illinoisreview

The Illinois Roots of Memorial Day

by Mark Rhoads

In Decatur, Illinois in 1866 a national organization of Union veterans was founded called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).  It would eventually include more than 400,000 members in the 1880s.  Former Union Democrat Congressman John A. Logan of Murphysboro, who later became a Republican to campaign for the re-election of Abraham Lincoln in 1864, stood against popular sentiment in southern Illinois to support the Union.  He became a major general during the Civil War.  After the war, Logan was a Republican congressman who managed the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson.  He later became a US Senator from Illinois and the 1884 GOP Nominee for Vice President on a ticket with James G. Blaine which lost to Grover Cleveland.  It was Logan, who as Commander of the GAR on May 5, 1868, issued General Order Number 11 to create Memorial Day, the object of which was primarily to decorate the graves of those who had fallen during the Civil War with flowers.  For many years in the South, the same day at the end of May was called Decoration Day.  Today, Logan is remembered in the Illinois State Song in verse four: Not without thy wondrous story, can be writ the nation's glory, on the record of thy years, Abra'm Lincoln's name appears, Grant and Logan and our tears, Illinois.

Illinois-born actor Charlton Heston died last night.

by Mark Rhoads

Illinois native Charlton Heston died last night in Beverly Hills at the age of 84.  Heston was born in Evanston on Oct. 4, 1923 and his name at birth was Charles Carter. His parents moved to St. Helen, Mich., where his father, Russell Carter, operated a lumber mill. Charles's parents divorced, and she married Chester Heston, a factory plant superintendent in Wilmette. After a few lonely Michigan childhood years, Charles had some trouble adjusting to the large New Trier High School where he took refuge in the drama department.

"What acting offered me was the chance to be many other people," he said in a 1986 interview. "In those days I wasn't satisfied with being me."

Calling himself Charlton Heston from his mother's maiden name and his stepfather's last name, he won an acting scholarship to Northwestern University in 1941. He excelled in campus plays and appeared on Chicago radio. In 1943, he enlisted in the Army Air Force and served as a radio-gunner in the Aleutians.

In 1944 he married another Northwestern drama student, Lydia Clarke, and after his army discharge in 1947, they moved to New York to seek acting jobs. Finding none, they hired on as codirectors and principal actors at a summer theater in Asheville, N.C.  Heston was best known for his roles as Moses in The Ten Commandments, Judah Ben Hur, Andrew Jackson, and other great character roles.  His political views were varied at different points on the spectrum.  In the 1960s he was considered a liberal for his active involvement with Civil Rights marches.  But in the 1990s he took on the presidency of the National Rifle Association.

The Mood at CPAC on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008

by Mark Rhoads

I attended a dinner last night at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. I did not get there until about 5 pm after the speeches by Romney, McCain, and Ron Paul. There were several thousand people wearing the CPAC ID name tags but I was told only 500 could be admitted to the room where those speeches were made. The speeches were covered live by CSPAN, CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC. While in Virginia earlier in the day, I saw both the Romney and McCain speeches live on CNN. Both seemed to me to have a very positive message but of course McCain had the more difficult assignment of trying to make his points and still honestly acknowledge his mistakes and differences of opinion with some, but not all, of the conservatives attending.

Cook County Board Passes Resolution Honoring Hyde

by Tyler Jones

Kudos to Commissioner Tony Peraica - and the Cook County Board for unanimously passing - a resolution honoring the life and accomplishments of former Congressman Henry Hyde ... interestingly enough, the resolution contained language that may make this the most conservative accomplishment of any Cook County board in recent memory:

WHEREAS, the Republican Party had no better spokesman for its traditional views on life, liberty and fiscal discipline; and

WHEREAS, Henry Hyde was deeply committed to protecting the lives of the unborn in America and he was the author of the pro-life Hyde Amendment which ended the funding of abortions by the federal government; and

WHEREAS, Henry Hyde was a larger than life figure who was not afraid of tackling controversial issues head-on; and

WHEREAS, when many sharply criticized Henry Hyde for leading the House Managers in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, Hyde responded: "The Members of the House who voted to impeach a president for actions many members of his own party concede were felonious have nothing to apologize for. We did our duty;" ...

