Do you know how to spell
Òzephyr?Ó
Those
were the first words out of Todd MooreÕs mouth when I met him at a Democratic ice cream social in 1989, when he and Norm
Winick began publication of The Zephyr. Fortunately, I was able to spell it. In those days Todd didnÕt have
much patience with people, especially me. I was too ÒestablishmentÓ for him,
too much in the mainstream of life. He prided himself in being an outsider and
thought he and the downtrodden had a monopoly on social concerns and good
deeds. He figured that anyone with financial security is somehow tainted and
ineffectual, contributing little to society. This jaundiced view of the world
kept him from fully using his tremendous intellect and talent, however, his gutsy
reporting for The Zephyr probably
wonÕt ever be surpassed. He graduated from Knox College in 1977 and I believe
shortly thereafter ran for mayor of Galesburg. One of the planks of his
platform was the legalization of marijuana. He didnÕt win.
Todd
spearheaded the founding of the first agency in Knox County to deal with
domestic violence, now called Safe Harbor.
Ò We had two objectives during the initial hiring
process for the prison. To put as many former Wilson (meat packing) employees
to work as possible and....to put Republicans to work. We did a darned good
job.Ó
I
later interviewed Mary Lee Leahy, the Springfield attorney who argued the case
of Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois, before the United States Supreme Court. Their decision made patronage
hiring for most Illinois state jobs illegal.
The
Zephyr published occasional articles
of mine until I began to write the column ÒIn My OpinionÓ in April of 1999.
Until the last couple of years, IÕve produced weekly columns. Contrary to the
comments of Zephyr contributor
Mike Krole, opinions in columns arenÕt worth much if there are no facts or
sources to support them. The key factor is credibility. No one is going to care
what my opinion is if he or she doesnÕt feel itÕs well substantiated. The input
I receive through e-mails, phone calls and personal contact assure me there are
many readers who read my columns and value my opinion. But that kind of support
and confidence has to be earned, based on years of performance and reputation
in the community.
My
writing career really began in 1970, when I was hired by Forward Rockford, Inc.
a citizen action group that entered into a contract with the City-County
Planning Commission of Rockford and Winnebago County to conduct a housing study
and survey to determine the obstacles to free choice of housing for those
people rejected or evicted from public or private housing due to reasons other
than income. The contract also stated, ÒSuggest means to overcome these
obstacles.Ó I directed the survey and wrote a 70-page report in the required
120 days. It received a lot of press coverage because the report concluded that
racial issues in housing were paramount.
For
ten years before my Zephyr column, I was a reporter and photographer for the Quad-City
Times and Rock Island Argus. For the Times I covered all local news, including murder trials, teacher strikes,
political speeches, armed robberies, fires, school finance, and the
environment. Before getting a computer, I daily dictated my stories over the
phone.
As a
freelance writer, IÕve had articles published in many venues, but had the most
fun writing a humorous column, ÒAs Life Gets Funnier,Ó for the magazine, Senior
Life and Leisure, published by Cheri
Siebken. In 1995 I self-published a collection of 21 columns, illustrated by
the talented Chris Dokolasa, Galesburg High School art teacher. The book was
well received and I printed and sold 1000 copies. Some day I will revise and
publish the book again, and do it right this time. It will help that a college
friend, who was an editor for Doubleday publishers in New York City, will be
advising me the next time around.
The
only complaint I have about The Zephyr is that I am apparently not considered
an Òaward-winning,Ó writer unless IÕm recognized by the Illinois Press
Association. Since 1994 IÕve received fifteen writing awards from the Illinois
WomanÕs Press Association, including nine first place awards, plus two first
place awards from the National Federation of Press Women. IÕve entered the IPA
competition through The Zephyr twice
and received one award. The womenÕs
organization was established for a reason. The IPA hasnÕt been receptive to
women in the business.
Again,
thanks to Norm for the opportunity to write on current issues and thanks to my
readers for communication, support and encouragement.
Caroline Porter is a
freelance writer from Galesburg who can be reached at cporter@galesburg.net.
06-08-06