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SENATE RESOLUTION

  
 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to 
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learn of the death of Knox College Professor Emeritus of 
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Economics and Business Administration Wilbur Fiske Pillsbury 
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II, who passed away on April 1, 2010; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, He was born August 7, 1921, in Minneapolis, 
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Minnesota, the son of Herbert and Alma Thorson Pillsbury; he 
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married Katherine Wheeler on September 22, 1946 and she 
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preceded him in death on May 4, 1980; he later married Maxine 
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Tucker on December 15, 1984; and
 
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    WHEREAS, He graduated from Central High School in 
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Minneapolis in 1938, Dartmouth College in 1946 with a 
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bachelor's degree, Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth with a 
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master's degree, and received his Ph.D. from Indiana University 
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in 1952; and
 
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    WHEREAS, He was a veteran of the United States Navy, 
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serving with the rank of ensign during World War II; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Professor Pillsbury taught at Knox from 1949 until 
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1990; from 1956 until 1967, he also served as Dean of Men and 
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then Dean of Students; starting in the 1960s, he integrated 
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computers into his classes at Knox, developing the nation's 
 


 






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first computerized accounting curriculum; his book "Computer 
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Augmented Accounting" was published in 1970, followed by a 
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revised 1983 edition, "Microcomputer Augmented Accounting," 
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co-authored with colleague William Ripperger; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, The curriculum that Professor Pillsbury developed 
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at Knox was eventually used in more than 600 schools, colleges, 
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and universities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, 
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England, France, and South America, and he wrote and spoke 
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extensively about his innovations; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, Among the many awards and honors he received was 
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the 1972 Outstanding Teacher of America Award, the 1981 Philip 
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Green Wright Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and the 1987 
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Burlington Northern Foundation Faculty Achievement Award; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, At his retirement in 1990, the Wilbur F. Pillsbury 
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Scholarship Fund was created with a collective gift from the 
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Pillsbury children, his sons, Wilbur III, Roger, and Ronald, 
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and his daughters, Carol Pavlish and Jeanne Voigt; the Fund 
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provides financial assistance for Knox College students 
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interested in the field of business; in 2003, a set of stone 
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benches was placed outside Knox's Old Main to commemorate his 
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service to the College; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, He was a member of Central Congregational Church 
 


 






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in Galesburg since 1949, where he taught Sunday school for over 
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25 years and held many leadership positions; he was a member of 
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the Galesburg Noon Rotary Club, the Soangetaha Country Club, 
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the American Economic Association, and the American Accounting 
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Association; and
 
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    WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his infant daughter; 
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his parents; and his sister; and
 
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    WHEREAS, He is survived by his wife, Maxine; his three 
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sons, Wilbur F. (and Lorie) Pillsbury III, Roger (and Becky) 
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Pillsbury, and Ronald (and Patti) Pillsbury; his two daughters, 
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Carol (and Charles) Pavlish and Jeanne (and Scott) Voigt; and 
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his 13 loving grandchildren who were the pride of his life; 
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therefore, be it
  
 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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his family and friends, the passing of Professor Wilbur 
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Pillsbury; 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 Professor Wilbur Pillsbury as a 
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symbol of our sincere sympathy.