Leaders Among Us 2008 by The Southern Illinoisan

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SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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About This Issue

These Leaders make helping children a priority Welcome to the fifth annual issue of the Southern Business Journal’s “Leaders Among Us” publication. It truly has been a joy producing this magazine because it serves as a canvas upon which we can celebrate the actions of true leaders who live right here in our 18county region. And individuals in this year’s group, in particular, have made helping children in so many ways a top priority in their lives. Quickly turn to page 8 and you’ll see what we mean. The love this Leader shows kids is readily apparent in this fun image. A big thank you goes out to the fun kids in Chellie McGuire’s 5th grade class at East Side Intermediate School in Harrisburg, who love it when their Leader pops in to read

DeRossett

Binder

to them. Throughout the inside of the special edition you’ll read about 16 Southern Illinoisans who want to see their region be the best it can be. They are Leaders in sometimes similar ways, but each goes above and beyond the call of professional duty to make Southern Illinois a better place to live, work and play. So far the SBJ has selected 87 Leaders, including seven couples. Each spouse was deserving of recognition individually.

We seek nominations each year from folks with the SBJ’s six community partners, including Egyptian Electric Cooperative, Southern Illinois Healthcare, John A. Logan College, Pepsi MidAmerica, Regions Bank and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. And we sought your nominations during the past several months, including at the most recent Community Leaders’ Breakfast. We use a set of criteria as guideposts when considering whom to include as Leaders, and generally these are people we want to spotlight based on their involvement in activities, and commitment to principles, that make Southern Illinois prosper. Our group this year consists of 10 men and six

women, and most cite a desire to help kids as a driving desire. What can we learn from these leaders? Read their profiles and we’re sure you’ll come away with a better understanding of each person, and what drives them to make Southern Illinois prosper. – Dennis DeRossett is publisher, and Steve Binder is editor, of the Southern Business Journal. They can be reached at 351-5056 or at sbj@thesouthern.com.

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irst things first: Wayne Asberry does own an impressive collection of Anheuser-Busch products. There’s the limited edition pewter set of Clydesdales pulling a Budweiser wagon, under glass, that sits atop a credenza right behind his office desk.

There’s also an impressive set of miniature Budweiser delivery trucks, cars and wagons of various styles and

SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

from certain time periods, lined up neatly on shelves in his office. And there’s a large Budweiser mirror, encased in an ornate, golden frame and signed by most of the employees who work at the branded products warehouse in Mt. Vernon. It is Anheuser-Busch’s only non-beverage products facility in the U.S., tucked discreetly inside Mt. Vernon’s northwest side industrial park. One can say that Asberry oversees a large warehouse operation for the largest beer maker in the U.S. (nearly 49 percent market share of beer; nearly $19 billion in sales last year). But that wouldn’t be as fun as saying that MAY 2008

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DID YOU KNOW? Missing the days when he coached his daughter’s competitive fast-pitch softball teams, Wayne says he dreams of coaching on a collegiate level sometime after he retires.

WAYNE

open with everyone, and maintaining that open environment makes everything more fun.” “People will stay late to help others get what needs to be done finished. They know that, in the end, it is always a team effort,” he explained. Asberry, 55, said he’s a self-professed lover of “operations.” The Antonia, Mo. native and Southeast Missouri State graduate worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for 14 years in St. Louis. “I was getting bored, and they offered a buyout program so I took it, and a position became available with Anheuser-Busch and I ended up being sent out to the East Coast (New Jersey).” Five years later, he became the warehouse manager for A-B’s facility in Columbia, Mo. and moved one last time to Mt. Vernon when the company decided to consolidate all of its branded products operations. Today, most of the nonliquid Anheuser-Busch merchandise flows through Mt. Vernon. That includes products for wholesalers, retailers and the general public. In the market for a 60-by-20 foot mat you can walk on when laid atop a body of water? How about a rolling cooler with speakers for your CD, IPod or MP3 player? Or how about one of those classic, lighted Clydesdales carousels? Those, along with some 21,000 pallets of merchandise, sit in a

BRETT NADAL

ASBERRY

Asberry runs what is, in essence, a mammoth store filled with neon signs, ornate steins of all sizes, T-shirts, hats, outdoor gear, and just about anything that can sport a brand name stamp. “It really is a fun industry to be in,” Asberry said. “People come to work here and really enjoy what they do. And that’s by design. We want everyone to take what MAY 2008

they do seriously, but we also want them to have a lot of fun doing it.” But his No. 1 rule when it comes to managing, leading and setting a fine example: good communication. “Good communication is always the key,” Asberry said. “It is critical for me to make sure people clearly understand what they’re doing. We want to be very

warehouse the size of seven football fields, including the end zones. Asberry’s operation even includes a large workshop to repair signs, free, for return to retailers and wholesalers. Asberry said the facility, with about 140 employees, shipped a total of about 24 million pieces of merchandise last year alone. “This company always wants to make sure it treats its own people, and its customers, with respect. And I look at it this way – you can either make what you do fun, or not. You can look forward to coming to work, or not,” he said. When he’s not busy working, Asberry is generous with his time in the community. On the United Way of South Central Illinois board for six years, and president for one, Asberry lights up when talking about helping children. “There are a lot of great people in this community. And it is fun for me because you get to see how you can help the community, particularly our children,” he said. He served as president of the YMCA board for two years, and was instrumental in pushing for his company to donate 18 acres of vacant land A-B owned for future Y use. “The United Way coordinates programs, such as the Stuff the Bus program, which collects school supplies for children who otherwise wouldn’t have them. It benefits a lot of needy kids and families.” He and his wife, Gina, have two daughters, Leslie and Nicki, and their main hobby is golf. “We love to be outdoors. Overall, we’ve been very happy having the opportunity to come back to this area. We’ve been very fortunate,” Asberry said. – Steve Binder

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ome people are just born with it — the ability to lead. And no doubt, now in his 45th year as mayor of the city he fondly calls the “Hub of the Universe,” Marion Mayor Bob Butler is one of those people.

