Son of Southern Illinois: Glenn Poshard’s Life in Politics and Education: Illinois Lives
Autor Carl Walworth, Glenn Posharden Limba Engleză Paperback – 14 aug 2023
This first biography of Glenn Poshard traces the life of a young man who rose from rural poverty in Southern Illinois to become a United States congressman and president of the Southern Illinois University system. This profound portrait unveils a life and career dedicated to making higher education affordable and improving the quality of life for the community of Southern Illinois.
Beginning with his childhood in a two-room home near Herald, Illinois and the early, tragic loss of his sister, this biography navigates Poshard’s service in the military, his time as a state senator and United States congressman, his run for governor, his years at Southern Illinois University, and the establishment of the Poshard Foundation for Abused Children. Intimacies of his personal life are disclosed, such as his struggles with and treatment for depression, his passion for education, and the lasting bonds he formed with his teachers. His unpopular decision to refuse PAC donations is also highlighted, along with the work that went into sponsoring the Illinois Wilderness Act, and his relationship with civil rights activist John Lewis. Glenn Poshard’s efforts for the Wilderness Act designated Southern Illinois’s famous Garden of the Gods as a National Wilderness Preservation System, which continues to attract visitors from around the world.
Poshard’s path from poverty was riddled with hardship, but his perseverance and family values ultimately allowed for longstanding personal and civic growth. From an admirable work ethic to a steadfast commitment to problem-solving, this biography illuminates the life and accomplishments of an impressive and generous leader.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9780809339181
ISBN-10: 0809339188
Pagini: 340
Ilustrații: 26
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 24 mm
Greutate: 0.07 kg
Ediția:First Edition
Editura: Southern Illinois University Press
Colecția Southern Illinois University Press
Seria Illinois Lives
ISBN-10: 0809339188
Pagini: 340
Ilustrații: 26
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 24 mm
Greutate: 0.07 kg
Ediția:First Edition
Editura: Southern Illinois University Press
Colecția Southern Illinois University Press
Seria Illinois Lives
Notă biografică
Carl Walworth worked for thirty-one years as a reporter, editor and later publisher in the newspaper industry in Illinois. He currently is the library director at the Mattoon Public Library. He is the author of The Mayor of Moultrie Avenue and a researcher for Lake Sara, the Hidden Jewel in America’s Heartland. Walworth has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois in Urbana and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University.
Glenn Poshard has been at the forefront of educational and economic development initiatives at the regional, state, and national level for more than five decades. His lengthy service-oriented career has included time as a soldier, teacher, Illinois state senator, a member of the U.S. Congress, chairman of the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees, and President of the SIU system. The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children, a volunteer organization founded by Poshard and his wife, Jo, has served the needs of vulnerable children in Southern Illinois for nearly 25 years.
Glenn Poshard has been at the forefront of educational and economic development initiatives at the regional, state, and national level for more than five decades. His lengthy service-oriented career has included time as a soldier, teacher, Illinois state senator, a member of the U.S. Congress, chairman of the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees, and President of the SIU system. The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children, a volunteer organization founded by Poshard and his wife, Jo, has served the needs of vulnerable children in Southern Illinois for nearly 25 years.
Extras
Preface
As I pull in my driveway on a spring day in 2017, a call comes from Glenn Poshard. It has been nearly twenty years since Poshard served as Illinois’ Nineteenth District congressman, three years since he served as president of Southern Illinois University, and eighteen years since he and his wife Jo launched the Poshard Foundation, a nonprofit focused on helping abused children. Poshard’s unexpected call came a few months after I was in southern Illinois on an assignment, had a slot spot open in my schedule, and called Poshard about meeting for lunch to reminisce.
Over pizza and salad in the fall of 2016, Poshard had asked about my writing. In the two years since I retired from my work as publisher and editor of the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier, I had turned my attention to freelance writing, self-publishing a memoir (The Mayor of Moultrie Avenue), and writing a history of a nearby lake and feature-length stories on issues such as disappearing grocery stores across rural Illinois.
