Ed Link

Ed Link was born in 1942, raised in North Chicago, and educated in its schools. He graduated from SIU-Carbondale with a degree in government and a minor in history. He served in the US Army with a year in Korea. His business career was spent in marketing research. In his own words,

“My writing is a by-product of historical interest and research. After retirement I became involved in community groups and found a limited amount of written history on the Waukegan area. Many other communities I have visited have histories highlighting the area’s past. I felt more should be recorded locally and have assembled some that are available here, or through the Waukegan Historical Society.”

Ed Link served as writer for the Waukegan Historical Society’s book Images of Waukegan, Waukegan, Illinois, a pictorial history of Waukegan published in 2000. Multiple copies of the book are available at the library. He also compiled two monographs “Waukegan/North Chicago and the Movies”, 31 p., 2003 and “The Life of the Corn Processing Industry in Waukegan,” 73 p., October, 1999. The latter publication is a thorough account of an industry characterized by extremely hazardous working conditions. His research on the dangers of the corn processing industry was highlighted in a November 23rd, 2002 article in the News Sun entitled “A Shameful Disaster” by Ralph Zahorik.

Ed Link also compiles research for the Genesee Theater and contributes regularly to its newsletter and that of the Waukegan Historical Society.