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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois General Assembly wish
3to pay tribute to and acknowledge former U.S. Senator Alan J.
4Dixon's contributions to his hometown of Belleville, the State
5of Illinois, and the nation and congratulate him for having the
6Senator Alan J. Dixon Student Center at Lindenwood
7University-Belleville named after him; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Lindenwood University-Belleville will honor Alan
9J. Dixon by naming its student center the Senator Alan J. Dixon
10Student Center; we congratulate him for this honor and his
11distinguished service to the State of Illinois; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The Senator Alan J. Dixon Student Center will
13provide Lindenwood University-Belleville students with a state
14of the art research library, an ergonomically-designed
15computer lab, a dining hall, a contemporary student lounge, and
16a spirit shop; as a tribute to Senator Dixon, the library will
17also showcase a museum of his political accomplishments; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon was born and raised in Belleville;
19he graduated from Belleville Township High School, now the
20Lindenwood University-Belleville campus; he began his 43-year
21political career in law school, when he was elected to serve as
22Belleville Police Magistrate; at the age of 22, he was elected

 

 

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1one of the youngest legislators ever elected to serve in the
2Illinois House of Representatives; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon rose through the ranks of State
4government as an Illinois State Representative for 12 years,
5where he was an advocate for higher education and co-sponsored
6legislation which produced Illinois' community college system;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon served in the Illinois State Senate
9for eight years, rising to Assistant Democratic Leader; he was
10elected to serve as Illinois State Treasurer in 1970; from 1977
11to 1981, he served as Illinois Secretary of State, an office he
12won by a margin of 1.3 million votes; his 1.5 million
13re-election majority marked the only time a candidate from
14either political party ever carried all 102 Illinois counties
15in an election, including all 30 townships in suburban Cook
16County and all 50 wards in the City of Chicago; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon was well known as a gregarious
18politician and was revered as "Al the Pal" among friends,
19colleagues, and news pundits; his staff wore "I'm Al's Pal"
20campaign buttons in the 1980 campaign for the United States
21Senate; he was elected to the United States Senate that year;
22and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon won his first election to the United
2States Senate by more than 600,000 votes; he won his
3re-election to the United States Senate in 1986 by more than
4950,000 votes; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In 1988 and again in 1990, Alan J. Dixon was
6unanimously selected by his party colleagues to serve as the
7chief deputy whip of the United States Senate, the number three
8leadership post; Senator Dixon enjoyed an unbroken string of 29
9election victories; and
 
10    WHEREAS, At the request of President Bill Clinton, Alan J.
11Dixon served as chairman of the Defense Base Closure and
12Realignment Commission in 1994 and 1995, a job that called for
13both national defense knowledge and good political ties with
14Democrats and Republicans; as a former chairman of an important
15Senate Armed Services Subcommittee, he had the defense
16knowledge required for the job; on the second requirement of
17good ties with both parties, Democrats and Republicans have
18always mutually respected Senator Dixon; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon is presently a partner with the St.
20Louis, Missouri based law firm, Bryan Cave, LLP, where he
21serves corporate and government clients; he is married to Joan
22Fox Dixon and has three children, Stephanie, Jeffrey, and
23Elizabeth, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren;

 

 

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1therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
4SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we congratulate former United
5States Senator Alan J. Dixon on the occasion of having the
6Senator Alan J. Dixon Student Center at Lindenwood
7University-Belleville named after him and recognize and thank
8him for his innumerable achievements and efforts on behalf of
9his hometown of Belleville; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to Alan J. Dixon as an expression of our utmost
12respect and esteem.