Interviews

Dr. David Turner - IHSA

Dr. David Turner talks about his experiences with the Illinois High School Association during his tenure as a High School Principal at Morrison and Petersburg Porta High Schools, and as an IHSA board member from 1992 to 2004, include a three year term as its president. Dr. Turner also served as the executive director of the Illinois Principals Association. He discusses the challenges principals face in managing athletic and activity programs for their schools, and the role that the IHSA plays in issues like cooperative teams, hosting championships, sports safety and sports seasons.

Dr. David Turner - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. David Turner served as the high school principal at Porta High School (Petersburg, Illinois) from 1975 to 1992, and was the Executive Director of the Illinois Principals Association from 1992 to 2004. From that perspective, he discusses Illinois's landmark 1985 Educational Reform Act, focusing particular attention on how the legislation was monitored through the Management School Alliance (including school boards, school business officials, and school central office administrators), and assisting principals with legal matters and school contracts.

Bernard Turnock - Governor Jim Thompson Project

Barney Turnock has spent most of his adult life working in various public health departments, including a position as deputy commissioner for the Chicago Department of Health. In 1985, he became Governor Jim Thompson's Director for the Department of Public Health. During the 1980s he dealt with a multitude of public health threats, including the emergence of the AIDS epidemic, a series of deaths due to cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules and a severe Salmonella outbreak.

Carol Tyler - Vietnam War

Carol Albrecht and Bob Tyler were married in 1968 after Bob completed his Marine Corps basic training. Within a year, Bob was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and headed to flight school. For the next three decades the two forged a strong marriage despite the frequent moves and long separations that are typical of military families. Carol earned her BA degree in 1971, and following the birth and early childhood for their two children, Carol was able to teach at most of Bob's duty stations. She earned her MA degree shortly after Bob's retirement. Carol reflects on her experiences as a Marine Corps officer's wife with candor and insight, painting a detailed picture of that life.

Robert Tyler - Vietnam War

Robert (Bob) Tyler dropped out of college in 1967 and joined the Marines with dreams of flying. His plans were initially derailed, but he eventually earned both a Lieutenant's commission and his wings. By late 1970 he was flying a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter over South Vietnam, with his unit based at Marble Mountain near Da Nang. Over the next 27 years Tyler made the Marines his life, moving the family frequently as he progressed from challenge to challenge. Tours included command of a KC-130 Hercules squadron, and an assignment at Marine Corps Headquarters during the First Iraq War. Tyler retired from the Marines as a full Colonel (with a Ph.D. in Psychology), in 1997.

Robert Tyler - Gulf War

Robert (Bob) Tyler dropped out of college in 1967 and joined the Marines with dreams of flying. By late 1970 he was flying a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter over South Vietnam, and stayed in the Marines for the next 27 years. Tours included command of a KC-130 Hercules squadron, and an assignment at Marine Corps Headquarters during the First Iraq War. Tyler retired from the Marines as a full Colonel (with a Ph.D. in Psychology), in 1997.

Robert Underbrink - World War II

Bob Underbrink graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1944 and was soon drafted into the Army, where he served as a tanker in Patton's famed 3rd Army. He arrived at the front in April, 1945 as the war was coming to an end. After a short time in Czechoslovakia, he served in the occupation army until August, when he was sent to the Shrivenham (England) American University, a temporary institution staffed by American professors.

Dr. James Underwood - Community College Project

James Underwood has been in Community College education for forty-three years, including Central Community College, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Arkansas, Richland Community College, Northeast Community College (Nebraska), and at Kaskaskia College in Centralia, Illinois. His experiences include teaching business/economics classes, Vice President of Administrative Services, Vice President of Finance/Administration, Vice President for Instruction, and College President at Kaskaskia College. Dr. Underwood discusses his experience of community College operations in Nebraska, Arkansas, and Illinois, along with the history of Kaskaskia Community College.

Gary Urwiler - Alternatives in Education

Gary Urwiler discusses his involvement with Mooseheart City and School from his perspective as a Mooseheart student, teacher, coach, principal/superintendent, and now Executive Director. The institution is a home for children and teens in need, from infancy through high school. The interview covers the long history of Mooseheart (Happy City), the school’s organization from birth to age 21, its curriculum, vocational training, sports and Naval ROTC program. Urwiler provides insights into a typical student's life at the school, the generous support the city and school receives from Moose Lodges, Mooseheart Charities, and private donors.

Laura Van Buren - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Springfield native for 88 years

Ellis Vanderpool - Modern Era

After military service, Ellis Vanderpool became a Fiat-Allis dealer before returning to the farm with the purchase of a 38.7 acre orchard, with peaches, apples and berries for a "Pick Your Own" operation. This led to honey production, which Ellis illustrates for the camera.

Edward VanDrunen - Modern Era

Edward VanDrunen is a third generation farmer. His father switched from a livestock and grain farm to growing onions and chives. Edward added the production of twenty other herbs, which are now processed on the property and marketed world-wide.

John VanPelt - School District Reorganization

Dr. John Van Pelt has spent the past thirty-five years working in education in both Iowa and Illinois, and has often dealt with school reorganization over the course of his career. While serving as principal of a school in Shellsburg, Iowa, he experienced the impacts of school reorganization first-hand when his school was reorganized with the larger community school of Vinton, Iowa.

