Interviews

Terry Ransom - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Studied the Underground Railroad extensively

James "Jim" Rapp - Community College Project

Jim Rapp has served for many years as the attorney for the John Wood Community College in Quincy, Illinois. He has written numerous journal articles and has published a seven volume Educator Law Guide, and is a frequent public speaker on various school matters. This interview chronicles the history of John Wood Community College from 1974-2013, and explores its unique formation, its experiment with ‘School Without Walls’, and its transition to an extension campus serving western Illinois.

Gerald Raschke - World War II

Gerald (Jerry) Raschke served as a tail gunner on a B-26 Marauder medium bomber in the European theater during World War II. Flying missions with the 320th Bomb Group, first out of Sardinia, then Corsica, and finally from a base south of Dijon, France, he chalked up sixty-one missions before being sent home. His plane was forced to crash land three times, but miraculously, not a single crew member was ever wounded or killed on any mission. Jerry shared his many detailed memories about the war, specific missions, and what it was like to serve in one of the most dangerous assignments of World War II.

John Raschke - Korean War

John R. Raschke was drafted into the Army in early 1952, and following Basic Training received extensive training in Morse Code. Arriving in Korea in late 1952, he was assigned to the I Corps message center, and helped relay messages from the front lines to the Corps headquarters. His service in Korea ended shortly after the armistice was signed in July, 1953.

John S. Raschke - Vietnam War

John S. Raschke grew up on a farm near Geneseo, Illinois, and enlisted in the Army in 1966. While in training to become a medic, he volunteered to attend the Engineer branch's Officer Candidate School. Following language training, he served in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam as an advisor, assigned to MAC-V (Military Advisory Command-Vietnam). Raschke spent 1969-1970 advising South Vietnamese army units on engineering and infantry issues, becoming immersed with their culture and way of life.

Hedy Ratner - ERA Fight in Illinois

Hedy Ratner, the daughter of Jewish immigrants, came of age during the height of the Civil Rights movement and the anti-war movement. By the early 1970s she had turned her considerable energies to women's issues, especially in her leadership role at the Chicago YWCA, as well as being involved at the Illinois Women's Political Caucus, Women in Film, and the Chicago chapter of the National Organization for Women. In 1985 she founded the Women's Business Development Center, a not-for profit organization dedicated to assisting women and minorities to start and develop successful businesses.

Ron Reagan - Ronald Reagan In Dixon

Ron Reagan, the son of former President Ronald Reagan, discusses his own research into his family history as well as the many notable changes that occurred during his father's lifetime, such as the transition of technology from the horse and buggy to the automobile. Ron discusses his father's legacy and the concept of how Ronald Reagan's life would have gone had he not gone into politics and become President.

Sarah Reckmeyer - IHSA

Sarah Reckmeyer discusses her lifetime of experiences as a musician and as band director at Ottawa Township High School. She reviews her own participation in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) music contests as a high school student at Mt. Morris High School, and in IHSA girls sports following the implementation of Title IX. As the band director at Ottawa High, Sarah has won twenty straight Division Music Sweepstakes (1997-2016), and has also been the recipient of multiple awards during her career.

Harry Reed - World War II

Harry Reed served as a flight engineer on a C-54 Skymaster during World War II. His aircraft supported the Presidents’ mission to the Potsdam Conference, the Quebec Conference and the Yalta Conference, delivering secret service agents ahead of the President’s arrival. During the Malta Conference, his airplane was shot at while he was flying over Italy. His aircraft also flew Eleanor Roosevelt following the death of Franklin Roosevelt.

Timothy Reed - Modern Era

Tim Reed grew up on a cattle and horse farm, and initially intended to go into international agribusiness. His minor in education led to his decision to become a high school agriculture teacher.

Dan Reese - Korean War

Dan Reese was born and raised in Taylorville, Illinois until 1946 when his father, Leal Reese, moved the family to South Korea. Colonel Reese was working there with the South Korean Provisional Government, to include helping establish the infant nation's military academy. Young Dan got to know Korea well over the next few months, then returned to the United States for college. Upon earning a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, Reese was drafted into the Army in 1955, and served as a lawyer in the 2nd Armored Division, then based in Germany.

Debra Reid - Modern Era

Debra Reid left her family's farm to pursue a career in academic research on living history farms in the U. S. and Denmark. She relates how different regions of the world have differing farming practices. She explains why Illinois is special for agriculture: transportation, soil and immigrants.

Jim Reilly - Governor Jim Edgar Project

Jim Reilly graduated from the University of Chicago law school in 1972 and joined a practice in Jacksonville, IL, thereafter, quickly becoming city attorney. In 1976, Reilly was elected to the Illinois legislature where he forged a strong friendship and professional association with Jim Edgar. In 1983, Governor Jim Thompson selected Reilly to serve as his Chief of Staff, a position he retained through 1989. Reilly also served as Governor Jim Edgar's Chief of Staff during the 1994 election campaign.

