"He just keeps rollin' along"

An avid hunter and fisherman - and a pretty successful one - Phil has met and talked with just about everyone who loves, respects, enjoys, or tries to earn a living on that river. He has heard every fish story and (maybe) invented a few of his own. More important, Phil has copied down or taped the funniest, most intriguing, and most tellable of the river stories. After sharing them for many years in lectures, storytelling conferences, and even sermons, he has collected them in a new book - The Wildcat Whistle - which is about to be published by the Franciscan Press at Quincy University.

The original wildcat whistle was once heard for miles up and down the Mississippi, and its powerful voice was attached to many a legend. "The wildcat whistle let people know that the boat was running," Phil explains, "and it warned passing vessels when it was dark. I chose the name for my title because this book is intended to give knowledge of the river as well as a warning about what is happening to it." The stories are drawn primarily from the stretch of the Mississippi between Keokuk and Grafton, and they date back more than two generations.

Though the themes of The Wildcat Whistle will undoubtedly provoke some serious thinking about man's relationship to nature, the stories are generally light-hearted. There is the mischievous captain who delights in sounding the wildcat whistle when the parson goes into overtime on the Sunday morning sermon. And readers will be amused to learn what happens to the pompous political figure whose horse is frightened by the whistle while crossing on the ferry.

The whistle is only one character in this amazing saga; most of the river men encountered here are "characters" in the sense Mark Twain used to such advantage in his work. As John Schleppenbach notes in the book's introduction, some are highly educated professionals and some skipped the formal schooling. But they all have Ph.D.'s in riverology, earned in the sometimes strict classroom of old man river.

Who should read The Wildcat Whistle? According to Phil Hoebing, anyone who loves the river will find much to enjoy, although the book does not contain stories about more modern recreation, such as boating and water skiing. People who fish or hunt will feel right at home. "Those who have experienced the weather changes and what can happen suddenly on the river will be able to relate to many of the stories," Phil adds. And, of course, those who simply enjoy solid storytelling will find a wealth of road tested material here. "The stories of the Mississippi are just outstanding," Phil agrees. "I think these are universal in many ways, although I don't think anyone else has something like Clat Adams and his family. In some ways, the Quincy area has something unique to share."

Those who care about the outdoors or like to explore environmental issues will learn from this book "how the river used to be and what happened to it. They might not agree with the actions of these 'natural conservationists' who worked with the river for a livelihood, but they will discover a part of history and many things to think about." Anyone who is interested in the history of everyday life will count this book as a resource.

Phil Hoebing started collecting his stories almost by accident. "It seemed to me that these would be worth recording because they were better than any I had read. I didn't know what I would do with them, but I didn't want them to be lost. When John Schleppenbach came to Quincy to collect folkore in 1972, he helped me realize that the stories would be interesting to other people. I've been recording and transcribing them ever since."

Phil's stories have been featured at folklore conferences and, most recently, at meetings of area economic and political planners. He served as a featured speaker for the Quincy Community Leadership Academy and the Illinois Mississippi Parkway Commission. A lively storyteller in many styles, Phil has also joined well-known entertainer Gladys Coggeswell in a program designed to use storytelling as an educational vehicle for children. Phil presented a lecture on storytelling and philosophy for children at an educational conference in Jefferson City this past summer and participated in a folklore conference in Kansas. He was also instrumental in preparing the celebration honoring Quincy's own Father Augustine Tolton.

Since 1982, Phil has assisted a number of area schools in implementing Dr. Matthew Lipmann's Philosophy for Children program. He has also developed pioneering coursework in the issues of Bioethics. A professor in the Department of Philosophy at Quincy University since 1952, he hears regularly from thousands of former students - as well as the hundreds he has married or baptized in his capacity as a Franciscan priest.

The Wildcat Whistle should be available in time for Christmas. Anyone who would like to reserve a copy or receive more information should call Bonnie Garkie, manager of the Franciscan Press of Quincy University. The paperback, fully illustrated with drawings by Vickie Sandercock and original period photographs, would make a fine gift.

Anyone who knows Phil Hoebing will attest that he has more stories just waiting to be told, and he admits that he is planning to fire up his computer to produce a sequel. Of course, he is also working on a project linking philosophy and literature, a series of television programs on storytelling and education - and, after all, it is hunting season.

He does keep rollin' along - and you can try to catch up with him by reading The Wildcat Whistle.