Partee new Cook County state's attorney

Partee is no stranger to politics. He has been elected city treasurer three times and spent two decades in the Illinois General Assembly. From 1957-67, he was a member of the House and, from 1967-77, a member of the Senate, including two years as its president. Partee spent eight years (1948-56) as an assistant state's attorney for Cook County.

He was the recipient in 1972 of the Cook County Bar Association's Outstanding Contribution to Law, Government and Politics Award and Northwestern University's Merit Award. In 1977 Partee received the National Conference of Black Lawyers Award.

Degnan, the Daleys and Munizzi

Timothy F. Degnan's departure from the Illinois Senate to become chief of intergovernmental affairs for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has precipitated changes in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. Degnan, chairman of the Transportation Committee, had served in the Senate since 1980, when he succeeded Daley in the seat once held by Daley's father, Richard J. Daley. Degnan's 11th District seat was taken by yet another Daley, John P., brother of current mayor Richard M. and son of former mayor Richard J. John Daley moved to the Senate from the House of Representatives where he had represented the 21st district since 1985.

Taking Daley's House seat was Pamela A. Munizzi, 34, a veteran of Chicago, Cook County and state governments. A former administrative assistant to the Chicago City Council committees on local transportation and on license, Munizzi also has worked as a victim/witness coordinator in the Cook County State's Attorney's office and as a legislative assistant in the Illinois House of Representatives. She also spent seven years as a youth service worker for the Chicago Department of Human Services.

Monroney, Wehner get IDOT promotions

Department of Transportation Secy. Greg Baise announced two appointments in April.

Harold W. Monroney is the department's new deputy secretary, succeeding Gene McCormick who resigned to take a post with the Federal Highway Administration. Monroney, a 39-year veteran of the Division of Highways, had been division director since November 1977. Prior to that he served as district engineer for District 6, which encompasses most of central and west central Illinois, and District 8, which includes East St. Louis and much of southwestern Illinois. Monroney is also a member of the chief highway engineers task force for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Taking Monroney's place as director of the Division of Highways is Ralph C. Wehner, who has been with the department for 29 years. He is the former district engineer for District 1, the state's largest and most complex highway district, located in the six-county area of northeastern Illinois. Wehner also served as district engineer for District 2, which encompasses a 12-county area in northwestern Illinois, including the Quad Cities.

Underwood to direct coal development for Energy & Natural Resources; Bowman moves up at IDMM

DENR's coal development office sponsors a wide range of research and development projects aimed at finding new and better coal cleaning and combustion methods. It also promotes new technologies that are compatible with Illinois' high-sulfur coal and identifies Illinois coal sales opportunities nationally and internationally.

Appointed by Gov. James R. Thompson to replace Underwood at IDMM is Frank Bowman of Taylorville. A state mine inspector for the department since March 1988, Bowman

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the preceding 11 years as a safety inspector for Freeman Coal Company. Prior to that he served as an Illinois state trooper for nine years. In his new $38,404-a-year post, Bowman will be responsible for safety, training and mine rescue. The appointment must be confirmed by the Senate.

Chicago City Colleges make it permanent

More than a year ago Chicago City Colleges trustee Nelvia M. Brady was appointed to serve as interim chancellor of the eight-college system while the board of trustees conducted a nationwide search for a permanent replacement for Salvatore G. Rotella. After six months, the search suspended when the board realized that the system would be best served by maintaining the positive momentum of change that had occurred under Brady's leadership, according to board chairman Reynaldo Glover. So, in late December 1988, interim Chancellor Brady became permanent Chancellor Brady.

Brady had been a senior staff associate for educational grants with the Chicago Community trust when she was appointed to the City Coleges board in 1986 by Mayor Harold Washington. (She gave up both jobs when appointed interim chancellor.) Prior to this she worked for the Chicago public school system under then-Supt. Ruth Love, including service as the associate superintendent who administered the $87 million Chicago Desegregation Plan.