Jim Reilly - Governor Jim Thompson Project

Jim Reilly graduated from the University of Chicago law school in 1972 and joined a practice in Jacksonville, IL, where he soon became city attorney. In 1976, Reilly was elected to the Illinois legislature. In 1983, Governor Jim Thompson selected Reilly to serve as his Chief of Staff, a position he retained through 1989.

Gene Reineke - Governor Jim Thompson Project

A graduate of Loyola University and Boston College, Gene Reineke served for nearly twenty years in the public policy arena. Reineke worked as Governor Jim Edgar’s Chief of Staff and as a member of his cabinet. He currently acts as the Chief Operating Officer for Hill and Knowlton, a global public relations company

Gene Reineke - Governor Jim Edgar Project

A graduate of Loyola University and Boston College, Gene Reineke served for eight years in the Gov. Jim Thompson administration. In 1983 Reineke began working as a scheduler for Governor Thompson, and soon moved up the ladder, first as Thompson’s director of Public Affairs in 1985, then director of Thompson’s ambitious Build Illinois project in 1986, and also as Thompson's Director of Personnel from 1987-1988. He spent the last two years in the administration as the director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services.

Randy Reitz - Public School Funding

Randy Reitz, who served as Bond County Clerk from 1995-2017, explains the duties of the County Clerk. Those include managing the property tax cycle, overseeing school referendums, school levies, school budgets, and school bond schedules. Other County Clerk duties were also discussed, including serving as the registrar of county records, dealing with Tax Increment Financing districts (TIF)/ enterprise zones and being clerk for the County Board. He also provided genealogical searches. Bond County is one of the state’s oldest, dating back to 1818. Heavily agricultural and residential, with limited commercial and industrial types of property, approximately two thirds of the county's tax levy go to K-12 school districts.

Sally Renaud - IHSA

Dr. Sally Renaud discusses her involvement with the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) as it established a journalism competition for Illinois high school students. She discusses the creation of the IHSA journalism contest that involves several categories, including photography, news writing, review writing, advertising, yearbook theme, yearbook copy, yearbook layout, newspaper design, sports writing, information graphics, broadcasting, feature writing, headline writing, editorial cartooning, editorial writing, and copy editing. Dr. Renaud talks about how the competition has evolved over the past nine years.

Bernard Resnick - Korean War

Bernard Resnick served as the Messeage Center chief for the 44th Engineer Battalion during some of the most difficult days of the Korean War. That group participated in the landing at Inchon, the recapture of Seoul, and the fighting and escape from the Chosin Reservoir, aiding the front line units with its numerous engineering projects.

Jerome Reynolds - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Working in real estate as African-Americans in the 1960s and '70s

Harry Rhodes - Modern Era

After working on a kibbutz in Israel, Harry Rhodes returned to the United States and became Executive Director of Growing Home, Inc., a non-profit organization helping homeless and formerly incarcerated people with training and placement via organic and sustainable agriculture.

Randall Richardson - Vietnam War

Randall Richardson served as an infantry platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division from February of 1969 to October of 1971 in South Vietnam west of Huế. He recalls instances of firing on a small group of Montagnards, tensions between officers and enlisted men, racism in the Army and receiving a life-threatening note in his dopp kit. Richardson remembers the shock of his R and R trip to Hawaii, where he realized that many Americans lived as if there was no war going on. He also talks about the restrictions that were placed on the American troops. Richardson believes the military was not allowed to win the war; however, he says he is proud that he served.

Gloria Riddick - Delta Sigma Theta

Gloria (Foster) Riddick was born and raised in Arkansas, and following high school graduation in 1965, she attended Arkansas AM

Ralph Rinehart - World War II

Ralph Rinehart served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific theater during World War II. He was attached to a Quartermaster unit while in Sydney, Australia helping load and unload transport ships. Then, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, he was involved in an air raid against the Japanese and helped construct a Landing Craft Mechanized. He finished the war in Manila, Philippines working on tugboats (which the Army operated) helping transport supplies to ships in the harbor.

Father Joel Rippinger - Alternatives in Education

Father Joel Rippinger has served as a teacher, coach and chaplain at the Marmion Academy (an all-boys Catholic school in the Benedictine tradition) for over forty years, and reviews the history of the school dating back to 1933. The school has an ongoing connection with Marmion Abbey, and has featured an ROTC curriculum since 1935. Father Joel reviewed the school's LEAD curriculum, the importance of student community service, the Academy’s move from a residential program to a day program, and the school's partnership with its sister school (first Madonna and now Rosary). Marmion Academy is a college prep school with a strong extracurricular component.

David 2015 Risley - War On Terror

David Risley served as the Judicial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt from late 2010 through early 2014, and was a witness to the Egyptian revolutions that swept through the country in 2011, and again in 2013. Risley provided a detailed description of the nuances and complexities of Egyptian society, with special attention on the country’s judicial system. He provided insights into both of the Egyptian revolutions, the first resulting in the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohamed Morsi, becoming president, and the second resulting in the forced overthrow of Morsi.

