SR1684 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1684 LRB099 21185 MST 46535 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Susan Lois Howarth Eastman of Alton, who passed away on March 13, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Susan Eastman was born in Harvey to former Springfield Mayor Nelson O. Howarth and Mary W. Howarth on March 22, 1936; she grew up in Springfield; she graduated from Springfield High School in 1953 and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1957, where she sang in the women's glee club, was elected to honor councils, served on more than a dozen campus boards and committees, and was Vice-President of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority; after beginning a family, she went back to school, earning a Master of Arts in History from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1984 and a Master of Arts in English from SIUE in 1992; and

WHEREAS, Susan Eastman was a highly respected and much beloved member of Alton Community Unit School District No. 11, where she taught high school history and English for 25 years; she was a knowledgeable local historian with an ardent interest in the Mississippi River; she authored "River Bend, An Area that Knows No Panics" (1981) and "Federal Promotion of Commercial Barging on the Inland Waterways: 1920-1940" (1984); she served as a river historian and correspondent-at-large for "The Waterways Journal", a weekly publication for the inland waterway transportation industry, whose Annual Review she wrote for many years; she was a member of the Alton Museum of History and Art in the 1970s; she organized and supervised the establishment of the River Room, and for many years she maintained exhibits for the museum at Melvin Price Locks & Dam No. 26; her enthusiasm for the river led her to memberships in the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen and the Upper Mississippi River Buffs; and

WHEREAS, Susan Eastman was an active community volunteer in Alton for many decades; she led the application of the Alton Junior Service League to become the Junior League of Greater Alton, and as a member of the JLGA, she helped to initiate and develop the Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail; she received the JLGA's Thayer Award for outstanding service to the league and the community; she was also a member of the women's philanthropic organization P.E.O.; and

WHEREAS, Susan Eastman volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America, athletics, and classroom settings; she was a tireless social hostess and admirable craftsperson and was well-known for her Christmas ornaments and decorations made from pinecones and other natural materials; and

WHEREAS, Susan Eastman was preceded in death by her parents; her parents-in-law, Charles Dana Eastman Sr. and Virginia Corbett Eastman; and her sister, Mary Jo Howarth Noonan; and

WHEREAS, Susan Eastman is survived by her husband, Charles Dana Eastman, Jr.; her daughter, Marynell Eastman; her sons, Charles Dana (Michele) Eastman III and David William Eastman (Michelle Mallo); her sister-in-law, Nina Eastman Fay and her family; her brothers, William Howarth and David Howarth; and her sister Lydia Howarth; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Susan Lois Howarth Eastman, 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 Susan Eastman as an expression of our deepest sympathy.