Four months after its namesake’s death, the inaugural Porter McNeil Public Service Scholarship is officially open for applications.
This is a meaningful step in carrying forward the influential Moline man’s legacy of public service, civic engagement, and mentorship.
The Porter McNeil Public Service Foundation will award two $2,500 scholarships a year to graduating seniors from Moline High School who are pursuing education in public service, civic engagement, or social impact fields. Applications are open now through April 30, 2026.
Porter McNeil, a public affairs and communications consultant who served on the Rock Island County Board, passed away on Sept. 12, 2025 at 65 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. His son Jack (board president of the foundation) spoke Tuesday, Jan. 13, about the importance of the new scholarship and his dad’s legacy.
“I remember growing up going to political events with him and getting autographs of state reps on napkins and my first campaign memories of when he was the comms director in Illinois for John Kerry's presidential campaign (in 2004),” said Jack, 28, a licensed attorney who works in Chicago as legislative director for a Cook County commissioner.
“Very invested in that race and getting into arguments with fellow classmates on the Iraq war and Bush versus Kerry. So it was certainly imprinted at a very young age and I got to meet then-Senator Barack Obama a few times and my dad had showed him around the Quad Cities, actually,” he recalled. “From a public radio standpoint, he got to interview him early in the Quad Cities and drove him around one day. So I kind of just grew up around it and always had a deep interest in politics.”
Jack was editor in chief of the Moline High paper, and worked on Democratic campaigns during high school and college.
Jack and his wife Kami, mother Mary, and his uncle Doug created the foundation last fall in his father’s name, to ensure Porter’s “commitment to service, education, and integrity continues to shape the next generation of leaders,” a Tuesday press release said. “You won’t find a bigger advocate for Moline than my dad, he bled Maroon. Governor Pritzker even honored him as “Mr. Moline” in a proclamation.”
That State of Illinois Proclamation, dated Sept. 19, 2025, honored McNeil’s “legacy of public leadership and his efforts to shape the future of the city of Molline, Rock Island County and the state of Illinois for the better.”
“He also never gave up on the idea that public service can be virtuous,” Jack wrote in Tuesday’s release. “Despite the cynical state of our civic life, he never lost faith in the power of serving the public good, and we plan to uphold that vision.”
The new foundation has received 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. This means that any donations made to the foundation—including those made before Sept. 30, 2025—can be retroactively considered tax-deductible under Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.
“I know my dad would be over the moon to see this scholarship launch, helping students pursue their dreams and give back to our community. Your continued support ensures we can expand this effort and make an even bigger impact in the years ahead,” Jack’s release said.
The foundation board is comprised of family members, and they’ve raised $50,000 so far. They initiated the scholarship idea soon after Porter’s passing.
“There's going to be a lot of people that are going to be obviously trying to send some sort of memorial gift or flowers. And knowing him, we had this instinct that he would want this directed towards something positive,” Jack said. “And funny enough, we then found in a letter after we'd already set up the scholarship and raised like $40,000 online, that he had written that said it would be really cool to have a scholarship to carry on his values for Moline and the Quad Cities.
“And so that was kind of an affirmation after the fact that we knew him well enough to know that this would be something he would really want to see done,” he recalled.
“He really did care about Moline High School having gone there, all of his kids gone there, and the Quad Cities more broadly,” Jack said. “So finding that after the fact was kind of a hint of like, we were on the right track here.”
The foundation board will announce first winners by late May and have a public event following that. In future years, they may extend eligibility for scholarships throughout Rock Island County schools.
A full life of service
Porter married Mary Carlin (who now is executive communications and media manager at Project NOW) on Sept. 23, 1989, in Davenport and they had three children together, James, Jack, and Ellie. A 1978 graduate of Moline High School, Porter went on to earn his bachelor's degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., and later completed a master's degree in Public Affairs Reporting at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
McNeil worked as a public affairs and communications consultant and served on the Rock Island County Board from 2021 (first appointed, then elected in 2024) until his death.
He ran unsuccessfully in a three-way Democratic primary for State Representative in 2010 (a seat then won by a Republican).