I first interacted with Poshard in the 1990s during my tenure as city editor for the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier newspaper in Coles County, when Poshard met with our editorial staff, when he hosted town hall meetings in our area, and when he was a source for articles I wrote about projects in our part of his congressional district. So when Poshard and I sat down for lunch in downtown Carterville, we could be characterized as a public political figure and a journalist/freelance writer, as men of faith, as fathers, as sports fans, and as Illinois and U.S. citizens who care deeply about our country and have a desire to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
In the follow-up phone call on this sunny Saturday, my car facing the cornfield across the road from my home in Mattoon, Poshard said, “We’ve known each other for a good while. Do you think my life and career are worthy of a book? And would you consider writing it?”
The answer to the first question was an immediate yes, but the answer to the second question required more thought. As I walked in the front door, considering the Poshard project, I thought of my mother. She’d been raised during the Great Depression on an eighty-acre farm about thirty miles from where Poshard grew up in the hills of White County. I welcomed the opportunity to deepen my understanding of the history, politics, and culture of southern Illinois.
Poshard, born October 30, 1945, was raised with the same family values, fiscal frugality, and work ethic that I had experienced in my own family. Researching and writing a biography of Poshard, I knew, would require a simultaneous focus on his career and on the people and places that shaped him—the economic, environmental, geographic, and political dynamics of Illinois, specifically rural southern Illinois. I welcomed the challenge.
Little did I know that the process of research and writing would span more than five years and include more than a hundred hours of conversations with Glenn, his wife Jo and many others who knew of their work. I rode with Glenn in his minivan, passing places of his youth, including the Chapman Grove Baptist Church and the site of his two-room elementary school, now a small museum. His family prepared a delicious lunch. Later that day, we visited Jim Endicott, his high school history teacher then in his midnineties, who had instilled a love of history and government into generations of Carmi Township High School students.
In the first year of research and writing, I began interviewing Poshard in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, about halfway between our two homes. Together, we reviewed news clippings, handwritten notes, and brochures from the many banker’s boxes of materials he loaned me. Over the next several years, I would continue gathering information and revisiting stories, shifting locations as Glenn, Jo, and about twenty-five people personally interviewed made time for this project in the midst of busy lives. The quotes from Poshard in this book stem from these conversations, email exchanges, and multiple Zoom calls. I have not cited each quote to a specific interview.
Sorting out the intricacies of Poshard’s multifaceted career, what to include, how to connect things, has been a challenge. Many issues raised in the book resonate as much today as they did years ago. One such issue is what it means to be a Democrat. Poshard is now and always has been a Democrat. He also was conservative on many social issues and some economic ones, like a balanced budget. Poshard remembers discussing, in the Illinois Senate, what it means to be a Democrat with Penny Severns, a more liberal state senator. The following paragraphs typify ways Poshard in his own words describes key points in his life throughout this book.
“Many times at the end of a long day’s session, we would sit and talk, and the discussion was almost always on what it meant to be a Democrat. What were the principles in which we believed? I still have a copy of the list we agreed on. First, balance the budget, don’t borrow and spend on the backs of our children. If you feel the state needs something, then pay for it as you go even if it requires raising some taxes. Don’t borrow the money just so you can escape the political consequences in the next election.
“Second, equal educational opportunity for every child no matter where they live. Neither one of us agreed that property taxes should be the basis for funding public education.
“Third, equal justice before the law. No matter a person’s socioeconomic status in life, every person coming before our system of jurisprudence deserves equal and fair treatment.
“Fourth, stand firm for union rights. We both felt the unions built the great middle class of America, and without the wages and benefits they provided, the middle class would begin to disappear. Today, union membership stands at one of the lowest rates in our history, and the middle class is diminishing every year.
“Fifth, we must protect the most vulnerable among us. As Vice President Hubert Humphrey stated many times, ‘The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.’ We agreed, that, as Democrats, we would always try to uphold those principles.”
I wonder what principles would emerge should there be a similar conversation in 2022. Could there even be such a conversation? Southern Illinois communities that voted Democratic in Poshard’s youth now are solidly Republican.
