Renowned film critic Roger Ebert, a son of Urbana and a University of Illinois graduate, changed the way people thought about movies. He was the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years and co-starred with Gene Siskel on the television series “At the Movies.” He was the first journalist to win the Pulitzer Prize for film criticism, to be inducted as an honorary member of the Director's Guild of America, to receive the American Society of Cinematographer's Award, and to have his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and at the Chicago Theater. He also received the Order of Lincoln, the highest honor from the State of Illinois. In 1998, he and his wife, Chaz, brought the Ebertfest Film Festival to his hometown. He said that empathy was one of the most important aspects of civilization and that movies were a giant empathy machine. He was a visionary mentor and technologist, and a loving husband and family man.