Sesser-Valier, Mt. Vernon represented at RLC Warrior Superfan Day

November 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment

INA, Ill. – Dozens of local high school students filled the stands at Rend Lake College’s first Warrior Superfan Day during a doubleheader against Southwestern Illinois College on Nov. 21. The students attended the men’s and women’s games for free, and represented their high school by wearing apparel or jerseys.

Three high school students were also drawn to compete in the Warrior Challenge, during which they attempted to make a lay-up, free throw, and 3-point shot in 30 seconds to win prizes and a T-Shirt. Those three students were Kadin Kiselewski of Sesser-Valier High School, Chandler Meyer of Mt. Vernon Township High School, and Simon Wilson of Mt. Vernon Township High School.

Two more Warrior Superfan Days are set for Saturday, January 6 and Wednesday, January 17 in the James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium on the Ina campus with the same Warrior Challenge during halftime of the RLC Men’s game. All in-district high school students are invited to attend and compete for free. Students who compete are also invited back on Saturday, February 17 for a winner-take-all half-court shot competition, with the winner taking home an Academic Award for 12 free credit hours at RLC – valued at $1,500.

For more information about the Warrior Superfan Days, contact RLC’s Welcome Center at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1343 or welcome@rlc.edu.

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Pictured is, FROM LEFT, Chandler Meyer of Mt. Vernon Township High School, Simon Wilson of Mt. Vernon Township High School, and Kadin Kiselewski of Sesser-Valier High School.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

Filed Under: Featured

Gov. Rauner: Point and click with care

November 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment

 

Governor tours BopBiz Center, encourages Illinoisans to support local businesses while surfing the Web this holiday season

 

CHICAGO— Gov. Bruce Rauner took time Cyber Monday morning to tour the BopBiz Center on 79th Street and to recognize the forward-thinking approach of websites like TheBlackMall.com.

“Americans will spend billions of dollars online today,” Rauner said. “Sites like TheBlackMall.com and institutions like the BopBiz Center take commerce to another level — advancing prosperity for entrepreneurs who may exist in economically depressed areas. These are ideals especially worthy of consumer support.”

Rauner said he was impressed by the BopBiz Center, a business incubator for the Black community that offers everything from trade and contractor workforce development to investment, financial literacy and home and business property ownership programs.

The governor met with BopBiz Center board member Revin Fellows and Business Manager Mary Evans as well as the co-founder and owner of TheBlackMall.com, Cassiopeia Sledge.

Supporters of TheBlackMall.com (TBM) hope the vendors featured in its directory of more than 1,500 black-owned businesses will share in the record online shopping predicted for today and throughout the holiday shopping season. The site is dedicated to awareness, growth and success of Black-owned businesses.

Sledge said dollars spent at TheBlackMall.com support the sort of community-based manufacturers who help rebuild areas where opportunities might otherwise be lacking.

“Join us on Cyber Monday,” she said of the site. “Purchase products you want and need and know that you are uplifting and building the local economy.”

Adobe Analytics predicts a record $6.6 billion in online sales nationally today, pushing toward an anticipated $107 billion for the overall holiday shopping season, up 14 percent over last year. Rauner encouraged shoppers to select Illinois businesses as they point and click on their computers, tablets and phones.

Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy said the predicted spending rise can only spell good news for any business conducting e-commerce. 

“The modern economy has made shopping as easy as one click,” McCarthy said. “This Cyber Monday, I urge all Illinoisans to begin checking off their holiday gift list while supporting Illinois businesses.”