David Risley - War On Terror

David S. Risley is a long-time Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to the Central District of Illinois office. In November 2005 he joined the Regime Crimes Liaison Office, an agency of the Department of Justice, working directly with the Iraqi High Tribunal. David worked on Saddam Hussein’s War Crimes trial for a period of nine months, specifically as an assistant investigator on crimes against the Marsh Arabs.

Robert Ritter - Vietnam War

Robert Ritter served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War from July 1967 to January 1969. While assigned to the USS

Lester and Rita Robbins - Modern Era

Lester and Rita Robbins were married in 1941, and a few years later took over the farm where Lester was raised. Together, they raised their own family, and concentrated on a grain farm operation, as well as Lester's corn shelling business, which he began in 1949. Lester and Rita, along with their sons, have farmed as many as 3,500 acres in the Manhattan, Illinois area.

Bill Roberts - Governor Jim Edgar Project

J. William 'Bill' Roberts, after years of experience as a state's attorney and U.S. attorney for the Central District of Illinois, served as Governor Jim Edgar's chief legal counsel from 1995 to 1997. During that time, he helped Edgar with important issues such as education funding reform, the state's fight to keep Chicago's Meigs Field open, the commutation of Guinevere Garcia's death sentence, and the administration's response to the MSI scandal.

Rozanne Robertson - Family Memories

Rozanne (Posy) Robertson earned a business administration degree from Northwestern University in 1952, and was a pioneering woman in industry and business management during the 1950s through the 1980s. She worked for a variety of businesses and industries during those years in the greater Chicago area, including Ethicon, Coleman Instruments, G.D. Searle and Boise Cascade, and also did private consulting work. She next worked for the Curtis Mathes Corporation in east Texas as its human resource vice president, then moved to Bloomington with her husband to operate a Curtis Mathes Rent to Own store. Along the way, she often encountered resistance and resentment from some of the male executives with which she worked, but had a very satisfying career none-the-less.

Veronica Robison - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Small business owner; activist; advocate for equality

Phil Rock - Governor Jim Edgar Project

Philip Rock served as an Illinois State Senator representing the 8th District in Chicago for over twenty years. From 1979-1993, he was the Senate's top Democrat, serving as the President of the Senate longer than anyone in the history of Illinois. Of particular interest are Rock's discussions of his relationship with Governor Edgar's administration and his impressions of other key legislative leaders of that time.

Phil Rock - Legislators Project

Philip Rock served as an Illinois State Senator representing the 8th District in Chicago for over twenty years. From 1979-1993, he was the Senate's top Democrat, serving as the longest running President of the Senate and Majority Leader than anyone in the history of Illinois. Of particular interest are Rock's discussions of his relationship with Governor Edgar's administration and his impressions of other key legislative leaders of that time

Spencer Rockford - IHSA

Spencer Rockford discusses his experiences as a student at Ottawa Township High School (OTHS), and the school's strong musical program as exemplified by its continuing success in the Illinois High School Association's (IHSA) annual music contests. The school chalked up twenty sweepstakes victories from 1997 to 2016. Spencer participated in both choir and band while at OTHS, and years later returned to the school be the school's choir director. As a student, Spencer was part of four IHSA Sweepstakes first place wins. As a choral director, he participated in three more victories.

Bob Rogers - IHPA legacy

Bob Rogers formed his own exhibit design company, BRC Imagination Arts in 1981. In 1998 his firm won the contract to develop the exhibits for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Bob's mission was to create a museum that would inspire visitors “with a greater attraction to and fascination with the life and times of Abraham Lincoln.” Over the next several years, he and his firm collaborated closely with the staff of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and created a revolutionary new type of presidential museum. The museum opened in 2005 to wide acclaim, wowing the public while also receiving accolades from scholars and educators. By all accounts, the museum has achieved that goal.

Tim Romani - Governor Jim Thompson Project

Tim Romani served as a traveling aide to Governor Jim Thompson from 1984 to 1985, an experience that changed the trajectory of Romani's life. Gov. Thompson affectionately referred to his traveling aids as bag boys, and Tim provides fascinating insights into both the governor and the duties of the position. As a result of that experience, Tim went on to work on planning for the new White Sox stadium in the late 1980s, and from there launched his own business, the ICON Venue Group, which specializes in project management for sports venues and entertainment developments.

Janet Roney - Modern Era

Janet Roney relates the the family's arrival in south-central Illinois, and the family's lineage and lore on the land. She discusses growing up as the daughter of Charles Shuman, who rose to be the President of the American Farm Bureau, the most influential farm organization in the United States.

