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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
| 3 | to learn of the death of Jesse R. Smart, the former Mayor of | ||||||
| 4 | Bloomington, who passed away on August 25, 2023; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Jesse Smart was born to Kenneth and Bertha Smart | ||||||
| 6 | in Pearl on April 29, 1939; he graduated with a bachelor's | ||||||
| 7 | degree in agriculture education from the University of | ||||||
| 8 | Illinois; he married Susan Ann Stover in Centralia on July 16, | ||||||
| 9 | 1961; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Jesse Smart taught vocational agriculture and | ||||||
| 11 | biology at Stanford High School in Stanford; he worked at Funk | ||||||
| 12 | Bros. Seed Co. and Ciba-Geigy Co. in Bloomington; he was | ||||||
| 13 | president and owner of Smart Seeds Inc. in Bloomington; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Jesse Smart served on the Bloomington City | ||||||
| 15 | Council from 1978 to 1985; he then served as Mayor of the City | ||||||
| 16 | of Bloomington from 1985 to 1997; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, Jesse Smart served on many various commissions | ||||||
| 18 | and boards, including the Illinois State Board of Elections | ||||||
| 19 | from 2001 to 2015, during which he served as chairman and vice | ||||||
| 20 | chairman for eight years; he also served as executive director | ||||||
| 21 | and treasurer of the Western Seed Association for many years | ||||||
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| 1 | and was chairman of the Farm Seed Division, American Seed | ||||||
| 2 | Trade Association; he formerly served as president of the | ||||||
| 3 | Illinois Seed Dealers Association, president of the Prairie | ||||||
| 4 | Aviation Air Show, captain of the Shrine Tin Lizzie Patrol, | ||||||
| 5 | president of the Young Men's Club, and treasurer of the | ||||||
| 6 | Mosbacher 4-H Scholarship Fund; he was a past member of | ||||||
| 7 | College Park Christian Church in Normal; he volunteered for | ||||||
| 8 | the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts and was a past | ||||||
| 9 | member of the Cultural Commission; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Jesse Smart was named McLean County Agriculture | ||||||
| 11 | Businessman of the Year in 1989 and a 2017 History Maker | ||||||
| 12 | Honoree by the McLean County Museum of History; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Jesse Smart was a loving husband and father who | ||||||
| 14 | never met a stranger; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Jesse Smart was preceded in death by his wife and | ||||||
| 16 | his infant son, Jeffrey; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, Jesse Smart is survived by his children, Deborah | ||||||
| 18 | (Matthew) Barton and Gregory (Michelle) Smart; therefore, be | ||||||
| 19 | it
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| 20 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
| 21 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
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| 1 | Jesse R. Smart, the former Mayor of Bloomington, and extend | ||||||
| 2 | our sincere
condolences to his family, friends, and all who | ||||||
| 3 | knew and loved
him; and be it further
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| 4 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
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| 5 | presented to the family of Jesse Smart as an expression of
our | ||||||
| 6 | deepest sympathy.
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