New Book -- Abraham Lincoln and the Heritage of Illinois State University

[D. Leigh Henson]

(03-29-2021 10:43 AM)Tom Emery Wrote:  All:

I haven't posted in a while, partly because I've had several research projects going on. Here's some information on the one that I'm proudest of.

Thanks and the best to all,

Tom Emery

NEW STUDY OF
LINCOLN’S CONNECTIONS TO ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY
RECEIVES CRITICAL ACCLAIM

A new study of the connections of Abraham Lincoln to Illinois State University is drawing rave reviews, including one that calls the work “monumental.”

Abraham Lincoln and the Heritage of Illinois State University (list: $22.95) covers a topic that, remarkably, had been largely ignored by historians and researchers in the 156 years since Lincoln’s death.

The 280-page book is expected to make a significant contribution to the field of Lincoln studies.

The project was launched by Carl Kasten, a 1966 ISU graduate who chaired the university’s board of trustees from 2003-08. He approached Tom Emery, an acclaimed freelance writer and historical researcher, to handle the writing and research on the project. Both men live in Carlinville, 112 miles south
of Bloomington-Normal.

The finished product was even more comprehensive than expected. “At first, we thought it would be around 100 pages,” said Kasten, a retired attorney. “But Tom kept uncovering more material, and it kept growing. I cannot believe how much information went into this book.”

“I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this project,” said Emery, who has won thirteen awards from the Illinois State Historical Society. “It may be the most fun I’ve ever had in writing and research. I think we broke a lot of new ground here, and I loved every minute of it.”

Lincoln served as attorney to the state Board of Education, which oversaw Illinois State in its earliest days, and wrote the guaranty to secure funding for the university. In doing so, Lincoln ensured that the university would be located in Bloomington-Normal.

Many of the early financial backers of Illinois State were Lincoln’s closest allies and friends in Bloomington-Normal. Among them were David Davis, who managed Lincoln’s 1860 Presidential campaign, as well as Jesse Fell, Asahel Gridley, Leonard Swett, and others. Lincoln was also close to several members of the early Boards of Education, including Ninian Edwards, Jr., the chair of the Board that founded ISU, who was his brother-in-law.

In addition, Lincoln delivered his legendary “Lost Speech” at the first Republican State Convention in 1856 at Major’s Hall, the site of the first classes at Illinois State after the university’s founding a year later.

The beautiful Illinois State Quad was designed by William Saunders, a foremost landscape architect who is also credited with Oak Ridge Cemetery, where Lincoln rests, and Gettysburg National Cemetery, the site of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Lincoln also had relationships with several early faculty members at Illinois State, as well as some of the donors to the initial university library.

In addition to Lincoln’s ISU connections, the work also delves deep into the history of Bloomington-Normal and McLean County on the whole, describing many of the movers and shakers of nineteenth-century area history. The university’s reaction and support of Lincoln and the Civil War, including the storied 33rd Illinois (dubbed the “Teacher’s Regiment”), is also examined.

The book, which is fully illustrated and documented with a complete index, has already opened eyes in the Lincoln research community. Dr. Wayne Temple of Springfield, who has been called “the greatest living Lincoln scholar,”
referred to the work as “monumental.” Kathryn Harris, the well-regarded former director of library services at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, lauded Emery's “attention to detail” and “very clear and coherent writing style.”

ISU President Larry Dietz praised Emery’s “tireless research” to show a “clear and compelling” bond between Lincoln and the university. Dietz added that Emery’s work “to tell the whole story of ISU’s founding is not only crucial for the university but our entire community.”

Copies of Abraham Lincoln and the Heritage of Illinois State University are being placed in various bookstores in central Illinois. The books are also available directly through Kasten, who is directing net proceeds to the ISU Alumni Scholarship Fund and the university’s Pre-Law Fund.

To order, send $28.61 (includes tax and postage) to Kasten at 1075 West Main, Carlinville, IL 62626. For more information, call 217-854-3616 or e-mail carlkasten@frontiernet.net.

Thanks, Tom Emery, for your book's summary of my proposal to advance the Abraham Lincoln heritage of Illinois State University. Full proposal online at http://findinglincolnillinois.com/lincol...l#proposal