SR0540 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0540 LRB104 16747 MST 30154 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of William Eugene "Bill" Stewart, who passed away on December 6, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Bill Stewart was born in Kewanee to Ralph and Elizabeth (Moraski) Stewart on November 18, 1934 and attended St. Stanislaus Grade School; he was a top 10 academic graduate of the Kewanee High School Class of 1952, where he was a member of the 1951 hall of fame football team; he attended three semesters at the University of Illinois before joining the United States Navy; and

WHEREAS, Bill Stewart was the top graduate of his Navy flight school class and a very gifted aviator; he was a night fighter jet interceptor tactics instructor at the Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, before transferring to "The Be-Devilers" of Fighter Squadron 74 (VF-74), where he flew the U.S. Navy's first supersonic fighter, the F-4D Skyray; he completed an eight month North Atlantic/Mediterranean Cruise on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42), where he accumulated over 125 carrier arrested landings; he was selected to perform in a night carrier operational exercise for President Eisenhower in 1958; and

WHEREAS, Bill Stewart returned to the University of Illinois after completing his military service and, by using his G.I. Bill, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics; he continued serving his country in the Naval Reserve, flying the F9F Panther out of the Naval Air Station in Glenview; and

WHEREAS, Bill Stewart moved to Washington, D.C. in 1960, where he received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown Law School; during his second year of law school, he switched to night school, enabling him to work as a patent examiner at the United States Patent Office in the Mechanical Secrecy Division, where he handled classified patent applications relating to military weapons systems and the NASA Space Program; at the completion of law school, he worked for three years at Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C.'s largest and most prestigious law firm, where he participated in major international anti-trust litigation before the Federal Trade Commission; and

WHEREAS, Bill Stewart moved back to Kewanee in 1965, opening his private law practice, where he advised clients for over 55 years; he served as a public defender and prosecutor and gave legal counsel to several local municipalities; he also provided pro bono legal service to several charities and non-profits in the area and taught business law at Black Hawk East for 10 years; and

WHEREAS, Bill Stewart was a member of the Kewanee Rotary Club for over 60 years, where he was a director, past president, and a Paul Harris Fellow; he spent many years as a board member on the Kewanee Schools Foundation and served on the Kewanee High School Hall of Fame Committee; he served in several leadership positions in the Boy Scouts of America, including executive board member of the Prairie Council, district chairman, and a Webelos Leader, for which he was awarded the Silver Beaver; he was a lifetime member of the VFW and the American Legion; and

WHEREAS, Bill Stewart was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed camping, fishing, frogging, and hunting; he was a lifelong runner and could often be seen running with one of his beloved labrador retrievers, Aquarius, Pudge, Magnum, or Cherry; he won his age group multiple times in the Run Your Ice Off 5K and the Hog Day Stampede; he was also very proud of his Polish heritage and enjoyed visiting his extended family in Poland; and

WHEREAS, Bill Stewart was preceded in death by his wife, Marjabelle; his parents; his brothers, Bob and Ben; and his sister, Betty Lou; and

WHEREAS, Bill Stewart is survived by his son, Commander William C. (Sherri) Stewart, USN (Ret.); his grandsons, Cole and Drew Stewart; his brothers, Bernie, Bruce, and Bryan; several nieces and nephews; and two lifelong dear friends and classmates, Ron Kempin and Bobby Beauprez; 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 William Eugene "Bill" Stewart 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 Bill Stewart as a symbol of our deepest sympathy.