Full Text of SR0164 94th General Assembly
SR0164 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
SR0164 |
|
SRS094 00021 SMW 30021 r |
|
| 1 |
| SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate were deeply | 3 |
| saddened by the death of former State Senator Ralph Dunn who | 4 |
| passed away on May 3, 2004; and
| 5 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Dunn lived for 90 years, 22 of which were | 6 |
| dedicated to serving the people of Illinois; and | 7 |
| WHEREAS, He began his career in 1935 hauling lumber for a | 8 |
| sawmill and shortly after that was involved in the construction | 9 |
| of Illinois Route 127 and was later named President of the | 10 |
| Teamsters Local Chapter in 1937 at the age of 21; and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Dunn and his two younger brothers worked | 12 |
| together in building small business enterprises that included a | 13 |
| ready-mix business, a trucking company, a car dealership, a | 14 |
| real estate business and a radio station; and | 15 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Dunn traded $3,000 worth of concrete to | 16 |
| purchase his first airplane which crashed, however, he was not | 17 |
| deterred from buying a Cessna which he then flew across the | 18 |
| State of Illinois to fight for the cause of Cerebral Palsy; and | 19 |
| WHEREAS, One of his proudest moments was being elected as a | 20 |
| delegate to the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention, | 21 |
| 1969-1970, which he described as a thrill and full of bright | 22 |
| people; and | 23 |
| WHEREAS, He served in the Illinois House of Representatives | 24 |
| from 1973 to 1985 and served in the Illinois Senate from 1985 | 25 |
| to 1995, never losing an election; and | 26 |
| WHEREAS, As a lawmaker, Senator Dunn's greatest legacy was | 27 |
| serving his constituents even when he had to challenge party | 28 |
| leaders, being a strong advocate for Southern Illinois |
|
|
|
SR0164 |
- 2 - |
SRS094 00021 SMW 30021 r |
|
| 1 |
| University and creating the Coal Research Center located at | 2 |
| SIU; and | 3 |
| WHEREAS, A 1995 Murphysboro American editorial | 4 |
| commemorated his legacy shortly after he retired from the | 5 |
| Illinois Senate by saying that he is what every lawmaker should | 6 |
| strive to be, but what few ever become; and | 7 |
| WHEREAS, He was described by his friends as a gentleman who | 8 |
| listened attentively to his constituents regardless of their | 9 |
| party affiliation, and was well known to give people coins | 10 |
| imprinted with a shamrock and the phrase "Good Luck to You" at | 11 |
| events he attended; and | 12 |
| WHEREAS, In 1997, Southern Illinois University honored | 13 |
| Senator Dunn for his many achievements on behalf of the | 14 |
| University by renaming its business incubator the | 15 |
| Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center; and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, He sponsored the law requiring major utility | 17 |
| companies to install pollution controls so that Illinois' | 18 |
| high-sulfur coal could still be utilized; and | 19 |
| WHEREAS, He helped to pass the legislation to turn Scott | 20 |
| Air Force Base into a joint use facility, which has allowed the | 21 |
| facility to remain open despite base closures all across the | 22 |
| country. | 23 |
| WHEREAS, He was instrumental in getting State facilities | 24 |
| located in Southern Illinois, including the Anna Veterans Home; | 25 |
| and | 26 |
| WHEREAS, He was a strong supporter of public education and | 27 |
| he served as Chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee | 28 |
| and as a member of the Senate Committee on Elementary and | 29 |
| Secondary Education; and |
|
|
|
SR0164 |
- 3 - |
SRS094 00021 SMW 30021 r |
|
| 1 |
| WHEREAS, He was also a member of the Illinois Council on | 2 |
| Aging, the Joint Committee on Minority Student Access, a member | 3 |
| of the Illinois Coal Development Board for 20 years and a | 4 |
| member of the Board at the DuQuoin State Bank for 20 years; and | 5 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Dunn never let age interfere with his | 6 |
| desire to be physically fit and spent time jogging even while | 7 |
| he was in Springfield; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, He was very involved in Legislative Fitness Day | 9 |
| activities at the Capitol and received an award from the | 10 |
| Governor's Council on Health and Physical Fitness for | 11 |
| participating in the event for five consecutive years; and | 12 |
| WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, | 13 |
| Ellen, and stepson, Danny Dunn; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, He is survived by his children, Jerry Dunn, | 15 |
| Catherine Sunnquist Florence Dunn-O'Neal, and Janet Johnson; | 16 |
| his brother James Dunn; his 12 grandchildren; and his 20 | 17 |
| great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
| 18 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 19 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the loss of | 20 |
| Ralph Dunn while at the same recognizing his many | 21 |
| accomplishments and legacy of hard work and loyal service to | 22 |
| his constituents; and be it further
| 23 |
| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 24 |
| presented to the children and grandchildren of our friend, | 25 |
| Ralph Dunn, with our deepest sympathies and our enduring | 26 |
| respect, admiration, and love for their father and grandfather.
|
|