PEOPLE

Edited by Rodd Whelpley

SHIFTS AT THE TOP Howard Peters III will leave his job as secretary of the Department of Human Services to become a senior vice president of the Illinois Hospital & HealthSystems Association. He will oversee the group's lobbying effort. Peters' move could signal a shift in the structure of the human services agency, which has responsibility for reform of Illinois' welfare system. In his State of the State speech last February, Gov. George Ryan said he would review the department "to determine whether it is meeting its organizational expectations." Peters was the first secretary of the department, which was formed in 1997 by joining all or part of seven social services departments. He leaves a long career in public service. He worked 25 years in the Department of Corrections, eventually becoming its director, then became an aide to former Gov. Jim Edgar before being named secretary of Human Services. DEPARTURES Richard Notebaert, chairman and CEO of Ameritech, announced he will retire at the end of the year. And Douglas Whitley has left his post as president. Both announcements came within days of the completion of Ameritech's merger with SBC Communications. Renee Hunt, executive director of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, has announced she will leave her position to move to the Columbus, Ohio, area. Hunt describes the alliance as a "farm and rural advocacy organization working for a healthy and sustainable agricultural system." She has been with the group for eight years. Spencer Hunt leaves his Statehouse post with the Rockford Register Star this month to cover Ohio state government for the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It's going to be something new for me, and a big challenge," he says.

APPOINTMENTS Thomas S. Cuculich of Petersburg got the nod from Gov. George Ryan to become executive director of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority Cuculich has worked for Ryan since 1987. He held several positions in Ryan's secretary of state administration and served as chief of staff when Ryan was lieutenant governor. Pending Senate approval, Cuculich will take over from Ralph C. Wehner, who will retire at the end of the year. Ryan also named three new members of the tollway board. Norman Gold of Chicago is a certified public accountant. Carl J. Kramp of Downers Grove is a bank director. And Gordon Volkman is a banker in Aurora and a former ICane County treasurer. Board nominees must be approved by the state Senate. Ryan maintains many motorists are frustrated with the tollway system. "It's time for changes and those changes begin today," he said while announcing Cuculich's appointment. In September, the governor reacted to Tollway Authority Chair Art Philip's call for a toll increase by suggesting tolls might be eliminated. He assigned the Department of Transportation to evaluate options for the toll road system. Pam McDonough, the director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, was named by Ryan to serve on the Great Lakes Commission. The commission, made up of representatives of the federal government and eight states, monitors environmental and economic conditions in the Great Lakes region. Commissioners are paid expenses only. Staci M. Yandle was named to the Illinois Gaming Board. Yandle is an adjunct professor at St. Louis University Law School and an associate with the law firm of Carr, Korein, Tillery, Kunin, Montroy, Cates & Glass. Ryan picked her to replace Thomas Johnson. The appointment requires Senate confirmation. Harry Klein of Homewood is Ryan's choice for a seat on the Governors State University Board of Trustees. Klein is a self-employed real estate executive. His appointment requires Senate confirmation. OBIT BISHOP EDWARD O'ROURKE Bishop Edward William O'Rourke, retired head of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, died September 29 of natural causes at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Bishop O'Rourke was 81. Following his ordination in 1944, O'Rourke served 15 years with the Newman Foundation at the University of Illinois, teaching classes on religion, marriage and philosophy. He was named executive secretary of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference in 1960 and became internationally known for his work with the poor in underdeveloped regions of the United States. O'Rourke was installed and ordained the sixth bishop of Peoria in July 1971. During his service as priest and bishop, he presented lectures on theology and socioeconomic issues, and he wrote six books and three pastoral letters. Following his retirement as bishop in January 1990, he founded and worked at the Renaissance Stand, a Peoria not-for-profit agency that assists the unemployed with job placement and provides food and other resources to those in need. In a statement released after O'Rourke's death, his successor, Bishop John J. Myers, said, "Bishop 0' Rourke approached death with the same strong and confident faith in God and in Jesus Christ with which he had lived his life. We are grateful for his faithful and generous life.... We are confident as we commend him to the God he loved and served."

40 / November 1999 Illinois Issues