Gerald W. Smith Memoir - Brookens Library

Gerald W. Wth 2-38with re@ to state Mgher education, as well as the new law. And,I%. John K. Cox, Legislative Secretary of the Illinois AgricultureAssociation was also a nmber. His residence was &-I B1oomingt;on and hehad also been very active in educational affairs in the State of Illipols,for more than a qumter of a centwy. Having once been a superintend$ntof schools in Illinois and then addZng about twenty sm years servin$as a Legislative Chairman of Agiculture. Another mr&er was Mr. Lee 0.&won of East Molhe, Illinois. Mr. IBwson had been a Superintendent ofSchools in the United Township High School in East MolIne fkom 1929 untilhis retirement about two or three years before he took this role.Mrs. Gertrude (Barney) C. Kahn a housewife of Pekin, Illinois. Mr. NewtonN. l"Enow, an attorney in Chicago and fomr Chairman of the FederalCmmavlications Conralssion, was a member of the Board. Dr. AnnabelleB. Prescott whose husband's name was Patrick (now deceased). Ws. Prescottwas the eimth member of the Board appointed by the Govern. Mrs. Prescottwas recently retired @om the administrative staff of the Chicago PublicSchools and her last assigmmt had been to represent the General Suoerintendent,and the Board in the matter of racial affairs in the distriat,Q. And so, she is f'rom Chicago?A. She is a. ..yes, her horne is in Cnicago. These, with Mr. Page, werethe original members of the Board and the law stipulated that they wereto met in the office of the Board of Higher Education for the purpose ofmgmizing on the second Monday after appointment. That happened to fallon September 6, 1965, which was Labor Dw. On the afternoon of Bbor Daythey met there and Lynm Glenny who by that the had become ExecutiveDirector of the Board of Higher Education as the result of the ret-mentof Dr. Browne, was the convening officer for the Board; however, his rolewas primasily formal in doing that because PIP. Fowle was the designatedCnalmnan of the Board. So then in Springfield on the afternoon of September6, they held the organizational rneetFng.The situation on the occasionof their meting, of course, was an interesting one. These people deref'mm varlous parts of the State, they came frm a variety of hdivic@ilbackgounds, personally and vocationally, and of course, they did nqt allknow one another. I think In most cases each member perhaps knew o$e ortwo others, or considerably about one or two others, but as for realpersonal acquaintance this would not have been true. Take for examlple,Mr. Fowle, an attorney, he had been active in state political affairs asa laymn, but he had never held a public office in his life until he tookthis position. Well, he knew W. Mjnow, an attorney, he probably knewof Maurice Plltchell if he didn't know him, and that would have been aboutthe extent of his acquaintance. Dr. Bme, John Cox and Lee Dawson, allhaw been active In school affairs, knew one another reasonably well.Thus, this was the cluster of people who met on the afternoon of Septeuber6th to organize,The situation was an interesting one by virtue of having been appointedand then inmediately going into operation after organizing thmelves.There was no oppo~Lunity at all for the Board to met and discuss a planof procedm, or when they woUd get underway or anything like that.