Former state. Sen. Jones remembered for wit, dedication to constituents
From his years as an elementary school speech pathologist to securing state money to help fund a safe house for abused women, former Palatine Mayor and state Sen. Wendell Jones is being remembered as a quick-witted family man who put others first.
Jones died Tuesday in Florida of complications from Hodgkin's lymphoma, friends said. He was 73.
“It doesn't matter what he was doing; it was never for him and always for other people,” said Richard Maxwell, who helped run Jones' Senate campaigns.
Jones first was appointed to the 27th state Senate seat in 1998 when Peter Fitzgerald moved to the U.S. Senate. The Republican, who was known for using props such as oversized poster board checks during debates, served in the Senate for a decade until retiring and moving to the Fort Myers area.
“He was an institution, Palatine-wise,” said Sen. Matt Murphy, who now represents Jones' former senate district encompassing parts of Arlington Heights, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Inverness, Palatine, Wheeling, Prospect Heights and South Barrington.
While in office, Jones sponsored a law to help families protect children, spearheaded a measure to reopen Arlington Park racetrack and supported charter school reform for Illinois.
He's also known for supporting Palatine's secession from Cook County to form Lincoln County, an idea he brought up several times over 30 years. He introduced legislation to study the feasibility and lower the number of signatures needed for a referendum, though also acknowledged the move was a longshot that faced many hurdles.
Former state Rep. Suzie Bassi shared a district office on Northwest Highway in Palatine with Jones, who she recalled caring deeply for his constituents.
“He had the quickest wit of anybody down in Springfield,” Bassi said.
Jones was far from a political rookie before his appointment to Fitzgerald's seat, having served as a Palatine trustee from 1967 to 1973, followed by a four-year term as mayor. Before that, he was director of special education at Palatine Township Elementary District 15 and assistant school superintendent in Cook County.
Former longtime Palatine Councilman Jack Wagner said Jones got him into politics by appointing him to the board of health, and lauded him for putting village resources into forming an EMS and firefighter/paramedic program.
“He was a straight up guy with a lot of common sense and foresight,” Wagner said.
Jones' death came as a shock to friends and colleagues, who said he was given a good prognosis with his recent Hodgkin's diagnosis. He came north for a visit a couple months ago and told Maxwell, his former campaign manager, over lunch that he was about to start chemotherapy. But his wife, Jane, emailed a few days ago that he was in the hospital with a grave case of pneumonia.
Moments of silence were observed Wednesday afternoon in both the Illinois House and Senate.
U.S. Senator Mark Kirk, suburban 10th District Congressman from 2000 to 2010, also weighed in, saying Jones should be remembered as “The soul of common sense. He was a fiscal conservative with the brightest smile to sell his ideas.”
In Palatine, Jones opened Wenco Inc., a sales, consulting and marketing firm. He also was involved in fundraising efforts for Palatine's Towne Square and sat on the board of WINGS, a domestic violence agency based in Palatine.
Murphy said he spoke regularly with Jones about the goings-on of the Senate chamber, and the Senate Republicans jointly sent Jones a get-well card this summer as he battled health problems.
“He was a good friend,” Murphy said. “He had a great heart.”
Funeral arrangements are pending for Jones, who's survived by his wife of 51 years, three children and grandchildren.
Ÿ Staff writers Mike Riopell and Kerry Lester contributed to this story