Filed Under: Featured

50 INFLUENCERS: PHYSICAL PLANT, MAINTAINING MORE THAN CAMPUS

November 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment
INA, Ill. – The Rend Lake College campus at Ina spans 360 acres with more than 370,000 square foot of building space spread between 24 different structures. Throw in the MarketPlace and Pinckneyville campuses, and that total square footage jumps up to 432,714 gross square feet.
RLC’s sheer size is easy to forget. Yet, day in and day out, 65 dedicated individuals make those grounds and everything on them the top priority.
Starting with a single person in 1967, the RLC Physical Plant Department has grown right alongside the institution. Today, the Physical Plant boasts talented professionals that cover a wide variety of tasks. In no uncertain terms, if it looks good or runs well, Physical Plant likely had a hand in it.
“The people that we have hired over the years are professionals in what they do. I don’t know how we get them. We have carpenters, electricians, welders, a little bit of everything. We have a bunch of folks that their skillset is so strong they could have gone anywhere they wanted, but they chose to come here,” expressed Physical Plant Director Donnie Millenbine.
“What these guys are able to do for us is huge. If we put the numbers in black and white, it would amaze us what we’ve been able to save by having the ability to do these things in-house.”
Several members of Rend Lake College’s Physical Plant pose for a staff photo.
Millenbine estimates the department tackles between six to 12 major projects during the year. Last year, the crew completely renovated the South Oasis pit and restrooms, performed significant concrete replacement around campus, did a Learning Resource Center restroom renovation, finished up a total renovation of the Administration Building and tackled several smaller classroom renovations.
“The talent, dedication and work ethic of the people in this department can be seen every day, not just in the campus appearance but in the interactions with our students and staff,” said RLC President Terry Wilkerson.
“We have been able to do so much to grow this campus because of the skill sets of the people and the leadership of this department.”
On the daily work order side, Physical Plant staff receive daily requests to do everything from hanging pictures on walls to relocating furniture. Occasionally, requests get a little unique. Dave Mathis, maintenance supervisor, recalled a time when “rearrange plants on my desk” came across the work order queue.
“It was just one of those things that you can’t help by shake your head at,” he chuckled. “But, it highlights the fact that we are kind of the go-to here on campus. Who do you call? Give maintenance a call, and odds are, we’ll probably figure out a way to get it done.”
On a daily basis, around half-a-dozen new work orders hit the queue for maintenance workers to go out and complete.
In addition to daily work orders, the Physical Plant also has a preventive maintenance work order system where they schedule the standard upkeep on everything from buildings to vehicles to campus equipment, golf carts to exhaust fans they track the when and what for everything on campus to make sure it’s taken care of before it becomes an issue.
Campus beautification is another thing at the forefront of the department’s mind.
In total, Physical Plant staff are responsible for ensuring the college’s 106 working acres and 60,000 square foot of meticulously maintained landscaping are always looking in pristine condition.
“We take care of a ton of square footage inside and out,” Millenbine said. “This campus isn’t like most campuses. Most of our sister colleges have linked buildings, but we are all independent buildings with a lot of landscaping between them. So, that creates some different issues we have to tackle and think about,” said Millenbine.
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Physical Plant employees Scott Kistner, Pat Petro, and Rodney Summers measure and fit the Warrior Way letters onto the east side of the Academic Building.
“Every member of our team knows what to do and how to get it done, and we have great leadership like Dave [Mathis] and James Gray [head of grounds and custodial] that keep things going. Lynne French, our administrative assistant, is really the rudder on the ship She does a great job.”
In addition to grounds and buildings, Physical Plant also does most of the small maintenance on the college’s vehicle fleet, as well as all shipping and receiving to the Ina campus. They are responsible for setting up and breaking down campus events; maintaining inventory management, which includes thousands of pieces of furniture and equipment; and managing all keys and locks on campus.
It’s not just places and things though, the entire department is a visible supporter of many initiatives on campus.
Last year at the RLCF Annual Dinner, the entire Physical Plant was recognized for donating over $10,000 to the Foundation over the years to assist the students of RLC.
That was an initiative started by Millenbine’s predecessor, Randall Shively, in the early 2000s. To date, Millenbine said that total contributions look to be more than $18,000 given by both individual Physical Plant employees and department initiatives like the annual Greenhouse Plant Sale.
“Almost all of the people in the department donate some of their paycheck every pay period. That’s a good thing for us. We have student scholarships we give out. It’s something that a lot of the guys contribute to,” explained Millenbine.
Student success is important to the crew as many in the department are RLC products, and more than a handful of the staff have been around for a number of years. Like many in his department, Millenbine is also a RLC graduate.
“This might sound corny. But, when I went to school here I remember wanting to be over grounds here on campus. Just so happened that the opportunity arose, and I was able to jump on,” he said.
“It’s a good feeling to see the campus continue to grow and develop. You realize where you’ve been, where you’ve come from. I’ve gotten to see a lot of things go up. I’ve seen a lot of big changes happen. It makes you feel good.”
Shively had a similar sentiment at the time of his retirement.
“The goal is always to do things that help the student in one way or another. If it benefits the student, it will benefit us,” said Shively. “Not everyone gets to go back to the place where they graduated and make a difference. Not every job do you feel like you can give back and make things better,” Shively said.
“Every project we’ve done involves other staff members on campus. We’ve become more successful because of the support we have in the administration, faculty, staff, and the board. We have the help and guidance to get it done as quickly as possible. Very seldom is there only one person involved.”
Physical Plant is also one of the biggest student supporters when it comes to employment opportunities.
At any given time, more than 10 students are taking advantage of student work positions, gaining important on-the-job training, money for college and valuable experience.
“We really tap into student workers. We benefit a lot from that. We have around a dozen or so student workers on staff right now. Those positions are spread across maintenance, grounds and custodial,” said Millenbine.
It’s a mutually beneficial relationship and one that allows RLC to offer a unique opportunity not found at many other institutions, and just another in the long list of benefits the department brings to bear.  
All-in-all, the Physical Plant is a vital part of the campus community. Their work has helped the college grow into the nationally-recognized institution that it is today. From every blade of grass to every single student, the entire department works tirelessly to ensure RLC remains a premiere, student-focused institution.
Filed Under: Featured

