A background in education and leadership theory inspired two retired Southern Illinois administrators to share a story of a political leader with possibly unmatched personal ties.

Maxine Pyle of Johnston City and Marleis Trover of Vienna have spent the past several years working on "Pass the Plate," a book about the life of former U.S. Rep. Ken Gray and his "wheeling and dealing" ways of finding his way out of any situation.

"We need a model - not just one who had done it 20 years ago, but we need a model today," Trover said.

The roots of the project can be traced to the late 1980s, when Pyle, working toward an advanced degree in education, earned an internship in Gray's Washington office. This experience allowed her to learn about government and the application of leadership theory in that aspect of life.

"It was a really good experience, and I learned so many things about the workings of the government," she said. "Just seeing the people coming into the office was a real experience."

Pyle went on the serve in many varying educational administration positions through her career, including assistant superintendent in Johnston City, assistant regional superintendent at the Franklin-Williamson Regional Office of Education and dean of instruction and vice president of administration at John A. Logan College in Carterville.

Trover, her co-author, was one of her students, who also pursued a career in education, retiring as superintendent in 2008 in Vienna.

The two women hope their book will serve as a useful educational tool for students, as it contains references to online sources where a new generation can continue the exploration into the past.

"We're very interested in our students understanding the importance of service and citizenship," Trover said. "The only way people can understand things is if they can see it."

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