Excerpt from the Register-Mail’s “Tracking History”:

If you want to find an example of someone who refused to quit, look no further than our nation’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.

Abe was born into poverty, had virtually no formal education, failed as a businessman and lost eight elections. Because he refused to quit he became one of the greatest presidents in history of the United States.

Indeed Lincoln’s path to the presidency was worn and slippery. In 1854 after a failed attempt to be elected to the United States Senate, Abe commented, “My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other foot out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself that it was only a slip and not a fall.”

In 1858 Lincoln challenged incumbent Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas. Although Douglas would be re-elected, a series of debates throughout Illinois propelled Lincoln to a run for the presidency two years later. Historians have proclaimed that the famous Lincoln-Douglas in 1858, especially one held in Galesburg at Knox College, was instrumental in turning Lincoln’s future in a positive direction.

Excerpt from the Register-Mail:

Duke University has Coach K Court and Arizona has Lute Olson Court so why not Tim Heimann Court in Knox College’s Memorial Gym?

It happened in a surprise ceremony Saturday attended by Heimann’s family, friends and faculty and staff from the college.

Thanks to a $250,000 donation by Knox alumnus Duke Petrovich and his wife, Nancy, as part of a $500,000 renovation project for the 57-year-old gym, Heimann’s name is now painted on the sideline near center court.

Heimann, who just ended a 24-year career as head men’s basketball coach at the school and admits he takes great pride in his intimate knowledge of campus activities, was obviously shocked by the honor when Petrovich announced it.

“I tried to come over to the gym a week ago and the doors were locked,” said Heimann. “I went into the office and said, guys let me into the gym and Rob (Purlee) said no. I said, What do you mean no? He said, ‘I was told not to do it.’

“I assume now they wanted the whole thing to be a surprise.”

Petrovich, a 1974 grad whose donation was joined by $100,000 gift by Sue and Tom Anderson, noted that one of his fondest memories of Memorial Gym was seeing an Alice Cooper concert there.

But Petrovich acquired naming rights with his contribution and he explained how he came to his decision. “Our criteria was someone who has given their career to Knox, has lived the values and who is also a good decision-maker,” he told the group standing in the gym, still in the midst of renovation.

View the photo gallery from the Register-Mail.

Coverage from WQAD-TV, Channel 8.

Excerpt from the Peoria Journal Star:

Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft on Tuesday defended the Patriot Act and the Iraq war, saying they both protect personal liberties and freedom. “We have to live with the understanding that the world is a more lethal, dangerous place than it has ever been before and we’re going to have to make adjustments or else the same thing that happened to us before will happen to us again.”

Excerpt from the Register-Mail:

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft traded barbs with protesters and fended off shouts from the crowd Tuesday evening at Knox College.

The packed-to-the-brim crowd filled Harbach Theatre, espousing a variety of political views as they listened to the past statesman speak on “Leadership in Challenging Times.” Student-led group the Knox College Republicans brought Ashcroft to campus as part of the Young America’s Foundation.

The group raised roughly $15,000, much from donations by trustees and alumni, in order to bring in the politician.

Excerpt of Editorial by Register-Mail Editor Tom Martin:

Knox College students and perhaps even former Attorney General John Ashcroft are better for the confrontation that occurred Tuesday night on campus.

Colleges can be bubbles, where a diversity of political thought often doesn’t accompany the cultural diversity of students on campus.

That liberal bubble was challenged Tuesday night as the Knox Republicans, a group with fewer than a dozen members, raised enough money ($15,000) to bring the controversial Bush administration appointee to speak.

It’s unfortunate that some of the students wanted to shout and interrupt more than listen. It’s one thing to carry a sign or dress in silent protest, and quite another to disrupt the man’s speech. For instance, shouting “bull****” over his speech was simply rude and disrespectful to the speaker and the rest of the audience.

Excerpt from the Register-Mail:

In his seventh at-bat of Sunday’s doubleheader, Joey Graeff still didn’t have a hit.
Now here he was in the bottom of the eighth, game tied, go-ahead runner on second. The Knox College left fielder wanted to poke the ball to the opposite field, but then he fell behind in the count.

“I got two strikes and I just tried to shorten up and put it in play,” Graeff said. “He threw me one inside and I just got the bat on it and it fell for me.”

Graeff’s RBI single provided the winning run in game two as Knox baseball swept Monmouth 3-2 and 5-4 on Sunday.

The Prairie Fire improved to 6-19 overall and 3-3 in the Midwest Conference. The Fighting Scots fell to 5-17 and 4-4 in the MWC.

Excerpt from the Peoria Journal Star:

Poets Aeronwy Thomas and Peter Thabit Jones will read from their own works at 4 p.m. Friday in the Alumni Room of Knox College’s Old Main.

Thomas is the daughter of Dylan Thomas, and Jones teaches literature at Swansea University in Wales, United Kingdom.

The reading is free.

Thomas and Jones have given readings at the New York Public Library, Wellesley College, City College of New York, The National Arts Club of Manhattan, Northern Michigan University, Chicago Poetry Society, the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Robinson Jeffers Center in Monterey, Calif.

A noted poet in her own right, Thomas is a leader of a movement to honor her father, Dylan Thomas, one of the best-known poets of the 20th century. She has published six books of poetry and is known for her translations of Italian poetry. Her latest is “I Colori Delle Parole,” in both Italian and English, with paintings by Italian artist Gianpiero Actis.

Excerpt from the Register-Mail:

The Knox College softball team split a doubleheader with Lake Forest College on Saturday, winning the first game 5-2 before dropping the second 14-5 in five innings.

Katie Dura collected three of the Prairie Fire’s seven hits while knocking in a run and Jessa Dahl drove in two runs on one hit to pace the Knox offense in the opener. Bridget McCune pitched the win after allowing just two runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout in seven innings.