Full Text of HJR0128 94th General Assembly
HJ0128 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the | 3 |
| State of Illinois learned with sadness of the death of Carl | 4 |
| Nels Becker of Petersburg on April 13, 2006; and
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| WHEREAS, He was born on June 8, 1949, in Sheboygan, | 6 |
| Wisconsin, to Elmer Becker and Amy Nora Truesdale; he married | 7 |
| Peggy Parks on July 31, 1971, in Black Creek, Wisconsin; he | 8 |
| held a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of | 9 |
| Wisconsin at Stevens Point and a master's degree in ornithology | 10 |
| from Eastern Michigan University; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Becker worked as the Associate State Director | 12 |
| for Conservation Programs for the Illinois Chapter of the | 13 |
| Nature Conservancy; he held several positions within the | 14 |
| Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR); he was the | 15 |
| first Executive Director of the Illinois Endangered Species | 16 |
| Protection Board, the first Chief of the Division of Natural | 17 |
| Heritage, and served as Assistant Office Director of Realty and | 18 |
| Environmental Planning, before his retirement in December | 19 |
| 2002; and
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| WHEREAS, He began working at IDNR in 1978 as a biologist | 21 |
| and quickly became a leader; during his tenure at IDNR, he | 22 |
| spearheaded the effort to create the Wildlife Preservation | 23 |
| Fund, an income tax check-off program that provides money for | 24 |
| wildlife habitats; he also worked to pass legislation | 25 |
| allocating a portion of the Real Estate Transfer Tax to protect | 26 |
| natural areas and habitats for endangered and threatened | 27 |
| species; he played a critical role in conserving natural | 28 |
| habitats from Cook County to the Cache River State Natural | 29 |
| Area, laden with cypress trees, in the southernmost tip of | 30 |
| Illinois; he also was instrumental in efforts to save the | 31 |
| dwindling territory of the prairie chicken in southern Illinois | 32 |
| and to encourage peregrine falcons to roost among the Chicago |
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| Loop's skyscrapers; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, Mr. Becker was a national leader in conservation | 3 |
| issues, serving as Illinois representative with the | 4 |
| International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies to push | 5 |
| for the Teaming with Wildlife Initiative; he was the past | 6 |
| president of the Natural Areas Association and was a member of | 7 |
| several conservation organizations; and
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| WHEREAS, In addition to his work to protect Illinois | 9 |
| natural areas, he was a leader in his community, serving as | 10 |
| President of the Lake Petersburg Association and Chair of the | 11 |
| Menard County Zoning Board of Appeals; a member of Petersburg | 12 |
| United Methodist Church, he was active in his church, serving | 13 |
| on the board of trustees; he also served as a Cub Scout leader | 14 |
| and coached youth soccer, softball, and baseball; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Carl Nels Becker has been deeply | 16 |
| felt by many, especially his wife, Peggy Becker; his sons, | 17 |
| Jason Becker and Jared Becker; his daughter, Jenifer Becker; | 18 |
| and his sister, Jane Kesting; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 20 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 21 |
| SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we mourn the passing of Carl | 22 |
| Nels Becker, who will be remembered as a champion for the | 23 |
| environment, and we extend our deepest sympathy to his family, | 24 |
| friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 26 |
| presented to his family as an expression of our sincerest | 27 |
| condolences and the sorrow that we share in this great loss.
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