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Names Seymour Simon steps down from state's high court 
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Seymour Simon resigned his post effective February 15. After a month's vacation, he will resume private practice as a partner with one of Chicago's largest law firms, Rudnick & Wolfe. Simon, 72, was the second member of the court to resign in six months. Justice Joseph H. Goldenhersh left the court in September because of health problems. The Illinois Supreme Court must appoint someone to serve the remainder of Simon's 10-year term which expires in 1990. Simon has been an elected official for 32 years. He served as alderman of Chicago's 40th Ward from 1955-1961 and again from 1967-1974. From 1962-1966 he was president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. In 1974 he won a seat on the Illinois Appellate Court and served there until winning election to the state's high court in 1980. An outspoken critic of the state's death penalty, Simon was consistently controversial during his seven-year tenure on the Illinois Supreme Court. He wrote 198 majority opinions, 175 dissents and 80 concurring opinions. The majority opinions he wrote included a 1984 decision upholding Morton Grove's ban on handguns and a 1986 decision that ruled invalid a proposed referendum to conduct Chicago's mayoral election on a nonpartisan basis. In 1983 he also cast the key vote, siding with three Republicans on the court, in denying Adlai E. Stevenson III a recount after his close loss to Gov. James R. Thompson in the 1982 gubernatorial election.
Special task force to review state's educational mandates A Mandates Task Force appointed by Ted Sanders, state superintendent of education, met for the first time in mid-January. The group's primary focus is to analyze and to evaluate the entire spectrum of mandates placed on local schools. This examination includes state statutes as well as State Board of Education rules and regulations. State Sen. John Maitland Jr. (R-44, Bloomington) chairs the task force. Other members include Lee Betterman, president of the Illinois Education Association; Frank G. Blackman, superintendent of Norris City-Omaha-Enfield Community Unit School District 3; Ken Drum, secretary-treasurer of the Illinois Federation of Teachers; Millard D. Grell, superintendent of Rockford School District 205; Joyce Krueger, president of the Illinois Congress of Parents and Teachers; Jeff Miller, chief of staff for the Office of the Governor; William Peterson, principal of Heritage Elementary School in Streamwood and president of the Illinois Principals Association; Walter Warfield, superintendent of Mattoon Community Unit School District 2 and president of the Illinois Association of School Administrators; and Barbara Wheeler, president of the Illinois Association of School Boards. The task force has not been assigned a specific completion date for its work, but Sanders said he expects the group to conduct its business within a reasonable time period. News at the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs Gov. Thompson in December appointed Steven D. McClure as assistant director of the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA), replacing Stephen Selcke. Selcke was recently appointed by Thompson as director of the Department of Professional Regulation. McClure joined DCCA in 1983 as a legislative liaison. He served as manager of the agency's governmental relations division from 1985 to June 1987, when he became assistant to the director for policy development. In his new post McClure holds agency wide responsibilities for DCCA programs, particularly the Corridors of Opportunity, and for handling legislative efforts. His salary is $54,861 annually; the position requires Senate confirmation. Also appointed in December was William M. Rodman of Glenview as deputy director of DCCA's small business assistance bureau. He was named to the post by agency director Jay R. Hedges to replace Michael Donahue, who left state government to join McDonalds Corporation March 1988 | Illinois Issues | 7 as manager of national governmental relations. Rodman comes to DCCA from the Department of Children and Family Services, where he served as chief of the office of intergovernmental relations. He joined state government in 1985 as chief legal counsel to House Minority Leader Lee A. Daniels (R-46, Elmhurst). The Judiciary Appointments, assignments and retirements announced recently by the Illinois Supreme Court are reported below:
Illinois Appellate Court 1st District Appellate Court 2nd District Appellate Court 4th District Appellate Court Cook County Circuit Court 1st Judicial Circuit 2nd Judicial Circuit 8th Judicial Circuit 9th Judicial Circuit 10th Judicial Circuit 16th Judicial Circuit 17th Judicial Circuit 20th Judicial Circuit Continued on page 34 March 1988 | Illinois Issues | 32 Continued from page 32 Jourdan new state GOP chairman Twelfth District State Committeeman AI Jourdan of McHenry was named the new state GOP chairman effective February 1. He replaces Don Adams, who announced in a letter to other members of the Republican State Committee that he would resign on that date. Jourdan, who has served as 12th District committeeman since 1982, has been McHenry County GOP chairman since 1968. He also serves as McHenry County auditor. Active in several political campaigns, McClure was Gov. Thompson's northern Illinois coordinator in 1976, 1978 and 1982. He was also a political adviser to President Reagan's 1984 reelection campaign. Adams' term had three more years to run. He had served as Illinois Republican chairman for more than 14 years — longer than any other major party state chairman in the country. Hirsch joins National Endowment for the Arts Adrienne Nescott Hirsch, executive director of the Illinois Arts Council since 1984, resigned in January to accept an appointment as deputy chairman for public partnership at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in Washington, D.C. Hirsch's new responsibilities include policy and program development for arts in education and