Full Text of SR0910 97th General Assembly
SR0910 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of
our friend and colleague, former Illinois | 4 | | State Senator Ray Soden of Wood Dale, who passed away on July | 5 | | 22, 2012; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Ray Soden was born on March 26, 1924, in Chicago; | 7 | | and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Ray Soden served his country as a member of the | 9 | | United States Navy during World War II, having enlisted soon | 10 | | after the bombing of Pearl Harbor; during his service with the | 11 | | Navy, he served as a Sonarman 3rd Class on the USS Claxton and | 12 | | took part in the invasion of North Africa in November of 1942, | 13 | | and, in the Pacific Theater, he saw action in Okinawa, Saipan, | 14 | | Guam, Leyte Gulf, and Iwo Jima; he was the recipient of the | 15 | | European and Asiatic Campaign Medals and 7 Battle Stars for his | 16 | | service; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Following his military service, Ray Soden | 18 | | returned to Illinois and went to work for the Illinois Bell | 19 | | Telephone Company, where he was employed for 35 years until his | 20 | | retirement in 1982; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Ray Soden dedicated his life to public service and |
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| 1 | | was active in many levels of local, county, and State | 2 | | government; he served as a member of the DuPage County Board | 3 | | from 1982 to 1992, and served as president of the Forest | 4 | | Preserve District of DuPage County from 1988 to 1992; in 2003, | 5 | | he was appointed to a seat in the Illinois Senate following the | 6 | | retirement of former Senate President James "Pate" Philip; | 7 | | during his tenure in the Senate, he served on the Senate | 8 | | Revenue Committee; after serving the remainder of Senator | 9 | | Philip's term, he chose not to run for re-election; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, During his 20 months as State Senator, Ray Soden | 11 | | earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues by handling | 12 | | his duties with the ease and aplomb of a veteran lawmaker; | 13 | | lawmakers and staff knew Senator Soden as a friendly person | 14 | | whose gentlemanly elegance evoked a more gracious era and his | 15 | | easy smile and kindness were appreciated during long hours of | 16 | | debate on the Senate floor; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Ray Soden was very active in the field of | 18 | | veterans' affairs; he was a lifelong member of Tioga Post 2149, | 19 | | Veterans of Foreign Wars; as a member of the VFW, he rose | 20 | | through the ranks of the local, State, and national | 21 | | organizations and served as the National Commander-in-Chief of | 22 | | the VFW from 1973 to 1974; he served as chairman of the Voice | 23 | | of Democracy Committee, vice-chairman of the National Security | 24 | | and Foreign Affairs Committee, and chairman of the National |
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| 1 | | Bicentennial Committee; he served on the National Convention | 2 | | Committee and served as President of the VFW National | 3 | | Convention Corporation; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Ray Soden was active in many civic projects and | 5 | | was a member of several civic organizations, including the | 6 | | Lions and Kiwanis; he was president of the Oak Park and | 7 | | Bensenville Lions Clubs and the Telephone Pioneers; he was | 8 | | named Wood Dale Citizen of the Year in 2001; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Ray Soden was an accomplished singer who performed | 10 | | on the National Barn Dance program on WLS-AM and shared the | 11 | | microphone with such stars as George Gobel, Lulabelle and | 12 | | Scotty, Homer and Jethro, Red Foley, and Andy Williams; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Ray Soden is survived by his loving wife of 65 | 14 | | years, Shirley; his children, Raylene (Dennis) Boyd, Kirk | 15 | | (Roxanne) Soden, and Pat (Greg) Breeze; his grandchildren, Dawn | 16 | | (Steve) Wedll, Douglas (Michelle) Barger III, Michael | 17 | | (Elizabeth) Boyd, James (Jennifer) Breeze, Dianne (Peter) | 18 | | Pecharich, and Kristy (Todd) Wyatt; his 10 | 19 | | great-grandchildren; and his many nieces and nephews; | 20 | | therefore, be it
| 21 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 22 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with |
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| 1 | | his family and friends, the passing of Ray Soden; and be it | 2 | | further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 4 | | presented to the family of Ray Soden as an expression of our | 5 | | sympathy.
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