Thomas Varns - World War II

Thomas Abrams Varns was drafted following his graduation from Springfield High School, and attended Army basic training at Camp Barkley in Abilene, Texas. He was assigned to the 415th Medical Collection Company, which was attached to Patton's 3rd Army. Varns' unit accompanied 3rd Army as it moved through northern France and into Germany, providing medical assistance and support throughout its campaigns.

Virginia Vasen - Community College Project

Virginia Vasen began her college education in 1959 at the brand new Canton Junior College in Canton, Illinois, while also working on the school's staff. She stayed with the school until her retirement in 1994, having seen the school renamed to Spoon River College in 1968. Virginia had various responsibilities while at Spoon River College, including as Registrar, Treasurer, and Trustee Recording Secretary. She also helped prepare material for the College’s 50th Anniversary. She discussed how the College moved to Class I status, overcoming problems related to geographic square miles, enrollment, and tax basis.

Sandra Vasko - Vietnam War

Sandy Vasko grew up in Lockport, Illinois, part of a colorful extended family. In 1967 she left college and eloped with a high school beau, George Rolowicz. The couple lived in Charleston, South Carolina until George was drafted into the Army. After his basic training, the couple spent time in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma until he deployed to South Vietnam. According to Sandy, he came back a changed man, often angry and very jealous. Sandy left him after he beat her a second time. She left Charleston and returned to the Chicago area. George and Sandy eventually divorced, and Sandy later married a friend she had met while George was in Vietnam.

Janet Vass - School District Reorganization

Janet Vass lives in Dallas City, Illinois and is a Board Member for the Illini West school district. Earlier she was a member of the Committee of 10 which recommended the creation of a conversion district for the Illini West school district. The unit districts of Carthage, Dallas City, and La Harpe then became K-8 districts. This interview covers the six years that the conversion school has existed and explores some of the challenges facing a conversion district as well as the successes.

Kathleen Villano - Educational Reform Act 1985

Kathy Villano, Director of the Center for Teaching and Resources at Arlington Heights, Illinois, reviews the implementation and legacy of the 1985 Education Reform Act regarding early childhood programs. Kathy has been involved with early childhood education since 1986. She discusses the Prekindergarten Program for At Risk Children, the Early Childhood Model Parental Training Program, the Prevention Initiative, the Early Childhood Block Grant, and the Preschool for All programs.

Frederick Visel - Community College Project

In 1971, after serving in Vietnam, Fred Visel joined the faculty of Carl Sandburg College, a new community college located in Galesburg, Illinois. Visel taught history and government at Carl Sandburg, and also served as Dean of the Library for fifteen years. Upon his retirement in 1999, Fred returned to teaching as a part-time instructor of history. Visel discusses the history of Carl Sandburg College from 1971 to 2013, and how history and government were taught during his tenure at the school.

Chris Voelz - Girls Basketball

Chris Voelz played extramurals at Illinois State where she was mentored by Phebe Scott and Jill Hutchison. She went on to coach girls’ volleyball, softball, and basketball at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. Later, she became the Women’s’ Athletic Director at the University of Minnesota. After leaving the Minnesota, she combined her love of sport and fund-raising ability to create opportunities for female athletes through the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Jack Waddle - Civics Education

A high school social studies teacher discusses civics education

Toni Waggoner - Public School Funding

Toni Waggoner discusses her work on public school financing during her long tenure at the Illinois State Board of Education from 1979 to 2010. She explains the functioning of the state's school funding formula and the role of the Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB). Toni explains why a disparity grew between rich and poor school districts, and Illinois public schools' growing dependency on property taxes, providing the vast majority of revenue. She also discussed the role of Average Daily Attendance (ADA), local property wealth, Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), Corporate Personal Property, the Foundation Level, and the Poverty grant. All of these impacted the amount of state funds given to a local public school district.

Dr. Richard Wagner - Higher Education

Dr. Dick Wagner began working at the Illinois Board of Higher Education in 1969, and in 1980 became IBHE's Executive Director, serving in that position until his retirement in 1998, the longest serving head of IBHE. During Dr. Wagner's tenure he assisted in the dramatic growth of the state's community college system, and focused on the enhancement and quality performance of the state's many institutions of higher learning. As the Executive Director, he helped guide the state through a dramatic reorganization of those institutions in 1995.

Dr. Richard "Dick" Wagner - Community College Project

In 1969, Richard Wagner joined the Illinois Board of Higher Education, where he served in a variety of capacities, including as deputy director of the Fiscal Department, and then its director. In 1980 he became the executive director of the Board of Higher Education until his retirement in 1998. Dr. Wagner discusses the growth of the state's community college movement from 1965-1998 and its relationship to the overall Higher Education Plan for Illinois.

Robert Wahlfeldt - World War II

Robert Wahlfeldt served in the United States Navy during World War II. He served in the engineering section on the U.S.S. Waldron, a destroyer. The ship traveled to Bermuda and the Panama Canal before going to the Pacific. By 1945 the ship was assigned to a fast carrier task force, and supported combat operations in and around the Philippine Islands, the South China Sea, and during the invasion of Okinawa. After the war he say Yokosuka, in Kanagawa province, Japan.