As chief educational and administrative officer of one of the nation's largest community college systems, Brady stewards eight separate colleges and more than 6,000 faculty members serving over 150,000 students annually. When she stepped into the post a year ago, the system was beset with problems: declining enrollments, a demoralized staff and a troubled reputation. Brady attacked all of these problems with energy and creativity. And, according to board chairman Glover, her accomplishments have been many: the initiation of innovative outreach, enrollment and tracking programs; major staff and purchasing practices reorganization; a successful program to bring Chicago Housing Authority residents into the colleges; the appointment of a Hispanic vice chancellor; and the establishment of a comprehensive Women and Minority Business program.

The City Colleges system includes: Chicago City-Wide College, Daley College, Kennedy-King College, Malcolm X College, Olive-Harvey College, Truman College, Harold Washington College, and Wright College.

Illinois' Star School Program goes on-line

Illinois' rural schools will now be able to enhance their academic offerings through the Illinois Star School Program, the state's first satellite education network. The network is a joint venture of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Western Illinois University (WIU).

A $918,326 grant from the U.S. Department of Education was awarded earlier this year to ISBE and WIU to establish 52 downlink sites at rural schools and educational service centers. Satellite equipment has been installed at these sites to receive transmission of supplemental course offerings from WIU and TI-IN Network in Texas. Course offerings this fall via satellite will include foreign languages, calculus, physics and physical science. The satellite system will also focus on ways to improve the skills of local educators.

Boards and commissions

A series of appointments and reappointments to Illinois boards and commissions was announced by Gov. Thompson in April. Unless otherwise noted, the appointments require Senate confirmation and pay expenses only.

Governors Council on Developmental Disabilities: Appointed chairman was John Porter of Wood Dale, replacing Rose Poelvoorde. First appointed to the council in 1984, he has testified on its behalf at federal and state legislative hearings. The appointment does not require Senate confirmation.

Employment Security Advisory Board: Re-appointed were Arthur R. Gottschalk of Flossmoor, president of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, and Roger Roberson of Champaign, president of Roberson Corporation. Terms expire January 21, 1991. The board advises the director of the Department of Employment Security.

Governor's Advisory Committee on Tourism: Appointed were Donald J. DePorter of Chicago, regional vice president and managing director for the Hyatt Hotels Corporation; Richard T. Godfrey of Normal, director of advancement at Illinois State University; Thomas F. Meagher of Burr Ridge, chairman of Continental Air Transport; Rex A. Parker of Rockford, vice president and general manager of Clock Tower Properties; Thomas S. Rivera of Roselle, president of the Greater Woodfield Convention and Visitors Bureau; Gene A. Rupnick

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of Springfield, partner and general manager of Days Inn; and James F. Sheerin of Chicago, senior vice president of Seay & Thomas. Members serve two-year terms. The committee advises and supports the efforts of the Illinois Office of Tourism.

Illinois Community College Board: Donald Zeglis of Mommence was appointed to finish William Payne's term. The board is the coordinating agency for Illinois' public community colleges.

Changes at the Guardianship & Advocacy Commission

As a part of a reorganization plan, Gary E. Miller, director of the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission (GAC), announced several appointments in April:

The commission's new deputy director is Gloria M. Prevost of Chicago. She joined the commission in 1986 as director of its Human Rights Authority. Prevost was previously the first director of the State Human Rights Committee of the Virginia Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

Cheryl Neal of Springfield is now director of administration. She came to the commission in 1986 as personnel officer and was soon promoted to human relations manager. Prior to that Neal was fiscal officer for the Illinois Energy Resources Commission for 10 years where she was also responsible for personnel and public relations.

The commission's new chief counsel is D. Rebecca Mitchell of Chicago. Chief counsel to the commission's Office of the State Guardian since 1984, Mitchell started her tenure with GAC in 1980 as a staff attorney with its Legal Advocacy Service. Prior to that, she was a child protection caseworker and advocate for persons with developmental disabilities in New York state.

