SR0067 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0067 LRB104 08671 MST 18725 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Roger Loy Yarbrough of Champaign, who passed away on December 27, 2024; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma to Lee Allen and Zeta Geneva Yarbrough on January 24, 1929 and was reared in nearby small oil towns; in 1939, his family moved to Southern Illinois, and they settled in Vandalia; he graduated from Vandalia Junior High and High School, where he played the French horn in the school band; he attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the ROTC program and graduated with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1950; he served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Korean War, where he worked with heavy machinery and road construction; he married Dolores Graham in 1951, and they settled in Champaign in 1962; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough found his niche in the asphalt paving industry, where he eventually worked as the Fayette County road engineer; he took a job with Parro Construction as their chief engineer in 1962, which he and several partners purchased in April 1966 and renamed University Asphalt, which became very successful with him as its president and general manager and built many of the interstates, roads, and parking lots in Central Illinois; he acquired Danville Asphalt and merged it with University Asphalt into the APCON Corporation; he was president of APCON, University Construction, Danville Construction, and its subsidiaries, which he maintained until he retired in late 1997; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough was a member of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), where he served as chairman of the board in 1984; from 1994-1996, he was chairman of the NAPA Research and Education Foundation, which created the National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University; he was named NAPA's Man of the Year in 1997 and was inducted into the NAPA's Hall of Fame and became a NAPA lifetime member; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough was also an active member in the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association, the Associated General Contactors (AGC) of Illinois, and the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP), which was part of the National Research Council for the U.S. Department of Transportation; he served on the executive committee and the expert task group of SHRP for many years until his retirement; he helped to revolutionize pavement standards in the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough was involved in researching and writing papers that were used internationally, including speaking before congressional committees to help secure funding for innovation in asphalt paving; he invented new techniques in paving that are still used today and created new methods for recycling used pavement from construction repaving projects; he developed methods for collecting and recycling used oil materials for use in road construction projects; he was issued a U.S. patent on May 21, 1986 and created a new company called Sulcon; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough and Dolores supported numerous charitable organizations during their lives; they were supporters of the performing arts, including serving as co-chairs of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Advisory Board, and both were active in Illinois Opera Enthusiasts, The Chicago Lyric Opera and the Metropolitan Opera; they supported local schools and were supporters and fans of the Fighting Illini, holding season tickets for football and basketball; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough's favorite pastime was traveling, especially with his family; in the early years, the family spent many happy days camping and boating with friends; later in life, Roger and Dolores traveled on the QE2, went on safari in Eastern Africa, played golf in Scotland, and explored Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica on cruise ships, trains, and airplanes; he was an excellent golfer, shooting two holes-in-one in his lifetime, almost 50 years apart; he and Dolores were members of the Vandalia Country Club in the 1950s-1960s, and they joined the Champaign Country Club in the mid-1960s, where he served as a president of the club and was a member for over 50 years, playing countless rounds of golf; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough and Dolores joined St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Urbana in the 1960s and were active in building the current church on Philo Road; in later years, both were active in and attended Grace Lutheran Church in Champaign; The Roger and Dolores Yarbrough Foundation supported the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Boys and Girls Club of Champaign-Urbana, Empty Tomb Ministries, Kogudus Ministries, Phi Beta Chi Sorority, and countless others over many years; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough enjoyed making friends from all over the world, including business colleagues from the paving business worldwide, University of Illinois Engineering School professors, and foreign-exchange students from Pakistan, Austria, and China, friends of his children, friends from church, and lots of people he just happened to meet along the way; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough was preceded in death by his wife of over 70 years, Dolores; and

WHEREAS, Roger Yarbrough is survived by his children, Michelle (Jackie) Yarbrough, Lee Yarbrough (Robin Yamashiro), and Amy (Mario) Cuomo, and Amy's triplets, Elena Cuomo, Caterina Cuomo, and Mario Cuomo; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Roger Loy Yarbrough 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 Roger Yarbrough as an expression of our deepest sympathy.