While Poshard served as a Democratic congressman and ran for governor of Illinois as a Democrat, his approach to politics and civic life models deeply held American values—cultivation and respect for independent critical thinking, vigorous and respectful debate, standing up for what you believe in, and working with others (even those whose values you do not share) on common goals for the common good. In these hyperpartisan times, this book will resonate with readers who are strong advocates on both sides of the aisle, readers seeking strategies and models to help them understand and participate in values-laden and often contentious civic work in their home communities as members of local school boards, as church and business leaders, as young people participating in their first political campaigns, and even as consumers making daily decisions about whether and what to post on Facebook and how to respond to a neighbor or fellow parishioner with whom they strongly disagree.
This book goes beyond politics. Many issues that arose in Poshard’s life are relatable to today’s world. The role of mental health is one example. The book includes a life-changing mental health issue that Poshard talks about publicly for the first time. The importance of teacher mentors is another. The spiritual nature of life, yet another. One thing readers may find surprising is the role poetry plays in key life turning points.
This is an authorized biography in which Poshard participated throughout. As the story progressed, I drafted chapters, shared them with Glenn and Jo, revised with their feedback. We followed up with phone conversations. The book is very much Poshard telling his story with insights from those he worked with closely. While they had input, I am responsible for any factual or interpretive errors.
As I traveled for this story, meeting and listening to dozens of people, I discovered much about Glenn Poshard, about southern Illinois, about living a full, adventurous life focused on making a difference. Readers interested in a thoughtful, passionate, personal approach to tackling important matters that improve our relationships and our world will relate to this story. The approaches shown here underline that we can create a better, fairer world.
[end of excerpt]
As I pull in my driveway on a spring day in 2017, a call comes from Glenn Poshard. It has been nearly twenty years since Poshard served as Illinois’ Nineteenth District congressman, three years since he served as president of Southern Illinois University, and eighteen years since he and his wife Jo launched the Poshard Foundation, a nonprofit focused on helping abused children. Poshard’s unexpected call came a few months after I was in southern Illinois on an assignment, had a slot spot open in my schedule, and called Poshard about meeting for lunch to reminisce.
Over pizza and salad in the fall of 2016, Poshard had asked about my writing. In the two years since I retired from my work as publisher and editor of the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier, I had turned my attention to freelance writing, self-publishing a memoir (The Mayor of Moultrie Avenue), and writing a history of a nearby lake and feature-length stories on issues such as disappearing grocery stores across rural Illinois.
I first interacted with Poshard in the 1990s during my tenure as city editor for the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier newspaper in Coles County, when Poshard met with our editorial staff, when he hosted town hall meetings in our area, and when he was a source for articles I wrote about projects in our part of his congressional district. So when Poshard and I sat down for lunch in downtown Carterville, we could be characterized as a public political figure and a journalist/freelance writer, as men of faith, as fathers, as sports fans, and as Illinois and U.S. citizens who care deeply about our country and have a desire to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
In the follow-up phone call on this sunny Saturday, my car facing the cornfield across the road from my home in Mattoon, Poshard said, “We’ve known each other for a good while. Do you think my life and career are worthy of a book? And would you consider writing it?”
The answer to the first question was an immediate yes, but the answer to the second question required more thought. As I walked in the front door, considering the Poshard project, I thought of my mother. She’d been raised during the Great Depression on an eighty-acre farm about thirty miles from where Poshard grew up in the hills of White County. I welcomed the opportunity to deepen my understanding of the history, politics, and culture of southern Illinois.
Poshard, born October 30, 1945, was raised with the same family values, fiscal frugality, and work ethic that I had experienced in my own family. Researching and writing a biography of Poshard, I knew, would require a simultaneous focus on his career and on the people and places that shaped him—the economic, environmental, geographic, and political dynamics of Illinois, specifically rural southern Illinois. I welcomed the challenge.
Little did I know that the process of research and writing would span more than five years and include more than a hundred hours of conversations with Glenn, his wife Jo and many others who knew of their work. I rode with Glenn in his minivan, passing places of his youth, including the Chapman Grove Baptist Church and the site of his two-room elementary school, now a small museum. His family prepared a delicious lunch. Later that day, we visited Jim Endicott, his high school history teacher then in his midnineties, who had instilled a love of history and government into generations of Carmi Township High School students.