“When I was in kindergarten, my teacher made a report to my parents that I was a pretty good boy, but I always wanted to be in the lead. I suppose that’s been my nature throughout — wanting to be in leadership in some capacity, in one way or another,” Butler said. An attorney by trade, Butler first felt a call to Marion’s top office in the early 1960s. “Two to three years before I first ran for mayor the first time, the way the city was going at that time really disturbed me. I felt Marion had great potential, but needed people in responsible positions who had the best interests of the community at heart rather than selfaggrandizement,” he said. Butler felt if there was ever a time to step up and become a leader, that was it. Under his progressive and often aggressive leadership, the city has expanded its boundaries, almost doubled its population, added businesses and industries and overcome a devastating natural disaster — the 1982 tornado that killed 10 and caused more than $50 million in damage. Butler and the city also have employed a variety of economic development tools to the city’s advantage, including tax increment financing, enterprise zones and home rule. Butler said not all of his ideas have been well-received, but “Anyone who pushes the envelope will be criticized. Our No. 1 goal has always been to do everything we can to improve the condition of life for the people of Marion. To do this, you must have jobs — relatively good

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BOB

BUTLER pleased with the progress the paying jobs city has made over the past — and to do that, Bob Butler alleges he became a four decades. “I think, within limits, I’ve you have to mayor by default. done substantially most of attract “I wanted to be a first-class athlete, but I didn’t have any what I’ve wanted to do. That is business athletic ability. I wanted to be a not to say there are not yet and musician, but I didn’t have the things to be done, but I feel in industry.” talent. I wanted to be a singer, most respects, any major, He said but I just couldn’t sing and so I major desires have been pretty that goal became a mayor.” well fulfilled.” can also Butler said he has also been have a lucky to have his wife, positive Louetta, by his side throughout his effect on the region as a whole. years in office. “At some point I realized the only Married since 1951, Butler said his way our area can advance is by wife never hesitates to be patient and cooperation between communities,” supportive, even when “my thoughts he said. “We are too small in number are off-center. We went into this to be really effective individually, so if good things are to happen, we have marriage on equal standing, as a partnership. Our belief is that we to pull together. became one when we married and “I’m convinced when something what is good for one is good for the good happens in our community, it other, and what is bad for one is bad will ultimately benefit all the other for the other. I have not ever communities,” he continued. considered our marriage hard work, Naysayers abound, he said, but a just a blessing.” true leader does not let the negative Butler, who first ran for office deter. when he was 36, said he wouldn’t “I guess that is one of my faults. trade his experience as mayor for When I become engaged in an issue anything. or a project, the word ‘quit’ never “It has caused me to fully comes to mind. If I embark upon an appreciate the quality and caliber of endeavor, I do so with the intention the people we have in this of seeing it through to the end. community. We have been so, so “I believe this is one quality a fortunate,” he said. leader must have — the desire and He said does not expect to be willingness to persevere. That is not revered by generations to come. to say I am always right, I’m just “Once in a while, I think never wrong,” he said with a laugh. back to people who have been Other important qualities in a prominent and you never hear leader, he said, include integrity, anyone mention them or the things forthrightness without being unduly they did. I really think a person blunt and a willingness to step ought to concentrate on doing the forward. best they can with what they have “You also have to avoid pettiness been endowed with and when the and avoid vindictiveness. You should time comes to pass on, they pass on avoid unnecessary confrontation and without worrying or considering you should avoid expending energy, whether or not they will ever be time and money on things of no remembered. I never give it a consequence,” he said. thought,” he said. Now, in what he says will be his – Becky Malkovich last term in office, Butler, 81, is

DID YOU KNOW?

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DAVE TAYLOR

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DALE BRETT NADAL

s chief engineer at the Illinois Youth Center in Harrisburg, a corrections facility for minors, Dale Fowler is committed to his job and to the people he serves there.

However, his commitment to serve extends well beyond the four walls of the facility. Fowler is a past member of the Saline County Board, an officer of

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FOWLER the newly-formed Southeastern Illinois College Athletic Booster Club, president of the Board of Deacons in his church, and, with his wife, Jill, an active participant in the local Habitat for Humanity effort. While all of these activities keep Fowler busy, his biggest endeavor is with the United Way. He is not only the president of the United Way of Saline County, but also the president of the United Way of Southern Illinois. Fowler has always worked hard raising money that United Way gives to local charitable agencies, but he took

the effort to a new level a few years ago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted to find a way to get local youth involved in community service, so I created a Community Impact Fund with the United Way,â&#x20AC;? he says. The goal of the fund is to make money available for clothing and shoes for underprivileged children in Saline County. United Way collaborates with the schools and the county to find out which children need what type of clothing and shoes. Funding for the clothing and shoes is raised by special events. The flagship event is an annual Junior Golf

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Tournament. To help defray expenses, a number of local businesses donate Tshirts, awards, trophies, medallions, and lunch for the participants, who are children in the community from grades K-12. “We make it a point to explain to them that the money they pay ($10) to enter the tournament helps underprivileged children in the community,” Fowler says. The idea is to plant a seed in the minds of these young people that there are ways to help the less fortunate, and they are already doing so. Certainly, Fowler admits, sports are competitive. However, he wanted to eliminate this element from the Junior Golf Tournament. “I wanted it to be as noncompetitive as possible, so that we can encourage kids who have never been on a golf course before to come out and play,” he says. Adults also serve as volunteers to help the children learn the game as they play. (For participants with a more competitive mindset, there is also a special program in the tournament that allows them to compete against each other.) When Fowler launched the event three years ago, he hoped to attract at least 30 participants and raise between $1,000 and $1,500. He was pleasantly surprised when 58 participants registered, and the event raised $4,000. The event continues to be popular in the community. “This last year, we had 105 participants and raised $14,000,” he says. Fowler’s goal was to make sure all underprivileged children in Saline County could go to school with new clothes and shoes. He has already succeeded in reaching this goal. “To date, we have supplied over 600 children with new clothes and shoes,” he says. “And, for the first time, this year, there was not one underprivileged child in the

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DID YOU KNOW? When he was in his 20s, Dale helped his father turn the Eldorado Locker Company into one of the largest venison processors in the state. Dale developed his own spice recipe, and the business became so popular that people would fly their venison into the Eldorado airport to be processed by Fowler’s company.

county who didn’t have new clothes and shoes.” The benefits are more farreaching than just the new clothes and shoes, though. “Teachers and administrators have called me to mention how they have seen the confidence level of these children begin to increase once they were able to come to school with new clothes and shoes,” he says. Why is Fowler so committed to helping people in the area? He attributes his commitment to his parents, both of whom gave of themselves. “When I was a child, I witnessed my mother donate her time and money by driving cancer patients to and from medical appointments in Evansville, Indiana, if they had no other means of transportation,” he recalled. In addition, Fowler’s father has served, off and on, on the Eldorado Board of Education since the 1950s. “And when he wasn’t on the board of education, he was a member of the county board,” he says. And while he, himself, works tirelessly for the community, Fowler is quick to give credit to others, especially local businesses and other organizations that donate money and time, as well as all of the other volunteers in the community who work so hard to help make Saline County a better place to live. The Junior Golf Tournament is obviously

SEE FOWLER / PAGE 38

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LARRY

GOOD L

Good, 74, was not unfriendly; he just did not understand the hullabaloo surrounding him. Finding out he had won an award for his community service made Good, a man who would rather act anonymously, a little uncomfortable. When told the award was called Leaders Among Us, Good says there must have been some kind of mistake. “See, I don’t see myself as successful,” Good says. “I’m not a leader, I’m a volunteer.” But, truly, Good has been much more since moving to Carbondale 47 years ago. As a professor at SIU for 30 years, Good helped educate thousands of students. He has also been involved as a Sunday school teacher and fundraiser at Carbondale’s First United Methodist church. Good’s mentoring and fundraising for Southern Illinois Regional Social Services, Inc., has helped provide assistance for adults and youths who can use a hand. “He has just become familiar with all our programs and has become an advocate for lots of folks and for our programs,” SIRSS executive director

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ongtime Carbondale resident Larry Good answered the door of fiancé Carol Phemister’s house with a smile, a handshake, and a friendly warning. “You’ve come to a hostile witness,” Good says. “I almost said I don’t want to talk to you.”

