Aline Shotts, Galesburg’s first female Aldermen and a fierce advocate for children and the elderly died last weekend.
Shotts was 96 years old when she passed away Saturday in her Galesburg home surrounded by loved ones.
She served on the Galesburg City Council from 1979 to 1982, representing the 7th Ward, the first woman to be seated on the council.
Her legacy also includes being a founder of the OAKS Senior Center and serving four different terms as its president.
The Farnham Street Bridge was renamed the “Aline Shotts Bridge” in 2018 by the City Council after residents pushed for it.
The reasoning behind naming this particular bridge after Shotts is because she was said to be instrumental in replacing the bridge in the 1970s, petitioning the state government to do something about the wooden, rickety bridge.
Shotts was concerned with the safety of children crossing the bridge, going to or coming from nearby Nielson Elementary School.
Long before all that, Aline spent her early years in Arkansas during the Great Depression, before moving to Illinois to graduate from Oquawka High School in 1943.
She worked as a clerk for Levenberg Grocery for a time, until opening the East Losey Street Market in 1964 with her husband, Sam.
They operated the market for around ten years in the Swedish neighborhood known as “Monkeytown.”
Shotts is survived by two children, a brother, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Aline’s Life is pending with Watson-Thomas Funeral Home handling arrangements.