Clifford F. Sellers – Olive Branch, MS

November 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Clifford Freeman Sellers, age 72, of Olive Branch, MS and formerly of Benton, passed away at 3:57 a.m. Saturday, November 25, 2017, at the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center of Mattoon, IL.

Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday evening, November 28, 2017 at the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton.  After the visitation Mr. Sellers will be cremated. Arrangements are through the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton.

Clifford was born on April 14, 1945 in Batesville, IN, the son of Clifford and Florence Sellers.

He lived with Charles and Helen Davis of Benton for 19 years, and after Helen’s death he would live with Ron and Lynn Sutliff of Olive Branch, MS, for the past 7 and ½ years. Most recently he had been living with Lynn’s daughter Rhonda and her husband Kevin Arthur of Mattoon.

Clifford loved school, and was homeschooled by his aunt Neloa

While living in Benton, he worked for the former Franklin-Williamson Human Services Workshop in West Frankfort. He also formerly worked at Hardees in Indiana.  He loved his church family at both Long View Baptist in Mississippi and The Apostolic Center in Mattoon.

He enjoyed the many Saturday shopping trips to Wal-Mart with Helen. He loved trains, and Rhonda had just told him she was going to take him on a train ride for his Christmas present from her family.

Clifford is survived by his adoptive family: Charles Davis of Benton, Lynn Sutliff and husband Ron of Olive Branch, MS, Michele Noward and husband Clint and son Quentin, and little sister Cailynn of Benton; a cousin Marilyn Reynolds of East Milam, IN; two sisters: Nancy Thola of Osgood, IN, and Carolyn Cunningham of Gulf Port, MS; and his many friends whose lives he touched.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his adoptive mother Helen Davis of Benton.

To leave online condolences to the family, or to share memories of Clifford, visit www.lpfuneralhome.com

Filed Under: Obituaries

Salukis try to rebound from loss, host SIUE Wednesday night

November 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment

SIUC vs. SIUE on Wednesday night. Here are the game notes and stats from the series between the sister schools.

GAME 5 • Nov. 29, 2017 • 7 p.m. CT SIUE (1-4) at SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (2-2) Carbondale, Ill. • SIU Arena (8,284) SIU leads, 8-1 (H: 4-1, A: 4-0, N: 0-0)

 

Here’s the link:

 

Filed Under: More Featured Articles, Sports

Samuel Lee Potmas – Herrin, Illinois

November 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Samuel Lee Potmas, age 63, of Herrin, passed away at 2:58 a.m. Monday, November 20, 2017, at the SIH Herrin Hospital.

Mr. Potmas’ wishes were to be cremated.  Per his wishes there will be no public services at this time.

Cremation services are under the direction of the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton.

Samuel Lee Potmas was born on August 2, 1954 in Herrin, the son of Sam Potmas and Amelia (Cornia) Potmas.

He was a graduate of Herrin High School Class of 1972.  His working career would consist of coal mining, Olin’s and Norge, he also formerly worked at SIU.

He loved to hunt, ride his Harley, going mudding in his Jeep, playing golf, baseball; but most of all he loved animals.

Samuel is survived by a son Nathanael Kevin Potmas and wife Valerie of Zeigler; a step-daughter Machel Reynolds and her wife Sarah of Johnston City; four grandchildren: Declan, Keegan, Noah and Carter; two sisters: Cindy Hicks and husband John of Herrin, Carmalee Carr and husband Scott of Benton; two nieces: Christy Calonne and Amelia Hicks; a special aunt, Mary Ann McGinnis; a special cousin, Brad McGinnis; friends that he considered family: Donnie Fitzpatrick, Mike Payne, and David Cox; and numerous other family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and two nephews: Warren Dale Wallace, Jr. and Tyler Hicks.

