo Records sued King for copyright infringement, and as a result King dropped her from its roster. She then signed with Capitol Records and did tours with Joe Morris and The Orioles. In 1955 she scored a hit in the U.S. with "Fujiyama Mama". She became a solo artist in the 1960s.
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Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is... the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Ludacris has won a Screen Actors Guild, Critic's Choice, MTV, and several Grammy Awards during his career. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia at age nine, where he began rapping. After a brief stint as a disc jockey, he released his debut album Back for the First Time in 2000, which contained the singles "Southern Hospitality" and "What's Your Fantasy". In 2001, he released Word of Mouf, followed by Chicken-n-Beer in 2003. He took a more serious approach with his next three albums, The Red Light District , Release Therapy , and Theater of the Mind . His latest record, Battle of the Sexes, was released in 2010. Ludacris was born Christopher Brian Bridges in Champaign, Illinois, the only child of Roberta Shields and Wayne Brian Bridges. He is of African American and Native American descent.
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William "Bill" Geist is an American author, columnist, and television journalist. Geist was born in Champaign, Illinois, and graduated from... Champaign Central High School. He served in the United States Army as a combat photographer with the First Infantry Division in Vietnam. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating with a BA Communications , and the University of Missouri, graduating with an MA in Communications . He later returned to the University of Illinois, giving the speech at the 2005 commencement. Geist began his career in 1972 when he joined the Chicago Tribune's Suburban Trib subsidiary, where he worked as a reporter and columnist until 1980. From 1980 until 1987, he was a New York Times columnist; his "About New York" column appeared twice a week during this time. In August 1987, he joined CBS as a correspondent, where he contributes to CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes II and, occasionally, CBS Sports. He appears regularly on CBS Sunday Morning hosted by Charles Osgood, where he offers the Everyman's perspective on American pop culture and current events.
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