Kenneth Buzbee will recall his time as a Southern Illinois broadcaster and an Illinois state senator in a talk with the Herrin Area Historical Society at 2:00 p.m., Friday, February 19, 2016, at the Herrin City Library. While a college student he worked at several area radio stations including WRAJ in Anna, WGGH  in Marion and WJPF in Herrin where he worked with Erv Coppi and Bob Walker.

In 1958 he participated in the creation of SIU’s public radio station, WSRV-FM (later WSIU-FM).  He served three years in the U. S. Marine Corps from 1961-1964 and retired from the Marine Corps Reserves in 1988 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

 He was first elected to the Illinois state senate in 1972, where he served on the Senate Appropriations, Agriculture-Conservation and Energy, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Higher Education Committees. In 1984 he chose not to seek re-election for his seat in order to run for the U. S. House seat vacated by the late Paul Simon.  That year, Simon clenched a narrow victory  over three-term Republican Sen. Charles Percy.

 Buzbee lost that primary election to the late Kenneth J. Gray in the Democratic primary. In 1999 he was appointed director of the Business Services Department of the Illinois Secretary of State’s office.  He retired in 2006.  He lives in Carbondale.

He said about his upcoming program, “I am pleased to talk about southern Illinois.  I continue to have high hopes for the region and for the great university at SIU. I think of the region as a glass that is half full with much to achieve and experience in the future.”