SR1196 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1196 LRB103 42496 MST 75727 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Mary Lynne Cleverdon of Springfield, who passed away on July 10, 2024; and

WHEREAS, Lynne Cleverdon was born in Concordia, Kansas to Arne and Mary Larson on September 13, 1941 and grew up in Kansas, Montana, and New Jersey; she attended The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio from 1959 to 1963; she married David Cleverdon in 1962 and during the summer of 1963, they traveled by motorcycle across the U.S., finally settling in Chicago; she worked at the University of Chicago Library while David attended school there; and

WHEREAS, Lynne Cleverdon and David were involved in the Freedom Summer of 1964 in Mississippi, helping Black Americans register to vote; after Mississippi, she taught at Reaves Elementary School on the south side of Chicago; she and David became active in Chicago and Illinois politics, including Governor Dan Walker's campaign; they moved to Springfield in 1973, and she was a homemaker while David worked in the Walker Administration; and

WHEREAS, Lynne Cleverdon divorced in 1976, and she became the Director of Christian Education at Westminster Presbyterian Church, where she was a member; she accepted a position as the business manager for the Medical Humanities Department at SIU School of Medicine in 1978; while at SIU, she received a master's degree in counseling from the University of Illinois Springfield; her role expanded to include counseling individuals, teaching and evaluating medical students in interpersonal skills, and offering other electives as an adjunct faculty member; she also managed the SIU Pearson Museum; she retired from SIU in 2007; and

WHEREAS, Lynne Cleverdon volunteered much of her time; she held leadership roles with Westminster Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Women, Church Women United, P.E.O., and the Academy of Lifelong Learning; she was president of the board at Kemmerer Village, a residential treatment campus for young people sponsored by the Presbyterian Church; and

WHEREAS, Lynne Cleverdon was a single working mom and active volunteer, but her children always came first; she made lunches, designed Halloween costumes, drove carpools, and hosted sleepovers; she was close to her extended family, sending greeting cards and visiting whenever possible; she found time to be a friend to so many, helping however she could, always ready to listen and be present; and

WHEREAS, Lynne Cleverdon was generous and philanthropic and supported a wide range of causes, including civil rights organizations, museums, performing arts, veterans, environmental organizations, food pantries, and children in need; and

WHEREAS, Lynne Cleverdon is survived by her son, Joseph Cleverdon; her daughter, Carol (David) Booth; her grandchildren, Joshua, Naomi, and Maytal Booth; her siblings, Arne Larson, Kristen Carlson, Timothy Larson, and Elise Sprague and their families; and a large extended family of cousins, nieces, nephews, and their children; 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 Mary Lynne Cleverdon and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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