Former Mayor of Normal, who helped bring car plant to town, dies at age 91

Published: Jan. 14, 2025 at 6:21 AM CST
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

NORMAL (25News Now) - Richard Godfrey, who led Normal as mayor during an economically thriving, but also a volatile nine-year period, has died. He was 91.

Godfrey’s lengthy obituary said he lived a “magical life”. He was Normal’s mayor from 1976 to 1985 and worked 27 years at Illinois State University where he served as Director of Institutional Advancement, Director of Public Affairs and President of the ISU Foundation.

He also was Director of International Public Relations for the Eureka Company, which used to make vacuums in Bloomington-Normal. In retirement, Godfrey lived with his wife of 70-years, Mary Jean, in the famous twin Marina City Towers in Chicago’s River North.

Godfrey is credited with creating Normal’s first economic development program, and helped convince Mitsubishi executives to build what became known as Diamond Star Motors, a joint venture between the Japanese firm and Chrysler. The factory in west Normal is now home to electric vehicle maker Rivian.

Godfrey was mayor during a pair of events in which Normal gained national notoriety. In 1978, firefighters in Normal went on strike for 56 days, the longest in Illinois history. During the walkout, McLean County Judge William Caisley sentenced two dozen firefighters to 42 days in jail for contempt of court.

According to an excerpt of local labor historian Mike Matejka’s book “Fiery Struggle”, a controversy developed whether Mayor Godfrey asked then-Gov. James Thompson to call for the National Guard to keep the peace in Normal.

“The Town got more negative publicity that morning when Republican Governor James Thompson, who was forging ties with organized labor, announced at a Peoria press conference that he was turning down Mayor Godfrey’s request to send the National Guard into Normal and that he would never send the National Guard in during a strike. This infuriated Normal’s mayor, who claimed he had called the Governor’s office only asking what the procedure was for calling out the Guard, not for its dispatch.”

The strike ended after a tentative contract agreement was reached that included the town’s recognition of the firefighters’ union.

In 1984, ISU students staged the notorious “beer riot” that started as a small protest over the town’s crackdown on large parties and evolved into a march involving hundreds of students throwing rocks, slashing tires, and battling police who responded using riot gear and tear gas, according to a 2014 article published on ISU’s website.

“Police acted with remarkable restraint, even though they had to dodge some thrown items. At City Hall, state police lobbed tear gas at a group approaching their squad cars, but the wind blew the fumes back away from the crowd,” said Godfrey, who was interviewed for the article.

Godfrey went on to say that “damage to the downtown was limited to some broken windows, a destroyed phone booth, and trashed areas. I ordered town crews out at 5 a.m. to clean the downtown so when people arrived for class or work in the morning, there was little evidence of what happened.”

“Normal was founded because of the University, and they have grown and prospered together to form what I consider to be the finest university community in the nation,” said Godfrey during the ISU interview with the article’s author, Ryan Denham.

Godfrey was one of 17 U.S. mayors to travel to Cuba where he met with President Fidel Castro. Later in life, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary a day after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He was 67 at the time and served in uniform for nine years.

Godfrey is survived by his wife, four daughters, 12 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

HIs visitation and funeral will be Friday, Jan. 17, at Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral. To see Godfrey’s obituary, click here.

You can watch 25News - any newscast, anywhere - streaming LIVE on 25NewsNow.com, our 25News mobile app, and on our WEEK 25News SmartTV streaming app. Learn more about how you can get connected to 25News streaming live news here.