annual conventions. In the business sessions, we debated resolutions which stated our positions on peace and justice issues. We also set policy for the coming year. Hosting these sessions helped me become quite comfortable in speaking in public settings.

VIII. A Thumbnail Sketch of Social Security Work

In my work at Social Security, I spent 15 months teaching the full panoply of Social Security law, rules and regulations. When I took the 13-week course to become a claims authorizer, I had, I believe, at least four instructors, who taught their specialties. The new administrator decided to have one instructor teach the  entire course. After my teaching assignment, I was promoted to technical assistant, in which position I spent most of the rest of my career checking the work of claims authorizers. 

One assignment I received came after I spent a week at our headquarters in Baltimore, a part of which was to prepare me to lead a task force devoted to finding who should be credited with Social Security earnings. Since Social Security numbers were being sold to [mostly Mexican immigrants], it was a draining  experience to find the proper recipients.

IX. University Park Activity

While living in University Park, Illinois for about a decade, I was president of the Little League baseball association, the youth football association, and an elementary school PTO where our children were educated. 

At another level of activity, I served as the chair of the committee in charge of maintaining all of our recreational facilities. As part of President Lyndon Johnson's model cities program, under the name of Park Forest South, we had a lake and a model farm with animals under our jurisdiction.

I played a role in bringing community TV to our village, but more importantly, I served on the village board's representative to a consortium of south suburban villages, which exchanged ideas on how best to use community TV. Later, I was elected as a village trustee.

X. An Addendum on Print Evidence

I realize that I failed to identify the two prints, print examiner Laffey claimed to have found on the Degnan note. He found on June 28, a print of the little finger with attached palm print on the front of the note, matching Heirens. On July 12, he found on the back of the note, a partial palm print that matched Heirens' palm.

It is ironic that Laffey couldn't even initially get prints due to the oil coating, yet he was later to get two prints; also, it took him about a week less than six months to get one print identification. He found the second Heirens' print on the same day, July 12th, that the CPD reversed itself, and said the Brown print actually did match that of Heirens. Latent print examiner Steven Schachte couldn't find any Heirens' prints on the front of the note, and he made no mention of palm prints. When State's Attorney Tuohy made his closing remarks in the sentencing hearing on September 5th., he said that all they had on Heirens was a single fingerprint.

XI. A Closing

In the sentencing hearing on September 5, 1946 -- Bill Heirens never had a criminal trial, but prosecutors were required to present the evidence they would revealed if there had been a criminal trial -- State's Attorney Touhy praised Heirens' defense team for "finding it possible to aid in a final and a just determination of this entire matter. Without the aid of the defense, there would be no answer for the death of Josephine Ross. Also, without defense aid there might be sincere public doubt about the guilt of Heirens in the killing of Degnan and Brown."

The defense started cooperating with the prosecution on July 7, 1946.

I realize I have given Marquis specialists a lot of material to deal with. I trust they can separate wheat from chaff. Before getting a response, I will start work on trimming down this material so that it can be used as a Personal Narrative for submission to media outlets.