PEORIA — William Marshall was a tall, gentle giant who both commanded respect and exuded elegance, said his friends less than a week after he was found stabbed to death in his North Peoria home.
And they point to one Downtown piece of art that serves as a memorial to his affection for the arts in Peoria.
"He had a wonderful presence and elegance about him," said Kristan McKinsey, director of the Illinois Women Artists Project and a former curator at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. "I loved the way he would walk, very confidently but without haughtiness. He accepted others regardless of their backgrounds or their interests. He really wanted to know who you were."