In the first year of research and writing, I began interviewing Poshard in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, about halfway between our two homes. Together, we reviewed news clippings, handwritten notes, and brochures from the many banker’s boxes of materials he loaned me. Over the next several years, I would continue gathering information and revisiting stories, shifting locations as Glenn, Jo, and about twenty-five people personally interviewed made time for this project in the midst of busy lives. The quotes from Poshard in this book stem from these conversations, email exchanges, and multiple Zoom calls. I have not cited each quote to a specific interview.
Sorting out the intricacies of Poshard’s multifaceted career, what to include, how to connect things, has been a challenge. Many issues raised in the book resonate as much today as they did years ago. One such issue is what it means to be a Democrat. Poshard is now and always has been a Democrat. He also was conservative on many social issues and some economic ones, like a balanced budget. Poshard remembers discussing, in the Illinois Senate, what it means to be a Democrat with Penny Severns, a more liberal state senator. The following paragraphs typify ways Poshard in his own words describes key points in his life throughout this book.
“Many times at the end of a long day’s session, we would sit and talk, and the discussion was almost always on what it meant to be a Democrat. What were the principles in which we believed? I still have a copy of the list we agreed on. First, balance the budget, don’t borrow and spend on the backs of our children. If you feel the state needs something, then pay for it as you go even if it requires raising some taxes. Don’t borrow the money just so you can escape the political consequences in the next election.
“Second, equal educational opportunity for every child no matter where they live. Neither one of us agreed that property taxes should be the basis for funding public education.
“Third, equal justice before the law. No matter a person’s socioeconomic status in life, every person coming before our system of jurisprudence deserves equal and fair treatment.
“Fourth, stand firm for union rights. We both felt the unions built the great middle class of America, and without the wages and benefits they provided, the middle class would begin to disappear. Today, union membership stands at one of the lowest rates in our history, and the middle class is diminishing every year.
“Fifth, we must protect the most vulnerable among us. As Vice President Hubert Humphrey stated many times, ‘The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.’ We agreed, that, as Democrats, we would always try to uphold those principles.”
I wonder what principles would emerge should there be a similar conversation in 2022. Could there even be such a conversation? Southern Illinois communities that voted Democratic in Poshard’s youth now are solidly Republican.
While Poshard served as a Democratic congressman and ran for governor of Illinois as a Democrat, his approach to politics and civic life models deeply held American values—cultivation and respect for independent critical thinking, vigorous and respectful debate, standing up for what you believe in, and working with others (even those whose values you do not share) on common goals for the common good. In these hyperpartisan times, this book will resonate with readers who are strong advocates on both sides of the aisle, readers seeking strategies and models to help them understand and participate in values-laden and often contentious civic work in their home communities as members of local school boards, as church and business leaders, as young people participating in their first political campaigns, and even as consumers making daily decisions about whether and what to post on Facebook and how to respond to a neighbor or fellow parishioner with whom they strongly disagree.
This book goes beyond politics. Many issues that arose in Poshard’s life are relatable to today’s world. The role of mental health is one example. The book includes a life-changing mental health issue that Poshard talks about publicly for the first time. The importance of teacher mentors is another. The spiritual nature of life, yet another. One thing readers may find surprising is the role poetry plays in key life turning points.
This is an authorized biography in which Poshard participated throughout. As the story progressed, I drafted chapters, shared them with Glenn and Jo, revised with their feedback. We followed up with phone conversations. The book is very much Poshard telling his story with insights from those he worked with closely. While they had input, I am responsible for any factual or interpretive errors.
As I traveled for this story, meeting and listening to dozens of people, I discovered much about Glenn Poshard, about southern Illinois, about living a full, adventurous life focused on making a difference. Readers interested in a thoughtful, passionate, personal approach to tackling important matters that improve our relationships and our world will relate to this story. The approaches shown here underline that we can create a better, fairer world.