Karen Freitag explains. Good has assisted Carbondale’s homeless with his donations of food and time at the Good Samaritan shelter. He has helped young mothers by rounding up furniture and baby supplies. His fundraising has helped raise more than $40,000 for SIRSS, with plenty coming in the form of donations from his Sunday school classes over the years. And Good’s favorite activity, his involvement in SIRSS’s Big Brother Big Sister program, has given children a reason to believe in their own self worth. For Good, acting as a Big Brother was a

SEE GOOD / PAGE 38

DID YOU KNOW? Good was comedian Bill Cosby’s academic advisor at Temple University in the early 1960s. He remembered Cosby as a bright student with a unique point of view who dedicated most of his energy to comedy writing. “He (Cosby) was definitely different in terms of you would ask him a question and he gave a different response than almost any other student. He was very different. He didn’t say anything that would crack you up or anything, but he was very different.”

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SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

CHUCK NOVARA

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LINDA & DUANE

HILEMAN ifelong educators, Linda and Duane Hileman since retiring in 2004 have let their joint love of history lead them down many paths, including the restoration of historic churches and promoting Jonesboro as a site of a Lincoln-Douglas debate.

“I love old buildings,” says Linda, who worked as an elementary school teacher for 29 years in Jonesboro. “You get a sense of place when you step inside. I feel like someone is dying when I see one being torn down.” In 2001, Linda went all out to save St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Anna from demolition. She rallied volunteers and wrote several grants that led to the restoration of the church, which is now a focal point for the community. “We received the Governor’s Hometown award for our efforts and the church is now on the National Register of Historic Places,” says Linda, who serves as president of P.A.S.T. (Promoting the Appreciation of Structural Treasures of Union County). Having once driven by the Kornthal Church, which lies south of Jonesboro, Duane stopped and discovered that it was completed in 1857 by Austrian Lutheran immigrants. The Hilemans wrote a Landmark Preservation Grant and worked together with volunteers to restore that church to its earlier beauty. “My ancestors went there,” Duane says. “I figured dad would be proud of me if I did something for the church. So we put a roof on it, asked people for donations, wrote grants to help in its renovations and now lots of people get married there.” Their active involvement with churches led them to their next great project: promoting a park situated

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north of the Jonesboro square in the Shawnee National Forest as one of the sites of an Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate in 1858. “Often people say, ‘I went to school in Union County and never knew Lincoln and Douglas debated here.’ Others couldn’t believe we had a home in Anna where Lincoln stayed two nights and there wasn’t even a sign in the yard,” Duane says. As co-chairs of the Lincoln-Douglas Great Debate 2008 Sesquicentennial in Jonesboro, the Hilemans have networked, fundraised and organized volunteers to plan for the three-day event in September. Working with legislators, tourism and preservation agencies, museums, libraries, and the forest service, the Hilemans pursued additions to the site, including life-sized statues of Lincoln and Douglas, interpretive signage, and “Walk where Lincoln walked” footprints on the North Main Street sidewalk in Jonesboro. “I’d like people to see the future by preserving our past,” Linda says. “We have a unique place and we have to build on that.” Prior to her retirement, Linda kickstarted the Reading Recovery program at her elementary school and was one of the founders of the SIRC Summer Mini-Conference, now in its 12th year. She also revived the Southern Illinois Reading Council, and served as the president for the 15-county region. She also is treasurer of the Illinois Reading Council. With a teaching career spanning 33? years, Duane also enjoyed working as a football, basketball and track coach, as well as

DID YOU KNOW? Linda and Duane Hileman sold Chevrolets for a living 35 years ago in Craine, Mo. “It was 1974. I was a dealer and Linda was my bookkeeper,” Duane laughs. “We’ve been married 39 years now: The summer we got married, they walked on the moon!”

principal for 15 years at Anna Junior High School. Creating the first alternative education program in the community, he tried to meet the needs of a segment of previously underserved students. “We had students who didn’t qualify for special education and were failing,” he says. “We talked about what to do and came up with a job-related curriculum, where they learned by doing and visiting places in town. The program is still going on.” Since retiring, Duane serves as president of the Anna District 37 school board; treasurer of the first Evangelical Presbyterian Church; and chairman of the Kornthal Church board. He also hunts deer and elk, raises cattle and bails hay on his farm, located north of Anna. The couple has lived in the area since 1975. In addition to all her volunteer activities, Linda and a friend sell antiques as a hobby. Actively involved in furthering the area’s heritage and history, the Hilemans believe tourism will play an important role in bringing prosperity to Union County and the region. Refusing to slow down and let life pass them by, they feel compelled to give back to the community. “We’ve been so blessed in our lives. Its only right we give back,” Linda says. – Poornima Jayaraman

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ike Jones acknowledges several accomplishments from his distinguished life, but the greatest one lies in his future. Seeing former sixth-grade students earn high-profile jobs, and opening the nation’s only museum dedicated to Civil War Gen. John A. Logan, have been highlights of the 63-year-old’s tenure in Southern Illinois. The

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museum, he believes, needs to progress another step before he’ll be satisfied. “I want it to be at the point where if you kill me because you don’t like my answer that someone else will be able to pick it up and carry on,” the Murphysboro native says. Jones, a 1967 graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and former sixth-grade teacher for the Murphysboro school district, says he recognizes that much of the Logan Museum’s success is a result of his energy and interest, but he wants to see it become more of a self-sustaining entity. While looking ahead at that dream,

DID YOU KNOW? When he was a teacher, and the school bell rang at 3:30 p.m., Mike would zip off to work at a Hallmark store in Du Quoin, one of three owned and operated by his family. “It helped keep me out of trouble.” Jones also takes time to reflect on the development of the museum. The plans began as a simple project aimed at preserving Logan’s legacy in his hometown. A museum, especially not one of its current size, was much larger than any of the original project details.

