Full Text of SR1549 98th General Assembly
SR1549 98TH 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 George K. Knudsen of Pontiac, who passed | 4 | | away on October 24, 2014; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, George Knudsen was born on August 20, 1936 in | 6 | | Dwight; his parents were George Nelson and Leila Gertrude (nee | 7 | | Parker) Knudsen; he married Germaine Centko on July 5, 1958; | 8 | | and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, A native of Livingston County, George Knudsen was | 10 | | educated in Dwight schools; he subsequently attended Illinois | 11 | | Wesleyan University and graduated from Illinois State | 12 | | University; he was also a graduate of the United States Army | 13 | | Command and General Staff College and the National Defense | 14 | | University; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, George Knudsen enlisted in the Illinois National | 16 | | Guard 129th Infantry Regiment, Company B as a private in 1959, | 17 | | the same battalion in which his great-grandfather served in | 18 | | during the Civil War; being the son of a Danish immigrant, it | 19 | | was his privilege to serve on active duty in the Army Reserve | 20 | | and in the Illinois National Guard; his service included | 21 | | serving the State of Illinois and its citizens in times of | 22 | | floods, natural disasters, and civil disturbances; he retired |
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| 1 | | at the rank of colonel in 1991, after 32 years of dedicated | 2 | | service; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, George Knudsen was the recipient of numerous | 4 | | awards and decorations for his service, including the Army | 5 | | Commendation Medal, the Army Reserve Components Achievement | 6 | | Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve | 7 | | Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Illinois Long and | 8 | | Honorable Service Medal; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, George Knudsen retired from a management position | 10 | | at Caterpillar, Inc. after more than 40 years of service in | 11 | | 1996; following his retirement, he remained active in veterans' | 12 | | affairs, having served as Chairman of the Livingston County | 13 | | Veterans Assistance Commission and as a member of the | 14 | | Livingston County Board; he also worked on restoring the | 15 | | Livingston County Poor Farm Cemetery for 5 years, worked on the | 16 | | Lincoln statue on the Livingston County Courthouse lawn, and | 17 | | was a speaker at local Memorial Day celebrations for many | 18 | | years; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, George Knudsen was a member of the Reserve | 20 | | Officers Association of the United States, St. Mary's Catholic | 21 | | Church in Pontiac, Cursillo, the American Legion, the Knights | 22 | | of Columbus (Fourth Degree), the Benevolent and Protective | 23 | | Order of Elks, the National Guard Association of Illinois, and |
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| 1 | | the National Guard Association of the United States; he was | 2 | | also a life member of American Veterans and served as a member | 3 | | of the Color and Honor Guard of the combined American Veterans; | 4 | | and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, George Knudsen was preceded in death by his | 6 | | parents and a daughter, Frances; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, George Knudsen is survived by his wife, Germaine; | 8 | | a son, G. Christian (Julie) Knudsen; 2 daughters, Kay (David) | 9 | | Heller and Kim (Jeffrey) Longbons; 6 grandchildren, Letitia and | 10 | | Grace Longbons, William Heller, and Sadie, Maya, and Gavin | 11 | | Knudsen; and a brother, Thomas Knudsen; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his | 14 | | family and friends, mourn the passing of George K. Knudsen; and | 15 | | be it further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 17 | | presented to the family of George Knudsen as an expression of | 18 | | our sympathy.
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