“The concept of Forgottonia was that this region was neglected by urban centers, but that wasn’t really the problem. The problem was we don’t engage at the community level like we should.
Bill Edley
ON THIS EPISODE
As part of our Oral History in Forgottonia series, Cuba High School students Cadie & Courtney Churchill continue their investigation of the Forgottonia movement that took place in the western Illinois Region in the late 1960s and early 1970s (you can listen to the sister’s previous episode on Forgottonia by visiting this link). This time Cadie and Courtney set out to unpack whether or not the region is worse off today. To help them better understand this question, they were thrilled to speak with former Illinois state representative Bill Edley.
Bill Edley stands as a living testament to the region’s rich history. Born and raised in western Illinois, Bill embarked on a journey that would take him from small-town roots to the grand halls of the General Assembly in Springfield. Mr. Edley attended Fiatt Grade School (just outside of Cuba), and from there, he made his way to Canton, graduating from Canton High School before furthering his studies at Spoon River College. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in investment finance at the University of Illinois, became a successful business owner, and later assumed the role of president of the Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce in 1985. Mr. Edley made his mark on the political stage in 1989 when he secured a surprising victory in the Illinois 95th district congressional seat. This win, a notable upset in a district traditionally dominated by Republicans, reflected both the changing political landscape and Bill’s unwavering dedication to representing the interests of his constituents.
Beyond his political career, Mr. Edley earned a Master’s in Economic History from the prestigious London School of Economics. He has been a financial consultant, a member of the WIU board of trustees, a collaborator with the Illinois Department of Corrections, and a guest columnist for various newspapers. Recently, Bill has published a book delving into the history of the Forgottonia region which Cadie and Courtney were eager to learn more about.
Essential & Supporting Questions (Part 1)
- Is the Forgottonia region worse off today compared to previous generations?
- How has Forgottonia changed regarding manufacturing jobs & population decline?
- What strategies were employed in the past to address this, and what innovative approaches could be explored today?
“Challenge yourself. Don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is part of success. I learned from losing. I applied these lessons and won the biggest upset in the state… Failure can be a step forward to success.”
Bill Edley
Cadie & Courtney Churchill BIO
Cadie & Courtney are juniors at Cuba High School. They are the daughters of Jason and Christy Churchill. Cadie is involved in history club, cheer, and track. Her favorite place to eat is Chick-Fil-A and her favorite TV show is Stranger Things. After high school, Cadie is thinking about going to college to become a speech-language pathologist.
Courtney is involved in history club, varsity cheerleading, varsity track, FCCLA, art club, and drama club. Her favorite place to eat is Texas Roadhouse. Her favorite tv show is “Orange is the New Black,” after high school, she plans on going to school to be a gynecologist.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Our ORAL HISTORY of FORGOTTONIA series is part of the NCHE Rural Experience in America grant in partnership with the Western IL Museum, and the Western IL University Archives. In 2021, the National Council for History Education (NCHE) recruited teachers nationwide to participate in free and open professional development that occurred asynchronously and synchronously online, focusing on rural history and historical inquiry using Library of Congress sources. Teachers traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to collaborate with a community partner selected from their hometown to create a public history project.
These community-based, service-learning public history projects enable students to investigate their local and regional histories deeply and to connect their own histories to the larger human experience. A key purpose of this project is to link rural communities and their histories to national narratives and primary source collections, and the targeted focus of this proposal provides an avenue for such purposeful connections.
Our project, The Oral History of Forgottonia, is one of several throughout the country featured by the NCHE. To learn about other projects featured by this grant, check out this list and visit the links at the bottom of this post.
SOURCES
- Oral History of Forgottonia – Getting to Know Forgottonia’s Governor: Cadie & Courtney Churchill Interview with John Marshall
- The Pivotal Decade by Judith Stein (This book was referenced by Mr. Edley throughout the interview)
- The Future of Forgottonia – Program and community conversation featuring Bill Edley and several others to discuss questions like “What do generations of West-Central Illinoisans envision for the future of “Forgottonia” and How might the region harness its rich history and community to attract opportunity and support future generations who will call the region home?
The Forgottonia Project 
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