[1] Her father, William Keith Clark, was a manufacturer of building materials until his business failed during the Great Depression.

[4] She was selected for membership in Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society in her junior year.

[7] In 1990, she ran for and won the Democratic party's nomination for Illinois Comptroller and went on to win the general election, beating Republican Sue Suter 54% to 46%.

The effectiveness of this ad, in contrast to the far more flashy ones aired by her much better funded opponents, was seen as contributing to her surge in the polls in the final weeks of the primary campaign.

Adding to the historic nature of her candidacy was her pairing with Illinois State Senator Penny Severns of Decatur as her Lt.

Netsch used humor to address the fact that she was twenty years older than her Republican opponent, Governor Jim Edgar, with her campaign using the slogan, "Not just another pretty face.

[9] She participated for years in Chicago's Gay Pride parade, riding in a convertible bearing a sign that read, "I'm Not Running for Anything.

[12][13] Governor Pat Quinn gave the order to fly all Illinois flags at half-mast until sunset, March 16, 2013, in her honor.