Interviews

Ann Lousin - Governor Jim Thompson Project

Ann Lousin earned a law degree from the University of Chicago in 1968, and the following year worked as a research assistant for Illinois's Constitutional Convention, a subject that has fascinated her ever since. She has written extensively on the subject, and is regarded as the premier authority on ConCon. In 1970 Lousin was selected to serve first as a staff assistant and later as the parliamentarian in the Illinois House of Representations at a time when W. Robert Blair (Republican) was the Speaker of the House. In 1975, she began a long and distinguished career as professor at the John Marshall Law School. Governor Jim Thompson selected Lousin to chair the Civil Service Commission, a position she held until 1983.

Ann Lousin - General Interest

Ann Lousin earned a law degree from the University of Chicago in 1968, and the following year worked as a research assistant for Illinois's Constitutional Convention, a subject that has fascinated her ever since. She has written extensively on the subject, and is regarded as the premier authority on ConCon. In 1970 Lousin was selected to serve first as a staff assistant and later as the parliamentarian in the Illinois House of Representations at a time when W. Robert Blair (Republican) was the Speaker of the House. In 1975, she began a long and distinguished career as professor at the John Marshall Law School. Governor Jim Thompson selected Lousin to chair the Civil Service Commission, a position she held until 1983.

Alan Lowe - Historians Speak

Alan Lowe began his career with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in 1989 as an archivist at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. From 1992 to 2003 he worked for NARA in Washington, D.C., then served as the director of the Howard Baker Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee. In 2008 President George W. Bush selected Lowe to be the director of his Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Alan discusses the creation and operation of that Library and Museum at great length.

Richard Lowe - World War II

Richard Lowe grew up during the Great Depression on a southern Illinois farm, then spent World War II in the Navy. He served on the destroyer USS Wadsworth, which saw action in several of the most important naval battles in the Pacific theater. Following the war he returned to Illinois, went to college on the G.I. Bill, and spent a long and productive career teaching ag. and ag business courses both at the high school level and to farmers in the St. Elmo area of southern Illinois. In that capacity, he helped modernize Illinois farming during an era when farm yields were exploding.

Dave Luechtefeld - Obama in Illinois

Senator Dave Luechtefeld grew up on a dairy farm outside Okawville, Illinois, and because of his 6 ft 7 in frame and basketball skills he earned a full sports scholarship to St. Louis University. He returned to Okawville to begin a very successful teaching and coaching career, especially in basketball, with multiple trips to the state finals. Following his retirement at 57, he then became an Illinois State Senator in 1995, serving as a Republican in a toss-up district for twenty-one years until his retirement from the senate in 2016. While an Illinois Senator, the Republican Luechtefeld often played poker with his Democratic colleague, Senator Obama.

Dave Luechtefeld - Legislators Project

Senator Dave Luechtefeld grew up on a dairy farm outside Okawville, Illinois, and because of his 6 ft 7 in frame and basketball skills he earned a full sports scholarship to St. Louis University. He returned to Okawville to begin a very successful teaching and coaching career, especially in basketball, with multiple trips to the state finals. Following his retirement at 57, he then became an Illinois State Senator in 1995, serving as a Republican in a toss-up district for twenty-one years until his retirement from the senate in 2016.

Dave Luechtefeld - Modern Era

Senator Dave Luechtefeld grew up on a dairy farm outside Okawville, Illinois, along with his two younger brothers. He discusses that experience at length, emphasizing the important role his parents played in instilling values and providing an example of hard work and integrity that has served him well for his entire life. He attended a country school while in grade school, and speaks of life without indoor plumbing and other modern amenities. Due to his 6 ft 7 in frame, he excelled in basketball and baseball in high school, and thus was able to attend college at St. Louis University of a full scholarship.

David Luechtefeld - School District Reorganization

Senator Dave Luechtefeld taught in Okawville, Illinois for thirty-three years before being elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1994. He served on Governor Pat Quinn's Classroom First Commission in 2011-2012, working on the "Within District Efficiency" Subgroup. The Senator discusses reorganization challenges that southern Illinois districts face.

Dave Luechtefeld - General Interest

Dave Luechtefeld grew up on a dairy farm outside Okawville, Illinois, then used his 6 ft 7 in frame to earn a full sports scholarship to St. Louis University. He returned to Okawville to begin a very successful teaching and coaching career, especially in basketball, where his teams made multiple trips to the state finals. Dave taught for 33 years and coached the basketball team for 37 years. He also was the school's baseball coach and athletic director. He retired from teaching in 1993 while retaining his coaching job for several more years, and went on to have a successful career as an Illinois State Senator.

Dean Lynn - Korean War

Dean Lynn grew up on a small Illinois farm before being drafted in January, 1952 into the U.S. Army. By July he was serving in Korea with the 245th Tank Battalion, assigned as a loader in an M-4 Sherman tank. Lynn saw extensive combat over the next several months, and after one incident at Hill 854, was awarded a Bronze Star for valor as well as South Korea's Wharang Distinguished Military Service Medal for his heroic action that day. Lynn shipped back to the states in 1953, shortly before the armistice ended the war.

Naomi B Lynn - General Interest

Naomi Lynn served as President of Sangamon State University in Springfield, Illinois from 1991 through 1995. In that year the university transitioned into the University of Illinois at Springfield, part of the University of Illinois system. Lynn skillfully oversaw that transition, becoming chancellor of UIS. As part of that transition, she also supervised the school's transition from a two year (junior and seniors only) to a four year program with increasingly robust graduate programs as well. Lynn was the nation's first Hispanic woman to head a public university. She was a champion of women’s rights and became a leader and mentor for women and minorities in academia and the larger community.