for state and local arts agency programs. In addition, she will seek more effective support of the arts through collaboration between NEA programs and state and regional arts agencies. John Riley, deputy director of the Illinois Arts Council, is serving as acting director until a replacement is found. Other Appointments State Comptroller Roland Burris in January reappointed John F. Whitney Jr. as chairman of the Comptroller Merit Commission. Whitney was first appointed to the commission in 1981 and a year later designated by Burris as its chairman. His current term was confirmed by the Senate in 1984 and expires in 1990. The commission, composed of three members, was established in 1979 to provide a bipartisan overview of professional employee standards for the office. Wilma Sutton of Chicago, a member of the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities (BOG), was appointed to the Joint Committee on Minority Student Access to Higher Education in September. The committee was formed as a result of Senate Joint Resolution 72 adopted last spring by the General Assembly and focuses on college preparatory programs, increased admissions standards, city and community colleges, articulation and transfer programs and secondary and higher education partnerships. Sutton, who was appointed to the BOG in 1981 by Gov. Thompson, has served as a member pro-tem of the board's executive committee since 1986. Acting Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer appointed veteran jounalist Monroe Anderson as his press secretary in January. Anderson comes to City Hall from Newsweek magazine, where he had been Midwest correspondent for the Chicago bureau since 1985. Before joining Newsweek, Anderson was an award-winning columnist and reporter for the Chicago Tribune since 1974, and served a previous two-year stint at Ebony magazine. Burnell Heinecke, former newsman and spokesman for the state treasurer, joined the Illinois Association of School Administrators in December as assistant director. His major responsibilities include public relations and communications with the association's membership. From 1979 to 1987 Heinecke served as public information officer for state Treasurers Jim Donnewald and Jerry Cosentino. Prior to joining state government, he operated his own statewide news service for three years, and for 23 years was a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Gerald W. Adelmann was appointed executive director in January of Open Lands Project, a non-profit agency that has worked for 25 years to preserve land and promote public open space in northeastern Illinois. He succeeds Peter Coolsen. Adelmann has been executive director since 1982 of the Upper Illinois Valley Association and will continue in that post. March 1988 | Illinois Issues | 34 Department of Insurance Director John E. Washburn was elected to a one-year term as president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in December during its winter national meeting in Phoenix. Washburn has been an active member of NAIC since his appointment as Illinois' insurance director in November 1983. He has served as chairman or vice chairman of several NAIC task forces and committees. In 1986 he was chairman of the Midwestern Zone and during 1987 was vice president and chairman of the assiciation's executive committee. Gary Koch, deputy director of local government for Comptroller Burris, was elected chairman of the Public Relations Society of America's government section in November at the group's 40th national conference in Los Angeles. The society has approximately 13,000 members and is the professional organization public relations personnel. Five receive Order of Lincoln The Lincoln Academy will confer its 1988 Order of Lincoln honors on industrialist Dwayne Andreas, national political commentator John Chancellor, Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz, former basketball coach Ray Meyer and business leader Patrick O'Malley. The academy annually honors outstanding citizens from or residing in Illinois. Andreas of Decatur is board chairman of Archer Daniels Midland Company, a multinational food-processing firm. Chancellor, a native of Chicago, is a 36-year veteran of NBC News whose commentaries on NBC Nightly News air at least three times a week. Marovitz of Chicago has been a federal district court judge in the Northern District of Illinois since 1963 and is former chief justice of Cook County's criminal court. Meyer of Arlington Heights is currently special assistant to the president of DePaul University following a 42-year career coach of the university's Blue Demons. O'Malley of Chicago has been chairman emeritus of the Canteen Corporation since 1981, following 20 years as president, chairman and chief executive officer of the company. Acohol/drug abuse prevention center honored Prevention Resource Center Inc., located in Springfield and Chicago, was one of 20 recipients of a national award for exemplary drug and alcohol prevention programs in October. The award was presented by the National Assciation of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors and the National Prevention Network, in conjunction with the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention in Washington, D.C. Prevention Resource Center is a not-for-profit agency funded exclusively through the Illinois Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. NEXT STEPS helps parents with disabled children NEXT STEPS: Planning for Employment, state program that teaches parents the skills to seek future education and job opportunities for their children with disabilities, has gained national recognition and the overwhelming approval of the parents involved. The program was started less than three years ago by the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services and other state agencies. Continued on page 39 March 1988 | Illinois Issues | 35 Continued from page 35 NEXT STEPS was recognized in December by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) located in Alexandria, Va., as "exemplary." PEATC is a national organization that has helped