Six to Get Illinois' Highest Award in April

SPRINGFIELD – As the Land of Lincoln prepares to celebrate the 202nd birthday of Abraham Lincoln, Governor Pat Quinn today announced six distinguished Illinoisans who will receive The Order of Lincoln, the state’s highest award.

“The men and women receiving the Order of Lincoln have dedicated themselves to improving their communities and helping their neighbors,” said Governor Quinn. “They truly reflect the selflessness embodied by our nation’s sixteenth president, and we thank them for their service.”

The Order of Lincoln Medallion will be presented by Lincoln Academy of Illinois officials at a special ceremony Saturday, April 16 at the Krannert Center for Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana. The 2011 Laureates include:

Richard & Mary Lackritz Gray

Richard and Mary Lackritz Gray are lifelong Chicagoans with international reputations in the arts. The Richard Gray Gallery, founded in Chicago in 1963, is one of the leading dealers in modern and contemporary American and European art. Richard Gray is a Life Trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Goodman Theater, and WTTW/WFMT. Also, he is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Governors of the Smart Museum of Art and the Founding Vice-Chairman of the Chicago Humanities Festival. Mary Lackritz Gray, an art historian, is a member of the Friends of the Parks Advisory Board and the Art Institute’s Committee on Libraries. She authored A Guide to Chicago’s Public Sculpture in 1983 and A Guide to Chicago’s Murals in 2001. The Grays have exhibited for decades a remarkable devotion to Illinois’ cultural life through commitments of time, gifts of art, and donations.

Shahid Khan

Shahid Khan is the president of Flex-N-Gate Corporation, a global automobile components and systems manufacturer located in Urbana, Illinois. Through his understanding of design and entrepreneurial spirit, Khan has advanced new applications of technologies. A native of Pakistan, Khan began working at Flex-N-Gate shortly after he came to the United States to study industrial engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After rising to the position of chief engineer in 1978, Khan left Flex-N-Gate to start his own firm, Bumper Works. He acquired Flex-N-Gate in 1980 and shaped the company over the course of 30 years into one of the top 200 largest private companies in the United States. Today, Flex-N-Gate employs over 9,500 people at 48 manufacturing and 9 product development and engineering facilities throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, and Spain. Khan has made significant investments in educational opportunities for future generations by supporting research, teaching, and outreach activities.

Shirley R. Madigan

As the voice for artists and the arts in Illinois, Shirley Madigan has given a lifetime of commitment to supporting and promoting arts organizations nationally and internationally. She was appointed to the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) in 1976, and has been asked to serve as IAC Chairman by five governors. Madigan actively represents the Council to arts organizations, individual artists, government officials, educators and the business and philanthropic communities. In addition, Madigan has served on the National Endowment for the Arts - Advisory Board on Arts Education, the boards of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Arts Midwest and the Illinois Ethnic Heritage Commission. She has worked on the steering committees for Gallery 37, Year of the American Craft, and the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. She is currently a trustee of Loyola University of Chicago, Erikson Institute, and After School Matters.

Dawn Clark Netsch

Dawn Clark Netsch, Professor of Law Emerita at the Northwestern University School of Law, has been a pioneer in education, law and politics for more than 60 years. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Netsch earned her B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, from Northwestern University in 1948. She graduated first in her class from Northwestern's law school in 1952. Netsch’s early career included working as a private practice attorney, campaigning for Adlai Stevenson, and serving as an aide to Governor Otto Kerner. In 1965, she joined the faculty of the Northwestern School of Law and helped pave the way for women in legal education. She was a delegate to the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention and, two years later, she was elected to the Illinois State Senate. She served in the Illinois Senate for 18 years before being elected Comptroller of Illinois in 1990. Netsch made history again in 1994 as a “straight shooter” when she ran for Governor of Illinois.


Timothy Nugent

Timothy Nugent has devoted his entire professional life to transforming lives through the development of technologies that enhance mobility. Dr. Nugent founded the Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services in 1948 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was the first post-secondary disability support service program in the world. Early in his career, Nugent utilized ramps he built in his garage to help veterans injured in World War II take advantage of the GI Bill. He went on to lead his program toward many firsts, including curb cuts, fixed-route buses with wheelchair lifts, the first National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, and founding a fraternity dedicated to serving those with disabilities. In addition, Nugent was instrumental in the development of architectural accessibility standards that shaped laws throughout the nation. Nugent's work in disability services has positively impacted millions of lives around the world.