Laurie Mabry - Girls Basketball

Laurie Mabry was a physical education teacher at Illinois State University and sponsored the Women’s Athletic Association there. Later, she was made the Women’s Intercollegiate Director and then the Women’s Athletic Director. In the 1970s, she was the President of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.

Gary MacDougal - Governor Jim Edgar Project

Gary MacDougal started his adult life in business, and began his own company in 1969 (Mark Controls Corporation).In 1987 he retired from a very successful business career to pursue a different passion - addressing the seemingly intractable problems of poverty in America. In 1991 newly elected Governor Jim Edgar asked MacDougal to head up the Task Force on Human Services Reform. MacDougal harnessed his energy and passion with his business savvy and entrepreneurial spirit to first understand the underlying problems of poverty, then recommend a revamping of Illinois's welfare system. The reforms were remarkably successful.

Eric Madiar - Pension Crisis in Illinois

Eric Madiar reviews the history of Illinois's five state pension systems, beginning his review with events in 1917, and continuing with the inclusion of a pension clause in the 1970 State Constitution, plus court cases that followed which defined the clause. Madiar also addresses the efforts to deal with the pension system's ballooning deficits with the passage of Senate Bill 1 in 2013, which was ruled unconstitutional in 2015.

Robert Maher - Community College Project

Robert Maher served as a Legislative Assistant to Governor Otto Kerner when the landmark Junior College Act of 1965 was passed. He later served as Legal Council for the Community College Trustees Association (1970-1998). This interview covers that period plus his own experiences as a Junior College student at Alton Grand Rapids and Wilbur Wright College in Chicago.

Senator Andrew Manar - Public School Funding

Sen. Andy Manar discusses his early interest in improving equity in the distribution of funds for Illinois Public Schools. This interest was not only as a State Senator but as a parent and member of a County Board. Sen. Manar talks of the ups and downs in his efforts to create a more equitable state school funding formula over the course of nine years. He reviews in detail the legislative attempts, funding commissions, and listening town halls that eventually led to the landmark 2017 legislation, Senate Bill 1947, which established a new Evidence Based School Funding formula creating a more equitable funding model for Illinois's public schools.

Robert Mandeville - Governor Jim Thompson Project

After many years working in the aerospace industry and NASA, Dr. Robert Mandeville began a second career working in the Illinois Bureau of the Budget, first for Governor Richard Ogilvie in the early 1970s. From 1977 through 1990 Dr. Mandeville served as Governor Jim Thompson's Budget Director, successfully steering the state's budget through the deep recession of the early 1980s, and into the boom years of the later 1980s, when Gov. Thompson launched his ambitious Build Illinois initiative.

Michelle Mangan - Public School Funding

Dr. Michelle Mangan recounts her involvement in Illinois school funding discussions through her work in educational research, teaching school finance, and testifying in the Urban League school funding litigation. She also took a leading role in Illinois task forces studying the issue of equity and adequacy. She testified before Legislative Committees on the issue, and both served and was chair of the Professional Review Panel on School Funding. Her experience as a parent of children in the public schools gave her further insight into the issues. Dr. Mangan discusses the new Evidence Based Model of funding, its philosophy in comparison to other funding models, and the 27 categories found in creating adequate funding. The initiative led to the successful passage of Senate Bill 1947 in 2017.

Brent Manning - Governor Jim Edgar Project

After graduating from Eastern Illinois University with a Master's degree in 1976, Brent Manning spent nearly a decade working with Illinois Central Industries on a expansive range of environmental issues. Manning then worked for several years with Ducks Unlimited before being chosen by newly elected Governor Jim Edgar to head the Department of Conservation. Manning worked on a wide array of issues and projects during his tenure, including a Conservation Congress, Conservation 2000, several major land acquisitions, and the design and construction of the headquarters for the newly created Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Caroline Manock - Modern Era

Caroline Manock spent her childhood on the family farm, then following two years of college, she became the bookkeeper for her father, who managed a farm. She was married to John Manock, a Peoria County farmer in 1944, and together they managed the farm for the rest of their working lives.

Ivan Maras - Korean War

Ivan Maras grew up on the family farm near tiny Bulpitt, Illinois, then attended college at Illinois Teachers College. Upon graduation in 1952 he was drafted, and following his initial training, was shipped to South Korea in early 1953 and assigned to the 65th Infantry Regiment, a Puerto Rican National Guard unit. Maras worked in the Headquarters Company until the end of the war in July, 1953. Then, due to his college degree and teaching credentials, he spent the rest of his tour of enlistment teaching Puerto Rican students math and other courses at a make-shift school the military established in Korea.

Father Ronald Margherio - Alternatives in Education

Father Ronald Margherio discusses his 54 year involvement with St. Bede Academy (Grades 9-12) located between Peru and Spring Valley, Illinois. Father Ronald has been a student, Novice, teacher, superintendent, development director, and now the chaplain at the Academy. He discusses the Academy’s history, including its transition from an all-boys school to a coed school, and its beginnings as a boarding school into a day academy, and now an academy with a small boarding presence for international students. Serving up to 300 students, the school campus encompasses 100 acres, including a working farm, a chapel, a new science wing, and the school's main building dating from 1890. Father Margherio also discussed the school's Benedictine philosophy and reviews its curriculum.