set up 60 training teams in 21 states. According to Carolyn Beckett, a PEATC program development specialist, Illinois has the "largest, most active statewide network." Presently Illinois has 10 teams located around the state, including the nation's only Spanish-speaking team in Chicago. Each team is made up of at least one parent, an education and rehabilitation professional and a human service provider, and it conducts several training sessions each year for parents of children with disabilities. Parents learn to understand their children's interests, abilities and aptitudes. They also learn to obtain and evaluate school records, gain career planning skills and become better advocates for their children's futures. Additional NEXT STEPS teams will be trained in April to reach parents in six more communities throughout the state. For more information about the program, call Carol Lindley, (309) 786-6468, or Ronnie Barclay, (312) 857-2380; or write to Larry Rau, Division of Services for Children, Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services, P.O. Box 19429, Springfield 62794-9429. 1988 calendar features DENR poster winners 
Thirteen grade schoolers were chosen in December as winners of the second annual poster contest conducted by the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR). The winning posters, featured in a 1988 calendar, illustrate the theme "Expanding America's Energy Horizon." DENR awarded a $50 U.S. savings bond to each winner and two books on energy to the winners' schools. Poster winners and their schools include: fourth grade — Erin Creighton, St. Viator School, Chicago; Martha Dixon, South Elementary School, Pittsfield; and Gerald Murphy, Incarnation School, Palos Heights; fifth grade — Rori Edmonds, Millburn Elementary School, Wadsworth; Liz Gernon, Sts. Patrick and Teresa School, Kankakee; Jaime Griesemer, Merrill Elementary School, Rock Falls; Jayna Hart, Buckley-Loda Grade School, Loda; and Brad Ross, West Side School, Harrisburg; sixth grade — Emy Akiyama, Chicago Futabakai Japanese School, Niles; David Faust, Longfellow School, Oak Park; Kimberly Jacobs, Rosewood Elementary School, East Alton; Chance Nussel, Community Consolidated District 204, Pinckneyville; and Rhia Underhill, West Side School, Harrisburg. To receive a free calendar, write to the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources, Energy Information Clearinghouse, 325 W. Adams St., Springfield 62704, or call 1-800-252-8955. Illinois historical groups honored for excellence in 1987 Illinois' outstanding historical societies, museums and cultural agencies were honored for excellence during 1987 by the Congress of Illinois Historical Societies and Museums at its annual meeting in November. The awards recognized the achievements of statewide member organizations in their collection, preservation, research and educational endeavors throughout the year. The Daniel Malkovich Award for Young Museum Professionals was presented to John Jaros, director of the Aurora Historical Society Museum, and the Judges Award for Exceptional Merit was awarded to the DuPage County Historical Museum of Wheaton for the architectural awareness program entitled "Have You Ever Met a Building? A Guide to DuPage County Styles." (This also won a superior achievement award for educational programs.) Winners of superior achievement awards include: Berwyn Historical Society in Berwyn for the rehabilitation of the Berwyn Station (conservation/restoration); Vermilion County Museum Society in Danville for "The Heritage of Vermilion County" (publications/periodicals); Elgin Public Museum Visitor Information Center for "Working Together, A Marketing Concept" (promotion); Elmhurst Historical Museum in Elmhurst for its sesquicentennial exhibition project (exhibitions) and "Elmhurst: Scenes from Yesterday" (publication/research); Jacksonville Area Genealogical/Historical Society in Jacksonville for its computerized cemetery indexes and other records of Jacksonville cemeteries (special projects); Lombard Historical Society in Lombard for its restoration of the Lombard Historical Museum (conservation/restoration); Dirksen Congressional Center in Peoria for its Concluded on page 43 March 1988 | Illinois Issues | 39 Continued from page 39 congressional poster set (educational programs); and Virginia Sesquicentennial Book Commission in Virginia for "Virginia, Illinois, 1836-1986, Selected Writings" (publication/research). The Congress of Illinois Historical Societies and Museums is a statewide professional organization administered by the Illinois State Historical Society. It assists local museums, historical and cultural organizations in the collection and preservation of Illinois' heritage. Craven, Oberman honored by American Civil Liberties Union
Springfield attorney James C. Craven of the Craven Law Office and former Chicago City Council member Martin J. Oberman each received the 1987 Civil Liberties Award in December. The awards, which are given annually by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois, recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the defense of civil liberties. Craven was honored for his work to change Springfield's city government from the commission form to the current aldermanic system. Oberman's award resulted from his efforts to pass a civil rights ordinance for Chicago. Klubeck resigns from Guardianship/Advocacy Commission Sandra Klubeck, director of the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, resigned that post effective December 31. Now a private consultant, she is working with a group appointed by Gov. Thompson to review and revise the state's mental health code. Klubeck was one of the commission's original administrators and served in a variety of posts: statewide child advocate, deputy director for programs and acting director for the Office of State Guardian. She was appointed director of the commission in 1981. Gary E. Miller, the commission's chief fiscal officer since March 1986, is serving as acting director. □ March 1988 | Illinois Issues | 43 |
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