Names

Kirkpatrick heads new Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse

Thomas B. Kirkpatrick, Chicago, will head the new Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. In making the appointment in February, Gov. James R. Thompson said: "Tom Kirkpatrick is the obvious choice to run this new agency. When I signed the legislation that created this department last summer, I said that eftorts to prevent the abuse of drugs and alcohol will be concentrated at the state level. Tom is the person to do that job." Kirkpatrick headed the Dangerous Drugs Commission since 1975. Before that, he was coordinator of criminal justice programs for the Drug Abuse Council Incorporated, Washington, D.C. He has done legal work that focused on drug law and criminal justice, and in 1971 served as chief of operations in the Chicago office of the U.S. Department of Justice Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.

The Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse combines the Dangerous Drugs Commission and the Mental Health Department's alcoholism services. Kirkpatrick's appointment will take effect July 1, the official startup date for the department. His appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, carries an annual salary of $52,000. (For further background on the new agency, see Illinois Issues, October 1983, pp. 16-18, and December, p. 39.)

Kempiners resigns from Public Health

William L. Kempiners, Shorewood, resigned as director of the Department of Public Health (IDPH) effective February 19 to become executive director of the Cooperative Health Plan, a Chicago-area health maintenance organization. In announcing the resignation, Gov. Thompson said: "Bill Kempiners' efforts have led the Department of Public Health to greater stability and credibility." The governor appointed IDPH deputy director Fred Uhlig, Springfield, to serve as acting director until a permanent replacement can be found.

A former state representative (R., Joliet), Kempiners became head of IDPH in 1979 and was the first nonphysician to serve as director following passage of legislation which abolished the statutory rule that the department must be headed by a physician. While Kempiners was director, IDPH undertook implementation of the Nursing Home Care Reform Act of 1979, expanded its Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program and worked to reduce the infant mortality rate through the Parents Too Soon program.

Before leaving IDPH, Kempiners appointed the following division chiefs effective January 10:

Ford "Chet" June III, Springfield, as head of the new division of nursing home enforcement. June was executive director and general counsel of the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council. Previously he served as directing attorney of the Legislative Support Center in Springfield, where he was instrumental in drafting the Nursing Home Care Reform Act of 1979, and as an assistant state's attorney of Cook County.

Robert G. Hedges, Divernon, as head of the division of health facilities surveillance. Most recently Hedges directed IDPH's division of government affairs, where he represented the department in the development of the Nursing Home Care Reform Act. He has worked in the departments of Transportation and Corrections. He replaces James A. Yuill, Rochester, who became assistant to the deputy director.

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Otwell heads Department on Aging

Janet S. Otwell, Evanston, became director of the Department on Aging, effective February 1. The governor announced her appointment in late January to fill the position which had been vacant since the death of Peg Blaser on December 6. Otwell most recently worked on the Parents Too Soon project, a statewide program begun last April to reduce adolescent pregnancies and improve the health and well-being of children born to teenagers. Prior to that she served as staff coordinator for the Governor's Task Force on Children. Otwell was president of the League of Women Voters of Illinois from 1977 to 1981 and currently serves on the Social Policy and Litigation committees of the league's national board. She has been a member of the Bureau of Employment Security Advisory Council and the Department of Children and Family Services Advisory Council. As director of the Department on Aging, Otwell receives a salary of $40,000 annually. The appointment requires Senate confirmation.

Additions to task force against drunk and drugged drivers

Dwight E. Pitman, Auburn, was appointed executive director of the task force against drunk and drugged drivers, which was established in December by the governor. Task force chairman Edgar Smith and vice chairman Mel Smith made the appointment which became effective February 1. Pitman, former state police superintendent from 1973 to 1977 and director of training for the state police from 1968 to 1973, is chief of the bureau of logistics in the Department of Law Enforcement.

Barnie Popurella, Oglesby, president of the Illinois Retail Liquor Association, was appointed a member of the task force by the governor. (For further information on the task force, see Illinois Issues, February, p. 38.)

Department of Corrections

Department of Corrections director Michael P. Lane made several staff changes at adult and youth correctional centers effective February 1:

Alethea T. Camp, Hillsboro, as warden at the Graham Correctional Center. Camp, previously assistant warden for programs at Graham, replaces James H. Thieret, Chester. Thieret is the new warden at the Menard Correctional Center, replacing Jimmie W. Greer. Greer moves to Vienna as warden, succeeding Larry Mizell, Vienna, who is warden for the new Vienna II Correctional Center.

Dennis R. Cooper, Kankakee, as superintendent at the Illinois Youth Center (IYC) at Kankakee. Cooper succeeds Glenda M. Montgomery, St. Charles, who moves to the IYC-St. Charles as superintendent. She replaces Howard Peters III, who is now warden at the Centralia Correctional Center. Peters replaces George Welborn, who resigned.

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Department of Public Aid

Recently appointed Department of Public Aid (DPA) director Gregory L. Coler announced some changes in personnel and expanded the position of deputy director.

