Selected on of the
Chicago Tribune’s “People to Watch in 1986”
Outstanding Young
Man in America Award
Who's Who Among Students in
Universities and Colleges
President of Student Body--Illinois State
University
The Making of a
Leader: A History of Involvement
Senator Rutherford began
his career as a Legislative Assistant in Springfield following his
graduation from Illinois State University, where he served his school,
community and fellow students as Student Body President.
At the age of 24,
Rutherford coordinated a Congressional District for Governor Ronald Reagan’s
campaign. Today, Dan reminisces about driving to O’Hare airport to pick up
Nancy Reagan, with one security guard from the California State Police, and
driving her to events in northern Illinois, before meeting Ronald Reagan and
presenting him with briefing papers when President Reagan came to Illinois.
Following the election
Rutherford was offered a position on the Presidential Transition Team.
However, within a day of the offer, he received a call from Governor Jim
Thompson offering him a position on his staff in Illinois. Although it was a
tough decision to make, Dan opted to stay in Illinois, later stating that he
knew it was the right decision because it provided him with the opportunity
to join the ServiceMaster Company and serve in the General Assembly.
Reagan & Rutherford
The Business Executive
Dan Rutherford is a
graduate of Illinois State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business
Administration.
While on a business trip
to Japan in 1984, Dan became familiar with the ServiceMaster Company. A year
later he came on board with ServiceMaster, which is headquartered in Downers
Grove, DuPage County, Illinois.
Rutherford eventually
became responsible for expansion of the company’s businesses
internationally, licensing services in Chile, Brazil, Honduras, Japan, Hong
Kong, Malaysia, Guam, Venzuela, South Africa, Spain, Czechoslovakia,
Indonesia, Panama, Italy, Mexico and the Philippines. Today he is a Vice
President with the Fortune 500 Company.
On the Lighter Side
As a young person, Dan
enjoys camping, fishing and adventure. In high school he was a foreign
exchange student to Barbados, after graduating college he backpacked across
Europe, and in his mid-twenties he took a few months to lead safaris in
Kenya.
He learned to sail boats
and crewed for numerous Chicago to Mackinaw Island races, competed in
regattas off of Melbourne and cruised the southern coast of Australia.
Before
his 30th birthday, Dan joined a small group of 12 adventurers and together
they took three months to cross Africa in their diesel Bedford truck;
camping, bathing in creeks, cooking open fire meals, using sand mats to
cross the Sahara, and making sure not to drink from wells that were poisoned
because of the war with Libya. He began in Algeria and went south through
Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Zaire and Burundi.
Having been on all the
continents of the world but one, Dan was determined to get to Antarctica
before his 40th birthday. A lot of luck, a few connections, and he found
himself in the Falkland Islands meeting a Russian icebreaker with a group of
naturalists who were exploring the continent. The former commander of
Operation Deep Freeze was a member of the group, in addition to many other
experienced scientists. Whales were a common sight, often accompanying the
ship as it made its way through the icy waters. The breaker crushed the ice
when needed. Dan has particularly found memories of Christmas that year,
which he spent floating on a tabular iceberg in the Antarctic Sound. 
Always looking for
excitement, Dan skydived in college and learned to fly at a relatively young
age, before he decided to master scuba diving. He is an Advanced Certified
Diver, logging 200 dives. His most recent trip was to
Curacao, and
earlier to
Saba Island. He has also taken diving trips to the Turks & Caicos,
Bali, Mozambique, Cape Town and Apo Island, Phillippines.
Senator
Rutherford’s legislative efforts have resulted in many accolades from both
the public and private sector. He was particularly proud to have been named
Legislator of the Year multiple times, in addition to being selected as an
“outstanding legislator” by numerous economic, agricultural and conservation
groups, to name a few.