Paul E. Bushnell

1930 - 2023

Paul E. Bushnell

May 2, 1930 - Oct. 15, 2023

BLOOMINGTON - Paul E. Bushnell, age 93, died October 15, 2023, at Martin Health Center, Westminster Village.

He was born May 2, 1930, in Cleveland, OH, the son of Paul Palmer and Mildred (Shackleton) Bushnell who preceded him in death, as well as his brother, Walter(Peg), Denver, CO.

Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Lyon Bushnell; and four children: Paul Timothy Bushnell (Yuping Han) Cincinnati, OH, Anne Lyon Bushnell (John Schepers), St. Paul, MN, John Ellsworth Bushnell, Santa Barbara, CA, and Sarah Bushnell McManus (James), Normal, IL; and four grandchildren: Henry Bushnell, Boston, MA, and Benjamin Bushnell Brooklyn, NY, and Oliver McManus, and Declan McManus, Normal, IL.

Paul grew up in Wooster, OH, and attended the College of Wooster. It was here that he met Dorothy Moore Lyon. They were married the day after they both graduated in June 1953, and celebrated their 70th anniversary in June 2023. During what would have been his sophomore year at college, Paul spent time abroad traveling with his parents to Afghanistan. His father was a professor of English at the College of Wooster and was recruited by the U.S. State Department to head an American-style school in Kabul. Paul would later travel on his own through historic cities including Baghdad, Damascus, Jerusalem and more before returning to Wooster after his father's death.

He attended graduate school at the University of Michigan followed by Yale Divinity School and finally Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, when the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was taking hold. He was drawn to participate in several of the lunch counter sit-in protests and organizing meetings as one of a few white student participants. He became a founding member of the Nashville Chapter of SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) while attending Vanderbilt. In 1966, Paul was hired at Illinois Wesleyan University by Bunyan Andrew, then chair of the history department. It's said they were looking for someone who was "relevant to the issues of the day" and "had a good academic pedigree." The privilege of his educational background was not lost on Paul, famous for a quote in his Honors Day speech that was printed on a coffee mug, "Teach for Justice not for Privilege." In 1968, Professor Bushnell introduced Wesleyan's first course in African American history, a rare offering on any US college campus at the time. It met with resistance at first, but later his Civil Rights class became one of the most popular on campus. He helped to offer students historical perspective on other major issues of the day such as the Vietnam War. He was instrumental in establishing a local chapter of Head Start and worked on the Bloomington Normal Black History Project. Professor Bushnell is probably best known for the eyewitness accounts he shared with students and colleagues, for his ability to listen and have long and meaningful conversations about almost any subject, and for the friendliest grin and twinkle in his blue eyes.

At home Paul and Dotti loved gardening and great food. Dad was the digger of holes in the garden alongside Mom the design director, and together they were the best. He delighted in supporting Dotti's work as the owner of The Garlic Press in Uptown Normal. Paul had fond childhood memories of vacations in the wood and lakes of Canada and Minnesota and later arranged over 20 years of annual summer trips to the shores of Lake Superior in Grand Marais, MN, sharing evening meals with three generations under one roof.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, November 12, 2023, at Evelyn Chapel on Illinois Wesleyan University campus with a reception following at the Joslin Atrium.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center by calling 1-334-956-8408, or going to their website: splcenter.org; or to an organization of the donor's choice.

The family would like to thank the nurses and aids at Martin Health center and Carle Hospice for their care and support.

Beck Memorial Home in Bloomington, IL, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Please view the online condolences at www.beckmemorial.com.