Illinois Secretary of State Tumbling His Way to the Top

Plaques honoring his service adorn the walls of his office, a collection of Asian themed souvenirs are neatly scattered on the shelves, and gold framed pictures of himself with Aretha Franklin, Muhammad Ali, and Magic Johnson stand a few feet away from his neatly organized desk. This is where Jesse White, Illinois 37^th Secretary of State, does all the paper work for the city of Chicago, and it's even the place where he dines to eat McDonald's for lunch.

"Well, you think this office is amazing? Try this one on for size," said White as he opens up and flips through a thick photo album of his office in Springfield. "This is behind my desk, to the side of my desk, and this is my conference table. That's the whole deal. It's big enough to play basketball. It's about three times the size of this office."

Despite his office not being as big as the one in Springfield, Jesse White's Chicago office inside the James R. Thompson Building, shows that he's always been a busy man. From having three shelves full of awards to pictures of his Tumbling Team to a statue of Abraham Lincoln whom he calls "his savior," you won't believe that he only gets four hours of sleep a day. White is all about hard work and dedication, which landed him A Man of the Year award in 2003.
Still wearing his red tumbler's uniform in the office, White had performed, about an hour ago, with his tumbling team in a event that celebrated the donation of 10,000 free circus tickets to families. He proved there that he can still do head stands at the age of 73 and never be too old to hang with his young team of tumblers.

White, who was a gymnast as a child , was the founder of the Jesse White Tumblers in 1959. It was formed to create a positive alternative program for kids in the Chicago area that will help them succeed and stay away from drugs, gangs, and alcohol. He has worked with the team for 48 years and received international recognition by performing in China, Bermuda, and Japan. Currently the team consist of six groups of 205 kids and 400 in training at the Moody Bible Institute. White also created a tutoring program held for its student-athletes who fall below a "C" average in their academics. "Many of these kids [on the tumbling team] are in college," White said. "They cannot drink, smoke, drop out of school, or dislike someone because of race, creed or color, because that is unacceptable."

Before tumbling in as Illinois 1^st African-American Secretary of State, White always had many duties. For 16 years, he participated in the Illinois General Assembly in 1974 and was elected in 1992 as Cook County's Recorder of Deeds. He also served in the United States Army's 101^st Airborne Division as a paratrooper and the Illinois National Guard from 1957 through 1959. One of his army experiences, White address when he had to jump out of a plane was to"never worry about the jump, it's always the sudden stop."

Community service is a big part of White's job. He worked for the park district as a volunteer for Share Your Soles organization, where thousands of pairs of new and used shoes were donated to Guatemala, Honduras, Pakistan, Haiti, and New Orleans.

White also is very passionate about the organ donor program after finding out his ex-girlfriend's corneas were donated after she passed away. They were transplanted on a man, whom he later met and thanked. He encourages everyone to be a organ donor and not be afraid of it. "We don't want your organs now, we want them later," said White.

The Illinois Secretary of State's office provides a wide range of services directly to the people in the state of Illinois. White's office is responsible for issuing state ID cards, vehicle license plates, and registering corporation. The office also licenses drivers and maintains all driver records. Since he is entitled as State Archivist, he has the ability to maintain legal and historic valued records.

White's other job as Secretary of State is to be the State Librarian. As head of the library, he oversees the literacy program and spends $77 million dollars a year for the library.

White was born in Alton, Illinois in 1934 and moved to Chicago when he was 7- years-old. He attended Alabama State College, (now Alabama State University) where Dr. Martin Luther King was his minister. White was a Physical Education major and graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science. During college, he played basketball and baseball, which led him to play for the Chicago Cubs organization in 1959-1966, although he never appeared on the major league roster. Out of all his responsibilities, what White cherishes the most is seeing his fellow people proud and happy. "Whenever you can open your eyes and smile and breathe, it's a good day. And whenever I get a chance to meet with my fellow men and women, no matter what their ethnic background is, it's a good day for me," said White. "Because I follow the philosophy of life that you have to love your fellow man and woman."

