“Dirksen Funeral Procession, Pekin, Il.” September 11, 1969 (Time: 2:56)

Thursday, September 11, 1969. Glendale Memorial Gardens, Pekin, Illinois. Everett McKinley Dirksen was buried today in his hometown. Several thousand mourners, most of them his neighbors and constituents, stood in tribute during the graveside services. Frank Look took his movie camera to the ceremony and recorded, from some distance, the arrival of the hearse and the procession to the gravesite. The 2:56 minute clip is reproduced here.

The clip shows troops of the 5th Army who held honor guard positions along the fence and Route 9, bordering the cemetery. The ceremony itself was brief, only 15 minutes—the recording does not depict the service. Three ministers read short prayers. The Rev. Edward L.R. Elson, chaplain of the Senate, said in his eulogy, “The last march has ended. A mighty man of God has answered his last roll call. His battles are all fought, his victories all won.”

An estimated 10,000 people watched the funeral procession proceed the 15 miles from the Peoria airport, south on Route 24, through Pekin on Route 9, to the cemetery on the east side of town where more than 6,000 stood in waiting. Among the dignitaries accompanying the procession were Vice President Spiro Agnew, five members of President Richard Nixon’s cabinet, 42 U.S. senators, and 27 U.S. representatives. Dozens of state officials joined them, as did over 200 members of the press.

Frank Look’s film is the only known, surviving moving-image documentation of the event. His daughter, Pat Slack, donated a digitized version to The Center in June 2009.

* Dirksen Funeral Procession, Pekin, Il. *
September 11, 1969 (Time: 2:56)
Filmed by Frank Look