No regular Joe..

I couldn’t help but notice in Joe Fleming’s obituary. Even with his passing, he was thinking about Fairfield, and specifically Frontier Community College.

He and many others had a vision in the early 1970s…a vision that has manifested itself in one of the anchors of this community. Joe along with people like Don Gillison, 

Preston Mathews, Richard Mason, Grace Sullivan, the late Marilyn Wolfe… and so many others were there when Jim Spencer considered putting a campus in Fairfield.

By the way, Richard Mason, the guy that Spencer sent to Fairfield to ultimately start the college is recovering from some health issues. The good news is that he is home. I was so thankful to get to talk to him yesterday afternoon about Joe and the people who had the vision to push for Frontier.  Richard loves to tell the story about how he, along with Preston and Don Gillison, went to the Fairfield City Council to beg for some land to offer up to the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges for the campus. They needed to show that the city was willing to put some skin into the game.

The city offered up the initial 34 acres. The three left the meeting knowing the dream had a chance of becoming a reality.

Joe Fleming and most of the other folks mentioned in this commentary were part of the greatest generation this country will ever produce.  He left a job in the oil industry to enlist in the Army Air Corps following the outbreak of World War II. His generation saved the world from the Nazis and then came home. They were so grateful to make it back; they committed themselves to lifetimes of good deeds.

One of the greatest deeds was the gift of education. Countless locals would not have prospered if not for Frontier Community College.

God speed Mr. Fleming and thank you for everything.