Lederman tapped as Thompson's new science officer

Illinois' newest Nobel laureate is now the state's new science and technology adviser. Leon Lederman was named to the post, created by executive order, on March 22 by Gov. James R. Thompson. According to the executive order —Thompson's second this year — Lederman will advise the governor on state policies that affect science, technology, productivity and competitiveness.

In addition to the adviser's position, the executive order also created a Governor's Science Advisory Committee that will be chaired by Lederman. Initial members include: David Cohen, vice president for research at Northwestern University in Evanston; John Guyon, president of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; Jack Kahn, president of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry; Donald Langenberg, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago; Walter Massey, vice president of research at the University of Chicago; and Alan Schreisheim, director of Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont.

In announcing Lederman's appointment, the governor also outlined his science and technology initiatives for the state. Aimed at helping Illinois become more competitive as it moves into the 21st century, the proposals include the creation of a $20 million Challenge Fund to leverage private and federal funds for research in areas where the state has scientific and technological strength. The research must be performed at Illinois universities and companies by Illinois workers.

Thompson also proposed a Technology Investment Program to help small to mid-sized companies that need technical assistance in commercializing research projects. This $10 million-a-year fund will also help Illinois manufacturers modernize their production processes and technology.

Funding for these programs would come from Thompson's 18-cents-per-pack cigarette tax increase.

Ehret to direct DMM's land reclamation division

Paul Ehret is the new supervisor of the Department of Mines and Minerals' land reclamation division. Agency director Richard Shockley, in announcing the appointment in March, cited Ehret's extensive knowledge in the area of regulatory compliance and in the increasingly delicate area of subsidence. Prior to joining the department in 1980 Ehret, who holds a master's degree in environmental planning from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, split six years of service between the State Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service. He replaced Doug Downing who, after 10 years in the post, opted for the private sector.

The land reclamation division reviews applications for mining permits to ensure that a company's operational plan complies with reclamation regulations. The division includes an inspection force that keeps existing permit holders within regulations.

Coal Research Center gets new director

It's been over two years, but Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's Coal Research Center has a new permanent director. John S. Mead stepped into the center's top spot on March 16, replacing acting director Charles B. Muchmore who resumed his duties as professor and researcher in SIUC's mechanical department.

A University of Illinois law school grad, Mead came to the research center from the Department of Energy and Natural Resources' Office of Coal Development and Marketing where he had been director since 1986. Prior to that he had served one year as manager of that office's Illinois Coal Resources program. From 1979-85, Mead worked for the Illinois General Assembly's Energy Resources Commission, first as a staff attorney (1979-82) and then as staff director.

Mead was the search committee's unanimous choice from more than 25 candidates from across the nation. According to John Yopp, dean of the university's graduate school, Mead "brings with him a knowledge of both the federal and state political scenes and a thorough understanding of the coal industry and its needs. He is very well known and highly regarded by the state and federal agencies concerned with energy issues."

Five Lincoln Academy Laureates honored

Five prominent Illinoisians were presented with the state's highest honor, Lincoln Academy Laureate,

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by Gov. Thompson, president of the academy, on April 22. The awards annually honor outstanding citizens who are either from Illinois or who are living in the state. This year's Lincoln laureates include:

Mark Sussino, an artist from Olney, Md., took top honors among the 46 entries in the Department of Conservation's annual Salmon Stamp art contest. His acrylic painting depicts a hooked chinook salmon being netted. Sussino left a career in manufacturing bullet-proof doors to become a full-time artist three years ago and specializes in painting fish. His work currently appears on four 1989 state salmon or trout stamps, including Indiana, Kentucky, Delaware and Maryland. In addition to having his design on the 1990 Illinois State Salmon Stamp, Sussino will receive a $1,000 purchase award.

John E. Corbally of Chicago, immediate past president of the John T. and Catherine D. Arthur Foundation and former president of University of Illinois, in the education category. "Corbally is a highly regarded educator who has served on corporate boards in Illinois and has participated as a board member in associations of philanthropic and not-for-profit institutions. His determination to give his time so generously to these organizations is exemplary," said Thompson. Corbally retired from his MacArthur Foundation post in May.

Geraldine Freund of Chicago, art patron and founder of the International Dance Festival, in the arts and performing arts category. Freund "continues to bring the best of a world of culture to the citizens of Chicago and Illinois. Thanks to her, the audiences in Chicago have been graced by the presence of some of the greatest names in performing history," the governor said.