William 'Bill' Waldmire - Rochester

The Waldmire family's story, who hail from Rochester and Springfield, Illinois, is part of the culture of the capitol city. The family operated the Cozy Dog restaurant on south Sixth Street beginning in the 1940s. Bill eventually became a photographer for Illinois's governors. Brother Bob was a “hippie” artist who traveled historic Route 66 in his VW van promoting the fabled "Mother Road." In the process, Bob, and his art promoting Route 66, developed a national and international reputation.

Dan Walker - Governor Dan Walker Project

Dan Walker began his career as a Naval Academy graduate before moving to Chicago to pursue a law career. He soon entered politics, learning about the tactics of Chicago's political machine first-hand before deciding to take on the machine. He won a surprising victory for governor in 1972, but served only one tumultuous term. Walker encountered legal problems in the early 1980s, and spent 18 months in prison.

Francis Walle - World War II

Francis Walle was 101 years old at the time of this interview. Born in 1912, he was nearly thirty when drafted in early 1942. He did well in Basic Training and was selected to attend the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course. He shipped to Europe in August, 1944, and finally reached the front in late November, where he was assigned as a forward observer to an artillery unit in the 79th Infantry Division. He saw action in the Lorraine region of France and in northeastern Germany. He also served on occupation duty for several months.

Genevra Walters - Alternatives in Education

Dr. Genevra Walters, the Superintendent of Kankakee School District #111, discusses the implementation of the Competency Based Learning Model in her school district, beginning with Kankakee High School's freshmen class. She discussed the philosophy of competency-based learning, which emphasizes mastery of all competencies in order to earn credit. She also reviewed the use of career exploration and the promotion of work ethic, professionalism, communication, collaboration and problem solving. Dr. Walters explained how the district will implement this competency model throughout the district on a year by year basis. Kankakee High School is a pilot program for the Illinois State Board of Education under the Post Secondary and Work Force Readiness Act of 2016.

Joan Walters - Governor Jim Edgar Project

All it took was a little encouragement from a college professor to ignite a highly successful career in Illinois government for Joan Walters. After working on state government reorganization, she joined Governor Jim Thompson's transition team and later as a legislative liaison. In 1981, she was selected by then Secretary of State Jim Edgar to be his Chief of Staff, serving in this capacity until 1986. In 1991 she became Governor Edgar's Budget Director at a time when the state struggled to fill a $1 billion deficit. After succeeding in that, she later became the Director of Public Aid.

Norman Walzer - School District Reorganization

Dr. Norman Walzer is a scholar of government affairs and a former director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs. His studies focus on demographic, socioeconomic, and governmental changes in rural communities, and the challenges that such changes may pose to rural school districts.

Bobbie Wanzo - Delta Sigma Theta

Bobbie Wanzo became a member of the Theta Delta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in May of 1973 while a student at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. She began her long career in Illinois state government following graduation. Bobbie worked for the state of Illinois for the next forty years, holding a variety of administrative and management positions. In 2010, she received the Chicago Defender Women Excellence Award. She is a charter member of Springfield Decatur Area Alumnae Chapter (SDAAC).

Linden 'Lin' Warfel - Community College Project

Lin Warfel grew up on a farm in east central Illinois. He went to Wabash College before transferring to the University of Illinois to study Agriculture and then had a stint in the air force, before he returned to farming. He later became a trustee for Parkland College, a Community College in Champaign, Illinois. He has served on his local Unit 7 School Board, was active in the CHIEF initiative (Change How Illinois Education is Funded) and in a movement to advocate for a one percent sales tax. In 1991, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of Parkland College. At the time of the interview he still continued to serve as a trustee.

Ron Warfield - Public School Funding

Ron Warfield was active in Illinois agriculture and served as president of the Illinois Farm Bureau for ten years, stepping down in 2003. In the mid 2010s he served as a coordinator for Changing How Illinois Education is Funded (CHIEF) proposal which eventually contributed to the passage of Illinois's new public school funding bill in 2017. Warfield also reviews the unsuccessful effort to amend Article X of the Illinois State Constitution, and the Ikenberry School Funding Commission.

Holly Warlick - Girls Basketball

Holly Warlick played for the Nebraska Wranglers (where she was a teammate of Charlotte Lewis), a Women’s Basketball League team that won the World Championship in 1981. She later coached women’s basketball at Virginia Tech, University of Nebraska, and for decades as an assistant and associate head coach at UT-Knoxville. In the 2012-2013 season Holly took over from her mentor Pat Head Summit as the head coach at her alma mater, the University of Tennessee. Holly was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Carmelita Hogan Washington - Springfield African-American History Foundation

University human resources professional, sorority volunteer

J.D. Washington - Springfield African-American History Foundation

racism he has noted while working in Springfield Public Schools

William Washington - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Newspaper publisher

Frank Watson - Obama in Illinois

Senator Frank Watson (Republican) served as the Minority Leader in the Illinois State Senate during some of the state's most politically volatile years, coinciding with Rod Blagojevich's years as governor. Watson, from the southern Illinois town of Greenville, was a vocal and powerful advocate on educational issues, and voted as a fiscal hawk and social conservative throughout his career, which began in the IL House in 1978. He suffered a stroke in October, 2008, and finished his time in the Senate during the Blagojevich impeachment trial in January, 2009. Watson also shares his memories of Barack Obama when he was in the Illinois State Senate.

