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Illinois Issues

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Editor's Note: New Inductees to Hall of Fame

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Dana Heupel

Published December 1, 2009 at 12:00 AM CST

Dana Heupel

On November 16, Illinois Issues sponsored the 10th Samuel K. Gove Illinois Legislative Internship Hall of Fame event and inducted five new members who had gone through the program at the University of Illinois Springfield (or then-Sangamon State) or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and then made significant contributions to the public sector.

This year’s inductees were:

- John Day, who retired in 2003 as assistant executive director of the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System. He also had been executive director of the Legislative Audit Commission and had worked on the Illinois Senate staff. He is a member of the internship class of 1970-71 and now lives in Rochester.
- Claire Eberle, deputy director of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for the Illinois General Assembly. She previously served on the Senate president’s staff from 1976 to 1978. She was a member of the legislative intern class of 1975 and now resides in Springfield.
- Stephen Pacey is a circuit judge in Ford County. Before he assumed that position in 1996, he was a commissioner with the Illinois Court of Claims and a public defender for Ford County and spent 22 years in private legal practice. He was a member of the 1970 legislative intern class and is a lifelong Paxton resident.
- Lee Schwartz was a Chicago attorney in private practice when he died in 2002. He was an expert on the state constitution and had served as legal counsel to then-House Speaker Jack Touhy and former state Senate Minority Leader Art McGloon. He also served in similar positions for Chicago Mayors Richard J. Daley, Michael Bilandic and Harold Washington. He was a member of the legislative intern class of 1966.
- Gretchen Winter, who has been the executive director of the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society in the College of Business of the University of Illinois since 2007. She has more than 25 years of experience in law firms and the public and corporate sectors. Winter was a member of the 1979 intern class.

Illinois Auditor General Bill Holland spoke at the event, which was held at the Executive Mansion in Springfield, as did UIS professor emeritus Kent Redfield, a longtime director of the legislative internship program. The hall of fame is named for University of Illinois professor Samuel Gove, who also was a longtime director of the program and who is a founder of Illinois Issues magazine. The new inductees’ names have been inscribed on a plaque that hangs on the fourth floor of the Illinois Capitol.

We congratulate all of the new inductees.

Dana Heupel can be reached at heupel.dana@uis.edu.

Amy Eichorst, Chuck Schrage, DeShana Forney and Brenda Holmes

Sen. Kirk Dillard and Inductee Bruce Kinnett

Inductee Frank Straus and Mona Martin

Inductee David Kennedy and Family Members

Judge Stephen Pacey and Rep. Renee Kozel

Inductee Catherine Shannon and Family Members

Sen. Kirk Dillard, John Morris, Rep. Rich Brauer, and Auditor General Bill Holland

Dana Heupel and Veronica Lynch

Mike Lawrence and Rick Carlson

Rep. Michael Tryon, Inductee Bruce Kinnett and Jim Reily

Veronica Lynch, Sandy Kennedy, David Kennedy, and Kent Redfield

David Racine and John Morris

Inductee Bruce Kinnett, Jim Nowlan and Rep. Dave Winters

Margaret Blackshere and Neil Flynn

John Morris, Bob Rich, and Sen. Kirk Dillard

Mona Martin and Timothy Mapes

Illinois Issues Executive Editor Dana Heupel welcomes guests to the Hall of Fame Event

Hall of Fame guests listen to remarks in the Executive Mansion ballroom.

David Racine, interim executive director of the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership, addresses the group.

Kent Redfield explains the Legislative Staff Intern Program's evolution since its inception in 1961.

Jim Nowlan commemorates Samuel K. Gove's contributions to the program.

Veronica Lynch introduced David Kennedy for induction.

Sen. Kirk Dillard introduced Bruce Kinnett for induction.

Margaret Blackshere introduced Catherine Shannon for induction.

House Republican Leader Tom Cross introduces Frank Straus for induction.

Inductee Frank Straus with House Republican Leader Tom Cross

Michael Maibach's award was accepted by John Morris, with Michael's parents, Annette and Charles, and Jim Nowlan.

Frank Straus with Christopher Straus and Charles and Cordie Puttkammer

Sen. Kirk Dillard with Bruce Kinnett and family members

Inductee David Kennedy and family Members — Inductee David Kennedy and family

Inductees Bruce Kinnett, David Kennedy, Catherine Shannon, and Frank Straus. Michael Maibach was unable to attend.

Illinois Issues, December 2009

Tags

Illinois Issues Dana Heupel Samual K. Gove Illinois Legislative Internship Hall of Fame Sangamon State University of Illinois Springfield (UIS)University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

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