1. Philip J Rock:
The Illinois
antidote to
Blagojevich
Presentation by Ed Wojcicki – April 25, 2012, at UIS

2. Born in Chicago a
Catholic, Democrat and
Cubs fan
Seminary for 10 years
Illinois Senate President
1979-93
Sheila Graber Rock with her brother

3. Rock’s career
“It’s not your turn”
Then, the lucky
37th Ward

4. Rock’s career
 “Always tried to do the right
thing” – many confirm this
 Held his caucus together:
He led an “assembly of 59
raging egos” – Chicago
Tribune

5. Rock’s
Career
Republicans
Abused and
disadvantaged
children
Respect for
institutions of
government
Women
in government

6. The process of research
1. Ask experts:
What would you expect to read?
-- Charlie Wheeler
-- Mike Lawrence
-- Rock’s confidantes from the 1980s
-- HJR 196 – January

7. 2. Twenty-eight interviews with Rock

8. 3a. Dozens of interviews, conversations
Copyright
Chicago Tribune

9. 3b. Yes, dozens and dozens

10. The process
4. Graduate assistant Kyle Dooley
5. Newspapers and Illinois Issues
6. Collect photographs
7. Collect tidbits

11. 8.
Verify
- Dates
- Roll calls
- Bill numbers
- Substance
“Senate
Journals”
“Legislative
Synopsis”

12. 8.
Verify
Floor
transcripts, State
Archives, Chicag
o library, State
Historical
Library,
Boxes of
clippings and
pictures and
letters

13. 8.
Verify
Oak Park Library,
Wednesday
Journal of Oak
Park,
Oak Leaves

14. The process
9. External readers – friends and pros
10. Hire an editor
11. SIU editors, several of them, and the index
12. Answer hundreds of editors’ questions
13. Rewrite
14. Verify
15. Answer more questions from editors

15. Why do it?
“I read the book on a plane.
“… the last paragraph of Chapter 13”

16. Why do it?

17. Why do it?
Rock interacted personally with several Illinois and Chicago
legends in the last quarter of the 20th century:
 Richard J. Daley (1955-1976, mayor)
 James R. Thompson (1976-1991, governor)
 Harold Washington as senator and mayor (1983-87)
 Richard M. Daley (1989-2012, mayor)
 Michael J. Madigan (1983-95, 1997-present, speaker)

19. Why do it?
“Conventional wisdom
might not predict
that a loyal product
of the Cook County Democratic organization
could emerge as an ethical voice for the
voiceless…

20. “Rock’s story makes it clear
that one can be a loyal partisan
and a highly principled public official.”
– Ed Wojcicki, Preface

21. Help Rock preserve his story
Be fair and even-handed
Give everyone a chance to be
heard
Respect the institutions of
government such as the Illinois
Senate and Office of the Governor
Make government work for the
people for whom it is supposed to
work

22. What Rock said afterward
“I got so damn mad at Blagojevich that … I
wanted the message to go out to
all, including my 12 grandchildren, that
Springfield was a wonderful place, the seat
of our government, [it] deserved better
respect than it was getting, and I was
going to tell them about it.”

23. Contact
Ed Wojcicki
University of Illinois Springfield
ewojc1@uis.edu
217.206.7795
At LinkedIn
On Facebook
This presentation is based on:
Nobody Calls Just to Say Hello
Philip J. Rock with Ed Wojcicki
© 2012, Southern Illinois University Press