Volume 141 No. 40
Friday, September 11, 2015
Single Copy Cost 50¢
Dr. Linda C. Gustafson
Kathy Jo Lindner
Betty Jean Pappas
Sen. Sue Rezin
Denise Etscheid Sabotta
Janice Wamhoff
Announcing the 2015 Women of Distinction After much deliberation by the judges ... and many miles traveled to notify the winners, Illinois Valley Living magazine and the Bureau County Republican, Putnam County Record and the Tonica News are proud to announce the 2015 Women of Distinction. Receiving the honors this year are six ladies from the Illinois Valley. They include: • Linda C. Gustafson of Princeton. • Kathy Jo Lindner of LaSalle. • Betty Jean Pappas of LaSalle. • Sen. Sue Rezin of Morris. • Denise Etscheid Sabotta of LaSalle. • Janice Wamhoff of Princeton.
As in the previous two years of this award, the winners were selected by former Women of Distinction Award winners. Illinois Valley Living received nearly 40 nominations this year. The judges clearly had their work cut out for them, as they read and reread each nomination received for deserving women throughout the Illinois Valley. The judges made their selections using a number system. The numbers were then tallied, and the aforementioned women collectively received the highest totals from the judges. “This was very difficult,” said one of the judges. “Every nomination was deserving. I had a really hard time selecting my winners, but the women I didn’t select
weren’t losers. Each lady brought so many attributes to the table. I guess it’s not a bad thing that it was so difficult to choose. That just means there are many, many dedicated women in the Illinois Valley.” All of the 2015 Women of Distinction winners — as well as all women in general — will be honored at a luncheon set for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Barn at Hornbaker Gardens in rural Princeton. The facility is located at 22937 County Road 1140 North. The event includes the keynote speaker, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan; a catered luncheon; an
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Welcome Attorney General Lisa Madigan Madigan: Illinois’ first female Attorney General understands her position as a role model Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has served as the state of Illinois’ top attorney for more than 12 years. She is the first woman to hold the office in Illinois, plus the longest serving Attorney General in Illinois history. Illinois Valley Living magazine, the Bureau County Republican, the Putnam County Record and the Tonica News are happy to announce Madigan has confirmed she will be the keynote speaker at the annual Women of Distinc-
tion Award luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 15. Growing up in Chicago, Madigan and her husband, Pat Byrnes, and their two daughters still reside in the Windy City. She has three main offices in Chicago, Springfield and Carbondale, along with regional offices in Rockford, Quincy, Urbana, Belleville and on the south and west sides of Chicago. Madigan attended Georgetown University and received a bachelor’s degree in 1988. She earned her law degree from Loyola Univer-
sity Chicago in 1994. As Attorney General, Madigan’s main responsibilities are to serve as the lawyer for the state and people of Illinois. She runs the fourth largest law firm in the state and employs more than 350 lawyers. Madigan has the responsibility, in and out of court, to advocate for consumers, protect children, safeguard the environment, enforce open government laws and fight for the rights of Illinois’ most vulnerable residents, including seniors, people with disabilities, and members of the military, veterans and their families. During Madigan’s time in office, she has recovered more than $11 billion, and in 2014 alone, collected
more than $1.3 billion for the state. In addition, she has brought in nearly $3 billion in relief for homeowners, communities and pension funds to recover from the devastating impacts of the mortgage foreclosure crisis. When it comes to career highlights, Madigan said, “I always say that one of the best aspects of my position is that there’s never a dull moment. So there are a lot of highlights, but I’ll limit it to the first three I think of. “Early on, I represented the state in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and won. Along with lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice, I was a lead negotiator in a
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Photo contributed
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (at podium) has confirmed she will be the keynote speaker at this year’s 2015 Women of Distinction Awards luncheon.
The place where dreams come true Granville man’s ball diamond will again attract cast member from ‘Field of Dreams’ movie By Shannon Serpette
draw as much interest.
news@tonicanews.com
Build it and they will come
GRANVILLE — Darrell Alleman realized a dream last year when a crowd of hundreds showed up at his baseball field that sits next to his rural Granville home for his first “Field of Dreams” event. He’s hoping the second annual event, which will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at his baseball diamond, located at 11915 E. 1250 St., will
As a young boy, Darrell attended a country school where no baseball was played. When he reached high school, he would have loved to join the team but figured he was too far behind, since many of his friends had been playing for some time. Instead, as a freshman and sophomore, he watched from the stands, cheering on
Vol. 141 No. 40 One Section - 8 Pages
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his friends. During his junior and senior years, he found a way to be involved by keeping score for the team. One of his biggest regrets in life, he says, is that he never joined a baseball team. “I never got a uniform, so I always dreamed I could have a uniform,” he said. “After I was out (of high school), I thought, ‘Why didn’t I even try?’” Determined not to let his own sons have any regrets about unexplored talents, he often played catch with them. “I made sure they played ball,” he said.
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