Robert Marion - World War II

Robert Marion was born and raised in rural Mississippi, and was drafted into the Army in April, 1943. Following his training, he was assigned to the Quartermaster Corps, and served with the 3201 Quartermaster Company. The unit participated in the Normandy campaign and the liberation of France, and also in the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns.

Andrea Markert - Alternatives in Education

Andrea Markert talks about the University High Lab School, which is part of Illinois State University. The school, formed in 1857, is the oldest “normal” school in the country, and has a set enrollment of 600 students. She discusses the school’s work in research and educational innovation, its role as a Teacher Education Center, its curriculum, student eligibility, its relationship with Thomas Metcalf K-8 school, athletic/activities programs, and its governance through Illinois State University.

Laura Marks - Looking for Lincoln

Laura Marks, a banker from Jacksonville, Illinois, was inspired by Abraham Lincoln's life story and founded the Jacksonville Looking for Lincoln Committee in 2005 just prior to the opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois. She became a Looking for Lincoln board member in 2009 and continues to serve on the board of directors of the organization.

Rabbi Barry Marks - People of Faith

Rabbi Barry Marks served as the rabbi for Temple Israel in Springfield, Illinois from 1973 to 2017. He graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City in 1969 and began his rabbinical career in Danville, Illinois. He then attended the University of Illinois law school for two years, but in 1973 he became the rabbi at Temple Israel in Springfield, a Conservative synagogue. Rabbi Marks became very active in the greater Springfield community, and because of his lifetime of service to his temple and the community, was honored with Springfield's First Citizen Award in 2011.

Ron Marlow - Ronald Reagan In Dixon

Ron Marlow worked as the historian of the First Christian Church in Dixon since 1992. Doing research on the church led him to discoveries about Ronald Reagan and his family, and their relation to the church. From there, he began doing significant research on the Reagan family and the influence of the church on their lives, especially for Ronald and his mother, Nelle. Marlow later spent time on a nine part book series about the First Christian Church and Dixon based on a variety of telegraphs and articles that he himself had organized and microfilmed.

Gail Marquis - Girls Basketball

Gail Marquis was born and raised in New York City, graduating from Andrew Jackson High School, Queens, New York in 1972. She played college basketball at Queens College, and in 1976 was selected to play on the U.S. Olympic Woman's Basketball Team, one of only four African-Americans selected. This was the first year woman's basketball was played, and the team came home with a silver medal. The entire team was inducted into the Women's Institute of Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

George Marquis - World War II

George Marquis dropped out of college in 1943 to join the Navy, and was soon accepted into submarine duty, where he was assigned to the USS Bergall following a rigorous training program. He was on board for all five of the Bergall's combat patrols, hunting in the Japanese shipping lanes around Saipan, near French Indo-China, and in the South China Sea, Java Sea and Indian Ocean.

Dr. Stephanie Marshall - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Stephanie Marshall served as the CEO/President of the Illinois Math Science Academy from its inception in 1986 through her retirement in 2007. She gives a detailed discussion of the school's early days, including the legislative discussions in 1984-85, and the school's phased start, adding one grade level each year. She also discusses the development of a curriculum, the selection process for students, the hiring of the staff, the organization of the residential halls, scheduling challenges, extra student activities, and the creation of a unique learning environment.

Bill Martin - Vietnam War

Bill Martin joined the U.S. Army on December 13, 1965. Within a year he shipped out on the USS Barrett from Oakland, California to Quy Nhon, South Vietnam. He served as a forward observer with an infantry unit, calling is artillery fire in support of their operations. He spend most of his time at LZ Tom, an artillery fire base in northern South Vietnam near Highway 1. After 18 months in Vietnam, he was hit in the leg with mortar shrapnel, and was shipped home. Since the war, Martin has participated in numerous veteran organizations, as well as projects that continue to aid and celebrate American war veterans. One of these projects was the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Springfield, Illinois.

Lynn Martin - Alternatives in Education

Lynn Martin discusses the history of Elgin Academy, which was founded in 1836, from her perspective as Registrar, Administrative Assistant Upper School, and currently Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications. (2007-2018). She talks about the importance of Elgin Academy to the local community for over 180 years, first as a liberal arts high school and now also a Prek-8 school. Martin discusses the role of the Sears family in its early years, the school's liberal arts curriculum, the school’s philosophy/mission statement and the importance of field trip experiences for its students. The school, as Lynn explains, lives up to its motto of 'Taking Learning Personally.'

Rayburn Martin - World War II

Rayburn Martin joined the Army 1940, and became a medical supply NCO in France with the 84th Infantry Division. Seriously wounded in 1944, he recuperated in a hospital in England, then returned to service in time to see action in the Battle of the Bulge. Discharged in October 1945, he worked for forty years with International Harvester.

Terry Martin - Community College Project

Terry Martin served on the staff at Kishwaukee College, the local community college near DeKalb, Illinois, for many years, and after his retirement continued to teach in an adjunct capacity. Terry has authored Anatomy and Physiology lab manuals and books and is now involved in the writing of the educational section of "Acres of Change: A History of DeKalb County, Illinois 1963-2012." This interview covers the history of Kishwaukee College over a 40 year period.

Thomas Martin - Modern Era

Tom Martin hails from Logan County, and grew up in a family that has farmed the land for six generations. After earing a degree in biology and a few years away from farming, Tom returned to the family farm and adopted no-till practices, and also planted earlier in the season, both of which were not customary at the time. In recognition to his contributions to farming, he was named as one of three Illinois Master Farmers in 2017 by the 'Illinois Times.' Tom is also a member of the Mt. Pulaski Economic Development Board, the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse Foundation, the Agriculture Leadership Program and is involved with the Lincoln Heritage Area.