[end of excerpt]
Cuprins
CONTENTS
Preface
Part 1. Southern Illinois Roots
1. White County Hills
2. A Quiet Country Kid at the Front
3. Military Life in Missouri, Korea, Indiana, and New York
4. First in the Family
5. Releasing the Demons
Part 2. A Passion for Electoral Politics
6. Working for an Opponent
7. At Home in Lincoln Land
8. On the Issues, a Race for Congress
9. Not All about the Money
10. A Change of Heart
11. Worth the Fight
12. Redistricting and a New Constituency
13. Welcoming Central Illinois
14. Trusting Only America
15. Keeping a Promise
Part 3. A Race for Illinois Governor
16. Pitching Lunch Bucket Populism
17. Liberal Fallout, Lost Opportunity
18. Meeting the New Governor
Part 4. Southern Illinois University Leadership
19. Vision and Action on Campus
20. Trustees Turning Inward
21. Not a Job
Part 5. Returning to Roots
22. The Right to Rise?
23. Professional Baseball in Southern Illinois
24. Rend Lake Turnaround
25. Faith in Politics
26. The Shadow Side of Leadership
27. Poshard Foundation and Beyond
Appendixes
A. Constituent Issues, 1993–94
B. Constituent Issues, 1995–96
C. President Emeritus Citation
Preface
Part 1. Southern Illinois Roots
1. White County Hills
2. A Quiet Country Kid at the Front
3. Military Life in Missouri, Korea, Indiana, and New York
4. First in the Family
5. Releasing the Demons
Part 2. A Passion for Electoral Politics
6. Working for an Opponent
7. At Home in Lincoln Land
8. On the Issues, a Race for Congress
9. Not All about the Money
10. A Change of Heart
11. Worth the Fight
12. Redistricting and a New Constituency
13. Welcoming Central Illinois
14. Trusting Only America
15. Keeping a Promise
Part 3. A Race for Illinois Governor
16. Pitching Lunch Bucket Populism
17. Liberal Fallout, Lost Opportunity
18. Meeting the New Governor
Part 4. Southern Illinois University Leadership
19. Vision and Action on Campus
20. Trustees Turning Inward
21. Not a Job
Part 5. Returning to Roots
22. The Right to Rise?
23. Professional Baseball in Southern Illinois
24. Rend Lake Turnaround
25. Faith in Politics
26. The Shadow Side of Leadership
27. Poshard Foundation and Beyond
Appendixes
A. Constituent Issues, 1993–94
B. Constituent Issues, 1995–96
C. President Emeritus Citation
Recenzii
“Southern Illinois is in Glenn Poshard’s DNA. My friend and former colleague, Glenn made a life of politics and public service: soldier, state senator, congressman, candidate for governor and president of Southern Illinois University. Every step of the way he was faithful to his values and his heritage even at the cost of popular support. More than any person I know, Glenn Poshard has given a life of commitment to the families of Southern Illinois. When the political mapmakers carved up this unique part of our state, he refused to be any part of dividing the land of his birth. Now at a time when our nation is so bitterly divided, Glenn Poshard showed us that you can be true to your beliefs and still be respectful of your political adversaries. The voters even when they disagreed with him knew he was an honest, caring man in a world desperately searching for public servants to believe in. He and his wife Jo continue their lifelong commitment to those who need a helping hand with their Poshard Foundation for Children.”—Senator Dick Durbin
“Glenn Poshard has lived a remarkable life. He grew up in poverty-stricken southeastern Illinois, focused on education and rose in the political world to serve his home region in the Illinois State Senate and the United States Congress. During his decade in Congress, Glenn worked to improve infrastructure and boost educational services. As a son of Southern Illinois, he had experienced the importance of rural health care and, as a Congressman, he focused on programs and funding to save rural hospitals. His is an American story worth reading.”—Governor Jim Edgar
“Nobody represents the quintessential great American success story better than Glenn Poshard, and nobody represented Southern and central Illinois in the halls of power better than Poshard. From his birth and growing up in a hard-working blue-collar family in White County to a career in education and a second career in public service, progressing from Southern Illinois to Springfield, and then Washington, and back to Southern Illinois Poshard compiled a distinguished career in both fields. Very few, if any, biographies of prominent politicians are this candid, resulting in a unique and important political biography.”—John S. Jackson, editor ofSouthern Illinois University at 150 Years
“I first met Glenn Poshard in 1982, two years before he was elected to the Illinois Senate. Glenn was the first senator from Southern Illinois to chair the Illinois Senate Labor Committee. Glenn’s tireless dedication to working men and women and their unions has not wavered in the forty years I have known him. One example of his lasting impact on our region is the thousands of union jobs created by the construction of the Olmsted Locks and Dam, the largest project ever completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These union jobs, a total of more than 45 million labor hours, were the direct result of Glenn’s efforts.”—Edward M. Smith, president and CEO of Ullico
