PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2023

A mid many professional and civic duties, U.S. District Court Judge James E. Shadid cherish es naturalization ceremonies. “They’re very important to me,” he says solemnly. When Shadid swears in new citizens, he revels in a collective and historical thrum of promise and hope, harkening back 90-some years when his forebears came to America. “My grandparents paved the way,” said Shadid, 65, of Peoria. “They could not have imagined what their children and grandchildren would become. But they did imagine we could do our part to make this a better country, for ourselves and for others.” Their attitude, shared over years in Shadid’s youth, echoes as the core of Shadid’s worldview. Never forget where you’ve been, and always help others get where they’re going. “None of us makes it alone in life,” he said. “Someone opens the door for us. Someone mentions our name to someone else. So, we should do the same.” As for Shadid, one of the 2023 Class of Peoria Magazine Legends, the dynamic has recurred in his life many times. 1965 snapshot: 7-year-old Jim Shadid steps to the plate. Catching is 6-year-old brother, Georgie. Dad George umpires

In 2011, during the U.S. Senate process of confirming James Shadid as a federal judge, he and his family meet in the Oval Office with President Barack Obama. From left to right are Shadid’s father George, son Joe, daughter Maggie, wife Jane, President Obama, Shadid, and son Jim

did the family of maternal grandmother Sarah Unes, who was born in America. The family believed in hard work and community vision. “To be part of America, you need to put yourself in a position to not only support yourself but to help others,” Shadid said. Shadid and younger brother George – better known as Georgie — grew up in central Peoria with parents Lorraine and George P. Shadid. The latter, later a Peoria County sheriff and state senator, wore a Peoria policeman’s blue. He and his fellow officers brimmed with a workaday attitude that helped form a bridge between the police and public. “As a boy, I looked up to a number of the police officers Dad worked with,” Shadid said. “They were good, solid people who treated people right and, as a result, had good reputations in the community.” For example, as president of the police union, the elder Shadid would sponsor movie matinees for local boys and girls. “It was just a way to engage young people and make them realize police officers can be a friend,” said Shadid. “Dad was always interested in giving people opportunities.” DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER Aside from law enforcement, Shadid’s father, who died in 2018, fostered another avocation in his boys: baseball. After work, Officer Shadid would spend countless hours with bats, mitts and his sons.

At Peoria High School, Shadid played football, basketball and baseball. Though a decent athlete, he did not foresee college athletics in his future. So, planning to attend Bradley University, he was floored when Braves baseball coach Chuck Buescher asked if Shadid might want to join the team. Shadid later found out the offer came in the wake of a good word to Buescher from Manual High School baseball coach Ed Stonebock. Though never Shadid’s coach, Stonebock told Buescher that the teen had shown speed on the field and could develop into a better ballplayer. Shadid made the most of the BU baseball opportunity. After a freshman year as a shortstop, he taught himself to play outfield, using his speed to chase down flyballs. He also learned to switch-hit, for an edge at the plate.

IT ALL STARTS WITH FAMILY

In his sophomore year, he set the Bradley single-season record for steals, at 30. The mark still stands, as does his career total of 85. Such daring prompted Bradley to tout him in

His paternal grandparents, Mifla and Adeedi Shadid, came to the United States from Lebanon, as did maternal grandfather Harry Unes. So

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