Tom Martin - Looking for Lincoln

Tom Martin is one of the founding members of Looking for Lincoln. He attended the first organization meeting in 1997 and served on the executive board throughout his tenure with Looking for Lincoln. He was an active member of the organization from 1997 to 2007, and held various roles on the executive board, including vice chairman and chairman. He played a vital role in the creation of the organization, its early projects and in the advocacy efforts to have Congress designate the region as the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.

Jose Martinez - Immigrant Stories

Jose was born in Mexico, with six years of school. With few opportunities for work, he came to North Carolina where he soon found work picking tobacco and cucumber, returning regularly from living in Mexico with his family off season. Since 1994 he's worked for Eckert's Orchards in Belleville, IL.

Jose Martinez - Modern Era

Jose was born in Mexico, with six years of school. With few opportunities for work, he came to North Carolina where he soon found work picking tobacco and cucumber, returning regularly from living in Mexico with his family off season. Since 1994 he's worked for Eckert's Orchards in Belleville, IL.

Ralph Martire - Pension Crisis in Illinois

Ralph Martire, the Executive Director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability since 1999, has also served as a technical advisor to the Illinois House Appropriations Committee on Education Policy, and frequently writes and speaks on public policy issues, including on Illinois's severe public pension shortfall. Mr. Martire delineates what he believes are the causes of pension underfunding, explains the role of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability in helping to craft legislation, and offers potential solutions to the problem.

Wesley Matthews - World War II

Wesley Matthews served in the 99th Division of the U.S. Army during World War II. Matthews fought in the Battle of the Bulge and later saw action in Germany. At one point, his leg was hit with German shrapnel, which ultimately led to him receiving a disability discharge.

Barb Maue - IHSA

Barbara Maue discusses her involvement with Illinois high school volleyball during her forty-one years as an official. Barb tells how she got into officiating, about working high school games, and reminiscences about being selected to officiate at the Illinois state championships in that sport. In addition, she covers some of the major rule changes in the sport such as rally scoring, let serve, serve and receiver patterns, and the Libero position.

Martin Mauricio - Modern Era

Martin Mauricio was born in Mexico, but sought opportunity and employment in America. After harvesting Christmas trees in Texas, he began trimming trees for Eckert's Orchards, becoming a U. S. citizen in 2004. He recruit and manages Eckert's migrant laborers. After gaining citizenship, he opened a grocery store and Mexican restaurant in Belleville.

Martin Mauricio - Immigrant Stories

Born in 1971, Martin Mauricio grew up in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, but left Mexico and headed for Texas in 1989. In 1990 he began working for Eckert's Orchards in Belleville, Illinois, trimming peach trees. He returned to Mexico each year for the next several years, spending seven months in the United States, and five in Mexico. He started the citizenship naturalization process in 1999, the same year he began managing the operation's farm labor force. He was also married that year. Martin became a U.S. citizen in 2004, and at the same time opened his own business in Belleville, starting with a grocery story and a Mexican restaurant.

Rep. Rita Mayfield - School District Reorganization

Rep. Rita Mayfield discusses her 2019 school reorganization bill (HB 3050), which calls for the creation of a School Efficiency Commission which would make recommendations regarding the number of school districts that are needed in Illinois. Following a review, the commission would recommend which districts should reorganize, which would then lead to a school reorganization ballot question for residents in those school districts. The Commission would recommend what unit districts would be formed as well as suggested tax levy rates. The legislation seeks to avoid duplication, reduce administrative costs, improve student educational opportunities, lower the property tax burden, and provide a net cost savings to the state. Rep. Mayfield outlines the recommended steps to achieve these goals and also discusses the new Evidence Based School Funding model being used in Illinois.

Kevin McClain - Alternatives in Education

Kevin McClain, together with his wife Linda, decided to send their four children to private school for their entire elementary and secondary school experiences, citing better structure, discipline and the quality of education as some of the key reasons for doing so. He discusses the experiences of their four children during their years of elementary education and secondary education at Sacred Heart Griffin High School in Springfield, Illinois, as well as their college education at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana.

Keith McClow - Modern Era

Keith McClow discusses the history of the farm, its livestock, its crops, and the demonstrations of older farm activities that occur on the farm today. The Kline family arrived in DuPage County in 1835.

Joseph McCormick - World War II

Joseph McCormick served in the European theater with the U.S. Army in World War II, assigned to a Quartermaster unit. He also was an interpreter, helping communicate with the Free French forces as the allies moved across France. McCormick traveled throughout the European Theater and helped maintain the flow of supplies to infantrymen.

Mike McCormick - Governor Jim Edgar Project

Mike McCormick is the long-time personal assistant to former Governor Jim Edgar. After he helped manage Edgar's 1994 reelection campaign, he became the governor's personal assistant. His duties include helping with scheduling; coordinating events, meetings, and activities; and serving as an intermediary with other key staff.

Tom McCoy - Modern Era

Harold Thomas McCoy discusses life on a typical family farm in Will County, Illinois. His paternal grandfather was born in Ireland and started the family farm in Romeo where McCoy was raised during the Great Depression on the family farm in Romeo, Illinois, raising dairy cattle, hogs, grain, and forage. McCoy married and started his own family shortly after moving to Shorewood, Illinois. He switched from dairy cattle to beef cattle, and also did a lot of custom farm work, primarily hay baling, harvesting, and hauling livestock to the hicago Stock Yards.

