BLOOMINGTON - Sam Doud, an Oakland Elementary School fifth grader, is a political activist who just returned from his first visit to Springfield.

He was one of 36 Oakland Elementary School third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students who lobbied to have Adlai Ewing Stevenson II Commemorative Day recognized by the state.

Oakland students led the charge to have Stevenson's birthday recognized as a commemorative day in Bloomington, with the first celebrated on Feb. 5, 2005.

"When we went to the city in 2004, it was the first time students ever presented anything like this. It is very rare at the state level," said third-grade teacher Janenne Scott. She, along with fourth-grade teacher Shari Cooper and fifth-grade teacher Leslie Frizzell, went to Springfield with the students Monday.

Doud, who writes "political letters" to the newspaper, enjoyed seeing state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, in Springfield and being on the House floor.

The students presented Brady with a petition of 36 student names and letters of support. They hope to finish a DVD photo story they've started and mail it to Brady as part of their efforts. He will lead their effort at the state level.

The photo story will include pictures of Stevenson at the local, state and national levels, pictures of two Bloomington murals of him and his grandfather, pictures taken at the cemetery, at his former home on Washington Street, of his statue at Central Illinois Regional Airport, its sculptor Rick Harney, and from other field trips and research.

"(Being at) the Capitol was really fun," said third-grader Bailey Bruketta, 9, who was among students who visited the Illinois General Assembly and Illinois State Museum.

"We got to sit in their chairs and to vote," said fourth-grader Ben Gibson of Bloomington.

Students took part in a simulated vote about skate boards in public parks. Brady told them to consider safety and money in their deliberations.

A $400 Beyond the Books Grant, support from the McLean County Museum of History and the school's Parent-Teachers Organization all have lent support to the effort. "We are so blessed at this school," Scott said.

Oakland's learning center teacher Amy Obertz helped students put the DVD together. The students hope to return to Springfield this fall to hear if their proposal has been accepted, Scott said.

"We'll gladly have Adlai Day," students Bruketta, Gibson, and Doud said in unison.

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FYI

Five reasons Adlai should have his day, as presented to state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, to seek state recognition of Adlai E. Stevenson II Commemorative Day on Feb. 5, his birthday:

• Adlai E. Stevenson was raised in Bloomington and started his career here;

• He was the former governor of Illinois;

• He showed perseverance and a strong work ethnic, and personal traits we would like to citizens in the state to aspire to;

• He showed honesty and humility. After he lost two presidential elections, he said, "Better to lose than to mislead the people";

• He played a key role in averting the Cuban missile crisis.

Adlai E. Stevenson II

• Born: Feb. 5, 1900, in Los Angeles. He came to his family's hometown, Bloomington, at age 6.

• Died: July 14, 1965, in London. He is buried in Bloomington's Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

• Political career: Illinois governor, 1948-1953; Democratic presidential nominee, 1952 and 1956, losing to Dwight Eisenhower both times; U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, 1961-1965.

• Political lineage: Grandfather, Adlai E. Stevenson I, U.S. vice president, 1893-1897; father, Lewis Green Stevenson, Illinois secretary of state, 1914-1917; son, Adlai E. Stevenson III, Illinois House, 1965-1967; Illinois treasurer, 1967-1971; U.S. senator, 1971-1981; gubernatorial candidate, 1986.

SOURCES: Pantagraph archives; Oakland Elementary School students and teachers; Compiled by Phyllis Coulter