The late Madeline Babcock Smith, a lifelong Illinois resident, was born in Rochester and lived much of her life in Decatur. She published short stories, essays, and poetry in a number of newspapers and popular magazines. Dan Guillory, Hardy Distinguished Professor of English at Millikin University, Decatur, is the author of When the Waters Recede: Rescue and Recovery during the Great Flood, Living with Lincoln: Life and Art in the Heartland, and The Alligator Inventions, a book of poetry