Downtown Champaign in Champaign County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Roger Joseph Ebert

June 18, 1942-April 4, 2013

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 28, 2023

1. Roger Joseph Ebert Marker

Inscription. Renowned film critic, co-star of the “At the Movies” television series with Gene Siskel and son of Urbana, Roger Ebert changed the way people thought about movies. The University of Illinois graduate was the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years. He was the first journalist to win the Pulitzer Prize for film criticism; to be inducted as an honorary member of the Director's Guild of America, to receive the American Society of Cinematographer's Award, and to have his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and at the Chicago Theater. He also received the highest honor from the State of Illinois, the Order of Lincoln.

In 1998, he and his wife, Chaz, brought the Ebertfest Film Festival to his hometown. He said that empathy was one of the most important aspects of civilization, and that movies were a giant empathy machine. He was a visionary mentor and technologist. And a loving husband and family man.

Sculpture by Rick Harney

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1998.

Location. 40° 7.036′ N, 88° 14.721′ W.

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Marker is in Champaign, Illinois, in Champaign County. It is in Downtown Champaign. It is at the intersection of West Park Avenue and North Randolph Street, on the left when traveling west on West Park Avenue. Marker is in front of the Virginia Theater. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 203 W Park Ave, Champaign IL 61820, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Illinois.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Inman Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away); New Orpheum Theatre (approx. 0.2 miles away); Champaign's Lincoln (approx. 0.3 miles away); The First Congregational Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Cattle Bank Building (approx. 0.4 miles away); Kappa Sigma Fraternity House (approx. 0.8 miles away); Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity House

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 28, 2023

2. Roger Joseph Ebert Marker

Featured marker is on the left. (Plaque on the right is non-historical)

(approx. 0.8 miles away); Early Computers (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Champaign.

Also see . . . Rogert Ebert. Wikipedia entry on the noted film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. (Submitted on June 8, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Roger Joseph Ebert Sculpture image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 28, 2023

3. Roger Joseph Ebert Sculpture

This sculpture shows Ebert giving a “thumbs up”, signifying a positive movie review. The gesture was popularized on “At the Movies”, in which he and co-host Gene Siskel gave a thumbs-up to movies they liked and a thumbs-down for those they didn't.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 8, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 232 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 8, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.