Leaders Among Us 2012 by The Southern Illinoisan

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Contact Us Publisher: Bob Williams 618-351-5038 Editor: Gary Metro 618-351-5033 Writer: Les O’Dell Copy Editor: Cara Recine

The Southern Business Journal Monthly is a publication of The Southern Illinoisan. Contact us via mail at 710 N. Illinois Ave., Carbondale, IL, 62901, or at 618-351-5075 P.O. Box 2108, Carbondale, IL, 62903. Also reach us Copy Editor: Mary Thomas Layton on the Web at www.sbj.biz and via email at SBJ@ 618-351-5071 thesouthern.com. Copyright Advertising: 2012 by The Southern Jason Woodside Illinoisan. All rights reserved. 618-351-5015 Information about how to Circulation: subscribe may be obtained Trisha Woodside by calling 618-529-5454, or 618-351-5035 by visiting www.sbj.biz.

CONGRATULATIONS

ERIC GREGG

A true Inspirational Leader Among Us

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May 2012

MAY 2012

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Meet the Leaders Among Us Class of 2012 Each year, The Southern Illinoisan honors outstanding community leaders from across our region. There Williams are 11 honorees in the class of 2012. All uniquely serve their communities and enrich the lives of their friends and neighbors. Metro It is an honor to present the class of 2012 in this special, annual publication. The men and women who are profiled in the following pages share a common trait — service. Each is working in his or her own way to make Southern Illinois a

better place to live, work and get an education. These are people who labor outside the confines of their employment to improve our region, though many also are working in more-than-full-time capacities. Some are essential for volunteer efforts offered through churches, civic groups or schools. Some are well known and recognized as leaders who will serve Southern Illinois through several generations. Others work away from the spotlight to bring people and progress to the region. As was the case with eight previous years of honored leaders — more than 100 in total — you are likely to be impressed by the diversity of this year’s honorees. They live in communities dotted across Southern Illinois, some quite distant from others, but they all understand our region is the greater community to which we all belong — One Region, One Vision. One of our honorees lives in Union County and is devoted to causes for senior citizens and historic preservation, among other things. Another is an SIU professor and a musician’s musician who enriches our cultural lives annually with the Southern Illinois Music Festival. One of the honorees is an elected public official, the mayor of a city, who energized his community in its darkest hours. These leaders are simply the best. In addition to being honored in this magazine, the leaders were honored May 1 at the Community Leaders’ Breakfast at John A. Logan College in Carterville. The breakfast was part of a series sponsored by The Southern Illinoisan and Southern Business Journal. – Bob Williams is publisher and Gary Metro is editor of the Southern Business Journal and The Southern Illinoisan. They can be reached at 618-529-5454 or at sbj@thesouthern.com.

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Clarence (penny)

Bagby bagby C

larence Bagby is the first to admit he likes to talk. But if you want to talk to him, don’t call him by his given name; he won’t know you are trying to get his attention. “If anybody calls me Clarence, I don’t know who they’re talking to,” he says, smiling. Instead, call him Penny. It’s a nickname he’s had, well, since even before he was born.

“My folks started saying that my mom was pregnant with Penny,” he says. “They didn’t know if she was having a boy or a girl, it was just Penny. I went through school as Penny, through college as Penny, and through my whole life as Penny.” Yes, Penny likes to talk. Mention cars to him, and the conversation can last for hours. Bagby’s first job was in his early 20s, operating a broom and cleaning rag for Blankenship Auto Parts in Mount Vernon. He stayed with the company 44 years, eventually serving as executive vice president and general manager. In addition to serving on the board of directors of the

Automotive Parts and Service Association of Illinois, he’s on the advisory board for Rend Lake College’s automotive program. Even in “retirement” Bagby, 74, works part time for the APSA as a membership consultant, visiting with car dealers, mechanics and parts retailers daily. Suffice it to say, Bagby talks about cars a lot. There’s one topic that he talks about even more than cars, however. That is serving America’s veterans. Even though he doesn’t talk much about his own military service (a stateside stint in the Army), Bagby tirelessly serves and advocates for veterans in Southern Illinois. The rural Marion resident serves as co-chairperson of the city’s annual veteran’s parade, an event he has been involved with since its beginning. A member of AMVETS, the American Legion and the Knights of Columbus, Bagby was instrumental in developing a veteran’s program within the Elks Lodge in Southern Illinois. He was the driving force behind the local AMVETS White Clover Days, an annual fundraiser for area veterans. “I believe I started it in 1968, and it is still going strong,” he says. “All of the money collected is used for hospitalized veterans and needy veterans around the area.” The program has won nine state awards and one national May 2012

alan rogers

y dId you KnoW? Penny Bagby’s first car was a 1950 Studebaker, one he purchased before earning his driver’s license. The first night he drove it, he rear-ended a taxi, jamming the nose cone through the radiator. ‘I don’t believe I’ve had an accident since,’ he says. honor as the group’s best local program. He organizes the local Elks’ annual pancake day, another fundraiser for helping veterans. “If the Veteran’s Administration Hospital needs something, and they don’t have it in their budget, we take care of it,” he explains. “This is our moneymaker for what we spend at the VA.” Bagby also spends a lot of his time at the VA. He’s a frequent cookout chef for facilities in Marion and Anna. “They don’t get hamburgers like we fix,” he says. “These aren’t frozen; it takes me about an hour and a half to pat them out. We do it right.” He also has “adopted” more than a dozen vets who live at the VA’s long-term residential center. He sends them birthday cards, holiday cards and does extra things for them. Of course, he talks with them, too. May 2012

It seems as though every time someone suggests a new project — from raising money for nursing students scholarships to a working with families who have lost loved ones in overseas combat — Bagby takes the idea and runs with it. Often, he’ll match groups and needs, or he’ll find ways to make things happen. He tells of a recent fundraiser for scholarships where he coordinated a group of Shriners, borrowed a cooker from an Elks club and barbecued ribs for the AMVETS. “I don’t remember the last time I said no,” he says. “I’m just interested in helping people, not just veterans. I hate to see anyone suffer. If I can help in any way, I will.” Even if helping means simply walking and talking. “I walk 2 miles every morning,” he says. “I have a friend up the street who served in Vietnam and was exposed to

