Phyllis Cline Obituary notes

Phyllis Louise Cline was born on March 22, 1938 in Oak Park, IL, the first child of Audrey Evans Cline and Charlton Staley Cline. Her younger brother Robert Evans Cline and her sister-in-law Marge Cline predeceased her in 2007. She is survived by her nieces Kathy (Mike) Ullrich, Carmen (Tony) Rangel, nephews James and Joseph Cline, and cousins Karen (Shawn) Fitzgerald, Rett (Patricia) Summerville, Joseph (Myrna) Summerville, Paul (Patricia) Summerville, and their children.

Phyllis grew up in Chicago. As a North sider she became a Cub fan, an affliction she never quite overcame. In 1954 she established a fan club for Ernie Banks and Gene Baker, the first two African American players for the Cubs. Chicago was highly racially segregated, with few black people living on the North side, and she wanted Ernie and Gene to feel welcome at Wrigley Field. When Gene was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1957 the fan club continued to follow his career, and when the Pirates played in the 1960 World Series she attended two games there, an experience the Cubs were never able to give her.

Phyllis attended DePauw University for two years after high school, then worked in business offices for several years. In 1961 she moved to Phoenix, AZ to escape Chicago winters, but housing with air conditioning was too expensive so she made plans to return to Illinois. First, however, she accompanied her mother on a two month trip to Mexico to meet her mother's first cousins. The agony of Montezuma's Revenge took its toll throughout much the trip, leaving her vulnerable to the polio virus that attacked her body and first manifested its symptoms in August 1961.

Severely paralyzed, she was never able to walk again and spent the rest of her life using a wheelchair. She underwent three years of rehabilitation before enrolling at the University of Illinois in 1964 to finish her bachelor's degree. It was the UI's Rehabilitation-Education program headed by Dr. Timothy Nugent that prepared her to fully function again with its emphasis on independence. A master's degree in Social Work from the UI in 1968 qualified her for employment at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, where she worked as a social worker in its Psychiatry service until retiring at the end of 1996. She built her own house in Urbana in 1979 to enhance accessibility, and remained in it until August 20, 2015.

In the 1980s Phyllis was active with the local chapter of the National Organization for Women, supporting equality for women in its many activities, especially promoting the ERA, and making some life-long friends. Her devotion to causes of equality for all people never wavered, and sometimes she expressed herself more bluntly than diplomatically, with a "not suffering fools gladly" attitude, but her friends knew where she was coming from.

Phyllis and her mother enjoyed driving around the country to see its more scenic landscapes, and also attending plays and musical events at summer festivals. Mountain driving was a challenge she sought out, and was proud that she made it to the top of Pike's Peak in Colorado without driving off the rimless edge of the steep, narrow dirt road. They usually alternated a western scenic trip with an eastern theatrical trip the next year, and especially enjoyed Shakespeare festivals around the country. Their favorite was in Stratford, Ontario, and they often saw three plays in a weekend.

An enthusiasm for the musical and theatrical arts grew when Krannert Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1969. The Center's wide range of performing styles expanded her knowledge and appreciation of the arts and gave respite from the stress of her job. She began attending the UI operas, at first to be supportive of the students' development, then becoming an opera lover. She attended Lyric Opera of Chicago performances for 17 years until a medical problem kept her from making the trips in 2003.

In 1990 Phyllis joined with other opera lovers to form a community support group for the UI opera program, which was then called Illinois Opera Theatre. Thus was Illinois Opera Theatre Enthusiasts (IOTE) born. It quickly took on activities to build membership, provide funding for special projects, and promote the opera program in the community. Phyllis suggested issuing a newsletter for each production, which immediately became her responsibility, one she carried out for 25 years before phasing out IOTE in 2015. The organization raised money for student awards, building up to four awards per year, as well as money for sponsorship of one production each season beginning in the 1997 season. When IOTE ceased to operate it left an endowed fund of nearly $100,000 at the University of Illinois Foundation for the use of the new Lyric Theatre @ Illinois program.

In 1995 Phyllis joined AAUW, increased her involvement after she retired, and devoted much of her volunteer time to that organization until her death. She became the financial officer for the branch in 2007 because no one else would take the job, then found it enough of a challenge to not want to give it up. She worked with other Board members to increase the amount and number of the scholarships the branch offered to women at the UI and Parkland College. In retirement Phyllis had time to read and soon became involved with the AAUW book discussion group, then took on the job of coordinating the selection of books, which was both challenging and rewarding. The books focused on various aspects of diversity, a subject dear to her heart. Her AAUW activities once again gave her access to strong women whose intellect and devotion to women's equality provided mental stimulation and close friendships in her later life.

Phyllis succumbed to an aggressive metasticized cancer. Her family and friends rallied around her giving support in many ways as she faced the final months of her life.

A memorial service will be held at 5:30 p.m., Friday, August 28th at the Faith United Methodist Church, 1719 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign. Memorial contributions may be made to the UI School of Music Lyric Theatre program, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Illinois Public Media for WILL radio and TV, Champaign-Urbana AAUW for Phyllis Cline Parkland College Scholarship, or Faith United Methodist Church. Condolences may be offered online at www.renner-wikoffchapel.com.