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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Clinton Charles "Kelly" Ireland of
4Greenville, who passed away on June 17, 2017; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Clinton Ireland was born in Fayette County to
6Charles and Rose Thompson Ireland on March 8, 1922; he married
7Lucille Pryor in St. Charles, Missouri on July 27, 1941 and
8they settled in St. Louis; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Clinton Ireland began working as a union steward
10at Curtiss-Wright when he enlisted in the United States Navy as
11a Seabee in June of 1943; he served in the European Theater
12(D-Day, plus 5) until December of 1945; while in Paris, he was
13chosen to be the driver for General Dwight Eisenhower while the
14general was visiting area hospitals; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Clinton Ireland returned to Sorento in 1945, where
16he owned and operated a Firestone store and garage; he attended
17Greenville College for two years before transferring to
18Southern Illinois University (SIU); he served as assistant shop
19teacher in their vocational shops; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Clinton Ireland served in the United States Naval
21Reserve at the Lambert Field Naval Air Station for two weeks

 

 

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1when his unit was one of the first to be called into active
2duty for the Korean War; he served as an aviation mechanic as
3part of a fighter squadron aboard the aircraft carrier Tarawa;
4he was then transferred to a naval air station at Rhode Island,
5where he served as plane captain for Admiral Ruble for 18
6months; upon discharge, he returned to SIU to complete his
7Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education in 1954; he later
8completed his master's degree in education from the University
9of Illinois in 1957; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Clinton Ireland taught at East Alton-Wood River
11High School before coming to Greenville to introduce industrial
12arts at the Greenville Junior High School; he went on to teach
13general shop, metal-working, and wood-working at the high
14school; he later served as high school guidance counselor and
15Director of Vocational and Adult Education; his teaching career
16spanned a 25-year period; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Clinton Ireland served as a councilman for
18Greenville; he was elected as mayor in 1977 and served three
19terms; this was followed with two terms as a member of the city
20planning commission, and later, as a council member again; in
21all he served close to 35 years in city government; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Clinton Ireland was the recipient of the
23Greenville College Recognition Award in 1979, the Greenville

 

 

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1Women's Club Service Award in 1993, and the Greenville Chamber
2of Commerce 2003 Gerald Turley Award; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Clinton Ireland was preceded in death by his
4daughter, Pamela Portell; his brothers, Wayne Ireland and
5Eugene Ireland; and his sisters, Bonnie Ireland, Marjorie
6Ireland, Fay Kistler, Helen Washburn, and Irene Eakin; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Clinton Ireland is survived by his wife, Lucille;
8his daughter, Sandra (Van Loyd); his grandchildren, Kelly
9Horton, Brent Portell, Cheri Lucco, Charlotte Sutton, and
10Virginia Kalotihos; and 11 great-grandchildren, Trammel and
11Katie Horton, Brock, Brodie, Rece, and Brylee Portell, Will
12Greenwald, Rachel (Dan) Cannoy, Hannah (Evan) Kelley, Laura
13Lucco, Christiana and Lena Kalotihos, and Jordan and Grace
14Shaw; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
16ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
17Clinton Charles "Kelly" Ireland, and extend our sincere
18condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved
19him; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21presented to the family of Clinton Ireland as an expression of
22our deepest sympathy.