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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois 
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learned with regret of the death of Eugene H. "Gene" Rawhoof of 
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Zion on Thursday, March 4, 2004; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Rawhoof was born on October 15, 1923 in Hardin 
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County and spent his early years in Pope County; he valiantly 
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served his country in the U.S. Navy during World War II; he was 
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with the Third Fleet aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme 
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Richard; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Rawhoof moved to Lake County in 1946, where he 
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married his wife, Virginia, in 1949; he worked at Manville 
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Corporation in Waukegan for several years before being elected 
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Business Representative of the International Chemical Workers 
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Union (ICWU) Local 60; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In 1968, Mr. Rawhoof became  International 
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Representative for ICWU, a position he held until retirement in 
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1988; during this time, he also served in many positions with 
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the AFL-CIO, including president of the Lake County AFL-CIO 
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Council (now Northeastern Illinois Federation of Labor, 
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AFL-CIO), chairman of the tenth congressional district COPE, 
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and Senior Consultant with the Illinois State AFL-CIO; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In recent years, Mr. Rawhoof served as an officer 
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in the Illinois Dunesland Preservation Society, a 60-year-old 
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organization devoted to the preservation, protection, and 
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improvement of Illinois Beach State Park, Lake Michigan, and 
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the surrounding area; he was active in many community 
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organizations, including as a member of Our Savior's 
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Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zion, as a former chairman of 
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the Zion Police & Fire Commission, as a member of the Board of 
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Directors of the Lake County Community Action Program and the 
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Lake County Council on Alcoholism, as a member of the Lake 
 


 






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County Governmental Study Commission II, as a volunteer for 
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numerous Red Cross and United Way campaigns, and as a member of 
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the National Council of Senior Citizens and its successor 
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organization, the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA), and 
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AARP; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Rawhoof was a driving force within the 
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Democratic Party, serving as a precinct committeeman for many 
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years, a delegate to the 1988 Democratic Nominating Convention, 
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and an officer of the Lake County Democratic Central Committee; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, The passing of Eugene H. "Gene" Rawhoof has been 
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deeply felt by many, especially his wife, Virginia H. (nee 
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Riske) Rawhoof; his children, Donald E. Rawhoof and Sandra A. 
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(Gary) Kern; his grandsons, Gary Dale and Travis Eugene Kern; 
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his sisters, Madeline Carr, Catherine (Don) Riley, Ann 
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(William) Robinson, Doris (Donny) Millis, Loris (Eugene) 
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Walker, Violet Wyber, and Sandra and Celia Cornell; his 
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brothers, Curtis (Betty) Carman, Everette Carman, Herschel 
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(Francis) Carman, Hubert (Charlene) Carman, Wendell (Linda) 
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Carman, Jerry (Bonnie) Carman, Vivia Jim Cornell, and Marvin 
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Cornell; his aunt, Alta Hubbard; and his many nieces, nephews, 
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and friends; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of 
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Eugene H. "Gene" Rawhoof, and we extend our deepest sympathy to 
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his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it 
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further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Eugene H. "Gene" Rawhoof as an 
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expression of our sincere condolences.