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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the death of William C. "Corky" Robertson of Peoria, | ||||||
4 | who passed away on November 14, 2019; and
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5 | WHEREAS, William Robertson was born in Peoria to Alfred J. | ||||||
6 | and Clarissa (Coyte) Robertson on August 6, 1931; he played | ||||||
7 | varsity baseball at Peoria High School for four years and | ||||||
8 | football for three and was co-captain in both football and | ||||||
9 | baseball his senior year; he was All-City guard his sophomore | ||||||
10 | year and All-City/Greater Peoria as a tackle his junior and | ||||||
11 | senior years; during his senior year, he was named All-State by | ||||||
12 | both the Chicago Daily News and the Champaign News-Gazette; at | ||||||
13 | Bradley University, he started as offensive center on the | ||||||
14 | football team for three years and as catcher/1st baseman on the | ||||||
15 | baseball team for three years; he married Dolores A. Frels at | ||||||
16 | St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Peoria on December 1, 1951; and
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17 | WHEREAS, William Robertson served in the Illinois Air | ||||||
18 | National Guard and was a member of the 169th Fighter | ||||||
19 | Interceptor Squadron (182nd Airlift Wing); and
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20 | WHEREAS, William Robertson began his coaching career at | ||||||
21 | Princeville High School in 1953, where he served as head | ||||||
22 | basketball, assistant football, and head track coach; he |
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1 | returned to Peoria High School in 1956 as an assistant coach; | ||||||
2 | he was head coach in football from 1957 to 1965, compiling a | ||||||
3 | record of 50 wins, 20 losses, and 8 ties; his 1963 team was | ||||||
4 | undefeated and untied, the first in the history of the school; | ||||||
5 | the 1957 team was the Big 12 Champion; in 1963 and 1964, his | ||||||
6 | teams were Mid-State 9 Conference Champions; he also coached | ||||||
7 | wrestling and golf and assisted in basketball, track, and | ||||||
8 | baseball; and | ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, William Robertson left coaching for | ||||||
10 | administration in 1969, serving through 1987; as principal of | ||||||
11 | Peoria High School, he was instrumental in bringing the state | ||||||
12 | cross country meet to Peoria and served as meet manager for 16 | ||||||
13 | years; he took the lead in developing many athletic programs | ||||||
14 | and school facilities, including the girls' athletic program; | ||||||
15 | and | ||||||
16 | WHEREAS, William Robertson introduced and administered the | ||||||
17 | first experimental injury prevention conditioning program to | ||||||
18 | the Illinois High School Association; he was a basketball | ||||||
19 | official for 20 years on both the high school and college | ||||||
20 | level; he served as Mid-State Conference president several | ||||||
21 | times, and he is the only individual to have played in, | ||||||
22 | coached, and administered the annual Thanksgiving "Turkey Day" | ||||||
23 | football games between Manual and Central High Schools; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, William Robertson was inducted into the Greater | ||||||
2 | Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, where he served as president; he | ||||||
3 | was active all his life at Bradley University in Peoria; he was | ||||||
4 | president of the alumni association and was inducted into the | ||||||
5 | Bradley Sports Hall of Fame; he received the Orville Northdruft | ||||||
6 | Lifetime Achievement Award; after retiring, he was employed at | ||||||
7 | Bradley University as the athletic ticket manager from 1987 to | ||||||
8 | 2001; and | ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, William Robertson was a member of St. Paul's | ||||||
10 | Episcopal Church, where he served on several committees and was | ||||||
11 | a Eucharistic Minister; he was a member of the Downtown Rotary | ||||||
12 | Club of Peoria and received the Rotary Paul Harris Fellow | ||||||
13 | Award; he played baseball in the Peoria Sunday Morning League | ||||||
14 | for 12 years; and
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15 | WHEREAS, William Robertson was preceded in death by his | ||||||
16 | parents; his sisters, Lois Weidner and Marjorie Peterson; his | ||||||
17 | brother, AJ "Jimmy" Robertson; and his brother-in-law, Douglas | ||||||
18 | Ziegler; and
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19 | WHEREAS, William Robertson is survived by his wife, | ||||||
20 | Dolores; his children, Amy Ziegler, Holly Williams, and | ||||||
21 | Brigadier General William (Sally) Robertson; his | ||||||
22 | grandchildren, Katie (Kevin) Fuller, Douglas Bielenberg, | ||||||
23 | Brooke Williams, Brent (Sarah Pacheco) Williams, James, David, |
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1 | and Elizabeth Robertson, Paige (Jodi Hoos) Ziegler, and Laine | ||||||
2 | Ziegler; and 10 great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
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3 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | ||||||
4 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
5 | William C. "Corky" Robertson and extend our sincere condolences | ||||||
6 | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | ||||||
7 | it further
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8 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
9 | presented to the family of William Robertson as an expression | ||||||
10 | of our deepest sympathy.
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