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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Virgil H.
4Motsinger of Harrisburg, who passed away on March 2, 2011; and
 
5    WHEREAS, He was born February 21, 1933, in Crab Orchard to
6the late Virgil "Copper" and Irene (LaMaster) Motsinger; on
7June 5, 1955, he married his college sweetheart, Mata Hester,
8at First United Methodist Church in Shattuc; and
 
9    WHEREAS, He was an active member of the First United
10Methodist Church in Harrisburg, where he taught Sunday school
11for the past 40 years; he was a member of the Methodist Men,
12the Harrisburg Rotary, the Southeastern Illinois College
13Foundation, and served on the board at Mid Country Bank; and
 
14    WHEREAS, He grew up in Crab Orchard and graduated from Crab
15Orchard High School in 1951; he attended McKendree College from
161951 to 1955 and was a member of the varsity basketball and
17track team all four years; while attending McKendree he met his
18future wife, Mata; and
 
19    WHEREAS, He served in the United States Marine Corps from
201954 to 1957 and received a Master's degree in health and
21physical education from Indiana University; for 35 years he

 

 

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1served as coach, athletic director, and health and physical
2education teacher at Southeastern Illinois College in
3Harrisburg; and
 
4    WHEREAS, He was a coaching legend in Southern Illinois; he
5was the basketball coach at Woodlawn High School from 1956 to
61961; he was the basketball coach and for several years the
7baseball coach at Southeastern Illinois College; he had a
8career coaching record of 679 wins, 383 losses; and
 
9    WHEREAS, During the 1997-98 season, he served as an
10assistant to Rich Herrin at Southern Illinois University in
11Carbondale; he coached fifth and sixth grade basketball in
12Harrisburg from 1998 to 2000; he was a member of the Illinois
13Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the National
14Junior College Basketball Hall of Fame, the McKendree College
15Hall of Fame, and the Southeastern Illinois College Athletic
16Hall of Fame; in 2006, C Building at Southeastern Illinois
17College was named the Virgil Motsinger Athletic Complex and in
182011, he received the Crab Orchard High School Distinguished
19Alumni Award; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Virgil Motsinger is survived by his wife, Mata
21Motsinger, with whom he was married for 56 years; his sons,
22Mark and his wife, Suzanne Motsinger, and Mike and his wife,
23Melonie Motsinger; his daughter, Amy and her husband, Garrick

 

 

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1Simpson; his loving grandchildren, Adam and his wife, Mariah
2Dennison, Caleb and Gabriel Motsinger, Masen, Marcella, and
3McCartney Motsinger, and Abigail Simpson; and his
4great-grandchildren, Chloe and Ella Dennison; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of
8Virgil Motsinger; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10presented to the family of Virgil Motsinger as a symbol of our
11sincere sympathy.