SR1079 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1079 LRB103 41047 LAW 74257 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of David E. Elder of rural Petersburg, who passed away on May 5, 2024; and

WHEREAS, David Elder was born to David and Clara Elder in East Saint Louis on October 28, 1927; he was raised in the Carbondale area during the Great Depression and assisted in the operations of the family farm from a young age; he also worked as an orchard laborer and a clerk at the Kroger store in Cobden, and he sold chickens and fresh fruit and vegetables door-to-door with his father in Carbondale; he attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1946, serving as part of the Occupation of Japan during World War II; while stationed in Japan, he was a member of the mission group The Far Eastern Gospel Crusade; and

WHEREAS, Upon returning to the U.S. in 1947, David Elder returned to school on the GI Bill; he married Elsie Irene Wheetley on December 26, 1948, and they had five children, Claudia, Vicki, Dave, Patti, and Steve, before she preceded him in death in March 1971; after receiving his bachelor's degree, he enrolled in his first master's program in fish and wildlife at SIUC, where he was the head of his research team and taught undergraduate classes in biology; and

WHEREAS, After graduation, David Elder and his family moved to Fulton County, where he worked as a coal mine land reclamation design plan administrator for Truax Traer Coal Company; he then taught 8th grade math and science for the Canton school district; he earned his second master's degree in school administration from Western Illinois University in the late 1950s; and

WHEREAS, David Elder was asked by the Illinois Education Association (IEA) to advance the cause and employment protection of the State's teachers in Springfield in 1959, becoming a consultant and lobbyist with the state legislature to advance school law and finance legislation; later, he led the IEA's PAC activities; and

WHEREAS, In the late 1960s, David Elder was appointed as a school finance and law consultant to assist in the rewriting and updating of the Constitution of the State of Illinois at the 1970 Constitutional Convention, and he also advised on the all-encompassing issue of general revenue; he married Tana Horine on July 1, 1972, and they later moved to a 21-acre home in rural Menard County in 1974 and had one child, Kathy; he continued to serve as a consultant in school law and finance to the state legislature in 1973; and

WHEREAS, David Elder returned as a staff member of the Illinois Senate Republicans on the Education Committee in the 1980s; he was then appointed as executive director of the State of Illinois School Problems Commission by 1985, where he was tasked by the Illinois State Superintendent of Schools to write legislation to help keep children in Illinois safe from falling through the cracks in the system, leading him to write the bill that created what became the Community and Residential Services Authority (CRSA); his legislation passed nearly unanimously and became a fully funded mandated program whose decision becomes the final say in cases brought before it when dealing with the welfare of individual children; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure, David Elder became a sought-after expert in school law and finance who could be trusted and counted on by both Republicans and Democrats to guide them towards making informed decisions and taking objective action on legislation regarding the education and welfare of the children of Illinois; after retiring in 1992, he continued to serve as a consultant for a time; after that, he began cycling every 18 months on and off, per the bylaws he created, as board chairman of the CSRA; and

WHEREAS, David Elder served and volunteered wherever he resided; he and Elsie served as Boy Scout leaders; he then helped Tana with Brownies and Girl Scouts, and they were co-founders of Petersburg PATT (Parents and Teachers Together), followed the PORTA High School Scholastic Bowl team, and were involved as PORTA band parents; at some point during the late 1970s to the early 1980s, he and others, including a Supreme Court Justice, met annually with juniors and seniors from Elk Grove High school as part of the Illinois Citizen Experience, where students were brought to Springfield by their teacher, Richard Chierico, to learn about state government; and

WHEREAS, David Elder was deeply committed to his faith, and he was a highly active member at every church he attended, including serving as a Sunday school teacher since he was a teenager, a lay leader, a deacon, a church moderator, a choir member, a greeter, a church softball team member, a Bible study leader, and as chairman of a Christian Education Committee; and

WHEREAS, David Elder enjoyed golfing, gardening, hunting, and playing pinochle; most of all, he enjoyed visiting with family and friends; and

WHEREAS, David Elder was a proud and beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and he was friend and counselor to many; he will be remembered as a pillar of strength and support for his family and friends; and

WHEREAS, David Elder was preceded in death by his first wife, Elsie, and their child, Claudia Lynn; his parents; his sisters, Katherine Jane (the late E.E.) Elder Ballance, Rose (the late Carl) Elder Sellars, and Gracie (the late Dorris) Elder Garner; his niece, Rene Sellars Hileman; his nephew, Danny Balance; and his grandnephews, Jonathan Garner and Elijah Williams; and

WHEREAS, David Elder is survived by his wife of 51 years, Tana; his children, Veronica "Vicki" (Robert) Stearmer, David L. "Dave" (the late Janet) Elder, Patricia "Patti" Lewis, Steven "Steve" (Terri) Elder, and Katherine "Kathy" (Mason) Langelier; his brother, Raymond L. (the late Mary) Elder; his sister-in-law, Chris (the late Ernest Ira "Dari") Elder; his grandchildren, Matt (Janille) Stearmer, Brian (Leandra) Stearmer, Jon (Laurel) Stearmer, April Elder, Samantha Elder, Mary Ann (fiance, Doug) Bargas, Becky (Jeremy) Brownfield, Kate Turner, Remi Langelier, and Xage Langelier; 16 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews; 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 David E. Elder 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 David Elder as an expression of our deepest sympathy.