093_SR0304
LRB093 13671 RAH 19057 r
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of
3 Illinois learned with regret of the passing of Corinne Michel
4 of Washington D.C. on October 22, 2003; and
5 WHEREAS, Mrs. Michel was the beloved wife of Robert H.
6 Michel, the former minority leader of the U.S. House of
7 Representatives; and
8 WHEREAS, Corinne Woodruff was born on April 30, 1926 in
9 Onida, South Dakota to Lewis McCabe and Constance Noste
10 Woodruff; she married Robert H. Michel on December 26, 1948
11 in Peoria; and
12 WHEREAS, An accomplished musician, Mrs. Michel received
13 degrees in piano from Bradley University and sang in the a
14 cappella choir; she was a member of Sigma Alpha Iota musical
15 fraternity and Pi Beta Phi sorority; and
16 WHEREAS, Mrs. Michel taught music at Roosevelt Junior
17 High School in Peoria; she was a longtime community leader in
18 music and the arts and a member of the original community
19 group that brought opera and ballet to Peoria; and
20 WHEREAS, Mrs. Michel was active in the Central Illinois
21 Youth Symphony, Peoria Players, the Amateur Music Club of
22 Peoria, and the Cornstalk Theatre and also performed in a
23 chamber music group in Washington; and
24 WHEREAS, Each year, Bradley University awards the Corinne
25 and Bob Michel Scholarships; The Everett McKinley Dirksen
26 Center in Peoria oversees the Robert H. and Corinne Michel
27 Congressional Education Fund, created with a grant from the
28 National Historical Publications and Records Commission; and
29 WHEREAS, Mrs. Michel was very active in the Congressional
30 Club for members of Congress and their spouses and the
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1 Republican Congressional Spouses, serving as an officer of
2 both; and
3 WHEREAS, Mrs. Michel was the recipient of a number of
4 awards, including one from the Children's Inn at National
5 Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, which provides
6 housing for parents of hospitalized children; she was a
7 member of the Society of Sponsors of the United States Navy
8 and in 1968 christened the USS Peoria in San Diego; and
9 WHEREAS, Mrs. Michel was a member of the International
10 Neighbors Club; the Daughters of 1812; the Republican Women's
11 Federal Forum of Washington, for which she served as
12 chairwoman in 1989 and 1990; and the GS Chapter of the PEO;
13 she was a member of the Capitol Hill Club board of directors
14 and headed congressional relations efforts for the first
15 Ronald Reagan inauguration; and
16 WHEREAS, Mrs. Michel was a member of First Presbyterian
17 Church in Peoria; and
18 WHEREAS, The passing of Corinne Michel has been deeply
19 felt by all who knew and loved her, especially her beloved
20 husband, Robert H. Michel; her sons, Scott Michel, Bruce
21 (June) Michel, and Robin (Joanna) Michel; her daughter,
22 Laurie (David) Norcross; her grandchildren; and her brother,
23 Herbert "Jesse" Woodruff; she was preceded in death by her
24 parents and two brothers; therefore, be it
25 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
26 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
27 all who knew her, the death of Corinne Michel, formerly of
28 Peoria; and be it further
29 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
30 presented to the family of Corinne Michel as an expression of
31 our sincerest condolences.