SR0427 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0427 LRB102 19030 LAW 27794 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Aydin O. Gonulsen of Shipman, who passed away on July 6, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Aydin Gonulsen was born in Izmir, Turkey to Muharrem and Ulviye (Hasyigin) Gonulsen on February 15, 1943; he immigrated to the United States in 1963; he attended Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina, where he was a two-time junior college All-American soccer player and set the school record for goals scored in a season; he then transferred to Pikeville College in Kentucky; he married Suna Uslu on January 15, 2008; and

WHEREAS, Alongside his brother Yavuz, Aydin Gonulsen was instrumental in starting the YMCA soccer program in Springfield in the 1970s, and their efforts were critical in launching the modern-day soccer community in central Illinois; he became the first athletic director and head soccer coach at Sangamon State University (SSU) in 1976, where he built the soccer program from the ground up; with the assistance of a group of student athletes, he also placed the sod on the first SSU soccer field; he led SSU and later the University of Illinois-Springfield to 400 career victories and three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championships in 1986, 1988, and 1993; his teams appeared in more than 20 NAIA national tournaments and in two World Collegiate Soccer Championships, including a 2-1 win over former NCAA champion UCLA in 1988; he retired in 2001; and

WHEREAS, Aydin Gonulsen took over the men's and women's soccer teams at Blackburn College in 2007; he helped revitalize both programs and won 71 games, with the men's team scoring 48 victories and the women's team achieving 23 wins; he retired in 2013; and

WHEREAS, Aydin Gonulsen was named Coach of the Year by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics twice; he was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2000, the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, and the University of Illinois-Springfield Hall of Fame in 2014; he was also a member of the Warren Wilson College Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Aydin Gonulsen loved skiing, waterskiing, and traveling to see family in the United States and Turkey; and

WHEREAS, Aydin Gonulsen was preceded in death by his parents; his daughter, Katherine Gonulsen; five brothers; and one sister; and

WHEREAS, Aydin Gonulsen is survived by his wife; his daughters, Peri (Mitch) Pugh and Amanda Gonulsen, and their mother, Mimi Rutherford Gonulsen; his grandson, Sebastian Aydin Pugh; and his brother, Akin (Ilkay) Gonulsen; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Aydin O. Gonulsen 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 Aydin Gonulsen as an expression of our deepest sympathy.