Michael E. Tristano, Springfield, is executive deputy director, effective January 17. The post, with an expanded title, entails more duties. For example, inquiries, instead of going directly to the director, will initially be handled by Tristano. Previously a partner in a Springfield-based consulting group, Tristano has in the past served as chief of program integrity for DPA and as deputy director of the division of child protection in the Department of Children and Family Services. He fills the similar position most recently held by Carl Mankowitz, who was deputy director and took over as acting director when Jeffrey Miller moved to the governor's Office of Planning last year. Mankowitz resigned at the end of February after assisting in the transition period when Coler was appointed early this year.

Tom Walsh, Springfield, is the new DPA medical assistance administrator, replacing Betsy Skloot, who held the position since 1981. Walsh was deputy director for management and budget at the Department of Children and Family Services. He has previously worked for the Department of Public Health, the Bureau of the Budget and the Economic and Fiscal Commission. Walsh's appointment took effect February 1.

Governor's appointments

Richard H. McClure, Springfield, as deputy chief of staff, effective January 25. McClure assists Jim Reilly, who was recently appointed chief of staff after serving as counsel to the governor. McClure has served in the governor's office since 1980 as administrative assistant for intergovernmental affairs. Before that he worked in the Department of Revenue as assistant to the director and in the department's local government affairs division. McClure has served as staff aide to Missouri Lt. Gov. William Phelps and to U.S. Sen John Danforth.

William Ghesquiere, Springfield, as the governor's chief counsel, effective February 15. Ghesquiere, who replaces Reilly, was previously executive assistant to Department of Transportation (DOT) secretary John D. Kramer. He has also served as deputy attorney general, DOT's chief counsel and legal counsel to the Bureau of the Budget.

Shinae Chun, Riverwoods, to the newly created post of special assistant to the governor for Asian American affairs, effective February 3. Chun served as chairperson of the Governor's Asian American Advisory Council from 1982 to 1983. She chaired the Asian American Heritage Council from 1981 to 1982, and from 1977 to 1982 was a member of the board of directors of the Korean Community Services Center.

Brig. Gen. Richard M. Eslinger, Pleasant Plains, as assistant adjutant general for the Illinois Air National Guard, effective February 1. Eslinger served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force and saw active duty in the Korean War. He joined the Air National Guard in 1956 and has been flight instructor, squadron commander, deputy commander for operations and commander of the 183rd Tactical Fighter Group. He succeeds Brig. Gen. Ralph Bush, who retired in February after serving with the Air National Guard since 1947.

Brig. Gen. William E. Doris, Morton, as assistant adjutant general for the Army National Guard, effective April 1. Doris is currently case manager for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in Peoria. He joined the Army National Guard in 1950 and later saw active duty in the Korean War. In the National Guard he has commanded both support and combat units; his most recent assignment was assistant division commander of the 47th Infantry Division. His appointment fills a vacancy.

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The Judiciary

The Illinois Appellate Court reappointed the following appellate judges to the Illinois Courts Commission: Charles E. Jones, McLeansboro, 5th Appellate District, as a member; Francis S. Lorenz, Chicago, 1st Appellate District, as a member; and Allan Stouder, Kankakee, 3rd Appellate District, as an alternate member. Kenneth E. Wilson, Chicago, 1st Appellate District, was newly appointed as an alternate member to succeed Thomas A. McGloon of Chicago.

The following attorneys have been selected as associate judges by the Cook County circuit judges, effective January 9: Loretta C. Douglas, Olympia Fields; Arthur L. Janura Jr., Hoffman Estates; John J. Mannion, Alsip; Julia M. Nowicki, Chicago; Ralph Reyna, Evanston; Edwin J. Richardson, Dolton; D. Adolphus Rivers, Chicago; Joseph H. Romano, Chicago; Richard A. Salzman, Skokie; and Leo F. Wrenn, Chicago. Mannion, Reyna and Romano previously worked for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Salzman was an employee of the village of Skokie; Wrenn, an employee of the Mayor's License Commission in Chicago; and the others were in private practice.

The following circuit judges have resigned their judicial offices:

James H. Felt, Inverness, Cook County Circuit Court, effective December 28, 1983. A judicial officer since 1963, Felt was a member of the Illinois State Bar Association's Judicial Administration Section Council.

Neil E. Mahoney, Carpentersville, 16th Judicial Circuit, effective July 1. Mahoney has been a judicial officer since 1963.

Maurice D. Pompey, Chicago, Cook County Circuit Court, effective December 29, 1983. Pompey, a judicial officer since 1964, was an active member of the Illinois Judicial Conference.

John F. Reynolds, Chicago, Cook County Circuit Court, effective July 1. He has served as a judge since 1965.

Raymond S. Sarnow, Chicago, Cook County Circuit Court, effective December 28, 1983. Except for one year off the bench, Sarnow has been a judicial officer since 1965.

