[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 74 (Wednesday, May 4, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2326-S2327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                       REMEMBERING THOMAS OAKLEY

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, Tom Oakley was a man with a mission. His 
mission was to put Quincy and Western Illinois on the map. The only 
sure way to do that was to personally redraw the maps. So he did.
  In the late 1950s, there was not a four-lane highway anywhere within 
100 miles of Quincy, IL. Critics called the region: ``Forgottonia.'' 
Thomas Oakley had more than a good memory. He had a vision, and Western 
Illinois was not about to be forgotten.
  Any political candidate who paid a visit to Tom's Herald-Whig 
editorial board knew what to expect. No complimentary coffee or cool 
glass of water until Tom asked the question. With a dead serious look 
and his deep bass voice, he skipped the pleasantries.
  ``What's your position on completing the four-lane Central Illinois 
Expressway all the way to Quincy?''
  ``I am for it,'' I quickly answered as a congressional candidate in 
1982.
  Tom smiled and asked how I liked my coffee. It was the beginning of a 
beautiful friendship.
  For decades, Quincy and the Tri-States had no greater advocate than 
Tom. His indefatigable voice for the region rightfully earned him the 
honor of having a 60-mile stretch of the Chicago to Kansas Expressway 
highway named after him. From Quincy to Macomb, it is the Thomas A. 
Oakley Highway now. He also helped grow his family's media company 
Quincy Media, Inc., into the 13th largest media company in the country. 
Last month, Tom passed away, and today, we honor the memory and legacy 
of my friend.
  Tom was a member of the fourth generation of his family to work for 
Quincy Media, which operates the Quincy Herald-Whig, the Hannibal 
Courier-Post, and WGEM television and radio. Quincy Media has 
properties in several other markets as well. He was born to Thomas C. 
and Mary Oakley on June 24, 1932. As a young person, he began his 
career as a carrier boy for the Quincy Herald-Whig. In summers, he 
worked for Quincy Broadcasting and the Quincy Herald-Whig.
  After graduating from Quincy High School in 1950, Tom earned a 
bachelor's degree in economics from Duke University and joined the U.S. 
Air Force in 1954. He served for 3 years, 2 of them flying a B-47 
bomber with the Strategic Air Command. Tom was honorably discharged 
with the rank of first lieutenant in 1957 and was a captain in the 
Inactive Reserves. In 1958, he returned to Quincy and the family 
business.
  Tom became the president and CEO of Quincy Media in 1969, following 
the death of his father. Under his leadership, he led the company 
through decades of growth, adding television stations in several 
markets and one additional newspaper. Tom also championed efforts to 
improve the Quincy infrastructure. He used his personal leadership and 
expanding media outlets to promote improving the quality of life in the 
region.
  For more than 60 years, Tom worked toward developing a highway for 
the Tri-States, which had been bypassed by the Eisenhower era 
infrastructure boom. He was on an untold amount of committees 
throughout his life. Tom helped found the Joint Industrial Development 
Commission, the first unified effort to build the economy of the Tri-
State region. This was a predecessor of the Great River Economic 
Development Foundation, which remains a driving force to improve Quincy 
and Adams County.
  Tom made things happen. Every Governor since Otto Kerner, who was 
elected in 1960, heard about the Western Illinois highway needs from 
Tom. He was instrumental in securing funds to complete the Central 
Illinois Expressway from Springfield to the Mississippi River at 
Hannibal, the Chicago to Kansas Expressway, and the Avenue of the 
Saints from St. Louis to Minneapolis. There is now a four-lane bridge 
over the Mississippi River at Hannibal, too. He threw his weight behind 
projects to

[[Page S2327]]

improve Amtrak, Baldwin Field, locks and dams, and a port district. Tom 
worked with elected officials at every level of government, regardless 
of party, so Illinois and the surrounding States' residents could have 
a better life.
  For his work in media and improving the region, Tom received numerous 
awards. From the Quincy Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame to being the 
first recipient of the annual Boy Scout community service award, he was 
a deeply honored person. In 2020, he was inducted into the Gold Circle 
by the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts 
and Sciences, one of television's highest honors.
  Tom also was generous financially. The Oakley family made the single 
largest philanthropic investment in the history of Quincy University, 
focusing on scholarships, academic facility improvements, and support 
programs. Earlier this year, Tom announced a $1 million gift to Culver-
Stockton College to establish the Tri-State Development Summit at the 
school.
  Tom inspired a legacy that will continue and channel regional 
cooperation. He was fiercely loyal to both his family and his 
community, and I am fortunate to call him a friend. We will miss his 
leadership. His life was a life well-lived. Tom is survived by his son 
Ralph, his daughter Mary, his many grandchildren, and great-
grandchildren. Tom, like his beloved Western Illinois, will not be 
forgotten.
  (At the request of Mr. Durbin, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)

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