Sheila Simon discusses family traditions, legacy of parents

By Tom Cronin - Public Affairs Reporter

From games of jump rope to songs like Frog Went A-Courtin,' childhood traditions come in different versions and are typically passed from one generation to the next by word of mouth. Sheila Simon, daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon and Jeanne Hurley Simon, discussed the informal-yet-important nature of traditions and shared some of her family's own traditions before a near-capacity crowd at Brookens Auditorium Monday.

Sheila Simon's lecture, titled “A Life in Illinois Politics and Law: A Daughter Carries Forward the Legacy of Jeanne and Paul Simon,” was held to celebrate Women's Heritage Month and was sponsored by the UIS Women's Center and the Center for State Policy and Leadership.

Currently a law professor and a Carbondale City Council member, Sheila Simon spoke about the lives and careers of her parents and their influence on her career in law and politics. She said that she sees her parents' legacy not as something that she and her brother, Martin, have sole possession of, but as something that can be shared with everybody.

“I have a monopoly on being the daughter of Paul and Jeanne Simon,” Sheila Simon said. “… But, I don't have a monopoly on being inspired by them, on seeing my place in the world as being someone who can shape the world. We all have that. We all have not just the opportunity, but the responsibility to say, ‘This is the world that I see we can make together, and this is how I want to do it, and these are the steps that I'm going to take today.'”

Paul Simon, who died on Dec. 9, 2003, served in the U.S. Senate from 1984 to 1997 and sought the Democratic Presidential nomination during the 1988 campaign. Prior to being elected to the senate, he served as a U.S. representative, Illinois lieutenant governor, a state senator and a state representative.

Jeanne Hurley Simon was elected as a state representative in 1956 and was one of the first women to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives. She was the chairwoman of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science when she died on Feb. 20, 2000. Jeanne met Paul during her tenure as a representative, and the two became the first couple to marry while serving in the Illinois General Assembly.

Having been raised by parents who were deeply involved in politics, Sheila Simon went through some traditions growing up that were not common to most of her peers. One family tradition that Sheila said was difficult for her as a teenager involved going to restaurants with her father. Unlike most parents, Paul Simon shook hands with everybody at a restaurant as part of his dining experience, according to his daughter.

“Dad was like a shark that had to keep swimming to keep breathing,” Sheila Simon said. “He had to keep going. He would just not stop. If he had 10 minutes at home at the house in Makanda, then he'd go cast a line, not even taking off the bow tie.”

The tradition that Sheila Simon described as “the most religiously observed practice” in her family is that of reading newspapers at breakfast. The tradition first became a part of Sheila's life as a child and remains in her current household. Sheila and her husband, Perry Knop, have two daughters, ages 10 and 15.

Although they are not typically recorded in history books, traditions influence the daily activities of people during both childhood and adulthood, Sheila Simon said. Traditional children's songs, such as Frog Went A-Courtin,' come in different versions because people change the lyrics as they pass the song to family and friends. At Sheila's request, several members of the audience, including Chancellor Richard Ringeisen and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Christopher Miller, gave a rendition of the song.

“No one learned Frog Went A-Courtin' in a textbook, I don't think,” Sheila Simon said. “I never had Frog Went A-Courtin' 101. But we learn it from our families, we pass it on to our children, we take one thing, we keep it kind of the same, but it might take its own different adventure.”

A clinical assistant professor of law at the Southern Illinois University School of Law, Sheila Simon developed and supervised the law school's Domestic Violence Clinic. Additionally, she worked as an assistant state's attorney for four years, as a staff attorney at Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance for five years, and as an attorney in private practice for three years. She is also a member of “Loose Gravel,” a band local to Carbondale .

Sheila Simon discusses family traditions, legacy of parents