SR0387 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0387 LRB103 33208 LAW 63015 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Larry A. Werries, who passed away on July 7, 2023; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries was born to Leland and Virginia Rice Werries of Chapin on March 26, 1940; he attended Chapin Grade School; he was confirmed at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Chapin in 1954; he graduated from Chapin High School in 1958; he earned a degree in agriculture business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1962, where he pledged Sigma Chi Fraternity and was named All-IM in intramural basketball; he served in the U.S. Army Reserves beginning in 1962, receiving Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training at Ft. Polk, Louisiana, followed by five and a half years in the Active Reserves; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries farmed with his father and brother, John, in Chapin and Concord for nearly 20 years; during his time as a farmer, the Werries farm operation grew exponentially, adding purchased and rented land and increasing confinement reared swine until reaching a number of 6,000 per year; his family farm was among the pioneers in Morgan County for confinement production of swine; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries was appointed as director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture by Governor James R. Thompson in March 1981; during his tenure, which lasted nearly nine years, he was elected to the position of chairman of the Midwest Directors before serving two terms as president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture; while director, the T by 2000 Program was initiated, which resulted in several millions of dollars appropriated to Soil and Water Conservation Districts for cost share practices to implement conservation structures; he also led a number of trade promotion exchanges to China, Europe, Canada, and Mexico; for his service, the Illinois Department of Agriculture was presented the Presidential "E" Award for Excellence in Promoting Exports by President Ronald Reagan in October 1982; and

WHEREAS, Beginning in October 1, 1989, Larry Werries served as director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C. for a brief term during the first Bush administration, acting as a liaison between the USDA and units of state and local government; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries then moved to the Chicago area and served as alderman for the Village of Oakbrook Terrace; he was a member of Chicago Farmers and served on an advisory committee for the Chicago School of Agricultural Sciences; he was also a team member of a consulting group, which submitted a privatization plan for agricultural enterprises in Poland after the fall of Communism in that country, and the results of the study were presented to the World Bank after an extended visit to Warsaw and farms in the Baltic area; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries eventually returned to the Jacksonville area, where he joined the REMAX Agency as a realtor specializing in farm and commercial transactions; upon retirement from real estate sales, he served as a consultant to the American Farmland Trust in Washington, D.C., where he was appointed as project coordinator for the Lake Mauvaise Terre Project and was in charge of allocating U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds to farmers in the watershed for cost sharing of conservation practices; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries remained active in alumni affairs at the University of Illinois (U of I), becoming a life member of the U of I Alumni Association and serving as president of the Ag Alumni Association; for his service and dedication, he received the Loyalty Award, The Round Barn Society Award, the Board of Directors Appreciation Award, and the prestigious Award of Merit for distinguished ag alums; he was also a member of the President's Council and the U of I Foundation; he and his wife were longtime donors to the Jonathan Baldwin Turner academic scholarship for students pursuing agricultural degrees at the U of I; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries belonged to several organizations, including Sigma Chi Fraternity as a life member, Elks Lodge 682, The American Legion, and the Morgan County Farm Bureau; he was the former president of the Morgan County Pork Producers and the Triopia Athletic Boosters; he was a past member of the Passavant Hospital Board of Trustees; he was a lifelong member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in rural Chapin, serving as head usher, elder, congregational chairman, high school Bible class teacher, and youth group sponsor; he was awarded the Jacksonville Area Chamber's Agricultural Hall of Fame Award in 2000; he and Becky supported a number of non-profits in the Jacksonville area; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries enjoyed golfing at Northridge Hills and Jacksonville Country Club, where he was a longtime member and served a term on the board of directors; he was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan and a baseball fan in general; he and Becky followed the athletic activities of the U of I, Michigan State University, Jacksonville High School, and Triopia; he and Becky spent winters at The Villages in Florida or Palm Desert in Southern California for several years after marrying in 2011; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries was preceded in death by his parents; and

WHEREAS, Larry Werries is survived by his wife, Becky; his son, Neil (Gabriela) Werries, and their son, Henry, and grandson, Drew Ater; his daughter, Kristen (Paul) Werries Collier, and their sons, Tate, Holden, and Vaughn; Becky's daughter, Elizabeth (Doug) Matthews Stull; his brothers, Martin (Beverly) Werries and John (Ruth) Werries; his sister, Ruth (Greg) Geiger; his former wife, Donna Savage; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Larry A. Werries 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 Larry Werries as an expression of our deepest sympathy.