URBANA – Hiram Paley, 78, of Urbana died on Monday (Jan. 9, 2012).
Heath and Vaughn Funeral Home, 201 N. Elm St., Champaign, is assisting the family with arrangements.
Born in Rochester, N.Y., on Sept. 9, 1933, he was the son of the late Lesser and Zelda Paley. After attending Monroe High School in Rochester, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rochester with a bachelor's degree in mathematics (1955). He followed with M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1956 and 1959.
Paley came to the University of Illinois in 1959 as an assistant professor of mathematics and was promoted to associate professor in 1966, a position he held until his retirement in 2003.
In 1989-1991, he taught college math courses in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the Midwest Universities Consortium for International Activities (MUCIA). This experience instilled in him a newfound love of travel.
Paley served two terms as alderman on the Urbana City Council (1967-1973) and one term as mayor of Urbana (1973-1977). He was an active member of the local Democratic Party from 1962 until his death, and was proud to serve as chair of Sen. Dick Durbin's Champaign County campaign in 1996, 2002 and 2008.
His activism also led to terms on the boards of the Urban League of Champaign County and the CCDC Foundation in the 1980s; and on the board of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Champaign County (known formerly as the Champaign County Memorial Society) from 1986-2002, with a term as president from 2000-2002.
Paley was particularly proud of his work for the ACLU. A member since 1960, he served multiple times as the Champaign Chapter representative to the Illinois ACLU, as well as on the ACLU's state board. In 2005, he received the Roger Baldwin Award of the Illinois ACLU for a lifetime of service to civil rights and civil liberties.
In 1981, following a course in darkroom photography at Parkland College, Paley joined the Champaign County Camera Club and was an active member until his death, serving multiple terms as president. In 2004-2006, Paley served as president of the Central Illinois Camera Clubs Association. Paley was instrumental in organizing an annual community Best in Show photo competition.
Paley was a dedicated Illinois athletics fan, and he and his wife rarely missed a home men's basketball game, even during the course of his illness. He also enjoyed attending events with his wife at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, a short walk from their near-campus home.
Hiram is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jean Passovoy Paley; son Joshua (Suzanne) of Redwood City, Calif.; daughters Elizabeth (Stefan) of Durham, N.C., and Nina of New York, N.Y.; grandchildren Allison, Karen, Trevor and Elias; sister Marcia (Morton) Camac of Lexington, Mass.; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
He instilled in his family the importance of staying true to one's values and fighting for what's right, and that love can be expressed in all sorts of ways, including baking bread and doing triple integrals.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the Illinois Affiliate of the ACLU, 180 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 2300, Chicago, IL, 60601-9919; the Roy Brahana Fund for Undergraduate Education in the Department of Mathematics at UIUC; and the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation, 333 Mamaroneck Avenue, No. 492, White Plains, NY 10605.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Condolences to the family may be offered online at www.HeathandVaughn.com.