Toby McDaniel - Rochester

Toby McDaniel obtained his first camera when he was in seventh grade, and by high school he was chasing after news stories in Advance, Indiana, turning his photos in to local newspapers. He continued to hone his skills as a journalist while serving in the U.S. Navy from 1958 to 1963, including a tour on the carrier USS Hornet. After earning a journalism degree from San Diego State University, Toby settled in Springfield in 1967 and spent his next thirty-seven years working for Springfield papers, writing a newspaper column on his observations of Illinois politics and the Springfield social scene.

Toby McDaniel - Cold War Era

Toby McDaniel obtained his first camera when he was in seventh grade, and by high school he was chasing after news stories in Advance, Indiana, turning his photos in to local newspapers. He continued to hone his skills as a journalist while serving in the U.S. Navy from 1958 to 1963, including a tour on the carrier USS Hornet. After earning a journalism degree from San Diego State University, Toby settled in Springfield in 1967 and spent his next thirty-seven years working for Springfield papers.

Jess McDonald - Governor Jim Edgar Project

From 1976-2003, Jess McDonald served four governors of Illinois, first as the Director of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, and then as the Director of the Department of Child and Family Services. While director of the DCFS, he dramatically increased the number of adoptions and improved the overall service and management of the agency, receiving numerous state and federal awards for his efforts.

Max McGee - School District Reorganization

Dr. Glenn 'Max' McGee is a career educator who served as the Illinois State Superintendent of Schools from 1998 through 2001. During that time, school consolidation issues was one of the thorniest subjects he dealt with, which he discusses at length during this interview.

Ron McGraw - IHSA

Ron McGraw has had a long career in education, culminating with his position as an Assistant Executive Director at the Illinois High School Association, where he oversaw state meets and programs for track and field, cross country, swimming and diving, girls' golf, scholastic bowl and coaches education. Prior to that position, he worked as a high school coach, athletic director and later as high school principal. While at IHSA, McGraw also reviewed how technology was impacting sports, which helped with timing, placement, man power, and seeding.

Irene McGuire - Modern Era

Irene McGuire tells the story of she and her husband loosing the family's peach orchard, land that had been in the family since the 1820s. For many years Irene and her mother-in-law handled the business end while her husband managed the orchard, but when the peaches stopped producing, they had to sell the farm.

Jim and Lenore McKenzie - Ronald Reagan In Dixon

Jim McKenzie is the son of Ralph 'Mac' McKenzie, the football coach for Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois during the time when Ronald Reagan attended, from around 1929 to 1932. During their later years, Jim and his wife Lenore were both given invitations to attend the president's first inauguration in January, 1981. In 1981 they also attended a private luncheon in the White House.

Donald McKinley - Modern Era

Donald McKinley grew up on the family farm, and attended Monmouth College and then Northern Illinois University, eventually receiving a Masters Degree in Education. He served as a school principal in Quincy, Illinois for thirty years , while also farming near Quincy. After his retirement, Don developed an Agriculture Museum in Quincy, which focuses on farming of the 1930s.

Bruce McMillan - Illinois State Museum

Bruce McMillan, after earning a Ph.D. in Anthropology, began his career at the Illinois State Museum in 1969. He advanced quickly and became director of the State Museum in 1977. He stayed in that position until 2005, guiding the institution through a major expansion. During his tenure it grew from two to six facilities, and developed a reputation for excellence in interdisciplinary research and innovation in exhibits and education. The Museum's Research and Collections Center and the Dickson Mounds Museum were examples of the excellent work being done during McMillan's tenure, as were many of the projects, studies and initiatives conducted during his many years at the helm.

DeLoyce McMurray - World War II

DeLoyce McMurray enlisted in the Marines following high school in 1944, and was assigned to an all-black Service Battalion in the 2nd Marine Division. Stationed at Wake Is., he helped evacuate wounded troops from Iwo Jima. Following the war he worked as computer operator in the early days of computers, serving as a civilian overseas.

Robert McPeek - World War II

Bob McPeek grew up during the Depression and talked about coming of age on the home front during World War II. Bob left high school in March, 1945 prior to graduation, and joined the Coast Guard. The war was over by the time he made his first overseas cruise on the USS Howze, a troop transport. He worked as a cook in the galley while on the Howze. During the next year, from mid 1945 to May, 1946 the Howze made one trip to the Philippines to pick up troops, followed by a trip from California to England with a load of German POWs, and then two trips across the Atlantic bringing U.S. Army troops back to the United States.

Wendell Meeks - Family Memories

Born in 1944, Wendell Meeks grew up in the southern Illinois town of Centralia, graduating from high school in 1962. Wendell talks extensively about his home town, about its early efforts to integrate the schools, and about Centralia High School sports, especially Orphans basketball. During his junior year, the team made it to the Super-Sectionals, and in his senior year when Wendell started at center, the team made it all the way to the Quarterfinals, where they were defeated by the eventual state champion, Chicago-Carver. Following high school, he attended Oberlin College, where he continued playing several sports. Upon graduation from Oberlin, Wendell went on to a long and successful career in education.

Donald Meier - Korean War

Donald Meier joined the Illinois Army National Guard in 1947, serving with an Ambulance Company in the 44th Infantry Division. In 1952 Meier was activated and eventually reassigned to work in a hospital on a small island just of the west coast of North Korea. The hospital served North Korean anti-communists who conducted guerrilla raids inside North Korea.