Memorial contributions may be made to Second Chance Rescue of Franklin County, and will be accepted at the funeral home.

To leave the family online condolences or to share memories of Samuel, visit www.lpfuneralhome.com

Filed Under: Obituaries

Patricia Ann Malone-Christopher, IL

November 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Patricia Ann Malone, 80, of Christopher passed away on Sunday November 26, 2017 at the Franklin Hospital Emergency Room.

Patricia was born on March 3, 1937 in Posen, IL to Stanley and Ann (Mazies) Rzepa.  She married William Malone and he survives of Christopher.

Other survivors include her children Barbara Sisk of Christopher, William Malone Jr of Tennessee, Debra Cacciato of Christopher, Mark Malone of Tinley Park, IL; Grandchildren Katti, Chad, Aaron, Brian, Michelle, Josh, Jessica, Lee, Angie, and Wendy; 2 great grandchildren Maggie and Keegan.

She was preceded in death by her parents, one son Dennis Malone, and one brother Tony Rzepa.

There are no services scheduled at this time for Mrs. Malone.

Filed Under: Obituaries

Rangerettes split pair of Saturday games in Nashville, prepare for home opener against Herrin on Tuesday night

November 26, 2017 By Leave a Comment

By Jim Muir

The Benton Rangerettes split a pair of games on Saturday at the Nashville Invitational Thanksgiving Tournament to go 1-3 in the season-opening tournament.

The Rangerettes dropped a 41-26 decision to Trenton-Wesclin in a 1:30 p.m. game on Saturday afternoon to drop to 0-3 on the young season. Benton was without leading scorer and point guard Eb Casey who did not play.

Benton fell behind 17-6 in the opening quarter and trailed by double digits, 25-15 at the intermission.

Benton girl’s coach Andy Sloan said the team struggled in the early going but saw some positives in the loss.

“We never really got in a rhythm offensively in the game,” Sloan said. “But I thought Milby (Ember) did a good job of running the point and distributing the ball. Kelsey Wilcox probably had her best game at the varsity level and hit some nice shots. Our defensive effort is getting us into some trouble and we really have to improve on that end of the floor.”

Wilcox led the Rangerettes in scoring with 11 followed by Addyson Miller with eight, Milby with four, Madyson Wallce with two and Sesley Tedeschi with one.

With the loss in the early game the Rangerettes were forced to play back-to-back games, matching up against Mascoutah in a 3:30 p.m. 7th place game.

In the matchup against Mascoutah the Rangerettes fell behind early and appeared to be heading for a winless week at Nashville, trailing 12-4 at the end of one period and then falling behind by 13 – 23-10 at halftime.

Whatever Sloan said to his team at halftime must have energized them as the Rangerettes roared back outscoring Mascoutah 18-6 in the third frame to pull back within a single point at 29-28. Benton then outscored Mascoutah 13-8 in the final quarter to pull out a hard-fought 41-37 victory.

“We really got behind but hung in and battled back,” said Sloan. “Our kids played extremely hard and played with a lot of heart after losing the 1:30 game and having to play back-to-back. We had a lot of kids step up and showed some moments of being able to put some good basketball together. We got some stops down the stretch and converted at the line.”

Miller led the Rangerettes with 15, her best offensive outing of the season, and was followed by Wilcox with seven, Casey and Wallace with six each, Milby with four and Zoe Carlton with three.

The Rangerettes are back in action on Nov. 28 when they face always-tough Herrin in the home-opener and the first conference matchup in the SIRR Ohio Division.

Filed Under: Featured

Big second half lifts Murray State past Saluki Men’s Basketball, 81-73

November 26, 2017 By Leave a Comment

By Tom Weber siusalukis.com

MURRAY, KY. — Murray State exploded for 50 points in the second half to rally from a six-point deficit and beat Southern Illinois, 81-73, on Saturday night at the CFSB Center.

Jonathan Stark led the Racers (3-1) with 27 points and eight assists. The 6-foot shooting guard dominated the action during the comeback with 17 points and six assists in the second half alone.

Sean Lloyd shoots over the top of a Murray State defender in last nights road loss at Murray. siusalukis.com

The Salukis (2-2) led by as many as eight during the first half but were out-scored, 18-8, in the final five minutes of the game. Sean Lloyd Jr. led SIU with a career-high 19 points and Kavion Pippen added 12 for his fourth-straight game in double figures.