Jack Rooney - Family Memories

Jack Rooney, a native of Cherry Illinois, shares his insights and many anecdotes of the Cherry Mine disaster of 1909, the nation's worst mine fire disaster, in which over 200 miners perished

Karen Roppa - Girls Basketball

Starting in1970, Karen Roppa taught at Plainfield Junior High School in Plainfield, Illinois, where she implemented the girls’ basketball and volleyball programs. In 1976, she began teaching and coaching at Plainfield High School. Roppa was an official at the first three girls’ state basketball tournaments in Illinois.

Charles Ross - Modern Era

Charles Ross shows Montadale sheep at the Illinois State Fair with his granddaughter. He illustrates how to trim the wool for the show ring, and explains the difference between a sheep bred for wool and one bred for meat. He also tells what a competition judge looks for.

Michael Rotello - Legislators Project

Mike Rotello was a politician from Rockford, Illinois who served at all levels of local and state government. A Democrat, Mike was first elected to the Rockford City Council in 1975 where he served until 1982 when he was elected Winnebago County Auditor. In 1990, Rotello was elected as State Representative for the 67th legislative district. He served two terms in the Illinois General Assembly. In 1997, Rotello switched his political party affiliation to Republican. He spent the remainder of his public career working for the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Department of Commerce. Following his retirement, Rotello resides in Loves Park, Illinois.

Marjorie Roth - Immigrant Stories

Margorie Roth was born Marija Strukel in Krasnja, Slovenia, and immigrated with her family to the United States as a small child in 1933. The family eventually made its way to Springfield, Illinois, where Marjorie soon mastered English and adapted to life in American. She began her career as a beautician in 1959, and married Arthur Roth, a military veteran, in 1974. She began playing a button box, a traditional Slovenian instrument, when she received one as a gift on her sixtieth birthday.

Mitchell Roth - General Interest

Mitchell Roth, the General Council for the Illinois Education Association, discusses the Janus v. AFSCME of Illinois Supreme Court case, defending the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employee's position on the controversial case. Mark Janus, an employee at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, filed the case in 2015, arguing that it was unconstitutional to collect 'fair share' dues from non-members. Janus's attorneys asserted that forcing him to pay 'fair share' dues violated his 1st Amendment rights. AFSCME's attorneys argued that since Janus was, by state law, never-the-less represented by AFSCME during contract negotiations and received other benefits as well, his first amendment rights were not violated, a position which previous Supreme Court cases had upheld. In June 2018 the Supreme Court decided in Janus' favor by a 5-4 decision.

Merle Roughton - World War II

Merle Roughton enlisted into the Illinois National Guard in November, 1940. Following his initial training, he was sent to Panama and patrolled Panama Canal Zone until 1943, when he returned to the United States and was reassigned to the 14th Cavalry Regiment. His unit arrived in Europe in the fall of 1944, and eventually served with General Patton’s 3rd Army at the Battle of the Bulge.

Paula Stadeker and Georgia Rountree - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority discuss the Springfield graduate chapter

Edward Runge - Modern Era

Runge conducted research after earning a PhD, and taught at four major universities, focusing on agronomy and soil sciences. He carried his knowledge to many parts of the world, working closely with Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug. He discusses the stages in evolution in agriculture and shares his views on many of the most important issues in agriculture today.

Edward Russell - Modern Era

After a varied career, Edward Russell studied oenology, then purchased 170 acres and started his own vineyard and winery. From six grape varietals he produces 13 kinds of wine through blending. He explains the life cycle of the grape from initial planting to bottling.

Wendy Ryerson - Public School Funding

Wendy Ryerson serves as the Supervisor of Assessments for Lee County, Illinois, a position she has held since 2000. She describes the duties of the Supervisor of Assessments during the property tax cycle, and talks about the three ways of determining land value (income, sales, and cost) as well as local and state multipliers. Ryerson also addresses the different types of property (commercial, industrial, residential, and farmland) and tax exemptions (homestead, disabled, senior, active veterans, and senior low income). She describes how wind turbine values were set due to Lee County being the first in the state, the ethics of her profession and the role of the Illinois Department of Revenue. Roughly 65% of Lee County's local taxes go to the school districts.

Bob Sakamoto - IHSA

Bob Sakamoto, the long-time sports writer for the Chicago Tribune, discusses his over 30 year career covering Chicagoland high school sports. His 'Preps Plus' feature for the Tribune and work as co-host of the weekly 'High School Extra' on CLTV helped him reach a wide audience and earned him an Emmy nomination. In addition to high school sports, Bob also covered the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Bulls. He explains his life-long passion for sports, which started with his time as a high school athlete at Lane Tech and his experiences as a bat boy for the Chicago White Sox.

Ziyad N. Samara - Immigrant Stories

Ziyad Samara, a Palestinian from the West Bank, grew up in Palestine and Kuwait in the late 1950’s and 1960’s, and met his future wife, Souad, while living in Kuwait. His older brother emigrated to the U.S in 1969 and in 1971 Ziyad’s father borrowed money to take the rest of the family to the U.S., initially settling in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Ziyad attended Prairie State College while working as a busboy and dishwasher. Continuing to work in the restaurant business, he became a restaurant manager in Springfield, Illinois, working at Lum’s Restaurant from 1978 to about 1996. In 1999 he became the owner of Sgt. Pepper’s Café.

