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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Paul O. Rust of South Jacksonville,
4who passed away on February 8, 2022; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Paul Rust was born to Heike Albert and Gladys
6Mariann Stubblefield Rust in Ipava on December 1, 1924; he
7graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1942; he entered
8Illinois College (IC) in 1942 before serving in the U.S. Air
9Force at Bolling Field, Washington D.C. from 1943 to 1946; he
10earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Illinois College
11in 1949, where he was a member of the Phi Alpha Literary
12Society and the choir and played football; he married Lois
13Jane Smith at Central Christian Church in Jacksonville on July
1424, 1949; he earned his master's degree in Education from the
15University of Illinois in 1954; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Paul Rust managed the Nichols Park swimming pool
17from 1949 to 1951, during which time the pool was
18desegregated; he taught and coached six-man football at
19Franklin High School from 1949 to 1951; he then worked for
20Jacksonville School District #117 from 1952 to 1987, where he
21taught at Franklin Elementary School for 19 years, Turner
22Junior High School for 12 years, and Eisenhower Elementary
23School for four years; during the summer months, he served as a

 

 

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1crop hail claims adjuster for Country Companies for 25 years;
2and
 
3    WHEREAS, Paul Rust served as president and regional
4representative for the Jacksonville Education Association, a
5delegate for the Illinois Education Association, an Illinois
6delegate to the National Education Association (NEA), and a
7board member of the Illinois College Alumni Association; he
8was a life member of the NEA; he was also a member of the
9Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA) and Phi Delta
10Kappa; he was a committee member and merit badge counselor of
11the South Jacksonville Boy Scout Troop 113; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Paul Rust was an ordained elder, emeritus, of the
13Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in
14Jacksonville, where he drove the church bus and was a member of
15the church choir for more than 40 years; he served on the World
16Outreach Committee and participated in mission trips to
17Paraguay and Thailand; he also served as a volunteer for
18Doorbell Dinners and the Jacksonville Food Center; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Paul Rust was named the Illinois College
20Distinguished Citizen in 1992; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Paul Rust enjoyed woodworking, photography, and
22traveling to all 50 states, all seven continents, and many

 

 

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1countries; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Paul Rust was preceded in death by his sisters,
3Elizabeth Ann "Bettie" Doolin and Christina Mae "Tena" Martin;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, Paul Rust is survived by his wife; his son, Paul
6Wesley (Deb) Rust; his daughter, Sarah Lois Rust Reinke; his
7granddaughters, Heather Colwell, Laura Books, Ginny Walsh, and
8Emma Reinke; his eight great-grandchildren; and an
9International Christian Youth Exchange student from Finland
10who lived with the family for a year and is loved as a
11daughter, Eeva Laukkanen; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
13ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
14Paul O. Rust and extend our sincere condolences to his family,
15friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to the family of Paul Rust as an expression of our
18deepest sympathy.