University News

Former U.S. Representative Lane Evans and Western Illinois University President Emeritus Leslie Malpass, c. 1983-87. The WIU Archives and Special Collections Unit at WIU Libraries is home to the Lane Evans Congressional Collection, which is available to the public by appointment. The collection includes information about the legislation he sponsored and co-sponsored, the constituent correspondence (e.g., the mail he received from western Illinois residents and his responses); correspondence from the committees he sat on; information about business, industry, education, the environment and general life in western Illinois; and photographs, campaign materials (including his commercials) and other interesting tidbits.
[Download Print-Quality Image]

WIU Archives Home to Lane Evans Congressional Collection; Collection Documents Government Career, Work for Vets, Environment and Ag

November 6, 2014

Share |
Printer friendly version

MACOMB, IL – The Lane Evans Collection at Western Illinois University contains many materials documenting Congressman Evans' career in government.

According to the Nov. 6 Chicago Tribune, former U.S. Representative Evans died Nov. 5 in East Moline at the age of 63 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease (see www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-lane-evans-dead-20141106-story.html).

Western Illinois University Libraries Professor, Librarian and Archivist Jeff Hancks said the Evans Congressional Collection, which is available to the public by appointment, includes information about the legislation he sponsored and co-sponsored, the constituent correspondence (e.g., the mail he received from western Illinois residents and his responses); correspondence from the committees he sat on; information about business, industry, education, the environment and general life in western Illinois; and photographs, campaign materials (including his commercials) and other interesting tidbits.

"The Lane Evans Collection is a signature collection in the WIU Archives and Special Collections Unit. It truly contains a goldmine of information about Congressman Evans and his career in government—24 years of information detailing life in west central Illinois, his many contributions on critical national and international issues and especially his dedication to serving our nation's veterans," Hancks said. "Evans worked hard to represent the 17th Congressional District in Washington, and we are honored to be the permanent stewards of the records documenting his life's work in our nation's capital."

New Mexico State University Assistant Professor Adam Heien, a WIU alumnus (2014), who worked on processing the collection's papers in 2013-14 while a graduate student in Western's history department, noted his work with the collection taught him how much Evans cared for the people in his district, as well as his tireless dedication to veterans' causes.

"The hands-on experience I gained from working with his papers has also served me well in my current position processing the papers of Senator Pete Domenici and other New Mexican political figures at New Mexico State University," Heien said.

According to Ann Rosentreter, a WIU history master's degree candidate who is also finishing the processing of the Lane Evans Collection for the WIU Archives and Special Collections Unit, she has learned that Evans worked for things that "really mattered to the people he represented."

"In working with Congressman Evans' collection, I can tell that he was greatly respected, by both his constituents and his staff," she said. "I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to help make Congressman Evans' collection accessible to the public. I know that working with a congressional collection will be extremely beneficial to my future in the archives profession, and I am glad that I am able to gain this experience from the collection of a congressman for whom I, too, have great respect."

Hancks added staff and students in the unit hope to have the entire collection processed by the end of this year.

For more information or to make an appointment to access the Lane Evans Collection, contact Hancks at (309) 298-2717 or via email at JL-Hancks@wiu.edu.

Lane Evans' Life/Career Brief Timeline (compiled by WIU Professor/Librarian/Archivist Jeff Hancks)

  • 1969: Graduate of Alleman High School (Rock Island, IL)
  • 1969-71: Served in U.S. Marine Corps (During Vietnam era; stationed in Okinawa)
  • 1974: Graduated from Augustana College
  • 1978: Georgetown University Law School
  • 1980-82 Worked as an attorney for Prairie State Legal Services (Rock Island)
  • 1982: Elected to U.S. House of Representatives
  • 1983-2007: Served 12 terms in U.S. House of Representatives (announced retirement in 2006 due to effects of Parkinson's disease); retired to Quad Cities

Career Highlights

  • Worked extensively on agriculture, defense (Rock Island Arsenal) and manufacturing—important industries in western Illinois
  • Significantly involved in veterans' affairs. Made his mark on finding out the impacts of Agent Orange on veterans and civilians

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing