John Simon - is it possible my last entry was too weak?

I have had a couple of emails, pointing out that I didn't go far enough on this topic.

Here is the NYT's writeup of John Simon. Worth your time to read it. Looks like the US Grant people were in the middle of firing SIU over their treatment of Dr. Simon. Nothing like a great man being brought down by petty SIU politicians.

Turns out that there was a second emeritus professor hit with the same charges, in the same way as Dr. Simon. More to come on that situation.

I'm guessing we will see no local newspaper coverage on this, but the Chronicle of Higher Education seems to be on the case.

Seems like there is something going really wrong here. Maybe it is time for the good people of Carbondale to take a stand, before there is no one to defend you, when you get screwed. I have written to Poshard and a few others. You should do the same.

End of the Gas Car. A Business Case.

Did the SIU administration kill John Simon?

I hear that sad news that Professor John Simon has died. A long time senior professor, head of the US Grant work at SIU and a neighbor of mine in Carbondale. It is rumored that Dr. Simon was "fired" and "escorted off campus" for some unnamed transgression, against some unnamed accuser, without a hearing, without any process. Word on the street is that the stress of this event, caused him to have a major stress related collapse and he spent the rest of his life in the ICU and died yesterday. Because he was a member of the Faculty Association, he had people go fight for him and he was "reinstated," after he fell ill. Should make great reading at his widows lawsuit against SIU.

You have to wonder who is running the circus at SIU and why anyone would go after a 70-some year old professor this way? Word on the street is that Simon wouldn't play ball with his US Grant endowment and he was being pushed aside so the administration could get control of that money. Don't know if that is true, but why fire him, without a hearing and without any process, unless you are after money and/or power?

Should be interesting to see who decided to drop a 10 ton block on the head of a loyal and longtime employee. If these rumors are true, I'm hoping the widows sues and shines light under every rock, just to see the administration cockroaches run. If you can't be enraged about this, what will wake you from your stupor?

RIP Dr. Simon, you deserved better.