nobody calls to say hello wojcicki 4 25-12-ss

Philip J Rock: The Illinois antidote to Blagojevich

Presentation by Ed Wojcicki – April 25, 2012, at UIS

Born in Chicago a Catholic, Democrat and Cubs fan

Seminary for 10 years

Illinois Senate President1979-93

Sheila Graber Rock with her brother

“It’s not your turn”

Then, the lucky

37th Ward

Rock’s career

“Always tried to do the right thing” – many confirm this

Held his caucus together:

He led an “assembly of 59 raging egos” – Chicago Tribune

Rock’s career

Rock’sCareer

Republicans

Abused and disadvantagedchildren

Respect for institutions of government

Womenin government

The process of research

1. Ask experts:

What would you expect to read?-- Charlie Wheeler-- Mike Lawrence

-- Rock’s confidantes from the 1980s

-- HJR 196 – January

2. Twenty-eight interviews with Rock

3a. Dozens of interviews, conversations

Copyright

Chicago Tribune

3b. Yes, dozens and dozens

The process

4. Graduate assistant Kyle Dooley

5. Newspapers and Illinois Issues6. Collect photographs

7. Collect tidbits

8.

Verify- Dates- Roll calls- Bill numbers- Substance

“Senate Journals”

“Legislative Synopsis”

8.

VerifyFloor

transcripts, State

Archives, Chicag

o library, State

Historical

Library,

Boxes of

clippings and

pictures and

letters

8.

VerifyOak Park Library,

Wednesday

Journal of Oak

Park,

Oak Leaves

The process

9. External readers – friends and pros

10. Hire an editor

11. SIU editors, several of them, and the index

12. Answer hundreds of editors’ questions

13. Rewrite

14. Verify

15. Answer more questions from editors

Why do it?

“I read the book on a plane.

“… the last paragraph of Chapter 13”

Why do it?

Why do it?Rock interacted personally with several Illinois and Chicago

legends in the last quarter of the 20th century:

Richard J. Daley (1955-1976, mayor)

James R. Thompson (1976-1991, governor)

Harold Washington as senator and mayor (1983-87)

Richard M. Daley (1989-2012, mayor)

Michael J. Madigan (1983-95, 1997-present, speaker)

Why do it?

“Conventional wisdom might not predict that a loyal product of the Cook County Democratic organization could emerge as an ethical voice for the voiceless…

“Rock’s story makes it clear that one can be a loyal partisan and a highly principled public official.”

– Ed Wojcicki, Preface

Help Rock preserve his storyBe fair and even-handed

Give everyone a chance to be heard

Respect the institutions of government such as the Illinois Senate and Office of the Governor

Make government work for the people for whom it is supposed to work

What Rock said afterward

“I got so damn mad at Blagojevich that … I wanted the message to go out to all, including my 12 grandchildren, that Springfield was a wonderful place, the seat of our government, [it] deserved better respect than it was getting, and I was going to tell them about it.”

Contact

Ed Wojcicki

University of Illinois Springfield

ewojc1@uis.edu

217.206.7795

At LinkedIn

On Facebook

This presentation is based on:

Nobody Calls Just to Say HelloPhilip J. Rock with Ed Wojcicki

© 2012, Southern Illinois University Press