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SHIFTS AT THE TOP

John C. Guyon will leave his post as chancellor of Southern Illinois University's Carbondale campus on August 16. A tenured chemistry professor, he became SlUC's president in 1987; his title changed at the beginning of this year, though his duties remained the same. Guyon will continue with the university working on special assignments, including attainment of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter for the Carbondale campus and preparation for the next accreditation review by the North Central Association. The university will conduct a nationwide search for his replacement.

APPOINTMENTS

Myrna E. Pedersen of Chicago was appointed to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. The owner and partner of Pedersen/McGrath Associates Inc., she will be paid $16,861 per year, pending confirmation of her appointment by the state Senate.

John S. Albin of Newman, owner of Albin Farm; Ryan M. Shanks of Chicago, a student at DePaul University; and Claudia E. Mancini of Clarendon Hills, executive director of Educational Assistance Ltd., were named to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

John Varones of Chicago, director pf the Illinois Housing Development Authority, was named chairman of the Illinois Affordable Housing Advisory Commission. Peter K. Lennon of Chicago, president of Casterbridge Books, was appointed to the commission

Robert B. Oxtoby of Springfield was reappointed to the Capital Development Board. He is a partner in Van Meter, Oxtoby and Funk.

HONORS

The Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, awarded its 1996 Literary Awards to 10 writers. Companion awards of $1,000 each recognize both the writer and the non-commercial publisher of the work. The recipients and their publishers are: Cris Mazza of Elmhurst/Another Chicago Magazine, Maureen Seaton and S.L. Wisenberg of Chicago/Chicago Review, Curt Dawkins and Beth Lordan of Carbondale/Farmer's Market; Rodney Jones of Carbondale/Poetry, Reginald Gibbons of Evanston and Susan Hahn of Winnetka/Poetry East; Sharon Solwitz of Chicago and Jean Thompson of Urbana/TriQuarterly.

Illinoisan commands Blue Angels

Capt. Greg Wooldridge, formerly of Springfield, is in command of the United States Navy's precision flying team, the Blue Angels, for the third time in his career. But July will be the first time he will perform for his hometown crowd. Filling in for the rest of the season after the resignation of the former squadron leader, Wooldridge had to get reacquainted with the exacting choreography of the manuevers. Thus three shows were cancelled in June. But the Blue Angels' Illinois performances are still scheduled: one in Springfield July 27-28 and one in Chicago August 24-25. This season marks the 50th anniversary of public performances by the elite flying team.

COOK COUNTY JUDGE ORDERS SCHOLARSHIP RECORDS RELEASED

In a lawsuit brought by the Chicago Tribune, Cook County Circuit Court Judge John K. Madden ruled against the Illinois State Board of Education and the University of Illinois, ordering the release of information about scholarships awarded by state legislators.

Michael Hawthorne of The News-Gazette of Champaign reported that one in five of the legislative scholarships awarded to students at just two state universities, Eastern and Western, was given to relatives or political friends of lawmakers, or to someone outside the district (see Illinois Issues, May 1996, page 22). The one requirement of the 1905 law is that lawmakers give the scholarships — one for the U of I and another for any other state university — to people living in their districts. The waived tuition costs more than $4 million each year.

Other universities and state officials have refused to comply with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act to release the recipients' names, citing a student's right of privacy. The U of I and State Board of Education appealed the ruling June 13.

Illinois Issues July 1996 ¦ 35

A first for state medical society
Dr. Sandra F. Olson of Chicago is the new president of the Illinois State Medical Society. She's the first woman to be elected. Olson succeeds Dr. Ray Hoffmann of Rockford. Olson is on staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Transit chief named
Mayor Richard M. Daley tapped one of his top troubleshooters to head the Chicago Transit Authority. David Mosena, formerly the city's aviation commissioner, replaces Robert Belcaster who resigned last month after the Chicago Sun-Times reported that he had bought stock in a company doing business with the transit authority.

Former U of I president to head national association
Stanley Ikenberry, who resigned as president of the University of Illinois a year ago, was named president of the American Council on Education, a national association of colleges and universities. The Washington, D.C.-based organization represents the higher education community before agencies of the federal government.

State Republicans meet
Elizabeth Dole, wife of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Bob Dole, was the featured speaker at the state GOP convention in Champaign in June. Gov. Jim Edgar was elected chairman of the Illinois delegation to the party's national convention and state Rep. Robert Churchill of Lake Villa was chosen secretary of the delegation. The GOP will meet in California in August.

Coming home
Abner Mikva, who was chief White House counsel to President Bill Clinton, is returning to Illinois to join the faculty at the University of Chicago. He also served as a congressman and a federal judge.

Seeing more clearly now
The Associated Press has reported that the private Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago is seeking repayment of unauthorized compensation and expenses to former President Boyd Banwell. According to the AP, a May report filed by the college with the Internal Revenue Service shows Banwell was paid $1.32 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1995, including $528,006 in pay, $8,622 in contributions to his pension and $784,664 in expenses and other allowances. Banwell's connections to state Senate President James "Pate" Philip aided the college in getting $1.05 million in no-strings grants. Gov. Jim Edgar halted a $300,000 grant last fall.

New community leader
Rich Jones of Springfield has been named executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Community Services, a statewide nonprofit organization that provides technical support to community residents.

Recovering
Western Illinois University President Donald Spencer, 51, is recovering from a stroke he suffered while working in his office in early June.

The Bulls do it!

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper, Luc Longley, Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr, Jud Buechler, Bill Wennington, Randy Brown and Phil Jackson.

Enough said.

36 ¦ July 1996 Illinois Issues