Jeanne Blackman of Springfield is now the commission's legislative liaison. Formerly consumer advocate for the Illinois Department on Aging, Blackman is a member of the Governor's Advisory Council for Rehabilitation Services. She was an educator for 18 years.

Appointed acting director of GAC's Legal Advocacy Service was Sandra Kopels. She joined the commission in 1984 as an advocacy service staff attorney in the Tinley Park regional office and transferred to the Chicago regional office in 1986. Since 1987 she has been the advocacy service's managing attorney for the northern regions of the state.

In other action, the commission appointed John Joseph Benshoff, an assistant professor of rehabilitation at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, to the Human Rights

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Authority Region 5 (Carbondale). He will serve a three-year term.

The commission is an executive state agency created to enforce the rights of the disabled by providing advocacy and guardianship services.

The Judiciary

The Illinois Supreme Court recently announced the following appointments, assignments and retirements:

1st District Appellate Court

• Assigned to duty: Cook County Circuit Court judges David Cerda of Chicago, Gino L. DiVito of Glenview and Rosemary Duschene LaPorta of Chicago. The assignments were effective April 1 and until further order.
• The 1st District Appellate Court now consists of 24 judges (18 elected positions, six assigned). Effective April 1, the high court recast the divisional make-up of the appellate court:
  
  First Division: Judges Robert C. Buckley, Calvin Campbell, Blanche Manning and John O'Connor;
  Second Division: Judges Michael Bilandic, Gino DiVito, Allen Hartman and Anthony Scariano;
  Third Division: Judges David Cerda, Charles Freeman, Dom Rizzi and William White;
  Fourth Division: Judges Mel Jiganti, Glen Johnson, David Linn and Mary Ann McMorrow;
  Fifth Division: Judges Michel Coccia, Francis Lorenz, James Murray and R. Eugene Pincham;
  Sixth Division: Judges Edward Egan, Rosemary Duschene LaPorta, Daniel McNamara and William Quinlan.

  The chairman of the executive committee is the First Division's Robert C. Buckley who also chairs the Illinois Appellate Court.

  7th Judicial Circuit
  
• Appointed circuit judge: Ronald F. Robinson of Winchester, effective May 1. He fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Richard Mann.
17th Judicial Circuit

•  Appointed by circuit judges as associate judge: Attorney John T. Kennedy of Rockford.
20th Judicial Circuit

• Appointed by circuit judges as associate judge: Attorney Robert J. Hillebrand of Belleville.
21st Judicial Circuit

• Retired: Associate Judge Edward A. Mclntire of Kankakee, effective May 31. He had been a judicial officer since 1977.

Other appointments

• Robert R. Bensko is the new director of the Illinois Commerce Commission's 9-1-1 Emergency Service Program. He was appointed to the post by the commission's executive director, N. Richard King, in April. Bensko is the former director of the Springfield-Sangamon County Emergency Services Disaster Agency, where he helped coordinate emergency plans for 17 units of local government. He also helped design Sangamon County's first emergency operations center. The Illinois Commerce Commission is authorized by the General Assembly to coordinate the implementation of 9-1-1 emergency number systems and provide technical assistance where necessary.

• The Department of Public Aid's (DPA) medical programs division has a new administrator.

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Tim Claborn was named to the post by DPA director Susan S. Suter in April. Prior to this appointment Claborn served as the department's legislative liaison for two years and spent seven years supervising the development and monitoring of medical and income assistance budgets for DPA's Bureau of Management and Budget. Before joining DPA, Claborn served three years as deputy director and human services budget analyst with the Illinois House of Representatives' appropriations committee.

