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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
| 3 | learn of the death of former Illinois Legislator John Carlton | ||||||
| 4 | Parkhurst "Parky", of Peoria, who passed away on October 17, | ||||||
| 5 | 2009; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, John Parkhurst was born July 14, 1920, in | ||||||
| 7 | Springfield, to Laird and Pauline Wiley Parkhurst; he married | ||||||
| 8 | Harriet Vance "Hattie" on Jan. 5, 1946, in Peoria; he graduated | ||||||
| 9 | in the famous Peoria "Central" High School class of 1938 and | ||||||
| 10 | was a 1942 graduate of Wabash College; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, He served in World War II in the Army Air Forces | ||||||
| 12 | from 1942-1945, earning the Bronze Star; he graduated from the | ||||||
| 13 | University of Michigan Law School in 1948; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, He served a decade on the Peoria County Board, | ||||||
| 15 | where he was chairman, and a decade in the Illinois | ||||||
| 16 | Legislature, where he was House Minority Whip, chairman of the | ||||||
| 17 | House Appropriations Committee, and co-chairman of a group of | ||||||
| 18 | legislators known as the "Economy Bloc"; he was elected in 1969 | ||||||
| 19 | as a delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention, where | ||||||
| 20 | he was known as the "Con Con Tiger," served as chairman of the | ||||||
| 21 | Local Government Committee, and provided many words and | ||||||
| 22 | thoughts included in our State constitution; he will forever be | ||||||
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| 1 | remembered as the "Father of Home Rule," creating the powers of | ||||||
| 2 | local government later used by the City of Peoria to finance | ||||||
| 3 | the Peoria Civic Center; he also served as Assistant Illinois | ||||||
| 4 | Attorney General in charge of pollution prosecution and | ||||||
| 5 | consumer fraud from 1969-1972; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, He retired from politics undefeated and returned | ||||||
| 7 | to Peoria to raise his family and pursue his legal career; he | ||||||
| 8 | practiced law in Peoria from 1948 to 1992, was a member of the | ||||||
| 9 | Illinois State and Peoria County Bar associations, and was a | ||||||
| 10 | co-founder of the law firm of Leiter, Newlin, Fraser, Parkhurst & | ||||||
| 11 | McCord; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Parky and Hattie were dedicated to serving the | ||||||
| 13 | City of Peoria and the community they loved; they received | ||||||
| 14 | numerous awards and recognition for their public service, | ||||||
| 15 | including the Fourth Annual Easter Seal Tribute; they were | ||||||
| 16 | supporters of arts and music, including Lakeview Museum and | ||||||
| 17 | Corn Stock Theatre; and he was a faithful servant and member of | ||||||
| 18 | First Federated Church; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, He was preceded in death in 1996 by Harriet, the | ||||||
| 20 | love of his life and wife for 50 years; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, John Parkhurst is survived by his six children, | ||||||
| 22 | Vance C. (Jeanne), Christina L. Pfanschmidt, John W. | ||||||
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| 1 | (Kristina), Peter L. (Jean), Nancy A. Hinnen (John), and Robert | ||||||
| 2 | C. (Jennifer); his 12 grandchildren; and his four | ||||||
| 3 | great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
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| 4 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 5 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | ||||||
| 6 | his family and friends, the passing of John Parkhurst; and be | ||||||
| 7 | it further
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| 8 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 9 | presented to the family of John Parkhurst as a symbol of our | ||||||
| 10 | sincere sympathy.
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