Jean and Sam Polk

Sam Polk worked his way up the ranks of the City of Peoria’s Public Works Department. But he built his legacy in the Peoria branch of the NAACP. He was the sturdy and steadfast bridge between the NAACP of the 1960s and the NAACP of 2021. In September, he joined the ancestors whose faith and courage he carried into the present. His loyalty and support went beyond the NAACP to the community of believers and institutions that worked for justice, empowerment and the cultural welfare at all levels. And so it is fitting that the NAACP named its annual humanitarian award after him and his wife Jean, who survives along with other family members.

The Rev. Alphonso Lyons

The Rev. Alphonso Lyons was a preacher and a teacher. He got the call when he was in high school and became an associate minister when he was in college. By the time he passed in late September, he had served Mount Zion more than five decades, including 47 years as pastor. He fostered Mount Zion’s involvement in programs ranging from a food pantry to home ownership, financial literacy, environmental justice and the annual Martin Luther King Freedom March. He worked as a substitute teacher, though he had a master’s degree in education administration. He understood the church must serve the whole person and the entire community.