Southern got off to a good start defensively, limiting the Racers to 2-of-10 shooting from 3-point in the first half and holding Stark to just 10 points. MSU head coach Matt McMahon moved Stark to the point guard spot in the second half, and he kick-started an offense that shot 55 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, including 7-of-14 treys.

“I thought Coach (Barry ) Hinson did a good job — they were throwing some junk defenses at us — and I thought we adjusted well to it,” said McMahon. “We didn’t want to get too complicated, we just wanted to put Stark in some good positions. You see his 27 points and that will get a lot of attention, but a lot of the big plays were the assists in the second half.”

Southern Illinois bounced back from a 42-point loss at Louisville earlier in the week with a much more competitive showing. All eight players contributed multiple buckets on offense, and the team had a season-low seven turnovers.

“For our basketball team, it was how would we respond after what happened at Louisville, because we just quit at Louisville,” said Hinson. “We responded tonight. I think when we get these two starters back (Thik Bol, Marcus Bartley), we have a chance to be pretty good.”

Lloyd Jr. had 12 of his points in the first half, using his 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame to overpower smaller defenders for close-in looks. He also buried a couple of 3-pointers.

Point guard Aaron Cook was the engine that drove SIU’s offense — he had eight points, four assists and just one turnover.

“I thought it was the best game he’s played so far,” Hinson said. “I was so impressed with Aaron tonight. I thought he did a great job on their point guard, and he got us into offense. Everybody else was sped up, but not Aaron.”

The game ultimately turned in Murray’s favor when Stark and Shaq Buchanan hit back-to-back triples to put MSU up, 69-65, with 3:40 to go. Southern twice cut it to two points on driving layups by Lloyd Jr., but the Racers closed the game on an 8-2 run.

“I thought we looked like a team that hadn’t played in a week, we were a little sluggish in the first half, we let the ball stick on one side of the floor too much,” McMahon said. “I thought our offensive execution in the second half was really good. We moved the ball better, got some higher quality shots from three, and guys really stepped up and delivered.”

Buchanan was 2-for-3 from downtown and 6-foot-8 forward Terrell Miller also hit a couple and scored 16 points.

“We were trying to help on Miller, and Buchanan makes two threes on us,” Hinson said. “We knew Stark was going to get his points, and we talked at halftime about how we have to do a great job on the other guys.”

After playing three of their first four games on the road, the Salukis will play six of their next seven at home.

Filed Under: College Sports, Sports

50 Influencers of Rend Lake College : Dr. Carl Schweinfurth, Adventure, Art and Altruism

November 25, 2017 By Leave a Comment

By Reece Rutland

INA, IL  – Educator, world-traveler, author, advocate and benefactor; Dr. Carl Lincoln Schweinfurth was a lot of things to a lot of different people, but his unbridled generosity to Rend Lake College, the RLC Foundation and the students of the institution shows a remarkable legacy of altruism.

Dr. Carl Lincoln Schweinfurth

Schweinfurth first became involved with the college through the Foundation. During the organization’s first year (1979), he agreed to serve as Chair of the Financial Development Committee for several months. He was elected to the RLCF Board of Directors during the Second Annual Dinner Meeting in fall 1980.

He went on to succeed Howard L. Payne as Vice President of the Foundation during the 1981-82 academic year and served as RLCF President from 1984-86. During that time, he was also recognized as an original member of that group’s “President’s Circle” of donors.

He was quick to make an impact. In 1980 he led the charge in getting the college sign near Interstate 57 erected that still stands almost 40 years later.

There were also a number of student-focused initiatives launched by Schweinfurth’s philanthropy. Most notably, he made it possible for qualified youth to benefit from Summer Career Camp Nursing experiences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville through the RLC “Project First Class” project and has donated other resources to that grant program for the betterment and encouragement of minority youth in his hometown Mt. Vernon area.

Yet, helping others was just one of Schweinfurth’s passions. He was an avid traveler and lover of the arts, two things he also helped cultivate at RLC.

For reference, the good doctor had visited six continents and all 161 countries where Rotary Clubs exist by the mid-90s. He felt a strong calling to bring those experiences closer to home so others could experience other cultures.

He helped make it possible for two international students from Sierra Leone, West Africa, Agnes Wokie Faux and Doris Williams, to attend Rend Lake College while living in Mt. Vernon.

The college’s music program still utilizes a very valuable Steinway Concert Grande Piano generously donated by Schweinfurth, who was an accomplished pianist himself.

