Alyce Taylor Cheska , 91, of Clark Lindsey Village, Urbana, Illinois, passed away Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012. A memorial service will be held in the Huegy Lounge of Clark Lindsey Village, 101 W. Windsor Rd., Urbana , on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012 at 1:00 pm. Rev. Dr. Katherine Kussmaul of the First Presbyterian Church in Urbana will officiate. Alyce Cheska was born July 9, 1921 in Duluth, Minnesota. She pursued an academic professional career over 40 years. She attended the University of Minnesota in both Duluth and Minneapolis. She received her Ed. D. in higher education administration and physical education in 1960 from the University of California, Berkeley. She was head of the Department of Women's Physical Education at a number of schools before coming to the University of Illinois in 1966 to lead the Women's Physical Education Department. Prior to her retirement in 1987 she was also an affiliate professor in the Department of Anthropology specializing in the anthropology of play and sport. While at the University of Illinois she held various leadership positions, including faculty senate and serving as Faculty Representative for Athletics for the U. of I. to the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA. She received the Big Ten Athletic Conference award for outstanding service. She is credited with numerous writings, including four books, and over 140 research papers, book chapters, professional papers and presentations. One of her books was used as a text book in Japanese universities and another was the first volume of the UNESCO sponsored Sport Science Studies of the International Council of Sports and Physical Education. Alyce was a pioneer in women's physical education holding various state and national offices including, president of the American Association of Physical Education, Health, and Recreation. She was a nationally ranked basketball official from 1953 to 1965. In her middle years Alyce pursued her interest in painting and spent many summers in Nova Scotia where she had a cottage on the ocean. In addition to her painting pursuits there she was active in the community being part of many associations and committees. She loved lighthouses and painted many as part of her specialty in waterscapes. She has had numerous solo and group art exhibitions in the United States and Canada, winning awards in juried and open art competitions. Alyce Taylor Cheska was predeceased by her parents, James F. and Vergie Taylor, an infant brother and her sister Jessy Taylor Chapados. Surviving relatives are a niece, Jessy Antoinette (Toni) Rossi and her children, Francesca Alyce and Victoria Marie Rossi of New Mexico and Tamara Dawn (Rossi)Tiefel of Virginia Beach, Virginia; and a nephew James Taylor Chapados of Eden, Vermont.