'Their lives are extraordinary'
<strong>EDITOR’S NOTE:</strong> Look for more information on the honorees of the Randolph County Society’s inaugural 2017 class in future editions of the newspaper.
The Randolph County Society formally kicked off the introduction of its five-member inaugural 2017 class last Friday at the county courthouse.
The seven-member Society Board - made up of representatives from the Randolph County Museum, Chester Beautification/Tourism Commission, Buena Vista National Bank, Red Bud Area Museum, several area rotaries and two members-at-large - announced its first honoree, John Willis Menard.
Menard was a speaker, writer and public servant who became the first African-American to be elected to U.S. Congress in 1868.
Born in Kaskaskia in 1838 to Creole parents, he also became the first African-American to address the chamber of the House of Representatives, but was denied his seat largely because of his color.
According to a news release from the RCS, Menard was appointed to a clerkship in the Department of the Interior in 1863, making him the first African-American to serve in an administrative role in the federal government.
He was involved in President Abraham Lincoln’s administration in the exploration of possible colonial settlements for freed slaves, and held numerous other elected and appointed positions in state and federal government.
“I think about the time, the Civil War and all the issues we had in the country at that time,” said RCS Chairman Marc Kiehna.
The RCS - which is a not-for-profit organization with the vision statement of “Remembering our past, educating our future” - began its nominating process in October, with the stipulation that nominees must have died at least five years ago to be considered.
“Each of us researched all these individuals and nominated five people,” said Gary Breckinridge, who represents Buena Vista National Bank and is a member of the Chester Rotary. “The first three were almost unanimous, which is interesting because of the diversity of the group.”
The RCS board - which meets quarterly - applied for and received a District 65 grant worth $2,000, with the rotaries also kicking in some money for a total of $3,000. The money will be partly used to purchase the plaques featuring the honorees, which will be displayed along one wall of the courthouse.
During the next four weeks, the RCS will announce the remaining four members - at a rate of one per week - of the 2017 class leading into a Feb. 28 reception and unveiling of the honoree wall.
The public is invited to attend the reception.
“Their lives are extraordinary,” said board member Julia Gangloff of the honorees.
Another member of the board, Emily Lyons - curator of the Randolph County Museum and Archives - noted the board “wanted to diversify and include all parts of the county” on its selections.
“We have so many people we came across,” Kiehna said. “We had over 30 to choose from.”
Menard later published a book of poems, “Lays in Summer Lands,” in 1879 and died in Washington in 1893 at the age of 55. A full biography is available at www.randolphsociety.org.
“It’s just incredible to read everything he accomplished in his lifetime,” Gangloff said.
The board members were asked how they decided Menard - who also wrote for, edited and established numerous newspapers in Louisiana, Florida and Washington D.C. - would be the first one to be formally announced.
Lyons stated that it was partly due to the inauguration of new U.S. President Donald Trump that was also scheduled that day in Washington.
“The political correlation of the dates were serendipitous to bring the attention to (Menard) at this time,” Lyons said.
The RSC board members stated they hoped to reach out to educators in the county in providing a historical resource.
“I think we have a great opportunity to help with outreach, lesson plans and bringing this to kids of the county,” said board member Lauren Kiehna.
Lyons noted next year’s Bicentennial celebration, which observes the 200th anniversary of Illinois achieving statehood in 1818.
“Reaching back to history is important,” she said.