Claire Olson Szoke

Claire Olson Szoke passed away on January 30, 2021, at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, after a month-long battle with COVID-19. She was 83. Claire was born on June 16, 1937, in Davenport, Iowa, the daughter of Morton Edward and Rosara Katherine Roberts Olson. Her father served in the Armed Forces in WWII and was present at the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Her maternal grandfather, Horace Gordon Roberts, was the head of the Gordon-VanTine Company, a major producer of manufactured kit homes. As a child, Claire enjoyed visits to her grandparents' summer home on Rainy Lake, near International Falls in northern Minnesota. When she was 11 years old, her family relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma. She attended Tulsa Central High School, and graduated from the University of Tulsa with a double major in Spanish and journalism. Claire came to Champaign-Urbana in the fall of 1959 to attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. She arrived by train, and remembered spending her first night in town at the Inman Hotel. Claire earned her PhD in Spanish Language and Literature in 1969, writing her dissertation on the works of the essayist and philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset. She was awarded a fellowship for study abroad by the American Association of University Women, and spent time in Mexico and Spain. She married Ronald D. Szoke at the Channing-Murray Foundation in Urbana in 1965. They were later divorced.

Claire had a long and varied career. She taught Spanish and English at schools in Champaign-Urbana, Danville, and Buckley-Loda, as well as in Dryden, New York. During the mid-1970's, she was a consultant for the Technical Education Research Centers (TERC), working in the newly-developing field of inclusion and career development for special-needs students, which she found especially rewarding. In 1985, she accepted a position as a technical editor in the General Chemistry Department at the University of Illinois, and remained there until her retirement in 2018.

During her time in graduate school, Claire was involved in the Civil Rights movement, and attended marches in Selma, Alabama and Washington, D.C. She continued as a strong advocate for social justice for the next 60 years. Among the many organizations she volunteered for were the University YMCA, Interfaith Alliance, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the nuclear freeze movement, the Champaign-Urbana Ecumenical Committee on Sanctuary, and several immigration reform groups, including El Centro and the Immigration Forum. Claire was a longtime member of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, where she served as Religious Education Director from 1982 to 1989. She was also a guiding force at Channing-Murray Foundation, the Unitarian-Universalist campus ministry and community center, serving as the foundation's Director from 1991 to 2019. Under her leadership, many successful programs were developed or revitalized at Channing Murray, including the Tagore Festival and the Red Herring Vegetarian Restaurant. Claire especially valued the diverse, multi-age and multi-faith connections that she made during her years of outreach work. She was always open to new experiences, and enjoyed her travels to Italy and Santa Fe with her family. She loved listening to political news on the radio, and discussing politics in person with her friends was even better. Other favorite activities included baking, gardening, reading, and Scrabble.

Claire is survived by her daughter, Katherine Claire Szoke, son-in-law, Geza Gyuk, and grandchildren, Sophia and Ellis Gyuk, of Glenview, and by a brother, Gordon Olson of Oklahoma City. She also leaves many dear friends, who will miss her faithful presence in the community. To honor Claire's memory, donations may be made to the Channing-Murray Foundation at channingmurray.org. A Celebration of Life service will be held via Zoom on Saturday, February 27 at 6:00 p.m., led by the the Reverend Florence Caplow of the Unitarian Universalist Church. For details, please go to the church calendar page at uucuc.org.