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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Molly M. Hall Buehner of both
4Springfield and Petersburg, who passed away on March 31, 2023;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Molly Hall was born to James Winford and Juanita
7Medows Hall on August 3, 1959; in the third grade, she moved
8from Arkansas to Petersburg, Illinois with her mother and
9sisters; she graduated from PORTA High School in 1977; she
10graduated from Eastern Illinois University; she also graduated
11from the Institute of Organizational Management (IOM) and was
12a Certified Association Executive (CAE); she married John
13Buehner in Springfield on April 7, 1990; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Molly Hall spent 14 years in radio and television
15news, starting at WTAX before working as a reporter and anchor
16at WCIA, where she met her husband, John; she then became the
17Statehouse Capitol Bureau Chief for WCIA and WMBD; shortly
18after becoming a mother, she worked at Illinois Power before
19shifting to nonprofit work; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Molly Hall served as the executive director of
21the Energy Education Council, a national nonprofit she built
22from a small University of Illinois initiative to serve

 

 

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1electric utilities and their customers; after serving in that
2capacity for 18 years, she retired in the spring of 2020; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Molly Hall was an award-winning communicator,
4receiving national recognition from the Clarion Awards and the
5Telly Awards; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Molly Hall held several leadership roles in her
7volunteer board work, serving as president of the Illinois
8News Broadcasters Association, the Illinois Society of
9Association Executives, Unity Church of Champaign and
10Springfield, the Central Illinois Public Relations Society of
11America, the national and Springfield chapters of the
12Association of Women in Communications, and the historic New
13Salem Lincoln League; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Molly Hall was a beloved member of the Petersburg
15community; she participated in madrigal performances, her
16church's choir and bell choir, and was a foreign exchange
17mother to two PORTA students, Vivi and Natalia; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Molly Hall was a pillar of her family and a
19devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, and aunt; she was
20known for her adventurous, fun-loving, ambitious, and
21boisterous spirit; she will be remembered for being dedicated
22to her family, passionate about her work, and committed to

 

 

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1serving her community; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Molly Hall was preceded in death by her parents;
3and
 
4    WHEREAS, Molly Hall is survived by her husband, John
5Buehner; her daughter, Allison Buehner; and her sisters, Beth
6Kiningham, Rebecca Rowe, and Priscilla Reynolds, and their
7families; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
9ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
10Molly M. Hall Buehner and extend our sincere condolences to
11her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
12further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to the family of Molly Hall as an expression of our
15deepest sympathy.