Agent Orange. He has leukemia, and he has to walk for his health. We’ve been walking together for about three years. We walk, we talk, and we just shoot the bull. It’s good for me and for him.” He says he has to be active. “If I wasn’t doing all of this, I wouldn’t be alive. I can’t sit still and watch TV; I have to be doing something.” That includes taking on responsibility for the flags that fly at Tower Square in downtown Marion, at Marion’s St. Joseph Catholic Church and Elks Club locations in the area. He keeps a stock of flags — American, Prisoner of War and Marion’s city flag — in his garage. “You won’t drive by the square and see a flag in disrepair,” he explains. “When it’s windy, I change them out every two months.” True to his patriotism, Bagby even makes sure the flags are

flown at half-staff when appropriate, and does it according to proper etiquette: raising the flag to the top of the pole first, then slowly lowering it to half-staff. “That’s the only way to do it,” he stresses. If all of his other activities aren’t enough, his flag duty keeps him busy, especially on Memorial Day, when tradition dictates flags be flown at halfstaff until noon, then raised to the top of the pole for the rest of the day. “I about drive myself crazy that day,” he says. “Almost as soon as I get them all at halfstaff in the morning, it’s time to raise them again.” Like everything else he does, Bagby says he enjoys this role. “Somebody’s got to do it. That’s how I feel about everything, and I’m willing to say my name is somebody.” Southern BuSIneSS JournaL

Edward

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dward Benyas is a military buff. Despite the fact that his family did not arrive in the United States until after the Civil War, he loves learning about American history. A voracious reader, Benyas says he reads almost solely military history. In fact, he says he has to resist the temptation to be like Gen. George Patton at his job.

Benyas’ job can, in some ways, be compared in some ways to being a military general. As music director of the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra and founder and artistic director of the annual Southern Illinois Music Festival, Benyas directs movements, rallies the “troops,” and lays out elaborate plans. “There are similarities with being a field general,” Benyas says. “You’re the leader of the ensemble. It’s a different type of leadership, a certain artistic leadership where you also try to inspire. They’re all great musicians, so you’re not going to be able to play their instruments any better than they can, and they know the mistakes that they are making. You just have to have more of a vision for leadership.” Benyas is a great musician himself. He began playing oboe in the fifth grade — he says it’s the only instrument he plays. He has played internationally with groups including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. “Music was always around my house,” he recalls of his childhood in suburban Detroit. “My mother is an opera singer and public school music teacher; my father is a photographer and a great appreciator of music.” At the University of Michigan, he studied music and political science. “I still didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he says. “I applied to some

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graduate arts administration programs and to some law schools. I got into Michigan’s law school, so I couldn’t turn it down.” He chose law because of his interest in history and the constitution; he graduated and began practicing insurance defense with a Chicago law firm. “I wasn’t a particularly good law student, and I certainly wasn’t a good lawyer,” he says. After five years, he returned to school, earning a graduate degree in orchestral conducting and oboe performance from Northwestern University in Chicago. In 1994, he joined the faculty of the SIU Carbondale School of Music, where he teaches oboe, conducts and leads the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra. “I have spent exactly half of my life in Southern Illinois,” he adds. “I grew up in a much different place than this, and this is not the area that I dreamed of settling in; but once we were here, my career has thrived. We’ve got roots here, and we are happy and committed to the area. This is a great place to raise a family.” His family — wife, Kara, and daughters, Gabriela and Maya — get credit for Benyas’ development of the Southern Illinois Music Festival, now entering its eighth year. “Before we had kids, each summer I

would go to Des Moines as principle oboist and orchestra manager for the Des Moines Metro Opera; I would be there for seven weeks” he explains. “The summer my wife was pregnant, she was due about the time their festival was to end. She went into labor early, and I missed my first daughter’s birth by about five hours.” He decided then to do something that kept him in Southern Illinois each summer, and the music festival was born. “It is a creative activity for me personally, and it also benefits the community,” he says. The festival, which features dozens of performances in a variety of genres throughout the region, has become a staple of Southern Illinois summers and is bringing May 2012

dId you KnoW?

Paul newton

Ed Benyas is a huge fan of the movie ‘Dr. Strangelove.’ He says, ‘I know every line from it.’

cultural recognition to a predominantly rural area. “I feel like it’s my job, along with hundreds of other artists, actors, musicians and so forth, to bring as much good art as I can to the area,” he explains. “With the festival, when we put on performances in communities like Sesser, Du Quoin and Cobden, we get really great reactions to what we do, and it is very rewarding. There’s more culture here than people would think, and I’m really proud that we’re getting notice for this area from the festival. One of my goals with the festival is

May 2012

to get people to come to Southern Illinois.” The military historian in him comes through as he talks about his work with both the Southern Illinois Music Festival and leading the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, saying keeping everything running efficiently is akin to fighting battles on multiple fronts. SISO mixes music majors and non-music majors from the university with faculty, volunteers from the community and professional musicians. For the music festival, Benyas handles everything from artist contracts to publicity.

“Administering everything can be more time consuming than the musical aspects,” he says. But, like great military commanders, Benyas leads by example, making sure every plan is complete and every mission successful. And, like the generals whose biographies he reads, he gives the credit to those he leads. “The generals sit way back behind the lines, and it’s the troops up on the line who do the fighting. In this case, the conductor doesn’t make any noise; it’s the people on the stage.”

Southern BuSIneSS JournaL

Claire (reuter)

Giles I

t’s been said you can tell what is near and dear to someone by observing what they keep around them. The adage certainly holds true for Claire Giles. Walk into her tastefully decorated home in Marion, and you’ll immediately notice on the coffee table the stack of programs, playbills and flyers from events at Marion Cultural and Civic Center. Look around the room, and your eye will meet family photographs and portraits. Glance at the walls, and you’ll find paintings of dancers, gracefully moving about the canvas.

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continued to dance. “By the time I started, I really knew that dance was something I wanted to do,” she says. “I danced with a local dance teacher for eight years. The last few years, she had some health problems and sprained her ankle. She would hire me at a quarter an hour to demonstrate. She would tell me what to do, and I would show it to the children. They loved me, and I certainly loved them.” Giles' path was set. She attended a fine arts college on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where she says she did nothing but sing and dance. By the time she returned to Southern Illinois in 1954, her parents transformed their basement into a dance studio and already lined up 35 students. “I absolutely loved teaching, and, by the end of my first year, I had 103 students,” she says. “Most were beginners, and it was a challenge. The studio was small, and I couldn’t handle more than six students at t time, which meant I had to come up with a lot of different routines.”

