SR1384 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1384 LRB101 22183 MST 73211 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of William T. "Bill" Henderson of Urbana, who passed away on June 11, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Bill Henderson was born at the family home in Ridge Farm to Ted and Susie (Satterlee) Henderson on October 5, 1929; he graduated from Ridge Farm High School and received a scholarship to the University of Illinois to study floriculture; he also became active in the McKinley Foundation student group; he received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois in the spring of 1951 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army's Quartermaster Corps; he completed his active service and was promoted to first lieutenant; he received an honorable discharge from the Army; and

WHEREAS, Bill Henderson returned to the U.S. and was accepted at McCormick Theological Seminary; he married Kathryn Luther on August 22, 1953; he received his master's degree in library science from the University of Chicago and his Master of Divinity from McCormick Seminary; he served for seven years as the seminary's first acquisitions librarian; he also became an ordained minister; and

WHEREAS, As his wife was invited to join the faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Bill Henderson accepted a position at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965 in the emerging field of preserving library collections as they aged; he and his wife taught preservation courses as a team and organized conferences related to preservation; and

WHEREAS, Bill Henderson received the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Award in May of 2011; and

WHEREAS, For many years, Bill Henderson was the secretary of the Alpha Chapter of Beta Phi Mu, the international library and information science honor society; in November of 2014, he and his wife were recognized by the Alpha Chapter with the establishment of the Kathryn Luther and William T. Henderson Award; and

WHEREAS, Bill Henderson was a member of the Champaign County Farm Bureau; for many years, he and his wife served on the selection committee that determined the recipients of the Champaign County Farm Bureau Foundation agricultural scholarships; he received a Luther Circle Award for his service to the scholarship program; and

WHEREAS, Bill Henderson was a member of St. Peter's United Church of Christ, where he served on various committees and had a role in Christian education endeavors, his favorite role; as an ordained minister, he could perform other ministerial duties; he was also a longtime member of the American Library Association, the American Theological Library Association, and the Illinois Library Association; and

WHEREAS, Bill Henderson was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Joseph David Henderson; his niece, Cheryl Lynn Henderson; his parents-in-law, Carl F. and Ida Lietz Luther; and his sister-in-law, Mildred Luther; and

WHEREAS, Bill Henderson is survived by his wife of 67 years, Kathryn; his sister-in-law, Annette Gulder Henderson; his nieces, Susan Tracy McDaniel and Carol Lynn Christenson; and his nephew, Joseph David Henderson; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Bill Henderson and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Bill Henderson as an expression of our deepest sympathy.