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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 George
4Joe Pearson, who passed away on February 11, 2014; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Joe Pearson was born in Harrisburg on December 30,
61948; he earned his bachelor's degree and his masters's degree
7from Southern Illinois University and married Pamela Seright;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, In 1976, Joe Pearson opened the Village Pump
10Restaurant, Bar, and Hotel with his brother; he also opened
11Pearson Jewelry before joining the Arclar Company in 1987 and
12soon became the preeminent coal salesman in the United States;
13he was instrumental in seeing Arclar grow from 19 employees,
14producing 200,000 tons of coal per year, to 600 employees,
15producing 6,000,000 tons per year; he was also a partner in
16Power Inc., a coal loading facility in Shawneetown and served
17as President of Eagle River Coal LLC in Mitcheville; he served
18as Vice-Chairman of the Illinois Coal Association, Chairman of
19the Advisory Board of the Illinois Department of Natural
20Resources, board member of the Illinois Coal Council, and board
21member of the Illinois Coal Development Board; he was known
22around the Illinois State Capital as "the face of coal"; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In addition to his work in coal, Joe Pearson
2became part owner of Farmers State Bank in Alto Pass in 1994;
3he aided its expansion to additional cities and remained on the
4Board of Directors following the selling of his shares; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Joe Pearson was a member of the First United
6Methodist Church; he provided scholarships and supported local
7ball teams and was very supportive of his community; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Joe Pearson is survived by his wife, Pamela; his
9brothers, John "Spider" (Pam) Pearson and Jim (Suzie) Pearson;
10his niece, Stephanie (Gene) Wise; his great-nephew, Dillon
11Wise; and his nephews, David (Kendra) Pearson and Mike Pearson;
12therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15we mourn the passing of George Joe Pearson, and extend our
16sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
17and loved him; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to the family of Joe Pearson as an expression of our
20deepest sympathy.