Monday, March 19, 2007 9:44 PM CDT
National Road leader retiring; association shifts focus
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
GREENUP -- Jerry Roll chose the road less traveled.
And as head of the National Road Association of Illinois, he advised others to do the same.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Roll. “It’s been exciting.”
After six years as executive director of the association he helped establish to promote the historic National Road, which parallels much of U.S. Route 40 through Illinois, Roll is retiring.
The rural Cumberland County resident will hand the wheel over as the organization’s focus shifts from “infrastructure” projects to programming.
John Goldsmith, a longtime radio station programming manager and newsman in Greenville, has been appointed the new executive director of the association. Currently based north of Greenup, the group will move its headquarters to Belleville.
The National Road started in 1806 through an act of Congress. Completed in the mid-1830s, it stretched from Cumberland, Md., to Vandalia, Ill.
U.S. Route 40 effectively replaced the National Road in 1927. Many of the area towns on the highway -- including Effingham, Greenup, Jewett, Casey, Martinsville and Marshall -- draw visitors following the old National Road, in no small part because of the association’s contributions.
In 1996, Roll and three other officials representing transportation and tourism interests embarked on an attempt to classify U.S. Route 40 in Illinois as a federal Scenic Byway.
That meant an association had to be formed. In the winter of 1996, a meeting of interested participants from Greenville to Marshall was held in Effingham.
The fledgling association applied for Scenic Byway status in 1999 and gained approval in 2000. As a result, the association could apply for various federal grants, which have since funded the installation of Scenic Byway signage along the National Road.
Federal grants also are paying for the development of National Road-related kiosks in 20 Illinois communities, as well as a welcome center in Marshall.
In 2002, the association was part of the coalition from six states to obtain All-American Road status for the National Road, the highest level for a Scenic Byway.
Also that year, the Illinois Bureau of Tourism named the local association as a Heritage Program, which brought with it five years of funding for administrative costs.
And Roll helped guide many of these endeavors both before and after he became the association’s executive director in 2001.
“We’ve seen things happen,” he said. “We’ve gone from the National Road being pretty much unknown to most people knowing what it is. And the word’s getting out nationally.”
Upon his retirement from the association, Roll will continue to work part-time as an engineer for the Cumberland County Highway Department. He will also remain on the National Road Association of Illinois board of directors.
The association is poised to go in a new direction, Roll added.
“The physical development of the infrastructure is in process,” he said. “From this point, (the board) felt the next step was more to the marketing end, and that’s where (Goldsmith) comes in. He’s what we were looking for.
“The next thing is marketing, developing programs and drawing people to our communities. That’s what we’ve been about along: helping our communities.”
Goldsmith, who is also involved with the Bond County Historical Society in Greenville, said he considers the National Road job to be “ideal.”
He said, “I love working with people and history. It doesn’t get better than this.”
Goldsmith has followed the association from the outside in his capacities with radio station WGEL and the historical society.
Now, he said, “I see my job as equal parts publicity and education. We need to continue explaining why the National Road was the backbone of Illinois’ development in the early 19th century, as well as use the road as the centerpiece for promoting tourism for our member communities.
“I want to get to know the people of the National Road -- the businesses, historical sites and unique characteristics that will entice travelers to make it part of their vacation plans.”
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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 Kevin Kilhoffer (JG/T-C)
Jerry Roll stands next to the Historic National Road sign outside the National Road Association office near Toledo on Thursday.
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