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| | SR0329 | | LRB100 12019 MST 24000 r |
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1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to |
3 | | learn of the death of Frank J. Bussone of Roanoke, who passed |
4 | | away on March 15, 2017 at the age of 74; and
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5 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone graduated from Roanoke-Benson High |
6 | | School, where he served as the President of his senior class; |
7 | | he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Bradley |
8 | | University, where he also taught; and
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9 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone was a National Fellows and earned a |
10 | | full scholarship towards his doctoral work in communications |
11 | | from the University of Southern California (USC); while at USC, |
12 | | he coached the General Electric College Bowl Quiz Team to an |
13 | | undefeated national title which was televised on NBC-TV in New |
14 | | York City; two years later, he coached Bradley's College Bowl |
15 | | Team to a perfect record and another national championship also |
16 | | televised on NBC-TV in New York City; he is the only person to |
17 | | have coached two universities to national championships; and |
18 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone's career began at Bradley |
19 | | University as an Administrator, where he brought the sitting |
20 | | President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, to campus for a |
21 | | speech; he also worked at WMBD-TV and Radio, calling Bradley |
22 | | basketball games, IHSA State Basketball Tournaments, and |
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| | SR0329 | - 2 - | LRB100 12019 MST 24000 r |
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1 | | anchored weekend sports on Channel 31 WMBD; he served as |
2 | | Vice-President of The Dirksen Congressional Leadership Center |
3 | | in Pekin; and |
4 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone moved to WEEK-TV, where his Sunday |
5 | | evening sports program became the area's top-rated sports show; |
6 | | in just a few years, he was named President and CEO of WEEK-TV, |
7 | | where he brought Ronald and Nancy Reagan and George H.W. and |
8 | | Barbara Bush to the station to prepare and give their 1980 |
9 | | election eve address; he served as Executive Vice-President of |
10 | | Eagle Broadcasting Company in New York City and was named the |
11 | | anchor television play-by-play broadcaster for the Illinois |
12 | | State High School Basketball Tourney on WGN-TV and the State |
13 | | Network; he served for 11 top-rated years while still leading |
14 | | WEEK-TV and calling Bradley Basketball on TV; he broadcast more |
15 | | Bradley basketball games on TV than anyone in history; he built |
16 | | a brand new TV station during his tenure at WEEK; in 1983, he |
17 | | was elected to the State of Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame, |
18 | | and in 1988, was elected to the Bradley University Hall of |
19 | | Fame; and |
20 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone covered two of the most famous |
21 | | basketball games in history - the longest game in college |
22 | | basketball history - the seven-overtime battle in 1981 between |
23 | | Bradley and Cincinnati at Robertson Fieldhouse; he also called |
24 | | the play-by-play for "The greatest game ever in the IHSA |
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| | SR0329 | - 3 - | LRB100 12019 MST 24000 r |
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1 | | Basketball Tourney" - the 1989 three-overtime game between |
2 | | Peoria Central and East St. Louis Lincoln; and |
3 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone became President and CEO of The |
4 | | Proctor Healthcare Foundation, where he directed the massive |
5 | | development project and acquisition of adjacent homes for the |
6 | | hospital expansion; he also secured the naming gift for the |
7 | | Ameel G. Rashid Center for Addiction Recovery at Proctor |
8 | | Hospital in Peoria; and |
9 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone served on the Board of Directors of |
10 | | St. Jude Children's Hospital, where he was co-host of the |
11 | | annual telethons with Danny Thomas, Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue, |
12 | | and Jim Maloof; he was elected to the Board of Directors of the |
13 | | State of Illinois American Heart Association; he was named by |
14 | | Governor Jim Edgar as the sole public member of the Illinois |
15 | | Optometric Board, where he served 12 years, longer than any |
16 | | public member; he served on the Board of Directors of Family |
17 | | House, Junior Achievement, The Hult Center for Health |
18 | | Education, the Peoria Civic Opera Co., the Bradley University |
19 | | National Alumni Association, and was one of the founding |
20 | | members of the Bradley Chiefs Club; and |
21 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone was named to the "Who's Who in |
22 | | America" for the first time in 1998 and for several years |
23 | | after; he was given the honor of inclusion in Outstanding Young |
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| | SR0329 | - 4 - | LRB100 12019 MST 24000 r |
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1 | | Men in America, Community Leaders of the World, International |
2 | | Who's Who in Community Service, International Who's Who of |
3 | | Intellectuals, and Outstanding Leaders of the Bicentennial |
4 | | Era; and |
5 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone gave speeches in most major cities |
6 | | in the U.S. and shared the dais with numerous celebrities, |
7 | | including President George H.W. Bush, U.S. Senate Leader Howard |
8 | | Baker, President Ronald Reagan, Vice-President Al Gore, |
9 | | General William Westmorland, Surgeon General C. Everett Coop, |
10 | | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John |
11 | | Shalikashvili, President Gerald Ford, Ambassador Nancy |
12 | | Brinker, Governor and Mrs. Jim Edgar, Harry Caray, and Jack |
13 | | Brickhouse; and |
14 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone conducted numerous interviews in |
15 | | Hollywood and around the country while at NBC-TV; some of those |
16 | | include Johnny Carson, Ted Danson, Mohammad Ali, Vin Scully, |
17 | | Dick Enberg, Barbara Eden, Morgan Fairchild, Michael J. Fox, |
18 | | Connie Chung, Al Maguire, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Mary Tyler |
19 | | Moore, Grant Tinker, and many more; and
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20 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone was preceded in death by his |
21 | | parents, Joseph T. and Olma F. Bussone; his special aunt, Mona |
22 | | Descarpentrie; and his grandparents, Frank and Julia |
23 | | Descarpentrie, and Constance and Valentina Bussone; and
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| | SR0329 | - 5 - | LRB100 12019 MST 24000 r |
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1 | | WHEREAS, Frank Bussone is survived by his wife, Lisa |
2 | | Cantor-Bussone; his son, R.J. (Jennifer) Bussone; his |
3 | | granddaughters, Julia, Corinne, and Natalie Bussone; his |
4 | | former wife, Karen Bussone; his stepchildren, Taylor |
5 | | Wright-Simmons, and Carson Wright; and his step-granddaughter, |
6 | | Sophia Simmons; therefore, be it
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7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL |
8 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
9 | | Frank J. Bussone, and extend our sincere condolences to his |
10 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it |
11 | | further
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12 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
13 | | presented to the family of Frank Bussone as an expression of |
14 | | our deepest sympathy.
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