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MIKE

JONES

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From the beginning, Jones recognized the potential link between tourism and history. “I’ve been a lot of places and they all seemed to promote their history,” Jones says, adding he doesn’t see why Murphysboro couldn’t be successful in a similar venture. The process of keeping Logan’s history alive began with Jones’ original proposal in 1985, something the Murphysboro Park District board supported with enthusiasm. Jones now serves as secretary of the board. Learning more about Logan and the Civil War era expanded Jones’ interest in American history. In fact, it wasn’t until he began the Logan preservation effort in 1985 that Jones developed his love for American history. “Back then, I was interested more in Roman, Greek and medieval history,” he says of his younger years. He backpacked Europe for a month at age 23 and “marveled at their history.” Jones shared his enthusiasm for history with Murphysboro students until 2000, when he retired from the school district. His students learned from his lectures and shared knowledge, but Jones says he’s always viewed history a little bit differently from others. “When I read about these things, I can almost see them taking place – like a movie in my mind,” Jones says. History can be a guiding light for youth, but it’s often dismissed and discredited, he says. In addition to acting as the executive director of the Logan Museum, Jones also has taken on several other roles after his retirement from teaching. He serves as president of the Murphysboro Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Tourism and Historic Preservation commissions and chairman of the Planning and Zoning Committee. He and his wife, Sharon, continue to play an integral role in the city where they raised their children. They will celebrate 40 years of marriage in September. He wants to do his part to help Murphysboro thrive and become a major player in Southern Illinois, and described the town as “vibrant, artistic, cultural and unique,” as well as a city with much room for growth and continued development. – Adam Testa

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ANN

KNEWITZ A

t an age when most folks would be slowing down, Ann Knewitz has no such thoughts. “Sometimes I worry about getting too fragmented,” she admits, but says she has learned to cut back. “At this time of my life I try to stay focused to do all the things I want to do.” These include “health, the environment, exercise and fitness.”

She graduated from Southern Illinois University more than 50 years ago as one of the few registered dieticians in the region. And she’s still working at her profession, traveling to small facilities for special populations, dealing with nutrition standards. She loves the travel “and the interaction” as well as the opportunity to share knowledge, she says. Co-founder of the annual Southern Illinois Women’s Health Conference with the late Rosemary Crisp, Knewitz is now working on the 22nd conference, planned for Sept. 20 at John A. Logan College. The annual event brings area women together for health screenings, seminars, breakfast and entertainment. The initial event led to a spinoff, a similar conference for area teens that’s in its 14th year. And now Knewitz (pronounced KahNAY-witz) is busy planning the firstever Southern Illinois Men’s Health Conference for 2009. She feels it’s long overdue. All of this organizing, by the way, is done without a computer. She does just fine with a phone and fax machine. The office in her Carbondale home is filled with books, clippings and notes. Ann has the radio on most of the day, and

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stops often to jot down ideas for future health conferences. “I try to recycle ideas,” she says. Multi-tasking comes easy. “I was the oldest of six children,” she explains, “so if I saw something that needed to be done, I did it.” Her family lived on a small farm near Maeystown; they’d moved from St. Louis during the Great Depression. “I was 8 before we had electricity,” Knewitz recalls. Her parents were avid readers and she inherited that love of reading. She confesses to being “a failed piano student,” even though her mother promised her 50 cents to learn “The Blue Danube.” As a working mother, Knewitz also raised four sons, who are now in their 40s and 50s. Her family also includes three daughters-in-law, nine grandchildren “and friends all over the globe.” Many international students who rented a room in her cozy home found a friend and mentor as well. A big map in her kitchen has pins marking their homes, and an overlay of postcards from everywhere. “That’s the tip of the iceberg,” she said, explaining that she’s also received scarves, jewelry, candy and other gifts from students and their families. “I do like to feel that if I ever got to Taiwan or Thailand I’d have a place to go,” she said, smiling. A longtime member of the River to River Running Club, Knewitz was honored as its Volunteer of the Year; she also was recognized in 1988 by the Illinois Dietetic Association for Lifetime Achievement and was the Marion Chamber of Commerce Woman of Achievement in 1990. She also has served on the Southern Illinois Hospice Board, Carbondale Main Street, Carbondale Federated Women’s Club and other organizations. Knewitz is a longtime booster of The Science Center. Every time her son Doug visits from Texas, he brings

pennies to give to the center; a few years ago, he hauled in a 14-pound sack full of change. Her other sons, too, “help to make the world a better place,” she says. Knewitz is committed to regionalism; she says she enjoys meeting different people and getting new ideas from them. “She is a cheerleader for all that goes on in Southern Illinois,” said Fran MAY 2008

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Becque, executive director of Women for Health and Wellness, Inc., who nominated Knewitz as a Leader Among Us. “She is a mentor and guide and she is genuinely a good person.” In fact, when Knewitz first learned of the leadership awards, she said “We should nominate Cathy (her friend Cathy Wood) for MAY 2008

that award,” Becque wrote in her letter of nomination. Both Knewitz and Wood are among this year’s honorees. Knewitz has no plans to slow down, she says, because “I’m doing the things I really like to do now. When I was younger I didn’t value my time as much.” – Linda Rush

DID YOU KNOW? In her 50s, Ann completed a 24-hour “ultra marathon” with friend Jan Sundberg. “I ran and walked,” and completed 57 miles in 24 hours, she recalls. “It’s one of those things you just do — and never want to do again,” she says with a hearty laugh. “The winner in my age bracket ran about 100 miles. That was deflating.”

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MIKE

McCLURE I

t has all the makings of good, clean swashbuckling fun, and with Mike McClure at the helm, the 2008 Popeye Picnic in Chester is an event you won’t want to miss.

McClure, a Chester native and coowner of the family-started Schroeder McClure Funeral Chapel, admits he has a fetish for events, festivals and just about anything that brings family and friends together. “You can be white, you can be black, you can be rich, you can be poor, you can be conservative, you can be liberal, none of that matters with something

like the Popeye Picnic,” says McClure, who has been the chairman of the Popeye Picnic Committee since March 2004. Talk to just about anyone in Chester around that time and you would have heard that that 24-year-old Picnic tradition had had its better days. “People really thought it was over. It turned into something that just wasn’t fun anymore for most people.” A healthy dose of McClure’s imagination, energy and teamworkbuilding attitude has the Picnic once again drawing statewide and national attention. Last year, McClure pulled off a neat trick: he and his parade volunteers staged an alien attack, complete with homemade UFO (out of

DID YOU KNOW? While proficient at Popeye trivia, Mike is also diehard Sherlock Holmes fan, having co-founded the Chester Baskerville Society in 1987. two large, old satellite dishes) crashed into a downtown Chester brick home. This year’s theme – Popeye and the Pirates – no doubt will put a wide smile on Johnny Depp’s face. “We really do have classy, fun entertainment and the best petting zoo in the state. It’s three days of pure, warm fuzzies,” McCure says. The family business – a combination furniture store and funeral home –

SEE McCLURE / PAGE 37

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henever Don Patton is asked why he has dedicated his life to improving health through education, he likes to quote a few lines from his favorite Langston Hughes poem, “Dreams.” Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a brokenwinged bird that cannot fly.