Plaques honoring his service adorn the walls of his office, a collection of Asian themed souvenirs are neatly scattered on the shelves, and gold framed pictures of himself with Aretha Franklin, Muhammad Ali, and Magic Johnson stand a few feet away from his neatly organized desk. This is where Jesse White, Illinois 37^th Secretary of State, does all the paper work for the city of Chicago, and it's even the place where he dines to eat McDonald's for lunch.

"Well, you think this office is amazing? Try this one on for size," said White as he opens up and flips through a thick photo album of his office in Springfield. "This is behind my desk, to the side of my desk, and this is my conference table. That's the whole deal. It's big enough to play basketball. It's about three times the size of this office."

Despite his office not being as big as the one in Springfield, Jesse White's Chicago office inside the James R. Thompson Building, shows that he's always been a busy man. From having three shelves full of awards to pictures of his Tumbling Team to a statue of Abraham Lincoln whom he calls "his savior," you won't believe that he only gets four hours of sleep a day. White is all about hard work and dedication, which landed him A Man of the Year award in 2003.
Still wearing his red tumbler's uniform in the office, White had performed, about an hour ago, with his tumbling team in a event that celebrated the donation of 10,000 free circus tickets to families. He proved there that he can still do head stands at the age of 73 and never be too old to hang with his young team of tumblers.

White, who was a gymnast as a child, was the founder of the Jesse White Tumblers in 1959. It was formed to create a positive alternative program for kids in the Chicago area that will help them succeed and stay away from drugs, gangs, and alcohol. He has worked with the team for 48 years and received international recognition by performing in China, Bermuda, and Japan. Currently the team consist of six groups of 205 kids and 400 in training at the Moody Bible Institute. White also created a tutoring program held for its student-athletes who fall below a "C" average in their academics. "Many of these kids [on the tumbling team] are in college," White said. "They cannot drink, smoke, drop out of school, or dislike someone because of race, creed or color, because that is unacceptable."

Before tumbling in as Illinois 1^st African-American Secretary of State, White always had many duties. For 16 years, he participated in the Illinois General Assembly in 1974 and was elected in 1992 as Cook County's Recorder of Deeds. He also served in the United States Army's 101^st Airborne Division as a paratrooper and the Illinois National Guard from 1957 through 1959. One of his army experiences, White address when he had to jump out of a plane was to"never worry about the jump, it's always the sudden stop."

Community service is a big part of White's job. He worked for the park district as a volunteer for Share Your Soles organization, where thousands of pairs of new and used shoes were donated to Guatemala, Honduras, Pakistan, Haiti, and New Orleans.

White also is very passionate about the organ donor program after finding out his ex-girlfriend's corneas were donated after she passed away. They were transplanted on a man, whom he later met and thanked. He encourages everyone to be a organ donor and not be afraid of it. "We don't want your organs now, we want them later," said White.

The Illinois Secretary of State's office provides a wide range of services directly to the people in the state of Illinois. White's office is responsible for issuing state ID cards, vehicle license plates, and registering corporation. The office also licenses drivers and maintains all driver records. Since he is entitled as State Archivist, he has the ability to maintain legal and historic valued records.

White's other job as Secretary of State is to be the State Librarian. As head of the library, he oversees the literacy program and spends $77 million dollars a year for the library.

White was born in Alton, Illinois in 1934 and moved to Chicago when he was 7 years old. He attended Alabama State College, (now Alabama State University) where Dr. Martin Luther King was his minister. White was a Physical Education major and graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science. During college, he played basketball and baseball, which led him to play for the Chicago Cubs organization in 1959-1966, although he never appeared on the major league roster. Out of all his responsibilities, what White cherishes the most is seeing his fellow people proud and happy. "Whenever you can open your eyes and smile and breathe, it's a good day. And whenever I get a chance to meet with my fellow men and women, no matter what their ethnic background is, it's a good day for me," said White. "Because I follow the philosophy of life that you have to love your fellow man and woman."