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Illinois son who pushed to honor father dies short of goal

URBANA — An Urbana man who pushed for years to have either a courthouse or post office named for his accomplished father has died.

The News-Gazette in Champaign (http://bit.ly/1bVHITx ) reports that Steve Burgess died Friday. His wife, Dawn, said he suffered an aneurysm. He was 55.

Burgess pushed first to have the Champaign County courthouse named for his father, James R. Burgess. When that failed he pushed to have a post office named for him. That bid is still being considered by a Congressional committee.

The elder Burgess was the first black person elected to countywide office in Champaign County. He was the state’s attorney and later appointed as a federal prosecutor.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis said it was “just devastating” that Steve Burgess died before his father was honored.

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Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.com

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