Dave Meister - School District Reorganization

Dave Meister is a career teacher and school administrator who in 2009 was involved with the creation of Illinois's first Cooperative High School. He also served on a six member board made up equally of Crestwood District #4 and Paris Union.

Isaac Mercer - Korean War

Isaac Mercer was drafted and inducted into the Army in early 1952. He arrived in Korea in February 1953. His unit served on the front lines near Heartbreak Ridge. In June 1953, Mercer earned the Bronze Star for valor.

Francis Merkley - World War II

Frank Merkley had already been driving trucks for several years when he was drafted by the Army in November of 1942. Six months later he was driving a truck in Persia, helping deliver supplies from the port of Kharramshahr in modern day Iran to Andimeshk, the first leg of the Allies efforts to get war supplies to the Soviets. In early 1945 his unit, the 3949th Quartermaster Truck Company, was transferred to the China-Burma-India theater, where Merkley spent the rest of the war. He drove the famous Burma Road over some of the most treacherous terrain of the war, and survived a couple of near death experiences.

Sam Meteer - Modern Era

Sam grew up on his father's hog farm, helping him make specialized farm fencing and parts. He became involved in Future Farmers of America in high school, showing pigs. Until recently, he was Illinois State FFA Vice President, traveling the state and representing Illinois in national meetings in Washington, DC.

Dennis Metzger - Vietnam War

Dennis Metzger grew up in Indiana in a family with strong Church of the Brethren beliefs. Because of that, he was eligible to request conscientious objector status when he became eligible for the draft in 1968. Dennis felt called, instead, to serve in Vietnam, and after receiving training at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Maryland, he spent the next five years in northern South Vietnam helping farmers develop irrigation projects for their villages. In 1973 he married a South Vietnamese women he had met at a Christian church in Tam Ky, and they spent the next year living in Taiwan. They returned to the U.S. in 1975.

John Metzger - Vietnam War

John Metzger shipped over to Vietnam in January of 1969 where he was assigned support command to assist a Catholic priest at the compound Camp Granite in Qui Nhơn, South Vietnam until January of 1970. As a chaplain’s assistant, Metzger accompanied the priest on outings to other military locations in Vietnam. His duties ranged from serving at mass or helping the priest administer the last rites for fallen soldiers.

Ron Michaelson - General Interest

Ron Michaelson spent 29 years with the Illinois State Board of Elections, 27 of those as its executive director. During those years he observed much of the state's turbulent political history first-hand, including a contested gubernatorial election in 1982, and the bizarre 1986 gubernatorial election. Michaelson resigned his position at the beginning of the Rod Blagojevich administration.

Stanley Mietus - IHSA

Stan Mietus discusses his involvement with the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and the Chicago Public League, both as a high school athlete and especially as a high school girls' and boys' soccer coach at Thomas Kelly High School. His coaching career began in the mid 1990s, and was still going strong at the time of the interview. Stan also discussed his playing days at North Central College and the documentary “In the Game,” which covered the Kelly High School girls' soccer team over a four year period.

George Mihel - Community College Project

Dr. George Mihel became the President at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Illinois in 2005. He discusses the history of that institution in detail, and also relates his own experiences at Lyons Junior College (now College of DuPage in suburban Chicago) as well as community colleges outside of Illinois.

Abner Mikva - Obama in Illinois

Abner Mikva grew up on the south side of Chicago, and began his political career following a one-year clerkship with the U.S. Supreme Court. Mikva served in the Illinois legislature from 1956 to 1966 representing the Hyde Park neighborhood of the city, and the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to January 1973. He was maneuvered out of office due to redistricting, then represented the Evanston area in Congress from 1975 to 1979, when he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. In 1994 he began a one-year hitch as President Bill Clinton's legal advisor. He then returned to Chicago, taught law, and became one of Barack Obama's mentors and early supporters in the late 1990s.

Judge Abner Mikva - Legislators Project

Abner Mikva grew up on the south side of Chicago, and began his political career following a one-year clerkship with the U.S. Supreme Court. He became interested in politics in the late 1940s, identifying himself as an independent Democrat - a strong supporter of Adlai Stevenson but not part of the powerful Chicago Democratic machine. Mikva served in the Illinois legislature from 1956 to 1966 representing the Hyde Park neighborhood of the city, and the U.S. House of Representatives from 1969 to January 1973. He was maneuvered out of office due to redistricting, then represented the Evanston area in Congress from 1975 to 1979, when he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (not a subject of this interview). In 1994 he began a one-year hitch as President Bill Clinton's legal advisor. He then returned to Chicago, taught law, and became one of Barack Obama's mentors and early supporters in the late 1990s.

Clarence Leroy 'Lee' Miller - Williamsville

This interview details Lee’s life growing up in Williamsville and his extensive community involvement, including his reflection as president of the Village of Williamsville and president of Williams Township.

Jeffrey C. Miller - Governor Jim Thompson Project

Jeffrey Miller spent ten years working in the Illinois Department of Public Aid, including from 1978 to 1983 as its director during the Governor Jim Thompson administration. In 1983 he moved to the governor's executive staff, where he headed a new planning office. In 1987, Miller became Governor Thompson's chief of staff, a position he held until the end of the Thompson administration in January, 1991. Miller talks at length about welfare reform efforts in the 1970s and 1980s, and offers insights into Thompson's style of leadership.

