President Clinton scheduled to speak at Paul Simon's funeral

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Bill Clinton heads a list of past and present government officials scheduled to speak at the funeral Sunday for former Sen. Paul Simon at Southern Illinois University.

Clinton will deliver an address at the public funeral, as will Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, university spokeswoman Sue Davis said Thursday. The funeral is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the SIU Arena.

Simon, 75, who had served as director of SIU's Public Policy Institute since retiring from the Senate in 1997, died Tuesday from complications after heart surgery.

Other speakers at Simon's funeral will include Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who once was on his staff, and Abner Mikva, a former federal judge who served with Simon in the Illinois House, Davis said.

------

On the Net:

Southern Illinois University: http://www.siu.edu