The Waukegan City Club has honored a local author with its first award for contributions to local arts and culture.
Lifelong Waukegan resident Virginia Mullery was recognized for her career as a journalist and author writing about Lake County.
Her 1989 book, “This Land of Lakes and Rivers,” was singled out for special praise from the group, which plans to make the award an annual tradition. Commissioned by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, the book chronicles Lake County’s history, from the original Potowatomi Indians who lived in the area through the French fur traders of the 1600s to the late 20th Century.
The City Club sponsored a giant-size copy of Mullery’s book for Waukegan artist Jim Harrington’s “Books on the Corner” public art project. The book is on display in Waukegan Harbor, near the Waukegan Yacht Club, where the City Club holds its weekly meetings.
“I consider it an honor to be chosen for the first award,” Mullery said after receiving a plaque from the club Tuesday. “The book could have been a lot longer. The hardest part about writing it was deciding what to leave out.”
