SR2451 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Wayne N. "Buck" Meyer of Tuscola, who passed away on October 24, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Wayne Meyer was born on January 16, 1931 in Tuscola; his parents were Everett W. and Florentine R. Cler Meyer; he married Margaret L. Utterback on August 21, 1954 in Tuscola; and

WHEREAS, Wayne Meyer graduated from Phinney Grade School in 1945 and was a 1949 graduate of Tuscola Community High School, where he was homecoming king, football MVP, and honorable mention All-State fullback in his senior year; he is the school record holder for the 200-yard low hurdles and his class won conference championships in football, basketball, and track in his senior year; in 2010, he was honored as an inductee into the Tuscola High School Hall of Fame for his contributions to agriculture; in 1953, he graduated from the University of Illinois with high honors and earned a Bachelor of Science in agronomy; he also lettered in wrestling with the 1952-1953 team; and

WHEREAS, In 1953, Wayne Meyer was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force after four years in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of Illinois; he served active duty from 1954 to 1956 as an Air Police security officer at England Air Force Base in Alexandria, Louisiana, earning the rank of First Lieutenant; from 1963 to 1965, he served in the Air Force Reserve Recovery Squad as a security officer in Decatur, earning the rank of Captain; in 1956, he and his wife returned to Douglas County to raise their growing family and farm for 40 years until his retirement in 1996; and

WHEREAS, Wayne Meyer was a member of the Douglas County Soil and Water Conservation District for 17 years and served as chairman for nine years; while on the Soil and Water Conservation District, he along with other directors defeated the Scattering Fork PL566 Project and testified twice before a congressional hearing committee in Washington, D.C. against the proposed Lincoln Reservoir on the Embarras River which would have had detrimental effects on drainage in Douglas County; the Reservoir project was finally de-authorized after 10 years of battle waged by many farm organizations in the city of Tuscola and Douglas County; in 1977, his family was named the Illinois Conservation Farm Family of the Year; and

WHEREAS, Wayne Meyer served on the Douglas County Extension Service; he served on the Douglas County Board for one term; he was a member of Forty Martyrs Catholic Church; he served as commander of Tuscola American Legion Post 27 and the Douglas County Farm Bureau; he served as director of the District 12 Illinois Corn Marketing Board for eight years, where he held various offices and attended United States Feed Grain Council conventions; these offices took him to Russia, Hungary, and Austria on goodwill missions to exchange and share ideas for crop production and exportation; he was also handpicked to serve as an agricultural adviser to the late United States Representative, Tom Ewing; and

WHEREAS, Wayne Meyer was an agronomist at heart and loved to grow things, especially in the soil of central Illinois; he had a love for animals which seemed to migrate to him naturally; he was a die-hard Tuscola Warrior and Fighting Illini fan and was an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs; and

WHEREAS, Wayne Meyer was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret; his parents; his brothers, Everett, Jr., Clarence, and Tom Meyer; his sister, Wanda Helm; and his grandson, Andy McGillen; and

WHEREAS, Wayne Meyer is survived by his children, Mike (Connie) Meyer, Jean Kahn, Jim Meyer, Anna (Kent) McGillen, Dan (Dena) Meyer, and Jaci Manzella; his grandchildren, Lauren Meyer, Clayton Meyer, Natalie Kahn, Kellie Kahn, Kate Blahnik, Jennifer Meyer, Christina Meyer, Whitney (Brady) Fennel, David Meyer, Philip Meyer, Maria Meyer, and Lidia Manzella; and his great-grandson, Liam Fennel; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of Wayne N. "Buck" Meyer; and be it further

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