Did You Know? Claire Giles would love to be politically active. Not by running for office, but as a candidate’s press manager. ‘I don’t think they do a very good job, often. I’d like to run a campaign,’ she says.

Her students’ first recital was called “Around the World in Dance.” “That meant we could do lots of different things, and if I didn’t know something about a certain country’s dance, I just made it up,” she says, grinning. She recalls that first year as a busy one; graduation in May, beginning to teach in June, married in November and pregnant in December. Through four pregnancies, she kept teaching. Both of her daughters became dancers and helped in the studio. One continues to operate the Travelstead Dance Studio, the other teaches dance in Anna. In all, Giles taught dance for 40 years. She won’t even

Alan Rogers

Yes, looking around Giles’ home is like taking a peek into her heart. While at age 74, she no longer sings and dances like she used to, she tirelessly supports those who do. It’s been that way her whole life. Well, at least ever since she met Harriet. “When I was a child, a little girl came to Marion from another city and moved into my neighborhood,” Giles remembers. “Her name was Harriet, and she was quite a little dancer. When her mother met me, she immediately said that I, too, should be in dance lessons. She even talked to my mother.” Giles’ mother always discouraged her from dancing before this, saying “Nobody in our family does that.” But Giles prodded, as only a little girl with a dream can. “We studied the Bible seriously, and we could find absolutely nothing that said dancing was a sin, so I was probably the first person in our church who took dance lessons.” Eventually, Harriet moved away, but Giles

attempt to guess how many students she taught to jazz dance, to pirouette or to tap. She says one key to the growth of her studio was that she always put her dancers in front of people. “At our first recital, we had 800 people,” she says. “I’m ashamed to say that it lasted three hours. I’ve learned better.” As soon as the Marion Cultural and Civic Center was ready in the early 1970s, her dancers were among the first to May 2012

perform there. Those early recitals instilled in Giles a love of the center. Over the years, she served on the MCCC Foundation’s board, organized the group’s annual home tours fundraiser, sold tickets to shows of all kinds and organized the center’s popular multi-church choir concerts. “I’m very enthused about supporting a place where young people or anybody can sing and dance or act or play an MAY 2012

instrument,” she says. “I think the civic center is wonderful, and I wish that people would realize that it does have to be supported, or we will lose it.” Giles, who also led the Zion church choir for 20 years, served on the visitation committee and worked in the community soup kitchen, found other ways to support arts and children. She was involved in parent-teacher organizations, volunteered as a band parent and was a

homeroom mother. Even though she has retired from teaching dance, she still enjoys it and stays involved, announcing recitals for her daughters. She also has been a staple in the local women’s clubs, serving as president and district secretary. “I love my woman’s club,” she says. “When I joined, I was 65, and one of the other ladies told me it she was so glad to have me, they needed younger women.

We tell people that if you want to live a long time, you join the woman’s club. We have several women in their 80s and 90s.” As she has gotten older, arthritis and fibromyalgia have taken away her ability to dance and sing, but she stays busy. “I wish I could still sing and I wish I could still dance, still do things just because I want to do them.” Southern BUSINESS JOURNAL

erIC

gregg e

ric Gregg’s selection as a member of the 2012 class of Leaders Among Us actually happened before Feb. 29. That was before an EF4 tornado struck Harrisburg, the community where he serves as mayor. Before he comforted, reassured and rallied his community in the wake of one of the region’s deadliest natural disasters.

alan rogers

“We will rebuild this city,” Gregg said in an afternoon news conference the day of the tornado. “This will not stop us. It will make us stronger.” They were the kind of words the people of Harrisburg and the rest of Southern Illinois had come to expect from Gregg, who was elected mayor in 2011. “He is really inspired to do something, and he is very passionate to get that town moving again,” said longtime friend and WJPF-AM News Director Tom Miller, who was named a “Leader Among Us” in 2010 after he did much the same for the region after the May 8, 2009, super derecho. It was Gregg’s passion for and dedication to Harrisburg and Southern Illinois as a whole that earned him a place in this year’s class of leaders. The tornado has served to magnify attention on his drive, his passion and his concern for the region. “I can say that he is a tireless worker when it comes to making Southern Illinois a better place to live, work and raise a family,” says Julie Patera, executive director of the Southeastern Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission, which is based in Harrisburg. “He is not happy with the status quo; he is very progressive; he is always reaching.” That means even after his community was ravished by a tornado, he embodies and displays

Southern BuSIneSS JournaL

May 2012

courage, hope and optimism. “I think he has been a tremendous symbol for the people of Harrisburg,” said Robert Butler, mayor of Marion. “He recognizes the significance of the disaster, but as he has said, they will come back. He has imbued the people with hope.” Patera says given Gregg’s contagious optimism and his experience — he previously worked with the state’s department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity as well as serving as a private consultant working to bring jobs to the region — his promise to rebuild will come true, with a bonus. “I’m certain that Harrisburg is not going to build the same,” Patera explains. “They will build better.” Gregg’s vision for the region is obvious in all that he does. He served as a volunteer high school soccer coach, worked with local historical societies and served on the Saline County Tourism board. He was instrumental in the

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development of intramural soccer programs in the city, eventually leading to hosting tournaments, bringing families from other communities into Harrisburg — a boost for the local economy. He’s also coached youth basketball and baseball, served on the county board and been on the board of directors for the Egyptian Health Dept. “He’s like a perpetual-motion person,” Butler says. “He’s outgoing and has always been enthusiastic in whatever he undertakes.” Despite being elected to serve only one community as mayor, Gregg has the best interests of Southern Illinois in mind. “He is very regionally oriented. He has a broad vision,” Butler says. Patera says Gregg is concerned with all of Southern Illinois, adding he is as likely to promote Murphysboro or Shawneetown as he is Harrisburg. Miller agrees. “There has always been a regionalism in what he has

Did You Know? Eric Gregg holds a bachelor’s degree from SIU. He studied communications and political science.

done.” Miller says. “He understands that we’re all in this together.” That has been the exact response of people across Southern Illinois in the aftermath of the Feb. 29 tornado. Gregg has welcomed the help from hundreds of people to clean up and rebuild, but that should not be surprising. He always is willing to reach out, even when it means sharing credit, or as in this case, asking for assistance. “He’s never been afraid to ask for help,” Patera says. “He would rather have four or five people thinking about or working on the same thing as trying to do it all himself. He does things without any ‘what’s in it

for me’ concern.” In recent weeks, he has continued to that, only under more solemn conditions. “I can’t begin to tell you what it feels like to be mayor with a loss of lives,” he said at the news conference. “This is something you never want to see happen in your community.” Patera says that in recent weeks, Gregg has been at the forefront of bringing the community together as well as coordinating relief agencies and teams who have come to Harrisburg’s aid. He knows the community must move on. “Mayor Gregg is really inspired to do something, and he is very passionate to get that town moving again,” Miller said. “He is very generous and inspirational,” Patera says. “He gives and gives, whether it’s to his community, to the region or to individual people and he does it all of the time. I think that if he could, he would donate all of his time.” Butler adds, “He is always caring for people and wanting to see good things happen.”

