1. 5 reasons
to study
Phil Rock
Presentation by Ed Wojcicki, April 3, 2013 – Illinois Politics
class
University of Illinois Springfield

2. IL Senate President, 1979-93
1. This isn’t ancient history
2. Some big stories and big
issues never go away; the
history of most issues is
longer than you think
3. Relationships matter

3. Born in Chicago a
Catholic, Democrat
Phil Rock: and Cubs fan
Catholic seminary
for 10 years
Married in 1964
Illinois Senate
President
1979-93
Sheila Graber Rock with her brother

4. Tough,
principled,

5. decent,
generous,
warm-
hearted,

6. and a good
guy to have a
beer with,
maybe even
two.”
James R. Thomspon
August 1, 2006

7. “Man for All
Sessions”
My favorite Phil
Rock story

8. The lucky
37th Ward

12. 5 reasons
to study
Phil Rock.
What they
always say:

13. 1.
 “Always tried to do
the right thing”
He tried to make
government work
for the people it is
supposed to serve
© Chicago
Tribune

14. Thompson to Rock:
I’ll give you some more “right things” to do

15. 2.
“He held a
fragile
caucus
together”:
… an
“assemblage
of 59
raging egos”
Chicago Tribune

16. 3.
Bipartisanship
worked:
He gave
everyone a
chance to be
heard

17. 4.
People matter;
Relationships
matter

18. Springfield

19. Illinois Women in Government

20. ©
Chicago
Tribune

21. People

22. 5.
#1 role of government
is to help people
1. Tax increase of 1983
2. Insurance for newborns
3. Mandatory reporting of
abused, neglected children
4. Horse racing; riverboats

23. #1 role: to help people
7. RTA creation
8. Chrysler bailout
9. Illinois Domestic Violence Act
10. Respect for institutions of government
11. Insurance for newborns
•

24. Rock’s top accomplishment
The school for deaf
and blind children
Now called
The Philip J. Rock
Center and School,
Glen Ellyn, Illinois

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

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

28. Illinois Legends… Rock’s colleagues
(1955 in political time-present)
 Richard J. Daley (1955-1976, mayor)
 James R. Thompson (1976-1991, governor)
 Harold Washington as state senator and mayor
(1983-87, mayor)
 Richard M. Daley as state senator and mayor
(1989-2012, mayor)
 Michael J. Madigan
(1983-95, 1997-present, speaker)

29. Rock’s seven principles
1. Be fair and even-handed.
2. Care about what you’re doing and the people you
serve. “You have to care,” he often said.
3. Remember that effective change can take years.

30. Rock’s seven principles
4. Choose to have a responsible and reasonable
dialogue, especially with people with whom you
disagree.
5. Take action to make government work for the
people for whom it is supposed to work.
Government is not self-executing.
6. Give everyone a chance to be heard.
7. Don’t be vindictive. No retaliation allowed.

31. The process of Nobody Calls…
a. Ask experts:
What would you expect to read?
-- Charlie Wheeler
-- Mike Lawrence
-- Rock’s confidantes from the 1980s
-- HJR 196 – January 1993

32. b. Twenty-eight interviews with Rock

33. c. And dozens of others

34. d.
Verify
Floor
transcripts, State
Archives, Chicag
o library, State
Historical
Library, LRU,
boxes of
clippings and
pictures and
letters

35. d.
Verify
- Dates
- Roll calls
- Bill numbers
- Substance
“Senate
Journals”
“Legislative
Synopsis”

36. Principled
decent,
generous,
warm-
hearted…
James R. Thomspon
August 1, 2006

37. 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.”

38. Contact
Ed Wojcicki
University of Illinois Springfield
ewojc1@uis.edu
217.206.7795
www.edwojcicki.com
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