Political Quotes

“the late Pulitzer award-winning historian Studs Terkel in his seminal book, ``The Good War,'' described how the Second World War helped give birth to a new middle class for America. The GI bill helped make new things possible. One of those things was the opening of the suburbs for everyone and not just the exclusive domain of the upper class. Thanks to the GI bill, new suburbs became places for returning soldiers and their families to earn a better way of life. This is how Park Forest entered the lexicon of Americana. It was one of America's first ``GI Towns.'' Park Forest has always been on the frontlines of progress. The town won the All-American City award twice, first in 1953 and then in 1977, for its work in racial integration and open housing initiatives. For the last 20 years, my friend, Mayor John Ostenburg, has maintained this tradition while leading Park Forest through a new time of transition and anxiety. Now, as John passes his leadership to a new generation, Park Forest has never been stronger. John's vocations and career highlights were too numerous to count. John was born and raised in Springfield, IL. Graduating high school in 1963, he joined a Catholic seminary called the Clerics of St. Viator, where he developed a lifelong sense of justice and humanity. His expertise and interest in the studies of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton earned the admiration of so many, and John regularly is published discussing Thomas Merton.…”