- Date Of Birth: July 28, 1931
- Date Of Death: July 18, 2021
- State: Illinois
Jack Lee Bradley, 89, formerly of Chillicothe, passed away on Sunday, July 18, 2021, at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley, Illinois. He had resided at the Illinois Veterans Home in LaSalle the past 8 years.He was born on July 28, 1931, in Des Moines, Iowa, the son of Merle H. and Mildred Jacobs Bradley. He has one sister, Betty Smith of Chillicothe, who survives, and one brother, Richard, who preceded him in death.
He married Mary Carol Gauwitz on June 14, 1951, after graduating from Chillicothe High School. They were married 70 years. He was of the Christian faith. Together they had three children, Mark, Matthew and Janette (Bradley) Smith. They survive, along with four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.Jack was a Korean War Veteran (1951-1953), where he served as a combat motion picture cameraman. After the war, he was the first newsreel cameraman in Peoria for WEEK TV in 1954. He was a news photographer for the Peoria Journal Star for over 23 years and served as President of both the Illinois Press Photographers Association and the National Press Photographers Association.
He also owned and operated Jack Bradley’s Photo Shop in Chillicothe for 20 years, with the assistance of his family.His most famous photograph, “Me!,” was of a deaf child hearing his voice for the first time and was published in Reader’s Digest and transmitted worldwide by the Associated Press.In 1977, he left the Journal Star to start his own advertising agency, Media Consultants. The business evolved into a highly successful in-store marketing operation, from which he retired as Chairman of the Board. He founded Riverbeach Publishing, devoted to publishing Central Illinois authors, and was elected to the Peoria County Board, as well as a Trustee on the Chillicothe Township Board.Jack was a charter member of the Chillicothe Sportsmen Club and an Associate member of the Rice Pond Hunting Club, as well as a life member of the Peoria Casting Club.
He served as President of the Friends of Bradley University’s Collum-Davis Library, which houses a special collection of his images. He was a member of Mohammed Shrine in Peoria and the Scottish Rite Valley of Peoria. He was a longtime member of the George Washington Lodge in Chillicothe. He also served on the Board of Directors of Exposition Gardens and the Heart of Illinois Fair for 13 years. He was one of the founders of the Soldiers Hill Volunteer Assn at Springdale Cemetery in Peoria and was actively involved in restoring the cemetery.
