SR0543 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Paul Harding Eagon; and

WHEREAS, Paul Eagon was born on August 8, 1922, in a farm house in the tiny crossroads village of Deer Lick, Pennsylvania; his parents were Mary Pansy Phillips Eagon and Francis Jennings Eagon; he attended high school and served on the yearbook staff at Center Township High School in Rogersville, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1941; and

WHEREAS, After high school, Paul Eagon went to work in a steel mill in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania; he then went back home and attended Waynesburg College; he drove a cab to help pay for his tuition, books, and housing; he also attended Lake Forest College and was a graduate of the Industrial Management Institute of Lake Forest College; and

WHEREAS, Paul Eagon served his country with pride and distinction as a member of the United States Armed Forces; after a stint in the U.S. Army Reserves, he went into the U.S. Army and was sent to Fort McClellan, Alabama, for his basic training in the summer of 1943; after basic training, he was sent to the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, to participate in the ASTP program; after a year, the ASTP program was shut down and he was sent to Camp Shelby at Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1944, Paul Eagon was sent to Germany with the 69th Infantry Division, where he served as a machine gun squad leader; during his time in Germany, his unit broke through the Siegfried Line and fought in battles for Colditz Castle and the City of Leipzig, which culminated with his unit meeting with the Red Army at the Elbe River; he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Bronze Star Device, the World War II Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button for his meritorious service; many of his exploits during the war are included in the book, "The Stories of Our War"; and

WHEREAS, After World War II, Paul Eagon was transferred to the 29th Infantry Division; he was later transferred to the 78th Infantry Division in Berlin, where he became a Battalion Sergeant Major; and

WHEREAS, After returning to the United States, Paul Eagon received a letter from a former Army buddy, Charles M. Drinkwater, Jr., urging him to come to Waukegan to work for Drinkwater, Inc.; after accepting his offer and working there, he went to work for the U.S. Envelope Co. in North Chicago for 10 years; he then accepted a position from Hammermill Paper Co. and worked in their Chicago office, serving as District Sales Manager for the Midwest area until his retirement in 1990; and

WHEREAS, Paul Eagon was a member of numerous civic organizations, including the Junior Achievement Club, the Indian Guides, the Boy Scouts at Greenwood School, the Waukegan-North Chicago Jaycees, the Zion-Benton Jaycees, the Sunrise Organization, the Jack Benny Statue Committee, the Genesee Theatre, the American Legion Homer Dahringer Post #281, the Fighting 69th Infantry Division Association, the Waukegan Historical Society, and the Carnegie Preservation Project; he served as a member of the Board of Trustees at the First United Methodist Church for many years; he served as an usher for more than 25 years and was a dishwasher at the Free Meal Program; he was also a member of the Greene County Historical Society and the Cornerstone Genealogical Society in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, Paul Eagon and his wife were the recipients of the Waukegan Exchange Club's Golden Deeds Award in 2008; and

WHEREAS, Paul Eagon was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Donald Jack Eagon; and

WHEREAS, Paul Eagon is survived by his wife of 60 years, Elaine Manzke Eagon; his sons, Douglas P. Eagon (Jane), Gregory, Jeffrey (Kathy), and Philip (Kristine Schell); his 9 grandsons; and his 7 great-grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Paul Harding Eagon; and be it further

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