And, in perhaps his most generous display, it was announced at the 16th Rend Lake College Foundation Annual Dinner that he bequeathed part of his estate to the RLC Foundation.

Schweinfurth once said, “Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on earth.”

For his numerous contributions, in spring 1994, he became only the third person ever to receive the prestigious “Board Emeritus” Award from the RLC Foundation.

After his passing in Dec. 26, 1996, the Schweinfurth Foundation was established to carry on the good works of its namesake. Over the years, the organization has continued to support RLC students through grant awards, aimed at helping those who shared Schweinfurth’s passions for music and travel.

Over the history of the college, the Schweinfurth Foundation has donated thousands of dollars to projects like:

  • The Rend Lake College International Travel Program by establishing a $25,000 student scholarship.
  • A $15,000 award in 2000 which helped establish a “Music around the World” project within the curriculum of the RLC Foundation Children’s Center.
  • A $17,000 contribution toward The Hitting Zone Building Project on-campus.
  • More assistance for the RLCF Children’s Center, this time in 2005 in the form of $20,000 for a room remodeling venture.
  • A $9,000 grant aimed at helping the Rend Lake College Orchestra by new instruments in 2012.

A resolution in Schweinfurth’s honor was ratified by RLC and the RLCF on Sept. 3, 1996.

The resolution concluded with:

“Therefore, be it resolved, Dr. Carl Lincoln Schweinfurth is hereby recognized formally for all of these humanitarian endeavors and numerous contributions made over many years of dedicated involvement and service with the Rend Lake College Foundation Board of Directors, Rend Lake College, its students and staff.

Let it be known, the Rend Lake College Foundation Board of Directors and the Administration of Rend Lake College sincerely appreciate the outstanding contributions and worthwhile efforts of Dr. Carl Lincoln Schweinfurth to make the Ina-based institution of higher learning a beneficial experience “where learning never ends . . .” for all residents of the district and Southern Illinois.”

Schweinfurth’s dedication to education did not start with RLC though, and his dedication to improving the lives of those around him extended much farther than Ina.

The Korean War veteran got his professional start by teaching for 20 years, and by all accounts was an outstanding educator. In fact, he was honored as “Outstanding Professor” at Bethany College (WV) in 1968 and served many years as the West Virginia State Chairman of the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors. He developed the first African Studies Program in West Virginia and was recipient of two Fulbright Awards.

According to the yearbook staff, “The Class of 1967 proudly dedicates this Bethanian to Dr. Carl L. Schweinfurth. Dr. Schweinfurth has been with Bethany College for fewer years than has the Class of 1967, and yet he has earned the respect and praise of us all. As a Counselor he has always been ready to put the needs of the students first. No problem is too great or too small to merit Dr. Schweinfurth’s earnest concern.”

Other major honors are numerous for the man who has been Chairman of the Board for the new First Bank and Trust Company, now Mercantile Bank of Mt. Vernon, since 1981 and a Director since 1966.

Schweinfurth was “Citizen of the Year” in 1985, as presented by the Greater Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce; founding President and now an Honorary Lifetime Member of the United Way of Jefferson County; President of the Mitchell Foundation since 1996; a District Governor for Rotary International (1975-76), and directed a $1 million community fund drive in 1982 on behalf of Good Samaritan Hospital.

He was appointed to the Illinois Arts Council (1984-91) and named a founding Trustee of the Illinois Academy of Fine Arts, both by then-Gov. Jim Thompson, and was on the Board of Friends of Morris Library at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

Schweinfurth was very active with the Mitchell Museum in Mt. Vernon. He established an international forum in Mount Vernon where local leaders would come together with international leaders.

His father was a widely-known Mt. Vernon industrialist who owned and operated the Mt. Vernon Furnace and Manufacturing Company for many years. Upon his father’s death in 1966, Schweinfurth inherited coal, oil, gas and other mineral interests and business.

His Foundation’s contributions to the local landscape include the Schweinfurth Home at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, and the Schweinfurth Museum and Interpretative Center that houses collections and memorabilia for the Jefferson County Historical Society. A dinner held in his honor inspired the creation of Jefferson County’s Senior Saints Hall of Fame

In 1995, he became only the fifth individual to receive the Charles Bane Humanitarian Award for the State of Illinois.

RLC wasn’t the only institution that he contributed to. He founded the Southern Illinois International House for graduate-level foreign students at Southern Illinois University, from which he graduated in 1964 with his Doctorate Degree in Government.

Filed Under: Featured
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