HJ0042eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0042 Engrossed LRB094 11125 CSA 44522 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 42

WHEREAS, Penny Lee Severns and her identical twin sister, Patty, were born on January 21, 1952 in Decatur, Illinois, the daughters of Donald Severns, Sr. and Helen Severns; and

WHEREAS, In 1972, Penny Severns was an alternate at-large delegate to the Democratic National Convention, the then-youngest delegate ever elected; later in the year Penny was elected to one of six spots from Illinois on the Democratic National Committee; in 1974 she graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a concentration in international relations; and

WHEREAS, In 1977, Penny moved to Washington D.C. where she was appointed to a prominent post with the United States State Department; Penny served for two years as a Special Assistant to the Administrator of the Agency for International Development; Penny traveled to Thailand, Nepal, and India, where she evaluated and audited the United States' mission in those countries; and

WHEREAS, While working for the Agency for International Development, Penny was given the opportunity to be a part of history when she served as the Agency's Representative during negotiations of the Camp David Peace Accords; Penny was in attendance on the day the historic document was signed; and

WHEREAS, While in Washington, Penny Severns was a Resident Associate at the Smithsonian Institution, where she met and talked with some of the world's great architects and master builders; Penny was fond of Frank Lloyd Wright and his work, and is remembered as someone who helped in the preservation of his work, particularly with the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield; and

WHEREAS, Penny Severns resigned from the State Department in 1979; she returned to Decatur and took a job with Archer Daniels Midland; in 1980, Penny ran an unsuccessful campaign for United States Congress against United States Representative Edward Madigan; even though she lost the election, the campaign gave Penny the opportunity to meet many of the citizens of Central Illinois, and her increased visibility helped her in future elections; in 1981, she worked as an Administrative Assistant to the State Comptroller; in 1983, Penny Severns won a seat on the Decatur City Council with the largest number of votes in the history of Decatur; and

WHEREAS, Penny Severns won the 51st District Senate seat in 1986; while serving her District, Senator Severns held the position of Minority Caucus Whip, was a top budget negotiator, and was minority spokesperson of the Revenue Committee; she also served on the Executive Committee and the Legislative Audit Commission; as a State Senator, Penny worked tirelessly on behalf of the constituents in her district and was known as a champion for the rights of working families, women, and children throughout all Illinois; and

WHEREAS, In 1989, Senator Severns was selected from a nationwide group of state and local lawmakers to participate as a Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; the intensive program focused on the study of public policy; her hard work earned her a position as a Toll Fellow to study public policy with the National Council of State Legislatures in Lexington, Kentucky; she was also selected as a Delegate by the German Marshall Fund to study job training and vocational education programs in Germany and Denmark; in 1994, Penny was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Penny Severns spent the final months of her life not only fighting cancer, but fighting for the people of Illinois as a candidate for Secretary of State; and

WHEREAS, Penny Severns is also remembered through the Penny Severns Summer Family Literacy program and the Penny Severns Breast and Cervical Cancer Research Fund; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the portion of Interstate 72 lying between Springfield and Decatur be designated as the Penny Severns Memorial Expressway; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation; the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation; and the family of Senator Penny Severns.