ALMA MATTERS EXTRAORDINARY ALUM Christine Radogno BA ’73, MSW ’74 • Illinois Senate minority leader
passion, and you develop a critical outlook on government. You do de- velop some good skills and insights. But very few people are successful as total outsiders. Eventually you have to come into the system. And that really happened to me when I first got involved locally. I was the outsider, the one looking in, and saying, “What the heck are you guys doing? This makes no sense!” But if you want to see things change, you have to adapt.
Christine Radogno (BA ‘73, MSW ‘74), Illinois Senate minority leader
Time at Loyola • I was a commuter student. I think because of that I really got to know the city.
Auspicious beginnings • I met my husband during my first class on the first day. I have this blazing pic- ture in my mind of what he looked like. He was wearing white Levis, a red-and-white striped T-shirt, baby blue socks, and penny loafers. I thought he was so cute. We got married the week after I graduated from social work school. I was 19.
From the outset • I was swept up in high school in the first sociology class I took. After Loyola, I worked at Mercy medical center in Aurora in mental health.
Entering the game • I never thought I’d be in politics in a million years. My husband was a political science major. He got me out ring- ing doorbells for Dan Walker [gov- ernor of Illinois from 1973-1977], which I’d never done. But I got involved in a local issue, and started learning about local politics.
From social work to politics • A lot of the state spending is on human services. To have the information to make budget decisions, social work is a great background to have. Secondly, as the caucus leader, I’m dealing with a small group. And a large part of social work is listening to opinions, finding solutions, and
negotiating, which comes very much into play.
Any surprises? • The thing that surprised me the most is what a satisfying career it is. Even though right now I’m in the minority, the most incremental change affects so many people. I feel like it’s ex- tremely worthwhile. I enjoy it.
On incremental progress • Of course I want to see good things happen faster. But the alternative is to do nothing, and then nothing happens.
Change from within • Working on the outside for some time, I think, can be a good thing. You develop a
On the budget • There are lots of good ways to spend money, and there are a lot of needs. But there is also a limited ability to fund them. This is kind of a funny story: I was on a panel at Loyola when I was newly elected— a seminar for hous- ing for the mentally ill. Everyone was lamenting that there wasn’t enough. And one of the panelists said to the audience, “How many of you know who your state senator and state rep are?” And only about three hands out of a hundred went up. So there’s that disconnect between wanting good things to happen and the ways those things get funded.
Alumni association? • Of the four leaders in the state government, only one doesn’t have a Loyola connection.
Best moment • Being elected leader was a huge moment for me. To be elected by your peers, who are all leaders in their own right, is an honor. (Sen. Radogno is the first woman elected to lead a legislative caucus in Illinois history. She’s been elected twice as leader of the Sen- ate Republican Caucus.)
42 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
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