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Paul newton

Southern BuSIneSS JournaL

May 2012

riters and reporters are supposed to be objective, refraining from inserting themselves into their narratives of events or other people. In rare instances, however, a writer’s interaction with his or her subject can tell a better story than any portrayal. Such is the case of this reporter’s first meeting with Marilyn Keller. After a very warm welcome into her home east of Anna, Keller immediately offered a cup of freshly brewed coffee to her guest. I politely declined. “No, thank you. I’m not a coffee drinker,” She quickly moved to the next item on the menu as she ushered me toward her dining room table. “Then how about a piece of pecan pie?” she asked. I wasn’t about to turn that down, and immediately I noticed a place setting waiting for me: a glass of ice water, a neatly folded napkin near a fork and there — in the middle of a freshly-pressed placemat — was an alreadyplated piece of pecan pie. In that instance, I realized that was just the way Keller did things. It’s what she learned from her grandma, Dora Morgan. Keller was born in her grandmother’s house near the Southern Illinois University campus. Morgan was a cook at Woody Hall, and her bookshelflined home was the first approved by the institution to provide room and board for international students. With her mother working full time and her father off at war, Keller spent most of her time with her grandmother. Keller says her grandmother had a profound influence on her, teaching her things such as how and why to be involved in the community and, of course, how to make pecan pie.

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MarILyn

KeLLer “There are things that I do today that I attribute to Grandma,” Keller says. “I think we saw our parents or grandparents do something, and then we do the same things.” That’s probably the reason for my warm welcome and why there was a piece of pie waiting for me. “One of the things I remember her stressing to me the most is about being a lady and how a lady is never unkind,” she recalls. “She was most proud of being a member of the Federated Women’s Club. She always stressed involvement, and so, years ago, I joined the women’s club in Anna.” Like her grandmother, once Keller became an adult she also became involved. While her children were young, she was active in their school and sports activities in the Anna schools, all while staying involved in the family businesses, Keller Grain Co., Anna-Jonesboro Bin Co. and Anna-Jonesboro Motor Co. She learned humility from Grandma Morgan, too. Keller downplays her activities in the community. She delivered meals to homebound seniors for nearly 10 years, served as a board member of the Union County Historical Society and was a founding executive board member of Promoting Appreciation of Structural Treasures, a countywide organization caring for and promoting historical buildings and homes. Keller also is a fixture at the Illinois Veterans Home in Anna,

dId you KnoW? Marilyn Keller admits to a secret crush on actor George Clooney. ‘He’s pretty neat,’ she says, winking.

where her father is a resident. The staff considers her a key volunteer, something she shrugs off. “I go out every day, and, while they’re waiting on supper, I’ll pour coffee or hot chocolate,” she explains. “That’s just being there, it’s not really being a volunteer. I’m not doing any more than the other family members who have loved ones there. It is just what we do. I’m not doing anything great.” When she’s not pouring coffee or baking pies, she often can be found at her booth in Anna’s This n' That Shoppe where she sells antiques, collectibles and books. “I started out with just a few books, and then they grew until I needed another space. I probably have close to 3,000 books for sale now,” she says. An avid reader, Keller devours publications of all kinds. From morning newspapers and magazines to mysteries, she reads them all. Her love of reading earned her a spot on the Friends of Stinson Memorial Library Board, where she has served as president and as the liaison to the Anna library’s board. She also is a member of the committee charged with maintaining and preserving the historic building

and its grounds. “Right now, that’s probably my main area of volunteerism,” she says, adding that she shelves books, coordinates book sales and leads tours. “I am trying to keep alive the integrity of the history of the building. I love taking people through and showing them the building, talking about Capt. Stinson and the architect.” Keller says her love of classical things — from buildings to books and collectibles — shows up in all that she does, especially her work at the library and in her little store. “Sometimes I feel like I’m swimming upstream,” she explains. “But I know that there are still people who love to handle books, they love the feel of a book, the smell of a book. I also still sell VCR tapes; there are still people who use those.” However, she says she is “reluctantly getting into the technological world.” As part of the library board, she voted to begin offering digital books available for download, ,and she says she’s actually shopping for an iPad for herself. “I’m sure my grandchildren can help me with it,” she says. There’s no doubt that Keller will adapt to the electronic ways, but she promises to always maintain her own and the area’s ties to the past. Let’s hope that means she will continue to be a lady as Grandma Morgan taught her, and that she’ll still be baking pies.

Southern BuSIneSS JournaL

Steve Jahnke

Elizabeth

lewin Lewin E

lizabeth Lewin has always been prepared. Prepared for hard work. Prepared to weigh all of the options. Prepared to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Being prepared has served Lewin, 63, very well. Perhaps, that is because she herself was prepared that way. The oldest of four girls, Lewin spent time working beside her maternal grandfather on his farm outside of Marion; but, as often as possible, she could be found in the shadow of her

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father, the Rev. Archibald Mosley. Mosley lived in Carbondale, but served as a schoolteacher and principal in Sandusky. He also was pastor of Bethel AME