Eugene Funk Jr. of Bloomington, agriculturist and former president of Funk Brothers Seed Company, in the agriculture category. "Funk is a 'father' of sorts of agricultural research," Thompson said. He and his family were instrumental in the development and production of superior strains of hybrid corn. Funk is a former director and vice president of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and has served various organizations including the University of Illinois Foundation, the Bloomington Association of Commerce and the McLean County United Way.

Hanna Gray of Chicago, president of the University of Chicago, also in the education category. "Her devotion to her field has gained her well-deserved national recognition," Thompson said. She was one of 12 distinguished foreign-born Americans to receive the Medal of Liberty award from President Reagan in 1986 and holds honorary degrees from 49 colleges and universities including Oxford, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Princeton and the University of Michigan.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the 1988 summer Olympics' gold medalist in the heptathalon and the long-jump, in the sports category. Originally from East St. Louis, Joyner-Kersee graduated from East St. Louis High School and then attended the University of California-Los Angeles. In announcing the award Thompson called the leggy athlete a role model for others and praised her "strong commitment to social service." Joyner-Kersee, who currently lives in California, is donating part of her earnings from endorsements to the Mary Brown Youth Center in East St. Louis.

Boards and commissions

A series of appointments and reappointments to Illinois boards and commissions were announced by Gov. Thompson in March. Unless otherwise noted, the appointments are effective immediately, require Senate confirmation and pay expenses only.

• Employment Security Advisory Board —Reappointed were Lester W. Brann Jr. of Hinsdale, president of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce; Robert Gibson of Chicago, president of the Illinois Federation of Labor; Wes Isaacson of Chicago, secretary/treasurer of the Chicago and Northeast Illinois Council of Carpenters; J. Thomas Johnson of Chicago, a partner with Grant Thornton and former Illinois Department of Revenue director; and David Vite of Woodstock, president of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. Terms expire January 21, 1991. The board advises the director of the Department of Employment Security.
• Board of the Illinois State Museum — Reappointed were James Ballowe of Oak Park, dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Bradley University; James A. Brown of Evanston, professor of anthropology at Northwestern University; Rosalie J. Clark of Chicago, the city's director of protocol; Donald F. Hoffmeister of Champaign, professor and director of the University of Illinois' Museum of Natural History; George Irwin of Quincy, retired board chairman of Irwin Paper;

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Jane O'Connor of Chicago, past president of the Library of International Relations; attorney Michael G. Schneiderman of Chicago, a partner with Hopkins and Sutter; Robert Waddell of Illiopolis, president of Bob Waddell Chevrolet Company; Sol Weiner of Evanston, president of Stenhouse, Weiner, Sherman Ltd. Terms expire January 21, 1991. The board advises and makes recommendations to the museum's director, fixes the salaries of all administrative, scientific and technical staff, and reviews and approves the museum's budget.
• State Police Merit Board — Reappointed was Harry Orr of Rock Island, owner of Harry Orr Jewelers. He is currently the board's elected chairman. His new term expires March 20, 1995. The position pays $125 a day plus expenses. The board handles recruitment, selection, promotional and disciplinary processes for Illinois state policemen.
• Southwest Illinois Development Authority — Appointed was Thomas R. Hewlett of Granite City, chief of real estate planning and control for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hewlett's term expires on January 20, 1992. The board assists in the development, construction and acquisition of industrial, commercial, housing or residential projects within Madison and St. Clair counties.

The Judiciary

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the following appointments, retirements and resignations:

Cook County Circuit Court

• Retired: Associate Judge Francis X. Golniewicz of Chicago, effective March 31, and Circuit Judge Roger J. Kiley Jr. of Oak Park, effective February 15. Golniewicz had been a judicial officer since 1979. Kiley, a judge since 1976, was an active member of the Illinois Judicial Conference.

3rd Judicial Circuit

• Appointed by circuit judges as associate judge: Former Madison County state's attorney J. Lawrence Keshner of Godfrey.


4th Judicial Circuit
• Appointed circuit judge: Stephen J. Seymour of Effingham, effective April 14. He fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Dennis Birkbigler.


5th Judicial Circuit
• Retired: William J. Sunderman of Charleston, effective April 30. One of Illinois' most senior judges, Sunderman had served as a judge since 1950.


17th Judicial Circuit

• Retired: Associate Judge Bradner C. Riggs of Rockford, effective December 29, 1988. He had been a judicial officer since 1978.


