HR0860 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0860 LRB096 16443 KXB 31711 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of John Randolph Phipps of Mattoon, who passed away December 14, 2009; and

WHEREAS, He was born May 16, 1919, in Kansas, Illinois, the son of Charles W. and Ethel K. (Torrance) Phipps; having taken ROTC at the University of Illinois, he received his graduation diploma with a BS in Economics, with honors, his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army, and his orders to report for duty to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, all on the same day; and

WHEREAS, During World War II, he served in the Philippines as an army artillery battery commander; upon returning home, he joined his brother, Clem and his wife, Claribel, as a partner in the Phipps Shoe Stores; he married Pauline Prunty on February 8, 1946; and

WHEREAS, Rather than joining the Reserves at that time, he dropped his commission as a Major, back to Captain, to organize Illinois National Guard Company E, 130th Infantry in Mattoon with 21 men; an armory was built for training, which was later rededicated in his name; he again performed front line combat service in the Korean War as an Advisor to Republic of Korea (ROK) army troops, where he earned a Silver Star and Combat Infantry Badge; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, as a citizen soldier, he attended weekly drills, summer camps, and went to Advanced Military Schools, including Fort Sill (Artillery), Fort Benning, Georgia (Infantry); Command and General Staff College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.; Air War College, Maxwell Air Base, Alabama; Air Safety Course, University of Southern California; and an orientation tour of American troops in Europe in 1980; and

WHEREAS, He served as Assistant Adjutant General of the State of Illinois from 1970-1978, and, in 1971, he earned his Masters in Public Administration at Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois, Springfield); he became the Adjutant General in 1978, serving until his retirement in 1983, after 42 years of commissioned military service; he continued in community service thereafter, serving for 13 years on the Coles County Board of Review; he was active in his church and multiple service clubs; and

WHEREAS, At the time of his passing, he was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Rotary Club, Exchange Club, a director on the boards of the Lincoln/Sargent Farm Foundation, the Thomas Lincoln Cemetery Association, and a member of the Mattoon Golf and Country Club; he also had life memberships in the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 40 & 8, the National Guard Association, and the University of Illinois Alumni Association; he had taken the time to write two books, "Citizen-Soldier" and its sequel, for the benefit of his grandchildren and progeny; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Winslow Phipps and Ethel Kelsey (Torrance) Phipps; his brothers, Horace (Joe) Torrance Phipps and wife, Marian (Sheridan) Phipps, and Clem Gordon Phipps and wife, Claribel (Gant) Phipps; his sister, Carolyn Belle Phipps; and his daughter, Kelsey Selander Phipps; and

WHEREAS, He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Pauline (Prunty) Phipps; his son, Charles Winslow Phipps and wife, Gail Bankemper Phipps; his granddaughter, Cristen Phipps; and his grandsons, John Randolph Phipps II, Nathan Matthew Phipps, Derek Brandon Selander, and Kurt Bradley Selander; 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, friends, and a grateful nation, the passing of General Phipps; and be it further

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