Workers Memorial Day To Honor Four In Champaign

An annual ceremony remembering those who died while on the job will recognize four local residents this year – continuing a call for greater safety measures for all workers.

The Workers Memorial Day ceremony takes place at 5pm April 28 at Dodds Park, 1501 N. Mattis Ave. in Champaign. This year’s ceremony will include recognition of the following residents, whose names will be added to a memorial:

• Kevin Chapman, 30, of Urbana, graduated from Urbana High School, Southern Illinois and Utah State universities. He worked as a wildlife technician and as a fish and wildlife ecologist before he died in a plane crash in Lincoln in March 2020, while working as a biologist with a local environmental firm.
• Harry Hicks, 48, of Mahomet, had spent more than a decade working as an arborist, planting trees around the country, but was killed in August 2005, when he was crushed while delivering materials to a local job site.
• Wendell “Opa” Johnson, 63, of Rantoul, suffered a medical issue while working for a local lumber company in 2011. He’d spent 39 years working in the concrete industry and was a part-time farmer who spent years playing baseball and softball.
• Kristian “KP” Philpotts, 29, originally from Chicago, was an aspiring veterinarian who graduated from Illinois State and Eastern Illinois universities. A member of Iota Phi Theta fraternity, he was working as a Lyft driver to save money to pursue his doctorate when he was shot to death while being robbed by his passengers in Urbana in January 2022.

Among those scheduled to attend are Champaign Mayor Deb Feinen, Champaign County Executive Steve Summers, and members of the Champaign County Workers Memorial Committee, led by the Champaign County AFL-CIO and East Central Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council.

Workers Memorial Day has taken place each year since the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect more than 50 years ago. While labor unions are leading the fight for greater workplace protections, the day honors all of those whose lives were lost on the job, regardless of whether they were union members.

“We want to recognize those we’ve lost to ensure they are never forgotten,” said Kevin Sage, Building Trades President. “Far too many of our friends, family members and colleagues have died due to situations that could have been prevented. We must continue to work together to ensure safety is a fundamental right for all workers and that everyone goes home safely at the end of the day.”