Elston "Steve" Edward Roady

Professor Elston Edward (“Steve”) Roady, age 95, left this earthly life on August 16, 2015, after a brief illness. He was preceded in death by his first wife Barbara Louise Elder Roady in 2008. He is survived by his current wife, Priscilla Thayer Jones; his devoted children, Beth Lines (Earl) of Tallahassee, Steve Roady (Celia) of Washington, DC, and Chris Roady (Linda) of Tallahassee; his beloved grandchildren, Valerie Sands (Chris) of Tallahassee, Matthew Lines (Mirela) of Miami, Michael Lines (Rachael) of Connecticut, Laura Capito (Charles) of Maryland, Peter Roady of New York City, Jennifer Roady-Lawson (Rowdy), Katherine Boland (Jamie) and Chris Roady, Jr., of Tallahassee; his adored great-grandchildren, Ethan and Meghan Sands, Catalina, Angelina and Nicoleta Lines, Max and Lily Lines, Celia and Charlie Capito, Dylan, Rhys and Zane Lawson, and Everett , Eva and Eliza Boland; and his much-admired step-daughters Hilda Dawson (Harry) of North Carolina and Sue Conte Sherman (Gary) and Phyllis Hytnen (Eric) of Tallahassee.

Professor Roady was born on April 9, 1920 in the little town of Kane, Illinois, (population 473) to Thomas and Leila Roady, both teachers. From his earliest days he wanted to follow in their footsteps. He and his brother Golman and sister Elizabeth led an idyllic small-town life, fishing in Macoupin Creek, squirrel hunting in the woods surrounding the town, reveling in Boy Scout activities, taking years of piano lessons and participating in track and field, basketball, debate and drama in high school. Receiving on graduation one of two academic scholarships awarded to the top student in each Illinois county, he went on to Illinois State [Normal] University, a teachers’ college. Active in many activities, it was in a play that he received his nickname; he played a paperboy named Steve, and this name followed him all his life. He graduated from Illinois State [Normal] University in 1942 just after Pearl Harbor.

Steve’s first act upon graduation was to enlist as a private in the Army. Because of his academic record, he was selected to train in a newly-developed top-secret military operational capability – radar. He attended his radar training with the Army Air Corps, the precursor to the U.S. Air Force, in Boca Raton, together with his brother. Both ended up in the Pacific Theater, Steve in 1943 as a navigator in a Northrop P-61 “Black Widow” that utilized the magic of radar. His unit was consistently at the “tip of the spear” in the Pacific Theater, moving from Papua and Nadzab, New Guinea, through Wakde, Hollandia and Biak-Owi in the Netherlands East Indies, to Tacloban (Leyte), San Marcelino (Luzon), Manila, and finally to Puerto Princesa (Palawan) in the Philippines. It was in the Philippines that he joined with troops on the ground to help defeat a desperate counter-attack by Japanese Army regulars intent on taking back the airfield at Tacloban. His unit was in Palawan staging for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. He came home to San Francisco on December 12, 1945. After years of equatorial heat, he returned to an ice storm in Illinois, where he married Barbara Louise (Barbie) on December 27, 1945; their wonderful marriage continued for over sixty years until her death in 2008.

Steve continued his military career in the Air Force Reserve. He ended as commanding officer of the 9889th Air Force Reserve, retiring with the rank of Colonel. During his career he attended various War Colleges in the Reserve.

Steve received his Masters Degree in political science from the University of Illinois in 1947, and was immediately hired by the former women’s college in Tallahassee as it became a co-educational institution of higher learning – Florida State University. He was among the first instructors hired by FSU. He returned to the University of Illinois to get his Ph.D. degree in 1948, and was back at FSU as an assistant professor by 1950. He liked to tell stories about “West Campus,” converted barracks at the former airfield located near the current Messer Park, where recently hired faculty members and their families lived. He was proudest of the fact that his door was always open to students, many of whom went on to distinguished careers of public service. He created and for many years taught a seminal course on Southern Politics. He was internationally known for his work on campaign reform. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 1983 after thirty-three years at FSU doing what he loved best – teaching college students about government and politics.

