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* Sun-Times…
Abandoned by his mother, the baby boy — he was about 2 — ended up at an Indiana orphanage during the Great Depression.
His luck changed when a WWI veteran and his wife filled out the “boy or girl” portion of an adoption application with the words: “any child we can love.”
That veteran, William Earl Quigley, made his adopted son his namesake and gave him whatever else he could working as a handyman and farmhand in a rural area outside Indianapolis.
The origin story stayed with him always — from when he served in the Army during the Korean War era as a newlywed to the time he retired with a pension from AT&T — and formed the bedrock motivation of his life: “You work hard to give your kids a better chance than you had.”
On Saturday, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, Mr. Quigley, 92, died knowing he did just that.
His daughter Chris is a retired school superintendent. His daughter Linda was a social worker. His son Dan, who passed away two years ago, owned a used-record store. And his son Mike is a U.S. congressman.
“He didn’t like most politicians, so the irony that his son grew up to be one was not lost upon him,” said Mike Quigley, who represents Illinois’ 5th Congressional District.
* Congressman Bill Foster’s brother also passed away. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel…
Fred Foster, who co-founded and helped grow Middleton-based ETC into a global, 1,000-employee company in the theater lighting business, has died at the age of 61.
Foster helped launch the company with his brother, Bill, and two friends in the mid-1970s. Today it is recognized globally for manufacturing lighting and rigging technology for entertainment and architectural use, with employees in 10 countries and more than 300 authorized service centers around the world. ETC stands for Electronic Theatre Controls. […]
In a statement Friday, the company called Foster “a visionary, an innovator, and a role model.”
“The ETC culture of family, support, and encouragement is attributed to Foster and his vision of a creating a people-focused environment. It’s difficult to put into words what it has been like to work for and with such an inspiring leader,” the company said.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Feb 11, 19 @ 11:43 am
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–“You work hard to give your kids a better chance than you had.”–
“Leave it better than you found it” was the challenge my immigrant parents always gave us.
My and my siblings kids are a long way up the ladder from picking rocks out of a field to hopefully grow grass to squeeze some milk out of cows.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 11, 19 @ 11:55 am
My condolences to both the Quigley and Foster families.
Both men had significant impacts to those around them and their families.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 11, 19 @ 11:55 am
peace to both families.
Comment by Amalia Monday, Feb 11, 19 @ 11:58 am
That first story was a great one. That family did right by the boy they ultimately adopted. Great story and condolences to Mike Quigley’s family.
Comment by Levois Monday, Feb 11, 19 @ 12:23 pm
Godspeed to both.
Comment by Left Leaner Monday, Feb 11, 19 @ 12:30 pm
Many families have an interesting and/or inspirational story somewhere in their past that informs the present. Thank you for sharing the Quigley’s here. RIP William Earl Quigley. You had a long life Well lived, sir.
Comment by Responsa Monday, Feb 11, 19 @ 1:25 pm
Sounds like some good people. Condolences to both families.
=a WWI veteran and his wife filled out the “boy or girl” portion of an adoption application with the words: “any child we can love.”=
And if you’re going to post stuff like that, Rich, you should have a tissue alert.
Comment by JoanP Monday, Feb 11, 19 @ 1:40 pm
Both remarkable stories. Peace and love to the families
Comment by Just a Citizen Monday, Feb 11, 19 @ 3:00 pm