HJ0138 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0138 LRB094 21177 DRH 59509 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Gudmund B. "Sonny" Jessen, Jr. of Hennepin died on October 5, 2003; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was born on a farm in Putnam County, north of Hennepin, on March 15, 1933; he attended the Nash and Durley one room school house; he graduated from the Hennepin Township High School in 1950; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was inducted for service in 1953 and took basic training at Camp Roberts, California; he served in intelligence at Heidelberg, Germany during the Korean War; he was promoted to sergeant and discharged in February 1955; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen became precinct committeeman for the Democratic Party in 1955 and held that position until his death; he also was County Chairman of the Democratic Party for 16 years; he was presented a Certificate of Appreciation plaque for Outstanding and Dedicated Service by the Illinois Democratic County Chairman's Association on August 15, 2002; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was elected Justice of the Peace of Hennepin/Senachwine Townships in 1960; he was the youngest person in the State of Illinois to serve in that office; he held the position until it was terminated; he married 17 couples in the now Pulsifer House, which was where he resided until the farmland was sold for the J&L Steel plant; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen farmed the Hennepin prairies all of his life; he was a Marshall-Putnam Farm Bureau member; he served on the M-P Oil Board and was chairman of the Executive Committee of the M-P Extension Council; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was the past president of the Putnam County National Farmers Organization; he was commissioner of the Hennepin Drainage & Levy District until 2001; he was also a member of Ducks Unlimited; he helped form the Hennepin Sportsman Club and was club president; at one time he raised turkeys and pheasants to be released around Putnam County; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was one of the original members of the Hennepin Betterment Association; he served on the Water District Board and Zoning Board for Hennepin; he was also a lifetime member of the Putnam County Historical Society; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was commander of the Hennepin American Legion; he also belonged to the Hennepin Independent Order of Odd Fellows; he has held all offices in that Order; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was elected Hennepin Township Clerk in the 1960s and still held that office at his death; he became Putnam County Clerk and Recorder in September 1987 and held that office until his retirement on November 30, 2002; he was a member of the Illinois Township Clerks; and

WHEREAS, Interstate Route 180 includes a bridge that spans the Illinois River at Hennepin; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Interstate Route 180 bridge across the Illinois River at Hennepin be designated the Gudmund "Sonny" Jessen Bridge; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is requested to erect, at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the family of Gudmund B. Jessen Jr.