Steve believed in practicing politics as well as teaching and studying it. While at FSU, he started the Congressional Intern and the Legislative Intern programs, allowing exceptionally bright students to work in the Congress and in the Florida Legislature. Two of his early interns were future Governor and United States Senator Bob Graham and future Florida Speaker of the House and Florida State University President John Thrasher. His areas of interest were money in politics and election laws. He was an expert advisor on good government practices to the League of Women Voters’ Election Reform Committee, the governments of Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and the former West German Federal Republic. He helped draft the election code in Florida and in fourteen other states. He served on two presidential commissions: the Presidential Nominating Process and Registration and Voting Reforms. He also served as a Democratic Precinct Committeeman, the acting director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee under Lyndon Johnson, and as an aide to the Florida Democratic Campaign Committee and a delegate to the 1956 Democratic Convention.

Steve was a visionary pioneer in the effort to establish sensible limits on the use of money in politics. He worked with the Florida Department of State and key legislators in developing ground-breaking campaign finance legislation, called the “Who Gave It, Who Got It” Law, aimed at providing citizens full disclosure of campaign contributions. He said that he could always tell when his suggestions were welcome, because the legislators would say, “Steve, that sounds like a good approach.” When his ideas were not so welcome, they would say, “Well, PROFESSOR Roady, that may not work.”

During his years in Tallahassee, Steve considered it his civic responsibility to work for the community. He served as president and charter member of the Friends of the Library as citizens were trying to establish a library in the 1950s. He was the treasurer and a charter member, with six others, of the Tallahassee Junior Museum (now the Tallahassee Museum of Natural History). He was a deacon in the Church of Christ, becoming a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in 1967 where he served on six committees over the years. He was a member and served as an officer in many clubs over the years, among them the Lions Club and the Tallahassee Camellia and Garden Club.

In retirement, Steve kept busy on Envision Credit Union committees, as a member and officer in the Leon-Wakulla Retired Educators Association, meeting with the Retired Faculty of FSU; and starting each morning with the Governor’s Square Mall Walkers. He loved attending musical performances at FSU. He read at least three newspapers every day, among them the New York Times, and was an astute handicapper of political contests at the local, state and national levels. Illinois State, his alma mater, presented him with its Distinguished Alumni Award shortly after he retired. The high point of the award for Steve was being crowned Alumni Homecoming King and riding in the homecoming parade.

Although Steve was an active member of the community, a prolific author of scholarly articles, and a dedicated teacher, he always had time to remain closely involved in his children’s (and grandchildren’s) activities. Through all the years – including the last weeks of his life – he unfailingly provided wise counsel on all manner of issues that were of interest or concern to them. On the sports front, he managed Cub League baseball and Junior High City League basketball. He was especially active in Boy Scouts, as a Cub Scout Packmaster, Troop Committee Chairman, a charter-donor to Camp Wallwood, and a merit badge counselor. He enthusiastically attended many performances over the years as his grandchildren participated in gymnastics, chorus, music, soccer, football, and dramatic performances. He was especially enamored of his many great-grandchildren; in one of his last comments he expressed his love for his “sweet little darlings.”

As a widower late in life, Steve was captivated by his charming Westminster Oaks neighbor, Priscilla Thayer Jones. To the delight of the entire community, they were married in high style on June 13, 2009. The couple honeymooned in Steve’s North Carolina summer home. As a bonus, he got three step-daughters whom he cherished and admired. At the end of his life, he had found love again. Steve lived a full and happy life. He often said, “I am a very lucky man.” Those of us who love him so much and remember him with deep affection and gratitude think that, in truth, we were the lucky ones.

Visitation will be from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm on Friday, August 21, 2015 at Culley’s MeadowWood Funeral Home at 1737 Riggins Road. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at the Maguire Center at Westminster Oaks. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Big Bend Hospice.