Church in Carbondale. “He was away during the week, and on the weekends he was busy with the church,” Lewin remembers. “When we were together, I was assisting him, helping clean the church and preparing things. My time with him was working.” On the farm, she learned the virtue of hard work. From her father, she learned things like how to manage business affairs, how to deal with people and how to communicate effectively. She learned, too, through school, attending both Attucks and university schools in Carbondale and earning three degrees from SIU Carbondale, as well as a doctorate from the University of Sarasota. It was with family, however, where she says she really got an education. “The things that I learned as a child have served me to this day,”

she says. “I have four degrees, but what I learned from my parents and my family far overshadows the content that I got sitting in courses.” Her parents also taught her to explore options and to be prepared for whatever might come her way. As a young woman, she considered careers in medicine and law, but she pursued communications. “As an undergraduate, I had a radio show that I loved,” she recalls. “It was called ‘Voices of Black America,’ and I interviewed many of the speakers who were coming to the university. I thought about looking for a career in radio or television. My parents supported me, but told me to take courses in education — just in case, because you never know.” Lewin says that after graduation, jobs in broadcasting May 2012

were not abundant. “I was offered a teaching job, though,” she says, “and the rest is history.” That job was teaching in East St. Louis, a position she would hold for six years. “My time in East St. Louis was interesting, to say the least,” she adds. “This was the 1970s, and that job prepared me for everything that followed.” After a stint teaching part time at SIU Edwardsville and St. Louis Community College, Lewin returned to the high school ranks, serving as assistant principal and principal at Edwardsville High School, becoming the first AfricanAmerican in school administration in the community. Even in this role, she was being prepared for her next job: superintendent of Carbondale Elementary School District No. 95, a position in which she served for 10 years, beginning in 1995. “One of the reasons I was chosen to be Carbondale’s superintendent was my previous

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Did You Know? Elizabeth Lewin loves tinkering with machinery and equipment, including her lawn mower. 'I love fixing things,' she says. 'I think my domestic side isn't in the house; it's outside.' experience,” she says. “In Edwardsville, I had the opportunity to assist my thensuperintendent in running two referendums to build a new school building.” It was in Edwardsville that Lewin also followed her father’s example by becoming involved in the community. She volunteered at a rape crisis facility and served on the city council. Today, Lewin is an assistant clinical professor in the College of Education and Human Services at SIU Carbondale, where she prepares those who want to enter educational administration. She calls it “opening students’ eyes.” “The students get a very different perspective when they

have me in the classroom,” she explains. “I’m the only one in the department who has been a superintendent. I tell them that even though we must keep students front and center, as a superintendent you also have to protect the district as a whole, be concerned about the image of your community, as well as get community input. It’s a much bigger job than only being concerned with the classroom.” She also serves as an appointee of the Illinois State Board of Education, assigned with overseeing the use of state funding in the Cairo schools, once again using skills she learned not only from her years as an administrator, but also the leadership lessons she learned from her father. In fact, she uses those skills as treasurer of four organizations, including Bethel AME Church — the very church her father served as pastor. She has also served as president of the board for Southern Illinois Regional Social Services and was part of the negotiating team in the agency’s merger with The H Group. She

calls the process a learning experience. “I’m always amazed, with all I have learned over the years, that I still learn. I think that’s why I enjoy doing things,” she says. “I am able to use the skills I have, but add to those skills, as well.” She adds that she doesn’t regret any of the paths she has taken in life. “I always have walked through life doing what I was taught to do, doing what I believed I have been instructed by my earthly and heavenly fathers to do, and doors opened for me,” she says. “People would say, ‘We need this done or we need this done,’ and I was prepared to do it.” Lewin says she has never forgotten the lessons she learned as a child, and it was those same lessons she passed on to her own daughters. “I know they’re both able to take care of themselves, as well as their parents and grandparents if we ever need it.” In other words, she has taught them exactly what she learned as a child: It is good to be prepared.

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Steve Jahnke May 2012

alking into general surgeon Marsha Ryan’s office on North Illinois Avenue in Carbondale is akin to stepping into a museum. The walls of the building are decorated with tokens of the practice of medicine throughout the years — everything from a World War II nurse’s uniform to turn-of-the-century bottles of elixirs and ointments. And, there is memorabilia of the city’s rich railroad history as well as its architecture past.

Many of the items were given to Ryan by grateful patients; others, she’s discovered on her own. All of them, however, have found a home in both the office and in her heart. “I find a place for things that are important to me,” she explains. Those who know Ryan best understand that by “things,” she means not just knick-knacks and tokens, but also organizations, projects and causes, especially those that enhance Carbondale. “This community is very special to me, and I have been around long enough to think that I’ve had a chance to make a mark,” she explains. “It’s a nice symbiotic relationship. You cannot practice medicine, particularly surgery, in a community of this size for this long and not have infiltrated yourself into many of the families. It gives me pleasure to help organizations and community projects that I think will make Carbondale an even better place to live.” Believing that actions are more powerful than words, Ryan has thrown herself into supporting groups such as Carbondale Community Arts; the Varsity Center for the Arts; and through her family’s charitable arm, the Garwin Family Foundation, the

speech and theater programs at Carbondale Community High School. “I have absolutely no talent in theater,” she confesses, “but grandly admire those people who do and like to see them supported.” Ryan also says both the Southern Illinois University Foundation and the SIH Foundation are “near and dear to my heart,” and involves herself in both at a variety of levels. “One of the reasons that I’m in so many places is that I tend to do what I say I’m going to do, which I believe is a valuable commodity in a volunteer,” she says. “If we don’t get involved, then nothing gets better.” Her love of Carbondale stems from a desire for a community that was not too big and not too small. “I came to Carbondale because I was looking for a place that was a lot like Columbia, Mo., (where she completed medical residency),” she explains. “I wanted a small town with a big university that changes the flavor of the town completely. Just as the University of Missouri defined Columbia, SIU defines us ,and that’s what I wanted 30 years ago. I’ve been here ever since.” During that time, she has not only worked to promote culture in the community, she has also supported education, and took advantage of educational opportunities by earning a law degree from SIU while practicing medicine full-time. It’s something she says runs in the family. “My parents were both extremely well educated, very bright people. My dad was a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and also got his law degree. My mother went to law school for a year and my brother (Carbondale anthestiologist Mark Garwin) also is an M.D.-J.D. It’s genetic; it’s weird.” She says she knew even as a child in Oklahoma that she was going to be a doctor. “I was going to be a surgeon from the very beginning,” she recalls. “I knew it from the age of 5.” Ryan says she remembers an