Stephen Miller - Public School Funding

Steve Miller is a product manager for Forecast 5 Analytical. He discusses his work as a school auditor, school business official, financial planner,and data researcher for Illinois public schools. He examines the state's new (in 2018) evidence based school funding formula, and the data collection required for its development

Jill Loeser and Jean Miller - Sangamon County

Jean Miller (Trainer) and Jill Loeser (Trainer) discussed how and why their ancestor Leonard Trainer obtained the property belonging at one time to William Herndon, the former law partner and biographer of Abraham Lincoln. They also discussed what happened to the house the Herndons lived in through the years up to the present day, and also what happened to the farm, both of which were located in rural Sangamon County, near Cantrall.

Sam Million - World War II

The son of Sicilian immigrants, Sam Million speaks extensively about his parents and their struggles as immigrants in a new country. He enlisted in the Army in October of 1946, and by early 1948 was assigned to Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, where those Japanese accused of war crimes were imprisoned. He spent six months on suicide watch over General Hideki Tojo, the former Japanese Prime Minister.

Richard Mills - Korean War

Richard Mills was a veteran of the Korean War, working in counter-intelligence while assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in 1953. His duties included interrogation of 'line-crossers' (civilians fleeing south) and prisoners of war. Judge Mills also shares his reflections on the officers and men he served with, the North Korean and Chinese enemy, and Korean civilians.

Newton Minow - General Interest

Newton Minow rose to fame as John F. Kennedy's Federal Communications Commission chairman when he used the phrase "vast wasteland" to describe the relatively new medium of television. He returned to Chicago in 1965, joined the law firm of Sidley Austin, and stayed active in Democratic politics for the rest of a long and productive career. Other alum of Sidley Austin included Michelle (Robinson) Obama and Barack Obama, who worked there as an intern. Minow formed a friendship and a mentoring relationship with the young lawyer, and Barack often sought him out for advice at important points in his life.

Newton Minow - Obama in Illinois

Newton Minow rose to fame as John F. Kennedy's Federal Communications Commission chairman when he used the phrase "vast wasteland" to describe the relatively new medium of television. He returned to Chicago in 1965, joined the law firm of Sidley Austin, and stayed active in Democratic politics for the rest of a long and productive career. Other alum of Sidley Austin included Michelle (Robinson) Obama and Barack Obama, who worked there as an intern. Minow formed a friendship and a mentoring relationship with the young lawyer, and Barack often sought him out for advice at important points in his life.

Robert Mitchler - World War II

Robert Mitchler enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 1941. In 1944, he asked for combat duty and assigned to the USS Oxford, which supported lands in the Philippines and at Okinawa. In 1945, he was reassigned to the USS Scoter. In 1950, when the Korean War started, he was recalled to active duty and served for a time as a Chief Petty Officer for Admiral Allen Smith before being assigned as a stenographer at the Panmunjom armistice talks.

Robert Mitchler - Legislators Project

Robert Mitchler ran for the Illinois State Senate in 1964 and won and held that office until 1980. While in office, Mitchler fought for smaller government and lower taxes, and was a champion for Illinois' veterans. Mitchler also voted several times against the Equal Rights Amendment. He spent the rest of his working career as a liaison officer with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Robert Mitchler - Korean War

Robert Mitchler enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 1941. In 1944, he asked for combat duty and assigned to the USS Oxford, which supported landings in the Philippines and at Okinawa. In 1945, he was reassigned to the USS Scoter. In 1950, when the Korean War started, he was recalled to active duty and served for a time as a Chief Petty Officer for Admiral Allen Smith before being assigned as a stenographer at the Panmunjom armistice talks.

Susan Mogerman - Governor Jim Thompson Project

Susan Mogerman served as an assistant press secretary for Governor Jim Thompson from 1982 to 1989 when Governor Thompson asked Susan to move to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, an agency in which Gov. Thompson was especially interested. Mogerman discusses Gov. Thompson's campaign and leadership style, and about his razor-thin victory in the gubernatorial election of 1982. She also discusses many of the other figures in the Thompson administration, to include her boss, Press Secretary Dave Gilbert.

Susan Mogerman - IHPA legacy

Susan Mogerman served as Executive Director for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) from 1991 through 2002, during the crucial years when the planning, design and construction of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) took place. These were also busy years for IHPA in general. Susan had scores of sites in her agency, and was also responsible for the IL State Historical Library and historic preservation efforts throughout Illinois. In 2004 she began working as the Chief Operations Officer for the ALPL Foundation, and saw her efforts to create the Presidential Library and Museum come to fruition.

Michael Monaghan - Pension Crisis in Illinois

Michael Monaghan, Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, discusses his involvement with pension legislation due to his work first with the Senate Democrats staff (on the Pension Committee and Pension Laws Commission) and then with the Illinois Community College System as its Government Relations Director and later the Executive Director of the Trustees Association.

Mike Monaghan - Community College Project

Mike Monaghan served as the Executive Director of Illinois's Community College Trustees Association at the time of the interview. He discusses the early formation of the state's community college system, the creation of boundaries for each of the community college regions, and the establishment of funding sources for the colleges. The interview covers the period from 1965 to 2012.

Dan Montgomery - Pension Crisis in Illinois

Dan Montgomery began his teaching career at Niles North High School in the early 1990s, and has been active in teacher's unions since that time. In 2010 he was elected president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, where he fought to protect teacher pensions during the midst of Illinois's severe pension fund shortfall. He asserts that the current pension crisis is due to a lack of state funding, and offers possible solutions, including a progressive income tax, an expanded sales tax, and a restoration of the temporary income tax increase passed during the Governor Pat Quinn administration in 2013.

