There is no one who could ever accuse Jake Rendleman of not being actively involved in the community.

Besides being a long-time member of the John A. Logan College Board of Trustees, Rendleman is the past president of the Illinois Community College Board, a member of the Carterville City Council, a member of the Executive Committee of the Carterville Chamber of Commerce, and a current and past member of a number of other organizations.

Despite the fact that he rubs shoulders with local business, community and educational leaders on a regular basis, Rendleman keeps his basic life philosophy front and center: "Never forget where you came from, and how you got to where you are today."

The philosophy has helped him stay grounded, such that he always remembers the reason he is in the positions he is, which is to serve the needs of the public.

"In order to gain the trust and respect of the people you interact with and serve, I feel you have to treat everyone equally and with respect, no matter what their position may be," he says.

"This is especially important in public service."

Rendleman developed his life philosophy by observing the attitudes and resulting experiences of other people over the years, especially during the time he spent teaching. (Rendleman was a classroom teacher for almost 30 years.)

"I never was an administrator," he says. "I was always in the classroom. Over the years, though, I observed that when some people in my profession had the opportunity to move up into administration, they seemed to forget where they had come from the classroom."

He ended up feeling that, if these people had remembered their backgrounds, some of the decisions they made would have been different.

Rendleman is quick to point out that this shortcoming doesn't only occur in the educational system. It can and does occur in virtually all professions.

"I have observed people in all walks of life, who, as they moved up, stopped relating back to where they came from," he says.

After years of observation, Rendleman found that the people who did remember where they came from almost always seemed to be able to gain and maintain the respect of the people around them.

Despite a firm commitment to remembering his background and treating all people with respect, Rendleman doesn't let this get in the way of making what he feels are the right decisions, even if they don't go the way some people want them to go.

For example, when making decisions as a John A. Logan board member, he always asks himself: "Is this the best decision for the overall betterment of the college?"

Probably one of the most successful administrators Rendleman ever worked with was Les McCollum. He was not only the principal at the school where Rendleman taught, but the two men ended up serving together on the board at John A. Logan College.

"Les was someone who could interact with everyone, and he always treated everyone with respect and considered everyone equal," he says. "In return, he was treated with respect. I always looked up to him."

BILL ATKINSON has been a full-time freelance business magazine writer since 1976. He is the author of seven books; his most recent is "Eliminate Stress from Your Life Forever." Contact him at 985-4486.