dId you KnoW? Marsha Ryan loves books, especially audio books. In fact, she says she even listens to books on tape while commuting from her office to the hospital — a distance of two blocks. uncle living with her family while he was studying medicine at the University of Oklahoma. “That was my first introduction, and I think I sort of patterned myself after him; I was encouraged by my parents. I remember lying on the front seat of the car, my head on my mom’s lap and my feet on my dad’s lap while they would talk about what I was going to be when I grew up. I never felt pressured. It sounded like a good plan to me. I just had to go through all of the steps and I did,” she says. Her diverse educational and professional background makes her a valuable resource for the area. She serves on a number of committees and task forces within Southern Illinois Healthcare focusing on providing quality healthcare. She teaches in both the SIU School of Law and the SIU medical school. “I really like teaching,” she says. “I consider it another way of serving the community.” While at age 62 Ryan says she’s hoping to slow down a little bit, even removing herself from some activities and commitments to free up more time for the personal things she enjoys — things like traveling, chocolate and the New York Times crossword puzzles. Yet, she says she plans to still be working on the things she believes in. “I think I’m useful and, for as long as I think I’m useful, I’ll be involved,” she says about her activities both professionally and charitably. “What I do in this office is serious — things of health and happiness. The other stuff is a lot less weighted and not as much hangs on it outside of the success of whatever project it is we’re doing, but it’s still important. There’s something about it that feeds me.”

nke May 2012

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aMy

SIMPSon W

hat some people call circumstance, Amy Simpson believes is the work of God. Things described as chance encounters, she credits to a greater plan. An idea or an urge to do something, she attributes to a calling. But still, divine intervention or not, the work of ministry requires someone actually make things happen. Amy Simpson is that somebody.

Simpson is the person behind Gum Drops, a Carterville-based not-for-profit organization that is making certain at-risk children in Southern Illinois get enough to eat. From a modest start feeding 12 children in January 2008, the organization now provides weekend nourishment to 1,300 school children in seven counties. It all started with a calling. “My church (First Baptist in Carterville) had been asking me to start a women’s mission group, and for five years I kept saying no,” Simpson recalls. Eventually, she agreed, desiring to begin with some type of local mission work. A friend told her about another church’s efforts to send backpacks full of food home with grade-school children for the weekend. Simpson, who works full time as a clerk for the city of Carterville, decided on a Sunday evening that she could coordinate a similar outreach for her church. Then came an unexpected encounter. “Monday morning the superintendent of Carterville schools walked in to talk to the mayor,” she says. “I instantly thought, ‘Lord, I’m not ready. I don’t have things together to talk to him about this yet,’ so I didn’t say anything.” However, it was raining, and the superintendent left his umbrella in the mayor’s office.

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Taking it as a sign that he came back after it, she shared her vision and asked him if there was a need for such a program. He told her that nearly 40 percent of Carterville school children received free or reduced meals, so there was definitely a need. Together, they decided to make it work. Later, Simpson unexpectedly met a representative of the local Little Debbie snack distributor. On the spot, he agreed to donate items for the ministry. Only 10 days after deciding to start a mission program, backpacks of food for the weekend were sent home with 12 Carterville children and Gum Drop Kids — Gum standing for God Using Me — was born. Word of the program quickly spread, and so did interest from other school districts. “We had nothing,” Simpson remembers. “No money, no anything. It was just people from church bringing stuff and the donations from Little Debbie.” Then things moved quickly. Simpson learned of the St. Louis Food Area Foodbank and set out to establish an official nonprofit group so as to become a member of the foodbank. A church member who was an attorney in Carbondale volunteered her firm to handle the process. The Julia Bruce Harrison Foundation of Herrin

gave the new group $30,000, and the group food-packing operations moved from Simpson’s home to a rented building. All the while, more school districts were calling. “It just started snowballing,” Simpson says. Soon volunteers were meeting three times a week to assemble packages of food, placed in foam containers and placed in plastic grocery sacks and ready for children. Each bag contains a weekend’s worth of food items ranging from pasta, macaroni and soup to power bars, fruit and popcorn. “Everything is child-friendly,”

dId you KnoW? Amy Simpson’s first job was also in serving food; she worked parttime at Long John Silver’s in Carbondale.

Simpson points out, “because sometimes these kids may not have access to an adult to help them.” A majority of the food comes from the St. Louis Foodbank, where Simpson can purchase items for pennies on the dollar. Other goods are donated by May 2012

Paul Newton

corporations, retailers, church groups and individuals. For funding, the group relies on charitable gifts and donations, as well as support from the United Way. Today, Gum Drops provides food for 1,300 children in 16 school districts. Each Monday, Simpson emails school counselors to get the number of packages required by the schools, while her husband, Ron — the organization’s only paid staff member — unwraps pallets of food and opens countless cases in preparation for the volunteers who arrive in three shifts during the week to prepare the bags. Volunteer MAY 2012

drivers deliver the bags to the school counselors who distribute them to the recipients. “We probably average 30 volunteers for each shift and have 35 drivers,” Simpson adds. “If I were to count all of the people who have helped us, it’s probably been 3,000 or more.” All of the efforts take place in a building — built specifically for the organization and donated by a supporter — on Carterville’s west side. Pallets and shelving racks of food surround tables, ready for the next set of volunteers. “It’s not me doing this,”

Simpson says. “The people of Southern Illinois are very generous with their time and money.” Yet, it is Simpson who coordinates all of the efforts and who continues to set vision and dreams for the organization, all while working full time, volunteering for Carterville High School, helping with other church programs and raising a family. “When we first started, I was asked what I wanted out of this, and I said that I wanted to be in every school district from Mount Vernon south,” she says. “We’re not there yet, but we’re getting closer.”

Simpson says even though she was raised working with missions, she never thought her idea would turn into something like Gum Drop Kids. Admittedly, Simpson and her program remain humble and try to stay “under the radar.” But, from time to time, students find out who is responsible for the food they take home every weekend. “Sometimes we get cards or letters from the families or from the kids,” she says. “I usually cry when I get them. It means the world to me. I hope that I’m a light at the end of the tunnel for some of these kids.” Southern BUSINESS JOURNAL

dId you KnoW?

Paul newton

Carol Sluzevich keeps her ‘bathroom’ scale on the floor of her kitchen, right next to the refrigerator. ‘That’s a pretty good place for it, don’t you think,’ she says.