Billie Moore - Girls Basketball

Long-time woman's basketball coach Billie Moore is best known for coaching the US Olympic women’s basketball team at the 1976 Games in Montreal, where her team won the silver medal. She was also coach at the 1973 World University Games and the 1975 Pan-American Games. Later, Moore was the head coach for women’s basketball at UCLA until her retirement.

Ronald Moorman - People of Faith

Ron Moorman has taken a spiritual journey through life, and served humanity each step of the way. Born in Ohio, he attended Catholic parochial schools and a high school level seminary program before enrolling in a Catholic seminary at St. Joseph's College. Following his ordination in 1966, he served parishes in Iowa and Missouri before leaving the priesthood in 1970. Ron spent the next thirty-one years in child-centered social work, first with the IL Department of Children and Family Services, and then with the Child Care Association of Illinois, many of those years as its director. Following his retirement in 2001, Ron returned to the ministry, this time as a Lutheran pastor in the ELCA Synod, serving the congregation at Luther Memorial Church in Springfield.

Dr. Susie Morrison - Educational Reform Act 1985

Susie Morrison was teaching social studies when Illinois's 1985 Educational Reform Act was passed and implemented. She experienced its implementation at the local level, then became an administrator with the State Board of Education. She discusses the role of the State Board of Education in the evolution of several of the reforms, including school improvement, learning objectives, school reports cards, staff development, truant intervention, optional education programs and gifted education.

Frank Moscardelli - World War II

Frank Moscardelli served as an infantryman with the 353rd Infantry Regiment, 89th Infantry Division, part of Patton's Third Army as it fought its way through central Germany in the spring of 1945. Frank saw combat at the Rhine River crossing, making that journey in a DUKW amphibious vehicle. For the next two months his unit fought its way across Germany. Frank's company was just miles from the Czechoslovakia border when the war ended on May 8. He then served near Linz, Austria as part of the occupation force.

Martha Rose Moser - Immigrant Stories

Rose Moser, born Martha Roswitha Russler in Auerbach, Germany in 1944, was the daughter of a German soldier who never returned from the war. She spent her childhood growing up behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany, but in 1960 she escaped with her mother, step-father and siblings across the border between East and West Berlin. In 1963 she married Donald Moser, an American soldier, and in 1965 the couple came to the United States, settling in St. Louis. She became a U.S. citizen in September, 1970, and later moved to Springfield, Illinois.

Maryam Mostoufi - People of Faith

Maryam Mostoufi was one of Springfield, Illinois's Muslim community faith leaders for many years. She was born into a strong Disciples of Christ family in Marshalltown, Iowa, with Janice Hallam being her birth name. She had an active curiosity about religion growing up, but was rejected by a Disciples of Christ seminary due to her belief that Jesus was not divine. While attending Iowa State University, her religious quest led her to Islam. She met Siavash Mostoufi, an Iranian student working on a masters degree in soil science, while there. They married in 1971 and in 1972 the couple moved to Iran, staying there until the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Maryam talks at length about her faith, and about her family's experiences as Muslims in America today.

John Moulton - Vietnam War

John Moulton started his military career as an enlisted man in the U.S. Air Force in 1967, and served in Okinawa and South Korea during the Vietnam War. He left the Air Force after his tour and started a long career as a civil servant in Illinois. In 1980 he returned to the military, this time earning a commission and joining the U.S. Army Reserve. He deployed as a civil affairs officer to Bosnia in 1997-98, and deployed to Iraq in 2004-05, this time as a colonel, serving as Chief of the National Civil-Military Operations Center and Asst. Chief of Operations, Reconstruction Operations Center. He reflects extensively on both of these deployments, and on the successes and frustrations associated with civil affairs work.

John Moulton - War On Terror

John Moulton started his military career as an enlisted man in the U.S. Air Force in 1967 following his graduation from high school in Vandalia, Illinois. He attended boot camp in San Antonio, Texas, where he was trained in ammunition management. By late 1968 he was stationed at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa for several months, and by mid-1969 he was posted to Kunsan Air Force Base in South Korea. He finished his Air Force obligation at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan’s upper peninsula.

Laurence Msall - Pension Crisis in Illinois

Laurence Msall is the President of the Chicago-based Civic Federation, an independent, not for profit government research organization. The focus of the organization is to assist public policy makers and to advance such issues as property tax reform, tax simplification, privatization, and joint purchasing, with the goal of improving government efficiency and financial accountability. Msall examines the causes and possible solutions to the state's long festering public pension crisis, while also providing insights into how Illinois got to the situation it was in by 2015.

Tom Murgatroyd - War On Terror

Tom Murgatroyd enlisted in the US Air Force near the close of the Vietnam War and served in personnel positions. After leaving active duty, he worked for the Veteran’s Administration and eventually was offered a full time position with the Air National Guard. He later worked in the logistical support of operations in the global War on Terror.

Bryan Murley - Civics Education

Professor Bryan Murley of Eastern Illinois University discusses his role in teaching future journalists about the rapidly changing media world. Murley talks at length about his journalistic ethics course, and on a course entitled 'News Information, and Media Literacy,' especially from the perspective of newspaper reporting. He also examines the many challenges found in journalism today, including identifying and combating bias and advocacy journalism.

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