“He was always interested in serving and that's why he was so excited to get on the county board,” Jack said Tuesday, “because it was certainly a lifelong goal of his to actually be in public office.”
As a campaign consultant, Porter worked on dozens of campaigns including serving as a communications consultant to the Democratic Party of Illinois in 2024 and Illinois Communications Director for the Kerry-Edwards Presidential Campaign in 2004. He was a familiar face in the region, having appeared on WHBF-TV's Sunday political talk show, "4 the Record," 70 times since 2016.“Porter had a genuine interest in the lives of other people. His eternal positivity, loyalty and knack for finding common ground with all he encountered forged a myriad of connections and valued friendships,” his obituary said.
“His life was grounded by his love of family and a strong conviction, an obligation, to do good. Porter was generous with his time and a fervent advocate for Moline and the greater Quad Cities region. In both his public and private lives, Porter faced opposing viewpoints and adversity with a disarming optimism, charm and courage that inspired those around him. To know him was to love and respect him. “Family was Porter's North Star. His loving wife, Mary, was his rock. His role as father and his children, James, Jack and Ellie, were the pride of his life,” the obit said. “Anyone in touch with Porter was sure to hear him beam about their latest swim meet, performance, academic feat, graduation or new job. He was a fun loving and loyal brother, as well as trusted advisor and confidant to his siblings, Mitch, Doug, Chris and Liz.”
For several years, Porter served on the Quad Cities Rail Committee, led by Rock Island County Board Chairman Richard “Quijas” Brunk, which traveled many times to Springfield to advocate for the long-planned passenger rail project.
Leaders argued that this connection (with direct service to and from Chicago) is not only important to the QC but good for the entire state. The Rail Committee partnered with Cook County, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and others to advocate for this funding.
“He helped pass a resolution, I believe, in April, the County Board urging passage of a transit bill that provided significant investment for the Quad Cities region,” Jack said. “It was an issue that was near and dear to his heart. I definitely remember even growing up hearing about the need for this and hearing a lot about Western and then hearing a lot about passenger rail from Chicago to the Quad Cities. So it was a bell that he kept ringing consistently.”
“He would have been ecstatic to see it,” Jack said of its eventual passage in late October. “He would have loved to be part of that celebration, certainly.”
After years of dreaming, planning, lobbying, and negotiating, the reality of Chicago-to-QC passenger rail service got much closer, as the Illinois General Assembly on Oct. 31, 2025 approved about $400 million in state transit funding for the required track upgrades.
Local, state and federal officials gathered later that day at The Q in downtown Moline (where trains will arrive and depart) to celebrate the news. The new state funding is on top of about $400 million already committed in federal and state dollars necessary to make passenger rail a reality.
Jack McNeil posted on Facebook Sept. 27, 2025:
“Despite the cynical state of our civic life, he simply never lost his core belief in the power of persuasion, working together, and in public service as a tool to serve the public good.
“As such, this scholarship fund will be used to support students seeking a career in public service, whether that be in journalism, politics, or public policy broadly,” Jack wrote. “We live in uncertain times, but it is more important than ever to carry on his values and legacy of kindness, care, and a dedication to civic engagement.
“I grew up attending political events with him, collecting autographs of state representatives on napkins, and hearing stories of campaigns and speeches that transcended time and place,” the Facebook post said. “Speeches like Robert F. Kennedy’s speech announcing that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The power of words to allow for grief, but also inspire, was ever-present. Great speeches moved my dad, and it led to his career in politics and his unwavering passion for public service.”
For the new scholarship, eligibility requirements are:
● Current high school senior at Moline High School pursuing a degree in
public service, education, or social impact fields
● Hold a minimum GPA of 3.0
● Demonstrate a clear commitment to community engagement or volunteer service
Applicants from all backgrounds who share Porter’s belief in leading with purpose, giving back, and serving their communities are encouraged to apply.
How to Apply
● Head to the website and complete the scholarship application form and upload all required materials, including a transcript (PDF).
● Applications are now open and will be accepted until April 30, 2026.
To learn more, apply, or contribute to future scholarships, visit portermcneilfoundation.com.
