Know Your Neighbor: Highland Mayor Joe Michaelis
When a child is told or shown by a parent or parents they are of no value, their ability to acquire self esteem and attain success is next to impossible.
The focus on child abuse and neglect in the 50s was relatively fuzzy in those Leave it to Beaver days, but it was very real, to which Highland Mayor Joe Michaelis can attest; he and his brother, Frank, lived it.
Born in St. Louis on Feb. 17, 1951, to Kenneth and Eunice Michaelis, Joe was the baby brother of Frank, who was five years older. When Joe was only a year old, his parents divorced. Joe has very few fond memories, but the ones he has were provided by his maternal grandfather during afternoon fishing excursions.
“Grandpa taught me four ways to play solitaire, hunt, fish and garden,” said Joe.
But that was when Joe was very young and the situation was only temporary.
Eunice had a severe drinking problem and it took on monstrous dimensions when she vented it on her young sons. Joe remembers he and Frank having to sneak into corn rows to bust open a jar of green beans in order to have food to survive. He also recalls the day the abuse came to a halt when Highland Police came and took the boys away.
Then they became part of the foster care system.
In depth research by psychologists and psychiatrists has revealed children abused and or neglected by a parent may suffer lasting scars. Some might be physical, but emotional scarring can have long lasting effects throughout life, damaging a child’s sense of worth, their future relationships, and ability to function.
Additionally, it causes a lack of trust and relationship difficulties, core feelings of being worthless, and trouble regulating emotions. Joe was no exception. Then, in his young adolescent years, he said he was “blessed with two angels, Melvin and Mary Tucker.”
According to Joe, the Tuckers, who became Joe’s foster parents, provided him with the love, discipline and structure which had been withheld from him since infancy.
“God sent two angels into my life,” said Joe. “Without them, my life would have had no value. They taught me faith, manners, discipline, how to study, provided me with tutors and all of the essentials many kids take for granted, like going to the barber or the dentist.”
Joe also reflected on the deep conversations his foster mother had with him regarding life, the importance of having respect for yourself and others and setting healthy boundaries.
“They gave me discipline with love,” said Joe. “After I began life with them, I was never in the principal’s office again.”
Joe graduated in 1969 from Highland High School and earned his bachelors in secondary education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and student taught for half a year. In December 1974 he became a law enforcement officer for the Highland Police Department and spent the next 30 years rising through the ranks. He served as police chief in 2003.
During his tenure at the HPD, Joe spent 23 years coaching high school boys in various sports activities. For those young men who seemed to have come from a troubled home, Joe said he tried to give them a little extra attention and time.
“I was a tough coach on all these boys, but they all knew I deeply cared about them,” said Joe.
He stressed to all of them to never give up on themselves. In 2005 he ran for mayor of Highland and was elected.
‘I’m paralyzed’
One Sunday afternoon, Jan. 25, 2015 as Joe’s wife, Ethel, was preparing dinner, Joe came in the door with his arms full. As he went through the doorway, he tripped and toppled end over end down the basement stairs. Ethel, hearing the commotion, made inquiry if he was alright.
He replied, “No, I’m paralyzed.”
Joe said the first emergency medical responder on the scene was Ken McCoy, who is now a cop for the HPD, and seeing his face gave him some comfort. Indeed, Joe was paralyzed from the neck down, a quadriplegic. His neck was broken and his back fractured in two places. After a six-hour operation, he spent five days in the Barnes-Jewish Hospital intensive care unit.
His prognosis? It was not likely he would ever walk again or even be able to get out of bed.
He had extensive physical therapy and a plethora of cards, letters and visits from many of the boys he had coached over the years. They brought words of encouragement, determination and perseverance to Joe. It was at this time Joe said he knew, “I’m going to bring on the A Team for this one, not the B Team. I wanted to prove to them I could whip this prognosis through hard work, faith and prayer.”
Joe sadly loses his wife
Three weeks after his release from the hospital, Joe was dealt another devastating blow — the death of his beloved Ethel, who passed away in her sleep.
Joe recalls the love and support he received from the Highland community and how Shaun Voegele conducted fundraisers to collect the monies necessary to purchase a disability van for Joe. But one morning as Joe was lying in bed, he discovered he could wiggle his big toe. That was all he needed and the rest is history.
“I made up my mind the next time I had to see my doctor, I would walk into his office,” said Joe.
And with the aid of a walker, that is exactly what he did, much to the shock of his physician. Joe then began a regimen of working out daily at Phoenix Physical Therapy and Korte Recreation Center. He regained full movement and range of motion.
Joe never utilized the van or stepped foot into it. He sold it and gave the funds back to the community in the form of an annual scholarship for students aspiring to become therapists. He continues to serve as Highland’s longest running mayor with great zeal “for an amazing community.”
What he likes about mayor position; always responsive
The only facet of Joe’s job he finds distasteful is sometimes acquaintances think or believe as mayor, he can open doors for city jobs for them.
“I don’t get to choose who gets a job or gets promoted,” said Joe. “Elected officials are not part of the hiring process.”
Joe said Highland was a great town before he became mayor and he intends to keep it shining by being responsive to anybody and everybody.
“I never leave a call, contact or email unaddressed,” said Joe, “and I’m always going to remain open-minded.”