HR0504

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are saddened to  learn of the death of
John 
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Cribbet, who passed away on May 23, 2009; and

 
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    WHEREAS, John Cribbet was born on February 21, 1918 in 
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Findlay; he was the son of Howard and Ruth Cribbet; he earned 
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his bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1940 
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and enrolled at the University of Illinois College of Law; and
 
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    WHEREAS, In the summer of 1941, John Cribbet interrupted 
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his studies to enlist in the U.S. Army as a private; over the 
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next four years, he rose in rank and responsibility, completing 
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his military career as a major and aide-de-camp for the 8th 
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Corps Commander, General Troy Middleton; Mr. Cribbet's 
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distinguished service earned him the Bronze Star and Croix de 
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Guerre; and
 
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    WHEREAS, John Cribbet earned his law degree in 1947; after 
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a few months in private practice in Bloomington, he was 
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recruited to University of Illinois' College of Law by 
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long-time Dean Albert J. Harno; he served as an assistant 
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professor from 1947 to 1951 and as an associate professor from 
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1951 until 1953, when he became a professor;

in 1967, he was 
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named the College of Law's seventh dean, a post he held until 
 


 






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being named chancellor in 1979, where he remained until 1984; 
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and


 
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    WHEREAS, Follwing his tenure at the University of Illinois, 
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John Cribbet returned to the College of Law and taught for 12 
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years before retiring in 1988; and
 
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    WHEREAS, John Cribbet played a key role in the University 
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of Illinois' growth; he also helped to revive Illini football 
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by hiring then-coach Mike White, who took the team to its first 
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Rose Bowl in two decades in 1984; he was also instrumental in 
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the creation of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and 
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Technology, one of the largest interdisciplinary research 
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centers among U.S. universities, in 1985; and
 
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    WHEREAS, John Cribbet was the author of numerous legal 
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texts, including the widely used "Cases and Materials on 
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Property", a law textbook now in its eighth edition; and
 
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    WHEREAS, John Cribbet was active in a variety of 
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organizations; he served as president of the Association of 
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American Law Schools, chairman of the Illinois Supreme Court 
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Committee on Judicial Ethics, board member of the Illinois 
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Institute of Continuing Legal Education, president of the 
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Champaign County United Fund, and member of the Champaign City 
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Planning Commission; he was a long-time member of the Urbana 
 


 






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Rotary Club and a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow; he 
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was also involved in many county and State bar associations, as 
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well as the American Bar Association; and
 
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    WHEREAS, John Cribbet is survived by his wife, Betty, and 
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his daughters, Pamela and Carol Ann and their families; and
 
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    WHEREAS, John Cribbet will be remembered by all who knew 
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and loved him as a legendary teacher and scholar in the field 
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of property law and a gentleman who never spoke ill of anyone; 
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therefore, be it

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

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of John Cribbet as an expression of our 
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sympathy.