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As medical prep counselor for the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine for the past five years, Patton helps keep dreams alive for students who come from backgrounds one may not see traditionally in medical school – African American, Hispanic, Native American, and other eligible candidates who are usually underrepresented, both educationally and economically. He both recruits and counsels the students, preparing them to take the admission exam and helping them develop the skills to succeed. He fixes

“broken wings.” “Among our peers, the SIU Med Prep program is considered the best in the United States in terms of postgraduate education,” Patton says. “I’ve only been here five years, so I can’t take credit for any of that. Leaders such as Dr. Harold Bardo, Dr. Paul Henry, and Mrs. Shirley McGlinn have been here more than 30 years. I’m just pleased to be a part of the program and add my touch.” Before joining the med school, Patton worked for 18 years as a Licensed Clinical Professional

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DON

PATTON Patton also credits professional colleagues for giving examples of how they shared their lives and skills. Evidence that he took those examples to heart are the many plaques that fill a wall in his office. Patton has spent 19 years on the board of Shawnee Community College, and has co-chaired the public relations committee for the Illinois Trustees Don Patton has run Association. He also marathons at Walt Disney served for 10 years on the World and Central Park. board of the Illinois Council for Violence Prevention and the Illinois Violence Prevention Association. He is also a former president of Rotary in Cairo. Most recently, Patton was named director-elect of the Region Ten states for the National Association of Medical Minority Educators, Inc. (NAMME), a national organization dedicated to improving the overall status of racial/ethnic populations that have been historically been underserved by health professions. Patton is also co-chair of the scholarship committee. “Anything I’ve accomplished I could not have totally done by myself,” Patton says. “My wife, family, friends, and colleagues in med prep have given me tremendous support.” Above all, Patton and his wife Karla have kept dreams alive in their family. Although they have no children of their own, they are parents and grandparents in spirit. When Karla’s sister, a widow, died seven years ago, the Pattons took in her three children, Scottie, 21, Shelby, 19, and Stuart, 17. When Scottie died three years later of sickle cell anemia, the Pattons again reached out to his wife and two daughters. They consider Saniya, 8, Stuart, 7, Sydney, 6, and Sheldon, 2, their beloved grandchildren. “I believe that Gandhi said it best, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world,’ and I’ve always tried to model myself after that quote.” – Joanna Gray

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Counselor at a community health center in Cairo. He promoted a wide range of educational programs, including teenage pregnancy prevention and substance abuse prevention. He was drawn to the med prep program because it offered a way to recruit future physicians who may go back to work in underserved communities such as Cairo. “I’ve always held the notion that in order to improve the world, you give back, so most of my life has been dedicated to improving health through education,” Patton says. Patton’s interest in education started early. At 7 years old, the future 1973 SIU graduate already loved to hear his uncle’s stories of life on the SIU campus. Patton’s father also encouraged him to dream big, have confidence, and get a good education.

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LARRY

PETERSON B

y all accounts, Larry Peterson had it made in 2007. He was finishing up 20 years of very fulfilling employment at John A. Logan College, and he had just paid off the mortgage on his home. Life was good.

However, that year, Shawnee Community College’s presidency opened up, and Peterson heard his father calling, “Come back home, and make a difference.” Actually, his father had passed away in 2006, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, but his message to his son was nonetheless crystal clear. Peterson grew up in the Shawnee area, graduating from Goreville High School in 1976, then attending SCC, before transferring to SIU, where he attained a bachelor’s degree in English and economics, then a master’s in educational administration, and finally a doctorate in educational administration, for which he did a dissertation on community college trustees. During his tenure at John A. Logan, Peterson filled a number of positions, including director of financial assistance, executive director of human resources, interim president, and finally vice president of administration. Over the years, he had responsibility for the Small Business Development Center, was the fiscal officer for the IBHE grant projects, and engaged in a number of other projects. One accomplishment of which he is particularly proud was being able to reduce the financial aid default rate at the college from 29 percent to 12 percent. These days, though, if you talk to Peterson and ask him to discuss a variety of subjects, he will always quickly bring the conversation back to SCC and his plans for the institution. Shawnee saw a 10 percent increase in enrollment for the current spring semester, attributable to a lot of hard work between semesters. “We made a lot of phone calls and contacted potential students personally,” says

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DID YOU KNOW? After receiving his bachelor’s degree from SIUC, Larry taught English and coached basketball at Carbondale Community High School, while Rich Herrin was coaching at Benton. When Herrin became coach at SIU, Peterson became Herrin’s first grad assistant coach, which allowed him to return to SIUC to get his master’s degree. “Rich is a tremendous person,” says Peterson.

Peterson. Only one community college in the state had a larger enrollment growth percentage-wise than Shawnee, and that was in the Chicago area. “I challenged our staff when I arrived in December that I wanted to double the college’s enrollment within five years,” he says. “I think they thought I was crazy at first. Now, they see how we can make this work.” Peterson believes the district is hungry for the college to do things. In fact, he believes, because of its location, SCC has the potential to be more things to more people in its district than any other community college in the state. That is, while most community colleges are in areas with several other economic, cultural, health care, and social services and activities nearby, such is not the case at Shawnee. As such, Peterson feels that the college itself can begin to fill some of these needs. “It is my responsibility to make sure that the college focus and resources are about service to the district,” he says. The college is going to respond to these needs in terms of academic offerings, economic development, and other initiatives. Examples include working with high schools to create more dual-credit courses, working with

the Alexander County Airport to create an on-site training program, and relocating the college’s extension center to a new location in Anna. “This will be a $1.5 million stateof-the-art facility opening in spring 2009, and we are very excited about it,” he says. The college also recently launched a program called “Advancing Shawnee,” where the school will make financial contributions to the base salaries of employees who complete advanced degrees, up to $3,000 a year for a doctorate. “We will also reward innovation with $500 stipends, designed to move the institution forward,” he says. “These will be open to all staff, not just faculty.” Besides the increased enrollment, other things are looking bright for Shawnee. Recently, for example, the school’s nursing program was the only one in the state to have 100 percent of its students pass all of the tests they needed. “This is a tribute to the spirit and the character of the people in this region,” he says. “I truly believe in the spirit of the people in the southernmost counties. This is where I’m from, and this is where I grew up.” As noted earlier, Peterson’s father was a big reason he applied for and accepted the job as president of Shawnee Community College. “I knew that, if my dad were still alive when this position opened up, he would have told me to seek the job, work hard, and do what I could for the people of these counties,” he says. “And although he passed away in 2006, he is still with me every day. He was the greatest man I ever knew.” – Bill Atkinson MAY 2008

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POSHARD A

lthough retired from her career as a teacher, Jo Poshard continues putting children at the top of her priority list. And for most Southern Illinoisans who know of the Poshards – including a certain, famous Saluki-backer named Glenn – helping children seems like it will always be at the center of their lives.

