Leland J. Kennedy Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

You find that different people accept you differently, and you accept them differently. But
I found Jerome Finkle to be very helpful, and this man I call Peterson - that's not his
name though I don't think. I think his secretary was a Miss Peterson, or one of the ladies
in there.
But Jack Isakoff was brilliant. And 1'11 tell you who - Bill Day and Bill Hey were very
helpful. My goodness, they were - and all the staff, 1 don't know - is Dorothy still
there? Dorothy Nadasdi? She was always very helpful.
Now in later years, why - well isn't there a Mr. Nichols in the Reference Bureau? Or is
Bobhitt still there? Robbitt had left hadn't he?
Q: He left, yes.
A: He was kind of cranky I thought.
Q: Oh is that right? (chuckles)
A: Rut now maybe that's just my personal opinion of him. Rut his assistant was a fellow
who wore a mustache. Nichols. He had a different personality than Bobbitt did. I think
most of the fellows would go to him with their legislative bills that they wanted drawn
up. Loren was kind of cranky. I've talked to him since. Seemed like once he got out of
there he changed. Maybe the pressure was too great for him, you know. I don't know, it
might have bccn. And pressure gets to people in different ways, that's all.
And I found my first term up there, why - talking about people - I found Governor Green
to be a very decent sort of a man. You could go in and see and talk to him, and he made
you feel at ease.
Q: Even as a nemocrat you could go in?
A: Oh sure. Yes, ycs, he made you at ease. 1 don't think that - oh, there's politics
naturally. I mean Thompson's running as a Republican and Stevenson's running as a
Democrat. They both have their tickets but once you get there, why hcll, I think you get
along with them there. Thew are going to be some arguments and some disagreements and
there's going to be the Chicago and the downstate but they - I think it's overplayed. 1
think what's good for downstate is good for Chicago and what's good for Chicago is good
for downstate in most cases. There's going to be those collar counties around Cook County
- why, I guess most of them are Republican dominated, but in a sense they all get
along. They all root for the Cubs and the White Sox and U of I and the state schools.
Q: How well did you get to know Governor Green?
A: Oh - of course I went in in 1947 and he got beat in 1949, no he got beat in the 1948
election. I just served two years under him. Oh, how well did I get to know him? Nothing
on a personal basis, but they entertained the General Assembly once a year you know. I
think they still do that.
Q: Over at the Mansion you mean?
A: Yes over at the Mansion. But at that time they didn't invite the wives, at least they
didn't at the session I went under Green. And he seemed to be very nice, he and his wife,
very . . . well she later - after he died - she later wrote an article for the Tribune for
years, didn't she, Mrs. Green? I think she did.
Q: I don't know.