Coalition Member Mary Lou Cowlishaw Passes Away
Posted at 3:08 AM on July 25, 2010
On June 23rd Mary Lou Cowlishaw lost her long battle against cancer at the age of 78. A journalist and historian turned popular State Representative, Mary Lou was above all else a humanitarian dedicated to improving public education. She and her husband Wayne have been WSGPC members since the group first sought public memberships in 2000-2001. The following is an interview with Mary Lou Cowlishaw conducted by George Bennett that originally appeared in the Coalition’s newsletter of February 5th 2002. It is not intended to be a full obituary (they are available and should be read), but rather a reminder of Mary Lou’s steadfast commitment to some of the many causes she fought for during her remarkable life.
“[In the fall of 2001] Mary Lou Cowlishaw announced she would retire from the State Legislature after a distinguished twenty-year career representing Naperville in Springfield. On a recent winter’s weekend Mary Lou was gracious enough to talk with me for some time.
“So you are a member of the Greenspace Coalition,” I started off. “I am,” she stated with her characteristic conviction. A long silence followed until she continued, “And proud of it!”
After living in Naperville for more than forty years Mary Lou has a lot to be proud of other than belonging to our group. One of her many talents is as an author, and she writes a weekly column for the “Daily Herald”. Prior to being elected to the State House of Representatives she was a member of the editorial staff of the “Naperville Sun” and served on District 203’s Board of Education for eleven years. Since then she has continued to advocate the cause of educational excellence and serves as the leading Republican on the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. In 1997 Cowlishaw Elementary School was named in her honor. In 1999 North Central College awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. In 2000 Benedictine University extended the same honor. After retirement as a public servant she plans to teach civic affairs at North Central, passing on the richness of her experiences to a new generation.
“Everyone knows how important quality education is and what importance you have placed in this,” I stated. “What do you believe are some of the most important accomplishments of your legislative career?”
“In 1995 I was head of the committee that studied the Chicago Public Schools. I than sponsored the Chicago school reform legislation which was passed.” At the time Chicago Public Schools were among the most poorly ranked in the country, and although they still face many challenges, test scores have improved. “We set up a plan which put into place very small school councils in every Chicago school building. These are independent councils with one teacher, one parent, and three local taxpayers who may not have children in the schools at all”. These local councils have received a great deal of the credit for the resulting improvements, and when the biggest school district in the state works better it produces benefits for everyone, such as reduced crime and drug use.
I wanted to know more about her accomplishments, and her response came with a wit and enthusiasm that has always been part of Mary Lou’s personality.
“I am very proud to have introduced a bill that freezes the property taxes of veteran’s organizations.” This bill was passed and currently veteran’s organizations pay property taxes equal to 15% of their 1999 assessed valuations. “This does not mean all members of veterans groups, but the taxes levied on a VFW or American legion Post”, she explained. “Do you know that so many Posts have had to close because of taxes?”
“It’s a true shame,” I replied, upset at the thought.
“It is even worse downstate than in Naperville,” she said. “In one county three Posts were forced to close.” Due in no small part to Mary Lou’s efforts, Illinois has become a much easier state in which to administer veteran’s services. Post closings have slowed.
Keenly interested in the history of Naperville, Mary Lou is the author of a history of the Municipal Band and a member of the Fort Payne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. There is a certain link in the desire to preserve the history of Naperville through the written word and the actual preservation of the historical and natural character of the area. The Greenspace Coalition’s goal of protecting the garden plots will hopefully guarantee a link to Naperville’s agricultural heritage. As a member of the Coalition Mary Lou supports our goal, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that she has been applauded for her environmental work, receiving a “Vision for DuPage Award” in 1997 from DuPage Clean and Beautiful. Recently, as a way of preserving more land in DuPage County, she sponsored the legislation that separates the Forest Preserve Board from the County Board. If all goes as expected, this decision should allow for a much greater countywide effort to manage and preserve undeveloped land. Most importantly, it seeks to avoid the potential for conflicts of interest that can occur when development and preservation clash.
The afternoon I spent talking with Mary Lou Cowlishaw was most enjoyable, but all too brief. Having raised three children and been involved in so many aspects of life in Naperville, it’s pretty likely that a great many reading this have had equally pleasant conversations with her. As her retirement from the legislature nears I gave her one last chance to comment for this newsletter.
“I want to say thank you, and remember that last fall I did hold a press conference to announce that I am endorsing [Naperville Township Supervisor] George Porter to take my place in Springfield.”
After all the dedicated public service given to our community by Mary Lou Cowlishaw it may be impossible for anyone to take her place, and that would be just fine.
----Interview Conducted by George Bennett on a Sunday afternoon, January 2002. The Board of Directors of the West St. Greenspace Preservation Coalition would like to extend heartfelt condolences to Mary Lou’s husband Wayne and the entire Cowlishaw family.