19th Judicial Circuit
• Appointed by circuit judges as associate judges: Private attorneys David M. Hall of Waukegan, Victoria L. Martin of Mundelein, Christopher C. Stark of Vernon Hills and Peter M. Trobe of Waukegan.


20th Judicial Circuit

• Appointed by circuit judges as associate judge: Private attorney John M. Goodwin Jr. of Belleville.

Johnson new director of minority programs

The Illinois Minority Graduate Incentive Program and the Illinois Consortium for Educational Opportunity, programs designed to increase minority staffing at Illinois colleges and universities, have a new director. Irene H. Johnson will oversee the programs, which offer fellowships and other support to minority graduate students pursuing careers in higher education. She will be based at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

Neither the consortium program, formerly based at Illinois State University-Normal, nor the incentive program had had a full-time director and were struggling as a result, according to Patricia L. Carrell, associate dean of SIUC's graduate school. Advisory boards for both programs last year proposed a merger to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The proposal, which included funding for a single director for both programs, was approved last July. The $41,000 allocated the programs will cover salaries for Johnson and a graduate assistant, publicity and other costs, and a conference for students participating in the two programs.

Johnson previously coordinated minority science programs at Purdue University. She is a member of several professional counseling and development associations and is a founding member of the Indiana Coalition of Blacks in Higher Education.

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New National Guard chemical brigade based in Rockford

Rockford welcomed a newly formed brigade-level National Guard headquarters on June 1. The siting decision by the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., could mean up to 50 new jobs in the area and an infusion of more than $750,000 annually into the Rockford economy. The new unit will be known as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 404th Chemical Brigade and will be responsible for two or more battalions, parts of which are located in California and Nevada.

Col. Bruce W. Vanderkolk commands the new brigade, which is strictly a defensive unit. According to Vanderkolk, the unit will have the capabilities to decontaminate anything from large heavy equipment down to the actual troops themselves. The brigade will also have smoke generating equipment that can be used for defensive and concealment purposes.

Lane chairs international corrections committee

Michael P. Lane, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, has been appointed chairman of the American Correctional Association's (ACA) prestigious International Relations Committee for a term of two years. The committee promotes the exchange of information among corrections practitioners throughout the world and advises the ACA board of governors concerning actions which it might initiate to further enhance international communication.

Several topics are currently being considered by the committee. One is a proposal promoting staff exchange between correctional agencies in the U.S. and Canada and other countries throughout the world. Another proposal encourages states without bilateral agreements for the international exchange of prisoners to develop such agreements.

Also, through Corrections International, the committee is planning a meeting to promote international communication which will coincide with the United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, to be held in Vienna, Austria, during September 1990.

Big bluestem wins! Before John Deere invented his moldboard plow to break the tough prairie sod, much of Illinois was a sea of prairie grasses and flowers. Little bluestem, Indiangrass, prairie drop-seed and big bluestem grasses dominated the "Grand Prairie," which extended from Springfield and Champaign to northwest of Peoria and northeast almost to Chicago. As a way of sparking greater awareness of our prairie heritage, the Illinois Department of Conservation earlier this year sponsored a statewide contest to "name your favorite prairie grass." The ballots —nearly 4,500 of them from school children and adults from around the state — were tallied by George Lahr's advanced biology class at Southwestern Senior High School in Piasa. Big bluestem, which can grow to a height of eight feet, was the big winner, edging out Indiangrass by 76 votes. The winner will now become the subject of a legislative proposal to name an official state prairie grass, according to department botanist John Schwegman.

Other appointments

• Marcia Tjader Erixon is Gov. Thompson's new assistant for economic development, finance, transportation and government management. Erixon, whose new annual salary is $57,000, replaces Jim LaBelle who was recently named general manager of the new North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor. The Chicago resident previously was deputy director of Thompson's Office of Legislative Affairs during the 1988 legislative session. In 1987 she was the governor's Senate liaison. Erixon also spent three years as chief legislative liaison for the Illinois Department of Revenue. From 1982-84 she was a revenue analyst for the Illinois Republican staff, and from 1980-82 Erixon was a fiscal analyst for the Illinois Economic and Fiscal Commission.
• Comd. Sgt. Maj. Larry Pence has been appointed the Illinois Army National Guard's command sergeant major by Maj. Gen. Harold G. Holesinger, the state's adjutant general. Pence, a veteran of the Vietnam War, has 21 years of military service. Prior to his Illinois Army National Guard appointment, he was the command sergeant major for the 66th Brigade, 47th Infantry Division, headquartered in Decatur. In his new post Pence will advise the adjutant general on the enlisted readiness of the Illinois Army National Guard and on soldier and family support programs. Pence will also oversee the performance and professional development

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of all enlisted personel. He will be headquartered at Camp Lincoln in Springfield.
• Representing United Way of Illinois, David Odenbach of Peoria was appointed to the Illinois Emergency Food and Shelter Advisory Committee by Susan Suter, director of the Illinois Department of Public Aid (DPA). Currently executive director of the Heart of Illinois United Way, Odenbach is also a member of United Way's statewide board. He replaced Roger Frick, who resigned earlier this year to accept a post with United Way of Indiana.