She is a dynamic woman who pours her heart in the causes she believes in, and she lives at a pace that belies her 58 years, staying active advocating for children; getting involved in women’s issues and politics; promoting the arts; and supporting animal causes. Growing up in a small town in central Illinois, Jo’s first role model was her mother, who was actively involved with the community. And then she married Glenn, current president of Southern Illinois University. “My husband has always been my best supporter,” Jo says. “He’s encouraged me over the years to get involved in causes that are important to me and to take some risks, even if it could mean failure.” Working 34 years as a public school teacher, Jo remembers spending practically every waking hour in the classroom. “It was very fulfilling and I loved every minute of it,” she says. Retiring in 2005, Jo decided the time was right to center all her energies into The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children. Set up in 1999 following her husband’s run for governor, the foundation was a result of the Poshards re-evaluating and assessing where they were in their lives. “I remember Glenn saying the one thing I want to move forward with is

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helping children,” Jo says. “The need was and still is very great in Southern Illinois. We’ve been really blessed in our lives. It was time to give back to the community.” As executive director of the Poshard Foundation for Abused Children, Jo has been instrumental in getting help to thousands of abused, abandoned, neglected, and poor children in Southern Illinois. In 2007 alone the foundation gave more than $192,000 to the community through grants and to the Pat’s Kids program. “The foundation fills in the gap where traditional funding cannot fill the need,” she says. The many local and national awards the foundation has received over the years are a testament to Jo, who remains the driving force behind it all. “Every child deserves a safe place, a safe person, and a safe community and that’s our motto,” Jo says. “When I see a child sleep in a crib bought by the foundation after having previously slept on filthy patio cushions, I feel we’ve done something right.” A major partner and supporter of child advocacy centers and women’s shelters in Southern Illinois, Jo will begin tenure on the Prevent Child Abuse Illinois board of directors starting next month. Jo’s support for kids doesn’t stop with the foundation. She and Glenn also started the Southern Illinois Coats for Kids program. “In winter, I’d see kids coming to school shivering in their flimsy coats,” Jo says. “Money was raised so teachers could identify children who came from families with limited or no means to buy warm winter coats.” Jo’s interest in children naturally

extends to women as well. She is on the board of directors for Women for Health and Wellness, Inc., SIUC’s Inspiring Women program and the American Association of University Women. A past delegate to the National Democratic Convention, she is a member of the Congressional Club in Washington, D.C. and a member of the Former Members of Congress Auxiliary. Passionate about the protection of animals, Jo contributes to and advocates for no-kill animal shelters in Southern Illinois. “When we were

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looking to buy a house some years back, we came upon a dead-end road, in a rural setting, with three dogs sunning themselves right in the middle.” Jo recalls. “I said to Glenn, I hope we like the house because this is where I would love to live.” Sure enough, the Poshards moved in and amidst her busy schedule, Jo takes time out to care for Momma Cat Girl, a stray cat who went on to have five MAY 2008

Animals, the Humane Society and Best Friends Animal Society, Jo said An animal lover, Jo uses traps believes animals deserve to catch feral cats who need to respect and protection. be spayed, neutered or are just Interested in drawing ill. “I’ll take them to area vets, attention and more get them treated and take care of them for a bit before support to the arts, Jo is releasing them back into the on the McLeod Summer wild,” she said. Playhouse Friends’ advisory board, the Jackson County Stage babies. Company Development A member of the board and the Carbondale American Society for the Community Arts board of Prevention of Cruelty to directors.

DID YOU KNOW?

Modest about her achievements, Jo says she couldn’t have done all this without the help and support of her husband, family, friends and all the volunteers who work with her everyday. “I don’t view myself as having done anything out of the ordinary,” she says. “I do what I do because it’s rewarding to me. We’re not here for long and if we can help out in some way that’s good.” – Poornima Jayaraman SOUTHERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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JULIA

SCHROEDER D

r. Julia D. Schroeder, vice president for instructional services at John A. Logan College, has a lofty title and many professional recognitions, but she remains a humble lifelong learner at heart. A native of Plumfield, near Zeigler in Franklin County, Schroeder attended West Frankfort schools and earned her undergraduate and two post-graduate degrees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. With her accomplishments, she could work at any college in the country, but she chooses Southern Illinois. Schroeder did leave, if only for a few days during the first week in April, to

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travel to Denver to accept a 2008 Exemplary Leader Award from the Chair Academy, an organization dedicated to exemplifying the best practices of organizational leadership worldwide. Before the week ended, she was on a plane to Philadelphia to receive the Instructional Leadership Award from the National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA). Schroeder’s love of education began early. “Throughout my life I have had numerous great teachers who have inspired me,” she says. “My father was one of my greatest supporters – he always said I could be or do anything I wanted to.” “I became a teacher because I love learning and even a teacher continues to learn,” Schroeder adds. “Today’s teachers for the first time will be entering an arena where the new generation will also be teaching their parents and the teachers, much of this as

DID YOU KNOW? Julia Schroeder likes walking in cemeteries and enjoys genealogy. a result of technology. I also believe that education is a direct ticket to success — both personally and professionally.” Schroeder began her career as a public school teacher. Then she became a full-time faculty professor in math and physics at John A. Logan College. After receiving a part-time appointment as assistant to the dean for instruction in 1993, she realized that she liked solving and resolving instructional issues. She began a career path that led her to become vice president for instructional services in 2000. In this role, she has driven the establishment of a Title III funded teaching and learning center, and the “Logan at 50” strategic plan. She also has implemented

innovative course delivery methods, including Financial Fridays, blockscheduling, Friday-only classes, intersession classes, dual credit, and Tech Prep programs. She has also spearheaded the college’s first online degree and certificate programs. Thanks to her creative thinking, John A. Logan College has been able to grow its enrollment by offering students a wider variety of learning opportunities. Schroeder also shares her belief in the power of education with the community when the Maytag plant in Herrin closed its doors in December 2006. She developed mentoring and other programs to assist the displaced workers, and worked closely with ManTra-Con to prepare them for new jobs. “Working on the transition team with Man-Tra-Con has been a labor of love,” Schroeder says. “Many of the people who lost their jobs

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STEVE JAHNKE

are people I know since I live in Herrin. They are neighbors, relatives, friends, and many others, and my heart went out to them. Because of my belief in the power of education, I have worked tirelessly to provide educational opportunities to these displaced workers.” Schroeder still finds time to be involved with the Inspiring Women group, which not only recognizes Southern Illinois women, but also raises money for scholarships. She is also a member of the Herrin Chamber of Commerce and recently was appointed the chair of the education subcommittee. Schroeder and her husband, John, are proud of their family and its roots in Southern Illinois. Daughter Carla Faro Haines is an electrical engineer for Caterpillar and is the mother of the Schroeders’ twin grandsons, Jeremy and Nathan. Daughter Casey Faro Payne is an Illinois State Trooper who works out of the Pontiac office, and she is the mother of grandson, Austin Payne. “My parents are from Southern Illinois, as well as grandparents and great grandparents,” Schroeder says. “My great-great grandparents settled here in the late 1700s and early 1800s. I love Southern Illinois and never want to leave.” – Joanna Gray

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BETTY & WAYNE

SIRLES

DID YOU KNOW? Wayne and Betty have lost only two complete peach and apple crops over the past 135 years.