•  Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's acting associate vice president for academic affairs and research was permanently assigned to the post effective July 1. Mary Lou Higgerson had served in an interim capacity since August 1987. She came to SIU-C's College of Communication and Fine Arts in 1973 as an instructor of speech communication and was named its "Outstanding Teacher" in 1976. From 1980-86 she was the college's associate dean. During the 1986-87 academic year Higgerson worked in the office of former SIU-C President Albert Somit and Chancellor Lawrence Pettit as an American Council on Education Administrative Fellowship intern. Her appointment must be confirmed by Chancellor Pettit and the SIU Board of Trustees.

•  Richard M. Hetzer of Schaumburg, vice president/manager of public funds at Chicago's Exchange National Bank, was unanimously elected one of 37 statewide directors of the Township Officials of Illinois (TOI) during the organization's annual educational conference. Hetzer is a Schaumburg township trustee and president of the trustees division of the Township Officials of Cook County. His term runs through December 1989. Hetzer has been a member of TOI since 1985. Township Officials of Illinois was organized in 1907 and represents all of the more than 12,000 elected township officials in Illinois.

Corporate recycling efforts honored

"Illinois Recycling Week" (April 22-29), proclaimed by Gov. Thompson to encourage the recycling of waste products and to recognize Illinois' growing recycling industry, culminated with the announcement of five winners in the second annual Governor's Corporate Recycling Awards program.

The award winners were chosen from among 17 Illinois corporations that have demonstrated leadership in solving solid waste problems, in using significant amounts of recycled materials and in purchasing recycled products.

Winners in the solid waste reduction category included Kendrick's Paper Stock Company of Mount Vernon for recycling nearly 37,000 tons of newspaper and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries in Chicago for excellent work as a trade organization senting recyclers.

In the recycled product manufacturers category, the winners included American Cellulose Manufacturing Inc. of Minonk for recycling 2,400 tons of newspaper in the manufacture of insulation and Owens-Illinois of Streator for a 30 percent increase over 1987 in recycling of glass.

The winner in the recycled product procurement category was the Sante Fe Rail System of Chicago for the procurement of 260,000 gallons of re-refined lubricating products.

Bernard P. Killian, director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), used the occasion of Illinois Recycling Week to urge other Illinois businesses to establish in-house recycling projects. "If you recycle, the environment will benefit and chances are good that you might even save some money," said Killian.

If any organization would like to learn more about recycling or would like assistance in starting a recycling program they can contact Will Flower, Office of Public Information, P.O. Box 19276 Springfield 62794-9276.

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Gove retires from University of Illinois After nearly 40 years of teaching politics and public affairs at the University of Illinois, Samuel K. Gove retired June 1. While rumor has it that he plans to spend much more time at his home in Michigan, the co-founder and long-board chairman of Illinois Issues still is to maintain a limited involvement with the university's Institute of Government and Public Affairs, where he is director emeritus. He continues also as a member of the Illinois Issues board. Gove joined the university in 1950 as a research assistant in government and public affairs and became a professor in 1961. He was appointed acting director of the institute that same year and served three one-year periods in that capacity until appointed its permanent director in 1967. Gove stepped down from the directorship in August 1985 to return to teaching and research in the Department of Political Science. From 1986-89 he served as director of the department's MAPA (Master's of Arts in Public Administration) program. Currently he is an adjunct scholar with Temple University's Center for the Study of Federalism. When it came to public service, Gove always practiced what he preached. He spent eight years (1965-69, 1970-74) as a member of the Illinois Commission on the Organization of the General Assembly and was actively involved during the late 1960s and early 1970s with Illinois' Constitutional Convention. He served on the editorial board of the State and Local Government Review, published by the University of Georgia's Institute of Government and was board chairman of Illinois Issues for 11 years (1974-85). Gove has co-edited a number of publications, including, with Thad Beyle, Governors and Higher Education; with Thomas M. Stauffer, Policy Controversies in Higher Education; with Frederick M. Win, Political Science and School Politics: The Prince and the Pundits; and, with Louis H. Masotti, After Daley: Chicago Politics in Transition. Prior to his retirement, Gove was the subject of an Illinois House resolution. In honoring him for his "illustrious career" at the University of Illinois, House members also commended him for "his dedication to his students, to whom he has been teacher, mentor, and friend." Like the House, we too "wish him happiness in all of his retirement endeavors."

