Charlie Wheeler has forgotten more about the Illinois Legislature than most reporters will ever know — and he hasn’t forgotten much, least of all the time an ill-tempered state senator purposely dumped a bowl of hot soup on him.
Longtime readers of the Chicago Sun-Times might remember Wheeler by his elegant byline, Charles N. Wheeler III, matched by the equally elegant writing style he used to explain the legislative complexities in a way everyone could understand.
More recent readers might know him for his insightful comments, offered from his perch as director of the public affairs reporting program at the University of Illinois Springfield, where he has helped mold a generation of top young journalists.
Wheeler, 77, is retiring this summer after an amazing 50-year run as a close observer of the Springfield scene — the first 24 years with the Sun-Times, the last 26 running the reporting program.
More than 700 students have come through the program since it was started in 1972 by the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon between stints in public office.
Many former students went on to distinguished careers in newspaper, radio and television newsrooms across the country, creating an accomplished alumni roster I won’t even try to list to avoid leaving somebody out.
The hands-on experience and training under the close supervision of professional journalists have made the PAR program so successful.
When Wheeler joined academia in 1993, the Illinois Senate passed a resolution in his honor.
“Throughout the course of his reporting on the General Assembly, one thing you could always say: Charlie reported it accurately because he actually did read the bills, more than what we do sometimes,” former state Sen. Emil Jones of Chicago observed that day.
It is indeed one of Wheeler’s golden rules: Read the bill.
It seems simple. But you would be amazed how often reporters and lawmakers alike don’t do that in the crunch of a legislative session.
Wheeler says the reporting program he’s leaving will continue. A search for his successor is underway.
This article appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times on May 31, 2019.
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