SR1402 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1402 LRB099 16978 MST 41327 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Violette King of Godfrey, who passed away on January 4, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Violette King was born to Elias and Sevastie (nee Kotsakis) Papagianis on July 21, 1943 in Tirana, Albania, 2 months before the German occupation; in 1945, she, her mother, and her older brother were smuggled across the closed, communist-controlled border, into Greece, where they joined her father, who had previously gone to Greece for surgery; the family immigrated to the United States in 1957; and

WHEREAS, Violette King graduated from the University of Miami School of Cytotechnology and attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri; she received her bachelor's degree, with honors, from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; she married Dr. Ordie H. King, Jr. on March 21, 1974 in a civil ceremony in Memphis, Tennessee; shortly thereafter, they were married at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in St. Louis; and

WHEREAS, Violette King helped develop the curriculum for and was the first teaching supervisor of the School of Cytotechnology at Washington University/Barnes Hospital from 1963 to 1967; she was the Cytology/Histology Supervisor for several medical laboratories in St. Louis, Missouri from 1969 to 1974; from 1976 to 2008, she was the Laboratory Supervisor of Southern Illinois Pathology Laboratory, Ltd. in Godfrey; and

WHEREAS, Violette King was the founder and first President of the St. Louis Society of Cytology in 1967 and a ceremony was held in 1974 honoring her for this accomplishment; she was co-author on several scientific publications and served on the faculty of multiple regional, national, and international cytopathology workshops; in 1982, the Board of Directors of the American Society of Cytopathology, then the American Society of Cytology, selected her, based on outstanding professional accomplishments, as one of the first cytotechnologists to receive full voting privileges in this medical organization; and

WHEREAS, In 1995, Violette King founded and was President of Nursing Home Monitors, a non-profit advocacy organization for nursing home residents; she received multiple national, regional, and local awards for her dedicated efforts; her awards included the 2003 Women of Worth Award from the St. Louis chapter of OWL, an organization dedicated to economic security and quality of life issues for women over 40, and the 2004 Liberty Bell Award from the Madison County Bar Association; she was featured in several magazines for her work on behalf of nursing home residents; in October of 2002, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called her, "one of the nation's leading voices for nursing home reform"; and

WHEREAS, Violette King was well known for her gardening hobby, which included her extensive plantings of various hydrangeas; in November of 1996, she and her hydrangeas were on the cover on St. Louis Lifestyles Magazine, and in August of 1997, the Alton Telegraph ran a feature article on her, titled, "The Hydrangea Lady"; and

WHEREAS, Violette King was preceded in death by her parents; and

WHEREAS, Violette King is survived by her husband, Dr. Ordie H. King, Jr; her daughter, Catherine A. King and husband, Michael Krutzsch; her beloved grandson, Elliot Spencer King; her son, Alexander C. King and wife, Joyce King; her stepson, Ordie H. King, III; her stepdaughter, Anna Lavelle King; her brother, Pete Papagianis and wife, Beverly; her nephew, Jimmy Papagianis and wife, Kelly; her niece, Maria Papagianis; and her beloved canine foundling, Damon; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Violette King, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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