HR0333 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0333 LRB096 12575 GRL 25849 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Walter Thomas Morey of Decatur, who passed away on March 18, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Walter Thomas Morey was a 1936 graduate of Stephen Decatur High School; in 1940 he graduated from the University of Illinois and was elected President of the Student Senate, Cadet Colonel of the ROTC, and Business Manager of the Illio; he was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity; and

WHEREAS, In 1941, his law studies at Harvard were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II; he served three years of active duty with the 36th Field Artillery in North Africa, Italy, and France; Major Morey's unit was the first to fire on the mainland of Europe in 1943; he was decorated with the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, and three French Croix de Guerre, awarded by the French Government; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1945, Major Morey returned home and married Dorothy Page Huff; in 1947, Walter graduated from Harvard Law School and returned to Decatur to begin work as a legal counsel for the A.E. Staley Company; and

WHEREAS, At the outbreak of the Korean War, he served as a battalion commander in Korea until 1951; upon his return to Decatur, he practiced law alongside his father; in 1955 he organized Soy Capital Bank and five years later he founded Security Savings and Loan; and he was a partner in the development of Brettwood Village Shopping Center; and

WHEREAS, He was elected to the Decatur City Council in 1960 and served six years; over the course of his profession, Walter was honored to be a Millikin Trustee and member of the University of Illinois President's Council; he served as president of the Decatur Bar Association, the Rotary Club, the United Way of Macon County, and the American Red Cross; and he served as an elder at First Presbyterian Church; and

WHEREAS, After 50 years of tireless work and energy, he retired in 2005; Walter was an avid lover of history, travel, adventure, and Tabasco sauce; his sense of humor and challenge for others to succeed will always be remembered; and

WHEREAS, Walter's family includes his wife of sixty-three years, Dorothy; his three daughters, Madelyn Morey, Cynthia Smith and her husband Robert C. Smith, and Marcia Morey; his sister, Barbara Morey Shade; his grandchildren, Sean and Cassandra Smith, Trevor Smith and Nathan Smith, Rob and Leslie Gandy, Page Gandy, and Jamie Kerr; and his great-grandson, Hudson; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Walter Morey; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Walter Morey as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.