Alexander Samaras - World War II

Alexander Samaras served in the United States Navy during World War II, commanding a Landing Craft-Tank, which was often transported on board the larger LSTs (Landing Ship-Tank). During one convoy of LSTs, they were attacked by German submarines, resulting in the loss of three ships. In Europe, Samaras’s ship assisted with the preparation for Operation Overlord and the Allied landings on D-Day. In 1945 he was dispatched to the Pacific theater where he was when the war ended.

Orion Samuelson - Modern Era

Medically unable to fulfill his birthright as a farmer, Orion became the Agriculture Director and voice of agriculture at WGN Radio in Chicago, where he serves a vast audience for a wide range of agricultural information and opinion. He has traveled extensively, addressing audiences in forty-three countries.

Dr.Ted Sanders - Educational Reform Act 1985

Ted Sanders is a career educator who served as Illinois's State Superintendent during the passage and early implementation of the state's landmark Educational Reform Act of 1985. He discusses the legislative debates, the passage of the bill in June, 1985, and the initial implementation of the bill, which included 169 reforms, and additional revenues to support those reforms.

Mary Lee Sargent - ERA Fight in Illinois

Mary Lee Sargent has spent a lifetime as a teacher and activist for civil rights, LGBT rights and women’s equality. In the early 1980s, while teaching at Parkland Community College in Champaign, Illinois, she also was co-founder of A Grassroots Group of Second Class Citizens, an organization of women willing to take more dramatic action in the fight to convince the Illinois legislature to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Their efforts were in vain at the time, but Mary Lee continued to fight for ERA's eventual passage, as well as advocate for other civil rights issues for which she felt passionate.

Lauren Sartain - Alternatives in Education

Lauren Sartain discusses the GoCPS (Go Chicago Public Schools) process used by parents and students to select the appropriate CPS high school, and the research in which she has participated. This research, performed by a combination of the University of Chicago Educational Research Consortium and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, looked at how the GoCPS system functioned and how school selection using the lottery and student points worked. One research project followed a freshmen class as it progressed through its high school years, and what role distance (home to school) played in that decision.

Marilyn Satterwhite - Community College Project

Marilyn Statterwhite began her teaching career in 1964, and joined the faculty of the Danville Area Community College in 1965 during the school's transition period. She discusses the history of the school from 1966 to 2013, from the perspective of a life-long teacher and administrator.

Gretchen Sauer - Girls Basketball

Gretchen Sauer was the coach for the first girls' basketball team at Downers South High School in Downers Grove, Illinois in 1973-1974. She only coached the girls' basketball team for three or four years but she went on to be the head softball coach at Downers South for twenty years. Sauer was an advocate for all girls' sports during this time.

Gayle Dr. Saunders - Community College Project

Dr. Gayle Saunders has spent her career working at several colleges and universities in the Midwest before beginning her service as the President of Richland Community College in 2001. During her tenure there, Dr. Saunders has been involved in building construction project, a board referendum, and in new programs involving Energy Renewal and Carbon Capture. She discusses the college's history since 1971.

Stephen Scates - Modern Era

Stephen Scates shares 15,000 family acres with his brothers, primarily growing soybeans and corn for market, as well as their well-known Shawnee Sweet Corn for local farm stands. He was Director of the IL Farm Service Agency during the Clinton Administration and Chair of the Soybean Association.

Richard Schachtsiek - IHPA legacy

Richard Schachtsiek is a former IHPA site interpreter and administrator. His career in historic preservation began in 1975, when he was hired as a site interpreter at New Salem, IL. Two years later, he became site manager at the Bryant Cottage State Historic Site; after receiving his MA in Small Museum Administration from Eastern Illinois University, he became a site interpreter at Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield. Eventually he was promoted to site administrator for the Postville and Mt. Pulaski Court Houses state historic site, where he worked until his retirement in 2002.

William 'Bill' Schalz - IHSA

Bill Schalz discusses his successful career as the swimming coach at Rosary High School (girls) and Marmion Academy (boys) in Aurora, Illinois and his involvement with the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Since becoming a coach, Rosary has won swimming state titles from 2006-2010, and again from 2015-2017, while Marmion has also won a state title. Schalz talks about those state titles won and the life lessons the students have learned because of their involvement in swimming.

Henry Scheff - Pension Crisis in Illinois

Hank Scheff, a longtime Communications Director and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) consultant, discusses the union's position on Illinois's current pension crisis, a situation, as explained by Scheff, that has been building for decades. He discusses the impact of pension holidays, pension enhancements, state funding, a COLA ruling, pension bond sales, the Rule of 85 and a pension compromise in 1995. Hank explains how major pension changes have impacted pension funding to the detriment of AFSCME members and state employees, and discusses Senate Bill 1 in 2013, the legislature's attempt that year to fix the system.