Frank Watson - Legislators Project

Senator Frank Watson (Republican) served as the Minority Leader in the Illinois State Senate during some of the state's most politically volatile years, coinciding with Rod Blagojevich's years as governor. Watson, from the southern Illinois town of Greenville, was a vocal and powerful advocate on educational issues, and voted as a fiscal hawk and social conservative throughout his career, which began in the IL House in 1978. He suffered a stroke in October, 2008, and finished his time in the Senate during the Blagojevich impeachment trial in January, 2009. Watson also shares his memories of Barack Obama when he was in the Illinois State Senate.

Gary and Mike Watson - Baseball

Gary and Mike Watson are identical twins born in 1953 who have only a couple significant differences; one is left handed while the other is right handed. More importantly, Mike is a life-long St. Louis Cardinals fan while Gary became a Cubs fan in 1980. The brothers reminisce about their youth growing up in Normal, Illinois in the 1950s and early 1960s, recall the turbulent years of the late 1960s, and especially share their memories of lives spent as passionate baseball fans.

Robert Watson - Community College Project

Robert Watson has practiced law since 1973, and has served as a Trustee of Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois for over 30 years. The role of a college trustee, and the growth of the college and its unique programs are discussed in detail.

Scott Watson - School District Reorganization

Superintendent Scott Watson discusses the deactivation of Rossville-Alvin (RA) High School followed by a successful referendum which led to the creation of Illinois's second cooperative high school, Bismarck-Henning and Rossville-Alvin Cooperative High School (BHRA). Topics explored include transportation responsibilities for the new district, board of education responsibilities for a cooperative high school, state incentives, school enrollment, union status, and community acceptance. Scott discusses the referendum that led to the creation of the Cooperative High School, and the introduction of an agriculture program following the reorganization. He also explains why the two districts decided to reorganize using a cooperative high school method as compared to other reorganization methods.

Harold Weaver - Rochester

Harold Weaver, from Rochester, Illinois, was drafted into the U.S. Army in January 1943. He was assigned to the 172nd Infantry Regiment of the 43rd Infantry Division and saw action with the unit in the North Solomon Islands, New Guinea and by January 1945 on Luzon Island in the Philippines. It was there that Weaver was injured in the leg, which ended his combat experiences. Following the war Harold worked at Sangamo Electric for thirty-two years, then at Camp Lincoln, the National Guard camp in Springfield. At age 67 he began working part-time at the Wilson Park Funeral Home in Rochester.

Dan Webb - Governor Jim Thompson Project

Dan Webb was a small town boy from central Illinois who, after graduating from Loyola Law School, worked in the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois in the early 1970s while Jim Thompson served as the U.S. Attorney. A decade later, Thompson was governor and Webb was U.S. Attorney. In that position, Webb's office prosecuted scores of Cook County officials for vote fraud following the 1982 gubernatorial election. His office also prosecuted scores more in the Greylord political scandal case, a case that began before his tenure, and continued on after his departure for private practice in 1985.

Joyce Webb - ERA Fight in Illinois

Joyce Webb grew up in Seattle, Washington, and following WWII married Howard Webb, who spent his career as an American Literature professor at Southern Illinois University. Joyce was an early supporter and helped found the Carbondale Women's Center, one of the very first such institutions in the nation. She was also active in the efforts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in the Illinois legislature, which ultimately went down to defeat in 1982.

Linda Weber - World War II

Linda Weber worked in the drafting department for the Curtiss-Wright Corporation at a plant in Columbus, Ohio building the SB2C Helldiver dive bomber. She had studied aeronautical engineering, physics, and calculus at Purdue University before working at the plant. She remembers the rationing of meat, chocolate, sugar, and butter during the war as well as the collecting of scrap metals.

Clemmie Webster - Delta Sigma Theta

Clemmie (Jackson) Webster was born in Gadsden, Tennessee in 1925, and two years later the family moved to Decatur, Illinois as part of the great migration of southern blacks to northern cities. She graduated from Decatur High School in 1942 and attended the University of Louisville for the next two years, where she joined the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She earned a Bachelors Degree in Education from Sangamon State University in the 1970s. Webster, as a charter member of the Springfield Decatur Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, has been an active member of the chapter since its inception.

JoAnn Wehrle - Vietnam War

JoAnn Griffith married Roy Wehrle in August, 1959 and the couple soon shipped out to Laos, where Roy served with the State Department. JoAnn discusses what her life was like serving as a representative of the United States in a third world country. In 1964 she accompanied Roy to South Vietnam, and was there until 1967. Their daughter was born in Saigon in 1967. JoAnn was twice evacuated to Bangkok, Thailand, once from Laos and once from South Vietnam as the Vietnam War grew more intense.

