Vera L. Wesley

Vera L. Wesley was born in Tennessee. She was one of three children (two brothers). Her parents were farmers, so she grew up on a farm in the country and walked three miles to attend school. Education has always been an important part of her life. She attended schools in Jackson, TN, Atlanta, GA, Beauty College, and Modeling School.

She moved to Champaign-Urbana in 1957.

Vera has been very involved in her neighborhood, and community work. She founded the "Concerned Citizens for a Better Neighborhood" and has worked hard to get drugs and violence out of her neighborhood. She also started an after-school tutoring program at the Douglass Center Annex. She has a strong love for children and a desire to see them achieve.

In 2013, the City of Champaign honored Vera by dedicating a portion of Eureka Street, between Fourth and Sixth Streets, as Honorary Vera L. Wesley Way. The honorary street signs were unveiled on April 12, during a ceremony.