Harry D. Strouse Jr., Barrington, 19th Judicial Circuit, effective December 3, 1984. A judge since 1966 and a member of the executive committee of the Illinois Judicial Conference, Strouse was chief judge of the 19th Circuit.

House GOP staff

Richard Larison has been appointed as director of research for the Illinois House Republicans by House Minority Leader Lee A. Daniels. Larison took over the position on February 1, after former director Ronald Gjerde left to become Lt. Gov. George H. Ryan's legal counsel. Larison, who lives in Rochester, previously worked as a legislative liaison for the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Other appointments

State Rep. Joseph B. Ebbesen (R-76, DeKalb), as coordinator of optometric investigations in the Department of Registration and Education, by department director Gary L. Clayton effective March 1. A practicing optometrist for 30 years, Ebbesen was elected to the Illinois legislature in 1972. He resigned his House seat upon appointment to this new post. Funded through licensing and renewal fees paid to the department, the newly established unit investigates alleged violations of the state's Optometric Practice Act. The department has similar investigative units for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.

Thomas R. Wallin, Springfield, as superintendent of the new toxic substance disclosure division in the Department of Labor, by director Allen Bernardi effective January 24. The division was created following the recent passage of Illinois' Toxic Substances Disclosure To Employees Act. Wallin said he will work for improvement of communication between employees and employers. He previously worked for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's water pollution control division for 1) years.

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Ronald A. Darden, Springfield, as superintendent of the division of natural resources (DNR) in the Department of Agriculture, by director Larry Werries effective January 1. Darden coordinates department efforts in soil erosion control, farmland protection, strip mine reclamation and water resource issues. He joined the department in 1980 as chief of DNR's bureau of farmland protection. Before that he was planning director and zoning administrator in DeKalb County where he developed one of Illinois' first county level farmland protection programs. While a bureau chief at DNR he received the USDA Superior Service Award for his part in developing the national Agricultural Land Evaluation and Site Assessment System. He replaces James Frank, Cantrall, who resigned in December to take a position with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). Frank was named manager of lEPA's new hazardous substances planning unit by IEPA director Richard Carlson, effective January 11. The unit does planning and analysis work, performs hazardous waste risk assessments, develops groundwater modeling schemes and seeks to focus state resources on cleaning up hazardous waste sites in Illinois. Several years ago Frank had worked for IEPA as an agricultural adviser in the division of water pollution.

Adrienne Nescott Hirsch, as executive director of the Illinois Arts Council, by the council at its January meeting. She begins work in April. Hirsch had been executive director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts since 1981 and presently serves on the National Endowment for the Arts Orchestra Panel and on the executive board of the Western States Arts Foundation. She replaces Carl Petrack, who took a post with the Seattle Commission on the Arts.

Alan Schriesheim, Chicago, as a member of the National Research Council's Committee on Advanced Fossil Energy Technology, by the committee effective in November. Schriesheim is senior deputy director at Argonne National Laboratory, which he joined last September after 27 years with Exxon Corporation. The committee was recently formed to identify and assess long-range research needs of future advanced fossil energy technologies for the U.S. Department of Energy. It is conducting an eight-month study on petroleum, natural gas, tar sands, coal and oil shale. The study will evaluate research in fossil energy recovery, conversion and utilization and their relative importance to future technologies.

Honors

Robert M. Smith, DeKalb, won the first $1,000 Cyril O. Houle World Award for Literature in Adult Education in December for his book, Learning How to Learn. The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education recently established the Houle award to recognize each year "the book that is judged to be the most significant contribution to the concept and unity of adult education as a field of scholarship and practice." Smith, a faculty member in the Northern Illinois University's Department of Leadership and Educational Policy Studies, is coeditor of Adult Education.

The Illinois Council on Economic Education (ICEE) at its annual meeting on November 15 honored 13 elementary and secondary teachers for their achievements in guiding students to an understanding of economic concepts. The Second Economic Education Awards Program was sponsored by the ICEE, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping the citizens of Illinois learn more about the American economic system, and the Esmark Foundation. In addition to recognizing outstanding teachers, the program is a means of sharing innovative methods for teaching economics with educators throughout the state. First place winners received cash awards of $500. At the high school level, the first place winner was Robert J. Maszak, Bloom High School, Chicago Heights, who teaches grades 11 and 12. At the elementary school level, five 7th grade teachers from Community Unit District #300, Dundee, won the award: Jarold Michael, John Ryan, Ryan Sarti, William J. Stepien and Georgia Tierney.

Deaths

Robert A. Lyons, 54, on January 3. Lyons, a native of Mason, Mich., was Illinois deputy superintendent of education. Throughout his long career with the state he had a special interest in minority education and equal opportunity issues. He first joined the superintendent's office 14 years ago as assistant director of equal education opportunity. He later became director and then special assistant to the superintendent for equal opportunity programs.

Our apologies!

Crain's Chicago Business is a major contributor to Illinois Issues, not Crain Communications, Inc. as listed in the February issue (back cover).