Friday, August 16, 2013

 

Speaker: Meet Gary Tischler. Gary introduce yourself.

Gary: Im Gary Tischler i'm going to be interviewing Mark and I work with the George [Towner] newspaper and I've been a writer all of my life.

Speaker: Hold up Mark's book. Tell us what the book's title is.

Gary: The land of Lincoln to wonder a story. In the eyes of the Illinois State Society by Mark Roe.

Speaker: Here's a picture of Mark so, put down the book and ask Mark a question then were off and running.

Gary: Okay. Well Mark I can't say that I read the whole book but I've gotten the gist of it because it is as you say a wondrous story. It's full of wonders stories I think. My question to begin with is how to does come about and how hard was it to do it? This had to be kind of a bit of a massive under taking.

Mark: It took a long time. Someone challenged me we heard a legend from the Illinois State Society that Abraham Lincoln was a member of the club. So they challenged me to try to verify this and find out. It got to be difficult because you have to find original archive newspaper articles from way back in the 1850s. I never was able to prove that he was a member because during the Civil War he was just too darn busy to go to meetings and things like that. The Illinois society went to him on the day of his inauguration. [A day ] to call on him at the White House. Other members of Lincoln's cabinet and his son of Robert Todd Lincon were very active members of the Illinois State Society. So when I started the book I figured this is dumb. I just can't tell just about the Illinois state society and Washington DC without explaining what's going on back in the state. So the metaphor that we came up with...

Speaker: Keep going. Keep going.

Mark: The metaphor that we came up with was the hundred and third County. In the 1920s they call themselves the 103rd County. Illinois only has 102 counties but they said this colony of Illinois expatriots in Washington was the 103rd County. So I decided to tell the story through their eyes that gave me an organizing principle for the book.

Gary: There's a lot of famous Illinoians. Is that the right word?

Mark: yes.

Gary: [That march through this] book in addition to the members of the society. A quick question about the society itself. Does every state have one?

Mark: I'm sorry?

Gary: Does every state has a society like this?

Mark: Every one currently does except Rhode Island I think. But all the others have active society. That is Guam, Puerto Rico the US Virgin islands. The Commonwealth of Northern Marianas. They do one thing every year that everyone is familiar with. They sponsor a cherry blossom princess for the national Cherry Blossom Festival. Then every four years they sponsor and inauguration parties and dances which [in the aggregate] are just as big as the official inauguration committee. Before Harry Truman there was no official inauguration committee or offical inaguratial ball. All of the inagurational balls were done by the State Society.

Gary: They serve another state function which is to make contact with Illinoisans who live here, work here, the politicians, there aids, and the people that visit here.

Mark: The congressional delegations and their staff are very heavily involved. For other people who are here. Military's students, lobbyists, journalists it is a cure for homesickness because they can go one place a couple of times and a couple of months watch a Cubs game together. Watch a White Sox game together. If the Cubs come to the nationalist park we fill up a whole section along with the alumni for the Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois and all of the Illinoisans [flock together].

Gary: What struck me as interesting about the book. I know it is about that and Illinois State Society and its members. There is an amazing amount of people that wander through there and the stories that are there. One of my favorite writers is Mark twain. Lo and behold the Missouri guy is in the Illinois story and there is a letter from him.

Mark: Yes and a newspaper column. It was the detective story trying to find out...I didn't know anything about the 19th century history of the club. The reason was it went by a different name in the 19th century. It was called the Illinois state Association. All of the state clubs were called associations. Very often partisan Democrat and Republicans. In 1917 all the state clubs in Washington unified as nonpartisan seat societies to rally behind Pres. Wilson when we entered the first world war.

Gary: Politics of Chicago I think are better known across the country then that of any other state. [You have all of these scalawags, rake men a little bit of everything]

Mark: We call them colorful characters. Some states might call them corrupt. We called them politicians.

Gary: We do not have any scalawag in Ohio you there. [laugh]

Gary: You do storytelling [inaudible]. It's not just history per se. Every other page from what [I read talks about] what actually happened in a Chicago fire. [ Certa Mats the man's that was assisinated] [over talking]

Mark: [This is a hilarious cow they got a bad rap] the cow had nothing to do with it. It was already testified in the [inquests] that she milked her cows. She had five cows not just one at 5 o'clock at the regular time took the lantern inside with her. There was no lantern in the barn to get kicked over. What happened was in 1924. A Chicago Tribune reporter admitted that the he made up the cows story. The reason he made up the cows story was that he wanted to save the lives of five boys have been smoking in the barn who might be responsible for the fire and he was figured it was better to blame the whole thing on some poor dead cows than it was to have these boys linched.

Gary: So wasn't true that this reporter was known as a big drinker right.

Mark: Yes he was but...

Gary: Yes. What a novelty.

Mark: Yes. Reporters that drink.

[Laugh]

Gary: I never did that in my life. You were a journalist speaking of that. You have been pretty much off and on bracket [over talking]

Mark: I was a journalist in the Army reserve and always a editorial writer for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Gary: But you were also a state senator of Illinois. Somehow he survived politics Illinois.

Mark: Well I love the famous Mark Twain quote when he said despite every attempt [of the american people to be fair] every once in a while an innocent person is sentenced to a term in the state legislatior.

[Laugh]

Gary: [inaudible]

Gary: How was that experience?

Mark: Oh it was great. I mean I should say it was a very positive experience for me. It's like going to a graduate school for six years because it forces you to learn about things that she went never ever or otherwise force yourself to learn about.

Gary: So you put in on your resume. Illinois politician.

Mark:No. I put former member of the Illinois state Senate

Gary: No but I do think we do get a [played role?]