Southern BuSIneSS JournaL

May 2012

CaroL

SLuzeVICh

arol Sluzevich is probably very adept at jigsaw puzzles. The Benton resident is a master at putting things together. For years as a professional salesperson, she matched products and services with buyers. She has put business support together with high school students in the

To her, there’s a little bit of sales in everything. “I always have loved being in sales,” she explains. “I guess I like that every day is different, and I get to interact with people. It’s more about finding out what a person needs and seeing if you can fill it. Then when you do it, wow, it’s feeling like you accomplished something.” Sluzevich has accomplished a lot. As a daughter in an Air Force family, she moved often, living in Montana, France, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina. She says by the time she arrived in Benton as a high school sophomore, she had already learned how to communicate with people. “All that moving around probably made me good at sales,” she explains. “Because whenever you changed schools, you had to be gregarious or otherwise be lonely.” She says see took to each new hometown an accent of where she had been. “When I came here, I still had a southern twang, and people just wanted to hear me talk. I made friends that way,” she says. After earning a degree in commercial arts from Southern Illinois University, she worked in the custom jewelry business for 17 years, eventually gravitating to sales and people, working in a variety of industries and settings before joining the American Cancer Society. With ACS, she expanded two programs that benefitted cancer patients and increased the number of volunteers in the region, matching interests and skills with opportunities to serve. Sluzevich served, too. She became a court appointed special advocate for children in Franklin County. It was an experience she says opened her eyes. “You think you’re having a tough day, and then you see these kids and realize what they’ve gone through and how resilient they are. It just breaks your heart, and you want to make a difference.” She served not only as an advocate but May 2012

form of scholarships. She matched positive outlooks and encouragement with patients while working for the American Red Cross, and she works tirelessly to bring area children together with brighter futures through Mentors 4 Kids, an organization she helps lead.

also a board member and committee chairperson for CASA. Then she was asked to serve on the advisory board for Big Brothers/Big Sisters for South Central Illinois. “I wanted to see what they did first, so I became a Big Sister,” she says. “I was matched with a 10-year-old girl, and then I saw what the organization was doing. I got it.” As a participant, Sluzevich committed to spending time with her “Little” just to be a friend and a mentor. A short time later, she agreed to serve on the board. “It may be a little thing to you, but it makes a big difference to them,” she says. Once funding for the program ended, so did the Big Brothers/Big Sisters efforts in Franklin, Williamson and Jefferson counties. “I talked to my ‘Little’ and her parents and said just because there was no longer going to be a program didn’t mean that I wouldn’t continue with her.” The next day, Sluzevich wrote other board members, expressing a desire to start a new outreach. On an evening in July 2009, on the deck of Sluzevich’s Benton home, Mentors 4 Kids was born. “We hoped to transition all of the kids who were matched in Big Brothers/Big Sisters into our program, but, with confidentially laws, we couldn’t do that. We pretty much started from scratch.” True to form, Sluzevich began putting things together. She started organizing fundraisers, applying for grants and garnering donations. She began recruiting volunteers, advisory board members and, of course, individuals willing to serve as mentors for children ranging in age from 5 to 17. “It doesn’t happen overnight; it is a process,” she says. Prospective mentors go through an extensive screening and training process. “Keeping kids safe is the biggest

priority,” she adds. The program has 22 children matched with mentors, but she says many more are needed. “We have more than 40 kids on a waiting list,” she explains. “We’re not out recruiting kids, because we don’t want them just on a waiting list; we really are trying to reach out and let people know that we need mentors.” She says mentors are asked to make a one-year commitment to spend a minimum of six hours per month with their match, adding that efforts are made to pair mentors and mentees based upon common interests or traits in hopes that matches will continue. Often, they do. Sluzevich tells the story of an event at Rent One Park for Big Brothers/Big Sisters and their matches. A gentleman attended with his “Littles,” both taller than him. “He told me that they were matched for the full 14 years possible,” she says. “Both of the children were married and had children; the Big Brother had stood in both of their weddings, and they were still doing things together. They were part of one anothers’ lives. That’s what we’re looking for.” Sluzevich’s goal is to put more children with mentors. The program serves seven Southern Illinois counties, but she’s got a bigger vision. “My long-term vision for Mentors 4 Kids is to serve any and all children that need a positive role model,” she says. “I believe that this program can be multistate or even national, but we need time and the resources to do it.” Knowing Sluzevich, she’ll put the pieces together. “I want to make an impact and do something so that when I’m gone, someone’s life has changed. They don’t even have to know I did it or know my name. That’s not important. I just want to make a positive difference.” Southern BuSIneSS JournaL

Geoffrey (jeff)

Troutt Y

ou might say Jeff Troutt of Christopher is a chip off the old block. That is, if you’re referring to his grandfather Lewis E. “Louie” Lewis as the old block. Troutt grew up idolizing his grandfather, and why not? Lewis, who also was born in Franklin County, was a member of the Illinois General Assembly for seven years, including a time as speaker of the Illinois State House. He served as state treasurer and also was a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in 1940. But that’s not necessarily what Troutt remembers about his grandfather. He recalls Lewis as someone who was involved. “My grandfather was very active in the community,” Troutt says. “He was a very intelligent man who loved to talk with people and teach. He was an inspiration to me.” In fact, from his childhood, Troutt wanted to be like his grandfather. “I wanted to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps, and I thought becoming a lawyer would help me to do that. Even though he wasn’t an attorney,

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he was well-read. Plus, he had two brothers who were attorneys in Benton.” True to plan, Troutt started law school, but those plans changed. “Quite frankly, I started law school and decided I wanted to be a teacher and a coach, so I did that for four years,” he recalls. “Then I got a job with the CIA in Washington, D.C., thinking that I would finish law school there. I found out within four months that the job didn’t really have any prospects, so I resigned and came back to Southern Illinois.” He taught another 18 months before finishing his law degree at the University of Illinois. He has been an attorney in Benton ever since. “I think all along I really wanted to stay here, I just ventured out,” he says. “I found out that I didn’t really like big cities; they’re nice to visit, but not where I want to live.” Upon his return to Franklin County, he patterned his life after his grandfather, who passed away just before Troutt finished law school. Like Lewis, Troutt aimed to get involved in the community. “When I came back to Christopher, I was looking for a civic club to become involved in,” he says. “The Lions Club had been prominent since 1924. I knew a lot of the members, and I know they did a lot of good in the community.” Doing good was not only what Troutt wanted, it is what he continues to do. He’s been involved in the organization 43 years and has been named