“It is difficult to estimate the influence of Glenn’s life on vulnerable and ‘faceless’ children whose lives have been dignified and enriched through his vision, love, and service. His early experience with the orphaned children of post-war Korea was a defining step toward placing him on a firm path to serving similarly vulnerable children back home. I arrived at the Song Jook Orphanage shortly after Glenn left Korea, but the pattern of service he and his colleagues established continued to bless us children and other soldiers who volunteered their time and gave of their heart. I am grateful that decades later, our lives intersected again and I am able to celebrate and deeply admire his life-long example. His life is truly a testament that those who grow through service are magnified, and humble hearts combined with genuine love can lead to great accomplishments.”—Jini Roby, professor emeritus social work, Brigham Young University
“A true patriot is revealed in Son of Southern Illinois, the biography of former Illinois State Senator, U.S. Congressman, unsuccessful Illinois Governor candidate, and Southern Illinois University (SIU) [system president] Glenn Poshard. Poshard was not only an effective legislator, ensuring federal and state programs assisted the state’s south, but did so with high ethical standards.”—Mike Matejka, Bloomington-Normal Trades and Labor Assembly
“Glenn Poshard has lived a remarkable life. He grew up in poverty-stricken southeastern Illinois, focused on education and rose in the political world to serve his home region in the Illinois State Senate and the United States Congress. During his decade in Congress, Glenn worked to improve infrastructure and boost educational services. As a son of Southern Illinois, he had experienced the importance of rural health care and, as a Congressman, he focused on programs and funding to save rural hospitals. His is an American story worth reading.”—Governor Jim Edgar
“Nobody represents the quintessential great American success story better than Glenn Poshard, and nobody represented Southern and central Illinois in the halls of power better than Poshard. From his birth and growing up in a hard-working blue-collar family in White County to a career in education and a second career in public service, progressing from Southern Illinois to Springfield, and then Washington, and back to Southern Illinois Poshard compiled a distinguished career in both fields. Very few, if any, biographies of prominent politicians are this candid, resulting in a unique and important political biography.”—John S. Jackson, editor ofSouthern Illinois University at 150 Years
“I first met Glenn Poshard in 1982, two years before he was elected to the Illinois Senate. Glenn was the first senator from Southern Illinois to chair the Illinois Senate Labor Committee. Glenn’s tireless dedication to working men and women and their unions has not wavered in the forty years I have known him. One example of his lasting impact on our region is the thousands of union jobs created by the construction of the Olmsted Locks and Dam, the largest project ever completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These union jobs, a total of more than 45 million labor hours, were the direct result of Glenn’s efforts.”—Edward M. Smith, president and CEO of Ullico
“It is difficult to estimate the influence of Glenn’s life on vulnerable and ‘faceless’ children whose lives have been dignified and enriched through his vision, love, and service. His early experience with the orphaned children of post-war Korea was a defining step toward placing him on a firm path to serving similarly vulnerable children back home. I arrived at the Song Jook Orphanage shortly after Glenn left Korea, but the pattern of service he and his colleagues established continued to bless us children and other soldiers who volunteered their time and gave of their heart. I am grateful that decades later, our lives intersected again and I am able to celebrate and deeply admire his life-long example. His life is truly a testament that those who grow through service are magnified, and humble hearts combined with genuine love can lead to great accomplishments.”—Jini Roby, professor emeritus social work, Brigham Young University
“A true patriot is revealed in Son of Southern Illinois, the biography of former Illinois State Senator, U.S. Congressman, unsuccessful Illinois Governor candidate, and Southern Illinois University (SIU) [system president] Glenn Poshard. Poshard was not only an effective legislator, ensuring federal and state programs assisted the state’s south, but did so with high ethical standards.”—Mike Matejka, Bloomington-Normal Trades and Labor Assembly
Descriere
This first biography of Glenn Poshard traces the life of a young man who rose from rural poverty in Southern Illinois to become a United States congressman and president of the Southern Illinois University system. This profound portrait unveils a life and career dedicated to making higher education affordable and improving the quality of life for the community of Southern Illinois.