SR0177 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0177 LRB096 12157 KXB 24487 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Walter Thomas Morey of Decatur, who passed away on March 18, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Walter Thomas Morey was a 1936 graduate of Stephen Decatur High School; in 1940 he graduated from the University of Illinois and was elected President of the Student Senate, Cadet Colonel of the ROTC, and Business Manager of the Illio; he was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity; and

WHEREAS, In 1941, his law studies at Harvard were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II; he served three years of active duty with the 36th Field Artillery in North Africa, Italy, and France; Major Morey's unit was the first to fire on the mainland of Europe in 1943; he was decorated with the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, and three French Croix de Guerre, awarded by the French Government; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1945, Major Morey returned home and married Dorothy Page Huff; in 1947, Walter graduated from Harvard Law School and returned to Decatur to begin work as a legal counsel for the A.E. Staley Company; and

WHEREAS, At the outbreak of the Korean War, he served as a battalion commander in Korea until 1951; upon his return to Decatur, he practiced law alongside his father; in 1955 he organized Soy Capital Bank and five years later he founded Security Savings and Loan; and he was a partner in the development of Brettwood Village Shopping Center; and

WHEREAS, He was elected to the Decatur City Council in 1960 and served six years; over the course of his profession, Walter was honored to be a Millikin Trustee and member of the University of Illinois President's Council; he served as president of the Decatur Bar Association, the Rotary Club, the United Way of Macon County, and the American Red Cross; and he served as an elder at First Presbyterian Church; and

WHEREAS, After 50 years of tireless work and energy, he retired in 2005; Walter was an avid lover of history, travel, adventure, and Tabasco sauce; his sense of humor and challenge for others to succeed will always be remembered; and

WHEREAS, Walter's family includes his wife of sixty-three years, Dorothy; his three daughters, Madelyn Morey, Cynthia Smith and her husband Robert C. Smith, and Marcia Morey; his sister, Barbara Morey Shade; his grandchildren, Sean and Cassandra Smith, Trevor Smith and Nathan Smith, Rob and Leslie Gandy, Page Gandy, and Jamie Kerr; and his great-grandson, Hudson; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Walter Morey; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Walter Morey as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.