HR0152 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0152 LRB098 11314 MST 42673 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives are pleased to honor Bob Butler, mayor of Marion, on 50 years in office; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Butler is southern Illinois' and the nation's longest active-serving mayor; he will retire in 2 years and at that time will be tied for the longest-serving Illinois mayor at 52 years; in 1963, the citizens of Marion elected him to be their mayor, probably not realizing he would be their mayor into the 21st century; and

WHEREAS, Under Mayor Butler's tutelage, the city of Marion has prospered; it has expanded geographically to almost twice its size in 1963; the population has greatly increased and Marion maintains its position as the economic and cultural leader of southern Illinois; his signature accomplishment was when he renamed Marion to be "The Hub of the Universe"; his leadership qualities were never more tested then when a tornado struck Marion in 1982 when he led the city out of that tragedy to even greater heights; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his duties as mayor, Bob Butler served as a delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention in 1970-1971 and aided in drafting the State's current constitution; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Butler graduated from Marion Township High School in 1944; he served in the U.S. Army and graduated from the University of Illinois with a law degree in 1952; he married Louetta Sanders in 1951 and they have one daughter, Beth Ann; he served as Assistant State's Attorney for the County of Williamson until becoming mayor in 1963; and

WHEREAS, A monument and life-size bronze statue honoring Mayor Butler will be dedicated at Tower Square in Marion on April 16, 2013, during a ceremony marking his 50th year in office; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Mayor Bob Butler for his service to the city of Marion and wish him well in all his future endeavours; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mayor Butler as an expression of our esteem and respect.