The 2011 Convocation and Dinner Chairs are Stanley and Judy Ikenberry and
Michael and Virginia Hogan. Planning Committee members include Dena Bagger,
Margaret Cline, Cheryl Easter, Jodi Ferris, Kim Fox, Donna Greene, Clare Haussermann, Babette Hiles, Virginia Hogan, Judy Ikenberry, Nancy Ikenberry and Carol Scharlau. Civic Committee members include Clint Atkins, Craig Bazzani, Dave Downey, Hon. Jim Edgar, Kim Fox, Rita Henneman, Jim Leonard, Greg Lykins, Douglas Mills, Tom Ramage and Carol Scharlau.

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois, unique among the 50 states, was established in 1964 to honor Illinois’ most distinguished citizens, either by birth or residence, who have brought honor to the state by their achievements. Prior recipients of The Order of Lincoln include President Ronald Reagan, the Chicago Bears’ Walter Payton, Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks, author David Herbert Donald, business leader Lester Crown, Nobel scientist Leon Lederman, and educator Stanley Ikenberry. For more information, visit www.thelincolnacademyofillinois.org.

House Speaker Madigan Spokesman, Steve Brown, on the Process of Selecting a Democratic Candidate for Lt. Governor

Part of the Illinois Channel's Coverage this week, as we look - in part - at the process and politics in selecting a person to be the Democratic Candidate for Illinois Lt Governor.

State Rep. Jack Franks (D) Mulling Run for Governor

FROM THE NORTHWEST HERALD


It will be at least another week before state Rep. Jack Franks decides whether to run for governor.

Franks, D-Marengo, said he would continue to weigh a shot at the governor’s mansion through next week while he and other Illinois officials are on a trade mission to Ireland. The officials, not taxpayers, are paying for the trip, Franks said.

“I’m thinking big thoughts, let’s put it that way, but nothing official yet,” Franks said Thursday at a mortgage relief seminar at McHenry County College.

Franks said he had consulted with family, friends and state officials, and had a “lengthy conversation” Wednesday with House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago. Madigan’s daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, turned political conventional wisdom on its head in July when she decided to run for a third term rather than for governor or U.S. Senate.

Full Story http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2009/09/10/r_kdwgi98rfknk4urxx8w8g/index.xml

Blagojevich book Blames Madigan, Durbin, Lobbyists, Lawmakers, etc, for His Problems

from the Capitol Hill newspaper, THE HILL

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) claims Democratic leaders in Washington did not want him to choose among the African-American candidates who were interested in filling the first black president’s Senate seat.

In his new book, The Governor, Blagojevich discusses his ties to President Barack Obama’s administration — although he spells one of the president’s senior adviser’s names wrong — and describes the behind-the-scenes battles that led him to appoint Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) to Obama’s Senate seat.

Full Story http://thehill.com/homenews/news/57541-blagojevich-fires-back-at-critics-misspellings-and-all

Gov Quinn Vetoes Campaign Finance Bill

Chicago – August 27, 2009. Governor Pat Quinn today vetoed campaign finance House Bill 7 saying Illinois deserves a stronger and better election reform law. At the ceremony announcing his veto, Governor Quinn was joined by the General Assembly’s four party leaders and community activists.

“I think we can do better. I look forward to working with Democrat and Republican leaders, activists and everyday citizens on improving our state election campaign laws and restoring the public’s faith in our democratic process,” said Governor Quinn. (Veto message attached.)
Among those attending the veto signing: House Speaker Michael Madigan; Senate President John Cullerton; House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno.

“By beginning the process anew, we have the opportunity to bring together the Governor, legislators of both parties, and public watchdog groups to develop a comprehensive plan that sets limits on contributions and provides for more public scrutiny of those contributions,” said Radogno.

Also attending were George Ranney, president and CEO of Metropolis 2020 and co-chair of CHANGE Illinois!, and Cindy Canary, director of Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

"The Governor and the legislative leaders are to be commended for agreeing to veto HB7 and to begin work immediately on a new version of campaign finance limits,” said Ranney. “The members of the CHANGE Illinois! coalition are committed to working with Governor and members of the Illinois General Assembly.”

Canary of Illinois Campaign for Political Reform said, “Too many election campaigns have been fueled by large donations from special interests. We need a limits system that breaks that reliance on big contributors and encourages small donors and voters to participate more fully in the electoral process. We are open to discussing the details of a new system of campaign contribution limits, but we will not compromise on these principles.”

During the veto signing session, Governor Quinn also outlined a series of major government and political reforms he initiated and supported this year.

“We have made great strides during this Year of Reform and I intend to do much more,” Governor Quinn said.