•John W. Dickey of Decatur also has joined the treasurer's staff as leg- islative liaison. Prior to his appoint- ment he was a member of House Speaker Lee Daniels' research and appropriations staff.

•Polly Vogel was named chief exec- utive officer of the Illinois Prairie State 2000 Authority. She replaces Dennis Sienko, who resigned to manage his consulting firm.

•Jeanne Blackman has joined the staff of Attorney General Jim Ryan as a policy advisor for senior issues. Blackman had worked for more than six years as director of legislative affairs for the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.

•Abdul-Hakim Shabazz also has joined the attorney general's staff as a public information officer. Prior to his appointment he was a Statehouse reporter for WMAY-AM/WNNSFM/WQLZ-FM.

Springfield judge named to federal bench
President Bill Clinton nominated Circuit Judge Sue Ellen Myerscough for the post of federal judge for the Central District of Illinois, which was vacated when U.S. District Judge Harold Baker took senior status last fall. Myerscough was appointed an associate judge in 1987, elected to a six-year term as circuit judge in 1990 and named presiding judge in 1994. She was recommended for the federal bench by Sens. Paul Simon and Carol Moseley-Braun. Myerscough must still be confirmed by the Senate.

Teacher of the year from southern Illinois
Barbara Alien of Equality was named 1996 Illinois Teacher of the Year. She has taught art education for the past 23 years at Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg School District 3 in Saline County.

Allen, a talented artist herself, has inspired her students to believe in their own creative energies. Many of her students have won local, state and national awards, including two students who have had their work chosen for display in the nation's capitol. During her career, 50 of Alien's students have chosen some aspect of art as their own career.

As Teacher of the Year, Alien will spend the second semester traveling the state speaking to other teachers and community groups. She receives a lifetime tuition waiver to state universities and a one-year paid leave to pursue graduate work.

New inspector general at mental health agency
Pat Curtis of Springfield was named inspector general for the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. Prior to her appointment, she was a deputy director in the state agency.

Curtis replaces C.J. Dombrowski who resigned to join the staff of the University of Illinois, where she will work on a project with the Department of Children and Family Services.

Chicagoan leaving as White House counsel
Abner Mikva left his job as counsel to President Bill Clinton at the end of October after 18 months of service. Mikva served his Chicago district as state representative and congressman. Before taking on White House legal duties he was a federal judge.

Honors
Shawn Denney, general counsel to Attorney General Jim Ryan, received the James C. Craven Freedom of the Press Award given by the Illinois Press Association. The award is given annually to an Illinois public official, citizen's advocate or newspaper employee who has demonstrated a commitment to the principles of a free and open press.

Sentenced
D. Sharon Grant, former president of the Chicago School Board, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax evasion. In July, she pleaded guilty for not paying federal income taxes since 1977.

Obituary
Oral G. "Jake" Jacobs, former state representative from East Moline, died in Springfield on October 8. The father of state Sen. Denny Jacobs, the elder Jacobs served in the Illinois House from 1965 to 1977.

University of Chicago prof wins Nobel Prize for economics

Robert E. Lucas Jr. (above), professor of economics at the University of Chicago, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. He is the eighth University of Chicago faculty member to win the economics prize since 1976, five of whom have won in the last six years. The University of Chicago can claim 65 Nobel laureates, more than any other institution.
Beverley Scobell and Jennifer Halperin

36 / November 1995 / Illinois Issues

The other seven Democratic candidates as they are listed on the ballot are:
•Ronald V. Cummings, Harvey
•Danny Hutcherson, Chicago
•James Williams, Riverdale
•Rep. Monique D. Davis, Chicago
•Arvin Boddie, Chicago
•John F. Morrow, Park Forest
•Craig A. Ford, Chicago

Republican candidates are:
•Bill Moran, Calumet City
•Anthony J. Cisneros, Chicago
•Thomas Joseph "T.J." Somer, Chicago Heights
•Lionel 0. Pittman, Chicago
The general election will be held on December 12, two weeks after the primary.

Another Democrat for U.S. Senate seat
Clint Krislov, a Chicago attorney and newcomer to political office, announced he is a candidate for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Paul Simon. Krislov, 46, of Wilmette cites a survey conducted by the Mellman Group of Washington, D.C., that concluded the race "is wide open" with 65 percent of the Democratic primary electorate undecided.

Democrat announces for 20th District seat
State Rep. Jay Hoffman of Collinsville announced his intention to run in the Democratic primary seeking the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Richard Durbin, who is running for the Senate.

Former aide to treasurer to run in 100th District
Jim Howard, former spokesman to State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, has announced he will run as a Democrat in the 100th District House race. Prior to his short stint with the treasurer's office, Howard was Statehouse bureau chief for public radio station WSSU (now WUIS) /WIPA-FM, Springfield.

Retiring senator to teach at Carbondale
U.S. Sen. Paul Simon intends to return to his southern Illinois home in Makanda and teach at nearby Southern Illinois University at Carbondale upon his retirement from Congress. He wants to teach political science, history and journalism as well as research public policy issues.

Beverley Scobell

So long Henry
Henry Hanson, 67, died September 13 at his home in Chicago. He had worked as a reporter, columnist and senior editor for Chicago Magazine since 1978, and was known especially for writing the "Upfront" column. He began his 40-year journalism career as a reporter for the Chicago City News Bureau. He reported for the Chicago Daily News from 1955 until it folded in 1978.
By JOHN CAMPER

Henry Hanson, the legendary State- house reporter, was buried September 16, lying down rather than standing up.

Henry would have liked that utterly tasteless lead. It's modeled on one he wrote while covering U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen's funeral for the Chicago Daily News in 1969. Under Henry's questioning, a gravedigger had replied, "Yes, he could squeeze in more bodies if they were buried standing up, but people preferred them lying down."

That never made the paper. But Henry's friends received Christmas cards that showed a grinning Henry seated in front of the cemetery with an outstretched hand full of cash.

Henry covered three governors — Otto Kemer, Richard Ogilvie and Dan Walker — and considered Ogilvie the best because he never went to prison.

One night, recalls former reporter Taylor Pensoneau, Secretary of State Paul Powell was on the radio taking planted calls defending him from a scandal Henry had uncovered. The next caller said, "Paul, this is your old friend, Henry Hanson. Paul, how much are you paying those people to make those calls?" The radio went dead for several seconds. Then the announcer said, "We'll now take the next call."

Did Henry ever get in trouble? You bet. A Springfield architect threatened to sue after Henry reported a barroom conversation in which he admitted taking a kickback. Henry took — and passed —a lie detector test at his own expense.

Gen. William Westmoreland went ballistic when he discovered the piece of paper he had just autographed for Henry was the back of an antiwar leaflet.

And Ogilvie once got so mad at one of Henry's remarks that he threatened to have the State Police remove him from the Executive Mansion.

Some experts say the colorful reporters of the past weren't as good as the sober tape-recorder toters of today. The Pulitzer Prize that Henry shared with two of his Daily News colleagues might disabuse them of that notion.

John Camper, a former colleague of Henry Hansen's at the Chicago Daily News, is associate chancellor for public affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

November 1995/Illinois Issues/37