Beverly Foote

1936 - 2025

Longtime educator and environmentalist Beverly Foote passed away suddenly on October 30, 2025 at Carle Hospital in Urbana, Illinois.

Beverly was born on May 7, 1936, in Green Bay, Wisconsin to Walter and Esther (Sinclair) Dreisow and spent her early childhood on a farm outside of Seymour, Wisconsin. Her family moved to Kent, Washington where she graduated from Kent-Meridian High School. She completed a B.S. in Agriculture at the State College of Washington (1958) and a Ph.D. in Agronomy at the University of Illinois (1961). Beverly's first intellectual passion was geology, but at that time degree programs in Geology were not open to women. Instead, she studied plant science and became the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Agronomy at the University of Illinois. Her research was published in Plant Physiology.

In graduate school Beverly met and married Dan Foote, a graduate student in Biochemistry. The family settled in Charleston, Illinois where Dan taught on the Chemistry faculty at Eastern Illinois University. Beverly also taught Biology, Cartography, and Chemistry at EIU throughout her time in Charleston. Her clear, direct explanations were appreciated by the first-year students in her classes.

In Charleston, Beverly focused her attention on historic preservation, natural resources, and the environment. She was a founding member of the Association for the Preservation of Historic Coles County (1978) and served as chairman of the Historic Preservation Advisory Council to the Coles County Regional Planning Commission. In these roles she supported the historical renovation of the Coles County Court House and worked to preserve the Blakeman Bridge south of Charleston.

Beverly was an associate director of the Coles County Soil and Water Conservation District (1975-1985) and testified before Congress against the proposed Lincoln Reservoir. Beverly and Dan participated in the forming of Grand Prairie Friends (1984), a not-for-profit conservation organization and land trust that now owns and maintains over 1,000 acres of original prairie and conservation land in east-central Illinois. They were founding members of the Embarras Volunteer Stewards (1994), a group that helps local public and private land owners in their efforts to preserve and restore native prairie and woodland sites.

After retirement Dan and Beverly moved to Champaign, Illinois to be closer to their children and families. They made Grand Prairie Friends their outdoor home and enjoyed volunteering there. They took long summer road trips, including a whole summer in Alaska, canoeing the boundary waters in Minnesota, the wild and scenic Missouri River, the Everglades, and following historical events along the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Beverly was committed to the better treatment of women in our society. She did everything she possibly could so that no-one would be neglected and disregarded as she had been. She was most happy when discovering and encouraging the curiosity, tenaciousness, and accomplishment inside every girl and young woman she encountered. And she left behind a great network of people whose lives she touched.

Beverly is preceded in death by her parents, husband Dan, brothers Albert and Irvin, and sister Brenda. She is survived by her sister Barbara, her children Carl (Tom West) Foote, Karen (David) Andsager, and Susan (Dan) Hara, five grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

According to her wishes, cremation rites have been accorded by Illiana Cremation Society. Condolences may be shared with her family on her everlasting memorial page at illianacremationsociety.com. Donations may be made in the name of Beverly Foote to Grand Prairie Friends (www.grandprairiefriends.org). A gathering to share memories of her life is being planned.