Portion of West Clark Street now shares name and image of former resident beloved by his community

As friends and family gathered at the portion of West Clark Street, between Wittenberg Avenue and Plum Street, now known as West Clark Street/Youlish Rhodes Sr., Way, he was remembered as a God fearing man, who never cursed, preferred to walk everywhere and always had a kind work to say.

For Rhodes’ family, the street name is a continuation of the patriarch’s legacy and a daily reminder of his good will. Springfield commissioners approved the dual naming last year, and the new street signs were unveiled Friday afternoon.

Family and friends as well as some city leaders gathered in front of Rhodes’ former residence at West Clark to remanence about his long and fulfilling life.

Rhodes spent the majority of his life in the city and raised 11 children there after moving to a Springfield as a young man in search of a better life during the 1940s. Originally from the small town of Sparta, Georgia, he had to leave school at an early age to work in the cotton fields.

“If (my dad) did not know school, he sure knew a lot about God. He did not go far in school so therefore he had to learn it however he could and that was through God’s grace,” said Rhodes’ daughter Wanda Rhodes-Singletary.

“He got to know people form all walks of life, everyone got to know who he was. In his church life, he was phenomenal. He was a teacher,” said Rhodes’ son, Samuel Rashada Sr.

Once in Springfield, he was a factory worker at Crowell-Collier, before taking a job at the city’s sanitation department where he worked for nearly 30 years before retiring in 1989.

Throughout the years, Youlish left an impression on many people as he was very active at his church, becoming a deacon with Saint Luke Baptist Church. Rhodes also met people from all walks of life during his daily interactions with the community as trash collector.

“I am absolutely honored to be here and to help cement his legacy. It is already cemented with all of y’all, with every Rhodes that is here,” said Springfield commissioner Krystal Phillips, who knew Youlish Rhodes Sr., as a fellow member of his church.

Rhodes and his wife Dazzie Rean Rhodes, who passed away in the early 2000s, left behind 8 surviving children as well as over a hundred descendants who mostly live in the Springfield area.