Four receive Innovative Waste Reduction Awards

In addition to the five Illinois companies honored for their recycling efforts, four businesses from around the state were recognized for creative approaches to hazardous and non-hazardous waste reduction. The 1988 Innovative Waste Reduction Awards were presented in April by the Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center (HWRIC), a division of the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources. Winners included:

• In the small business category (less than 100 employees), Moline Paint Manufacturing Company, which reduced its waste by training employees in waste management and giving them rewards based on the success of their efforts.
• In the large business category (100 or more employees), Johnson & Johnson Health Care Company, for strategies that included developing water-based instead of solvent-based formulas in their adhesive coatings.
• In the community association category, Illinois Agricultural Association-Employee Recreation Association, for its "Waste Not Recycling Program," which used profits gained by recycling for employee recreation activities.
• In the educational institution category, the Illinois Institute of Technology's Industrial Waste Elimination Center, established in 1980, for eight years of achievements in waste management/reduction.

To obtain information on applying for the 1989 Innovative Waste Reduction Awards or to receive waste reduction assistance, contact Dan Kraybill or Alisa Wickliff at HWRIC, 1808 Woodfield Dr., Savoy, IL 61874; telephone (217) 333-8940.

Math & Science Academy receives Hitachi grant

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), the nation's only three-year residential school for students gifted in mathematics and science, was awarded a $114,500 grant by the Hitachi Foundation. The three-year grant is to support the development of new curricula and leadership training programs for high school students. IMSA plans to develop modules that address the broad concern of preparing leaders for a world where global interrelatedness and interdependency are replacing national and regional concerns. Specific topics for the modules will be selected from broadly identified major issues mankind will face in the 21st century, including nuclear annihilation, degradation of the global environment, the gap between the developing and the industrial worlds, and the breakdown in public and private morality.

The Hitachi Foundation, a nonprofit, philanthropic organization, was incorporated in 1985 under an endowment from Hitachi Ltd. of Tokyo. It was established to foster effective leadership, support community service and encourage global and social responsibility.

1989 Liberty Bell Award honors human rights activists

A group of people whose work resulted in the passage of the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance was awarded the Chicago Bar Association's (CBA) 1989 Liberty Bell Award. Jon-Henri Damski, Laurie Dittman, Dr. Rick Garcia and Art Johnston were honored at a special Law Day celebration at the Richard J. Daley Civic Center on May 1.

"These four people worked together to lobby and pass the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance for the gay, lesbian, women's and disabled communities," said the chair of the CBA's Young Lawyers Section, Ira Bodenstein. "As a result of their tireless efforts, gays, lesbians and others now enjoy equal status under the Chicago municipal code."

The CBA's Liberty Bell Award is designed to recognize and reward exemplary efforts of a non-lawyer in advancing the ideals of law and justice in Chicago area communities.

Southern Illinois' 'education senator' dies

Former state Sen. John Gray Gilbert, southern Illinois' "education senator," died on Friday, April 7, at the Jackson County Nursing Home. He was 77. Gilbert, a Republican, served in the General Assembly from 1961-1973 during part of which time he was chairman of the Senate's Education Committee. He was appointed to the Illinois Board of Higher Education in 1977 and served until shortly before his death.

U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, who served with Gilbert in the General Assembly from 1961-1972, said "In the field of education, he contributed immensely. SIU wouldn't be what it is today without John Gilbert's efforts."

Gilbert, a graduate of SIU and the University of Illinois School of Law, was Jackson County state's attorney from 1948-1956. During World War II he served as a special agent with the FBI and as a legal officer with the Navy.

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