Delbert Scheider - Community College Project

Del Scheider, a life-long farmer from northwestern Illinois, was an original Board of Trustee member for Highland Community College, formerly Freeport Junior College. He served as a trustee until 1978. His interview covers the origins of Highland Community College and its development over a fifty year period. He also discusses the Highland Community College Foundation, one of the first foundations serving a community college in the United States.

Scott Schertz - Modern Era

The public knows them as crop dusters, but in the aerial applicator industry, that term was rejected long ago. Scott Schertz talks about his long career in the business that began as a summer job working for his father in the early 1980s. He discusses the evolution of Schertz Aerial Service, Incorporated over the years, and about his active role in national-level organizations. At the time of the interview, Scott also served on the Federal Advisory Committee for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The interview includes a tour of one of Scott's aircraft, plus his narration of an aircraft in action.

Roy Schilling - General Interest

For 44 years Roy Schilling served as an educator, including stints as an Elementary School Teacher, Principal, Central School District Office Administrator and a College Professor in Decatur, Illinois. His interview covers his educational career, connections to Governor Richard J. Oglesby’s family, and the history of Elkhart and Decatur.

Bill Schimm - World War II

William Shimatowsky (which he later legally changed to Schimm) was born in 1924 and raised in Sioux City, Iowa by his single mother, who worked as a nurse. Bill was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943, trained as a tanker and was shipped to England in the spring of 1944. While there, he worked as a clerk/typist. He was sent to France in June as a replacement for the 4th Infantry Division. He saw combat during the fight in Normandy, and following the Allied breakout, he worked for several months in Paris as a unit clerk. Following the German winter offensive (Battle of the Bulge), Schimm returned to 4th Division and served as an infantryman for the rest of the war as the Division fought its way across Germany.

Phyllis Schlafly - ERA Fight in Illinois

Phyllis Schlafly was one of the most influential conservative voices of the late 20th Century. She ran for U.S. Congress in 1952 because of her interest in the communist threat and other conservative causes. She gained a reputation in Republican circles in 1964 when she self-published the treatise "A Choice, Not an Echo," which helped Barry Goldwater obtain the Republican nomination. She became interested in the Equal Rights Amendment in December 1971 and began a crusade for its defeat that was eventually successful. Schlafly continued to write, publish, and broadcast until her death in 2016.

John R. Schmidt - Governor Jim Thompson Project

John Schmidt cut his political teeth during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago when he helped revise the party's rules for selecting its convention delegates. He then returned to a private law practice. In both 1982 and 1986 he served as legal counsel for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Adlai Stevenson, III. Following the 1982 election, when only 1,074 votes separated Stevenson from Gov. Jim Thompson, he unsuccessfully petitioned the Illinois Supreme Court for a state-wide recount. In 1986 Schmidt helped Stevenson create a new party (the Solidarity Party) after the Democrat's Lt. Governor and Secretary of State candidates lost in the primary to Democratic candidates linked to Lyndon LaRouche. Schmidt was also influential in the renovation of Navy Pier, helping turn it into a major tourist destination.

Frances Schneider - World War II

Frances Schneider was a civilian instructor of Morse code during World War II. She worked in a transmitter room and educated soldiers who would become B-17 gunners or radio operators. Her husband was a sergeant in the military. He served in the Pacific theater and was involved in communicating weather reports to the aircraft that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan.

Stephen Schnorf - Pension Crisis in Illinois

Stephen Schnorf, former Budget Director for Governors Jim Edgar (1997-1998) and George Ryan (1999-2002), and former director of Central Management Services during the Edgar administration, discusses how the Illinois state budget was affected by the upward spiral of public pension costs, due in part to pension enhancements, early retirement options, a downturn in the economy and pension reforms enacted in 1995 during the Jim Edgar administration.

Stephen B. Schnorf - Governor Jim Edgar Project

Stephen Schnorf, a native of Charleston, IL, graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1966 and went on to teach history for several years. Following a series of jobs with non-profit organizations and work on all of Jim Edgar’s campaigns for state representative, Schnorf joined Secretary of State Edgar’s office in 1981. He worked with Edgar for the next sixteen years, serving in various capacities, including policy director and budget director during Edgar’s governorship.

Jeff Schoenberg - School District Reorganization

Senator Jeff Schoenberg, a Democrat from Evanston, Illinois has served in the State Legislature for over twenty-two years. In addition to serving as an Assistant Majority Leader, he is the sponsor of a school reorganization bill, Senate Bill 3494. Senator Schoenberg discusses that bill, and reorganization challenges in general for his North Shore district.