Did You Know? Jeff Troutt has always been a movie buff and calls Bogart’s performance in ‘Casablanca’ his favorite. ‘My love of movies probably comes from all of those weekends at the Globe Theater in Christopher as a kid,’ he says. “Lion of the Year” four times. Additionally, he organizes fishing dinners for youth, serves on the Christopher Homecoming Committee, volunteers for numerous roles and has served as the city attorney for 35 years. “I’ve always been a person interested in my community,” he says. “I was born and raised in Christopher, and I like the people here, the schools and the churches. I feel like you have an obligation if you’re able, to give back to your community. That was instilled in me from a very young age. I felt very strongly about it then, and I still feel very strongly about it today, both in terms of my community and Southern Illinois as a whole.” He says his community has always been a special place. “I am very fortunate that I grew up when I did, where I did,” he explains. “I am a child of the ’40s and ’50s. This was a very viable community then with a business in every building on Main Street. We had everything we needed.” Even though business in Christopher has declined, it is

still a great community. He has been on the school board and city council, serving as his grandfather would. Troutt remains proud of Christopher and the region as a whole. “The people of Southern Illinois are generally friendly and helpful to one another,” he adds. “I think they feel a real kinship with one another. In some ways, we’re like a dispersed city, made up of a number of small towns.” He shares that love of the region through service to regional organizations, as well. He is a member of the patron committee for the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra and is on the board of directors for SIU’s McLeod Theater. A season ticket holder for SIU basketball and football, Troutt makes frequent drives to Carbondale — for games and to visit daughter Janell, a junior studying criminal justice at the university. Even though he enjoys arts and sports (he is a selfdescribed “golf nut”), Troutt gains real satisfaction from the work he does for others. “It’s fun to be involved with others of a like mind and at the same time do good in the community,” he says. “You don’t do it for personal gain or recognition. It just gives a personal satisfaction when you give back when you can and you help others. I think that in itself is a just reward. I feel a kinship to this area and believe it’s our duty to help one another if you can.” It’s a lesson he learned very well from his grandfather.

May 2012

Alan Rogers MAY 2012

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Steve Jahnke

Southern BUSINESS JOURNAL

May 2012

etirement sits well with some people. Take Marcy Weber’s husband, Rich, for example. After hanging up his whistle as a physical education instructor, he has filled his days with things he enjoys, such as camping, horseback riding and westerns. Marcy Weber is just the opposite. Retirement was not her thing. The former Murphysboro High School English and speech teacher first retired in 2005, after teaching more than 40 years. After only a few months, she was ready for something more. “I had one year free, and I thought I was going to go crazy,” she recalls. “I couldn’t figure out what to do. I was not happy. I think I’m the only person who has ever said they didn’t like retirement, but that year was empty.” To find things to do, she didn’t have to look far — just around the community that she had called home since the mid1960s. “I’m originally from Mattoon, but it took just about a month for Murphysboro to become home. I love this community,” she says. Weber began volunteering with the Murphysboro Chamber of Commerce and the city’s signature event, the annual Apple Festival. She also taught Sunday School and volunteered at her church, Immanuel Lutheran. Something, however, was still lacking. “I just missed teaching so badly, I was lost,” she remembers. “My whole heart and mindset was that I wanted to do something else; I wanted to be with people, and I wanted to be

MAY 2012

with kids. I didn’t want a salary; I just wanted to do something.” Her now-grown children attended Immanuel Lutheran School, and Weber had volunteered there, too. As a church member, she was keenly aware of the school’s needs, including someone to handle administrative duties. She volunteered to teach and to serve as principal. “It really was God’s blessing to me, not to them,” she says of the role she’s taken for the past two years. “I say as long as the Good Lord gives me breath and health, I’ll be here. I’m not a certified administrator, but I thought I could do it. I love teaching, and I love the challenge.” Now Weber, who will celebrate her 70th birthday in June, teaches language arts and speech to Immanuel’s 49 students and handles everything from lunch money to scheduling substitute teachers. “I teach in the morning, and I do lunch supervision so that the teachers can have a little free time, then usually do most of the administrative things in the afternoon,” she says of her day, which begins with a time of faculty conversation and devotions shortly after 7:15 a.m. She’s at school until about 5:30 each evening, assisting with afterschool care and paperwork. “To be honest, I didn’t know anything about the administrator’s role when I started here,” she admits. “All I know is organization and to try to keep people up, because together we can do anything. I don’t even know if I do it right, but no one has said anything yet.” Part of keeping people “up” for Weber means supporting those who work with her. She kindly interrupted the interview for this article so she could say thank you to a substitute teacher who had dealt with some discipline

Marcy

weber Weber Did You Know? Marcy Weber hates traveling but loves walking on the beach. ‘I don’t like the trip, but I get there; I like that,’ she says.

issues during the school day. “Thank you for not giving up,” she told the teacher. “You made a difference.” Weber is all about making a difference. “If I can do anything to help children keep on the right road, I consider it a blessing,” she says. “That is one of my passions — not curriculum, but teaching children how to survive, how to make good decisions and how to know when somebody is trying to mess with you.” For years, Weber has served as a crisis interventionist and has shared with parents, teachers and students the warning signs of suicidal tendencies. “I’m really big into prevention, and, for many years, I have gone into schools and offered in-service sessions for faculty because they need to know these things. It’s an area people need to know how to recognize and how to act upon. I really work on it because it is something that society ignores.” She focuses on other things

that are often ignored as well. She urges her students to develop their vocabulary, critical thinking approaches and life skills. “You can get an A in science, but if you don’t have character and ethics, and you can’t get along with other people, you’re going to have a hard road,” she says. “I want kids to understand that you’ll find peace if you give more than you take.” Outside the classroom and Apple Festival, Weber is active with Relay for Life activities and has served on committees for the city’s historic Liberty Theater, as well as volunteering at church and being “Nanny” to her five grandchildren. It’s how she finds her own peace. “I’m not happy unless I’m serving,” she says. “If you don’t give, and you don’t see that something is happening, life is empty.” So she continues to teach, to lead and inspire. “I don’t see myself as any different or any better than anyone else,” she explains. “So many people have been good to me, and I’ve learned from wonderful teachers.” And she plans on continuing all that she does. “I don’t get tired very often. Sure, I can sit down and doze a little bit, but I am still a multitasking person.” That means retirement will have to wait.

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May 2012

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