Former Batavian, others inducted into Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame

BATAVIA – Delbert Peterson did the opposite of most in the winter and flew from Florida to Illinois this week to be recognized as one of seven 2012 inductees into the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame.

Born in Aurora in 1926, Peterson lived in Batavia for more than 40 years before moving to Vero Beach, Calif., where he resides now.

"I could almost cry right now," Peterson said after hearing his name read aloud during the induction announcement at the Batavia Public Library. "I never would have dreamed this day would happen."

Peterson graduated from East Aurora High School and studied at both the American Academy of Art and Ruth Ford's Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He worked for nine years at the now-defunct Geneva Kitchens and Elgin National Watch Company before he opened his own commercial art studio in Batavia. In the 1950s, he devoted himself exclusively to the fine arts. He's won dozens of awards and been exhibited in five states.

"I think this is wonderful," he said. "I do miss this area, too. I think about it often."

The Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who associate with the Fox Valley by birth, education, residence or service, said Susie Starrett, chair of the selection committee. Each candidate must have 20 years of experience in his or her field and be either nationally or internationally recognized, she said. The group has inducted members into the hall of fame every other year since 2002.

"We want the area to be really proud of these people," Starrett said.

Her mother, Susan Starrett, chairs the council.

"It's very exciting to be introduced to so many people that we would not have otherwise known about," Susan Starrett said. "It's really been fun and every inductee has been really excited."

Peterson said he has painted more than 1,400 pieces throughout his life, including a watercolor piece on display at the induction announcement that he said was a look down a road in the North Aurora area.

"Hopefully, it will never come to the point where I paint a perfect painting," Peterson said. "You always have to be critical of your own work."

He said the Fox Valley area was very warm and welcoming to artists and the arts community, noting that he had some wonderful teachers growing up.

"They were very inspiring and helped me tremendously," he said.

There were six other people inducted in this year's hall of fame class.

• Gower Champion, a dancer who was born in Geneva in 1919 and who accumulated eight Tony Awards for his career in choreography and musical direction. He died in 1980.

• Annbritt (Gemmer) duChateau, a top conductor in musical theater. She was born in Aurora in 1965. She is currently the New York conductor for "Billy Elliott" on Broadway.

• George Grant Elmslie, an architect who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright. He helped build historic buildings in Aurora and Elgin. He died in 1952.

• Carolyn Hove, a solo English horn player for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. She was born in Elgin.

• John Qualen, who was born in Elgin and was a character actor in such films as "Casablanca" and "The Grapes of Wrath." He passed away in 1987.

• Dominic Walsh, who was born in Elgin and is a dancer, performing with the Houston Ballet for more than a decade.