Bernard Schoenburg - Obama in Illinois

Bernie Schoenburg, a graduate of the University of Illinois, began his career in journalism with the Bloomington Pantagraph from 1976 to 1986. After working three years as a supervisor in the Chicago office of the Associated Press, he moved to the state capital and joined the staff at Springfield State Journal-Register (S-JR). A highly respected journalist, he works as the S-JR's statehouse reporter and columnist, writing bi-weekly political columns. Schoenburg also shares his perspective of state Senator Barack Obama during his time in the state Senate from 1997 through 2004.”

Bernie Schoenburg - Governor Jim Edgar Project

Bernie Schoenburg began his journalistic career with the Bloomington Pantagraph and the Associated Press before taking a job as the Illinois statehouse reporter for the Springfield State Journal-Register in 1990. During his career he has covered the Jim Edgar, George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich administrations

Bernie Schoenburg - Journalists View

Bernie Schoenburg began his journalistic career with the Bloomington Pantagraph and the Associated Press before taking a job as the Illinois statehouse reporter for the Springfield State Journal-Register in 1990. During his career, he has covered the Jim Edgar, George Ryan, and Rod Blagojevich administrations.

Rachel Schroeder - Community College Project

In October 1966, Rachel Schroeder became one of the first employees of the newly opened Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois. The college served portions of Champaign and surrounding counties. Schroeder worked initially as the secretary to the Parkland College President and Board of Trustees. She served in that capacity until her retirement in 2000. At the time of the interview she was still active with Parkland College as well as a Foundation Board member.

Tom Schwartz - Historians Speak

Dr. Tom Schwartz became Lincoln Curator at the Illinois State Historical Library in 1985, and for the next twenty-five years developed a reputation as one of the nation's leading Lincoln scholars. In 1993 he was appointed Illinois State Historian by Governor Jim Edgar. As State Historian, Dr. Schwartz supervised the Lincoln Curator and Research and Collections Department of the State Historical Library, and also worked with scholars studying other aspects of Illinois history besides Lincoln.

Paul K. Schwartzkopf - People of Faith

Pastor Paul Schwartzkopf spent his lifetime serving others, beginning with his college years at Purdue University, then as a Peace Corps volunteer helping build bridges and culverts in Tanzania in the mid-1960s, then as a Lutheran minister. He began his ministry with the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, but early in his ministry the church experienced a major upheaval that resulted in the Missouri Synod splitting. He aligned himself with the more liberal faction, which took the name of Seminex in the early 1970s. That group eventually joined with two other Lutheran synods to create the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (ELCA) in 1988. He finally retired from the ministry in 2017.

Tim Schweizer - IHSA

Tim Schweizer is a long time radio personality and sports broadcaster in Springfield and central Illinois. While his day-to-day occupation is as a public service administrator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, he also covers and broadcasts numerous high school and college ball games throughout the year on nights and weekends. In 2015, Tim was honored by the Illinois High School Association with their Distinguished Media Service Award. His distinctive voice and sports knowledge and insights are enjoyed throughout central Illinois by thousands of listeners.

Salvador Sciortino - World War II

Salvador Sciortino of Rockford, Illinois served in the United States Navy during World War II. Assigned to the USS Neville, an attack transport ship, as the ship's cook, his battle station was on one of the ship's anti-aircraft guns. The USS Neville supported the landings at Utah Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Sciortino went on to serve in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during the war. Following the war, Salvador was employed as a chef at Rockford’s famous Faust Hotel for thirty years, working his way up to becoming to an executive chef in five years.

Phebe Scott - Girls Basketball

Phebe Scott began working at Illinois State University in 1966. She was chair of the Women's Department at ISU and chairman of the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS). She was also an organizer and speaker for the National Sports Institute. Scott's main goal was to educate women about equality in sports.

Cindy Scott - Girls Basketball

Cindy Scott was offered a GA position in the Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Women's Basketball program in 1975. She was hired as head women's basketball coach at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1977. A position that she would hold for twenty-one years.

Michael Scully - Modern Era

Born in England, Michael Scully immigrated to the U. S. when his father moved to his extensive estates in Illinois. Michael relates his story of a varied education, military service, and eventual life in farming, applying the principles of biodynamic and organic farming.

Steffanie Seegmiller - School District Reorganization

Stephanie Seemiller was elected for two terms to the Arthur, Illinois Board of Education, and later served as the President of the Board of Education. This interview explores her role as a parent as well as a Board member regarding the two Reorganizations of Lovington and an upcoming one with Atwood-Hammond. She covers the two referendums which passed, along with a successful county-level sales tax referendum.

Charles T. Sehe - World War II

Charles Sehe, originally from Geneva, Illinois, graduated from high school at seventeen, and soon joined the U.S. Navy in late 1940. By December, 1941 he was assigned to the USS Nevada, one of eight battleships at Pearl Harbor on December 7th when the Japanese launched their devastating surprise attack on the Pacific Fleet. The Nevada suffered heavy damage that day, but survived the attack. Sehe spent the rest of WW II on the USS Nevada, and saw action in the Aleutian Islands, at Utah Beach on D-Day, in southern France, at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. His amazing first-hand accounts will bring these bloody battles to life.