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lorious pink peach tree blossoms as far as the eye can see – that’s the spectacular view from the kitchen window at the Alto Pass home of Wayne “Ren” and Betty Sirles, owners of Rendleman Orchards.

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For the Sirles, working the farm always has been a family affair, starting with the original owners, Ren’s greatgrandparents, John and Isabelle Rendleman, in 1873. Grandparents Grover and Iva Rendleman took over the farm in 1906, with their son James joining them in later years to form Grover Rendleman and Son. When their son-in-law, Dr. Wayne P. Sirles, died at 34, Grover and Iva invited their daughter Helen (Rendleman), 5year-old Ren and his siblings back to the farm to live. As early as 10 years old, young Ren already was working the harvests. After graduating from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, (where he and Betty met), Ren returned to the farm to work with Grover and Jimmy. After Grover’s death in 1968, Ren partnered with his uncle, Jimmy, until Jimmy’s passing in 1979. Ren and Betty then took over the operation. Today, the farm has grown to 800 acres, and the family tradition continues. Ren and Betty’s son, daughter, and grandchildren are the sixth generation Rendlemans to be involved with the business. “We can’t separate family and work,” says Betty Sirles. “It’s all integrated on the farm. The work we do isn’t like a job – it’s a way of life. As it’s said, farming is in your blood.” Betty notes that although some members of the younger generation have jobs away from the farm, they still remain actively involved. “They are still a very big part of the farm, and their feelings and opinions mean a lot to us,” Betty says. “Farming is one of the few vocations where you can involve the whole family, even if they don’t actually work on the farm.” In addition to their dedication to Rendleman Orchards and their family, Ren and Betty find time to give back to

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the Alto Pass community. They are staunch supporters of education and health care initiatives that help those in need, especially the working poor. Ren was greatly influenced by his mother, who taught at Alto Pass for nearly 40 years. Today, at 97 years old, she still gets visits from former students. “My mother and my grandfather were the two most influential people in my life,” Ren says. “My mother sparked the desire in me to do things to make the world better for others. My grandfather made me appreciate how people survived the Depression, and he taught me how they helped one another.” Ren told a story of three men who traveled 100 miles to his grandfather’s funeral. “They said that during the Depression, all three of them had families and they were starving. My grandfather gave them jobs when really he didn’t need them because he wanted to help. That’s how he always tried to make things better for others.” Ren continues the tradition of serving the community by promoting education, agriculture, and tourism. He served 11 years on both the Alto Pass and Cobden school boards, and he was active on the committee that acquired the old Alto Pass grade school and turned it into Union County’s first senior citizen group. This committee also brought in the first Head Start program to the county. For the past 40 years, Ren has also served as a director of Farmers State Bank. “It wasn’t just all me,” Ren says. “I was just a small cog in the gear, because there were many other men and women in Alto Pass that worked together and made these things happen. They deserve as much, if not more, credit than I do.” Ren also serves on the leadership board for the College of Agriculture at SIU, and Friends of the Cross, a fundraising committee to restore Bald Knob Cross. “Bald Knob cross is a great asset for Southern Illinois tourism,” he says. “Tourism is one of the greatest advantages we have in this area.” Betty, too, supports local tourism through her board membership on the state’s Agri-Tourism Partners Initiative. “Most people don’t realize that agri-

tourism includes pumpkin patches, corn mazes, petting zoos, and orchards,” Betty says. “A lot of farmers are reaching out this way to educate the public, as well as a way to supplement their income.” In past years, Betty was on the board of directors for Anna Rural Health for 22 years; she stepped down about five years ago to care for her aging parents, who have since passed away. “I feel that rural health is one of the most important things I’ve done,” Betty says. “It’s one of those programs that I feel has a great place in our tax base. We pay taxes to help people, and that money is going directly to help people in an underserved healthcare area. At every board meeting, I felt like I was doing something good.” In addition to all of their public volunteerism, Ren and Betty also work quietly behind the scenes to help local people in need. “There are more people than you realize right here in Southern Illinois who need help with health care and other things,” Betty says. “And the class that is skipped over more than any other is the working poor, those who have jobs and families, but who still need some support.” Family, volunteerism, and education are themes that continue to run throughout Ren and Betty’s lives. “Communities can’t thrive without volunteers,” Ren says. “Everyone in our community worked hard to raise money our first fire truck in the 1970s. Betty headed up a group of women who made quilts and sold them all over the United States.” “Volunteerism doesn’t cost the person who volunteers, rather it enriches them,” Betty says. “When I worked with ladies on the quilting committee, they enriched me with their friendship and they taught me things I didn’t know, like how to can green beans!” Ren notes that education is something else that just “falls naturally into our family.” His mother, two sisters, and now his daughter is in the teaching field. “We have 15 people in our family who graduated from SIU, starting with Ren’s mother,” Betty said. “Our two children and Ren’s sister’s children went to SIU, and now the next generation, our 17year-old, is looking at colleges. We can’t imagine that she would go to another school.” – Joanna Gray

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CATHY

WOOD A

self-described “military brat,” Cathy Wood was born in Biloxi, Miss., and lived in many places across the country before planting roots in Southern Illinois 30 years ago.

