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SIUC gets historic addition

BY SCOTT FITZGERALD, The Southern

Thursday, October 18, 2007 9:27 AM CDT

CARBONDALE - When Jeanne Hurley Simon and Paul Simon married in 1960 - the only wedding of two sitting Illinois state legislators - love was in the air, but so was politics.

They honeymooned to the nation's capital, where both would make lasting impacts later in their careers.

"There's a notebook here she kept as a journal on their honeymoon," said Walter Ray, political papers archivist for the Morris Library Special Collections Research Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Ray joined others Wednesday at the SIUC J.W. Corker Lounge adjacent to the Student Center Ballrooms in the unveiling of the Jeanne Simon papers - the latest addition to the library's special collections.

See an audio slideshow of Ray describing the collection

"This fills a gap in our collection. We haven't had a female politician," Ray said.

The materials cover Simon's life from her time as a young attorney, a legislator in the Illinois General Assembly, up to her appointment by President Bill Clinton to chair the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.

She died in February 2000.

Also present during Wednesday's unveiling was their daughter, Sheila Simon, a clinical assistant professor at the SIU School of Law.

While in law school, Sheila Simon said she researched the history of women in Illinois politics and learned that her mother was just the 18th woman in statehood history to either serve in the House or Senate.

Mike Lawrence, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, said Jeanne Simon was a "trailblazer" and "just plain fun."

"Jeanne had a promising political career in her own right which she gave up to assist in her husband Paul's career," Lawrence said.

Later in her life, she showed a particular interest in libraries, which now will be a place "where people will come more to know Jeanne," Lawrence said.

Ray said much of the collection documentation will be available online. Researchers also can make inquiries with SIUC archivists or check out the materials for perusal.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com

351-5076