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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of David Samuel Bechtel of Savoy, who
4passed away on November 9, 2021; and
 
5    WHEREAS, David Bechtel was born to Sam and Elsie Nixon
6Bechtel on October 6, 1945; he spent his childhood around the
7house and on the farm in Eureka; his best friend was his older
8sister, Doris "Sis" Bechtel Houser, who eventually made him a
9proud uncle to Woody and Brad Houser; he was actively involved
10in a number of activities and organizations, including 4-H,
11FFA, baseball, football, basketball, and church; and
 
12    WHEREAS, David Bechtel was a platoon sergeant/sergeant
13first class in the Army National Guard; he served in infantry,
14transportation, and supply companies in Ft. Polk, Louisiana,
15Peoria, and Urbana; he served with honor and had a great
16respect for all those in military service; and
 
17    WHEREAS, David Bechtel married Ann Davidson in 1970, and
18they had Daniel David in 1975 and Katherine Ann in 1978; every
19day of the last 46 years, he worked hard to be sure his
20children felt unconditionally loved; whether he was teaching
21his adult son to play baseball, writing letters to his
22daughter to stop getting into fender benders, or guiding them

 

 

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1through their missteps and accolades, he handled his children
2like he handled everyone else in his life, with respect, love,
3and compassion; and
 
4    WHEREAS, David Bechtel began studying agricultural
5economics at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in
61963; he was proud to say he held season tickets for 58
7straight years to both Illinois football and basketball; while
8there, he pledged the Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity; in
92004, on the centennial anniversary of AGR, he received the
10honor of being named a Brother of the Century on the national
11level; during his alumni life before social media flourished,
12he created a mass email list with hundreds of names from around
13the country and updated this group with news weekly; his
14connection to Greek life led him to his first job as dean of
15fraternity men at the University of Illinois; later in life,
16he served as his son's fraternity faculty adviser, eventually
17being awarded the Theta Chi National Fraternity Distinguished
18Service Award, the highest award given to a non-member; he
19also guided his daughter and her sisters through Greek life in
20Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity; and
 
21    WHEREAS, David Bechtel served the students of his alma
22mater in a 36-year career, as director of The Career Center and
23also in roles as acting dean of students and associate and
24assistant dean of students; he was admitted to his

 

 

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1profession's Academy of Fellows Hall of Fame, which recognized
2his 30-year career as a national leader in the field of college
3career services and corporate college recruiting; he founded
4the consortium of Big Ten college career service
5professionals; his Big Ten colleagues named its annual award
6the David S. Bechtel Career Educator of the Year in his honor;
7he also co-founded the national Management Leadership
8Institute, which has become a frequent stepping stone for
9professional opportunities and advancement in the field; he
10was a prolific researcher on college graduate career outcomes
11and received national awards and grants accordingly; he made
12numerous professional presentations, authored articles and
13book chapters, and consulted with businesses and other
14universities; and
 
15    WHEREAS, David Bechtel counseled thousands of U of I
16students and alumni and directed an innovative and
17comprehensive campus career center that was highly regarded by
18national peers and was a credit to the university; he
19initiated the concept of career development for
20undergraduates, and Illinois was the first in the nation to
21provide this resource in 1972, now an accepted practice in all
224000-plus colleges and universities in the U.S.; in his later
23years, he authored The History of Career Services at the
24University of Illinois; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, David Bechtel felt that grandparenthood was the
2epitome of a life well lived; after Katie and Brian had Alaric
3Arthur and Amara Christine and when Dan and Jennifer had
4Veronica Harper and Jack Rollins, he relished being a
5grandfather; when Dan and Melissa got married, Owen Daniel
6came into Dave's life, and his grandchild number went from
7four to five; his greatest joy was attending anything
8involving his grandchildren; and
 
9    WHEREAS, David Bechtel was devoted to the McKinley
10Presbyterian Church and Foundation, serving as an elder and
11its longest tenured foundation board member; he was the church
12centennial's co-chair and then the church's historian and
13archivist; he helped oversee the building of the new Presby
14Hall, a state-of-the-art residence hall next to the church;
15and
 
16    WHEREAS, David Bechtel served on the State University
17Annuitants Association of the U of I as a board member and
18program chair; he was on the Windsor of Savoy's Resident
19Advisory Committee and wrote the history of the Windsor of
20Savoy and served as master of ceremony at its 30th anniversary
21celebration; his social calendar was filled with lunches and
22dinners with friends, family events to attend, church
23activities, and current events club; he played weekly trivia
24at Windsor for years and joined a Zoom trivia night during the

 

 

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1pandemic that introduced him to new lifelong friends; and
 
2    WHEREAS, David Bechtel's weekly calls with his sister in
3Iowa were a priority, and he greatly anticipated family
4gatherings in Iowa City; Woody and Mindy gave him great-nieces
5and great-nephews, Samantha (Michael), Alinia (Joe), Benjamin,
6Taylor, and Matthew; Brad and Becky gave him Madison and
7Brady; being able to be with his family and bask in the glow of
8their love for each other was the time he treasured most; and
 
9    WHEREAS, David Bechtel led with love; a firm handshake,
10eye contact, and a smile were the most important life skills he
11taught; he never met a stranger, and people were drawn to him;
12he will be remembered as a man of loyalty, fairness, and
13integrity; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
15ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
16David Samuel Bechtel and extend our sincere condolences to his
17family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
18further
 
19    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20presented to the family of David Bechtel as an expression of
21our deepest sympathy.