Twenty-five of those years have been spent at Clemens & Associates Insurance in Carbondale. As vice president of the company’s southern region, Wood is responsible for driving the business and making sure that the company responds quickly to the needs of her customers in the transportation and trucking industry. “I write insurance for 18-wheelers,” Wood says. “It’s not your typical insurance agency, and it’s been a learning process. There are always changes in the industry, and it’s been helpful to have good, long-term customers who keep me up-to-date. It’s a job I really love.” Wood also loves giving her time and talents to supporting women’s health issues, her church, and causes including a prison ministry to help parents stay connected with their children. “Giving back is a learned thing,” Wood says. “Even though we traveled a lot in the military, my parents were always the ones with their hands up saying they would volunteer for this or that. You’d see my mother with three kids in tow walking for the March of Dimes. So my mother and father gave me the gift of wanting to give back to the community.” Wood notes that this gift was further fired up in her by two special women, Rosemary Crisp and Ann Knewitz, who co-founded the Southern Illinois Women’s Health Conference. Wood had attended one of the conferences and enjoyed it so much that she asked then-chairperson Crisp to serve on the program committee. “Rosemary and Ann had an enormous effect on how I came to feel about this

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community,” Wood said. “They reinforced the idea that if you’re going to be a part of it, you need to serve it.” Crisp and Knewitz became Wood’s mentors in her mission to improve women’s health care. “I wanted to do something to break down some of the barriers to getting good health care information to women,” Wood said. For the past two decades, Wood has played a leadership role in Women for Health and Wellness, Inc., the sponsor organization of the

Southern Illinois Women’s Healthcare Conference, which is in its 22 year. Most recently, Wood was the coordinator of the Southern Illinois Women’s Teen Conference, a new event which continues to grow. In 2007, Wood was named chairperson of the Women for Health and Wellness, Inc. board. When Cathy took on that position, she replaced Crisp. Wood is also still a tireless volunteer, serving on committees for Epiphany Lutheran Church after

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spending 25 years as a council member. Ministering to parents who are in prison is another cause that is dear to Wood’s heart. She volunteers for the Lutheran Social Services Storybook Ministry, started by Jane Otte of Marion. The program allows prisoners to record their voice reading a storybook. The tape is given to their children, who can hear their parent’s voice

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DID YOU KNOW? Cathy loves musical theater, but she can’t sing.

reading to them. “This might be the only way they can hear their parent’s voice,” Wood says. “Each person I’ve worked with in this program has thanked me for the opportunity to do this for

their children. It keeps the inmates in touch with their families and gives them a reason to turn around their lives.” Wood is also active in the Carbondale Rotary Club, Carbondale Federated Women, the Science Center, and the Carbondale chapter of KL P.E.O., a women’s philanthropic group. A graduate of Troy State University, Wood and her

husband, Frederick, have one daughter and two “adorable grandsons.” “Caring for the community is something that I have tried to pass on to my daughter as well,” Wood says. “Nothing can change if people don’t get involved. We can sit on the sidelines and complain, but if we don’t do anything, it won’t happen.” – Joanna Gray

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McCLURE FROM PAGE 18 turned solely into a chapel in 2001. A product of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s mortuary sciences program, McClure was an honor student with a natural curiosity, unique perspective and strong appreciation for history. He certainly maintains a treasure trove of information about Popeye and his creator, Chester

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native Elzie Crisler Segar, all on the top of his head. But he can equally give detailed history about Elias Kent Kane, who was Illinois’ first secretary of state “who basically wrote our first Constitution,” as well as on numerous other subjects. McClure led an effort in 1984 to re-intern Kane’s remains after they were discovered in a repeatedly vandalized grave. The preservation effort drew state and national praise. He and his wife, Susan, have four children: Michael II, Jennifer, Christine and

Elizabeth. All, as well, have participated with enthusiasm in Popeye Picnic fun. “If you want to get something, just about anything, done in and around Chester, most people go right to Mike because they know how much he cares, how much energy he has and how uniquely he sees things,” says neighbor Barb Brown, Randolph County’s circuit clerk. He’s already expanded the town’s exposure to Segar’s Popeye with a Popeye & Friends Character Trail,

with granite-base statutes planned throughout town. The new Bluto creation will join Wimpy and Olive Oyl soon. The effort is all voluntary; the three-day Picnic, with all expenses, came in under $50,000 last year. “We have such great people here, very giving people who want to set good examples and help one another as much as we can,” McClure says. “That’s what I love so much about my home. We could live anywhere, but why would we?” – Steve Binder

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Congratulations to

Mike Jones

from the Murphysboro Tourism Commission, General John A Logan Museum & Murphysboro Chamber of Commerce!!

FOWLER FROM PAGE 9 making a difference in the lives of underprivileged youth in Saline County. And while this short-term goal has been achieved, Fowler’s long-term goal is to instill a sense of community spirit in the young participants so that, when they grow up, they will become even more involved in giving back to the community. But Fowler has an even

GOOD FROM PAGE 10

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natural fit after he stepped away from teaching physical education and kinesiology at SIU in 1996. “The Little Brothers were ideal for me because being retired, I still felt the need to tutor,” Good says. “I’m definitely an educator and I feel education is very important. I try to encourage them and I truly enjoy working with them in math and working on their homework with them.” Education and working with young people always appealed to Good. His father, Harry, was the head basketball coach at Indiana University and the University of Nebraska in the 1940s. Good remembered his father as a gentleman in a field that sometimes rewards outrageous conduct towards players and officials. After he earned his undergraduate degree in physical education from Indiana University on a swimming scholarship in 1956, Good joined the Army Signal Corps and served two years in Korea. He returned to the Hoosier state and finished his master’s degree in physical education and recreation with an eye toward coaching. Good’s dream took him to Philadelphia’s Temple University for a position as the school’s swimming coach.

loftier and more immediate goal: While he has reached his goal with the United Way of Saline County of making sure every underprivileged child has new clothes and shoes, his goal as president of the broader United Way of Southern Illinois is the same – to make sure that every underprivileged child in Southern Illinois has new clothes and shoes. It is a daunting goal, of course, but Fowler emphasizes that he is ready to take on the challenge. – Bill Atkinson

When things did not work out Good regrouped and set his sights on another goal – earning his doctorate in blood physiology. Good says he understood things happened for a reason. “I know I would have enjoyed (coaching), but I can’t say it would have been better,” Good says. “I have no regrets. First of all I came to SIU with my wife (Marilyn). I brought her there, we had 45 great years and that might not have happened.” ALS, commonly referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” took Marilyn’s life in 2007. A series of strokes in 2006 has slowed Good down some, but he said doctors have been impressed with his recovery. Good says he hopes to resume competitive swimming in the next couple months. While he says he is far from perfect, Good follows a couple of simple tenets in his life: “First of all I feel that life is for learning. I believe if you are willing to do that, you are going to be dynamic, you are going to continue to grow. In regards to faith, and again this is just my personal opinion, before the Ten Commandments, I’m sure that God would ask when you die how you treated your fellow man. “I believe that is a very big question … to me it’s the basic and most important question I ask myself.” – D.W. Norris

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Southern Illinois University Carbondale Congratulates

Leaders Among Us 2008 For choosing SIU for their education

Linda Hileman 1991 MSED

Mike Jones

1967 BS History

Julia Schroeder

1976, 1988 BS Mathematics 1988 MSED 1995 Ph.D.

Don Patton

Jo Poshard

1973 BS COBA

1971 BS English

Ann Knewitz

Wayne & Betty Sirles

1954 BS COBA

Larry Peterson

1980 BA Economics 1983 BA English 1987 MSED, 2002 Ph.D.

1964 BS English, 1963 Plant & Soil Science

Mike McClure

1978 AA Mortuary Science

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 70 CARBONDALE, IL