Roy Wehrle - Vietnam War

Leroy (Roy) Wehrle earned a Ph.D. in economics in 1959 from Yale University, then joined the U.S. State Department. He served on President Kennedy's Council of Economic Advisors before he and his wife were sent to Laos where he worked for the Agency for International Development. In 1964 he was sent to Vietnam and served as an economic advisor to three U.S. ambassadors until 1967, while also serving as the Assistant Director of the aid mission.

Robert Weichert - IHPA legacy

Robert (Bob) Weichert is the Division Manager of Administrative Services for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. He was first hired by the IHPA in 1988 as General Services Manager, a position that encompassed the roles of Affirmative Action Officer, Telecommunications Coordinator, and Travel Coordinator. In 1989 he was promoted to Division Manager of Administrative Services. As manager of this division, he is responsible for overseeing Fiscal, Personnel, General, and Physical Services for the Agency. He also served as the IHPA's Legislative Liaison from 1991 to 2003.

Karl Weingartner - Modern Era

With a degree in food technology, Karl Weingartner advised local farmers in Fiji while in the Peace Corps, then received an advanced degree and did soybean research in Nigeria, returning to be Director of the International Soybean Program. He discusses the wide array of ways soybeans are processed for both consumption and industrial uses.

Adela Weinstein - Educational Reform Act 1985

Adela Weinstein, who worked at the Illinois State Board of Education from 1974 to 2004, discusses the passage and implementation of the 1985 Education Reform Act. During that time, Adela, who moved to Illinois from Uruguay when she was sixteen, was involved with the state bilingual education program. She reviews how bilingual education has changed over a course of thirty years.

Kaitlin Weitekamp - Modern Era

Not a typical farm girl, Kaitlin Weitekamp, just to be different, joined FFA and later took over a turf business. After many FFA years she became President, attending meetings all over Illinois, traveling to Washington, DC, and taking a trip to Spain, to prove that a women "can do" in agriculture.

Samuel Weldon - World War II

Samuel Weldon served with the Marines during World War II. He saw action with the 4th Marine Division at Iwo Jima in February, 1945. Following the surrender of Japan, his unit spent several months at Guam before he was discharged in April, 1946.

Charlotte West - Girls Basketball

Charlotte West began teaching P.E. and coaching women's basketball at Southern Illinois University in 1957. During the 1960s she held leadership positions on the National Sports Institution Committee, the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, and was the director of women's athletics at SIU. She has been a life-long ambassador for women's sports, and is widely regarded as a pioneer in the women's sports movement for almost seventy years.

Dr. Lyndon Wharton - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Lyndon Wharton is a career educator who has spent much of his life working in the Office of Public Instruction for the Illinois Department of Education. He was intimately involved with the implementation of Illinois's Educational Reform Act of 1985, including state assessments in reading and writing, learning objectives for grades 3, 6, 8 and 10, the creation of the Illinois Administrators Academy, and many other of the 169 reforms of that landmark legislation.

Sandy Wheeler - Family Memories

Sandy Wheeler began her career as the executive director of the Rail Golf Classic (LPGA) in 1980. In 1993 the State Farm Insurance Company stepped forward as the title sponsor. She finally stepped down in 2005, after 27 years at the helm of the longest, continuous-running LPGA tournament in the country.

Sandy Wheeler - World War II

Sandy Dehner was the young daughter of Fred Dehner, a U.S. Army soldier deployed to the Pacific during the Second World War. She describes how his deployment overseas affected her mother and the family, and how they all coped with his long-term hospitalization from an illness contracted while in Bougainville.

Sandy Wheeler - General Interest

Sandy Wheeler began her career as the executive director of the Rail Golf Classic (LPGA) in 1980. In 1993 the State Farm Insurance Company stepped forward as the title sponsor. She finally stepped down in 2005, after 27 years at the helm of the longest, continuous-running LPGA tournament in the country.

Dr. Ben Whisenhunt - Community College Project

Dr. Ben Whisenhunt began teaching at the College of DuPage in 1992, and in 1997 he became a fulltime professor at the college, specializing in Russian history. This interview covers the history of the College of DuPage from 1966-2006 based on Dr. Whisenhunts’ research of the College and his own teaching there from 1992-2013. His story includes the early beginnings and the influence of Roy DeShane and Lyons Township High School.

Ronald Whitaker - Community College Project

Mr. Whitaker has a unique perspective on the history of Joliet Junior College, being a student at Joliet Township High School when it operated the college, then later as a full time/part time student at the college and as a Trustee when the College operated as an independent body. This interview covers those years and covers the evolution of Joliet Junior College from 1965-1970 when several critical issues were being considered.

Duane White - School District Reorganization

Duane White was a parent involved with the consolidation of the Abington, Avon and Bushnell-Prairie City school districts who was opposed to the consolidation initiative. White talks about that involvement, including his service on the Building and Grounds Committee of the Committee of Ten. He also was a member of the "Just Vote No" citizen's group.

James Whitson - World War II

James Robert Whitson served in the United States Navy during World War II, working as a torpedoman on the USS Herndon, a destroyer. The ship supported the invasion of Sicily, and on Christmas Day 1943 the ship barely rode out a dangerous storm in the North Atlantic. The Herndon supported the D-Day landing in June, 1944, and the invasion of southern France a couple of months later. The Herndon eventually ended up at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Theater.

