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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Ralph J.
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| 4 | Converse of Peoria, who passed away on June 9, 2013; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Ralph Converse was born June 29, 1941, in Akron, | ||||||
| 6 | Ohio, to Irving "Cotty" and Ethelyn "Jackie"
Smith Converse; he | ||||||
| 7 | graduated from the University of Illinois in 1963 with a degree | ||||||
| 8 | in engineering; he played
centerfield for the Illini and was a | ||||||
| 9 | loyal fan for over 50 years; he played several years of | ||||||
| 10 | semi-pro baseball in Kane County and Evanston; he married Jane | ||||||
| 11 | Griffin Bodman on October 17, 1964, in Winnetka; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Ralph Converse had a distinguished 32-year career | ||||||
| 13 | at IBM before retiring as branch manager in Peoria; he was | ||||||
| 14 | president of Cullinan Properties before renewing his passion | ||||||
| 15 | for baseball
as vice-president and general manager of the | ||||||
| 16 | Peoria Chiefs for 9 years; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, Ralph Converse was admired for his enthusiastic | ||||||
| 18 | leadership, devotion to his family, his
business success, and | ||||||
| 19 | his passion for the Peoria community; and | ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, Ralph Converse enjoyed the highest level of | ||||||
| 21 | respect and gratitude from the many residents,
elected | ||||||
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| 1 | officials, and friends whose lives he touched; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Ralph Converse was an energetic fundraiser and | ||||||
| 3 | volunteer who served many groups including
the United Way | ||||||
| 4 | (founding member of the Pillars Society), the Salvation Army, | ||||||
| 5 | Easter Seals, the Boy
Scouts, the Peoria Zoological Society, | ||||||
| 6 | and the Economic Development Council; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Ralph Converse is survived by his wife, Jane; his | ||||||
| 8 | daughter Amy (Andy) Schlicksup; his son, Ted (Kara)
Converse; | ||||||
| 9 | his grandchildren, Georgia West, Janey Schlicksup, and Sophia | ||||||
| 10 | and Kate
Converse; his step-grandchildren, Jack and Jake | ||||||
| 11 | Rieger; his brothers, David, Dennis, and Roger; his 97
year-old | ||||||
| 12 | father, Cotty; and many other members of the extended family; | ||||||
| 13 | therefore, be it
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| 14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 15 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 16 | we mourn the passing of Ralph J. Converse, and extend our
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| 17 | sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew | ||||||
| 18 | and loved him; and be it further
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| 19 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 20 | presented to the family of Ralph J.
Converse as an expression | ||||||
| 21 | of our deepest sympathy.
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