Son of Southern Illinois: Glenn Poshard's Life in Politics and Education

by Carl Walworth, Glenn Poshard

Overview

A life of principles, service, and faith  

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780809339181
Publisher:	Southern Illinois University Press
Publication date:	08/14/2023
Series:	Illinois Lives
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	340
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

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.
 

Read an Excerpt

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]

Table of Contents

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