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Person

William "Billy" F. Gillespie

Also William Gillespie · Bill Gillespie · Billy Gillespie · William F. Gillespie

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypePerson
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Person
Active
fl. 1972
Work
Art student, American Academy of Art, Chicago
Parents
Jewell F. Gillespie · Rita M. Gillespie
Children
Jennifer Charlotte Gillespie
Siblings
John Wayne "Johnny" Gillespie · Robert J. Gillespie · Richard Lynn "Richie" Gillespie · Daniel G. "Danny" Gillespie · Mary T. Palmer · Julie A. Gillespie
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
communityfamilyartseducation
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

William “Billy” F. Gillespie, a son of Jewell and Rita Gillespie, studied art in Chicago in the late 1960s, served as best man at brother John Wayne Gillespie’s 1967 wedding, and married Janice Ann Kures on 6 May 1972, after which the couple settled in Illinois.

History

A December 1958 Beacon honor roll lists “Billy Gillespie” in the fifth grade.1 By September 1967 he was studying at the American Academy of Art in Chicago and had exhibited as an artist entrant at the Charlevoix Waterfront Fair for Craftsmen and Artists that August.2 Two months later he was best man, “brother of the groom,” at brother John Wayne Gillespie’s wedding to Jeanne Marie Wojan.3

On 6 May 1972 Gillespie married Janice Ann Kures, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Kures of Bartlett, Illinois; his brother Daniel Gillespie served as best man, and the Beacon reported the couple would live in Elgin, Illinois.4 Their daughter, Jennifer Charlotte Gillespie, was born 22 April 1975 in Elgin,5 and a son, Jeremy William Gillespie, was born 17 November 1978 to “Bill and Jan Gillespie of Bartlett, Illinois.”6 Jewell Gillespie’s December 1995 obituary lists “William ‘Billy’ F. Gillespie and his wife Janice, of Bartlett Ill.,” among his surviving children, confirming the family’s continued residence in the Chicago suburbs.7

Significance

Gillespie’s record is one of several among the Gillespie children showing an off-island path — art training in Chicago and settlement in the western suburbs — distinct from siblings who trained locally or returned to the island after school or college.

Open questions

  • No source read here gives Gillespie’s birth date or documents his career after art school.
  • Whether he continued to practice art professionally after 1967 is not established.

See also

Sources

See also the full sources: block above.

Footnotes

  1. Beaver Beacon, December 1958, honor roll. ↩

  2. Beaver Beacon, September 1967, art-school note. ↩

  3. Beaver Beacon, December 1967, “Weddings: Gillespie–Wojan.” ↩

  4. Beaver Beacon, May 1972, “Gillespie – Kures.” ↩

  5. Beaver Beacon, April 1975, “Births.” ↩

  6. Beaver Beacon, November 1978, birth notice. ↩

  7. Beaver Beacon, December 1995, “Jewell F. Gillespie, 78” (obituary). ↩

Kin

Jewell F.Gillespie1917 – 1995Rita M.Gillespie1927 – 1988Daniel G."Danny" GillespieJohn Wayne"Johnny" GillespieJulie A.GillespieMary T. PalmerRichard Lynn"Richie" Gillespieb. 1955Robert J.Gillespie1950 – 2015This articleWilliam "Billy"F. GillespieJennifer CharlotteGillespieb. 1975
Only relations stated in the sources are drawn; absence means unrecorded, not childless or unmarried.

Sources

  1. Identifies William Gillespie as Jewell Gillespie's son of Beaver Island, reports his May 6 marriage to Janice Ann Kures, names his brother Daniel Gillespie as best man, and says the couple would live in Elgin, Illinois.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1972-05_Beaver-Beacon
  2. Lists "Billy Gillespie" on the fifth-grade honor roll. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1958-12_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Reports "Bill Gillespie, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jewell Gillespie," returning to the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and names him an artist entrant at the Charlevoix Waterfront Fair for Craftsmen and Artists.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1967-09_Beaver-Beacon
  4. Names "William Gillespie, brother of the groom," as best man at brother John Wayne Gillespie's wedding.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1967-12_Beaver-Beacon
  5. Announces the April 22 birth of daughter Jennifer Charlotte to "Mr. and Mrs. Bill Gillespie" of Elgin, Illinois, with Jewell and Rita Gillespie as grandparents. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1975-04_Beaver-Beacon
  6. Announces the November 17 birth of son Jeremy William to "Bill and Jan Gillespie of Bartlett, Illinois," with Jewell and Rita Gillespie as grandparents. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1978-11_Beaver-Beacon
  7. Lists "William 'Billy' F. Gillespie and his wife Janice, of Bartlett Ill.," among Jewell Gillespie's surviving children. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1995-12_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 4 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “William "Billy" F. Gillespie”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/william-billy-f-gillespie/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, May 1972, “Gillespie – Kures.” (and 6 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-04. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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