  The advisory committee — whose members are drawn from Catholic Charities, the Jewish Federation, the Salvation Army, the Conference of Churches, Red Cross, United Way, Community Action Agencies and DPA — plays an important role in determining how state and federal food and shelter funds for the needy are spent. Patterned after the national committee, the state committee works with DPA in distributing federal funds to local non-profit organizations through the "State Set-Aside" program. This set-aside allows a percentage of Illinois' allocated funds to be handled directly by the committee, enabling it to target pockets of poverty which best can be identified at the local level.

• The new chairman of the Chicago Convention and Visitors Bureau is Kenneth A. Skopec, president and chief executive officer of Mid-Citco Inc., a holding company for a group of banks in Illinois and Oklahoma. Skopec, a member of the bureau's board of directors since 1985, says he has two main goals during his one-year term: to elicit more participation in and contributions to the bureau's activities and to consolidate the bureau's efforts and resources with those of the Chicago Tourism Council.
• Former Republican state Rep. Diana Nelson (1981-85) has joined Chicago's Harris Bank as vice president and head of its public affairs office. She is responsible for the bank's philanthropic activities through the Harris Bank Foundation and Corporate Contributions Committee and for working with Chicago area community organizations. Nelson previously was executive director of the Mental Health Association of Illinois and is currently a member of the Governor's Task Force on the Future of Mental Health Services for Illinois.

Oblinger receives Winston Award

Josephine Oblinger of Williamsville, director of Gov. Thompson's Office of Senior Involvement, was recognized by the National Council on Aging for her outstanding contributions to the field of aging and to the spirit of American volunteerism. She received the council's Ellen B. Winston Founder's Award during its annual conference in March. The award is sponsored by the National Voluntary Organizations for Independent Living for the Aging.

Oblinger was nominated for the award by Illinois Department on Aging Director Janet S. Otwell, who noted Oblinger's consistent support of senior issues during her seven years in the Illinois General Assembly (1979-86). Oblinger sponsored legislation creating the state's in-home care program for seniors as well as a program to study the problem of elder abuse. A former director of both the Illinois Department on Aging and the Governor's Office of Voluntary Action, she currently chairs Illinois' activities for the next White House Conference on Aging. Active in a number of groups, Oblinger's other honors include the National Association of Social Worker's Award, the Governor's Illinois Partner in Better Communities Award and the Volunteer Optometric Services Humanity Award.

Johnson inducted into Business Hall of Fame

John H. Johnson, publisher of Ebony and Jet, was inducted into the Illinois Hall of fame, and the America National Business Hall of fame, both headquartered at Western Illinois University-Macomb, in March.

After graduating from Northwestern University, Johnson started his own publishing company, putting out his first Negro Digest, in 1942. After a little more than a year, the magazine's circulation was 50,000; it subsequently reached 150,000.

Ebony was first published in 1945 and has enjoyed outstanding and long-standing success. A source of inspiration for its black target audience, the magazine's circulation eventually exceeded two million.

The Illinois and American National Business Halls of Fame are sponsored by colleges and universities that believe in the value of inspiring young people with examples of successful, ethical role models. For more information, contact Richard E. Hattwick at (309) 298-1594.

Other honors

• James P. Lilly received the National Association of Conservation Districts' Communication Award for his 35 years of editorial support of soil and water conservation. Lily is the former editor of Prairie Farmer magazine, which is based in Decatur. He has authored many articles on conservation and has consistently supported the conservation efforts of the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Lilly retired in December 1988.
• IreneS. Rubin, associate professor of political science at Northern Illinois University-DeKalb, was honored by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) at its annual conference in Miami on April 9. Rubin was presented with the ASPA's Mosher Award for her article "Municipal Enterprises: Exploring Bugetary and Political Implications," which was published in the society's journal, The Administration Review. The ASPA presents the Mosher award annually to the author of the best article included in the journal.

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