To say that the late Al Sturges had a life well lived is to allow for the existence of the sun, the moon and the stars and to declare two plus two equal four.
It goes without saying.
He was part of the basic weave of life in Park Forest for six decades; a sturdy thread that seemed to bind unrelated groups into a communitywide complex.
This past Saturday, family members and friends gathered at a Park Forest funeral home to talk about and pay homage to Sturges, 87, who died little more than one week ago. The spoken words were kind and generous, but one could sense a feeling of loss which could not be replaced and that somehow, the ordinary fabric of daily life in the town was disturbed.
He was always “Al” to those who knew him and he always seemed to be actively involved in the life of the village, from his support of adult learning to a visionary belief in the value of bicycling.
Sturges was the longest serving board member of the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park at Governors State University and, according to park curator Jeff Stevenson, enjoyed introducing visiting children to some of the 31 abstract monumental exhibits.
“That gave him joy and pleasure,” Stevenson said, especially while introducing youths to the yellow “Illinois Landscape No. 5,” commonly known as “French Fries.”
After first enjoying classes in the Governors State Knowledge Exchange program, he joined its curriculum committee and began to present classes. He was an organizer of the Park Forest Library’s Potpourri Program, and the last program he planned, 200 years of Black Women Activists, was done some two weeks ago.
“He was a great supporter of everything local,” said friend Dave Bartlett. “When he presented a program he always did his homework.”
Sturges, he said, was a member of the Romeos, which is an acronym for Retired Old Men Eating Out.
Village Trustee Joe Woods spoke about Al’s ability to transcend the limit of race, and near the end of the service, Laura Shataji moved the audience by singing a reverential version of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
Honors came quickly for Sturges. As a senior at Virginia Tech, a school with a large corps of cadets, he was the civilian class president his senior year. He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago and worked for Amoco Oil Company for 35 years before retiring in 1992.
Al moved to Park Forest in 1962 and quickly became an integral part of the village’s Committee for Non-Partisan Local Government, serving as president for years. The committee allows candidates for office to air their views in open forums if they pledge to run as individuals and not as part of a slate. Although he wished to take a back seat in recent years, when a potential rules violations was discovered, newer members of the group were often quick to say “let’s ask Al.”
In 2012, both Al and his wife, Barbara, were inducted into the Park Forest Hall of Fame.
Through the years he was a constant, diligent bicyclist and passionate advocate for cycling. He was president of the Folks on Spokes bicycling organization, was a former director of Ride Illinois and worked on boards of numerous bicycling groups. He often logged more than 6,000 miles a year on his bike. Over the years his bike travels with Barbara took them to four continents.
Despite the toll of the years, he never wanted to give up riding. At the time of his death, he was awaiting delivery of an electric assist tricycle.
There was also a steel core that transcended the scrapes, falls and bruises of life because nothing could keep Al Sturges from doing what he loved. According to his daughter, Leah Mayer, her father underwent a quadruple bypass surgery in December 2000 and one year later was able to climb to the summit of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro.
Barb Sturges sighed. “That was Al,” she said quietly.
The memorial card given to attendees at the visitation included Al’s version of a once popular song:
“The answer my friend is not blowing in the wind. It’s riding a bike.”
That was also Al.
Jerry Shnay is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.
