History Reads Book Club: The Woman They Could Not Silence

The McLean County Museum of History is pleased to host Dr. Ann Flesor Beck for a program exploring the history of the first generation of Greeks coming to America and their shaping of entrepreneurial food history, specifically candy making. This free, public program will be held in person on Saturday, April 20, at 1:00 p.m. in the Museum’s courtroom and live-streamed on the Museum’s YouTube channel.

Gus Flesor, Ann’s grandfather, came to Chicago in 1901 and traveled south to Tuscola, Illinois, where he apprenticed with his uncle. Eventually, he took over ownership of a Main Street confectionery, the business niche thousands of urban and rural Greek immigrants developed.

Dr. Flesor’s book Sweet Greeks chronicles the path of Greek immigrants across Central Illinois and highlights their experiences of chain migration, immigrant networking, resistance, and the evolution of the rise and fall of small-town development. The book is available for purchase in the Museum’s Crusin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center & Gift Shop.

Ann Flesor Beck spent many years in her grandfather’s business before leaving Tuscola and pursuing nonprofit and corporate careers. Returning to the Midwest in the mid-1990s, she and her sister, Devon, left their work behind to renovate and reopen Flesor’s Candy Kitchen in Tuscola in 2004. Ann retired in 2022, but her sister Devon is still the owner and operator.

Following the program, in-person participants can enjoy a “sweet treat” from Flesor’s Candy Kitchen.