Roskam comments on Hyde's passing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Peter J. Roskam (R-IL) today issued the following statement on the death of former Congressman Henry Hyde:

“Congressman Hyde unequivocally embodied the title of statesman in every sense of the word.  His leadership when speaking on the House floor drew attention from each member in the chamber.  The clarity of his thoughts, the wisdom of his foresight and the principled values he espoused were unmatched.

“When I worked for Henry more than 20 years ago it was obvious I was in the presence of a man whose convictions, beliefs and actions were one in the same.  Henry truly represented Illinois’ 6th Congressional District with the utmost distinction and will forever be remembered for his work.

“It is an honor to succeed him in Congress, however there is no replacing Henry.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Hyde family.”

Illinois Hall of Fame: Jerry Hadley, Rest in Peace

By Mark Rhoads

The life of internationally-known opera star and tenor singer Jerry Hadley came to a tragic end on July 18, 2007 as a result serious injuries from a suicide attempt a few days ago at his home in Clinton Corners, New York.  Hadley won three Grammy Awards and had a world-wide following of fans.  He was 55, divorced, and had two sons.  Newspapers in New York say he was battling depression.  He was highly regarded in the music world.

Jerry Hadley was born on June 16, 1952 in Manlius, Illinois in Bureau County and grew up nearby in the tiny town of Thomas.  He attended Bureau County public schools and graduated from Bradley University in Peoria in 1974.  He earned his masters degree in voice at the University of Illinois School of Music at Champaign-Urbana.  After further music study in Illinois and roles with regional companies, in 1978 he left Illinois when he was recruited by the famed opera singer Beverly Sills for the New York City Opera. His many friends, classmates, and admirers in central Illinois mourn his death.

Illnois Hall of Fame: Donald K. Sundquist

by Mark Rhoads

There has always been a diaspora of native Illinoisans raised or educated in Illinois but who achieved political success in other states. They have included New Jersey Gov. John Corzine (D) who was seriously injured in an automobile accident three months ago but is recovering.  Corzine was a native of Taylorville, Illinois. He graducated from the University of Illinois and from the University of Chicago Business School. The late Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina, John P. East, was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois Law School in 1959. He served from 1981 to 1986.

Illinois Hall of Fame: George Beverly Shea

By Mark Rhoads

The recent death of Ruth Bell Graham, wife of Rev. Billy Graham, recalls a very early entry in summer 2006 to this Illinois Hall of Fame feature series in Illinois Review.  Billy and Ruth met at Wheaton College in Du Page County when both were students there during World War II.  There is a legend in my family that on their honeymoon night, Billy and Ruth only drove as far from Wheaton as my grandmother's house in Western Springs because gas rationing severely limited their radius. 

Gov. Jon Corzine in Critical Condition

By Mark Rhoads

Gov. Jon S. Corzine (D-New Jersey) was in critical condition last night after his SUV hit a guard rail.  A New Jersey state trooper was driving but was not seriously hurt because he was wearing a seat belt.  Gov. Corzine was riding in the front seat but was not wearing a seat belt as required by New Jersey state law and his injuries are described by doctors as very serious even though they differ about whether the injuries are life-threatening. He has a broken collar bone, 12 cracked ribs that make it hard to breathe, and several craked bones of various kinds. Gov. Corzine was on his way to Princeton to attend the reconciliation meeting with fired talk show host Don Imus and the Rutgers Women's Basketball Team.

Illinois Hall of Fame: Burr Tillstrom

By Mark Rhoads

Children's television pioneer and puppet master Burr Tillstrom was born in Chicago on Oct. 13, 1917. He attended Senn High School and the University of Chicago where he became interested in puppetry.  In 1936 he created a puppet with a mostly bald head and a large round nose.  A Russian ballerina named Tamara Toumanova called the puppet "kukla" which is the Russian word for doll.