David Wiant - World War II

David Wiant was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943, and upon completion of his training, was stationed in the Philippines, arriving in 1945. While there, he was involved in operations rooting out pockets of Japanese soldiers in remote locations. While awaiting for redeployment to the U.S. after the war, Wiant worked as an ambulance driver for a field hospital, then was transferred to the Military Police, and helped guard Japanese General Masaharu Homma, (commander of Japanese forces during their occupation of the Philippines), who was awaiting his war crimes trial.

Bob Wieneke - Modern Era

Bobby Wieneke is a fifth generation orchardist, discussing the evolution of species and practices. From apples only, the farm now produces several varieties of peaches and grapes. Currently he is renovating the family home, intending to produce and market wines, including peach wines.

Jerome Wiese - Vietnam War

Jerome Wiese served as a medic with Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry, 23rd ‘Americal’ Division during the Vietnam War. As a medic, he went on patrols, tended to wounded soldiers, served as a first responder and also delivered mail. Wiese reflects on his experiences in Duc Pho, South Vietnam, drug use in the military, the enemy they faced and what it was like to lose someone in battle. He went over to fight communism, but soon changed his perspective, instead aiming only to survive. He reflects on the strong bonds of friendship he formed with those he served with in Vietnam. Wiese served from July 17, 1970 to May 1, 1972.

Frank Williams - Civil Rights Stories

Frank Williams grew up in Flint, Michigan and captained the defense for his high school football team. But when it was discovered he was dating a white girl, he was expelled. The two eventually married and moved to Chicago where Frank went on to a long and very successful career as a Realtor on the south side of Chicago during a time of redlining, white flight, block busting and heightened racial tensions. Many white home owners employed him to sell their houses, often to African-Americans, especially in Beverly and neighboring communities. His business was frequently the target of harassment and violence, including one incident where a bomb was set off outside his home. In 1979 Frank was ordered by the District Court of the Northern District of Illinois to produce five years of files, a request that amounted to a more sophisticated form of harassment. Despite this, Williams achieved considerable success, holding many leadership positions in the community and receiving numerous awards over a career that has spanned five decades.

Hershel 'Woody' Williams - World War II

Hershel 'Woody' Williams grew up on a West Virginia dairy farm during the Great Depression, and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps shortly before the U.S. entry into World War II. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor he hoped to join the Marine Corps, but had to wait until May 1943 when the Corps changed the height requirement. Woody received the Medal of Honor for his actions on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. Over a four hour period, and armed with a flame thrower, he took out seven enemy pill boxes. He received the Medal of Honor in October 1945 from President Harry S. Truman, and has spent the rest of his life speaking about his experiences and inspiring younger generations by his example.

Jack Williams - World War II

World War II broke out during Jack Williams's first year of college at the University of Illinois. He decided to join the U.S. Navy and trained at the Great Lakes Naval Air Base as a gunner. Williams served in the Pacific theater from 1944 to 1945, and was assigned to the U.S.S. Petrof Bay (CVE 80), an escort carrier. Williams served as a gunner in a Grumman TBF Avenger, a carrier based torpedo bomber. The ship saw action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and at both Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

LaVon Wilson - Delta Sigma Theta

LaVon (Woodson) Wilson grew up in Springfield, Illinois and attended Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. Following her graduation in 1955 she returned to Springfield and taught music, traveling between all of the elementary school in the district. LaVon was instrumental in the chartering of the Springfield Decatur Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, and served as the newly formed chapter’s first president.

Travis Wilson - School District Reorganization

Travis Wilson began his career in education in Arthur, Illinois, becoming the principal and athletic director, and later the school district's Superintendent. Wilson reviews the referendum that led to the annexation first of Lovington in 2011 and Atwood-Hammond in 2013. Included are the strategies used for the referendum and for bringing the school districts together after the referendum.

Charles Wilson - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Bricklayer, musician, descendent of Springfield Race Riot victim

Jenrose Wilson - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Wife of Charles Wilson, worked in health care field

August Wisnosky - Architectural Gems

August (Augie) Wisnosky was hired in the early 1960s to work on the demolition and reconstruction of Illinois' Old State Capitol by Ferry and Henderson, local architects commissioned to oversee the renovation of the Old State Capitol. Augie's specific assignment was to work as the field architect for the project, “the man in the hole”. The project involved the complete deconstruction of the building, temporarily storing the stones at the state fairgrounds, then constructing a parking lot and office space underneath the building before reconstructing the capitol above the parking lot, building to exacting standards.

Paul Wisovaty - Vietnam War

Paul Wisovaty went to Vietnam on December 30, 1967 where he served as an RTO (Radio Telephone Operator) with the 3rd Squadron, 5th US Cavalry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division operating in the I Corps sector near North Vietnam. He discusses how the focus of the soldiers was to protect the man next to him rather than to free the Vietnamese. Following his tour in June, 1968, he attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and participated in anti-war protests. Following graduation, he joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

Benjamin Wolf - Public School Funding

Ben Wolf discusses his involvement in a school litigation case in 1999 where plaintiffs argued that the State Board of Education and the East St. Louis School Board had not provided a sufficient level of school funding to provide a basic education to students living in the school district. During the four-years of litigation, the case was heard by the Circuit, Appellate, and Supreme Courts of Illinois. Problems found in East St. Louis schools involved unsafe building conditions, lack of certified teachers, ghost payrolls, lack of equipment, high dropout rates and low test scores.

