Full Text of SR0965 100th General Assembly
SR0965 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Ken Gunji of Champaign, who passed away | 4 | | on September 30, 2017; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Ken Gunji was born in Los Angeles on May 25, 1934; | 6 | | he moved to Japan with his parents when they decided to return | 7 | | prior to December 7, 1941; he later returned to the United | 8 | | States and lived in Chicago, where he attended high school; he | 9 | | was the first Japanese-American in Chicago to achieve the rank | 10 | | of Eagle Scout; he earned both his bachelor and master's | 11 | | degrees at the University of Illinois; he began a one-year | 12 | | pen-pal correspondence with Kimiko; her letters drew him back | 13 | | to Japan, and within two weeks of meeting, they married; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Ken Gunji was commissioned and served two years on | 15 | | active duty with the United States Army and retired 25 years | 16 | | later from the Illinois National Guard with the rank of | 17 | | lieutenant colonel; after active duty, he worked in Student | 18 | | Services for the University of Illinois and Parkland College | 19 | | for 32 years; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Ken Gunji was a member of the Champaign Rotary; he | 21 | | served as sergeant-at-arms, secretary, and board member before | 22 | | serving as World's Greatest Rotary Club President; he was the |
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| 1 | | second Champaign Rotarian to receive the Rotary Foundation's | 2 | | Citation for Meritorious Service; he was elected as district | 3 | | governor and led the district, visited every club in the | 4 | | district, and still remained active in World's Greatest Rotary; | 5 | | he then served as District 6490's delegate to the Rotary | 6 | | International Institute and later as zone coordinator for the | 7 | | World Community Service Task Force for Rotary International; | 8 | | and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Ken Gunji was a volunteer leader for the Boy | 10 | | Scouts of America and served as President of the Prairielands | 11 | | Council and as area vice president; he participated in camp | 12 | | inspections at Camp Drake; he was a recipient of the Silver | 13 | | Beaver Award from the local Boy Scouts of America Council and | 14 | | was later presented the Silver Antelope Award by the National | 15 | | Council of Boy Scouts of America; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Ken Gunji was a longtime baseball coach for the | 17 | | Babe Ruth Youth League; he served on the Chanute Aerospace | 18 | | Museum Foundation, Champaign Public Library Foundation, Crime | 19 | | Stoppers, Salvation Army Board, and many other local | 20 | | organizations; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Ken Gunji loved socializing with friends and | 22 | | family; he was an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs and faithful | 23 | | supporter of the Fighting Illini; he delighted in the Peanuts |
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| 1 | | comic strip and had a soft spot for Snoopy; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Ken Gunji carried true civic responsibility with | 3 | | great integrity; he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, | 4 | | and friend; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Ken Gunji is survived by his wife, Kimiko; his | 6 | | daughters, Tricia (Robert) Ballsrud and Jennifer (Jeff) | 7 | | Rinaldo; and his granddaughter, Mika; therefore, be it
| 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 9 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 10 | | Ken Gunji, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, | 11 | | friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
| 12 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 13 | | presented to the family of Ken Gunji as an expression of our | 14 | | deepest sympathy.
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