David Seibert - Modern Era

Raised on a livestock farm, David Seibert earned BS and MS degrees, managed swine nutrition research, and since 1974 has been and Livestock Adviser and Educator for the U of I. Extension Service. With his primary focus on beef production, he discusses issues and concerns of today.

Maria Seidner - Educational Reform Act 1985

Maria Medina Seidner reviews the passage and implementation of the 1985 Education Reform Act, especially the bilingual education provisions of the legislation. Maria worked at the Illinois State Board of Education from 1980 to 1993. She was involved with developing the bilingual education provisions of the 1985 Education Reform Act, and their implementation and management in the decade following its passage.

Representative Darlene Senger - Pension Crisis in Illinois

Representative Darlene Senger, a Republican Illinois state representative from Naperville from 2009 to 2014, discusses her involvement with Illinois pension reform legislation during her tenure on the Illinois House Pension Committee. She covers the passage of Senate Bill 1 (the pension reform bill that became law in 2013), the role of the Bipartisan Legislative Committee in the bill’s passage, and the Illinois Supreme Court's ruling declaring that bill unconstitutional in 2015. Rep. Senger also discusses the many root causes for the state's severe pension shortfall.

Clarence Senor - Korean War

As an African American, Clarence Senor was part of the first wave of blacks to serve in a recently integrated military. He was seriously injured in a jeep accident in Hawaii, and was medically discharged in September of 1952.

Clarence Senor - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Navy veteran and African-American seeing action on a destroyer

Peggie Senor - Springfield African-American History Foundation

Minister, parent, community and church volunteer

Robert Serra - World War II

Bob Serra joined the Navy in October of 1940 and began serving on the USS Yorktown, a fleet aircraft carrier, in the summer of 1941. The Yorktown conducted patrols in the north Atlantic during the months prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (sometimes accompanying British convoys), then transferred to the Pacific theater. Serra served as an F4F Wildcat aircraft mechanic on the Yorktown, and saw combat at both the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, where the Yorktown was sunk in June, 1942 after repeated hits by both bombs and torpedoes.

Donald Sevener - Community College Project

Don Sevener discusses his involvement with Illinois’s many community colleges from the perspective as a journalist, an adjunct teacher, and also as a member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, where he specialized on communications and legislative issues. He has studied the subject thoroughly in the process of writing a book on Illinois’s community college history.

Michael Shakman - General Interest

Thwarted for a seat as a delegate to the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention, Michael Shakman filed suit against the Cook County (Chicago) Democratic Party, seeking redress from the political machine's system of patronage, cronyism and political corruption. His persistent efforts led to two Shakman Decrees that have transformed politics in Chicago.

Kenneth 'Buzz' Shaw - Higher Education

Former Chancellor of the Southern Illinois University (SIU) System Kenneth 'Buzz' Shaw discusses his long and distinguished career in higher education after working as a high school teacher in the early 1960s. After earning a Ph.D. in 1966, he served in leadership positions at a series of Universities, including as President of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, then in 1979 as Chancellor for the entire SIU system. In 1986 he became president of the University of Wisconsin system, and in 1991 he became chancellor and president of Syracuse University. Years later he returned to Illinois and worked with the Association of Governing Boards.

Lucille Shaw - Alternatives in Education

Lucille Shaw discusses her long history with Chicago High School for the Agricultural Sciences as a teacher, program director, Department Chair, and Assistant Principal (1986-2018). The interview covers the creation of Chicago High School for the Agricultural Sciences and its unique status nationwide as a pure agricultural school under the direction of the Chicago Public Schools ( CPS). Topics covered include gradual building expansion, student selection, its unique curriculum, academic load, sports

Tom Shaw - Ronald Reagan In Dixon

Tom Shaw was born in Dixon and was the manager of the Dixon 'Telegraph' during the 1980s when Ronald Reagan was running for office. Tom gives his impressions of Reagan as a politician as well as the general reaction of the town of Dixon to having a former citizen of town becoming president.

Dr. Susan Shea - Educational Reform Act 1985

Dr. Susan Shea, a representative of the Illinois State Board of Education and later with the Illinois Education Association, discusses her involvement on many of the reforms resulting from the 1985 Educational Reform Act. Dr. Shea covers the twenty years of implementation and modification that took place following the bill's passage, especially in the areas of teacher evaluation, teacher recertification, staff development, early childhood education, and special education. She also discusses her role in implementing the reform which included more classroom instruction of women’s history and black history.

Matthew Shipley - Public School Funding

Matt Shipley discusses Illinois public school funding issues, with a focus on Site Based Reporting, which is tied to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA replaced No Child Left Behind. He also explores district revenue sources, expenditure challenges, the role of school audits, and the impact of the Evidence Based funding model.

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