Chris Boyster is a product of Illinois and the working values that made Illinois strong. Born and raised in the southern Illinois town of Sparta, his parents were both factory workers and met while working at the same factory. His father eventually got a job as a postal worker.

As the manufacturing base in Illinois eroded, the factory closed, Chris' parents – like so many others – found themselves without a way to care for their families. His father's postal job, dependent on the local factory, was transferred over 100 miles away while his mother eventually found work at another factory equally as far from home. The trauma of unemployment and the needs of working families would always be central to Chris' future work...