A CONVERSATION WITH OUR READERS

Once again, I enjoyed greeting people at the Executive Mansion last fall when we inducted four more individuals into the Samuel K. Gove Illinois Legislative Internship Hall of Fame. Established by Illinois Issues in 1990. the Hall of Fame honors former interns who have made contributions to public service.

Congratulations to the new inductees (pictured below): Kurt DeWeese of the House Democratic staff; Michael Duncan of the National Association of Independent Insurers, Des Plaines; William Hanley, a Springfield attorney; and Lori Spear Montana, director of the Illinois Department of the Lottery. I enjoy our induction ceremony because it becomes an evening to celebrate public service in general and public servants in particular. How often I hear that the media never has good things to say about politicians and other public servants. Our sponsorship of the Hall of Fame whitles away at that argument. And it's always great to have Sam Gove, a founder

Hall of Famers (from left): Lori Spear Montana, Michael Duncan, William Hanley and Kurt De Weese, all inducted October 20

of both the internship program and Illinois Issues magazine, there to hand out the awards. In the center of this magazine is an envelope with a request for your donation to Illinois Issues. We rely on contributions from readers just as your favorite public radio and television stations do. Our operating funds come from the University of Illinois at Springfield, paid subscriptions, paid advertising, some grants and readers' contributions.

Your donations pay for the quality of writing and analysis that you have come to expect from us. Some of it also goes to upgrade our equipment, a constant need in this era of changing technology. This isn't a hard sell: But please consider a gift to Illinois Issues.

And a Happy New Year to you. 

Illinois Issues December 1997 / 3