Jim Yoggerst's Prairie States

Before he passed away, Jim wanted the columns he had written to be preserved for research and education. His writings span 1936 to 2003. He wrote for Springfield's Illinois State Register, Chicago' Austin News, Waukegan's News-Sun and other Copley News Service papers. Columns are re-posted often, so visit often. To read a column, put the cursor over it and click. It magically enlarges. If it's still too small, click again.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Vocational division aids people of all ages (08/24/1968)



Illinois Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

posted by Yogi @ 8/10/2012 03:34:00 PM  

2 Comments:

  • At 5:46 PM, November 17, 2009, Blogger Unknown said…

    My name is Jim Ottery. jim Yoggerst, as a journalism teacher, but espcially as a fine human being, along with another English Teacher at WTHS, and a young News-Sun reporter named Gene Mustain and a columnist/sponsor of student writing, are responsible for making me who I am. (The latter two I got to Know thanks to "Mr. Yoggerst."

    I am so sorry I never contacted him much after I left high school, but I was sure I would be a major a disappointment to him. He helped me get a journalism scholarship at the University of Iowa. I was an idiot (still am, some would say I suppose) and flunked out after one semester. I ended up as warehouse forman and member of the Teamsters Union for a trucking companay. I received an AA from CLC in 1985/BA from the University of Missouri in 1990, an MA from there in 1992, and a Ph.D. from there in English in 2003.

    I am now teaching and living in Springfield, Illinois. I was doing some research about the town and came across the edition of the Sangamon State University student newspaper from the 1970 and saw the name A. John Yoggerst in the masthead. Made me wonder and search more.

    I found this blog with Jim's wonderful writings and was surprised to learn that he lived here and wrote for the SJ-R. Must have been a good paper back then.

    I always wondered why I was drawn into Springfield when driving and then when I had a chance to get a a job here.

    I was hired here the year Jim died.

    I wish I had been a better student for him; I wish that I had taken time to become a friend as I got older. Unfortunately, my relationship with Waukegan has been standoffish at best since 1985.

    Don't know who you are Yogi, but thanks!

    Jim Ottery, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor of English
    University of Illinois at Springfield
    Springfield, IL 62703
    (217) 206-7443
    jotte1@uis.edu

     

  • At 11:09 PM, November 18, 2009, Anonymous John Mabrey said…

    Jim-

    Hi. Thanks for the wonderful comment. Yogi was Jim's nickname, so I'm using it on the blog as if it were him talking to us all. I am Jim's son-in-law, John Mabrey. He and I were friends more than in-laws, so I know what you mean about the man's help to others.

    Before he passed, he let his six kids know that he had kept all of his articles and hoped they would be preserved in scrapbooks. In 2005, my wife acquired them all from her brother and I spent the next three years scanning and posting them to this blog in hopes they would be found by family, friends, students, researchers and scholars like you, as well.

    Enjoy, and thanks for writing. The new Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield is something Jim was involved with in getting started and we consider it part of his legacy. Your note and thoughts make a great Thanksgiving present to the whole Yoggerst family. Thanks.
    - John

     

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