Obituary for Dorothy Sinclair
Dorothy Boyd Sinclair, 81, of Peoria died May 20, 2010, at 2:45p.m. at St. Francis Hospital with her husband at her side. A Celebration-of-Life service will be held at 11 a.m. at Universalist Unitarian Church, Peoria, IL, on Saturday, June 19, 2010, followed with a buffet luncheon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Universalist Unitarian Church Trust, Betty Friedan Memorial c/o YWCA, League of Women Voters of Peoria, or charity of choice. Cremation rites have been accorded. Dorothy was born April 21, 1929, in Adairsville, GA, the daughter of Thelma Satterfield Boyd and Robert Boyd. She married Henry Sinclair on April 18, 1955, in St. Louis, MO. Her husband Henry, daughter Claudia, Peoria, IL, and son Ian, Warrenton, VA., survive her. She attended Cartersville (GA) High School, Georgia State College for Women – now Georgia College and State University – (Milledgeville, GA) receiving a B.S. with honors in chemistry. She earned a M.S. degree in chemistry at Wellesley University and elected to Sigma Xi scientific society. Dorothy has worked at Mallinckrodt Chemical Works (St. Louis, MO), Beacon Chemical Company (Cambridge, MA), a laboratory instructor in chemistry at Illinois Central College (E. Peoria, IL) and the Peoria Historical Society. She was active in the League of Women Voters of Peoria, served two years as its President, and six years as the Peoria City Council observer for its Local Government Study Group (LOGO). She spearheaded the LOGO’s petition drive to change the manner of election to the Peoria City Council from a ward system to the present Council/Manager system with districts and council-at-large system. Dorothy was elected to the Peoria City Council as a council-at-large in 1975 and was re-elected four times, retiring in 1991. She ran unsuccessfully for Mayor in 1989. She was a member of the League of Women Voters of Peoria, Peoria Woman’s Civic Federation, American Association of University Women and Peoria Women’s Club. She has received several awards, among the many are: Rhodell Owens award, Peoria’s Tricentennial Commission award, YWCA’s Legend and Outstanding Achievement Professions award, Betty Osborne award, and Universalist Unitarian Church Outstanding Service award. Dorothy was Peoria Historical Society’s administrative head for several years; assisted in the acquisition and moving Peoria Visitor’s Center (Powell Press building); promoted, trained and served as tour guide for historic trolley tours; board member of Tri-County Riverfront Action Forum, focusing on restoration of the Illinois river and Peoria’s riverfront. She made many public lectures throughout the area on the history of Peoria’s distillery business, infamous criminal element and Peoria’s historical leading women. In 1986, she said, “I want to be remembered for things that I might have done for people. Peoria is home, and it’s important for me to have made some kind of contribution to the community that has become so important to me.”
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