Sara Wolforth - Civics Education

Illinois Civics Task Force members discusses new IL program

Roycealee J. Wood - Educational Reform Act 1985

Roycealee Wood discusses her involvement with the 1985 Education Reform Act as a Counselor and Career Advisor in the North Chicago School Districts and later as Assistant and then Regional Superintendent of Schools for Lake County, Illinois. She reviews her involvement with the development of Learning Goals and local Assessments and also discusses the role of Reading Recovery in Lake County schools through the Reading Improvement Grant. Regional Superintendent Wood talks about the Regional Office of Education’s (ROE) role in professional development, gifted, Administrators Academy compliance visits, life safety, bus driver certification, alternative education, truant intervention, substitute certification, school reorganization, and bilingual education. She further discusses the role of the regional offices and their relationship to the State Board of Education and local districts.

Jim Woodward - IHSA

Jim Woodward discusses his involvement with high school sports in Illinois through his experiences as a high school athlete, high school coach, high school administrator, and President of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) from 2005 through 2012. He played football, basketball, and track while in high school, and coached football and track for many years before moving to the IHSA. Woodward discusses many of the challenging issues that IHSA took up during his tenure, including the non-boundary multiplier, public/private school issues, residency/transfer rulings, sports medicine/safety, drug testing, and expanded opportunities for student participation through sports and activities.

Ralph Woolard - World War II

Ralph Woolard served with the Army’s 36th Infantry Division in Europe during World War II. He landed with the Division in North Africa in April, 1943. As a member of the 36th Division, he was in some of the fiercest fighting in Italy, including the bloody battle of Monte Casino. He later saw action in southern France, at Germany’s Siegfried Line, and into Austria. Woolard was wounded twice during the war.

Martin Woulfe - People of Faith

Martin Woulfe was born and raised a Catholic, and attended Catholic schools, but by the conclusion of college in 1982 his religious views had evolved. After some tough financial and emotional challenges, he began the Meadville/Lombard Theological School in 1988 to become a Unitarian Universalist minister. Martin still faced significant challenges over the next several years, graduated from the seminary in June 1998, and was ordained in April 2003 by UUCC-Park Forest as his interim there was nearing completion. He has served as a congregational minister since 2001, most of that time at the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian-Universalist Church in Springfield, Illinois.

Bill Wright - IHSA

Bill Wright discusses his involvement with the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) through his experiences as a high school coach, a high school administrator, a member of the IHSA Legislative Commission, and an IHSA Board Member during his 36 years at Savanna Community School District #300 (now West Carroll). This discussion included the successful school wrestling program (which includes six state titles), IHSA Board issues such as residency/transfers, selection of championship sites, school boundaries, and the number of class champions. Wright also discusses the role of the Legislative Commission in the governance of the IHSA.

Brandon Wright - School District Reorganization

Brandon Wright of Monticello, Illinois is a lawyer who specializes in school district reorganization issues and initiatives. He has worked with both the Anna-Jonesboro High School District and the Regional Office of Education on detachment and annexation issues. Wright also teaches 'school law' courses at Southern Illinois University.

Thomas Wright - Rochester

Thomas Wright was born October 25, 1926 in rural Sangamon County outside Rochester, Illinois. Tom was one of nine children. He graduated from Rochester High School in 1944. During the 1940s, Thomas worked with his brother, James, delivering ice to rural areas around Rochester where his family owned an ice house. He served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1947 and was assigned to USS Sarita (AKA-39), an attack cargo ship, finishing the war in the waters off Japan. He spent his working life with the Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway as a railroad detective.

Betty Wrigley - Family Memories

Betty Ann Fuetsch Wrigley grew up in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri but at the age of fifteen in 1943 she followed her aunt to Bremerton, Washington. Once there she worked in the Puget Sound Navy Yard as a shipfitter’s helper from 1943 to 1946, having to lie about her age in order to work there. After the war, Betty returned briefly to St. Louis, then married Arvil William Wrigley on April 19, 1947 and moved to Collinsville, Illinois. She had a long career with the Illinois Bell Telephone Company, raised twins Robert and Kathryn, traveled throughout the United States on memorable vacations, which she always described in her notebooks, and devoted years to volunteering in her community.

Norm Wymbs - Ronald Reagan In Dixon

Norm Wymbs grew up in Virginia and is one of the founders of the Dixon, Illinois Historic Center. During the Ronald Reagan presidential campaigns and his presidency, stretching from 1980 to January, 1989, Wymbs grew close to the Reagan family. He speaks about the relationships between the Reagan family and the varying personalities therein. Norm also speaks at length about becoming the chairman of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home committee and the process of restoring the home and opening the museum in Dixon.