Mark: Is the only thing that I share in common with the president Barack Obama. Were both former members of the state Senate [inaudible]

Gary: I do feel that just looking through this that you get a sense of the history of America. Not just the Illinois State Society which is not just given Chicago over what this is Illinois self. Maybe as an immigrant I feel that way. These are American stores. Some of them are really funny.

Mark: In the back cover the book form of government Townsend says the story of America and the story of Illinois is the story of America because of all of the diversity that we've had. Teddy Roosevelt once called us the most diverse of all the states. [inaudible]

Gary: The location too. Recently the rest of American history started once it got of Chicago. But you seem to love to tell stories.

Mark: Yes. I enjoy it I think is telling personal stories are a way reach high school students. College students. Otherwise who do not have a whole lot of knowledge about American history.

Gary: What is your feeling as a form politician. Pardon me for saying that.

Mark: personal stories are way to reach high school students college student who otherwise don't get Allawi now it's about American history.

Gary: What's your feeling as a formal politician. Pardon me for saying that. But as a writer as a person who lived here for a good part of his life. In terms of the role of State societies. Sometimes I vote Republican and sometimes [ I vote Democrat ] but nothing like what is going on now.

Mark: Since 1917 they've all been nonpartisan. I think it is a great tonic for Capitol Hill for Washington because the atmosphere is so super partisan on capital hill right now. Here's a break from that. The state societies are scrupulously nonpartisan and they tried to be booster clubs for this states to celebrate the schools the sports teams the economy. The cultural traditions in the state and that's a great thing.

Gary: I think it could be a representative of what we could be that is exactly right.

Mark: Yes. Yes. You're exactly right.

Gary: What is your favorite story?

Mark: I suppose the one about McLean Stevenson who played the role of Henry Blake on Mash TV show.

Gary: Right.

Mark: He was from Wilmington Illinois. One night he was on the Johnny Carson show and Johnny Carson said how are you related to Sen. at lead Stevenson the third. McLean said well right now I'm his cousin but if he is elected president I am going to be his brother.

[Laugh]

Gary: Are you a big sports fan?

Martin: Yes. Yes.

Gary: I noticed that section with [knowles.] It was a rather lengthy for one team. But again why not that's [Michael Jordan] [inaudible]. I presume that is what it was.

Mark: Of course, one of the most famous. In the 1920s the most famous person from Illinois was not a gangster, not a business leader, not a politician it was Red Grange who was the running back for the University of Illinois. A very famous guy they called him the galloping ghosts. They called him the 'weak nice man'.

Gary: That's right.

Mark: My funny story about that is that in 1978 a reporter from the sporting news. Who later worked for ESPN had an exclusive interview with Gorge Callas who was the founder of the Chicago Bears. Founder of the National Football League. He went to George Allice and he said "who was the greatest running back that you ever saw ". Alice said it would have to be read Grange. He said Mr. Halas if Red Grange were playing today how many yards you'd think you were rushed forth. How is said about 700. The reporter said was 700 well thats just [okay]. Hallice said "son you have to realize something, Red Grange is 75 years old".

[Laugh]

Gary: That's funny. That really is. In terms of people in office. Chicago and Illinois have had a lot of colorful politicians but also very effective. Now I think off top of my voice I recall [like Stevenson Dirksen] and a number of others are really really open [inaudible] public servants and effective public servants.

Mark: I've worked for Everett Dirksen. I thought he was very kind to me as a student. He would invite me over to watch what was going on in the rules committee if I was doing something boring like opening the mail. He two had a great line when he was running for re-election against Cid Yates in 1962. Somebody said that a heckler started to heckling from the crowd. They didn't like his stand on the Taft Hardley labor law. The heckler said 'Dirksen your a bumb I would never vote for you I would never vote for you if you were Saint Peter.'. Then Dirksen said "Sir, if I was St. Peter you would not be in my district.'

Gary: [Laugh]. So good. So good. In terms of talking about some of these people I get the feeling of just a few things that I've read of I almost got the feeling that we are living in that time. That you knew these people. They were your best friends or the guys from the neighborhood.

Mark: I certainly knew the types of people because for example we had two scandals 100 years appart exactly. Starting in 1909 to 2009. In 2009 we had a governor Gov. Limbaugh who was impeached and tried in federal court for trying to sell Sen. Obama's vacant Senate seat when he was elected to the presidency. Exactly, 100 years before a similar scandal under the old system. A congressman by the name of William Billy warmer. His fans brided a majority of all the members of the state legislative. Both parties to elect him under the old system to U.S. Senate. Then when all these people were put on trial they bribed to juries to acquit them. That's real chutzpa.

Gary: I love that. One last question. You have Abraham Lincoln on the cover. You're considered a Lincoln expert. That is how you are descibed. Tell me relatively short way how he move to influence you in your writing and your work and as a human being.

Mark: Well I think the recent movie about Lincoln that Steven Spielberg did was a very good movie except for one thing. I don't quarrel with anything they put into the movie but it is what they left out of the movie that I thought was stort of wary to me. Because I went through and analyze that movie scene by saying...

Audio End.

Title: Mark Rhodes interviewed by Gary Tris.mp3

Duration: 00:13:52

Date: 08/15/2013

Speaker Count: 2

Speaker_Id's:

MaleSpeaker no1. ( Mark Rhodes );

MaleSpeaker no2. ( Gary Tris );

MaleSpeaker no3. ( Narrator )

Features: Verbatim Transcription Service, Standard Service #1

Transcribed by:

AshleyScottTranscriptions order (tele: 1-804-715-1764); Ashley-Scott ashleyscott.email@gmail.com

Full Transcript:

Mark Rhodes interviewed by Gary Tris.mp3