Gerald Yaxley - World War II

Gerald Yaxley served in the U.S. Army’s 104th Infantry Division (Timberwolves) during World War II. The unit fought in the bloody fighting at Aachen, Germany as well as at the Nazis’ Siegfried Line. During fighting in Germany, Yaxley’s division was ambushed and he was hit by shrapnel from a mortar shell

Iver Yeager - World War II

Iver Yeager grew up during the depression on a small ranch in northwestern South Dakota, attending a one room school and doing plenty of chores on the ranch. He was attending Macalester College in St. Paul, MN when Pearl Harbor occurred, and after graduating went through officers training at Plattsburg, New York and Hollywood Florida. He was assigned to the USS Dyson, a Fletcher-class destroyer cruising the dangerous waters of the western Pacific. His ship survived both a horrific typhoon and kamikaze attacks while supporting the fighting on Okinawa.

Eldon Yetter - Korean War

Eldon Yetter, a farmer, was drafted for Korea, joined the Marines in 1951 and was assigned to a Graves Registration unit in the 1st Marine Division. He served near Panmunjom at U.S. and enemy cemeteries. He returned to Illinois, established an insurance business and remains active in VFW parades and military rites.

Mary Yokem - Rochester

Mary Helen Yokem began her life in Springfield, Illinois, graduating from Feitshans High School in 1966. She then headed for Chicago, and over the decades lived in various cities across the United States. She shares her stories about he relatives, the Walkers of Rochester - African Americans in a largely white community. She discusses the history of the family and their farm, dating from 1863, and their life in Rochester over the years.

Dr. Marcia Young - IHPA legacy

Marcia Young became the site manager for the David Davis State Historic Site in Bloomington, Illinois in 1990, while it was in the midst of a five-year $2.5 million restoration. The site consists of the historic Victorian style mansion and grounds of Judge David Davis, a close friend and confidant of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln appointed Judge Davis to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1862, and he served there until becoming a U.S. Senator from 1877 to 1883. Marcia talks at length about her career with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, and about the art, architecture, and history of the David Davis mansion and grounds. She retired as site manager in 2014.

Kent Young - School District Reorganization

Kent Young has served as Superintendent of the Nauvoo-Colusa school district since 2006. Since becoming Superintendent, he has been involved in a number of reorganization and consolidation attempts, and in 2008 helped guide the district through a successful school deactivation and merger with the Warsaw Junior and Senior high schools.

Marcia Young - Looking for Lincoln

Marcia Young is one of the founding members of Looking for Lincoln which began in 1998, where she served on the steering committee and board of directors. After the Looking for Lincoln board of directors was restructured in 2013, Marcia became a member of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Steering Council. She has been involved with Looking for Lincoln from its inception to the time of this interview, and shares her reflections on the organization’s history and the journey of the organization from a state heritage tourism demonstration project to the designation of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.

Marcia Young - Architectural Gems

The David Davis Mansion State Historic Site is a beautifully restored, Victorian home, built between 1870-1872 for Judge David Davis (1815-1886) and his wife Sarah (1814-1879). The site consists of the historic Victorian style mansion and grounds of Judge David Davis, a close friend and confidant of Abraham Lincoln. Marcia Young, the site manager for the mansion from 1990 to 2014, gives interviewer Pete Harbison a tour of the historic home and grounds.

Walter Zaida - Community College Project

Walter Zaida began working at Joliet Junior College in 1961, and retired in 1986 after serving in a variety of positions at the college, including Vice President for Academic Affairs and as interim President. During the interview, he discusses the history of Joliet Jr. College from 1901 through 1986, highlighting its educational evolution, the impact of world wars and Vietnam had on the institution, and the important role that the Junior College Act of 1965 had on Illinois' community college system. Joliet Jr. College was the first public Jr. College in the United States.

Ken Zehnder - Governor Jim Edgar Project

Ken Zehnder began his political work on the George H.W. Bush 1980 primary bid in Illinois, then spent the next eighteen years working with Jim Edgar, first as Secretary of State Edgar's scheduler, and following Edgar's successful bid for the governorship in 1990, as the Governor's assistant for Boards and Commissions. In 1995 Zehnder moved to the Department of Revenue, where he soon was appointed as the director.

Benedict Zemaitis - Immigrant Stories

Benedict Zemaitis was born in Vilkauiskis, Lithuania in 1933. Following the Soviet invasion of Lithuania in 1940, his family fled Lithuania and moved to Wurtzberg, Germany, where they stayed until the town was destroyed by an allied bombing raid in 1945 near the end of the war. Following the raid, his family lived in a Bavarian displaced person's camp until 1949. They immigrated to Chicago the next year, where Benedict married another Lithuanian immigrant, Vita Zubkus, in 1956.

Aaron Butler - Public School Funding

Dr. Aaron Butler discusses how the American Institutes for Research, a non-profit federally funded research lab, assists states and school districts throughout the United States. Topics he addressed include state and district ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) site-based spending plans, school improvement plans and Great Teachers and Leaders training. Butler also talks about monitoring the progress of a school's improvement, school turnarounds and evidence based research.

Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz - Civics Education

History/Social Studies Teaching Coordinator at Eastern Illinois University

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